How You View

How You View Is How You Do.  The perspectives of abundance and scarcity can both be correct.  One brings joy!  The other can produce want.  Perspective matters.

A father put a gold watch in one son's stocking and manure in the other son's...

The first son responded, “Dad, I'm unsure what to do with this watch. It's fragile, and I don't really wear watches. I don't like it."
Minutes later, the second son came running to his father excitedly and said, "Dad! I think Santa brought me a pony! Now I just have to go find it!"

Perspective is a powerful tool!  It can be dangerous to build one on assumptions, though, because perspectives can become strongholds if they remain unchecked by the truth of the gospel.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Wrong perspectives can become strongholds.  They can shape opinion and behavior.  They affect how we relate to God and others.  We should subject our perspectives to the gospel.  Thoughts need to be brought captive to the obedience of Christ.  Embracing thoughts that are contrary to the gospel that declares the obedience of Jesus as our means of righteousness is disobedience.

The enemy wants a believer to have more confidence in their strength and willpower than they do in the finished work of Christ.

The two-letter word “OF” in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is huge.  Many read that passage as saying bringing every thought into captivity to an obedience to Christ.  But that is not what it says.

Then we read that we will punish all disobedience when our obedience is full. It is saying that when we learn to pass everything through the filter of Christ’s obedience and stand firm in the security of the righteousness of God, He has made us, we punish all disobedience by eliminating its power over us through faith in Him.  Sin and shame cannot gain a foothold over us when we know the power of His righteousness at work in us.

He who knew no sin was made to be sin!  He didn’t just take on sin.  He became it!  Why?  So that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!  “He became so that we could become.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

It is the great exchange at the cross!  Jesus became what we were so we might become what He was.  He was righteous by nature. We were sinners by nature.  He was made to be sin at the cross so that we could become the righteousness of God!  We get to live our lives from the source of a new nature now that we are in Christ!

If you lack this view presented by Scripture, you lack the power to do.  How you view is how you do.  I encourage you to make certain you view things through the lens of the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus, where His obedience is magnified, His finished work is rejoiced over, and we are complete in Him.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know!

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Shaming The Adversaries

In the classic rom-com You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan plays the role of Kathleen Kelly, who laments because she cannot think of a zinger comeback for her adversaries.  She wants to say something that would put her adversary in his place.  She wants to shame him.  When she finally does, she feels badly about it.

Jesus had adversaries while he walked this earth.  Ironically, they were not common people who were sinners.  They were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Teachers of the Law, and the rulers of the Synagogue who were sinners but refused to acknowledge it.  They opposed Him often and tried to trap Him repeatedly.

On one occasion, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years at the synagogue on the Sabbath, and Jesus set her free from it, and it upset the ruler of the Synagogue.  He spoke openly to shame Jesus and rebuke His actions on the Sabbath.

Jesus is unlike Kathleen Kelly.  Jesus can say the right thing in the right moment, putting a hypocrite in their place and not feel any remorse, knowing He was righteously behaving.

Luke 13:15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

The ruler of the Synagogue had his priorities wrong because his value was on the day above the person the day had been made for to start with.  In another place, Jesus would say the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, and by placing a greater value on the day than on Abraham’s daughter, the Synagogue’s ruler had made himself a hypocrite.

The actions of Jesus and His statements that followed exposed the leader’s hypocrisy and restored a right value to the daughter of Abraham and others who might be like her and in great need of His mercy even on a Sabbath day.  In so doing, it shamed the leader.

Part of the shame was in how Jesus acknowledged the tenure of this woman’s suffering.  Jesus spoke of her being bound for eighteen years.  She no doubt had been going to that Synagogue much if not all of that time, and not only was she still suffering, but the ruler did not have the decency to notice her and show compassion by having the ability to rejoice that she is now set free.  Why wasn’t he elated that a woman who suffered that long was now free?

Jesus is still shaming His adversaries by being right and doing right through all who are surrendered to Him according to grace and walking according to the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is still going about doing good and healing all whom the devil oppresses, and it is still upsetting hypocrites who think they know better.  Jesus is never happy about people being bound and suffering at the hands of His enemy.

Still today, His adversaries (those who are okay with people being bound up and making excuses as to why they can’t be set free) are put to shame, and people rejoice when they see the glorious things He does.  He’s just doing them now through those who believe and let Him work through them to bless others. Sadly, still today, some love their routine and order so much that they oppose the manifestation of the power of God for the benefit of those who need it most.  But you are a miracle looking for a place to happen when you walk according to the Spirit and pay no attention to the adversaries who oppose the expression of Christ through you.

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Serves You Right

Imagine, if you will, a small boy who has a favorite stuffed animal friend he plays with each day and sleeps with at night.  It is his best friend and dearly loved. One day, while outside playing with his stuffed friend, a neighbor’s dog comes and snatches his stuffed friend and starts ripping it to shreds.  The boy is traumatized and comes inside crying and tells his father what happened, and he tells him, “Serves you right, if you wouldn’t have taken it outside with you, that would have never happened.  It’s all your fault.  I hope you’ve learned a lesson from it.”

Sadly, this story depicts the way many think of God.  They expect that when bad things happen to them if they go to Him, they will only hear: “Serves you right!”

What a sad way to see God.  Yet, it is what a legalistic mindset produces.  Some may even think God sent the neighbor’s dog to do what it did just to teach a lesson to the boy.

I am not saying there are no consequences to sin.  Sin has a way of punishing those who give in to it, no doubt.  But it is not God actively punishing. It is the fruit of sin doing it.

Whenever anyone who is experiencing the disappointment and pain of sin comes to God, they do not hear, “Serves you right.”  They are met with compassion and mercy.  If they turn to God in their time of hurt and pain, they are met with a loving response that points them to Jesus.

God is not in heaven saying to all who do wrong, “Serves you right.”  He’s not hoping for bad things to happen.  In fact, He went out of His way to make it possible to set things right between us and Himself despite our sins.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe Him might be saved.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The neighbor’s dog in the story is like our enemy Satan, who has come to steal, kill, and destroy.  He loves to get involved and bring as much pain and misery into lives as he can.  He will take what is precious to a person and mercilessly tear it to shreds with glee.

The father in the story is like the law.  It only sees the reality of the situation and the facts surrounding it.  It cannot show mercy, nor can it help.  The law can only demand better of a person or else.  The law is strict and exacting.  If a person wishes to try to be right with God by means of the law, they must be able to keep every part of it without offending in even the smallest matter of it.

James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

The law brings you to “Serves you right.”  Grace and truth in Jesus Christ bring you to “Here, my child, let me help you.”  Let Jesus show you the Father’s love today!

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Disarmed

If you knew a once well-armed enemy that had threatened you was now completely disarmed, how would that affect you?

Would it remove the apprehension and fear you once knew?

Would it lend itself to stirring a boldness in you towards that enemy?

Would the opinion of the enemy have an effect on you any longer?

Would you pay any attention to any accusations or insults the enemy may speak against you?

Something amazing happens when you take away the thing that gave anyone power over another person in the first place.  It levels the playing field, so to speak.  I’ll even go further. It gives an advantage to the one who once was a victim.

Jesus did something amazing that is well worth taking the time to meditate on and give thanks for.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.  16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Jesus took away the handwriting of requirements that the enemy used to condemn us and get us to always look at ourselves based on the flesh.  Jesus already triumphed over the principalities and powers.  He disarmed them!  He made a public spectacle of them.  You demonstrate this truth when you rest in Christ.

Sometimes, this language of flesh and spirit can get confusing.  The Apostle Paul addresses the subject in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 2:18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

When the focus is on what you can do in the strength of your flesh to be righteous instead of the depth of surrender to the Holy Spirit, you can now partake in, that is, walking according to the flesh.

We are not partakers of His divine nature by digging in and trying harder according to the flesh.  We are made partakers through the promises (2 Peter 1:4).

When we let our faith be activated by what He has spoken about us, we get to partake of His divine nature and see His power at work through us.  In Christ is a wonderful heritage!  It cannot get any better than what you have already in Him.  Rejoice in Him and enjoy the New Heritage He has given you!  Your enemy has been disarmed!  Be thankful and learn to rest in Him.

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Heritage

Heritage has become a big deal over the last several decades.  People research their genealogy, hoping to find something amazing about their family heritage. Sometimes, what is found is not very glamorous.  For instance:

I heard of a guy who was really proud of his British heritage until he discovered his grandfather was a Count from Transylvania. Now, he can't even look at himself in the mirror.  That got me thinking about just how risky genealogy can be.  It seems it’s all fun and games until you discover you’re related to your crazy neighbor.  I discovered my family coat of arms ties at the back…is that normal?  Speaking of coats that tie in the back, have you ever been tempted to tell someone that your family is just a tent away from a full-blown circus?

All joking aside, Heritage is a big deal.

Heritage, as defined in Hebrew, is inheritance, portion, property, or possession.

The Bible tells those who have come to Jesus for salvation that,

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

We are joint heirs with Jesus!

It also says,

2Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Promises are meant to work through us to the glory of God!  When we receive promises, God gets the glory.  That would include the promise spoken by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,”  Says the LORD.

What is your inheritance according to Isaiah, the prophet who is speaking on behalf of the Lord?

No weapon formed against you will prosper!  That means the tools crafted to destroy and harm you will fail.  They will not know success.

Every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.  That means a time will come amid the judgments rendered through false accusations and misrepresentations against you that the truth will prevail on your behalf.  The lies and errors will be exposed, and you will prove those who spoke and acted to be false and malicious in their behavior and speech.

This is your inheritance in Christ Jesus!  Why do I say in Christ Jesus when this is an Old Testament prophet speaking?  Where does it say the servants of the Lord’s righteousness come from?  It comes from Him!

Psalm 24:5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

2Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus has made this the reality for all who are in Christ by grace through faith!  You have a good heritage from the Lord now!  It does not matter what your natural heritage might have been.  Your heritage in the Lord superseded all that!  You need only believe!  Believe in His goodness to give you a good heritage from Himself!  Rejoice in His goodness in your life and give Him thanks for the marvelous heritage you now have in Christ.

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Cash In

If you needed money from your bank account and went to the teller window knowing you had the money and were told, sorry, but I just can’t give that to you today, what would you do?

Would you be okay with that?  I mean, imagine you really need that money. It is very important that you get it that day.  Would you just simply say, well, okay, I’ll come back another day?  Or would you demand your money be given to you?

There are different types of attitudes when it comes to the things of the kingdom.  There are attitudes of settling for whatever happens as though it is somehow God causing it, and therefore, one must just take it however it comes.  It is a modified, whatever will be will be, type of thinking.  Most people I have met with this way of thinking may settle for what is happening, but they are never thrilled about it and often harbor an inner resentment due to it.

Honestly, is anyone ever truly happy just settling for whatever comes their way?

When there’s no effort to discover all that Christ secured at the cross for the believer both in this life and the one to come, a person is relegated to having to settle for whatever comes their way and put on their best face with others about it.

When a believer lives in ignorance regarding the promises of God that are yes and amen in Christ, much opportunity is missed.

The greatest privilege and opportunity that is missed is partaking of God’s divine nature.

2Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Through the exceedingly great and precious promises, we become partakers of the divine nature.  These promises aid us in our escape from the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Our account in heaven is full of everything we need for life and godliness in this life.

We have everything in Christ.   

Romans 8:31   What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

It is a travesty to remain in ignorance about all that Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection.  To be ignorant of all that it is meant to affect is to get robbed of the advantages that belong to us as His dear children.  God is for us!  He has filled our account!  We have access to things that can alter outcomes and empower the advancement of His kingdom through us.  Settling for whatever happens is not a kingdom mindset.  The things He has for us are meant to be accessed by faith according to grace.  Cash in on what is yours for the purpose of His kingdom being advanced on this earth!

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The Emptiness Of Entitlement

Entitlement is the belief that one inherently deserves privileges or special treatment based on merit.

Many things can lead to this type of thinking on the part of anyone.  This is especially true when life is viewed from a performance perspective.  When we approach most things from a position of having earned a right or being born with certain rights, it can sometimes create complications.

Sometimes, people can have expectations based on these ideologies about their relationships.  That is when things can get complicated because it can pave the way for needless offenses.  An improper view of entitlement can destroy relationships because it takes things for granted and threatens any thankfulness for the real situation.

Entitlement can cloud context.  It can create such a fog around the real context that it obscures clarity and leads to wrong assumptions that can turn friends into foes.

It is in the area of expectations that entitlement can get sketchy.  A person experiencing an attitude of entitlement may expect something from another person to which the other person has no clue.  When they fail to deliver what the one with an attitude of entitlement expects, accusations arise, and claims of not being loved, appreciated, or cared for can erupt. The one on the other end of these unknown expectations is blindsided and often left confused as to what they did in the first place.

The person offended due to their entitlement attitude is left feeling empty, having not realized what they expected, and now causing distance in a relationship meant to have value.

The truth is, no one owes me anything.  I have done nothing for anyone that obligates them to meet my expectations on some level.  God gets to set all the expectations for us in life.  We do not get to set them and bind them on others as though we are God.

It can become difficult to be offended when you give up the right to bind others to certain expectations.  The ability to vilify another person based on them not meeting your personal expectations of them dies and can no longer hinder your relationships.

It is possible to bring this attitude into one’s relationship with God.  Numerous people have needlessly suffered in their relationship with God because of a sense of entitlement arising from a works mentality.  They had been on their best behavior, complying with lists of does and don’ts, and then they had something they desired very badly, and without checking with God about the desire, they simply expected God to meet it exactly the way they determined it should be met.  They became offended with God when it did not come the way they prescribed and expected or in the expected time frame.

An entitlement attitude is very common where the New Covenant grace gospel is mixed with law.  Entitlement attitudes are commonplace when works are given the highest priority, and all rewards are attached to such works.  This is why getting the gospel right, getting the gospel in, and getting the gospel out is of such great importance to all believers in Jesus.  If you are wrestling with an entitlement attitude that has led to being easily offended by others, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into a clearer revelation and understanding of the gospel of grace.  He will graciously and powerfully assist you with finding the freedom Christ died to give to you.

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Assumptions

Assumption - a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen without proof.

The root word in assumption is assume, which is defined - supposed to be the case without proof.

It is possible to mistake assumption for faith.  I have even seen people argue based on assumption as though it were fact.  Such a practice can be foolish.

The kingdom of God operates based on faith, not assumptions.  Faith has its solid grounding in what is most real: God Himself.  Faith is rooted in what is not seen but yet hoped for because faith knows that eternal things that are unseen are more real than those things that can be seen.  It is not an assumption that believers will go to heaven. It is a fact.

It is not an assumption that one must be born again just to be able to see the kingdom of God.  Jesus spoke that very clearly to Nicodemus.

I have been one who has made the mistake of trusting in an assumption before and later regretted it.  Assumptions can be very humbling and very disappointing.  Assumptions can be dangerous to relationships, too.

When we make an assumption about someone instead of going to them with a desire to know their heart and hear their side of something, we do err greatly and run the risk of embarrassment later on when the facts truly come out.

If we step out in something based on assumption rather than true faith in God, we will regret such a decision when it does not work out how we thought it would.

Assuming has a way of humbling us, but the process generally takes a little time.  It also only works in humbling us if we are teachable and desire to grow and mature.  Assuming can also send a person deeper into their pride if their only goal is to be considered as being right no matter what.

The desire to be right is a trait common to all human beings.  No one wants to be wrong.  That in and of itself is not bad or evil.  But suppose it works against us by interfering with our ability to learn something and avoid falling prey to assumptions. In that case, it becomes something that is harmful and unprofitable to us.

Assuming things about situations, people, the future, etc, is never a healthy practice.  If we desire to know something, it is always beneficial to go to the source.  Only by going to the source can you find out the facts without prejudice and then draw a conclusion about it.  Rushing to an assumption leads to errors that eventually are regrettable.  It can also hurt someone innocent of what is being assumed and possibly spoken concerning them.

Even God has experienced false accusations against Him based on assumptions instead of true faith.  Someone assumed something and made a decision based on it, thinking God was obligated to back an assumption, and when it did not work, they accused God of being unfaithful.  They failed to put in any effort with humility in discovering who He is and His ways and then assumed He would do something with no basis other than an assumption to go on.

Getting the truth and finding the facts in context will always serve us better than drawing assumptions.  Assuming comes easier and is far less involved, for sure.  But the fruit of it is rotten.  I encourage you always to avoid the snare of assumption.

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Effectual Prayer

Mark 11:24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

When we declare something in an attitude of prayer, we must do so in faith to see it come to fruition.  Speaking in faith activates things in the realm of the Spirit.  We should not pray as though we are playing the lottery.  We should not pray as though there might be a chance it will happen, but then again, there’s also a chance it might not.  We must pray in faith!  The prayer of faith is effectual!

If you want to see things in your life and ministry to others align with what the Scriptures say regarding a kingdom vision and purpose God has shown you, you need to pray in faith, not just pray. Pray in faith!  Pray, believing, and expecting.  This can affect every part of your life and impact the lives of others you care for.  Effectual prayer is declarative prayer rooted in what God is up to. We should always be aware that,  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat the fruit of it, Proverbs 18:21.

What we speak about situations and people matters.

In James 5:16 of the Bible, it says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Praise God that the hindrance of unrighteousness was taken care of in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

There cannot be a hindrance of unrighteousness for anyone in Christ.

When the matter of righteousness is settled in Christ, all you need is the effectual fervent part.  James gives us an example to show us what prayer looks like and what effectual fervent prayer is. There are many facets to what prayer is and looks like.

James speaks about how Elijah was a man of like passions as we are, and he prayed, and it did not rain for three and half years, and then Elijah prayed again, and it rained.  When you hear this, the mind typically paints a picture of Elijah alone, crying out to God emotionally and for a long time because we mainly see prayer in one way only.  Let’s see what Elijah did.

1Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

Elijah spoke to Ahab, and it did not rain.  But James says Elijah prayed. The same thing happens again when it is time for it to rain.  Elijah declares it. We are told that Elijah spoke to Ahab and then went to the top of Mount Carmel, bowed to the ground, put his face between his knees, and told his servant to go and look toward the sea.  He did this seven times.  Then his servant said there was a cloud the size of a man’s hand rising out of the sea.  Elijah then told him to tell Ahab to prepare his chariot and go down before the rain stopped him.  It does not tell us what Elijah is doing while his face is between his knees.  But it does tell us what Elijah speaks as a declaration.  Effectual prayer is a prayer that is rooted in faith.  It is a prayer that is in tune with God to the point of being able to speak with confidence.  Effectual prayer changes things.

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Move It

Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

A mountain is a formidable hindrance.  When Sheila and I were in Colorado, we could see Pikes Peak in the distance.  It towers over 14,000 feet above sea level.  It’s one of many such peaks. Crossing those peaks on foot to reach the Pacific Ocean on the other side would be challenging.

Jesus said, “Whoever says.”  He wants you to put your name in place of whoever.  He does not expect you to expect others to move your mountains.  He wants you to be the one who experiences moving them.

It’s a huge benefit to learn how to move the mountains of hindrance and impossibility when moving into a God-given vision and purpose for the kingdom.  There will be obstacles in the natural and spirit realms that need to realize that you know your God hears you and that you are in step with Him along the way.

In Mark 11:23, Jesus is speaking to us about the power of speaking in faith.  He’s letting us know we can move mountains.  Right now, I want your attention on this because I want you to understand what Jesus did not say.

Jesus did not say whoever worried enough about the mountain would see it removed.

You are not called to worry about things.  Jesus taught us not to worry about our lives, what we will wear or eat, or even about things for tomorrow.  Not even about what we will speak in a tense situation.  Worry is not a fruit of the Spirit.

Jesus did not say whoever complains enough about the mountain will see it removed.

You are not called to see and complain about problems.  James Taylor sang of how the squeaky wheel always gets the grease.  It implies that those who complain get what they want. The world uses complaining to get their way.  You and I need to understand that complaint is not a fruit of the Spirit and is never promoted as a course of action in the Scriptures of the New Covenant. 1 Corinthians 10:10 advises us to avoid it with good reason.  It tells of how Israel complained in the wilderness, and many died.

Jesus did not say whoever can get the most people to pray with them about the mountain will see it removed.

Today, people take to social media asking folks to pray as though it is imagined that the more people who pray, the more guaranteed the answer desired.  Scripture cannot prove this idea.  When it comes to moving the mountains of hindrance and opposition in your life out of the way, it is a matter of faith in God on your part.

Knowing who God is and what His will is for your life can establish you on the solid ground of faith that is able to speak with His authority to a situation and see it changed.  Notice Jesus said, “Whoever says to this mountain……., and does not doubt in heart.”  Such confidence does not come from us.  It comes from knowing God and his will and purpose for our lives.

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Getting There

Often, when we set out to travel to a place, we do not think of whether or not we will arrive there.  We pretty much expect to be there at a certain time.  Getting to where we are going has become routine for us.

There are some, however, who do not travel as well.  They are not assured they will arrive at their destination because they are not convinced the arrival is guaranteed.  They are overwhelmed by thinking of the many ways the trip could end in disaster.  They have hindrances in their travel before they even leave to go on the trip.

But when God sends us somewhere, it is not meant to be considered subject to Muprhy’s law or chance and circumstance.

The children of Israel had been freed from their 400 years of bondage to Egypt, and Moses was taking them to the land God had promised.   There was only one problem: a sea stood between them and their destination, and they had no boats to cross, no planes to fly over, and there were well over a million of them to navigate to the destination.  Additionally, Pharoah’s army was fast approaching to recapture and bring them back to Egypt.

It’s what is called in travel a crappy circumstance.  They were between a rock and a hard place.  But Moses knew what God had told him to do and where God had told him to go.  So, as Moses inquired of the Lord, God spoke to him and told him to tell the people to go forward into the sea and to hold out his staff over the sea.

We all know the story, I am sure.  As Moses held out his staff, a mighty wind began to blow, and the sea parted, and the people crossed on dry ground.  In the meantime, God held back Pharoah’s army with a pillar of fire to allow the people to cross over unharmed.  Then, just at the right time, God removed the pillar of fire to time it in such a way as to trap the army in the middle of the sea so He could collapse it on them and forever remove the threat of Israel being taken back into captivity by them.

Where God wanted them to go, He ensured they could get there as long as they trusted Him and followed His lead.

When we choose not to trust, we take the reins, so to speak, away from God and take matters into our hands, and when we do, we should not be surprised at the consequences of our limited, finite wisdom.

When God sets the course for your life, and you follow Him in faith and trust, I promise you will get to where He is taking you.  Some obstacles may be encountered along the way, but He will move in His power to take care of them if you keep moving forward in faith according to His word.  I promise you will get there!  Trust Him each and every day and rest in His promises that are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.  The journey may look a bit iffy in the natural at the moment, but I can assure you God’s got this.

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Hear Me

It might be that one of the greatest challenges today is the challenge of wanting to be heard.  Everyone desires to be heard because being heard means you exist and matter.

I know of no one who could care less if they were valued in some way or other.  We long to know that God values us, and we long to be valued by others.  We want our lives to matter on some level or other.

The importance of “hear me” is common to all.

No one wants to sit at a table where they are disregarded.  Most will deduce that they have better things to do with their time.

I will go as far as to say that you cannot show respect to another person until you have demonstrated a willingness to listen to them.

Listening is a demonstration of having an interest in knowing another person’s heart.

Lecturing is not listening.  Thinking of your next response is not listening.  Listening requires being very intentional because its aim is to hear the language of the heart so it can respond accordingly to the heart.  It is connecting at a different level.

Being heard ascribes value to a person like nothing else can.  Just as being ignored can devalue a person and minister rejection to them.

Have you ever sat at a meal with someone who dominated everyone’s time by endless talking?  Was the experience a pleasant one?  Did you go away inspired and eager to do it again?

Jesus asked a question and then answered it,

John 8:43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.

In other words, Jesus says you cannot hear my heart because you are not truly listening to me.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat the fruit of it, Proverbs 18:21.

Until there is a vested interest in what is being said, listening cannot truly occur.  The way to become vested is to work on the motivation for hearing in the first place.  By placing value on whoever it is speaking, we begin to tune our heart ears to what is being said, and we begin to understand in ways that before escaped us.  This is especially important when it comes to God speaking to us.  There needs to be a motivation in us that longs to know His heart and understand what it is He is speaking to us.

In other words, we place a high value on Him as a person, and thus, we give our attention to Him and desire to hear His words with the purpose of better understanding who He is and what He desires.

The law of sowing and reaping operates in the area of our lives just as it does in all others.  If you wish to be heard, learn to hear others, especially God.  Do not be so in love with your own opinion that you become deaf to others and to God.  “Hear Me” is a very important part of our life.  Getting this right can minister health and life.

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It Is Written

We face many things in life, both naturally and spiritually.  When the enemy is hindering us, the way to do away with him is not simply by saying be gone.  The same is true regarding hindrances and situations in the natural.

When Jesus told John to baptize him and gave him the reason for it when Jesus came up out of the water, He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, where The devil tempted him. Each time the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus would say it is written.

Jesus knew the word of God and fought the enemy based on it.

I see that, and it causes me to realize how important it is for me to know the word of God and especially what it says regarding me.

Another time, when speaking to His disciples about John the Baptist, Jesus says, “For this is he of whom it is written:”

When Jesus was filled with righteous indignation at the money changers and turned over their tables, He declared, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

When Jesus spoke of His death, He stated, “The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him.”

Before the disciples scattered at His betrayal, Jesus said, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”

When dealing with the hypocrites, Jesus said, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”

Jesus often spoke things and acknowledged that it was written in Scripture.  We see Him handling situations and then declaring He did it the way He did because of what was written in the Scriptures.  Yes, He was being led by the Holy Spirit in all of it!  But the Holy Spirit was not denying or contradicting the testimony of the word spoken that applied to the situations.

If Jesus based decisions and handled tough situations and even the enemy based on the word of God, how much more should we discipline ourselves to know the word of the New Covenant Jesus established so that we might fight the good fight of faith by it?

Do you know what is written in the New Testament regarding your relationship with the Father and how it is secured?  Do you know what the Scripture says regarding your work life, marriage, relationship with other believers, or the government you are under wherever you live?  Do you know what it says about your enemy?  How about prayer or life in the Spirit?  Do you know what it says to you as a parent, son, or daughter?  Do you know what it says about money, the value of others, or your calling to be a witness for Christ?

If these things are unknown, one remains ignorant, and ignorance sows bad seed in the soul. The word of truth concerning the New Covenant Jesus established and is now how God is relating with us is of utmost importance for anyone desiring to walk in the victory secured for them at the cross.  I encourage you today to let His word get into you as you get into it.  You will not regret it.

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Catchy Phrases

We live in a time when a catchy phrase is held to be on par with an anointed word.  Social media addictions have heralded the advent of phrasing at a level unlike any other time in history.

The phrase does not have to concur with God’s wisdom as long as it is catchy.  If it is catchy, it can promote stupidity, and no one seems to care.

It reminds me of the music show American Bandstand when I was young. Dick Clark would ask the audience what they thought about a song, and the usual response was, “We like it; it has groove, and you can dance to it.”  No one cared about what the song was saying so long as it had a groove and you could dance to it.

How about this phrase? “Well, ya know, God helps those who help themselves.”  There’s nothing Biblical about that saying, yet to this day, many use it.  The real truth is that “God helps those who cannot help themselves.”

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

There was a time when we were without hope and without God, and there was nothing we could have done about it on our own to remedy it.  God had to act on our behalf and send His only begotten Son, Jesus.

Even the mustard seed of faith required to make us new creations was and is a gift from God.  It’s not like we were that much smarter and more adept than the rest of the human race; therefore, we knew on our own to choose God.

God, in His great mercy, rescued us at just the right time by drawing us to His Son.

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Then Jesus revealed the Father to us. We did not know the Father existed until Jesus revealed Him to us.

Luke 10:22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Jesus did not need one-liners to prove His word-handling skills or impress others with catchy phrases.  Jesus spoke the truth and was purposeful with each phrase He spoke to convey the truth.

I am not saying simple phrases are evil.  I am just saying that even though they may be catchy, it doesn’t mean they’re anointed and accurate.  We need to be discerning in such matters.

It is now more important than ever that we feed our minds with good things concerning God and His purpose for our lives.  I encourage you not to be distracted by the latest catchy phrase.  Think about it before you share it with others. It just might be a trigger towards wrong thinking that does no one any real good. Instead, consider letting His word wash your mind and feed your spirit.  It will do you far better, even if it isn’t a catchy phrase that He speaks to you.

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Much More Glorious

When I first married Sheila in 1986, I owned a small blue 1979 model Dodge Colt four-speed manual transmission with a white vinyl top.  I enjoyed that little car, and it served a purpose for a time.

I would say to Sheila that when the day came that she was pregnant with a child, I would trade in that car for a station wagon.  Well, that day arrived sooner than expected because one month after our honeymoon, we discovered she was expecting.  I did exactly what I had said I would do.  I parted with the Dodge Colt and got us a brown Oldsmobile station wagon.

Today, there are those who are still ministering a word that is rooted in a covenant that is obsolete and whose glory faded away long ago.  It is sad to watch when it happens and even more sad to see how many people will flock to such a ministry.

2Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

Here, we discover that Paul was committed to the New Covenant ministry, which speaks of better things in Christ Jesus.  Paul was not a teacher of the letter.  He was an imparter of the Spirit.  Paul knew where life flowed from.

I have sat with many over the years and found them struggling over verse 7, where the law is called the ministry of death.  I have even had someone try to tell me they hated it when I referred to the law as the ministry of death.  I had to tell them I was only saying what the Scriptures say.

But notice how verses 8 and 9 really bring into light the reality of the difference between the two covenants.  That old ministry of death has no glory any longer; it had some glory in its day, but that glory has faded away.  It started fading as soon as Moses came down the mountain.

But the New Covenant ministry of the Spirit and life is more glorious, and it moves in ever-increasing glory!

I traded in that Dodge Colt I had because it wouldn’t be able to contain the increase on its way in my life.  It’s time that many handling the word of God today do the same regarding which covenant they will truly represent.  The mixture needs to go, and a commitment to the New needs to be embraced.  Let’s never forget that the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory!  It can do that because the righteousness it ministers is God’s very own righteousness, which belongs to us only in Christ Jesus.  It will never be administered to us through the law in any measure.  It is a righteousness made ours through faith in Christ alone.

It is the pathway to experiencing the glory of God in ever-increasing measure!  Christ, the hope of glory!  There’s no other way!  Jesus is it!  Worthy is the Lamb!

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Captivated Cont’d

Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Let’s concentrate on verse 19 for a moment.  What is it that Paul wants us to know?  The love of Christ!  A love so great it cannot be naturally comprehended.  But when it is realized by the spirit within, and it washes through our souls, it is felt naturally as the fullness of God fills up to overflowing measure!

Now to Him!  He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask or think!  What does He do this exceedingly abundantly above and beyond according to?  The power that works in us when we are filled with all the fullness of God because of knowing the love of Christ!  To Him be glory! Where?  In the church!

There’s no one and nothing that can compare to Him!  There’s no pet teaching or preferred promise that outshines Him!  He is the fulfillment of it all!  The promises mean nothing without Him!  Pursue Him, and you get it all.

Too many preachers today point to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and fail to point to Jesus.  We need Him!

The Holy Spirit wants to cultivate a deep love, admiration, and reverence for Jesus that is rooted in the knowledge of His goodness and love.

The Holy Spirit wants to pull back any veil covering our view of Jesus so we might see that His value and worth exceeds everything else.

The Holy Spirit leads us to be captivated by Jesus!  He’s stirring hearts to be again set ablaze with love and reverence for the Son of God who gave Himself for us.

All eyes on Jesus can unite believers quicker and more effectively than anything else.  “Looking unto Him!  The Author and the Finisher of our faith.”   

Heaven is enthralled and captivated by Jesus, and the church is also meant to be.  Are you captivated by Jesus?  Are you convinced of His love that exceeds your natural ability to comprehend?  I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to wash your soul with this wonderful truth.

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Captivated

Let’s face it: it can be difficult to say the right thing when the heart isn’t into it. But when the heart is captivated, we find words that ascribe value and worth.  This is found in Scripture.

Song of Solomon 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.  2  Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons.  I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.  4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick.

Wow!  That’s some captivation there.  Who is the rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valleys?  Jesus!

When we look at this from a prophetic context, it means Jesus is saying.  “So is my love among the daughters,”

He says that the bride in His eyes is like a lily among thorns when among the daughters.  He’s saying, next to all others, my love is beautiful beyond compare.  It’s the heart of Jesus towards His bride, the church.

Then, the bride, who represents the church, responds with her comment regarding Him.  But you’ll notice she is majorly captivated by Him.  She finds many words to describe His worth and value to her.  She likens Him to an apple tree among the many trees of the woods.

In other words, all other trees are ordinary compared to Him.  He appears among others but stands out in her eyes.  She did not sit in the shade of the other trees but instead in the shade of His tree.  In other words, she draws near to Him, not the other trees.

The fact that the bride can sit under the shade of Him as a tree indicates that He is fully grown and healthy.  This prophetically represents His protection and care.  Sitting under His shade is entering into rest.  Hebrews 3 & 4.

Notice how the bride not only sat under His shade with great delight but also partook of His fruit and found it to be sweet to her taste.  Eating fruit denotes direct encounter and experience.  In other words, she is coming away from the experience of Him with a sense of His goodness.

But there’s more to this story!  He brought her to His banqueting house (the real New Covenant Church Gathering where an experience of His presence is tangible). His banner (Represents His declaration) over her was love!  He sustains her with cakes and refreshes her with apples.  She is lovesick! (Captivated!)

When is the bride lovesick?  When she is sustained with cakes (Truth) and refreshed with apples (The Spirit).  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and grace and truth came through Him.  There’s something amazingly powerful about being captivated by Jesus as opposed to many other things.  Even a good thing can be a robber of the best.  Don’t get ripped off by being distracted away from looking unto Jesus.  He is all anyone needs.

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Relational Memory Loss

In November 2023, my wife and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage.  We both serve each other in special ways.  It is a part of our married life together.  But our service flows out of our love for each other.  We know this to be true because we still enjoy each other’s company and the discovery of thoughts we each possess individually on different topics, and there is romance in our relationship.  We like being together, doing things together, and sharing things together.

I’ve never been tempted to notice a good, hard-working employee and assume they love their boss.  Their work ethic does not indicate they love their boss. In fact, they may like their boss much at all and yet be a good employee due to a work ethic and a need to draw a paycheck.  The service they give may not have anything at all to do with love.

This can be true of believers in Jesus.

Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

There’s nothing indicated here of the gathering being abandoned, no hint of a loss of diligence in speaking out against evil and taking a stand against it.  Seems to be a faithful continuing practice of doing things for God.  There’s even a keen, effective practice in discerning true and false apostles.  Add to that the testimony of having endured some things, exhibited patience, and labored for Jesus without growing weary, and it sounds like the ultimate Christian.

But Jesus sees into the heart of the matter.  Jesus is not characterized as being a critic.  He is anything but.  However, in this case, we find the glorified Jesus making it a point to draw attention to something near and dear to His heart.  Jesus has an affinity to first love.  Jesus has an affinity for vibrant, alive, and healthy relationship.

The quickest way to experience a loss of influence where it really matters is to lose sight of the importance of first love.

1John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

That’s right, Jesus loves us just as He did at the first.  There’s never any hint of His love diminishing over time, as He is never distracted by other things or too busy to remember His love for us.  I want to always bear in mind and in my heart the same love I experienced when I was first introduced to Him and captivated with awe by who He is and all He has done.

The idea of His presence in me is still exciting and feels very much like a special privilege.  The thought of His loving me still blows my mind and fills my heart.  To belong to Him is the greatest honor ever, and to know Him outweighs anything and everything else in life. His thoughts are intriguing, His wisdom worth taking time to discover, and His friendship worth taking time to seek out and grow in.  I encourage you to take time to hear and enjoy Him so that your love for Him stays strong and alive as it was at the first.  Revel in His undying love for you.  I promise He’ll never suffer from relational memory loss.

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Remember

Memory can be a funny thing sometimes.  For instance, all the perspectives of the memories of my dad cannot go beyond the age of eleven for me.  My memories of him are those of a child up to age eleven.  I was eleven when he died.  My older brothers’ memories have a few more years on them.  They were about to turn 15, 16, and 17 when we lost our dad. So, it can sometimes seem there are discrepancies between what I remember and what they remember.  Our memories are not contradictory, however. They are rooted in what our perspective would have been at the time, based on our ages and maturity.

At eleven, in my eyes, my dad was very tall and strong and treated me wonderfully.  He had just given me a bible for my birthday where he had written in it about how I would become a preacher and lead many.  At eleven, I had not been able to get to that stage where I tested his patience and invoked his anger like my teenage brothers did.  So my memories of him are mainly good and of him being larger than life.

One such memory was when I was one year from being eligible to play little league baseball, and my dad tried his best to get them to let me play on his team.  My youthful experience with him gave me pleasant memories of him.  I choose to remember the good things.

Like it or not, your memories from a  younger time will often center on the person you were depending on; they most likely will focus on who seems larger than life to you.

Even though perspectives are based on our level of maturity at a moment in time, it is important to remember some things as we walk with Christ through this life.  It is important to remember the love, care, grace, mercy, and help He supplied to us at the first.

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

What made this so important to be remembered by the believers at Ephesus?  I think Paul knew that if they began to forget it, they would journey into a performance mentality that would rob them of the power of walking according to the Spirit with thanksgiving.   I believe Paul knew that if they failed to remember, they risked losing their identity and love for Christ.

Losing touch with how we entered the kingdom by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ can be a dangerous path.  We would do well to heed the advice given in Scripture.

Colossians 2:6&7 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,  rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

When we remember and regain our sense of the gift really being a gift, we cultivate gratitude, and in response to that, we give thanks.  Being thankful for the right reasons is healthy and strengthening in our walk with Jesus. The way to know you are remembering right is by the fruit of gratitude and the desire to give thanks. I encourage you today to remember and allow it to lead you into thanksgiving towards God.

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Sons Of God

Have you ever thought seriously about what it means to be a son of the Living God?

Just what does that mean?  What things are affected by it?  What privileges come with it?  How did you become a son?  Are girls sons, too?

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Obeying the law cannot make someone a son of God.  Self-righteousness will not make a son of God because you cannot behave your way into sonship.

Sonship is a birthright, not a behave-right.  You must be born again to become a son.

You must be born of the Spirit!  There’s no natural pathway into sonship because it is a supernatural birth that makes such a thing possible.  Jesus did not give His life on the cross merely to make servants.  It goes much further than that.

It is important to remember that a person in Christ is there through a supernatural birth by the power of the Spirit.  If it can be forgotten or reduced to something ordinary, then the rest of one’s journey becomes at risk of being reduced to merely natural things.  One can lose sight of how supernaturally they were brought into the kingdom and made a son.

Colossians 2:4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

To lose sight of who you are in Christ is to lose your identity.  To forget you are a son by supernatural birthright is to forget who you are, and inevitably, you will end up living according to the natural and perhaps even follow the course you were on before coming to know Christ.

Forgetting your supernatural birthright can lead you to fall prey to cunning and divisive arguments that go against anything supernatural and lead you to put your confidence in your flesh.  It can open you up to thinking that the traditions of men are where spirituality is—things based on this world’s basic principles as opposed to Christ’s supernatural work.

I encourage you today to remember your supernatural entrance into His kingdom, remember your spiritual birthright made possible by Jesus bleeding on the cross to pay for past, present, and future sins, and you believed it to be true.  Go back to what you did to receive Him and walk in that today and always.  Sonship is based on faith in Jesus, and the certification of it is being born again by the Spirit, not by the works of the law.

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