I Beseech You

This word in the title, beseech, is an interesting one.  In Greek, it means to call near and invite.  Invoke by an imploring.  It is to call for, exhort, or intreat.

Paul uses it as an apostle in his letter to the Romans.

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

Another interesting thing in this passage is the wording “By the mercies of God.”

Why would he need to say by the mercies of God?  What exactly does that even mean?

Is that just a dramatic way of saying something is important?  Or is there more to it than that?

You know, a dramatic type of lingo like how someone might say, “for the love of all that is holy,” hoping that it conveys how serious they are about what they are saying.

I am not convinced, in my spirit, that this is what Paul was doing.  I believe Paul understood it to be that he was motivated according to God’s mercy for those he spoke to.  I think The Holy Spirit is stirring up the mercy of God in Paul to speak what is most needful at a moment in time.  I also believe that the believer being able to grab hold of what Paul is saying is by the mercy of God as well.

In other words, let the mercy of God motivate in you the thing called for.  Mercy is calling out to mercy. The mercy to reveal draws on the mercy to activate.

What is being activated in this plea of Paul?

Believers present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

In Christ, the spirit we received from Him is already in the right position and surrendered as it should be.  Our minds are being renewed day by day by the washing of the water of His word spoken to us.  Now, it is time that our bodies be brought into this blessed package of Spirit life.

Paul goes on to say this is our reasonable service.  Amazingly, this is not an over-the-top, go-the-extra-mile kind of request.  Paul does not view what he is exhorting them to do to be asking too much or asking beyond what is reasonable.

If we think subduing the passions of the flesh (the yearnings our bodies may have that are contrary to what Jesus says is beneficial for us and according to His purpose for us) is somehow asking a lot, we are being carnally minded and embracing an enemy attitude towards God.

A living sacrifice bodily is not a lot to ask of any disciple of Jesus. Humility will gladly embrace such a call.  Humility always sees its need for Jesus and will choose to rely on His ways and wisdom above its own.  It does not pass the will of God through the filter of what the flesh desires; it subjects the yearnings of the flesh to the wisdom of God’s will.  True humility of heart understands how desperately we need the authority of Jesus in life.

Is God’s mercy being allowed to do all for you and in you it is meant to?

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Follow Jesus

Ever play follow the leader growing up?  In that game, the idea is that whatever the leader does and wherever the leader goes, everyone else must do and go.  If the leader skips in a figure-eight pattern, to stay in the game, you have to skip in a figure-eight pattern as well.  So, to participate and win in such a game, you had to die wanting to do things your way and fully surrender to doing them the way the leader did them.  By doing that, you could stay a follower until all the others had disqualified themselves, and by being the best follower, you became the leader.

Every generation has been taught the idea of following at some point or other and in some way or other.  People follow someone no matter who they are.  Some are unwilling to admit it and think they are their own leader.  Sadly, some being followed are not good leaders and are not worthy of trust and surrender.

In all of human history, Jesus was the only leader who was and is truly worthy of being followed loyally and with great trust.

Following Jesus leads me to die to my ways and desires and put all my trust in Him and His ways.  I cannot truly be His disciple without following Him in surrender.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

The idea of taking up a cross here is simple.  It was the way at that time to say, “die to himself.”

Anyone who died on the cross in Jesus’ time was unable to do anything to rescue themselves.  They were suspended with arms outstretched and nailed, feet overlapped and nailed, and there was no way for them to wriggle themselves free.

Jesus is saying any and every disciple of His must die to their own way of doing things to the same level they would do if they were on a cross.  That is why He says, “And follow me.”

When it comes to really experiencing life, real life, eternal powerful life, and spiritual life, one must come to Jesus and learn to follow Him.  No one really experiences the kind of life Jesus speaks of by their own methods and ways.  No one can do anything in and of themselves to get the life Jesus speaks of.  That is why Jesus was very clear and said,

Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

I will never grow beyond the level of my surrender.  The depth of my belief and trust in Jesus determines the level of my surrender.  When I find that it is being challenged in me, I ask the Holy Spirit to help me refresh my awareness of the immeasurable worth of Jesus and my desperate need to follow Him no matter what.

Just like in the game of follow the leader I started with in today’s devotional.  To be a good leader of others, I must first be a good follower of Jesus.  I am no good to anyone else without first being surrendered to Him.  I encourage you today and always to follow Him.

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Jesus Is Lord

It is possible to be living in a sort of virtual reality where your perspective is so skewed that you actually think you are on track when, in fact, the enemy has you going in the wrong direction.

Saul’s Encounter with Jesus is a great example of this very thing.  Saul was doing his own thing while claiming he was zealous for God.

Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”  5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”  Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

LORD IN GREEK IS THE WORD KUROS MEANING SUPREME IN AUTHORITY - GOD - LORD - MASTER

Saul realized he was encountering someone supreme in authority, and that acknowledgment led to his rescue and complete surrender.

Genuine Salvation is about Jesus being Lord.  Scripture doesn’t teach that Jesus can be the Savior but not the Lord.

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Jesus is not the great genie of heaven waiting to know what we want so He can fulfill our every desire.  Jesus rules and reigns from the throne of grace and leads those surrendered to Him into the greatest destiny they could have based on whom He knows them to be and what He knows they were created for.

No one knows better what is best for you than Jesus.  Knowing His will and purpose for your life is liberating because it connects you with what you were created in Christ to be and to do to start with.

Your best life now is not summed up in your flesh, always being satisfied.

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

A vulnerable trust in Jesus that brings us to a full-on surrender to Him as our Lord is our best life now and our highest act of worship.  Whoever you live for is the real Lord of your life.

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Betrayed By The Flesh

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Any and all confidence in the flesh must be set aside to gain all that is meant to be gained in Christ.

Until I know just how deeply I need Jesus to the extent that all else pales in comparison to Him and other solutions cannot compete with Him, I settle for less than I am meant to experience of Him.

The flesh is a great betrayer.  It tried to convince Paul that he could get to where he needed to get spiritually by the strength the flesh could supply, and then when Paul as Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he discovered his confidence in his flesh had been a huge mistake and had led him down a wrong path.

The flesh can also betray a person with its appetite for sin and rebellion.  If allowed to have its way, it will demand things that are not beneficial and bring a rotten harvest.  The root issue with the flesh is that it wants to be centerstage, the most important thing.  Flesh is self-centered.

Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Only pursuing Jesus from a place of realizing one’s need can put the flesh where it belongs.  To try to deal with the flesh in the power of the flesh is an exercise in futility.

When Saul was blinded by the light of Jesus and fell off his horse, his response was, “Who are You, Lord?   

Lord, meaning someone with real authority, power, and greatness.  Lord implies humility on Saul’s part because he recognized he was encountering someone greater than himself.  His next response to Jesus was, “What would you have me do, Lord?”

Real born-again experience brings a person as a new creation to the place of surrender to Jesus with a desire to know His will and His desire for their lives.  Religion points us to the flesh to try harder and do better. Genuine salvation brings us to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is treasured and valued for who He is with a desire to know what He wants.  It produces the fruit of seeking Him for who He is so we might learn of Him and His ways.

A real encounter with Jesus produces humility of heart, not greater confidence in the flesh.  It opens the eyes of the heart and soul to see the deception of confidence in the flesh.  Has the flesh betrayed you?

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No Other Gospel

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

The New Covenant operates by faith, not works.  A New Covenant relationship is based on being saved by grace through faith. All the promises of God are received by faith.  Thus, Paul reminds the Galatians of how they already experienced being filled by the Holy Spirit without any work to earn it.

I am not saying that true faith does not produce righteous works.  The righteousness a person knows themselves to be will translate outwardly in their lives, and the more grounded they become in His righteousness that they now are, the more they are empowered to manifest that righteousness outwardly.  But that is different from trying to merit things from God based on behavior.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Bewitching like what happened to the Galatians always offers a subtle temptation to put your confidence in the flesh.  It tempts you to trust in your ability to perform at such a level that God has no choice but to admire it.  It relates to God like He’s an employer who must reward based on work performance.  It strips the believer of relating with God as a dearly loved child.

Bewitching is an identity thief!  It seeks to steal your identity and security in Christ and make you question the completeness of Christ’s finished work at the cross.  How does it do that?  By trying to bring a believer back under the law for relating with God and experiencing spiritual growth.  It seeks to mix the Old Covenant with the New because it knows that to outright come against the New would be too easy to spot as a fraud.  This was very serious to the Holy Spirit, who moved Paul to write the following:

Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

It’s possible to be enticed by another gospel because the package delivering it can seem way more impressive than what you are ordinarily used to.

Paul rebuked Peter for not being straightforward about the gospel because Peter separated himself from the Gentiles when Jewish men came up to Antioch from Jerusalem.  It gave the impression that there was a special advantage to being Jewish and being under the law, and it even led Barnabas astray.  Paul openly rebuked Peter to help him get his perspective right again.

Getting the gospel right, getting it in, and getting out matters!

Being caught between two covenants will never bring you spiritual maturity and growth.  You have to cast out the bondwoman covenant!  The Law Covenant and the New Covenant of grace should never coexist together!

The New Covenant is the only Covenant with a Savior who took our sins and gave us His righteousness.  Is there a mixture in you?

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Cast Out The Bondwoman

Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written:  “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear!  Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor!  For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.” 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless, what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

In these passages, we find that a false perspective had been introduced at Galatia—a perspective of applying the law as part of God’s plan is what completes one’s salvation experience. To dismantle the stronghold, this perspective was establishing, Paul explained the two main covenants in Scripture and how one is meant to be cast away.  He demonstrates how a perspective of Gentile believers embracing the law after coming to Jesus opposes the real truth.  Gentiles without the law are part of the heavenly Jerusalem.

The poem from Isaiah in the passages foretells how Gentiles without the law have always been a part of God’s plan of salvation, too.  They weren’t an afterthought.

Paul called the Galatians back to the New Covenant Gospel he first preached to break off the false perspective's bewitching effect on them.

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Anytime the gospel's simplicity and purity are challenged in a believer's perspective, it is bewitching.  In other words, there are demonic forces at work seeking to dilute the purity and simplicity of the gospel.  The most effective way they have found to do this is by using a mixture.  By mixing law with grace, they sully the gospel and make the promises a maybe instead of yes and amen in Christ.

The enemy is after your perspective about the gospel, Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and what is required of you to enjoy their love, acceptance, and help.  Satan wants to affect your perspective about God.

Bewitched in Greek means to be fascinated with false representations.  It is the same practice the enemy used against Eve in the garden when he called into question whether or not God really said what she had been told He said.

Law and grace are like water and oil.  They do not mix.  Law has a place when dealing with arrogant sinners who oppose the truth and argue for their own right standing based on their own merit or reject the notion that they need the help of Jesus in any way.  But it has no place with saints who have come to Christ in full assurance of faith resting on His completed work on their behalf.  Have you cast out the bondwoman?  Or do you think she can help you become more acceptable to God than what Jesus has already done on your behalf?  It is no gospel that encourages you to put your trust in what you can do to gain acceptance with God as your Father at any time during your journey.  The real gospel calls you to faith in Christ alone.

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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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