The Shift
Want change?
I remember it like it was yesterday. It is still so vividly locked in my memory. God confronted me with Himself, the reality of Jesus, and the fact that I could not live for Him out of my strength and be good enough. He took away my chief argument for why I couldn’t be a Christian, and I surrendered to His wisdom and His call to believe.
From that moment, everything began to change without my trying to make it so. It was so incredible. Things that were once appealing to me had suddenly lost their appeal. I was a different person. I wasn’t waking up each day saying I would be different; I just was a new and different person.
On my way home that day, while driving, I noticed the blue sky and the birds singing, and joy filled my heart. Things I could not appreciate or be thankful for suddenly grabbed my attention, and my heart rejoiced.
The Bible describes this phenomenon.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I had come to know Jesus Christ. I was born again by the power of the Holy Spirit at work. Before I hit the floor that day, all I could think about was myself; when I got up off that floor, my eyes noticed many things that I was blind to. I was different.
I knew that I had encountered God and that He had changed me by convincing me of my need for Jesus.
I was made aware by the Holy Spirit of my need to seek the Lord daily, aware of how great a privilege it is to know Him.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
When He comes, which I am certain will be soon, I will be caught up to meet Him in the air as promised in His word. In the meantime, I aim to share the good news of Him with others and encourage others in their walk with Him.
I am convinced there is no better way to live than to live as a believer in Jesus, aware of being in Him and having Him alive in me. Having this shift occur is a wonderful and beautiful way to live. I trust you have experienced the shift that occurs from being born again; if not, may I implore you to believe Jesus died for your sins, was raised the third day from the grave, ascended on high, and is coming again soon. May I encourage you to believe and confess to someone that Jesus is Lord? Knowing Him brings a shift!
Change Your View
Don’t like what you are seeing?
2Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I’ve been thinking about this reality of through Christ lately and the Holy Spirit gave me some practical ways of looking at it.
One example involved my truck. When I need to get somewhere, I go out and get in my truck, and when I do, my view is altered. I no longer see myself as being so exposed to the things around me. It can be raining, but it doesn’t bother me any. It could be snowing, no problem. It can be windy and cold, but I do not fret about it. It can be an extremely hot sunny summer day with high humidty, no biggie.
The reason I do not fret about my circumstances while driving in my truck is because my view is changed by being in my truck and looking through the windshield of it.
I trust I will get to my destination able to do what my purpose was for going there in the first place. Not only that I get to where I am going much quicker when I am in my truck. If I were to say I can do this all on my own, I don’t need the assistance of this vehicle. Of course, that would be insane if I needed to make a long trip. Our journey in the Lord through our days here on earth is just that, a long trip.
Jesus wants us to learn how to do things and see things through Him. Our relationship with Him is meant to be personal, purposeful, and powerful.
Being in fellowship with Him to the degree that we begin to see things in the through Christ way produces fruit in our lives. It produces fruit in a more effortless manner.
In other words, we begin to rest in Him while moving forward in the things He has called us into.
These passages provided today are not fictional or hopeful; maybe they work, or maybe they don’t passages. They are factual, spiritual realities for every believer. God will uphold His end every time, and when we look through the view of through Christ we are able to experience what these passages are promising to us.
I encourage you to meditate on what it means to change your view and see life and situation from your position in Christ. If your view has been you, then change your view to Through Christ!
More Than
Are you persuaded?
More than is a next-level phrase. It means the expectations for something were not only met but exceeded.
I knew I was getting a special woman when I met and married my wife, Sheila, in 1986. These many years later, I would say she is more than I expected in so many good ways. She exceeded my expectations in so many ways. She is more than a wife; she’s my best friend, trusted companion, confidant, helper, and much more. She’s funny, witty, pretty, fun to be with, intelligent, loves Jesus, easy to talk to, I could go on and on too. We have a healthy relationship filled with “more than.”
So I could simply say she is “more than!”
That means she is above average, not the status quo, not ordinary.
For those of us who have come to know Jesus, we too have become above average, not status quo, not ordinary.
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
We have become and continue to become more than through Jesus!
This more than experience is because Jesus is more than enough. Now, what is said here about being more than conquerors was in the context of hardships and difficulties and how nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
There’s something so reassuring and confidence-building in knowing nothing can separate you from the love of someone great and important in your life. This is especially true when it comes to someone like Jesus, who is the most important person and relationship in any believer’s life.
This more than conqueror status is given to us because of the love of Christ and the love of God. Not only is it impossible to separate us from Christ’s love, but it is also impossible to separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Your experience of being more than an overcomer manifests when you become persuaded. You are already “more than,” but you realize and manifest it when you become persuaded of His great love for you. My encouragement to you is for you to become fully persuaded of God’s great love, which is in Christ Jesus, Who now lives in you and in whom you have been placed. I pray that you will become more and more aware of just how much more than an overcomer you really are.
We Were Once...
You used to be…?
There was a time in my history when I was known as someone and something I am no longer known as today. It is all in my past and left behind me, and I say good riddance.
Anyone who has ever truly come to know Jesus has experienced this change in their lives.
There are times, though, when a person who has come to know Jesus needs a reminder.
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
We who have come to Jesus were once darkness. Something changed. We are now light in the Lord. That comes with an expectation from the Lord Himself. We are to do life as children of light. What does doing life as a child of light look like? It is a life that exhibits the fruit of the Spirit.
We are meant to put on display - goodness, righteousness (relationship with God), and truth.
There is yet one more thing involved in the expectation of the Lord as it pertains to us. We should be finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. This is elaborated on with good reason.
Ephesians 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The Lord desires us to be wise. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I do not find it odd that it says we should walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.
It will always be wisdom to make the most of the time that we have. That is what redeeming the time means. There is so much evil at work in the world today that it is all the more important that we heed this saged advice.
To redeem the time, be wise, and walk in wisdom, we must operate in something of great importance. We must not just know what the will of the Lord is. We must understand it. To get to such a place, we must know Him! An ongoing relationship with Jesus that is active and alive is necessary to take part in this type of instruction. Without knowing Him as He intended, we will not know and understand what His will is.
You can be aware of what something is without fully understanding it. I may know it is God’s will that I be sanctified, but do I understand what it means to be sanctified?
We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord, and if we understand His will concerning this simple thing, we will live as children of the light and walk in the light.
Knowing The Time
Are you ready?
It’s not a strange thing to prepare for something you know is coming. In the springtime, if the windows are down on your vehicle and a storm is approaching, no one would think it was odd for you to go out and close the windows on your car. Every winter, when the temperatures drop, people cover up the outside faucets in their homes to avoid having them freeze and cause problems.
My point is simple: there are many things in life we just naturally prepare for when we know they are about to happen. The same holds true spiritually speaking. Something is coming, and it is drawing near.
Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
It might trouble some to be told, “Do this.” But there is a reason for the apostle to say such a thing. “Knowing the time.”
Knowing the time and what is coming is the reason to do something. What is coming? Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
This statement runs against the casual idea of going to the altar to get saved, and that’s it. This says something about our salvation, implying there’s more to it than just getting to heaven when we die. It’s interesting how the language changes in the next verses.
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
As a person prepares for the day ahead, we should prepare for His appearance. How is this done? By putting off certain things contrary to who we are now in Christ and putting on the armor of light. He expounds his point by saying, “Let us walk properly,” and then gives an example of what properly is not. It is not the party life, it is not drunkenness, it is not cohabitation and fornication, it is not pining after the things of this world as though that is living, it is not arguing and being divisive to cause contention, and it is not being jealous of others and what they have.
This could almost sound as if it might be law-based were it not for the instruction on how to avoid these things. It is not law-based to live as someone who has been changed by His presence in you. It is not law-based to contrast what it looks like versus what it doesn’t.
Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
The idea conveyed here is that if we are not pressing into Christ and discovering who we are in Him, we are more susceptible to things we should not be given to. The way to make no provision for the flesh is to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, be captivated by and submitted to Jesus. Hand over the reigns to Him! Knowing the time, let Jesus have control of your life. Your salvation is nearer now than when you first came to Him.
What Jesus Loves & Hates
Do you know what Jesus hates?
Sometimes, knowing what a person dislikes or, even better, what they really hate can be helpful. It is a part of knowing and understanding them. This is true when it comes to knowing Jesus.
Most can easily talk about what Jesus loves, but it seems as if the knowledge of what He hates is missing.
For some, the idea of Jesus hating is not in their wheelhouse at all. They cannot bring themselves to think there could be anything He would hate. But there is something He hates.
Psalm 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
Jesus does not like it when there is a disregard for righteousness. Jesus loves righteousness. When a disregard for righteousness leads to living contrary to it because of holding the truth of righteousness in contempt, Jesus hates that. That is wickedness or lawlessness. He knows the theft that it is in someone’s life. It suggests that God is not good in all He is when someone holds righteousness in contempt and embraces wickedness. Therefore, it is something He hates.
But we should notice something else in this passage. Because of this attitude in Jesus, we are told God anointed Him with the oil of gladness more than His companions.
An attitude of loving righteousness and hating wickedness can release an anointing with the oil of gladness. Jesus loved righteousness and knew He was righteous by the nature of the relationship He enjoyed with the Father. Righteousness doesn’t exist without the concept of being right with a purpose. That purpose being in relationship with God.
Unrighteousness does not experience a relationship with God. To have a relationship with God, one must be righteous. It stands to reason, therefore, that anyone desiring a relationship with God would love righteousness.
It is not weird or odd to hate whatever it is that opposes what you love. That’s why when I am being conformed to His image, I hate wickedness all the more, just as He did and still does, and my love for righteousness grows just as He loved righteousness. The fruit of this reality of transformation comes with an anointing with the oil of gladness.
I have found that whenever I have ever operated outside the confines of the righteousness He has made to be in Himself, my gladness suffers a blow. But when I live submitted to the righteousness He has made me, I experience great gladness. It is me being what I was created to be in Him, and the anointing of the oil of gladness is a beautiful thing to experience in Him.
The Reality Of The Unseen
Can you believe it?
In pioneering days, way out west, people would take out an ad in a paper for a wife back east. There would be some correspondence via mail, not having ever seen each other, and committing to marriage by mail. Then, a woman would take a stagecoach to meet the man out west and marry him.
As I heard recently, even those of us who dated, became engaged, and then later married still did not know all there was to know about the person we married. In fact, after all these years, I am still discovering new things about my wife of thirty-seven years. But it doesn’t lead me to quit discovering or to stop loving.
Throughout history, people have done things and made decisions without seeing the outcome before they set out. Columbus sailed the ocean blue when it was believed there was nothing out there but death awaiting. He imagined something different, and history tells us just how important it was that he ventured out as he did.
There are a great many things we do without knowing how they will turn out. We do not think about it too much in the moment because we dream of better things coming from our endeavors. We often persist until we are either proven wrong or get the result we were hoping for.
Millions go to pharmacies every day to get medications they were not there to see produced and have no idea about the process or who may have handled it. Yet they believe they are getting the right medicine for the problem they are treating. They think nothing of it.
As my friend Greg Mohr says, I wasn’t there to see Jesus rise from the dead, yet I believe it. I have never seen heaven, and yet I believe it. I didn’t witness my name being written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but I believe it is there. How long am I to believe these things that I was not a witness to? All my life! All the way into eternity! I am to spend my life here believing in things I have not yet seen and not think of it as strange or odd.
Why is it that believers in Jesus can believe in these unseen things with such endurance but struggle to believe the promises with endurance? In fact, believers have believed the aforementioned things even in the face of profound persecution and stood their ground in their beliefs about them, even to the point of death.
Scripture reveals that with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with his mouth, he confesses Jesus is Lord and is born again. Something unseen is believed, and confession is made concerning it, and then the fruit of it is manifested through a changed life. But it still requires believing in something unseen.
With all this evidence of what it means to believe in things unseen, why should anyone struggle with standing in faith for healing, a miracle, financial blessing, or help in a time of need?
The Bible says all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. Believing is a very practical proposal when you think about it. Confessing what one believes is just as practical. So why should we feel strange in speaking of such things and giving praise to the One who makes all these things possible? Why should we ever be ashamed of believing in things unseen? The reality of the unseen is often more real than what we can see.
Happy New Year!
Have any goals for the coming year?
At this time, every year, millions make New Year’s resolutions that will be broken before the year’s end. But there could be one resolution that would be of the greatest benefit ever to anyone who might get started on it.
What if everyone resolved to know Jesus? What if a real determination settled in to seek Him with great diligence for no reason other than getting to know Him better?
What if we were resolved to know Him according to how He wished to reveal Himself to us and through the means He prescribed to do it?
What if we were to adopt the attitude of the great apostle Paul? Where he declared in,
Philippians 3:7 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 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
If all were to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, this world would see Jesus in the church more than ever before. Everything pertaining to life and godliness is in Christ!
That means if all were to pursue Jesus with the kind of passion Paul describes here in Philippians, there would be no way anyone outside the church could say they had no example of what it means to know Jesus and to walk with Him. Better than that, many would walk with such strong assurance of faith and hope, experiencing transformation in their lives and knowing Jesus more intimately. The excitement over the promise of His soon return would be great, and the desire to see others know Him would also increase.
There’s just no way to lose when we purpose to know Jesus more. So, with this thought in mind, I wish you a Happy New Year filled with knowing Jesus more intimately than ever before.
Such Were Some Of You
Who are you now?
It’s such an odd statement, yet powerful. The statement “such were some of you” implies that someone is no longer what they once used to be. They are no longer identified the same way they used to be identified.
I was a child long ago, but I grew up and became an adult, and now that I have reached sixty years of age, I am a long way from being sixteen and just getting my driver’s license.
At one time in my life, I was single, but I married the love of my life thirty-seven years ago, and ever since, I have identified as a happily married man.
I was not a father once, but then we had four children, and I became a father. Since then, I have become a grandfather.
Some change is inevitable. It happens very naturally based on progress in life over the years.
“Such were some of you” speaks of a change that requires the help of the Lord.
1Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
I love the past tense language used in this passage. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified.
The blood of Christ washed away my sin! I was set apart by the Holy Spirit of Promise when I became a child of God. I was made so clean by Jesus, and my sin was removed so completely by His blood that my former guilty verdict was changed to not guilty. I was presented before God as perfect and without sin because of Christ. I was justified.
What I was before no longer identifies me, and I no longer identify as that.
What was the condition of those Paul was speaking of here in Corinthians?
1Corinthias 6:9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Jesus can save anyone regardless of how bad a background they once had. Not only can He save us, but He can keep us and ensure we make it all the way.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
There might have been a time when you were a part of this list given to the Corinthians, but everything changes when a person surrenders to Jesus in faith. His disciples used to be characterized as, but not any longer because He made them new in Himself and gave them the same Spirit He relied on when He walked this earth as a man. We are not bound to live in shame of the past when we come to Jesus. We are set free to live according to hope for the present and the future based on who He says we are now that we are His.
Sanctified
Whose will are you doing?
If you were close to your time of departing this earth and knew you had but one more opportunity to pray for those you love and care about, would you pray an ordinary just get it done kind of prayer?
I would bet that you would pray a very deliberate and important prayer at such a time. That’s what Jesus did. Jesus prayed, and it is recorded in the gospel of John.
John 17:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
Jesus was not of this world, and neither are those of us who have been born again by faith in Him. We are no more of this world than Jesus was.
Jesus also deeply desired our sanctification and attached it to the truth. It requires adopting the truth as God speaks it and has spoken it.
What did Jesus mean when He said I sanctify myself? Jesus was going to have to go through the Gethsemane experience, where He would wrestle in anguish over the type of death He was about to face and would submit Himself to the Father’s will regardless of the pain and suffering involved. He asked if there was any possible way this cup could pass from Him but qualified that if it were not possible, then the Father’s will be done. Jesus put the will of God and the way God had ordained for Him above His own safety and natural survival in that moment. He saw all of us and the millions of others who would be reconciled to God through His surrender, and He loved the Father so much that He was willing to sanctify Himself to the word of God regarding the means of our salvation and hope.
Jesus set Himself apart unto the will of God. That is what sanctification means. It means to be set apart. It involves having a purpose other than what is ordinary in this world.
Sanctification will always involve surrender to the will of God to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, He suffered and died to pay for the sin of the whole world, and He was raised again to life after three days just as God spoke He would be. He is coming again soon, just as he promised.
When we believe such truth, we are born again by the Spirit and made clean so we can receive the Holy Spirit, Who sets us apart! We are set apart by the fact that we have the Holy Spirit living within us, which the world cannot know unless they believe in the gospel as we did and receive HIm. By being born again and filled with the Holy Spirit by faith, we become very different from those of this world. We become sons of God, children of the Living God, and we are empowered by His Spirit to live according to His will for us. That is some powerful sanctification when we yield to it in faith as we should. Jesus did not pray amiss in John 17. He prayed with a laser focus and deep heart longing. Those who believe and love the will of God are the fruit of that prayer. Are you living as one who is sanctified?
Virgin Birth Validation
Do you believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?
Professor Peter W. Stoner was Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the science division at Westmont College. In his book Science Speaks, Professor Stoner outlines the mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the clearest and most straightforward Messianic prophecies.
We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 11017 (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000). In case you’re wondering, the Mega Millions had a $1.6 billion jackpot in October 2018, and the odds of winning it were merely 1 in 302,575,350. Stoner calculated the probability of one person fulfilling 48 prophecies: 1010157. In case you’re questioning whether Professor Stoner’s math was wrong, H. Harold Hartzler, Ph.D., of the American Scientific Affiliation, Goshen College, writes in the forward of Stoner’s book:
“The manuscript for Science Speaks has been carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members and by the Executive Council of the same group and has been found, in general, to be dependable and accurate regarding the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability, which are thoroughly sound, and Professor Stoner has applied these principles properly and convincingly.” Courtesy of Josh McDowell Evidence That Demands A Verdict
In other words, you stand a greater chance of winning a huge lottery than Jesus would have stood, fulfilling just eight of the multitude of prophecies we find in Scripture well before he was ever born.
But let’s look at what is said about Jesus’ birth by a man who was prophesying somewhere around 740 - 687 BC. A prophet whose words were confirmed by the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered 100 years before the birth of Jesus and confirming parts of Isaiah.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
The virgin birth of Jesus is of great importance as it fulfills the word God spoke through prophets many generations before His arrival so that mankind could know who the Messiah was with certainty.
Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
The prophecies of His birth have a specific location, a virgin mom, and other specifics, all fulfilled by Jesus! Fulfilling eight prophecies so specific seems impossible. Imagine fulfilling 365! Then think of His promise to return!
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
The miracle of a virgin birth should tell us to trust in all of His promises and prophecies! Jesus is coming again soon!
Is Christianity Real?
Do you know what to believe?
With all the religions out there, how can you know that Christianity is true?
How can you know whether the Bible actually gives the accurate and correct story of the world?
How do you know that Christianity isn’t just a fairy tale made up by people to help them cope with hardship and death and deal with life?
To this, Peter, in the Bible, provides us with a response.
2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’
Isaiah 48:5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, “My idol has done them, and my carved image and my molded image have commanded them.’
God himself challenges us to put him to the test, and he goes on record predicting things about the future that will come to pass. Roughly 1/3 of the Bible is made up of prophecies, including many about the promised Messiah, which predicted various things about his identity and actions.
According to one calculation, there are 365 Messianic prophecies from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), which Jesus fulfilled. This is why the Dead Sea Scrolls are such a big deal: they date back to about 100 years before the birth of Jesus and confirm parts of Isaiah’s writings, which show us that the prophecies Jesus fulfilled were indeed written before his birth and were not later redactions or additions.
The word of God is reliable, and His commitment to fulfill His word of prophecy should encourage us. He will keep His word to us! Jesus is coming soon!
Glorious Sundays
Do you know the privilege of gathering?
You don’t see them as much anymore, but I still remember the little rides outside of stores for kids that you put a quarter in, and it just moves back and forth or up and down as though you were soaring in a rocket or riding a horse. Small children would beg their parents to let them ride and then be joyful when they got to.
I also remember renting a small merry-go-round mounted on a trailer we would set up on October 31st when doing a Helloween outreach. The kids loved getting on that simple little ride. They enjoyed it and would ride over and over again.
Oh, how precious it is to see kids enjoy simple things without growing tired of them. I’m like that about something.
I have known Jesus now for over 36 years, and before I came to know Him, I lived for Friday and Saturday nights.
My whole work week was mainly to get to Friday night so I could party and live it up with my paycheck. I wasted many paychecks in that period of my history, too.
After coming to Jesus, my thoughts about a weekend changed dramatically. Instead of wanting Friday to hurry up and get here, I couldn’t wait till Sunday!
To this day, I get excited about Sundays. I was excited about Sundays when going to church meant listening to someone else preach and serving the needs of others behind the scenes in practical ways.
This love of Sunday was not about me preaching, even though I have preached for many years. I was excited for years about Sundays before I ever preached for the first time in a church.
There’s just something about being together with other believers who also desire to worship Jesus and be washed by the word as it is spoken by a vessel for the Lord. Being in His presence among the saints is a wonderful privilege I never wish to take for granted. Seeing the Holy Spirit move through the believers as His gifts are on display and being encouraged by the ministry of those gifts is something of great value to me.
Now that we are in the last days and experiencing such confusion and ever-increasing hardships, trials, and persecutions, this kind of privilege is even more special and precious to me. For me, it makes the passage in Hebrews ring truer and feel much more pertinent.
Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
I trust you have a fellowship you are a part of that you love because of the people who make it up and the presence of God that is active within it. If you do not have that, I encourage you to find one and begin to make it a part of your practice of privilege.
The Beauty Of Light
Can you imagine a life without light?
Can you imagine what things would be like without light, only darkness?
Some people struggle greatly every winter due to the shorter days of light. I personally do not like the less daylight scenario.
In my state, there is a cave you can pay to visit. In it, there is a lake with fish. The fish are all blind. If you visit the cave, they will briefly turn out all the lights so you can experience absolute darkness. They do not leave them off very long because such darkness can affect the eyes. You see, your eyes need some measure of light, or they will overwork themselves to find it, which can lead to blindness. That is what happened to the fish in that cave.
You and I need light in our natural, emotional, and spiritual lives. To be trapped in darkness is not a good thing.
There are different types of light sources in life. In the natural we have the sun and the moon, flashlights, electrical lights, LED lights, fire lights, and so on. In our souls, we have the light of knowledge and understanding. There is also the light of nothing hidden within our thoughts that should not be allowed there. In our spirit, we do not possess light until revelation from the Holy Spirit makes us aware of Jesus Christ, and we believe and receive His life. Without Him, we do not have light in our spirit because our spirit is dead in sin. Jesus is the life, and that life is the light of men.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
We have discovered that light has power. Some lasers can cut through metal and other hard materials. A laser is energy produced when highly intense light is passed through a specific magnifier, which intensifies and focuses it.
As kids, we all probably remember playing with magnifying glasses on a sunny day and igniting paper or a leaf by putting the glass at a certain angle to where it focused a fine, tight beam of light onto the object, and the heat from it caused it to break into a flame.
Hearts on fire spiritually work by the same principle. When the intense light of Christ is shone upon our hearts and washes over our souls, we find our love for Him increased and our passion for knowing Him and walking with Him enlarged as well.
His light is beautiful because it reveals to our hearts that nothing we are struggling with is meant to be our master, so keeping it hidden in the shadows of our souls, away from the light of truth and love in Christ, is unnecessary. When things contrary to the truth in Christ come into our souls, we can be free of them and rid them of their power by simply bringing them into the light by exposing them. We can do this because the sting of shame is removed by His grace, mercy, and love revealed on the cross. Our soul and flesh struggles cannot remove His love from us. He already paid for everything we might encounter and end up doing.
To avoid bondage to something, bring it into beautiful light! It is safe to do it when we know His grace and love as we should. If we have come to know the beautiful light of His life and truth, it empowers us to be children of light ourselves. We no longer need to protect our reputations by hiding the things transpiring in our lives, whether good or bad.
He loves me even when I blow it! The quicker I get my struggle into the light, the quicker it is made powerless to take hold of me. This is why the Scripture says,
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Fellowship that is deep, meaningful, and healing to the soul occurs when this is a common practice among believers.
Shed The Weight
Need to let something go?
Sometimes, the weight of what others might think will lead us to carry a weight too great for ourselves that is not God-ordained for us. In other words, we become burdened by what we think others might think.
What are some examples of weight? Well, the most likely heaviest one is associated with people. Moses was tasked with leading Israel out of Egypt to a promised land. While in the wilderness, it became clear this generation would struggle with trusting God, and their issues would be many as they journeyed in the wilderness. They were coming to Moses for all sorts of things. Eventually, after seeing this unfold, Moses’ father-in-law respectfully and graciously approached Moses and suggested he appoint other leaders strategically to handle various matters and filter what came to Moses. It was a brilliant idea. Moses adopted it, and his progress was once again up to speed as it should be. But let’s never forget that Moses could not take them into the promised land. Moses did not get to go in, either.
No one is meant to become another savior in someone's life. We are, however, meant to point others to the Savior. There is a difference. You and I cannot change someone from the inside out. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, and our greater effort is not a magic bullet to bring them to the spiritual reality they need to get to. We must put our confidence in the work of the Spirit instead of our own work. Naturally, we are meant to partner with the Holy Spirit, speak truth in love, meet needs when appropriate, etc. But we do not do the saving and rescuing. We can’t take credit when the Spirit of God works in someone's life. We can say we were glad He let us partner with Him, but we cannot say it was because of what we did.
Another weight involves worry about situations and circumstances. We sometimes claim we are standing in faith when, in fact, we are inwardly worrying and stressing, and such instances are great weights. It is far better to be honest with ourselves and others so we can ask for the Holy Spirit’s help regarding what we need. Walking in the light is a healthy part of our process as we grow in Him. Grace makes it possible, too!
Please consider what I am about to say: not only is it impossible to affect change in yourself when you worry about yourself, but it is equally impossible to affect change in someone else just because you worry about them. This is a majorly heavy weight many believers carry daily. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The passage in Hebrews tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us. Sin easily ensnares, but weight can be subtle. When we are overloaded, it means we aren’t casting things onto the Lord and coming away with His peace. That can move us into the sin of unbelief that ensnares us. Unbelief hinders us from laying hold on the promises meant to keep us aware of our connection with His divine nature. It disrupts fellowship with Him and others.
Weight is meant to drive us into His arms, not a greater resolve on our part to fix, rescue, or work harder. If we head in the wrong direction in response to the weight, we open the door to unbelief. How? It can be very discouraging to work hard, sacrifice greatly, and spend yourself immensely over a weight you have embraced and see nothing coming of it. Whatever Jesus gives us is meant to bear fruit and will bear fruit. We should ask ourselves what fruit is being produced in our lives. Is it the fruit of the Spirit and indicative of God with us? Or is it the fruit of our own plans?
John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
When the weight we bear results from abiding in Him, it is a proper weight. It is a burden He intends to bring fruit from.
We should always bear in mind what Jesus said,
Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
His burden is light. The weight He gives does not slow us down or stop us in our tracks because it comes with enabling grace that empowers us to carry it as if it were a feather. It’s long-distance designed. To be yoked with Jesus means He is bearing the strain of the load and just allowing us to be in the yoke with Him about it. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. If the weight you carry is mentally exhausting, slowing you down, or stopping you, it isn’t what He gave you. It is one you took up yourself. What He gives might seem hard initially, but we discover joy when we know we are yoked to Him. We are to look to Him! He started our faith and will finish it! To progress significantly with the Lord, you must lay aside every weight and the sin and look to Him! Lay aside every weight and be yoked to Him!
The Goal
Do you have a goal?
Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, 20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
This apostle’s heart in the Scriptures is being fully displayed for us. He aches for these believers because he knows the power of deception and senses they are being lured away from New Covenant truth towards the error of relying on the law for righteousness and blessing.
He also expresses the reason for his travail for them. He has a goal, and it is not aimless travail. He longs to see Christ formed in them!
But the interesting part is that when we read further in the next verse to follow, we find what he believes will not be a tool for accomplishing this.
Galatians 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
If we were to keep reading in Galatians, we would find this apostle reminding these believers that they are children of the promise, not the Law.
His reason is that if Christ is to be formed in them, it must be according to New Covenant reality and truth because Christ is the promise.
Jesus must be at the center of everything for the believer. This same apostle spoke something similar to another group of believers in Rome.
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Hmmmm? Conformed? The Greek idea here is to be jointly formed, similar, fashioned like unto.
The idea is similar to that of molding a statue. The clay is worked and shaped until it gives forth the likeness of the one it will be patterned after. The result is that others looking at it might be able to identify whom it is meant to represent.
The goal for disciples is to be transformed and conformed so that others might see Christ in them, which is the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
When this goal is shared, the path to achieving it is accepted and involves allegiance to the gospel.
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Have you embraced the goal?
Every Weight
Are you burdened?
To run a marathon and win, a runner must be fit and reduce all unnecessary weight. Lloyd Scott, a charity fundraiser, is known as the slowest man ever to run a marathon. He wore a 110-pound diver suit. It took him 5 days and 8 hours to finish the race. The point is that you cannot effectively run a long race requiring endurance in what is considered a reasonable time when you are loaded with weight. The Bible testifies to this fact.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The great cloud of witnesses spoken of here is not your loved ones in Christ who have gone on before you, peeking over the edge of the clouds to look down on you. The great cloud of witnesses is the list of those mentioned in Hebrews 11 that make up the heroes of the faith.
That’s not to say it cannot include men and women of the faith down through history who ran a full and honorable race, fulfilling the will of God in their lifetime. But at the time of this letter, your loved ones weren’t even born. Chapter 11 of Hebrews speaks of the many different examples of what faith looked like for various heroes who walked in it.
Considering this great cloud of witnesses, we are encouraged to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us! They were willing to let go of something that others would have prized, something others if not most, would never release, and yet, they let it go to obtain something of even greater value to them.
What is meant by the word weight? In Greek, it means hindrance, a mass, a burden. The translators into English determined to use the word weight.
Not long ago, while in a small fishing boat, I fired up the motor and began to take off after being in one spot and wanting to find another. I noticed the boat was not planing out as usual and was sluggish. Then I noticed I hadn’t pulled up anchor. Dragging the weight of the anchor made progress sluggish and slow. The anchor, meant to be good when used for the right reason, had become a heavy burden to the boat. It was not designed to be dragged behind the boat.
Too often, these passages are read, and weight and sin are lumped together. When we read it carefully, it says clearly, “the weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” Just as sin can hinder progress, weight can as well. Like the example of that boat anchor, burdens can slow us down, if not stop us in our tracks.
Not knowing your assignment from the Holy Spirit can result in taking on many burdens that are not meant to be yours. You can be carrying around weight that becomes a distraction and hindrance to you even though it isn’t considered a sin and seems good. That is why it says we must lay things aside and run with endurance the race set before us. We do not choose the race. We enter the race God chose for us. Thus, it becomes even more important to lay aside every weight!
That boat anchor I spoke of was good for staying in one spot for a spell. But it was a great hindrance if not lifted whenever it was time for the boat to move. So it is with many good things we sometimes take on unauthorized by the Holy Spirit and without the wisdom of what we can handle on our own. To run the race He chose, we must shed weight and only carry the load God gives us. It can’t be according to what others want to give us. It must come from Him.
Tough Love
Are you discerning?
As most know, Judas was a disciple of Jesus who ultimately betrayed Jesus. Nothing in Scripture indicates that Judas had any type of problem in those three years of discipling with Jesus. There’s no indication that the other disciples even suspected Judas would be the one to betray the Lord. For all appearances sake, it would seem Judas is not seen as a potential problem at any point along the way.
But we all know now, looking back, that it was Judas who betrayed Jesus.
Should we even begin to imagine that if Judas had given strong implications of having an idolatrous heart that pursued money over anything and everything else, it would have been considered a light thing among the disciples? Would we imagine that nothing would have been said about it if that were the case? I know these are hypothetical questions, but they are the kind of questions that come up in our lives from time to time when we face difficulties.
How do you reconcile the things Paul speaks to the Corinthians with some viewpoints regarding what love is meant to look like?
1 Corinthians 5:9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. 12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
In this moment of correcting their way of thinking in Corinth, Paul even uses Scripture from Deuteronomy 17:7 to reinforce his position with them regarding the need to rightly assess a situation involving a person who claims to be a believer but insists on sinning in one or more of the ways described. Paul is not bringing the Corinthians back under the law by referring to a practice established by the law. He is using the principle of that aspect of the law to reinforce the importance of discernment and proper handling of situations such as these among believers. A little leaven can leaven the whole and thus bring harm on a much larger scale.
Sometimes, a person wishes to hold fast to a claim that they belong to Jesus while engaging in a pattern of sin that is denounced by the word of God. They wish to hold to a confession of belonging while behaving like a rebel in areas deemed inappropriate and dangerous not only to themselves but to others.
In this passage, Paul clarifies that indulging in these behaviors for those without Christ in the world is an expected thing and even, to a degree, understandable. Because we exist in the same world as them, we must do our best to navigate these situations with wisdom and patience. But then Paul shifts the application to someone who claims to believe in Jesus and indulges in these behaviors. Our behavior towards people of the world in such sins and those claiming to be Christians in such sins are not meant to be the same.
In other words, context matters. It is not giving the world permission for the church to be unable to judge them in such acts and invoke discipline upon them. But it would be unloving of the church not to utilize this practice of judging within its ranks and thus protect the fellowship of believers and set a proper example for those who look on. There is such a thing as tough love. God so loved the world, but that same world He so loves will one day face judgment, and those who refused Christ will be eternally punished as they are cast into a lake of fire. His patience at this moment is to give time for others to repent and come to Christ, but the moment is fast approaching when the end of all things will come. If we truly love others, we will desire to do according to His counsel what is needed so that they might come to their senses, repent of sin, and turn to Jesus. Indulging in sin in the world is expected, but doing so within the church should not be. It is not loving to pretend it doesn’t exist. Sometimes, love has to be tough.
Open Doors
Are you inviting a thief in?
If I were to say I had been burglarized at my home and that the burglar was someone I knew and they came through the front door as if invited, you would be curious to know how it happened and why.
If I were to say they did it a second time, and this time they came through another door, and then you learned they knew which door to come through because I had made them aware in some way, you would likely tell me to quit doing things that invite them into my house to rob me.
If It happened a third time and you discovered I pretty much announced to them which access point they could use to gain access and that I am still calling them my friend as though they are for me and not against me, you would likely begin to question my powers of common sense and reason and wonder if I enjoy the attention of being robbed.
I know this sounds a bit absurd. It is a metaphor for what takes place in many lives daily. You see, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is at work against many and seeking those he “may” devour.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
You see, our enemy needs our permission to be able to come in and steal, kill, or destroy. He needs an open door into our lives to do his work. Without that open door (invitation), he is held at bay in his desires and schemes. They are ineffective against us.
But engaging in things that are out of step with who we are in Christ and His purposes and destiny is like an invitation to the enemy. He is watching to see where we are doing our own thing in opposition to the Lord’s loving will and purpose.
Avoiding the will of God and ignoring His voice is like announcing where the door is open to the enemy. He will seize every opportunity he can to take advantage of us. His goal is to make us miserable so that we turn our backs on the Lord and His promises and claim it is too hard to walk with Jesus.
He wants us to believe that Jesus isn’t doing His part in some way and failing us. But the truth is that Jesus is always faithful and willing. Sometimes, though, we neglect to renew our way of thinking to align with Jesus, which interrupts our ability to hear Him clearly and causes us to miss out on His avenue of help.
Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Seeking Him and those things that are above is like shutting and locking the doors to our souls and then activating the security system. Ensuring that our souls esteem Christ, hold Him dear, and consider Him our highest priority is the best way to close doors. If you are distracted by earthly things, temporary things, worldly things, then you will have open doors, and an announcement has gone out to the enemy of your soul to come on in. I encourage you today to make sure you’ve closed the doors to your soul.
The Source Of Happiness
What makes you happy?
When a person who belongs to Jesus isn’t hearing from Him, it is usually because they are either ignoring Him or distracted by doing their own thing and thus cannot hear Him when he speaks. Distraction generally results in missing out on something someone tries to say to us.
Sometimes, when watching a show or listening to a song or message, Sheila might say something while I’m giving my attention to whatever I am listening to or watching. I may catch the tail end of what she said and have to ask her what she said. It is not that I can’t hear; it is that I am not tuned in to her speaking at that moment. I am disengaged due to my distraction.
Distractions make it hard to hear. It does not mean no one is speaking, especially when it comes to being in a relationship with Jesus.
If you have come to know Jesus by grace through faith, I promise you He has been speaking to you. He is not ignoring you or ghosting you. To ignore or ghost someone you claim to be in a close relationship with communicates a lack of care and respect. I love my wife, Sheila. Therefore, we talk daily about meaningful and silly things to each other. We communicate because we love each other. We want to connect.
I could be in a crowd of people and be able to distinguish Sheila’s voice from among the crowd even if I couldn’t see her. Why? Because I know the sound of her voice! Knowing her voice implies a relationship with her. Jesus is talking about that in John 10:27 when He says His sheep know His voice.
Happiness is knowing Him, knowing His voice, and knowing I am in right standing with Him. That means happiness is a choice! I get to choose whether I will make my happiness about my relationship to Him or subject it to other far less reliable sources.
If happiness becomes my highest priority, and I believe it relies on people or things in this world, I will be disappointed. But if I understand that I am responsible for my happiness based on what I look to as the source, I can be empowered to be happy even when things aren’t going my way. My happiness is not someone else’s responsibility. It begins and ends with me and depends on what source I will go to for it.
You see, when we examine the things we are looking to for happiness and then bring them into the light of what Jesus says can and should bring us happiness, it might be they are not worth getting all worked up over to start with. If we learn to treasure our relationship with Jesus and the privilege of hearing Him speak to us, we can be happy a lot more often. Our happiness will run much deeper, too!
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
Hang your happiness on Jesus, and you will find it is not so elusive. Relationship with Him is true happiness!