“Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NKJ
There is nothing like the overwhelming feelings that bombard the mind and heart of a person who is on the receiving end of unforgiveness. As we know unforgiveness causes mental, emotional, and physical sickness to the person who is unwilling to forgive; but did you know that those same problems can affect the person who is on the receiving end of unforgiveness? If they dwell on it and accept the weight of the burden of the unforgiveness they can suffer the same sicknesses that the unforgiving person suffers from.
This is not a subject that is often discussed but one that deserves more attention because many people bear the effects of unforgiveness. I have experienced this myself and it is the reason I am passionate about helping people overcome the temptation to receive the unforgiveness that is placed on them by a person with a hardened heart. And the only way to do it is to forgive that person so the enemy doesn’t take advantage of us and so we can destroy his plan to steal, kill, and destroy our faith, hope, and well being.
What I have found to be the most effective way to do this is to renew my mind to what God calls me to do for the person who holds unforgiveness against me. I keep my mind focused on loving them with a Christ centered love. I pray for them, claim God’s Word over them, and keep my heart open to the possibility of restoration and reconciliation. I also ask the Holy Spirit to keep me from falling into the temptation to judge them because I know that my judgment can cause me to do the very same thing to them or others.
If I feel the temptation to judge I claim Scriptures like 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 where Paul says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I then pray for God to give me the strength to stand up under the temptation until it passes.
I have come to understand that I am only one decision away from walking in the same mindset of unforgiveness. I pray continually that I will stay in a mindset of humility, instead of a haughty spirit of pride. When I do these things the burden is lifted and my well-being is intact. Another thing I do is pray for the Lord to give me eyes to see the person the way He sees them because if I don’t, it is easy to become embittered towards them for the offense they hold against me.
When I do this I renew my mind to Scriptures like Hebrews 12:14-15 that says, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;” Bitterness cannot take root in a heart whose soil is made up of love and peace! Therefore the troubles that come from bitterness cannot grow and the soil of the heart cannot be defiled. Defiled means polluted or contaminated. So a defiled heart is one that becomes contaminated with unforgiveness! So choosing to walk in a mindset of love and peace is the only way to keep the soil of the heart pure and uncontaminated.
Paul confirms this in Colossians 3:15-17 when he says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” The peace and love of Christ is the richest soil and it produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives which enables us to respond to the injustice of unforgiveness with the mindset of Christ operating in us.
This is the only way to overcome the devastating effects of unforgiveness and it is what empowers us to walk in love and peace with all men and women who have wounded us with the weapon of unforgiveness. It is also the very thing that keeps the enemy from using his weaponry device of unforgiveness to kill our faith and hope! He is a defeated enemy but it is our responsibility to remind him of his defeat by using our weapon of warfare, which is the Word of God, to battle the temptation to hold onto the unforgiveness that has been assailed against us.
Prayer: Spend time with the Lord and ask him to reveal if you have held onto wounds from the weapon of unforgiveness that has been assailed against you. Begin to pray for those who have held unforgiveness against you and spend time renewing your mind to the Word. If you need to enlist a trusted friend to pray with you and to support you as you walk this out. I promise it will be beneficial to your well-being if you do this.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
How Do You Respond To The Outcast Or The Sinner?
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:27-32
Imagine for a moment that you live in the suburbs and are invited to a celebration of the saints in the inner city, at night. What would your first reaction be to the invitation? Now imagine that you accept the invitation, but on your way there your GPS leads you down the wrong road and you find yourself smack dab in the middle of a drug infested neighborhood. When you look out your car window all you see are drug dealers doing deals with people driving by, prostitutes standing on the street corner, and gang members walking down the street. What would your reaction be?
Now imagine that you quickly make your way out of that neighborhood in search of your original destination; but when you finally arrive it is not much difference than the neighborhood you just left and you realize that you have to park your car on the street. What would your reaction be? Would you be able to enter the celebration in a mindset of peace and love or would your mind be filled with fears and concerns of what might happen to your car while you are there or what might happen to you when you leave? Would you be able to participate in the celebration and be able to minister to the people there or would you be anticipating the end of the celebration so you could get out of there and get back the comfort of your home in the suburbs?
I think for most people who have been raised in the suburbs and in a traditional church this experience would scare them to death! I hate to admit it but I also think that many of us would react much like the Pharisees did in this passage of Scripture if a friend told us they were going to a celebration in the inner city at night and going to be with people from questionable backgrounds or lifestyles. But what did Jesus do in a similar situation and what examples did He give us to follow in Luke 5:27-32? He taught us that ALL people are worthy to be called! He taught us that He is not looking for socially accepted people to be His disciples. He is looking for people who are willing to leave everything to follow Him! He taught us not to be afraid of the outcast or the sinner!
He taught us to be discerning so we can identify the people among us who are sick and in need of the Great Physician’s healing touch! He taught us not to be fooled by appearances, but to look past the outward appearance and into the heart of the man or woman who stands before us! And He taught us to walk in love and to be at peace so we are able to minister to the needs of the people, no matter where we are or what we see going on around us!
The scenario I gave at the beginning of the devotion actually happened to us and it was an eye opening experience that made this passage of Scripture come to life for me! I have always thought I live my life according to what Jesus taught in this passage and many others, and I have never thought of myself as one who would judge people and I have never been afraid to be in the midst of the outcast or the sinner. But on this night I was afraid and I did cast judgment on some of the people we encountered. I also realized that a lot of my good deed acts of kindness in the past were done in a controlled environment where I felt safe and non-threatened. Though I have an incredible heart to reach the lost I discovered that even I shelter myself from certain people or places where ministry is needed at times. Though it is very wise to discern where and when we are to minister, walking in fear due to inner judgments or lack of understanding keeps us from seeing and meeting the needs of those who need the touch of the Great Physician!
But when the Great Physician Himself, Jesus Christ, leads us and we walk in His peace and love wherever we go; we are able to be in any environment and reach people with the message of the Gospel. And if we don’t have the opportunity to speak to them or it is not a safe environment at least we will know how to pray for them and not be in a mindset of fear. We also won’t stand in a place of judgment like the Pharisees and criticize the very people we are called to reach. It is so important to remember that a person’s background, lifestyle, or choices does not exclude them from the call God has placed on their lives. We have to approach ALL people and every situation with Christ’s love and peace operating in us so we know what He is asking us to do.
Prayer: Lord help to me love with Your Love and to live as You have shown me how to live among the unsaved, wounded, and hurting people around me. Keep me from walking in fear and renew my mind to the truth that You have given me a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. And keep me from judging the people the world calls outcasts so that I know how to pray and minister to them the way You have taught me to. Amen
Imagine for a moment that you live in the suburbs and are invited to a celebration of the saints in the inner city, at night. What would your first reaction be to the invitation? Now imagine that you accept the invitation, but on your way there your GPS leads you down the wrong road and you find yourself smack dab in the middle of a drug infested neighborhood. When you look out your car window all you see are drug dealers doing deals with people driving by, prostitutes standing on the street corner, and gang members walking down the street. What would your reaction be?
Now imagine that you quickly make your way out of that neighborhood in search of your original destination; but when you finally arrive it is not much difference than the neighborhood you just left and you realize that you have to park your car on the street. What would your reaction be? Would you be able to enter the celebration in a mindset of peace and love or would your mind be filled with fears and concerns of what might happen to your car while you are there or what might happen to you when you leave? Would you be able to participate in the celebration and be able to minister to the people there or would you be anticipating the end of the celebration so you could get out of there and get back the comfort of your home in the suburbs?
I think for most people who have been raised in the suburbs and in a traditional church this experience would scare them to death! I hate to admit it but I also think that many of us would react much like the Pharisees did in this passage of Scripture if a friend told us they were going to a celebration in the inner city at night and going to be with people from questionable backgrounds or lifestyles. But what did Jesus do in a similar situation and what examples did He give us to follow in Luke 5:27-32? He taught us that ALL people are worthy to be called! He taught us that He is not looking for socially accepted people to be His disciples. He is looking for people who are willing to leave everything to follow Him! He taught us not to be afraid of the outcast or the sinner!
He taught us to be discerning so we can identify the people among us who are sick and in need of the Great Physician’s healing touch! He taught us not to be fooled by appearances, but to look past the outward appearance and into the heart of the man or woman who stands before us! And He taught us to walk in love and to be at peace so we are able to minister to the needs of the people, no matter where we are or what we see going on around us!
The scenario I gave at the beginning of the devotion actually happened to us and it was an eye opening experience that made this passage of Scripture come to life for me! I have always thought I live my life according to what Jesus taught in this passage and many others, and I have never thought of myself as one who would judge people and I have never been afraid to be in the midst of the outcast or the sinner. But on this night I was afraid and I did cast judgment on some of the people we encountered. I also realized that a lot of my good deed acts of kindness in the past were done in a controlled environment where I felt safe and non-threatened. Though I have an incredible heart to reach the lost I discovered that even I shelter myself from certain people or places where ministry is needed at times. Though it is very wise to discern where and when we are to minister, walking in fear due to inner judgments or lack of understanding keeps us from seeing and meeting the needs of those who need the touch of the Great Physician!
But when the Great Physician Himself, Jesus Christ, leads us and we walk in His peace and love wherever we go; we are able to be in any environment and reach people with the message of the Gospel. And if we don’t have the opportunity to speak to them or it is not a safe environment at least we will know how to pray for them and not be in a mindset of fear. We also won’t stand in a place of judgment like the Pharisees and criticize the very people we are called to reach. It is so important to remember that a person’s background, lifestyle, or choices does not exclude them from the call God has placed on their lives. We have to approach ALL people and every situation with Christ’s love and peace operating in us so we know what He is asking us to do.
Prayer: Lord help to me love with Your Love and to live as You have shown me how to live among the unsaved, wounded, and hurting people around me. Keep me from walking in fear and renew my mind to the truth that You have given me a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. And keep me from judging the people the world calls outcasts so that I know how to pray and minister to them the way You have taught me to. Amen
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Staying Focused On God Protects Us And Trains Us For The Race Of Faith!
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 NKJ
In horse racing a common piece of equipment that is used to help the horse focus is called a blinker or a blinder. It is a head dressing that is used for three main purposes. First it is used to block the horse’s vision from distractions around them that can cause them to lose their concentration. Second it is used to help the horse run properly. And third it is used to help the horse develop specific skills that are needed to win the race. Trainers know that when a horse is fully focused on the track and not restless due to subtle distractions around them; the rider has a better chance of winning the race and can ride the horse with confidence.
On this journey of faith we have been on I have come to realize that Sam and I are like the horses who need the blinkers and for us the blinkers are praise, prayer, wisdom, discernment, faith, trust, and a teachable spirit. We have also come to realize that our children are the riders and their confidence on this race track of faith comes from having an assurance that we are fully focused and prepared to carry them to the finish line. As I said in a previous devotion my fifteen year old son came home unexpectedly which placed him right in the middle of this journey of faith (race) to St. Louis. This return enabled him to witness the miraculous events that led up to our departure but it also meant he would witness the setbacks, delays, distractions, and trials that accompanied them.
For us, this was an opportunity to live our Christian faith with confidence and assurance in what 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it”, or it was an opportunity for us to show him the ugliness of the flesh and self reliance. Early on we made the decision to wear the blinker and learn the skills necessary to run this race so that our son could witness the living Gospel at work in our lives. But I have to say there were times when I wanted to rip the blinker off and grumble and complain and there were times that no matter how focused I was; distractions came into my view and I became frightened at the site of them. But God has been faithful and He has gently reminded me of the beauty of wearing the blinker.
I am so grateful that God dealt gently with me in those times because if I had ripped the blinker off and approached this journey of faith in the flesh; my actions and reactions would have wounded my son’s faith and confidence in God’s ability to perform that which He had promised. And I had no idea at the time when the call came offering us the job opportunity in St. Louis just how tested I would be in this area! But I soon found out as delays, distractions, devastation, and trials accompanied the miraculous job offer.
The first one came during the week following the offer. You see when we got the call about the job opportunity in St. Louis and were asked to be there by the first part of June, I called the moving and trucking company that had offered to move us for free and scheduled the delivery date of the pods that would be carrying our belongings. The date was set and we began packing. We also scheduled the move out date for the place where we had been living. Though our landlords would have granted us an extension if we needed it; we didn’t want to fall back on that because we knew they needed time to get the condominium rented to new tenants. So changing our moving date was not an option. But as the week unfolded an unexpected tragedy struck the man’s life that had made us the job offer and everything changed. His daughter was in a head on collision and wasn’t expected to live through the week. As you can imagine all our thoughts of our personal journey came to a halt as we focused our attention and energy on praying for her and for our friend.
As we waited for word on her condition our hearts broke at the thought of her dying, and we stood in faith with our friend and prayed continually for her recovery. Unfortunately she did not survive, but praise God she is now whole and healed in the arms of our Heavenly Father and will never suffer pain again! But with this tragedy the plans for the St. Louis office opening date were hanging in the balance because we did not discuss business during this time of tragedy and our communications with our friend were minimal. We knew this turn of events could affect the move but we kept the blinkers on and stayed focused on God’s promises in the midst of our trial.
As you can imagine the temptation to become fearful, anxious, and worried was enormous! But with each new day we kept the blinkers on and stayed in a stance of praise, prayer, faith, and trust. And the God of peace sanctified us and held us close to Himself as we were obedient to keep the blinkers on. And as we walked this out our son was watching our every move and listening closely to our every word. And what is very interesting is that on days when we did give into the temptations to be fearful, anxious, or worried, it was our son who reminded us of God’s faithfulness and he directed us to keep the blinkers on and stay focused on God’s promises! This reminder came many times over the next couple of weeks and I am so grateful it did, because this was only the beginning of the setbacks, delays, distractions, and trials we were about to face!
To be continued......
In horse racing a common piece of equipment that is used to help the horse focus is called a blinker or a blinder. It is a head dressing that is used for three main purposes. First it is used to block the horse’s vision from distractions around them that can cause them to lose their concentration. Second it is used to help the horse run properly. And third it is used to help the horse develop specific skills that are needed to win the race. Trainers know that when a horse is fully focused on the track and not restless due to subtle distractions around them; the rider has a better chance of winning the race and can ride the horse with confidence.
On this journey of faith we have been on I have come to realize that Sam and I are like the horses who need the blinkers and for us the blinkers are praise, prayer, wisdom, discernment, faith, trust, and a teachable spirit. We have also come to realize that our children are the riders and their confidence on this race track of faith comes from having an assurance that we are fully focused and prepared to carry them to the finish line. As I said in a previous devotion my fifteen year old son came home unexpectedly which placed him right in the middle of this journey of faith (race) to St. Louis. This return enabled him to witness the miraculous events that led up to our departure but it also meant he would witness the setbacks, delays, distractions, and trials that accompanied them.
For us, this was an opportunity to live our Christian faith with confidence and assurance in what 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it”, or it was an opportunity for us to show him the ugliness of the flesh and self reliance. Early on we made the decision to wear the blinker and learn the skills necessary to run this race so that our son could witness the living Gospel at work in our lives. But I have to say there were times when I wanted to rip the blinker off and grumble and complain and there were times that no matter how focused I was; distractions came into my view and I became frightened at the site of them. But God has been faithful and He has gently reminded me of the beauty of wearing the blinker.
I am so grateful that God dealt gently with me in those times because if I had ripped the blinker off and approached this journey of faith in the flesh; my actions and reactions would have wounded my son’s faith and confidence in God’s ability to perform that which He had promised. And I had no idea at the time when the call came offering us the job opportunity in St. Louis just how tested I would be in this area! But I soon found out as delays, distractions, devastation, and trials accompanied the miraculous job offer.
The first one came during the week following the offer. You see when we got the call about the job opportunity in St. Louis and were asked to be there by the first part of June, I called the moving and trucking company that had offered to move us for free and scheduled the delivery date of the pods that would be carrying our belongings. The date was set and we began packing. We also scheduled the move out date for the place where we had been living. Though our landlords would have granted us an extension if we needed it; we didn’t want to fall back on that because we knew they needed time to get the condominium rented to new tenants. So changing our moving date was not an option. But as the week unfolded an unexpected tragedy struck the man’s life that had made us the job offer and everything changed. His daughter was in a head on collision and wasn’t expected to live through the week. As you can imagine all our thoughts of our personal journey came to a halt as we focused our attention and energy on praying for her and for our friend.
As we waited for word on her condition our hearts broke at the thought of her dying, and we stood in faith with our friend and prayed continually for her recovery. Unfortunately she did not survive, but praise God she is now whole and healed in the arms of our Heavenly Father and will never suffer pain again! But with this tragedy the plans for the St. Louis office opening date were hanging in the balance because we did not discuss business during this time of tragedy and our communications with our friend were minimal. We knew this turn of events could affect the move but we kept the blinkers on and stayed focused on God’s promises in the midst of our trial.
As you can imagine the temptation to become fearful, anxious, and worried was enormous! But with each new day we kept the blinkers on and stayed in a stance of praise, prayer, faith, and trust. And the God of peace sanctified us and held us close to Himself as we were obedient to keep the blinkers on. And as we walked this out our son was watching our every move and listening closely to our every word. And what is very interesting is that on days when we did give into the temptations to be fearful, anxious, or worried, it was our son who reminded us of God’s faithfulness and he directed us to keep the blinkers on and stay focused on God’s promises! This reminder came many times over the next couple of weeks and I am so grateful it did, because this was only the beginning of the setbacks, delays, distractions, and trials we were about to face!
To be continued......
Saturday, June 12, 2010
When God Moves, He Moves Speedily!
“And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8 NKJ
God is not a respecter of persons and our story of miraculous provision and answered prayer is being shared to give you hope and encouragement for whatever you are standing for in faith and believing God for. God is attentive to the cries of His people and as this verse reveals He bears long with us while we believe Him for what He has promised. God delights in avenging His own elect and those who have said yes to Jesus Christ are His elect. But in times of long suffering we have to remind ourselves of this truth over and over again so we do not lose hope during our times of waiting on the Lord, to work on our behalf and perform that which He has promised.
1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” On this two year journey of faith we have proclaimed this passage many times when we became weak or weary on the journey’s trail to remind ourselves that God chose us for this work. And we can attest to the truth Jesus spoke in Luke 18:7-8 because when God moved on our behalf He did it speedily and we had to be ready to respond.
They say that social networking is one of the greatest ways to connect with people and to build relationships that can lead to business or ministry opportunities but we never imagined that God would use social networking to bring about the answer to our prayers, but He did! One day Sam received a friendship request on Face Book from an old friend who he had been out of relationship with for the past few years. After responding to the request the two of them sent a couple of emails and then decided to have a phone conversation. The friend shared with Sam what God had been doing in his life over the past couple of years and how God had done a work that led him to where he is at today.
He told Sam that he is now a pastor of a church in Indianapolis and a partial owner in a roofing company that he used to manage when he and Sam worked together in Indianapolis years ago. Sam used to own a painting and remodeling company and did contract work with him. Nothing of our vision for St. Louis was discussed. A couple of days later some friends were over and they saw Sam’s books spread out across the floor in the living room and asked what we were doing. I said, “We’re out of here!” They asked, “Where are you going?” I responded, “St. Louis.” They chuckled because we had been saying this for two years. I said this without any knowledge of what was going to happen the next day.
As Sam awoke the next morning he opened his phone to discover a text message from his friend that had come in the night before. He called him to apologize for not responding. The friend then told Sam of the reason for his text message. He said his company was looking at expanding to the St. Louis region and wanted to know if we had any interest in moving there to run the operation for them. As you can imagine Sam just about passed out from the shock of this inquiry! Sam said, “Are you serious?” And the friend said, “I am absolutely serious. I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather have run it then the two of you.”
And this is how it all came about that our journey to St. Louis, to complete the work God has called us to began. Sam proceeded to tell him of what God spoke to us two years ago and how we have been waiting on God to open the doors for us to go. They were both blown away by what was taking place! Over the next couple of days they spent time on the phone discussing the details and expectations. When Sam asked if there would be a conflict of interest if we built the church and resource center ministries at the same time his friend said there wasn’t any, and in fact, he encouraged it.
He also said that at any time if we feel God moving us in the direction of going full time with the ministries there was no problem with that either. He told Sam he always knew he would be a part of his ministry at some point in the future and he was glad that now he got the opportunity to do it. As you can imagine we have all been in awe of God as we have watched this unfold but what I want you to know is that even with answered prayer and miracles happening, sometimes delays still happen, but as I have said before our delays are not God’s denials.
To be continued......
God is not a respecter of persons and our story of miraculous provision and answered prayer is being shared to give you hope and encouragement for whatever you are standing for in faith and believing God for. God is attentive to the cries of His people and as this verse reveals He bears long with us while we believe Him for what He has promised. God delights in avenging His own elect and those who have said yes to Jesus Christ are His elect. But in times of long suffering we have to remind ourselves of this truth over and over again so we do not lose hope during our times of waiting on the Lord, to work on our behalf and perform that which He has promised.
1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” On this two year journey of faith we have proclaimed this passage many times when we became weak or weary on the journey’s trail to remind ourselves that God chose us for this work. And we can attest to the truth Jesus spoke in Luke 18:7-8 because when God moved on our behalf He did it speedily and we had to be ready to respond.
They say that social networking is one of the greatest ways to connect with people and to build relationships that can lead to business or ministry opportunities but we never imagined that God would use social networking to bring about the answer to our prayers, but He did! One day Sam received a friendship request on Face Book from an old friend who he had been out of relationship with for the past few years. After responding to the request the two of them sent a couple of emails and then decided to have a phone conversation. The friend shared with Sam what God had been doing in his life over the past couple of years and how God had done a work that led him to where he is at today.
He told Sam that he is now a pastor of a church in Indianapolis and a partial owner in a roofing company that he used to manage when he and Sam worked together in Indianapolis years ago. Sam used to own a painting and remodeling company and did contract work with him. Nothing of our vision for St. Louis was discussed. A couple of days later some friends were over and they saw Sam’s books spread out across the floor in the living room and asked what we were doing. I said, “We’re out of here!” They asked, “Where are you going?” I responded, “St. Louis.” They chuckled because we had been saying this for two years. I said this without any knowledge of what was going to happen the next day.
As Sam awoke the next morning he opened his phone to discover a text message from his friend that had come in the night before. He called him to apologize for not responding. The friend then told Sam of the reason for his text message. He said his company was looking at expanding to the St. Louis region and wanted to know if we had any interest in moving there to run the operation for them. As you can imagine Sam just about passed out from the shock of this inquiry! Sam said, “Are you serious?” And the friend said, “I am absolutely serious. I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather have run it then the two of you.”
And this is how it all came about that our journey to St. Louis, to complete the work God has called us to began. Sam proceeded to tell him of what God spoke to us two years ago and how we have been waiting on God to open the doors for us to go. They were both blown away by what was taking place! Over the next couple of days they spent time on the phone discussing the details and expectations. When Sam asked if there would be a conflict of interest if we built the church and resource center ministries at the same time his friend said there wasn’t any, and in fact, he encouraged it.
He also said that at any time if we feel God moving us in the direction of going full time with the ministries there was no problem with that either. He told Sam he always knew he would be a part of his ministry at some point in the future and he was glad that now he got the opportunity to do it. As you can imagine we have all been in awe of God as we have watched this unfold but what I want you to know is that even with answered prayer and miracles happening, sometimes delays still happen, but as I have said before our delays are not God’s denials.
To be continued......
Friday, June 11, 2010
Even With Miraculous Doors Opening, Delays Still Happen! (Cont'd from Day 166)
As I drove home from the reunion the excitement was almost too overwhelming and I really had to focus on keeping my car on the road because I was singing praises to God and raising my hands in the air. People driving next to me must have thought I was a crazy woman but I didn’t care. I just knew this offer to move us to St. Louis was the first sign that our move would be taking place soon. As I got out of the car I ran into the house and shared every detail with Sam. Both of us began thanking God for His faithfulness and for His incredible love for us!
In the days following the reunion we waited for the call to come from my friend. We could hardly contain our excitement and whenever the phone rang we ran to it in hopes of seeing his name come up on caller ID! But as a week turned into two we had to battle thoughts of doubt. And then it happened! The call came and he said the owner of the moving company wanted to meet us. He gave me his number and I called him. We set up a time to meet and then began looking online at properties in St. Louis for the church, resource center, and a house. We have come to understand that it is always best to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. This is why we have wanted to be ready in all areas for when the doors finally do open so we are not caught off guard.
On the day we went to meet with the owner of the moving company, he said that he felt this was something he definitely wanted to be a part of. He had just witnessed a couple of undeniable miracles in his own life and wanted to extend his help in any way he could to be a part of our miracle. I will expand on this in the book we are writing that details this journey of faith. But for now this is all I am going to share because it gives a clear understanding of how God works in ways we can’t even think or imagine to fulfill His Word of promise in the lives of His people.
We walked away from our meeting that day fully prepared to saddle up our horses so to speak and hit the trail. The emotions and excitement ran high in our spirits as we thought we would quickly be on our way. We waited with hopeful expectation for more open doors, but they didn’t come. One of the things we needed was employment while we were building the ministry. I applied for dozens of jobs in the St. Louis area and even called many companies who weren’t advertising for positions and tried to sell myself to them as a marketer. Remember I make things happen! But once again God had other plans and He wanted this to be His plan completely and so no effort we put forth moved Him. Imagine that? I have to admit I am a slow learner in certain areas.
As each month passed and nothing seemed to align with this amazing offer to move us we were reminded of two words we had received in the beginning of this journey from two trusted friends. Both had told us that we would not be moving to St. Louis without our children and with them being with their dad until the end of the school year; that put our departure date sometime in June. With this reminder I was encouraged and frustrated at the same time. One morning I woke up to that overwhelming feeling of heaviness once again that I had felt on the day of the reunion. It took everything within me to fight it off!
This time it was even harder because I was exhausted from searching for jobs in Phoenix to no avail and then to face closed doors in St. Louis too; really took its toll on me! Also, looking at being in Phoenix until June; really discouraged me and wore me down. Both Sam and I diligently sought the Lord in prayer, reached out to our supporters, and we clung to verses like Psalm 37:3-7 which says, “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”
And then one day in mid-march a call came that turned our world upside down in regards to the words we had received from our friends! Due to an unexpected turn of events our fifteen year old son was coming home from Portland early! While we were very excited about his return we knew the struggles we had financially and were a little nervous. But once again God was faithful beyond anything we could imagine and He provided for us in all sufficiency! And the testimony of God’s faithfulness has had such an impact on my son that he has brought it up in many conversations since he arrived home. There is nothing like the delight in a parent’s heart when they hear their children experiencing God through an intimate relationship with Him. And it is continuing to happen day after day on this journey of faith as he sees God be faithful to His Word of promise. But even with this blessing no other doors looked to be opening up until one day when my husband received a Face Book friend request out of the blue.
To be continued......
In the days following the reunion we waited for the call to come from my friend. We could hardly contain our excitement and whenever the phone rang we ran to it in hopes of seeing his name come up on caller ID! But as a week turned into two we had to battle thoughts of doubt. And then it happened! The call came and he said the owner of the moving company wanted to meet us. He gave me his number and I called him. We set up a time to meet and then began looking online at properties in St. Louis for the church, resource center, and a house. We have come to understand that it is always best to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. This is why we have wanted to be ready in all areas for when the doors finally do open so we are not caught off guard.
On the day we went to meet with the owner of the moving company, he said that he felt this was something he definitely wanted to be a part of. He had just witnessed a couple of undeniable miracles in his own life and wanted to extend his help in any way he could to be a part of our miracle. I will expand on this in the book we are writing that details this journey of faith. But for now this is all I am going to share because it gives a clear understanding of how God works in ways we can’t even think or imagine to fulfill His Word of promise in the lives of His people.
We walked away from our meeting that day fully prepared to saddle up our horses so to speak and hit the trail. The emotions and excitement ran high in our spirits as we thought we would quickly be on our way. We waited with hopeful expectation for more open doors, but they didn’t come. One of the things we needed was employment while we were building the ministry. I applied for dozens of jobs in the St. Louis area and even called many companies who weren’t advertising for positions and tried to sell myself to them as a marketer. Remember I make things happen! But once again God had other plans and He wanted this to be His plan completely and so no effort we put forth moved Him. Imagine that? I have to admit I am a slow learner in certain areas.
As each month passed and nothing seemed to align with this amazing offer to move us we were reminded of two words we had received in the beginning of this journey from two trusted friends. Both had told us that we would not be moving to St. Louis without our children and with them being with their dad until the end of the school year; that put our departure date sometime in June. With this reminder I was encouraged and frustrated at the same time. One morning I woke up to that overwhelming feeling of heaviness once again that I had felt on the day of the reunion. It took everything within me to fight it off!
This time it was even harder because I was exhausted from searching for jobs in Phoenix to no avail and then to face closed doors in St. Louis too; really took its toll on me! Also, looking at being in Phoenix until June; really discouraged me and wore me down. Both Sam and I diligently sought the Lord in prayer, reached out to our supporters, and we clung to verses like Psalm 37:3-7 which says, “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”
And then one day in mid-march a call came that turned our world upside down in regards to the words we had received from our friends! Due to an unexpected turn of events our fifteen year old son was coming home from Portland early! While we were very excited about his return we knew the struggles we had financially and were a little nervous. But once again God was faithful beyond anything we could imagine and He provided for us in all sufficiency! And the testimony of God’s faithfulness has had such an impact on my son that he has brought it up in many conversations since he arrived home. There is nothing like the delight in a parent’s heart when they hear their children experiencing God through an intimate relationship with Him. And it is continuing to happen day after day on this journey of faith as he sees God be faithful to His Word of promise. But even with this blessing no other doors looked to be opening up until one day when my husband received a Face Book friend request out of the blue.
To be continued......
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
How Do We Deny Ourselves, Take Up Our Cross, And Follow Him?
“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” John 8:34 NKJ
Sometimes we don’t know why God asks us to do certain things until long after the interaction with Him has taken place where He has made the request. But if we are obedient, He is faithful to reveal his reasons in time. I used to read this passage of Scripture and I have heard dozens of sermons on it but never really understood it the way I do now. My understanding came from a request God made of us in regards to our belongings, two years ago, that He has just recently revealed the reason for the request within the last month. You see when God initially called us to St. Louis His Spirit asked me if I was willing to sell everything I owned to follow Him.
Of course in the emotion of the excitement at the time I quickly agreed and said, “Yes Lord, I will do anything to follow you!” But as the days went by after He made His request, my fleshly attachment to my belongings overrode His voice and I began to think I had misunderstood Him. I thought to myself, “Surely He means to sell out to Him 100% in all areas, not physically get rid of my expensive belongings!” But as I wrestled with this thought the Spirit of God once again made the request. This time I realized He meant that He wanted us to put a price tag on everything we owned and trust in Him to provide as we answered the call to follow Him.
This verse came to mind on several occasions during the process of sorting through our stuff and determining what we would let go of and what we needed to keep. It was then when I came to understand that our cross that Jesus is talking about is our purpose in life and denying ourselves is letting go of anything that inhibits us from fulfilling that purpose. For us our purpose was planting the church and opening the resource center in St. Louis and denying ourselves was in letting go of all the physical belongings that would weight us down on the journey. You would think that when this revelation came it would have been easy for me to part with my belongings; but it wasn’t!
I had expensive antiques and keepsakes that I had collected over the years and I enjoyed all of them very much! Believe me there was an inner tug-of-war going on in my members as I released my grip from these items. But from the moment the first person walked through the door of our house that weekend I was at peace with our decision to obey the voice of God. And as more people came I found myself actually giving away precious possessions as I heard people express interest in them who could not afford to buy them. The one who impacted us the most was a husband and wife who were there looking at a brand new kitchen set that my daughter had received for Christmas that year but never played with.
I heard them talking about how much their granddaughter would love it but they didn’t have the $100.00 to but it. I stopped them on their way out and asked about their granddaughter. They told me their daughter was a meth addict who had just been sentenced to prison for a couple of years and how they took their granddaughter in to care for her. They said she was traumatized by the recent events and how they didn’t have any of the items they needed or wanted to have in place for her at their house. Their story broke my heart and I felt the overwhelming presence of God surrounding us and told them to hang on.
I went in and told Sam what happened and said that I wanted to give them the kitchen and as much girl stuff that we had. He said, “Baby if that is what God is leading you to do then by all means do it!” I went out to them and told them to fill their truck up with everything we had that they needed! They began to cry and thanked us over and over again! This event impacted me greatly! And this was just one of many times that weekend we gave stuff away to people in need. At first we thought this was the reason God made the request of us but in actuality He didn’t reveal the real reason until two years later when the call came to move to St. Louis a month ago. You see the moving company and trucking company that offered to help us gave us three 7x7x5 moving crates for our belongings. If we had not done what we did back then, we wouldn’t have been able to move when God opened the door and told us to go because we would have needed at least 10 of them for our journey and that wasn’t available!
But since we were obedient in the beginning we were able to put all but a few belongings that we need for the journey and for the transition time in those three crates! I cannot even tell you how grateful I am that we listened when the Spirit asked us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and follow Him because that obedience lifted the burden from our shoulders that would have been there if we had held onto those possessions. As we sit now with the three crates loaded and in storage and only a small trailer to fill we are at total peace and ready to hit the road that leads to the Promised Land of St. Louis, MO.
I share this story because I want to encourage you to ask God to reveal what your cross (purpose) is in life and for Him to reveal what areas in your life you need to deny (release) to Him in order for you to follow Him without the weight of burden tying you down. For some of you it may be in letting go of possessions that are collecting dust in your house. For others it may be in releasing your control over relationships or circumstances. And for others it may be something completely different. But for those who are obedient no matter what it is; the result is always the same. God is glorified and a great testimony is given of His faithfulness and lives are changed, including your own! And that is what the Christian life is all about, bringing glory and honor to God by fulfilling our purpose and then testifying of His great faithfulness along the way as we share His love and grace with the people He brings into our lives!
Sometimes we don’t know why God asks us to do certain things until long after the interaction with Him has taken place where He has made the request. But if we are obedient, He is faithful to reveal his reasons in time. I used to read this passage of Scripture and I have heard dozens of sermons on it but never really understood it the way I do now. My understanding came from a request God made of us in regards to our belongings, two years ago, that He has just recently revealed the reason for the request within the last month. You see when God initially called us to St. Louis His Spirit asked me if I was willing to sell everything I owned to follow Him.
Of course in the emotion of the excitement at the time I quickly agreed and said, “Yes Lord, I will do anything to follow you!” But as the days went by after He made His request, my fleshly attachment to my belongings overrode His voice and I began to think I had misunderstood Him. I thought to myself, “Surely He means to sell out to Him 100% in all areas, not physically get rid of my expensive belongings!” But as I wrestled with this thought the Spirit of God once again made the request. This time I realized He meant that He wanted us to put a price tag on everything we owned and trust in Him to provide as we answered the call to follow Him.
This verse came to mind on several occasions during the process of sorting through our stuff and determining what we would let go of and what we needed to keep. It was then when I came to understand that our cross that Jesus is talking about is our purpose in life and denying ourselves is letting go of anything that inhibits us from fulfilling that purpose. For us our purpose was planting the church and opening the resource center in St. Louis and denying ourselves was in letting go of all the physical belongings that would weight us down on the journey. You would think that when this revelation came it would have been easy for me to part with my belongings; but it wasn’t!
I had expensive antiques and keepsakes that I had collected over the years and I enjoyed all of them very much! Believe me there was an inner tug-of-war going on in my members as I released my grip from these items. But from the moment the first person walked through the door of our house that weekend I was at peace with our decision to obey the voice of God. And as more people came I found myself actually giving away precious possessions as I heard people express interest in them who could not afford to buy them. The one who impacted us the most was a husband and wife who were there looking at a brand new kitchen set that my daughter had received for Christmas that year but never played with.
I heard them talking about how much their granddaughter would love it but they didn’t have the $100.00 to but it. I stopped them on their way out and asked about their granddaughter. They told me their daughter was a meth addict who had just been sentenced to prison for a couple of years and how they took their granddaughter in to care for her. They said she was traumatized by the recent events and how they didn’t have any of the items they needed or wanted to have in place for her at their house. Their story broke my heart and I felt the overwhelming presence of God surrounding us and told them to hang on.
I went in and told Sam what happened and said that I wanted to give them the kitchen and as much girl stuff that we had. He said, “Baby if that is what God is leading you to do then by all means do it!” I went out to them and told them to fill their truck up with everything we had that they needed! They began to cry and thanked us over and over again! This event impacted me greatly! And this was just one of many times that weekend we gave stuff away to people in need. At first we thought this was the reason God made the request of us but in actuality He didn’t reveal the real reason until two years later when the call came to move to St. Louis a month ago. You see the moving company and trucking company that offered to help us gave us three 7x7x5 moving crates for our belongings. If we had not done what we did back then, we wouldn’t have been able to move when God opened the door and told us to go because we would have needed at least 10 of them for our journey and that wasn’t available!
But since we were obedient in the beginning we were able to put all but a few belongings that we need for the journey and for the transition time in those three crates! I cannot even tell you how grateful I am that we listened when the Spirit asked us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and follow Him because that obedience lifted the burden from our shoulders that would have been there if we had held onto those possessions. As we sit now with the three crates loaded and in storage and only a small trailer to fill we are at total peace and ready to hit the road that leads to the Promised Land of St. Louis, MO.
I share this story because I want to encourage you to ask God to reveal what your cross (purpose) is in life and for Him to reveal what areas in your life you need to deny (release) to Him in order for you to follow Him without the weight of burden tying you down. For some of you it may be in letting go of possessions that are collecting dust in your house. For others it may be in releasing your control over relationships or circumstances. And for others it may be something completely different. But for those who are obedient no matter what it is; the result is always the same. God is glorified and a great testimony is given of His faithfulness and lives are changed, including your own! And that is what the Christian life is all about, bringing glory and honor to God by fulfilling our purpose and then testifying of His great faithfulness along the way as we share His love and grace with the people He brings into our lives!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
When The Light Of Dawn Breaks Forth The Darkness Disappears!
“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:10-13 NKJ
For eighteen months we had stood in faith, believed, trusted, and obeyed God knowing that what He promised He would perform. Some days we were strong in our faith and other days we struggled because we had to endure a lot and walked through many trials up until this point. In this passage of Scripture the word endure literally means to abide or remain and it is a military term that was used when the army held a vital position at all costs and held their ground. And this is exactly what we had been doing while we waited on the Lord to fulfill His promise.
You have no idea how many battles we had to face before the first sight of the Promised Land came into view. I think the hardest battles were the ones that came from within the body of Christ. We suffered persecution, accusation, disbelief, and coarse jesting from people who called themselves Christians. I will tell you that those are the wounds that almost destroyed our faith at times because it was so hard for us to comprehend how our own brothers and sisters in Christ could speak and act this way.
As I said in a previous devotion we had a core group of family and friends who stood in faith with us and if it wasn’t for their love and support during these times we may have given up! This is why it is vital for the body of Christ to become a unified army because too much inner fighting is killing soldiers on the battlefield. But we endured and renewed our minds to the truth of God’s Word each day and stood on His promises! I have to add that there were many times I shared with unbelievers who believed more for what God had promised than some of the believers I shared with did.
But as our hope strengthened and Jesus was faithful even in times we were not; we fought all the harder to endure until the appointed time came for the promise to manifest. We didn’t sit idly by either. We ministered, wrote, spoke, mentored, and worked each and every day whenever we could and for anyone who needed a word of love, hope, encouragement, or help. This really built us up because even though we were not on the ground of the Promised Land physically; the Word of God went forth and lives were transformed! It is always important to remember that church is not an organization. It is a living organism that brings life whenever it goes.
Then one day before Christmas of 2009 when I was in my prayer time, the Spirit impressed upon me to start the daily devotion on Face Book, Christmas Day. I struggled with this because I was in the midst of one of my down times! I was not with my kids, my mom had moved out of state, and we didn’t have enough money to enjoy the traditional Christmas festivities. But as I wrestled with the Lord, He reassured me that if I was obedient; He would be faithful. And He told me that many people I have never met before would be touched by His Spirit through the words He gave me to pen each day if I would obey. He said, “I have a gift to give my people and I have chosen you to be the gift bearer. Are you willing? I began to cry and I said, “Yes Lord, my spirit is willing even though my flesh is weak but I will trust in You to strengthen me as I answer this call.”
And on Christmas Day the first devotion was posted. Nothing spectacular happened that day as far as what the Spirit had told me. As I awoke on the morning of December 26 and posted the second devotion a spirit of heaviness came over me like nothing I had ever experienced before. I had a reunion of former school mates to attend later in the day but this heaviness was so great I didn’t think I could go! But as the day went on and one of my friends who was attending kept texting me, I decided I would. When I arrived I was still in a funk and on the verge of tears but I didn’t want to disrupt the excitement of the reunion by sharing my struggles; so I kept pretty quiet. For those of you who know me that is not me! I am the life of the party and I love relationship! I love my friends and enjoy every opportunity I have to be with them.
But I was overwhelmed and hurting and I couldn’t put on a mask because that is not who I am and so I blended into the scenery and kept to myself for most of the reunion. As I was getting ready to leave a friend who had graduated in 1981 approached me and asked if he could talk to me. He said that he read on Face Book that we were looking at moving to St. Louis and he wanted to know what we planned to do there. I am so grateful that I made the decision to share because unbeknownst to me at the time; this was the one event that opened the first door to us getting to St. Louis. The passion for God’s calling returned! And the vision for helping people in St. Louis who struggle with life transitions and who need to know the life transforming power of Jesus Christ enveloped me as I shared the vision God had given us with him.
He said he really felt that he wanted to be a part of it somehow. He owns a trucking company. At first I was elated and then the memories of past offers to help, that fell through, flooded my mind and I told him I would really love that; but to please make sure it was what he was supposed to do before agreeing to do it, because I couldn’t take another let down right now. He said the company next to him was a moving company and the owner was a good friend and maybe together they could help us get there. And then the Spirit of God came over me and I felt His presence surrounding us and I heard Him say, “This is the beginning of the fulfillment of My promise. Do you trust me?” My knees buckled for a moment as I realized what was taking place!
To be continued on day 168......
For eighteen months we had stood in faith, believed, trusted, and obeyed God knowing that what He promised He would perform. Some days we were strong in our faith and other days we struggled because we had to endure a lot and walked through many trials up until this point. In this passage of Scripture the word endure literally means to abide or remain and it is a military term that was used when the army held a vital position at all costs and held their ground. And this is exactly what we had been doing while we waited on the Lord to fulfill His promise.
You have no idea how many battles we had to face before the first sight of the Promised Land came into view. I think the hardest battles were the ones that came from within the body of Christ. We suffered persecution, accusation, disbelief, and coarse jesting from people who called themselves Christians. I will tell you that those are the wounds that almost destroyed our faith at times because it was so hard for us to comprehend how our own brothers and sisters in Christ could speak and act this way.
As I said in a previous devotion we had a core group of family and friends who stood in faith with us and if it wasn’t for their love and support during these times we may have given up! This is why it is vital for the body of Christ to become a unified army because too much inner fighting is killing soldiers on the battlefield. But we endured and renewed our minds to the truth of God’s Word each day and stood on His promises! I have to add that there were many times I shared with unbelievers who believed more for what God had promised than some of the believers I shared with did.
But as our hope strengthened and Jesus was faithful even in times we were not; we fought all the harder to endure until the appointed time came for the promise to manifest. We didn’t sit idly by either. We ministered, wrote, spoke, mentored, and worked each and every day whenever we could and for anyone who needed a word of love, hope, encouragement, or help. This really built us up because even though we were not on the ground of the Promised Land physically; the Word of God went forth and lives were transformed! It is always important to remember that church is not an organization. It is a living organism that brings life whenever it goes.
Then one day before Christmas of 2009 when I was in my prayer time, the Spirit impressed upon me to start the daily devotion on Face Book, Christmas Day. I struggled with this because I was in the midst of one of my down times! I was not with my kids, my mom had moved out of state, and we didn’t have enough money to enjoy the traditional Christmas festivities. But as I wrestled with the Lord, He reassured me that if I was obedient; He would be faithful. And He told me that many people I have never met before would be touched by His Spirit through the words He gave me to pen each day if I would obey. He said, “I have a gift to give my people and I have chosen you to be the gift bearer. Are you willing? I began to cry and I said, “Yes Lord, my spirit is willing even though my flesh is weak but I will trust in You to strengthen me as I answer this call.”
And on Christmas Day the first devotion was posted. Nothing spectacular happened that day as far as what the Spirit had told me. As I awoke on the morning of December 26 and posted the second devotion a spirit of heaviness came over me like nothing I had ever experienced before. I had a reunion of former school mates to attend later in the day but this heaviness was so great I didn’t think I could go! But as the day went on and one of my friends who was attending kept texting me, I decided I would. When I arrived I was still in a funk and on the verge of tears but I didn’t want to disrupt the excitement of the reunion by sharing my struggles; so I kept pretty quiet. For those of you who know me that is not me! I am the life of the party and I love relationship! I love my friends and enjoy every opportunity I have to be with them.
But I was overwhelmed and hurting and I couldn’t put on a mask because that is not who I am and so I blended into the scenery and kept to myself for most of the reunion. As I was getting ready to leave a friend who had graduated in 1981 approached me and asked if he could talk to me. He said that he read on Face Book that we were looking at moving to St. Louis and he wanted to know what we planned to do there. I am so grateful that I made the decision to share because unbeknownst to me at the time; this was the one event that opened the first door to us getting to St. Louis. The passion for God’s calling returned! And the vision for helping people in St. Louis who struggle with life transitions and who need to know the life transforming power of Jesus Christ enveloped me as I shared the vision God had given us with him.
He said he really felt that he wanted to be a part of it somehow. He owns a trucking company. At first I was elated and then the memories of past offers to help, that fell through, flooded my mind and I told him I would really love that; but to please make sure it was what he was supposed to do before agreeing to do it, because I couldn’t take another let down right now. He said the company next to him was a moving company and the owner was a good friend and maybe together they could help us get there. And then the Spirit of God came over me and I felt His presence surrounding us and I heard Him say, “This is the beginning of the fulfillment of My promise. Do you trust me?” My knees buckled for a moment as I realized what was taking place!
To be continued on day 168......
In The Darkest Hour Of Delay God’s Light Shines Brightest!
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning— yes, more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6 NKJ
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!” Psalm 27:14 NKJ
We’ve all hear the saying, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” but when that hour of darkness lasts for two years the soul of a man can become weary and weak if he doesn’t put his hope in God’s Word of promise. But for the man who puts his hope in God’s Word of promise and waits patiently for Him; He strengthens his heart and guards his mind. This is the lesson we learned during these last two years of waiting for the open door to move to St. Louis to fulfill the vision God gave us for the church and resource center. But I want you to know that putting our hope in God’s Word of promise didn’t come easy and at times it was a battle unlike any battle we have ever fought!
We battled the voices of doubt, fear, worry, anxiousness, unbelief, and exhaustion! These voices came from the enemy, from our own inner voice, and from people in our lives. But we fought day after day to keep hope alive because we knew that God always fulfills His promises to His people! Sometimes we had to enlist family members and dear friends to battle for us because we were too weak to battle for ourselves. We were blessed with a few people who truly believed in the vision God gave us and we used the “phone a friend” lifeline many times throughout these last two years! They were faithful to build us up, encourage us, and speak truth to us; even when we were blinded from the darkness of the night’s hour that surrounded us.
It is important to note that during these last two years my husband has been in excruciating pain due to his injury that never healed and he has been battling to receive the medical care he needs to get his arm fixed. This was another battle that we had to fight that took its toll on us. But we stood strong in the Lord and the power of His might throughout the battle and God has worked on his behalf to perform his Word in the situation.
I had my own battle to face during this last year that took its toll on us too. My children went to live with their dad in another state for the year and due to our financial situation it made it impossible to see them more than once during this time. My children are my life and not being with them has been the most painful experience I have ever had to deal with! Even though we speak on the phone every day it is not the same as holding them in my arms and loving on them in person. But once again God was faithful and He heard the cry of my heart and placed my children on the heart of a dear friend who stepped in to be a mommy figure in their lives in my absence. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this friend! But I can say that her act of love protected my mind from going to the deepest depths of despair and it kept me safe in the arms of the Father because I knew that He was protecting my children and providing for them even in my absence!
Waiting is not one of my strong points because I have always been able to make things happen! I am very creative and very tenacious and I don’t give up easily; but the lessons I have learned in this time of waiting have been priceless! God has revealed Himself in ways we never expected and He has taught us life lessons we would have never learned if the door had been opened when the vision was first given! My husband has spoken in over 1500 churches, had a daily radio broadcast for two years, has been the featured guest on several Christian television networks, and ministered to thousands of people over the last 33 years in ministry. We have both seen miracles, signs, and wonders happen instantly in our own lives and in the lives of others, and this is what made waiting on the Lord even more difficult during this season of darkness because we knew that instant miracles do manifest in the lives of God’s people!
But God had an even greater work to do in us, in the lives of those who have stood in faith with us and in the lives of people He would bring into our lives to fulfill the vision; so performing an instant miracle wasn’t in His plan this time. But what we had to remind ourselves of daily is that any miracle is an instant miracle even if it takes years to manifest! Our responsibility is to remind ourselves of this during our seasons of waiting on the Lord! His timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways, but to the man who puts His hope in God’s Word of promise, God always performs it because He is faithful to those who wait patiently on Him!
But when the dawn finally breaks forth with light it is so bright that all visions of darkness dissipate and the newness of the day is a glorious sight! But even when this happens it doesn’t mean that more delays are not on the horizon. But when you hope in God’s Word of Promise when those delays come you do not lose hope because you know it is just a matter of time before the miracle promise manifests in the natural realm!
To be continued......
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!” Psalm 27:14 NKJ
We’ve all hear the saying, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” but when that hour of darkness lasts for two years the soul of a man can become weary and weak if he doesn’t put his hope in God’s Word of promise. But for the man who puts his hope in God’s Word of promise and waits patiently for Him; He strengthens his heart and guards his mind. This is the lesson we learned during these last two years of waiting for the open door to move to St. Louis to fulfill the vision God gave us for the church and resource center. But I want you to know that putting our hope in God’s Word of promise didn’t come easy and at times it was a battle unlike any battle we have ever fought!
We battled the voices of doubt, fear, worry, anxiousness, unbelief, and exhaustion! These voices came from the enemy, from our own inner voice, and from people in our lives. But we fought day after day to keep hope alive because we knew that God always fulfills His promises to His people! Sometimes we had to enlist family members and dear friends to battle for us because we were too weak to battle for ourselves. We were blessed with a few people who truly believed in the vision God gave us and we used the “phone a friend” lifeline many times throughout these last two years! They were faithful to build us up, encourage us, and speak truth to us; even when we were blinded from the darkness of the night’s hour that surrounded us.
It is important to note that during these last two years my husband has been in excruciating pain due to his injury that never healed and he has been battling to receive the medical care he needs to get his arm fixed. This was another battle that we had to fight that took its toll on us. But we stood strong in the Lord and the power of His might throughout the battle and God has worked on his behalf to perform his Word in the situation.
I had my own battle to face during this last year that took its toll on us too. My children went to live with their dad in another state for the year and due to our financial situation it made it impossible to see them more than once during this time. My children are my life and not being with them has been the most painful experience I have ever had to deal with! Even though we speak on the phone every day it is not the same as holding them in my arms and loving on them in person. But once again God was faithful and He heard the cry of my heart and placed my children on the heart of a dear friend who stepped in to be a mommy figure in their lives in my absence. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this friend! But I can say that her act of love protected my mind from going to the deepest depths of despair and it kept me safe in the arms of the Father because I knew that He was protecting my children and providing for them even in my absence!
Waiting is not one of my strong points because I have always been able to make things happen! I am very creative and very tenacious and I don’t give up easily; but the lessons I have learned in this time of waiting have been priceless! God has revealed Himself in ways we never expected and He has taught us life lessons we would have never learned if the door had been opened when the vision was first given! My husband has spoken in over 1500 churches, had a daily radio broadcast for two years, has been the featured guest on several Christian television networks, and ministered to thousands of people over the last 33 years in ministry. We have both seen miracles, signs, and wonders happen instantly in our own lives and in the lives of others, and this is what made waiting on the Lord even more difficult during this season of darkness because we knew that instant miracles do manifest in the lives of God’s people!
But God had an even greater work to do in us, in the lives of those who have stood in faith with us and in the lives of people He would bring into our lives to fulfill the vision; so performing an instant miracle wasn’t in His plan this time. But what we had to remind ourselves of daily is that any miracle is an instant miracle even if it takes years to manifest! Our responsibility is to remind ourselves of this during our seasons of waiting on the Lord! His timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways, but to the man who puts His hope in God’s Word of promise, God always performs it because He is faithful to those who wait patiently on Him!
But when the dawn finally breaks forth with light it is so bright that all visions of darkness dissipate and the newness of the day is a glorious sight! But even when this happens it doesn’t mean that more delays are not on the horizon. But when you hope in God’s Word of Promise when those delays come you do not lose hope because you know it is just a matter of time before the miracle promise manifests in the natural realm!
To be continued......
Monday, June 7, 2010
Our Delays Are Not God’s Denials!
“For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.” Romans 3:3-4 NKJ
We are getting ready to embark on the biggest journey of faith we have ever taken in fulfilling God’s call to move to St. Louis, MO to plant a church and open a resource center for people who struggle with life transitions. God laid it on our hearts two years ago this month to make the move. At the time He spoke to us we were ready, willing, and prepared to jump right in and answer the call. With our enthusiasm building with each passing day we fully expected to be in St. Louis within weeks. Our lease was coming up on our house at the end of July and I was laid off of my job at the beginning of July so these were confirmations that we were going to be making the move soon.
An unexpected turn of events delayed our departure and at first we were discouraged. But as we prayed and stood in faith God led me to this passage of Scripture. The Spirit told me I needed to treasure it up in my heart and refer to it often during this season of waiting. It is important for me to share that my husband had gone through 7 surgeries on his arm due to an accident at work and right before God called us to St. Louis he contracted a staph infection that almost killed him. It was a very trying time for us as we walked through that season of trial but we stood in faith with an assurance of his recovery. One of our delays was due to him not being able to leave Phoenix until he was released from doctor’s care. And there were other delays but with each delay we prayed and trusted in God to perform that which He had promised.
At the time we were called we put a price tag on everything we owned and were willing to part with it in order to lighten the load for our journey. In day 167’s devotion I will be sharing this event in detail. We were so prepared to follow God that we didn’t care what we had to let go in order to do it. But even with all we were willing to do to answer the call that didn’t stop delays from occurring. Sometimes they just happen in life and we have no control over them. But what we do have control over is how we approach them and how we respond to them. We chose to approach them in faith and respond to them by putting our trust in the Lord.
We had no idea at the time just how many times over the next two years we would have to face delays but I am glad God prepared our hearts in the early season of delay because if He hadn’t we would have given up hope along the way. The few months delay turned into a year with more obstacles that came into our path. I applied for hundreds of jobs during this time only to be denied for one reason or another. It was as if God was telling us that the doors in Phoenix were permanently closed and we were to keep our eyes focused on His promise. That took great strength of heart because Sam was unable to work due to his injury and not being released to go back to work. But God was faithful to supply during our time of waiting.
A few months turned into a year and we were beginning to question if we had even heard from God and then some faithful friends encouraged us to hang on. And the Spirit reminded us of this passage once again. The place we were living was no longer available and some dear friends opened the door for us to stay in a vacant condominium they owned for as long as we needed. We figured it would be a couple of months and so we gladly accepted the invitation. It is important to know that during our season of delay we moved forward and established our 501c3, our board of directors, prepared seminars, formulated the plan for the church and resource center, and laid the foundation, even though we didn’t see any manifestation of the promise.
In July of 2009 it looked like we had an open door as several people said the Lord spoke to them to help us fulfill this vision. We were so excited because the journey had been so long and the trials so great. We set our departure date for August and began to seek more support. But within weeks that excitement turned to disappointment as those people could not fulfill what they had promised and because Sam received a call that his case for his arm had been delayed. You cannot even imagine how our hearts sunk as this news came! We approached our friends who had given us housing and they told us not to worry about it and again reaffirmed that we could stay as long as we needed.
We had no idea that yet another season of delay was in front of us and the trials we would face during it. But God was faithful through His Word, through His people, and through His Spirit to keep confirming His promise! So we waited and did what we could to provide during this time. We never had more than enough but God supplied daily for our needs. We learned many lessons during this time and grew in wisdom and understanding but these things did not keep doubt from crouching at our door. Each time doubt came we had to battle until it left. It was a great struggle at times but again God was faithful and reassured us of His promise.
To be continued......
We are getting ready to embark on the biggest journey of faith we have ever taken in fulfilling God’s call to move to St. Louis, MO to plant a church and open a resource center for people who struggle with life transitions. God laid it on our hearts two years ago this month to make the move. At the time He spoke to us we were ready, willing, and prepared to jump right in and answer the call. With our enthusiasm building with each passing day we fully expected to be in St. Louis within weeks. Our lease was coming up on our house at the end of July and I was laid off of my job at the beginning of July so these were confirmations that we were going to be making the move soon.
An unexpected turn of events delayed our departure and at first we were discouraged. But as we prayed and stood in faith God led me to this passage of Scripture. The Spirit told me I needed to treasure it up in my heart and refer to it often during this season of waiting. It is important for me to share that my husband had gone through 7 surgeries on his arm due to an accident at work and right before God called us to St. Louis he contracted a staph infection that almost killed him. It was a very trying time for us as we walked through that season of trial but we stood in faith with an assurance of his recovery. One of our delays was due to him not being able to leave Phoenix until he was released from doctor’s care. And there were other delays but with each delay we prayed and trusted in God to perform that which He had promised.
At the time we were called we put a price tag on everything we owned and were willing to part with it in order to lighten the load for our journey. In day 167’s devotion I will be sharing this event in detail. We were so prepared to follow God that we didn’t care what we had to let go in order to do it. But even with all we were willing to do to answer the call that didn’t stop delays from occurring. Sometimes they just happen in life and we have no control over them. But what we do have control over is how we approach them and how we respond to them. We chose to approach them in faith and respond to them by putting our trust in the Lord.
We had no idea at the time just how many times over the next two years we would have to face delays but I am glad God prepared our hearts in the early season of delay because if He hadn’t we would have given up hope along the way. The few months delay turned into a year with more obstacles that came into our path. I applied for hundreds of jobs during this time only to be denied for one reason or another. It was as if God was telling us that the doors in Phoenix were permanently closed and we were to keep our eyes focused on His promise. That took great strength of heart because Sam was unable to work due to his injury and not being released to go back to work. But God was faithful to supply during our time of waiting.
A few months turned into a year and we were beginning to question if we had even heard from God and then some faithful friends encouraged us to hang on. And the Spirit reminded us of this passage once again. The place we were living was no longer available and some dear friends opened the door for us to stay in a vacant condominium they owned for as long as we needed. We figured it would be a couple of months and so we gladly accepted the invitation. It is important to know that during our season of delay we moved forward and established our 501c3, our board of directors, prepared seminars, formulated the plan for the church and resource center, and laid the foundation, even though we didn’t see any manifestation of the promise.
In July of 2009 it looked like we had an open door as several people said the Lord spoke to them to help us fulfill this vision. We were so excited because the journey had been so long and the trials so great. We set our departure date for August and began to seek more support. But within weeks that excitement turned to disappointment as those people could not fulfill what they had promised and because Sam received a call that his case for his arm had been delayed. You cannot even imagine how our hearts sunk as this news came! We approached our friends who had given us housing and they told us not to worry about it and again reaffirmed that we could stay as long as we needed.
We had no idea that yet another season of delay was in front of us and the trials we would face during it. But God was faithful through His Word, through His people, and through His Spirit to keep confirming His promise! So we waited and did what we could to provide during this time. We never had more than enough but God supplied daily for our needs. We learned many lessons during this time and grew in wisdom and understanding but these things did not keep doubt from crouching at our door. Each time doubt came we had to battle until it left. It was a great struggle at times but again God was faithful and reassured us of His promise.
To be continued......
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Allow The Holy Spirit To Work In You And Then To Work Through You!
Since I came back to the Lord in my early twenties I have been passionate about reaching people with messages of hope and healing and I love to evangelize whenever possible. But early in the process of working out my old religious mindset and discovering the truth of God’s word I hit a wall! I was so bent on teaching others what I was learning and so enthusiastic in sharing that I was missing out on what God was trying to do in me. We had a single mom and her son living with us who had come out of the Catholic church and had many things that confused her about what she was taught growing up and what I shared with her.
Oh how I wanted her to see the light and to learn the truth and I took every opportunity to share with her or teach her. I had the right heart but my presentation was off kilter. One day she came to me and said, “Holly I love that you care so much for me that you want to help me understand God’s Word but I believe God is wanting you to take a step back and learn to live it more than speak it.” She said, “You teach me so much just in the way you hold my son and comfort him and in the way you love others and your example is even greater than your verbal testimony.”
Then she said something that I remind myself of to this day but I have to tell you that at the time it floored me and offended me. She said, “Holly let the Holy Spirit do the work in you first and then when you share your life has evidence to back up what you teach. Right now it is more like the Holly spicket that just flows with head knowledge but God wants it to be heart knowledge for you first.” “You are enough and don’t have anything to prove. God is going to use you but let Him work in you first then others will listen and lives will change when you speak.”
Let me tell you that hard truth spoke in love by a friend changed my life forever! I didn’t like what she said! I didn’t want to receive what she said! But I couldn’t escape what she said and it gnawed at me during the months following that conversation because she was right! I had known since childhood that I would one day be a minister of the Gospel and when I came back to the Lord I wanted it to manifest instantly because I felt so bad for the years I wasted living in the world and fulfilling the lust of the flesh. I wanted to be used by God and I wanted to serve Him each and every day and I wanted to see lives transformed and healed. But God wanted something different! While He wanted me to serve Him and minister His truth to His people, He didn’t need me to do it right then! His greater desire was for me to receive His precious gift of healing for myself and then allow His Spirit to work through me to minister that to others and to lead them to the One who could deliver them.
I love the story of Moses because he forced appointed time just like I was doing and it was a disaster. But during his time in the desert after killing the Egyptian he allowed God to work in him and then God used him to deliver His people. Just in case you don’t know the story here is what Exodus 2:11-12 says, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Moses had the right heart for God's people but instigated the wrong actions because He chose to work for God to try and deliver the people before God worked in Him and placed him in the position of being the deliverer. At first Moses ran but then at some point He allowed God to work in Him, then speak to him, and then send him back. And because Moses obeyed the real work that God had for him to do was fulfilled!
This is what I learned from that conversation from my friend that day. I have spent years allowing God to work in me. While I still encouraged, built up, and strengthened others during those years I made becoming who God created me to be the focus. Now as God is placing me in the assigned position of being a deliverer through our church plant and resource center in St. Louis, His real work for His people can be done through me and it will be fulfilled. But I can guarantee you that if I had not learned this very hard lesson I would have killed many soldiers in the army of God with judgment, offense, and every other act of the flesh you can think of.
Now my responsibility is to keep allowing God to work in me first and staying in a mindset of humility and never taking on pride, which is another, devotional all together. This is why it is so important to allow God to work in us first before we do His work. He has an assignment for each of us, but only those who follow His order in this will see that assignment fulfilled the way He designed it to be. This is my encouragement to you as you witness injustice being done to those around you. God wants to do an inner working in you and then He wants to use you to be a deliverer. Allow Him to do it and you will be so overjoyed when He tells you it is time that you won’t know how to contain it! Your joy will be so infectious that others will want what you have to and you can lead them to the secret place of being still before the Lord and the beauty of His work in the heart of the believer.
Prayer: Oh lord I want to serve You more than anything but I know that You want to give me the precious gift of Your inner working in my heart first. Help me to keep my feet firmly planted until it is time for my appointed assignment to be fulfilled. Teach me Your ways that can I can walk in Your truth. Help me to accept and keep my appointment with You so I can later fulfill your assignment for me and for Your people. Amen
Oh how I wanted her to see the light and to learn the truth and I took every opportunity to share with her or teach her. I had the right heart but my presentation was off kilter. One day she came to me and said, “Holly I love that you care so much for me that you want to help me understand God’s Word but I believe God is wanting you to take a step back and learn to live it more than speak it.” She said, “You teach me so much just in the way you hold my son and comfort him and in the way you love others and your example is even greater than your verbal testimony.”
Then she said something that I remind myself of to this day but I have to tell you that at the time it floored me and offended me. She said, “Holly let the Holy Spirit do the work in you first and then when you share your life has evidence to back up what you teach. Right now it is more like the Holly spicket that just flows with head knowledge but God wants it to be heart knowledge for you first.” “You are enough and don’t have anything to prove. God is going to use you but let Him work in you first then others will listen and lives will change when you speak.”
Let me tell you that hard truth spoke in love by a friend changed my life forever! I didn’t like what she said! I didn’t want to receive what she said! But I couldn’t escape what she said and it gnawed at me during the months following that conversation because she was right! I had known since childhood that I would one day be a minister of the Gospel and when I came back to the Lord I wanted it to manifest instantly because I felt so bad for the years I wasted living in the world and fulfilling the lust of the flesh. I wanted to be used by God and I wanted to serve Him each and every day and I wanted to see lives transformed and healed. But God wanted something different! While He wanted me to serve Him and minister His truth to His people, He didn’t need me to do it right then! His greater desire was for me to receive His precious gift of healing for myself and then allow His Spirit to work through me to minister that to others and to lead them to the One who could deliver them.
I love the story of Moses because he forced appointed time just like I was doing and it was a disaster. But during his time in the desert after killing the Egyptian he allowed God to work in him and then God used him to deliver His people. Just in case you don’t know the story here is what Exodus 2:11-12 says, “Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Moses had the right heart for God's people but instigated the wrong actions because He chose to work for God to try and deliver the people before God worked in Him and placed him in the position of being the deliverer. At first Moses ran but then at some point He allowed God to work in Him, then speak to him, and then send him back. And because Moses obeyed the real work that God had for him to do was fulfilled!
This is what I learned from that conversation from my friend that day. I have spent years allowing God to work in me. While I still encouraged, built up, and strengthened others during those years I made becoming who God created me to be the focus. Now as God is placing me in the assigned position of being a deliverer through our church plant and resource center in St. Louis, His real work for His people can be done through me and it will be fulfilled. But I can guarantee you that if I had not learned this very hard lesson I would have killed many soldiers in the army of God with judgment, offense, and every other act of the flesh you can think of.
Now my responsibility is to keep allowing God to work in me first and staying in a mindset of humility and never taking on pride, which is another, devotional all together. This is why it is so important to allow God to work in us first before we do His work. He has an assignment for each of us, but only those who follow His order in this will see that assignment fulfilled the way He designed it to be. This is my encouragement to you as you witness injustice being done to those around you. God wants to do an inner working in you and then He wants to use you to be a deliverer. Allow Him to do it and you will be so overjoyed when He tells you it is time that you won’t know how to contain it! Your joy will be so infectious that others will want what you have to and you can lead them to the secret place of being still before the Lord and the beauty of His work in the heart of the believer.
Prayer: Oh lord I want to serve You more than anything but I know that You want to give me the precious gift of Your inner working in my heart first. Help me to keep my feet firmly planted until it is time for my appointed assignment to be fulfilled. Teach me Your ways that can I can walk in Your truth. Help me to accept and keep my appointment with You so I can later fulfill your assignment for me and for Your people. Amen
Friday, June 4, 2010
How The Word Of God Brings Correction For The New Covenant Believer!
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:8-12
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
In yesterday’s devotion I said, “People teach passages like this one to justify their thoughts that God chastens us with harshness and punishment. But in reality God chastens the New Covenant believer with His Word which is life giving!” As we see in Hebrews 4:8-12 the Word of God is living and powerful! It is not just a history book that we are to keep on the shelf with our other books and it is not just a book we take to church once a week to give the impression we actually read it. It is the life giving, breath of God that infuses us with everything we need for life and godliness! It is ALIVE and it has power to change, transform, heal, resurrect, and correct! By it we are made clean as Jesus taught in John 15:3-4. He said, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
The Word also corrects us, instructs us, and completes us! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And what I want us to realize is that correction and reproof (rebuke) never feel good at the time, but for the mature person they empower them to grow and mature in order to avoid falling into the same trouble again. But when God use His word for these it is like a two edged sword. In other words it protects and corrects at the same time.
For example many years ago I was a very angry person because of the injustices I had experienced. I allowed those injustices to affect my attitude even after they were over. That led me have a mindset of defense, a tongue that lashed out, and a hard countenance! When God began to correct me with His Word in this area I resisted. I felt justified in my anger and didn’t want to be corrected. But in His great mercy and love for me God knew that my anger would destroy me so He began to correct me. First He led me to Scriptures that talked about forgiveness but at the same time He led me to Scriptures that talked about my righteousness in Him through Jesus. My flesh fought the forgiveness Scriptures but my spirit received the righteousness Scriptures.
There was a tug of war in my members and it hurt because I didn’t want to let go of my anger but the more I peered into the Word and learned of my righteousness in God through Jesus, I desired to think, speak, and act like Jesus did. And as we know He thought, spoke, and acted in love. Well, I couldn’t do those things when I was consumed by anger so I had a decision to make. I could let God’s Word correct me in my anger and learn to love and forgive as Jesus did, or I could hold onto my anger and live a self absorbed life of unforgiveness. Praise God I chose to let the Word correct me because today I am free from the bondage of anger. Does this make sense? You see God’s Word brought life to my spirit while at the same time it caused death in my flesh!
It hurt and healed simultaneously! It seemed painful at the time, but ultimately it strengthened and matured me and I grew into one whose life bears the fruit of the Spirit as a result. In other words it did what Hebrews 12:11 speaks of. It says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Can you see it? Do you perceive it? God does not punish us like a harsh parent because God put that harsh punishment on Jesus so that through faith in Him would could enter His rest and experience His life giving correction when we sin (miss the mark). This is the beauty of the Cross and the truth about God’s correction or chastening for the New Covenant believer! With this understanding Hebrews 4:16 is put into effect for the mature believer when they sin. It says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
There comes a point when we actually will pursue God and ask Him to prune us and correct us in His Word because we know that in the end the life giving nutrients of His Word will cause us to bear fruit in our lives and that fruit will last. This is the understanding I want all of us to come to because it is what will cause us to be living examples of the Word, which will ignite an energy source that draws the world to us and they will want what we have. And it will help us to reach people who are trapped in a religious bondage of a punishment mentality and show them who God truly is to the New Covenant believer.
Prayer: Lord I desire to understand Your chastening and rebuke for me as a New Covenant believer. Cleanse me of old thought patterns that see You as a harsh God who punishes like an immature earthly parent. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand Your new relationship with me because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. I believe by faith that as I grow and mature in wisdom in this area of my life, my life will begin to bear fruit. Amen
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16
In yesterday’s devotion I said, “People teach passages like this one to justify their thoughts that God chastens us with harshness and punishment. But in reality God chastens the New Covenant believer with His Word which is life giving!” As we see in Hebrews 4:8-12 the Word of God is living and powerful! It is not just a history book that we are to keep on the shelf with our other books and it is not just a book we take to church once a week to give the impression we actually read it. It is the life giving, breath of God that infuses us with everything we need for life and godliness! It is ALIVE and it has power to change, transform, heal, resurrect, and correct! By it we are made clean as Jesus taught in John 15:3-4. He said, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
The Word also corrects us, instructs us, and completes us! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And what I want us to realize is that correction and reproof (rebuke) never feel good at the time, but for the mature person they empower them to grow and mature in order to avoid falling into the same trouble again. But when God use His word for these it is like a two edged sword. In other words it protects and corrects at the same time.
For example many years ago I was a very angry person because of the injustices I had experienced. I allowed those injustices to affect my attitude even after they were over. That led me have a mindset of defense, a tongue that lashed out, and a hard countenance! When God began to correct me with His Word in this area I resisted. I felt justified in my anger and didn’t want to be corrected. But in His great mercy and love for me God knew that my anger would destroy me so He began to correct me. First He led me to Scriptures that talked about forgiveness but at the same time He led me to Scriptures that talked about my righteousness in Him through Jesus. My flesh fought the forgiveness Scriptures but my spirit received the righteousness Scriptures.
There was a tug of war in my members and it hurt because I didn’t want to let go of my anger but the more I peered into the Word and learned of my righteousness in God through Jesus, I desired to think, speak, and act like Jesus did. And as we know He thought, spoke, and acted in love. Well, I couldn’t do those things when I was consumed by anger so I had a decision to make. I could let God’s Word correct me in my anger and learn to love and forgive as Jesus did, or I could hold onto my anger and live a self absorbed life of unforgiveness. Praise God I chose to let the Word correct me because today I am free from the bondage of anger. Does this make sense? You see God’s Word brought life to my spirit while at the same time it caused death in my flesh!
It hurt and healed simultaneously! It seemed painful at the time, but ultimately it strengthened and matured me and I grew into one whose life bears the fruit of the Spirit as a result. In other words it did what Hebrews 12:11 speaks of. It says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Can you see it? Do you perceive it? God does not punish us like a harsh parent because God put that harsh punishment on Jesus so that through faith in Him would could enter His rest and experience His life giving correction when we sin (miss the mark). This is the beauty of the Cross and the truth about God’s correction or chastening for the New Covenant believer! With this understanding Hebrews 4:16 is put into effect for the mature believer when they sin. It says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
There comes a point when we actually will pursue God and ask Him to prune us and correct us in His Word because we know that in the end the life giving nutrients of His Word will cause us to bear fruit in our lives and that fruit will last. This is the understanding I want all of us to come to because it is what will cause us to be living examples of the Word, which will ignite an energy source that draws the world to us and they will want what we have. And it will help us to reach people who are trapped in a religious bondage of a punishment mentality and show them who God truly is to the New Covenant believer.
Prayer: Lord I desire to understand Your chastening and rebuke for me as a New Covenant believer. Cleanse me of old thought patterns that see You as a harsh God who punishes like an immature earthly parent. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand Your new relationship with me because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. I believe by faith that as I grow and mature in wisdom in this area of my life, my life will begin to bear fruit. Amen
Thursday, June 3, 2010
God Is Not Mad At You – No Matter What! You’re Forgiven!
Do you remember what it was like when you were a child and did something wrong and got caught? Do you remember how bad you felt when your parents got mad at you and punished you for your offenses? Many of you had parents who punished you harshly and never showed you any mercy or grace and their anger towards you left a deep impression in your heart! Do you find that as an adult when you make a mistake or cause an offense you think that God might treat you in the same way? Do you find yourself lamenting over your failures and crying out to God to forgive you? Well today I want you to know you don’t have to do that anymore because God is NOT mad at you! He loves you unconditionally, forgave you before you ever sinned, and each day His mercy is new, and His grace is sufficient!
Romans 5:8-11 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
When Jesus took on all of the sin of the world at the Cross He paid the price for our deserved punishment and through His sacrifice He reconciled us to God through the shedding of His own blood! Now when God looks at us He sees us through that blood and this is what He says. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) That is so hard for some of us to hear because our entire lives we have been taught that God is mad at us and punishes us when we commit a sin.
Scriptures have been taken out of context like Proverbs 3:11-12 which says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” People teach passages like this one to justify their thoughts that God chastens us with harshness and punishment. But in reality God chastens the New Covenant believer with His Word which is life giving! In tomorrow’s devotion I will speak more to this truth. We are now under grace and it is now the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, not the anger and judgment of God. In Romans 2:4 Paul writes, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
If we can come to understand this truth we can begin to release the false beliefs we have that view God as a mad God who is out to punish us in the same way our earthly parents did. Do you realize that when we sin (miss the mark) God is faithful in that He restores us to Himself by His grace! People counter me all the time on this and they say things like, “No the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin and brings me to my knees to beg God for His forgiveness. Oh what a wretched man I am!” That is simply not true! Not one place in the Bible does it say that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.
The passage they are referring to and misquoting is John 16:8-11 where Jesus said, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” And what is the world’s sin? It is the sin of unbelief! And who does He convict of righteousness? The Believer! And who is judged? The ruler of this world! So if we have professed belief in Jesus Christ we are no longer of the world which means we are of the family of God as adopted sons and daughters, and we are no longer convicted of the sin of unbelief!
When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our righteousness because Jesus has gone to the Father and now sits on the throne at His right hand! And when that conviction comes to the heart of one who receives it, he/she is overwhelmed by the love of God and His incredible kindness, and he/she is motivated to repent! And do you remember what repent means? It means “To make a change for the better as a result of remorse.” This is the beauty of our righteousness in Christ Jesus as New Covenant believers! Can you see it now? God doesn’t want us falling to our knees and begging Him for forgiveness for sins He already died for. He wants us falling to our knees and praising Him for the forgiveness of the sins He died for on the Cross! He wants us worshiping Him for the resurrected power of Christ that operates in us and holds us securely in right standing with Him by His grace!
God is not mad at us any longer! He is in love with us and sees us as completely restored to Him when He looks at us! I know this may be hard to hear because it contradicts what is taught in many churches around the world, but until we understand this and rebuke the false teaching we will not have any power to reach people with the true Gospel message! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS! It is life giving, joy filled, grace infused, love empowered, and worth sharing! If this is not what you are experiencing because you have been taught differently I want to encourage you to spend time in the New Testament which begins at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and read what is written. And if you come upon something you don’t understand ask for help in understanding it. God is faithful and His Spirit will lead you into all truth! If you have already come to understand God’s love and forgiveness, please find someone who is struggling with it and mentor them in the truth.
Prayer: God, You are a GOOD God who loves me so much! When I have a wrong view of You please remind me of what Mark 9:23-24 says, “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” I want to know you, I want to hear Your voice, I want to know You more! Open the eyes of my heart Lord and let me see you for who You are and who I am to You. Amen
Romans 5:8-11 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
When Jesus took on all of the sin of the world at the Cross He paid the price for our deserved punishment and through His sacrifice He reconciled us to God through the shedding of His own blood! Now when God looks at us He sees us through that blood and this is what He says. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) That is so hard for some of us to hear because our entire lives we have been taught that God is mad at us and punishes us when we commit a sin.
Scriptures have been taken out of context like Proverbs 3:11-12 which says, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” People teach passages like this one to justify their thoughts that God chastens us with harshness and punishment. But in reality God chastens the New Covenant believer with His Word which is life giving! In tomorrow’s devotion I will speak more to this truth. We are now under grace and it is now the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, not the anger and judgment of God. In Romans 2:4 Paul writes, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
If we can come to understand this truth we can begin to release the false beliefs we have that view God as a mad God who is out to punish us in the same way our earthly parents did. Do you realize that when we sin (miss the mark) God is faithful in that He restores us to Himself by His grace! People counter me all the time on this and they say things like, “No the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin and brings me to my knees to beg God for His forgiveness. Oh what a wretched man I am!” That is simply not true! Not one place in the Bible does it say that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.
The passage they are referring to and misquoting is John 16:8-11 where Jesus said, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” And what is the world’s sin? It is the sin of unbelief! And who does He convict of righteousness? The Believer! And who is judged? The ruler of this world! So if we have professed belief in Jesus Christ we are no longer of the world which means we are of the family of God as adopted sons and daughters, and we are no longer convicted of the sin of unbelief!
When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our righteousness because Jesus has gone to the Father and now sits on the throne at His right hand! And when that conviction comes to the heart of one who receives it, he/she is overwhelmed by the love of God and His incredible kindness, and he/she is motivated to repent! And do you remember what repent means? It means “To make a change for the better as a result of remorse.” This is the beauty of our righteousness in Christ Jesus as New Covenant believers! Can you see it now? God doesn’t want us falling to our knees and begging Him for forgiveness for sins He already died for. He wants us falling to our knees and praising Him for the forgiveness of the sins He died for on the Cross! He wants us worshiping Him for the resurrected power of Christ that operates in us and holds us securely in right standing with Him by His grace!
God is not mad at us any longer! He is in love with us and sees us as completely restored to Him when He looks at us! I know this may be hard to hear because it contradicts what is taught in many churches around the world, but until we understand this and rebuke the false teaching we will not have any power to reach people with the true Gospel message! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS! It is life giving, joy filled, grace infused, love empowered, and worth sharing! If this is not what you are experiencing because you have been taught differently I want to encourage you to spend time in the New Testament which begins at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and read what is written. And if you come upon something you don’t understand ask for help in understanding it. God is faithful and His Spirit will lead you into all truth! If you have already come to understand God’s love and forgiveness, please find someone who is struggling with it and mentor them in the truth.
Prayer: God, You are a GOOD God who loves me so much! When I have a wrong view of You please remind me of what Mark 9:23-24 says, “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” I want to know you, I want to hear Your voice, I want to know You more! Open the eyes of my heart Lord and let me see you for who You are and who I am to You. Amen
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
One And The Same God!
There is no way for me to truly express the emotion that wells up in me as I write this devotion today but I hope that as you read it, the Holy Spirit ministers to you in the way He is ministering to me as I write! I am not going to quote any Scriptures because I want you to take time after reading today’s devotion and open up the Bible and allow God to show you who He is for you right now! What I am going to quote are the lyrics to CeCe Winans’ song “One and the Same” as the words are so powerful in helping us to see God in a whole new way! As I have said in the past there is no way to full comprehend the greatness of God but when we start to see Him in this light an amazing transformation takes place in our hearts!
“How shall I begin to speak about a God that I will never comprehend? So high and mighty and yet, closer than a friend, the beginning and the end! The mystery of His holiness, the wonder of His humanness are; one, one and the same! I can't do Him justice with any one name! The Holy God of Heaven and the humble man who bore my shame, are one; one and the same! I scarcely understand how a simple servant can be called the great I am! How the Son of God is still the Son of man? Both the Sheppard and the Lamb! The healer and the wounded one! The Father and the only Son are one! The way that we can come to know the truth that sets us free, yeah the life that died, and rose again! Love revealed! One and the same!”
Sometimes I find myself playing this song over and over again and I sit in complete silence as I try to grasp the enormity of God! First I think about the fact that He stepped down from Heaven and became a man who bore my sin and shame on the Cross! This thought is sometimes so overwhelming that I break down in tears and spend time thanking Him for loving me so much! To think that all the sin I ever committed or will commit God willfully bore the punishment for in His body as they beat Him, spit on Him, and crucified Him; makes me fall to my knees and worship Him with everything that is within me! I didn’t deserve that! I deserved punishment and death for my sins and yet I was spared because the Great I AM took my place!
To think that He is so high and mighty, the maker of heaven and earth, and yet every day He chooses to spend time with me and calls me His friend! That blows me away! And to think of all the days I chose to tell Him I didn’t have time for Him but He never stopped coming to me and asking if He could sit with me and talk for awhile! But that is exactly what He does day after day! I don’t deserve that! I deserve to be abandoned for being such a horrible friend and yet the Lord of Glory doesn’t believe I deserve that and chooses to be my friend no matter what! How can I begin to comprehend that?
Sometimes I think about how the Prince of Peace became the tormented one who cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken ME” just so we could be given His peace that passes all understanding! And how many days have I spent countless hours be anxious and tormented and refused to receive His gift of peace when He presented it to me? Too many to count! But that doesn’t matter to Him and each day He shows up and offers me the gift, regardless of how many times I have refused to accept it in the past! I don’t deserve that! I deserve to be tormented for being so ungrateful and yet the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, sees me worth pursuing with precious gifts like the gift of peace!
I could write page after page of scenarios like these and even so I still don’t think I would fully appreciate all He has done for me. I hate to say that but it is true! That kind of love I don’t understand! And yet He doesn’t ask me to. He just asks that I accept it and walk in it with others! That’s it! He says if I love Him with everything that is within me and I love the people around me; I’ve done everything that He requires of me. Really? Can it be that simple? When I ask this He always says, “It is that simple, I did everything else that was required! I took it on myself and did it perfectly, because I knew you couldn’t!” Have you ever thought about that?
That’s why CeCe’s song is so powerful because it begins to uncover exactly what our perfect Heavenly Father did when He traded in His deity for human flesh! This is why I really want to encourage you to spend time discovering just how much God loves you by comparing the two as CeCe did in this song. I can promise that as I have come to view God in a whole new way, you will too as you delve into who He is and what He did for you on the Cross! May you be strengthened and encouraged today as you walk out this exercise of faith!
Prayer: Make it personal! Make it real! Ask Him to reveal the depths of His love for you and ask Him to give you wisdom and understanding when you open up the Bible with a new mindset of discovery. Praise Him and worship Him with your whole heart today! Amen
“How shall I begin to speak about a God that I will never comprehend? So high and mighty and yet, closer than a friend, the beginning and the end! The mystery of His holiness, the wonder of His humanness are; one, one and the same! I can't do Him justice with any one name! The Holy God of Heaven and the humble man who bore my shame, are one; one and the same! I scarcely understand how a simple servant can be called the great I am! How the Son of God is still the Son of man? Both the Sheppard and the Lamb! The healer and the wounded one! The Father and the only Son are one! The way that we can come to know the truth that sets us free, yeah the life that died, and rose again! Love revealed! One and the same!”
Sometimes I find myself playing this song over and over again and I sit in complete silence as I try to grasp the enormity of God! First I think about the fact that He stepped down from Heaven and became a man who bore my sin and shame on the Cross! This thought is sometimes so overwhelming that I break down in tears and spend time thanking Him for loving me so much! To think that all the sin I ever committed or will commit God willfully bore the punishment for in His body as they beat Him, spit on Him, and crucified Him; makes me fall to my knees and worship Him with everything that is within me! I didn’t deserve that! I deserved punishment and death for my sins and yet I was spared because the Great I AM took my place!
To think that He is so high and mighty, the maker of heaven and earth, and yet every day He chooses to spend time with me and calls me His friend! That blows me away! And to think of all the days I chose to tell Him I didn’t have time for Him but He never stopped coming to me and asking if He could sit with me and talk for awhile! But that is exactly what He does day after day! I don’t deserve that! I deserve to be abandoned for being such a horrible friend and yet the Lord of Glory doesn’t believe I deserve that and chooses to be my friend no matter what! How can I begin to comprehend that?
Sometimes I think about how the Prince of Peace became the tormented one who cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken ME” just so we could be given His peace that passes all understanding! And how many days have I spent countless hours be anxious and tormented and refused to receive His gift of peace when He presented it to me? Too many to count! But that doesn’t matter to Him and each day He shows up and offers me the gift, regardless of how many times I have refused to accept it in the past! I don’t deserve that! I deserve to be tormented for being so ungrateful and yet the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, sees me worth pursuing with precious gifts like the gift of peace!
I could write page after page of scenarios like these and even so I still don’t think I would fully appreciate all He has done for me. I hate to say that but it is true! That kind of love I don’t understand! And yet He doesn’t ask me to. He just asks that I accept it and walk in it with others! That’s it! He says if I love Him with everything that is within me and I love the people around me; I’ve done everything that He requires of me. Really? Can it be that simple? When I ask this He always says, “It is that simple, I did everything else that was required! I took it on myself and did it perfectly, because I knew you couldn’t!” Have you ever thought about that?
That’s why CeCe’s song is so powerful because it begins to uncover exactly what our perfect Heavenly Father did when He traded in His deity for human flesh! This is why I really want to encourage you to spend time discovering just how much God loves you by comparing the two as CeCe did in this song. I can promise that as I have come to view God in a whole new way, you will too as you delve into who He is and what He did for you on the Cross! May you be strengthened and encouraged today as you walk out this exercise of faith!
Prayer: Make it personal! Make it real! Ask Him to reveal the depths of His love for you and ask Him to give you wisdom and understanding when you open up the Bible with a new mindset of discovery. Praise Him and worship Him with your whole heart today! Amen
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Don’t Let Religion Rob You Of Your Resurrected Life In Christ!
I meet people frequently who were once involved in church and who loved God with their whole heart, only to be mistreated, judged, or cast out for one reason or another by a religious group who condemned them for not conforming to their standards of holiness. . Therefore they no longer attend church. Other people I have met tell me that the hypocrisy they witnessed in their former church was so putrid that they could no longer stand to be around people who wore masks and put on a facade of holiness; so they stopped attending. And still others say they are so confused about God because there are so many different interpretations of Scripture that they don’t know what to believe.
My heart just breaks when I hear stories like these because these people are missing out on the greatest blessing of their faith in Jesus, next to eternal salvation, which is His resurrected life operating in them. Religion has robbed so many people of this blessing and it is not right. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” People who have allowed religion to rob them have had their joy and hope stolen, their abundant life in Christ killed, and their faith destroyed!
If we are ever going to see these kinds of people restored to the body of Christ we have to pray that something changes in the church. And the first thing we can pray is that our own religious yokes be broken and removed so we present the true Gospel message of Jesus, nothing added and nothing subtracted!
I have spent many hours in my prayer closet asking God to remove any yokes of religion that I still may have tied around my neck. It is a continuous act of faith but with each yoke removed I feel more and more peaceful in my spirit and more able to minister to the wounded soldiers of Christ who lay scattered on the battlefield of Christianity.
In order to avoid taking back the yoke of slavery to a religious mindset I have to remind myself of Scriptures like John 3:14 where Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” Everything about Jesus is good! He doesn’t condemn us (Romans 8:2, John 3:17), or think badly of us (Jeremiah 29:11). He loves us!
This is so vital to understand when coming out of a religious mindset yourself or when you are leading someone else out of one because unless we accept the love and goodness of God that was given to us freely through Christ’s death and resurrection; we won’t be able to get out of our own religious mindset and we definitely won’t be able to help our brothers and sisters who are scattered on the battlefield.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” It doesn’t say, for God was so angry at the world, or God was so sick of the world; it says for God so loved the world! This is what religion seems to forget because it is always focused on getting people to believe that God is mad at them or disappointed in them or that they can’t ever live up to His expectations! And it breeds discontent and brokenness in the people it infects with these lies!
But when a person truly accepts God’s goodness and love for them they are able to allow the resurrected life of Christ to manifest in their lives! They are able to serve God with passion and speak of His good works to those around them. They are filled with peace and have a countenance of rest. They feel liberated and set free from guilt, shame, and condemnation which enables them to use their past sinful actions as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to deliver His people! They are not ashamed to share the Gospel and they look for ways to reach others with it! They are free!
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Understanding this truth is the cry of my heart for the body of Christ! The truth is that the resurrected life of Christ makes us free! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) It is also important to understand that we are no longer slaves to sin, slaves to the law, or slaves to the flesh! We are slaves to righteousness! (Romans 6:18) And with that understanding we are free to receive God’s love and goodness and we are then in turn able to extend that love and goodness to others! There is no other way!
Prayer: Let us pray for those in the body of Christ who are still bound by the yoke of a religious mindset. Let us pray for those who have walked away from God because of the wounds inflicted by religion, and let us pray that we truly accept the love and goodness of God ourselves, so we are able to extend it to others!
My heart just breaks when I hear stories like these because these people are missing out on the greatest blessing of their faith in Jesus, next to eternal salvation, which is His resurrected life operating in them. Religion has robbed so many people of this blessing and it is not right. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” People who have allowed religion to rob them have had their joy and hope stolen, their abundant life in Christ killed, and their faith destroyed!
If we are ever going to see these kinds of people restored to the body of Christ we have to pray that something changes in the church. And the first thing we can pray is that our own religious yokes be broken and removed so we present the true Gospel message of Jesus, nothing added and nothing subtracted!
I have spent many hours in my prayer closet asking God to remove any yokes of religion that I still may have tied around my neck. It is a continuous act of faith but with each yoke removed I feel more and more peaceful in my spirit and more able to minister to the wounded soldiers of Christ who lay scattered on the battlefield of Christianity.
In order to avoid taking back the yoke of slavery to a religious mindset I have to remind myself of Scriptures like John 3:14 where Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” Everything about Jesus is good! He doesn’t condemn us (Romans 8:2, John 3:17), or think badly of us (Jeremiah 29:11). He loves us!
This is so vital to understand when coming out of a religious mindset yourself or when you are leading someone else out of one because unless we accept the love and goodness of God that was given to us freely through Christ’s death and resurrection; we won’t be able to get out of our own religious mindset and we definitely won’t be able to help our brothers and sisters who are scattered on the battlefield.
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” It doesn’t say, for God was so angry at the world, or God was so sick of the world; it says for God so loved the world! This is what religion seems to forget because it is always focused on getting people to believe that God is mad at them or disappointed in them or that they can’t ever live up to His expectations! And it breeds discontent and brokenness in the people it infects with these lies!
But when a person truly accepts God’s goodness and love for them they are able to allow the resurrected life of Christ to manifest in their lives! They are able to serve God with passion and speak of His good works to those around them. They are filled with peace and have a countenance of rest. They feel liberated and set free from guilt, shame, and condemnation which enables them to use their past sinful actions as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to deliver His people! They are not ashamed to share the Gospel and they look for ways to reach others with it! They are free!
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Understanding this truth is the cry of my heart for the body of Christ! The truth is that the resurrected life of Christ makes us free! “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) It is also important to understand that we are no longer slaves to sin, slaves to the law, or slaves to the flesh! We are slaves to righteousness! (Romans 6:18) And with that understanding we are free to receive God’s love and goodness and we are then in turn able to extend that love and goodness to others! There is no other way!
Prayer: Let us pray for those in the body of Christ who are still bound by the yoke of a religious mindset. Let us pray for those who have walked away from God because of the wounds inflicted by religion, and let us pray that we truly accept the love and goodness of God ourselves, so we are able to extend it to others!
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