Are you looking for true inner peace that will sustain you during times of doubt or trial? Or are you believing for something that God has spoken to you but the voices of reservation or uncertainty are calling you back from believing you heard from God? Or do you have people in your life who don’t know God and they are in turmoil and you want to introduce them to the God of peace? No matter what the reason is for wanting inner peace the path is always the same. KEEP YOUR EYES FIXED ON JESUS! Do not fear! Do not look to the right or the left! Do not look at your circumstances! Do not listen to the familiar voices of disbelief and doubt!
We have an example of this in Matthew 14:22 – 33. It reads, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Verse 22 says “immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” The disciples had just witnessed Jesus feeding over 5,000 men plus women and children, which means the number was probably more like 15,000 or 20,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. They had to be astonished and in awe once again at the vast greatness of Jesus. The conversation in the boat must have been like the end of the Super Bowl when a group of guys are recounting the amazing plays of their favorite team and the upset win against what seemed like insurmountable odds.
But as the storm came up and the wind began to blow the voices shouting victory cries soon turned to shouts of fear and anguish! Their peace and joy was interrupted and they quickly forgot about the victory they had just witnessed! Their faith turned to fear! Their hope turned to despair! They were overcome by their present circumstance and they soon began to speak negatively about the situation.
25 & 26 say, “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.”
You would think that those experiencing the life of Christ first hand would have been full of peace, trust, and confidence knowing that the same one who performed the previous miracles would surely perform one now on their behalf. But they didn’t think this way. They turned their eyes on their present circumstance (the storm) and they doubted. They were not even looking for Jesus! And when they saw him they didn’t recognize Him. They thought he was a ghost! Knowing this Jesus called out to them. He didn’t condemn them or tell them to calm down. Verse 27 says, “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” “Be of good cheer” was His response. In other words, encourage yourself in knowing it is me and have peace.
But it is obvious that only one disciple, Peter opened his mind to the possibility of it being Jesus because he said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” The rest of them stood there in fear and disbelief. One thing to remember is that when Jesus answered Peter he didn’t say “Peter it is me Jesus, the Son of God, whom you know, come to Me.” All Jesus said was, “come” and Peter had a decision to make. Does He put His trust in the voice of Jesus beckoning Him to come or does he stay in the boat with the others? Verse 29 says, “So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”
The storm was still raging, the winds were still blowing, the other disciples were still screaming! But Peter made the choice to take a step of faith out of the boat, believing he could walk over the circumstance, into the arms of Jesus and find rest for his weary soul! In Matthew 11: 28 & 29 Jesus says to us, “"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” He wants us to trust Him in the same way Peter did at first and to come to Him in our times of trial and fear. The greatest difference between Peter and us is that Christ is no longer afar off; He is living on the inside of us! When we fix our eyes on this truth and apply it to our lives, the peace comes immediately!
Peter was able to walk on water (over the circumstance) only when his eyes were fixed on Jesus and he walked toward Him in faith! We have to get our eyes fixed on Christ in us and the finished work of the Cross if we want to have true inner peace and experience the victorious life of Christ operating in us daily.
One other thing that is important to remember from this story is that behind Peter was a boat full of doubters who must have been saying things like, “There he goes again trying to be different. You’re an idiot Peter no one can walk on water! You’re going to drowned, get back in the boat! This is impossible, you are insane! Watch out for that wave!” I can imagine the immense amount of pressure on Peter to give up and turn around. And at one point he must have listened to those voices because verse 30 says, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
The key phrase in this passage is “when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid” because it shows us that he took his focus off of Jesus and onto his present circumstance! The wind had been blowing when he stepped out of the boat. The storm was already in progress. He lost his footing though when he took his eyes off Jesus which caused him to lose his faith and he began to doubt! How often do you start out believing, trusting, and walking in faith and then at some point you lose your focus and become overwhelmed by the reality of the situation? I have done it often and every time I become afraid.
Now the beauty of this scene is what happened next. Verses 31 & 32 say, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”
Immediately Jesus came to his rescue and caught him in His arms. He didn’t stand there and tell him he was an idiot or a fool. He didn’t scream at him. He didn’t condemn him. He saved him! And when we doubt and are afraid He will do the same for us if we cry out to Him in the midst of our distress! In the next portion of the verse Jesus says to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” but please know this was not a condemning statement. There is only one who condemns and that is the enemy of our souls.
What Jesus said was more like the voice of a mother or father whose child is trying something new and unknown that the parents have done before and have full confidence that their child can do too. Like jumping off the diving board for the first time or taking the training wheels off the bicycle.
When my kids were learning these things and when they got scared I didn’t condemn them or put them down for having doubt and being afraid. I just said things like, “Sweetie why did you give up? You could have done it. I know it’s scary but trust me honey, it is possible. I have done it before and believe me when you do it you will experience such joy and your fear will be gone. We’ll try again later. Don’t worry about it. I love you.” That is the voice of a loving parent speaking hope and encouragement to their child. This is what Jesus did for Peter and what He will do for us as well when we have doubt in the midst of life’s storms or when we are filled with fear. He speaks love, acceptance, encouragement, and peace to our weary souls. Isn’t there comfort in knowing this truth?
Another important thing that happened is at the end of that verse. It says, “and when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Not only did Jesus save Peter but He calmed the storm for everyone who was in the boat! When you walk in the peace of Jesus He will do the same for those who are walking with you during your trial or circumstance and they will say as the others in the boat said, “Truly You are the Son of God.” They didn’t say that to Peter and the people in your life won’t say that to you either. But when they see the awesome power of God through your relationship with Jesus Christ perform miracles, defy natural circumstances, and bring peace to your soul, the credit will go directly to Christ and He will be glorified!
But in order to do this we have to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ and renew our minds to the truth of God’s word. We have to remind ourselves constantly that every circumstance we face in life Christ has already walked over! Every pain, hurt, sickness, disease, sin, trial, and hardship He took on at the Cross. At His resurrection He quieted every storm in us and gave us the opportunity to have an everlasting inner peace that surpasses human understanding! He defeated the one who is the voice of doubt, satan, and He took his power to destroy us away if we keep our minds stayed on Him!
There will always be storms that come up but remember Jesus’ words in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
If you want to experience true inner peace it is important to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus no matter what the circumstance. It is also important to tune out the voices of doubt in your life that are speaking against you walking in faith. The only way to do this is to get the word of God on the inside of you so you know how to release the power of Jesus into the situation. You can’t muster up faith because the Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the WORD of God! You also have to open yourself up to the Holy Spirit because the Bible says He is our counselor, our guide, and our comforter!
Remember only one stepped out of the boat and experienced something no one else in his life ever experienced! Do you want to be that one? Start today by spending time in the Bible, spending time in prayer, and by putting your focus on the only one who can bring you true and everlasting inner peace, JESUS CHRIST!
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
True Inner Peace - Part One
In this blog I am going to talk about the peace that Christ promised those who accept Him as their personal Savior. This is not a peace in the world or in circumstance; it is an inner peace that surpasses natural understanding. In John 14:27 Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." If you read this whole chapter you will see the disciples being afraid and Jesus comforting them. At the end of this chapter this is the word Jesus spoke to them. This is the same word he is speaking to us today yet so many people are suffering from inner turmoil and strife.
Why is this? I believe it is the same reason the disciples were afraid. Most people who believe in God do not fully understand the Truth that Christ lives in them and the Holy Spirit is given to them to bring them peace and comfort. They see God as a far off being who sits on a throne judging the acts of mankind. This kind of thinking is so far off from the truth it is not even funny!
In verses 8 – 14 this is explained.
“Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
How many times have you asked Christ to comfort you and bring you peace and still felt inner turmoil and strife weighing you down afterwards? I believe this has to do with understanding your relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So many people cry out to God for help without even realizing He lives inside of them. They approach God through Jesus Christ as a being who is separated from Him. They think of God as the “Big Eye in the Sky” who sees their every move and punishes them when they sin. This is not factual either but this subject is for another blog. The other thing most people never even investigate it the truth that the Holy Spirit is a part their relationship with God. Most people cower at the thought of the Holy Spirit and His role in the believer’s life.
In verses 25 & 26 Jesus said, “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit is sent to teach, comfort, counsel, etc.. Yet so many people deny Him access to their hearts and minds.
And we wonder why people have no inner peace. Inner peace is not something that can be mustered up. It comes from Christ renewing our mind and the Holy Spirit comforting our soul. I believe the greatest weapon of satan is the weapon of deception. He deceives people into believing they have no power and that God is at a distance and people become afraid and feel hopeless when they face inner struggles and trials. When you make a commitment to become a follower of Jesus Christ He takes up residence inside of you and the Holy Spirit is given to you. If you truly want to live a life of inner peace it is important to accept the Truths of God’s Word and put them into practice in your daily life. Then and only then will you begin to experience inner peace.
To be continued………….
Why is this? I believe it is the same reason the disciples were afraid. Most people who believe in God do not fully understand the Truth that Christ lives in them and the Holy Spirit is given to them to bring them peace and comfort. They see God as a far off being who sits on a throne judging the acts of mankind. This kind of thinking is so far off from the truth it is not even funny!
In verses 8 – 14 this is explained.
“Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
How many times have you asked Christ to comfort you and bring you peace and still felt inner turmoil and strife weighing you down afterwards? I believe this has to do with understanding your relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So many people cry out to God for help without even realizing He lives inside of them. They approach God through Jesus Christ as a being who is separated from Him. They think of God as the “Big Eye in the Sky” who sees their every move and punishes them when they sin. This is not factual either but this subject is for another blog. The other thing most people never even investigate it the truth that the Holy Spirit is a part their relationship with God. Most people cower at the thought of the Holy Spirit and His role in the believer’s life.
In verses 25 & 26 Jesus said, “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit is sent to teach, comfort, counsel, etc.. Yet so many people deny Him access to their hearts and minds.
And we wonder why people have no inner peace. Inner peace is not something that can be mustered up. It comes from Christ renewing our mind and the Holy Spirit comforting our soul. I believe the greatest weapon of satan is the weapon of deception. He deceives people into believing they have no power and that God is at a distance and people become afraid and feel hopeless when they face inner struggles and trials. When you make a commitment to become a follower of Jesus Christ He takes up residence inside of you and the Holy Spirit is given to you. If you truly want to live a life of inner peace it is important to accept the Truths of God’s Word and put them into practice in your daily life. Then and only then will you begin to experience inner peace.
To be continued………….
Monday, March 30, 2009
Christ Became Sickness So That We Could Be Healed! Continued
With the death of many loved ones over the past couple of years, the reality of sickness and death have stared me in the face. Many people ask me how a loving God could allow people to suffer from sickness or experience premature death. This is probably one of the hardest questions a believer will ever be asked. Since we are human and we experience the emotions that come when a loved one is sick or when they die, we have to ask God for His wisdom and understanding if we are going to have an answer for the people who ask these kinds of questions.
This is why it is so important to know the Word of God and have it treasured in our hearts because these questions will come. It is also the reason we need to rightly divide the Word of God so we do not give a humanistic answer to a spiritual question. Over the years I have studied this out and this blog is what I have discovered. May it bring hope and encouragement to you as you read it and may it inspire you to study the Bible and grow in your knowledge of God for yourself..
The first verse to understand is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Sickness and premature death are not good or perfect gifts and therefore, sickness and premature death do not and cannot come from God, because in God there is no sickness or premature death. What people often do not understand is that since the fall of man, the world was put under a curse. The god of this world satan, was given dominion and reign in this earth and as John 10:10 says, ““The thief (Satan) comes not, but to STEAL, and to KILL and to DESTROY!”
Jesus came to fulfill the law and He became the curse of sickness and death for us on the Cross. Before Jesus died he gave this command, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Mark 16:18 So, with the understanding that God does not cause sickness or premature death and that Jesus gave us a command to lay hands on the sick so that they will recover, we can see that sickness and premature death are a part of the fallen world, not God’s plan or a part of His good and perfect will.
All sickness and premature death are of the enemy. We also have to understand that until Christ returns we are going to be in a battle against the enemy of this world because we do not wrestle with flesh and blood. We do not wrestle with cancer or heart disease. We do not wrestle with suicide or premature death. We wrestle with demonic forces of darkness! So it is now easier to understand that sickness and premature death are not a physical enemy. They are a spiritual one. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We have to fight for our healing because there are forces of darkness fighting against it! I believe that too many Christians stop in the midst of the battle and because of this the enemy gains speed and momentum on his mission to steal, kill, and destroy people’s lives!
I also believe that one of the biggest tactics of the enemy is to get the believer to buy into the lie that says, “it must have been God’s will or it would not have been allowed.” Disillusionment is one of satans biggest weapons of warfare. If he can get the believer to be disillusioned and to buy into this lie then he knows we will not fight until his works of sickness and premature death are conquered.
In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We have to understand that we fight from a stance of victory because Jesus overcame satan at the Cross! Therefore we have to continue to fight until we see our reality catch up with the truth of God’s Word.
Does this mean that people won’t ever suffer sickness or premature death? No, that won’t happen until the day of Christ’s return. What it does mean is that we have the authority to fight against it and to stand in faith and give God the permission to execute His healing power in our lives.
From here it is your job to study the Bible and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding about His healing for your life. What I can promise you is that when you do, your eyes will be open to a new and amazing understanding that will increase your faith and empower you when you lay hands on and pray for the sick.
This is why it is so important to know the Word of God and have it treasured in our hearts because these questions will come. It is also the reason we need to rightly divide the Word of God so we do not give a humanistic answer to a spiritual question. Over the years I have studied this out and this blog is what I have discovered. May it bring hope and encouragement to you as you read it and may it inspire you to study the Bible and grow in your knowledge of God for yourself..
The first verse to understand is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Sickness and premature death are not good or perfect gifts and therefore, sickness and premature death do not and cannot come from God, because in God there is no sickness or premature death. What people often do not understand is that since the fall of man, the world was put under a curse. The god of this world satan, was given dominion and reign in this earth and as John 10:10 says, ““The thief (Satan) comes not, but to STEAL, and to KILL and to DESTROY!”
Jesus came to fulfill the law and He became the curse of sickness and death for us on the Cross. Before Jesus died he gave this command, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Mark 16:18 So, with the understanding that God does not cause sickness or premature death and that Jesus gave us a command to lay hands on the sick so that they will recover, we can see that sickness and premature death are a part of the fallen world, not God’s plan or a part of His good and perfect will.
All sickness and premature death are of the enemy. We also have to understand that until Christ returns we are going to be in a battle against the enemy of this world because we do not wrestle with flesh and blood. We do not wrestle with cancer or heart disease. We do not wrestle with suicide or premature death. We wrestle with demonic forces of darkness! So it is now easier to understand that sickness and premature death are not a physical enemy. They are a spiritual one. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We have to fight for our healing because there are forces of darkness fighting against it! I believe that too many Christians stop in the midst of the battle and because of this the enemy gains speed and momentum on his mission to steal, kill, and destroy people’s lives!
I also believe that one of the biggest tactics of the enemy is to get the believer to buy into the lie that says, “it must have been God’s will or it would not have been allowed.” Disillusionment is one of satans biggest weapons of warfare. If he can get the believer to be disillusioned and to buy into this lie then he knows we will not fight until his works of sickness and premature death are conquered.
In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We have to understand that we fight from a stance of victory because Jesus overcame satan at the Cross! Therefore we have to continue to fight until we see our reality catch up with the truth of God’s Word.
Does this mean that people won’t ever suffer sickness or premature death? No, that won’t happen until the day of Christ’s return. What it does mean is that we have the authority to fight against it and to stand in faith and give God the permission to execute His healing power in our lives.
From here it is your job to study the Bible and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding about His healing for your life. What I can promise you is that when you do, your eyes will be open to a new and amazing understanding that will increase your faith and empower you when you lay hands on and pray for the sick.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Own Your Life, Live On Purpose! Part 6
In the last blog I said I was going to expand on the truth that God’s will for us is His Word and His Word says that by the stripes of His Son we are healed. So if this is true then why are so many people sick and why do people die sooner than we think they should? This is something I get asked a lot.
What I am not going to do in this blog is make a statement of argument against theological teachings. This would only cause strife and then I would be no different than a religious teacher who Jesus spoke against when He walked the earth. What I am going to do is give some insight and then you can choose what you do with it. What I have learned and lived may be different from what you have, and that doesn’t make me right and you wrong, and vice-versa. We have an individual responsibility to search the Scriptures, commune with God, and learn for ourselves. So what I write today is from my perspective and my intention is that it will stir up a desire for you to go deeper in your relationship with God and encourage you to spend more time building that relationship. My desire is that you will want to seek God’s wisdom and understanding with your whole heart as Jeremiah 29 talks about. We seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart.
Here is my observation:
We live in a fallen world and there are natural laws in effect. If Adam and Eve would have not chosen to eat of the fruit we would all be living in a perfect world and these natural laws would not be present the way they are as we know them. Unfortunately that is not the case. As a result we live in a world that has sickness and premature death. I hear people say that God is Sovereign and He is, but these people say that in the context that God is in control of everything and that He causes everything to happen. This is not a belief I hold to and here’s why. God does have ultimate control but He does not use that control in an abusive way. God is not a respecter of persons and He does not choose to heal some while choosing to cause some to suffer and die prematurely. That would be cruel and contradictory to His Word, which would make Him a liar.
In John 8 Jesus said that satan is the liar and in fact, the father of lies. Through our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ we have been given the ability to be healed and to heal, yet so many people don’t see this covenant promise at work in their lives on a consistent basis. Why? I believe there are several reasons for this but I am only going to talk about a couple of them in this blog. One reason I believe is that we get overwhelmed by what our natural eyes see and oftentimes lose sight of the spiritual battle that is taking place in a realm that is beyond it. I believe that because of this it is easier to accept what is going on in our natural world and easier to say things like, “It must have been God’s will or it wouldn’t be happening or it wouldn’t have happened.” I also believe that for some people it gives them the right to blame God’s sovereignty when sickness and death occur. This kind of thinking gives satan a foothold in our faith and makes us question God’s Word. Both are destructive to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
When Jesus walked the earth, healed the sick, and raised the dead, He didn’t heal everyone. In fact if you study out when and who He healed you will find that every time there was a measure of faith in the person or the people coming to Him that believed He had the power to heal. Those who believed were healed and those who believed were strengthened in their faith. But Jesus didn’t play favorites with the people He healed. There was something taking place that we have to study and understand if we are going to see the healing power of Jesus Christ working in our lives. One of those things is that with every promise there is a condition, and one of the conditions is acting in faith on the promise. We also have to understand that there is a natural realm and a spiritual realm and both are in effect in every situation. Sometimes there is physical healing and sometimes there is spiritual healing. And sometimes there is both.
This has played out in my life on many occasions. There have been times I have been sick and prayed and been instantly healed physically, while other times I have suffered for weeks. Why? Was God being kind on the occasions of instant healing and cruel during the other times? Absolutely not! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He doesn’t change and He cannot contradict Himself. I believe that at times when I believe and act in faith I get physical healing accompanied with spiritual growth and at other times I get a spiritual healing and then my body recovers over time. So just my faith alone doesn’t assure instant healing and just because I have a lack of faith doesn’t mean I won’t be instantly healed. My responsibility is to allow God full access to my physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental condition and allow Him to work in me to bring the healing in my body.
My confusion or misunderstanding of God comes when I try to dictate the healing He needs to provide. When I surrender my will to His, I see healing take place every time. The healing isn’t always in the areas I feel need healing and when I let go of my control over the situation I see the power of Christ working in my life to bring the healing that was promised through His death and resurrection. I also understand that there are times when healing is instant and there are other times when healing is a process. So to say I didn’t have enough faith during the times I was sick for weeks would also be ludicrous!
Here is a truth I have discovered that I want you to understand. We cannot peer into the spiritual realm and the truth of God’s Word in our natural mind and with our natural eye or we will go crazy trying to make sense of it all. We have to set aside our limited understanding as Proverbs 3 talks about and trust in God, acknowledge Him in all our ways, and submit ourselves to learning about Him for ourselves. This is the only way we will be able to accept Christ as our healer. This will also keep us from becoming embittered or feeling condemned if we or someone we know is suffering from sickness and they are not recovering or if someone dies prematurely.
Christ took on the stripes of sickness and death at the Cross and we have the promise of healing and if we are going to see that promise take root in our lives , we have to go deeper in gaining wisdom and understanding in this area. The first step is to trust in God. If we lack trust then when we learn a truth about healing we will instantly question that truth. This will cause us to counter that truth from a human prospective and stunt our growth in gaining wisdom and understanding. This is the enemy’s first tactic in getting us to accept the natural realm as a fact of life, and get us to question the truth that Christ is our healer. Isaiah 53:1 says, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” So the first thing we have to do is choose whose report we are going to believe. Before I write the next blog this is the question I want to pose. Whose report do you believe?
Here is something else I want to ask you before I write the next blog. Do you believe that God’s desire is that everyone should come to a saving knowledge of Christ and be saved? Do you believe that Christ died on the Cross so that all could come to a saving knowledge of Him? Do you believe that Christ paid the price for sin? Do you believe that God causes people to sin? Do you believe that the Cross is the finished work of God and that at the Cross Jesus overcame the world and that God made a new covenant with His people through Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you believe that people have to have faith and believe in Christ to obtain the promise of salvation?
I know this may sound like it is off the subject but it isn’t. There is a reason I am asking these questions and in the next blog you will understand the reason for them. Again, this blog series is written to encourage you to go to the next level in your walk with God and intended to stir up a desire to grow more intimate in your relationship with Him. Be blessed and may the peace of God reign in your heart today.
To be continued………………………………..
What I am not going to do in this blog is make a statement of argument against theological teachings. This would only cause strife and then I would be no different than a religious teacher who Jesus spoke against when He walked the earth. What I am going to do is give some insight and then you can choose what you do with it. What I have learned and lived may be different from what you have, and that doesn’t make me right and you wrong, and vice-versa. We have an individual responsibility to search the Scriptures, commune with God, and learn for ourselves. So what I write today is from my perspective and my intention is that it will stir up a desire for you to go deeper in your relationship with God and encourage you to spend more time building that relationship. My desire is that you will want to seek God’s wisdom and understanding with your whole heart as Jeremiah 29 talks about. We seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart.
Here is my observation:
We live in a fallen world and there are natural laws in effect. If Adam and Eve would have not chosen to eat of the fruit we would all be living in a perfect world and these natural laws would not be present the way they are as we know them. Unfortunately that is not the case. As a result we live in a world that has sickness and premature death. I hear people say that God is Sovereign and He is, but these people say that in the context that God is in control of everything and that He causes everything to happen. This is not a belief I hold to and here’s why. God does have ultimate control but He does not use that control in an abusive way. God is not a respecter of persons and He does not choose to heal some while choosing to cause some to suffer and die prematurely. That would be cruel and contradictory to His Word, which would make Him a liar.
In John 8 Jesus said that satan is the liar and in fact, the father of lies. Through our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ we have been given the ability to be healed and to heal, yet so many people don’t see this covenant promise at work in their lives on a consistent basis. Why? I believe there are several reasons for this but I am only going to talk about a couple of them in this blog. One reason I believe is that we get overwhelmed by what our natural eyes see and oftentimes lose sight of the spiritual battle that is taking place in a realm that is beyond it. I believe that because of this it is easier to accept what is going on in our natural world and easier to say things like, “It must have been God’s will or it wouldn’t be happening or it wouldn’t have happened.” I also believe that for some people it gives them the right to blame God’s sovereignty when sickness and death occur. This kind of thinking gives satan a foothold in our faith and makes us question God’s Word. Both are destructive to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
When Jesus walked the earth, healed the sick, and raised the dead, He didn’t heal everyone. In fact if you study out when and who He healed you will find that every time there was a measure of faith in the person or the people coming to Him that believed He had the power to heal. Those who believed were healed and those who believed were strengthened in their faith. But Jesus didn’t play favorites with the people He healed. There was something taking place that we have to study and understand if we are going to see the healing power of Jesus Christ working in our lives. One of those things is that with every promise there is a condition, and one of the conditions is acting in faith on the promise. We also have to understand that there is a natural realm and a spiritual realm and both are in effect in every situation. Sometimes there is physical healing and sometimes there is spiritual healing. And sometimes there is both.
This has played out in my life on many occasions. There have been times I have been sick and prayed and been instantly healed physically, while other times I have suffered for weeks. Why? Was God being kind on the occasions of instant healing and cruel during the other times? Absolutely not! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He doesn’t change and He cannot contradict Himself. I believe that at times when I believe and act in faith I get physical healing accompanied with spiritual growth and at other times I get a spiritual healing and then my body recovers over time. So just my faith alone doesn’t assure instant healing and just because I have a lack of faith doesn’t mean I won’t be instantly healed. My responsibility is to allow God full access to my physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental condition and allow Him to work in me to bring the healing in my body.
My confusion or misunderstanding of God comes when I try to dictate the healing He needs to provide. When I surrender my will to His, I see healing take place every time. The healing isn’t always in the areas I feel need healing and when I let go of my control over the situation I see the power of Christ working in my life to bring the healing that was promised through His death and resurrection. I also understand that there are times when healing is instant and there are other times when healing is a process. So to say I didn’t have enough faith during the times I was sick for weeks would also be ludicrous!
Here is a truth I have discovered that I want you to understand. We cannot peer into the spiritual realm and the truth of God’s Word in our natural mind and with our natural eye or we will go crazy trying to make sense of it all. We have to set aside our limited understanding as Proverbs 3 talks about and trust in God, acknowledge Him in all our ways, and submit ourselves to learning about Him for ourselves. This is the only way we will be able to accept Christ as our healer. This will also keep us from becoming embittered or feeling condemned if we or someone we know is suffering from sickness and they are not recovering or if someone dies prematurely.
Christ took on the stripes of sickness and death at the Cross and we have the promise of healing and if we are going to see that promise take root in our lives , we have to go deeper in gaining wisdom and understanding in this area. The first step is to trust in God. If we lack trust then when we learn a truth about healing we will instantly question that truth. This will cause us to counter that truth from a human prospective and stunt our growth in gaining wisdom and understanding. This is the enemy’s first tactic in getting us to accept the natural realm as a fact of life, and get us to question the truth that Christ is our healer. Isaiah 53:1 says, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” So the first thing we have to do is choose whose report we are going to believe. Before I write the next blog this is the question I want to pose. Whose report do you believe?
Here is something else I want to ask you before I write the next blog. Do you believe that God’s desire is that everyone should come to a saving knowledge of Christ and be saved? Do you believe that Christ died on the Cross so that all could come to a saving knowledge of Him? Do you believe that Christ paid the price for sin? Do you believe that God causes people to sin? Do you believe that the Cross is the finished work of God and that at the Cross Jesus overcame the world and that God made a new covenant with His people through Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you believe that people have to have faith and believe in Christ to obtain the promise of salvation?
I know this may sound like it is off the subject but it isn’t. There is a reason I am asking these questions and in the next blog you will understand the reason for them. Again, this blog series is written to encourage you to go to the next level in your walk with God and intended to stir up a desire to grow more intimate in your relationship with Him. Be blessed and may the peace of God reign in your heart today.
To be continued………………………………..
Friday, January 30, 2009
Own Your Life, Live On Purpose, Part 2
If God promises that He will turn the bad into good, our pain into power, and apparent defeat into victory why do so many people still live beneath their potential? Why do they dwell on the past, speak negatively, and continue to sabotage relationships? I believe they do this because they have never fully understood the sacrifice that Christ made on Calvary that gives us the opportunity to live an abundant life on this earth.
At Calvary Christ took on all of the sins, pain, suffering, injustice, malice, and trauma of this world. Before He was arrested Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Luke 22:39 – 44 NKJV says, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Sometimes I think we take the sacrifice that Christ made on the Cross too lightly and because of that we don’t experience the full impact of that sacrifice in our daily lives. The pain and trauma Jesus was about to experience at the point of impact when the nails pierced His hands was going to be so great that even He didn’t want to go through it. Do you realize how much effort it takes to sweat blood? Have you ever considered this? He cried out to God to take the cup from Him! We always think of Christ being God’s Son and being able to do anything, but this Scripture proves different. He was fully man and the pain He knew He was about to experience was going to hurt incredibly!
“nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” This is one of the most powerful verses to understand if we are going to learn how to own our lives and live on purpose! We have to come to the place where we are willing to let go of our past trauma or our fear of an uncertain future, so that God’s will can be done in our lives! The woman I spoke about in the previous blog came to understand this and as a result she is becoming a woman living life on purpose! Believing the truth of God’s Word over the lies of the enemy is difficult. Satan has a plan to destroy our faith and oftentimes he uses our memories of past hurts to get us side tracked!
Christ knows your pain intimately and He understands the trauma it caused your heart and mind. I want to encourage you today to study exactly what Christ suffered on the Cross for you so that you will be able to take back what the enemy has stolen from you. This is the first step to owning your life and living on purpose. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Our souls are made up of our mind, will, and emotions and this is where our battle is when it comes to overcoming our past. God has a purpose for every one of your lives and when you can understand this and learn from Christ’s death and resurrection as it pertains to your life, you will begin to live life on purpose. This is when God turns the bad into good, the pain into power, and apparent defeat into victory. In the next blog I am going to write out the details of what Christ did for us at the Cross.
To be continued………..
At Calvary Christ took on all of the sins, pain, suffering, injustice, malice, and trauma of this world. Before He was arrested Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Luke 22:39 – 44 NKJV says, “Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Sometimes I think we take the sacrifice that Christ made on the Cross too lightly and because of that we don’t experience the full impact of that sacrifice in our daily lives. The pain and trauma Jesus was about to experience at the point of impact when the nails pierced His hands was going to be so great that even He didn’t want to go through it. Do you realize how much effort it takes to sweat blood? Have you ever considered this? He cried out to God to take the cup from Him! We always think of Christ being God’s Son and being able to do anything, but this Scripture proves different. He was fully man and the pain He knew He was about to experience was going to hurt incredibly!
“nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” This is one of the most powerful verses to understand if we are going to learn how to own our lives and live on purpose! We have to come to the place where we are willing to let go of our past trauma or our fear of an uncertain future, so that God’s will can be done in our lives! The woman I spoke about in the previous blog came to understand this and as a result she is becoming a woman living life on purpose! Believing the truth of God’s Word over the lies of the enemy is difficult. Satan has a plan to destroy our faith and oftentimes he uses our memories of past hurts to get us side tracked!
Christ knows your pain intimately and He understands the trauma it caused your heart and mind. I want to encourage you today to study exactly what Christ suffered on the Cross for you so that you will be able to take back what the enemy has stolen from you. This is the first step to owning your life and living on purpose. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Our souls are made up of our mind, will, and emotions and this is where our battle is when it comes to overcoming our past. God has a purpose for every one of your lives and when you can understand this and learn from Christ’s death and resurrection as it pertains to your life, you will begin to live life on purpose. This is when God turns the bad into good, the pain into power, and apparent defeat into victory. In the next blog I am going to write out the details of what Christ did for us at the Cross.
To be continued………..
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Own Your Life, Live Your Purpose
I was talking with a woman the other day who was telling me the reasons why she couldn't move forward in her life. She gave me a detailed list of reasons. She said she was abused when she was a young and she was raised in a religion where the people were mean and abusive. She told me story after story of her painful experiences and as I sat there listening I tried to stay focused on her words but I found myself praying more than I was listening. I knew her pain was real and the trauma had obviously left some deep seeded wounds that had never healed, but it just seemed like something was wrong with our conversation. I didn’t know what it was and so I continued to pray. I was compassionate towards her but at the same time I began to get annoyed as I listened. I wasn’t annoyed at her, I was annoyed and angry at the enemy of our souls.
As I prayed the verse that kept coming to mind was John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Here I was, sitting with a woman who had been a Christian for decades, who had never found her purpose for living because of her past trauma and she felt helpless. The enemy came in through these traumas to steal, kill, and destroy her life and render her ineffective for the kingdom of God by getting her to focus on her pain more than God’s purpose for her life. He was able to get her to turn her eyes inward to the reality of her pain which blinded her from seeing Christ in the midst of it and the truth of Romans 8:28 in operation in her life. That verse says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I see this scenario play out in the lives of people ever day and it frustrates me. If Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full why are so many Christians living half empty lives? I believe the answer is that they have never realized the need to own their lives by taking a stand against the enemy who has tried to destroy them. They haven't discovered their purpose and they feel like they are wandering aimlessly through life. They have believed satan’s lies over the truth of God’s Word and it has crippled them and kept them from being effective for the kingdom of God. What we believe and act upon we become. If we believe the enemy's lies and walk in defeat we become paralyzed. If we believe in God’s promises and act on them we become conquers who live abundant lives of victory.
We develop certain beliefs systems in life based on what we were taught, the family we were raised in, the church we belonged to, the education we received, and what we have experienced, just to name a few. These belief systems determine how we think, our ability to dream, and how we act and live. A healthy belief system allows us to become everything we were created to be in life. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Before you were born God wrote a book about your life. He designed a perfect plan for you that would give you peace, joy, and fulfillment. In a perfect world this plan would have been executed and you would have fulfilled the perfect plan God designed for you.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and were banned from the Garden of Eden everything changed! We would not have the opportunity to live in a perfect world any longer. Every life born after the fall was born into a fallen world that has another plan at work. That plan comes from the enemy of our souls. Satan wants us to give into the pressures of daily life, wrap our minds around our pain, and be controlled by fear.
The Bible plainly teaches us that we were not given a spirit of fear, 2 Timothy 1:7, but instead we were given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. That means that fear comes from the enemy and when we are led by fear we give him authority to own our lives and defeat our purpose.
In order to take back what the enemy has stolen, own our lives, and live on purpose we have to stand firm on the Word of God, allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, and allow Christ to live through us. This is the only way to live life on purpose and not succumb to the enemy’s attack of distraction and defeat! We have all suffered in this life but remember what Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
God promises to turn the bad into good, the pain into power, and defeat into victory! What we have to do is give Him the permission to do it by renewing our minds to the truth of His Word and remind ourselves that we fight from a stance of victory! We fight a defeated foe! If you want to own your life and live on purpose begin today to ask God to reveal His plan for you and to give you wisdom and understanding according to His truth so you can become effective for the kingdom of God.
To be continued.............
As I prayed the verse that kept coming to mind was John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Here I was, sitting with a woman who had been a Christian for decades, who had never found her purpose for living because of her past trauma and she felt helpless. The enemy came in through these traumas to steal, kill, and destroy her life and render her ineffective for the kingdom of God by getting her to focus on her pain more than God’s purpose for her life. He was able to get her to turn her eyes inward to the reality of her pain which blinded her from seeing Christ in the midst of it and the truth of Romans 8:28 in operation in her life. That verse says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I see this scenario play out in the lives of people ever day and it frustrates me. If Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full why are so many Christians living half empty lives? I believe the answer is that they have never realized the need to own their lives by taking a stand against the enemy who has tried to destroy them. They haven't discovered their purpose and they feel like they are wandering aimlessly through life. They have believed satan’s lies over the truth of God’s Word and it has crippled them and kept them from being effective for the kingdom of God. What we believe and act upon we become. If we believe the enemy's lies and walk in defeat we become paralyzed. If we believe in God’s promises and act on them we become conquers who live abundant lives of victory.
We develop certain beliefs systems in life based on what we were taught, the family we were raised in, the church we belonged to, the education we received, and what we have experienced, just to name a few. These belief systems determine how we think, our ability to dream, and how we act and live. A healthy belief system allows us to become everything we were created to be in life. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Before you were born God wrote a book about your life. He designed a perfect plan for you that would give you peace, joy, and fulfillment. In a perfect world this plan would have been executed and you would have fulfilled the perfect plan God designed for you.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and were banned from the Garden of Eden everything changed! We would not have the opportunity to live in a perfect world any longer. Every life born after the fall was born into a fallen world that has another plan at work. That plan comes from the enemy of our souls. Satan wants us to give into the pressures of daily life, wrap our minds around our pain, and be controlled by fear.
The Bible plainly teaches us that we were not given a spirit of fear, 2 Timothy 1:7, but instead we were given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. That means that fear comes from the enemy and when we are led by fear we give him authority to own our lives and defeat our purpose.
In order to take back what the enemy has stolen, own our lives, and live on purpose we have to stand firm on the Word of God, allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, and allow Christ to live through us. This is the only way to live life on purpose and not succumb to the enemy’s attack of distraction and defeat! We have all suffered in this life but remember what Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
God promises to turn the bad into good, the pain into power, and defeat into victory! What we have to do is give Him the permission to do it by renewing our minds to the truth of His Word and remind ourselves that we fight from a stance of victory! We fight a defeated foe! If you want to own your life and live on purpose begin today to ask God to reveal His plan for you and to give you wisdom and understanding according to His truth so you can become effective for the kingdom of God.
To be continued.............
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