Emptied

On June 6, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philippians 2: 7

[He] emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus was, and is, and always will be. He was with God at the creation of the world. He sat in the high places with God, and He was God. And yet, he emptied Himself of His deity and came to earth in the form of a bond-servant. Why?

No one less than the very Son of God was good enough for God to send into the earth for the redemption of each and every one of us. And what is amazing is that Jesus willingly gave up everything to come to this world as the sacrificial lamb. He gave up sitting on His throne in paradise to come into this broken world to fix all that was broken.

Sometimes we forget that when Jesus came here, He gave up being God to become a man. Sometimes we think that it was easy for Him to perform the miracles that He did because, “After all, He is God.” Yes, He is but he emptied Himself of all of that so that He could be the perfect sacrifice. He had to empty himself of his divinity in order to be that perfect sacrifice. He had to become a regular person in order to redeem people. He took on our form so that He could stand in our place before God. Now His perfection and His blood speak for us because He is standing before the throne in our place. When we, therefore, go to our God, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ as our garment, our robe.

Never underestimate how important you are to God or how glorious Jesus’ sacrifice was. You are God’s precious child. You were the prize Jesus desired. He was willing to sacrifice everything for you.

Back to Top

Will Do

On May 16, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 14: 13 – 14

And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

In the book of John, I counted no less than six places where Jesus promises us that he and the Father will answer our prayers. Amazing! Why did he feel compelled to say over and over again, ask and I will do it? Look at John 15:7 from the God’s Word translation, “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.” Are you kidding me? Jesus said for us to ask for anything we want! That’s crazy! He said to ask for what we want, not what we need!

Whatever we ask in his name, he will do. Now to be honest, we don’t always think in those terms, but what a great big bunch of good news this is on a Monday morning. Surely Jesus understood what he was saying. I went looking for good news for today’s post and I found so many verses just in the book of John alone that I couldn’t use them all. Then, I asked myself, how many verses does it take? How many times does Jesus have to say a thing before it is gospel? Do I really need to find five or six verses of him saying I will do as you ask before we can believe it?

Jesus also said that he came to set the captives free (Luke 4: 18). Were we to grasp today’s passage with our hearts and believe it with our spirits, we, truly, would be set free. The world would change in an instant. That is very exciting! Can you imagine living in this reality? Let your mind, for a moment, think about how Jesus lived. What if you were the one who needed to turn water to wine? It is challenging to wrap our minds around this, but we are supposed to live in the earth as Jesus did. Actually, no, that is wrong. Jesus said we are supposed to do even greater things than he did, “Those who believe in me will do the things that I am doing. They will do even greater things because I am going to the Father,” (John 14: 12). So far most of us haven’t walked on water, changed water to wine, healed the blind or raised the dead. However, Jesus said we can. The point is that we are to live in this earth as he did. He is saying to us that we have the same pipeline to the Father that he did so that whatever we ask, God will do. Whatever we want, we need only ask the Father in Jesus’ name and it shall be done for us. Lord of Glory, help us to believe this! Help us to take these words of yours and deposit them into the deepest part of our spirits so they will produce a rich crop.

As I mentioned previously, I am working on a new series which is sure to be a blessing. I will be cutting back on my schedule for the summer and using this time to study. I will be sending one devotional a week, on Mondays. Remember, though, that I have provided some additional tools this year. Go to the Ivey Ministries website and click on the resources tab. There you will find the search tool instructions as well as the entire healing series. There are hundreds of devotionals archived on the website, certainly enough to keep you busy. We will continue the prayer list so while you are on the website, click on “Prayer Request” and leave us a prayer request. I know we all need prayer, and we all know someone who needs prayer so let’s put our team to work.

Back to Top

Hindered but not Stopped

On May 13, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Daniel 10: 12

“Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

It can be very discouraging to pray for something and see no results. Daniel had the same experience. Verse 13 says that the “spirit prince” of the kingdom of Persia withstood the angel God sent for twenty-one days. Isn’t that amazing? From the very first prayer Daniel uttered, God dispatched His angel with the answers Daniel needed. Twenty days passed without Daniel seeing an answer to his prayer. However, on the twenty-first day, the angel arrived and greeted Daniel.

Don’t you find this passage fascinating? It is a glimpse into the spiritual realm. We learn that the bad angel of that region was able to hinder God’s angel. There are angels and then there are angels, and they are not all of the same strength and power. The angel who spoke with Daniel told him that the arch-angel Michael went to his aid. He was withheld until Michael showed up and helped him. Wow!

There is much going on in the spiritual realm of which we are mostly unaware but take heart. There is much good news in this passage. First, from the moment Daniel first prayed, God sent His angel with the answer. Yahoo! That is what we all need to hear. Second, even though Satan tried to prevent the angel from getting through to Daniel, God prevailed; as He always does and as He always will. Yahoo again!

There is a very important lesson in this too. Don’t give up! Jesse Duplantis says, “Don’t be defeated by time.” In other words, just because you have not seen the answer to your prayer yet does not mean that God has not answered it. Hang in there! Remember God’s answer is “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1: 20). There are, though, hinderances to prayer. You do not need to concern yourself with what they are actually. All you need to do is keep your confession of faith in your mouth. Remember, overcoming is achieved through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12: 11). So, we must keep our words in agreement with the Word of God and keep praying in faith. That means that we don’t need to beg to God, repeating the same petition over and over. No, instead we use that prayer time to talk with the Lord, to give voice to the Bible scriptures that speak to our need and to wrap it all up with thanksgiving and praise.

Persevere in prayer because the Lord is in agreement with you. Sometimes, it takes time. Keep making your positive confessions of faith. You may have to break through a battle that is going on in the spiritual realm and you can do that with the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.

Back to Top

Enter In

On May 12, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 1: 21

See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

This is the word of the Lord for you today. Earlier this week we saw how Joshua and Caleb looked through the eyes of faith and saw the land flowing with milk and honey while the other 10 spies came back with a negative report. They didn’t deny that the land was every bit as sweet as the Lord promised. They denied their ability to take the land. However, God promised them the land and led them to it. He took them to the land of promise and told them the land was theirs and that they should take possession of it. Unfortunately, the ten spies had a self-image problem. They admitted that the land was fruitful saying, “We came into the land where you sent us, and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit,” and they demonstrated the bountiful fruit the land produced, (Numbers 13: 27). They should have stopped right there but there were some negative Nellies in the group and, so, here is what they said, “We also saw the Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight,” (Numbers 13: 33).

“We were like grasshoppers in our own sight.” Their defeat was on their lips. They couldn’t take the land and it wasn’t because of the people there, but because of their self-image. That, and they didn’t believe God. He had already promised them the land. They just needed to enter into the promise.

Oh, what a lesson this is for all of us. Enter into the promise. We, like the Israelites, have many promises from God. We need to learn to enter in. We need to learn how to receive all that He has already given us. This has been a burden on my heart recently. The truth is, we don’t really know how to receive. We pray, but then sometimes the answer to our prayer never quite reaches us. I mentioned in a recent Word of the Day that I am working on a new series for us. It is my prayer that through the new series, we all (including me) will become better receivers. Then we will live in the will of the Lord continually. Amen!

Back to Top

The Day of Trouble

On May 11, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 20: 1

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!

I have noticed two distinct ways people deal with their day of trouble. First there are those people who immediately get prayerful. Even if their prayer life has not been what they intend for it to be, when the pressure comes on, they find the time to dive into the Word of God and time to pray.

The other group of people behaves like turtles. When danger appears, they immediately tuck their heads into their shells and hide. And they do not come out of that shell until the danger has passed. I want you to know that it is hard for the Lord to answer you in your day of trouble if you have not first called Him.

God is a compassionate God, and he waits to have compassion on you. What happens is that the devil forms some kind of attack, and you go into hiding. From there you can easily be deceived and isolated. You don’t reach out to your Christian friends, your pastor or even God. It is very easy then for you to be blown around from one idea to the next. You need the Word of God to secure you. You need good solid Bible teaching. And you need fellowship with mature Christians. Without these it is often the case that these people find themselves depressed and cut off. Before long they are following some wrong doctrine. And when they realize that they are not really listening to God and obeying him, they isolate themselves further. They become concerned that a discerning person will be able to see that they are in disobedience.

God is an understanding God. He will show you love and affection even when you are off track or defeated. Also, He has appointed people in the body of Christ to support you and pray for you. He has appointed teachers who can point you in the right direction. Don’t let yourself become so overwhelmed that you start closing off the avenues through which God can minister to you. Do not become a turtle. You are going to get nowhere as a turtle. Let God help you. Let Him answer you. Pray to Him asking for His help and then let Him help you. And don’t be afraid if He uses another person to help you. Fear is meant to stop you. Don’t let it.

Back to Top

Transformed Thought

On May 10, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 2         GW

Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

Yesterday we touched on the need to think differently, and it brought this verse to mind. I was saved when I was about 14 years old, but to tell you the truth, I already believed Jesus was Lord. The reason I bring it up is because of the scriptural imperative that we be transformed from the ways of the world and into the ways of God’s Kingdom. Can you see how that melds with yesterday’s word to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness? Well, I was only fourteen so how much did I need to change, but the point still stands that I wasn’t taught there were other ways to think or that our Father’s kingdom operates by different rules.

This version of Romans 12: 2 would have been an appropriate teaching. Little did I know that becoming a Christian meant that I was supposed to change the way I think. It is still a good teaching because this verse makes it clear that there is a different way to think.

When I was saved, I did not learn that my life was to change or that there was any transformation going forward. The only thing I learned was do good and be good. I think the total Christian theology was “don’t be a sinner.” Now, I realize that transformation is at the heart of what Jesus brought to us. He gave us a way to change everything in our lives so that we can live in the midst of the Kingdom of God right here on earth. You do realize, don’t you, that the Kingdom of God is here and now. Jesus has already done everything. He has ushered in the Kingdome of God. He said, “It is finished” and gave us all the tools for living in this kingdom realm just as he did. We often confuse the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of Heaven, but we need not.

So here is my point, salvation is not the end game I thought it was when I “got saved.” It is only the beginning. It is like being accepted into your dream university. You are in the door and your tuition has been paid but it is time to learn and grow. This process continues through the entirety of our lives. Moreover, this is not about being a sinner or not. Face it, the scripture already acknowledges that we all fall short of the glory of Christ. I think, perhaps, this is where the church has missed it. We have been so wrapped up in sin that we forgot that Jesus showed us a way to live.

This verse is intended to plunge us into a life of transformation. It calls us to approach problems, as well as life generally, differently. We are to think as Christ thinks. What does that mean? It means we approach sickness from a kingdom perspective. It means we look at finances from a different vantage point. It means, we follow Biblical teaching on everyday life. It means understanding that our words have importance and to use them to construct the life we are meant to have. Be transformed. It means to accept Biblical truth over worldly truth.

I will leave you with a little hint about the Kingdom. It doesn’t work the way the world does. Actually, it pretty much takes everything from the world and turns it on its head. One of the best examples is that God teaches us to give in order to receive. In the world, that makes little sense. People in the world do give, but the world system does not teach that as a financial model. You would be hard pressed to have any financial planner, even a Christian one, teach you to give away your money if you want to be rich. That illustrates thinking like God versus thinking like the world.

I hope you will take some time to think about this today. What does salvation require of us? Is it done when we say our “I do” or is it the beginning? What does it mean to change the way you think? I hope this devotional will cause you to change the way you think about the way you think. Seek first God’s Kingdom and His ways, including His way of thinking.

Back to Top

First Things First

On May 9, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 6: 33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

In my Bible, this statement is in red. How does that affect you? In reality, the entire Bible is Jesus speaking to us, but still, there is something impactful about knowing Jesus taught this. Of course, Jesus was talking about seeking God’s kingdom. Provision is in the Father. Jesus was saying that we shouldn’t need to think about food and clothing or any of the other necessities of life. God knows we need those things. Jesus was trying to show people that their task is to seek the Father and the Father will provide. Can you honestly believe that with your heart?

Perhaps you have trusted God for something and not received it. What did that do to your ability to trust Him? Sure, you love Him, but do you trust Him to provide for you? Do you believe He will? If we are honest with one another, we can say that many Christians, many of our contemporaries do not actually put their faith in God’s provision. We have been taught to work for a living, not believe for a living. The mere reading of that statement confounds the mind. What else would we do but work for a living? We know no other way to approach life. Further, it is hard to rely on what we cannot see and touch and what we cannot affect with our own effort, because we have learned to rely on ourselves. This verse requires a different approach, and it is challenging.

None the less, one can see how this verse could be one of the most important scriptures in the New Testament. It is the basis for learning how to live as we ought. It is fundamental. That is to say, it is this scripture which forms the foundation of our Life in Christ theology.

This verse could, and probably should, be the first verse on any list of verses. Whether we need healing, have a bill that needs paying, a relationship issue or something else, this is the place to begin. Seek first, it says. Start here. When we begin with seeking the Father, He then leads us to other verses and to resources we need for our situation.

I cannot find the words to make this verse stand out in volume and magnitude to the degree it should. The beginning of all things is to seek the Father. God wants to be our provider. He is the source of all good things. We must invite Him though. If we will seek Him first, then He will show us the way and give us what we need.

This, literally, could be a weeklong teaching but we are not going to indulge ourselves to that extent. Here are some of the questions that still need consideration. What does it mean to seek God’s righteousness? In short, it means His way of doing things, but there is a whole book chapter there, so please ponder this further. Second, how does one seek God and His kingdom? Are they the same thing? Let me give you a small tidbit on this. First, it is not the same for all people. The question underlying this one is how do you connect with God personally? It necessarily requires slowing down your physiology and your mind so you can hear Him. After that it might involve praise, prayer, Bible study, simply reading the Bible, word studies and more. Some people sing, others even dance. My way is reading my Bible and praying, but that does not mean other forms are not valid or that my way is the only way to seek God. If you don’t yet know how you best connect with Him, then that is the first question I would seek Him about. Ask Him. Just get alone and speak right out loud. “Father, what is the best method for me to seek you? What is the best way for me to find you?” Then, listen. One of the best tools for capturing what you hear is paper and pen. Simply write down what God’s response is. Then look back at it later. If He shows you scripture, make sure to write down the citation so you can go back to it.

Seek the Lord, His kingdom and His methods. Seek His ways first. This is the number one best piece of advice I can give you regardless of the situation you face. He has the answer. He has the way. He has means to an end that you cannot even fathom and that might, frankly, surprise you. This one verse is a doorway to the blessing of God. Seek Him in all things and be blessed.

Back to Top