Goodness Me!

On October 17, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

3 John 1: 11

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

The instruction John gives us in the beginning of this verse is pretty obvious; do good instead of evil. When we get to the second sentence we begin to see the deeper spiritual considerations.

One of the most frequent questions I get is about Christians who behave badly. Even though we are saved, this transformation that Paul wrote about in Romans 12 is a process. None of us always behave in the way we want to, that is a certainty, so we have understanding and forgiveness for others as they struggle to be the person they are destined to be. How is it, though, that Christians can do evil? The answer is here in this verse. They haven’t seen God.

Everyone needs a personal encounter with Jesus. That is the singular event which ignites the transformative process. We need to see God, to have a personal encounter with Him. It is this which will open the doors of our heart. Merely uttering a prayer of salvation does not fuel the furnace of change. It is the beginning of the quest but the quest is for Jesus, the Father and for intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit as well. Saying a salvation prayer is not an end all. It is the inception of this wonderful time of coming to know the Father and of having meaningful fellowship with Him. It is that doorway through which we walk so that we can encounter the Father personally. The one who sees God, who meets Him; the person who has a one on one encounter with the Holy One will forever be changed. That is why I so want you to seek the Father. He is the power to radically transform our lives. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Only when we see the Father and the Son face to face will we have the power to put evil and bad actions out of our lives. Even though we are not yet perfect, this resident power within us causes a metamorphosis so profound that we are barely able to recognize ourselves.

Do you want to “do good”? Goodness is in the Father. The more we pour our lives into Him and allow Him to be intimately close to us, the more His goodness is revealed through us. I want to encourage you to pursue the Father, Son and Spirit with all your strength and help others to find their way to a direct encounter with God. It will be all good.

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That’s Life

On October 14, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 5: 12

He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

I have been having some interesting discussions with people about the essence of life. What is life or who is life? Here we learn from John that the one who does not have the Son, does not have life. That is putting it plainly. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14: 6). John’s statement is certainly consistent with what Jesus taught him.

Jesus also told us that he came to give us life (John 10: 10). Do you think this is just a metaphor or is there a physical and spiritual law in play here? One of the things I have learned in studying the Bible is that it is much more literal that most of us realize. For example, the Word says, “As he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverb 23: 7). I dare say most Christians accept the idea figuratively that as we think of ourselves we truly are. If you think of yourself as unintelligent, you will manifest less brilliance. If you think of yourself as gifted, your gifts will show. However, science is now proving that this proverb is literally true. Our health, for example, responds to our thought patterns. We are learning through the latest research that a person can affect the physical construction of tendons, ligaments, bones, etc. through our purposeful and directed thoughts. That is amazing! People are manifesting healing in their bodies through their thoughts. Remember, Jesus told us that we would receive what we believe.

So, when Jesus said that he is the life, is he being literal? One might think so. Certainly eternal life is in him but I think there is more to it than just salvation. Jesus is the life. Whoever has Jesus has life. He is the source of life or he is that spark which is life. Without Jesus, there is no life either figuratively or literally. We are all dead without the life of God which is in Christ Jesus. I have wondered many times what the world was like those three days that Jesus was dead. What did the earth go through for three days without the life? Did the earth begin to die?

Give this a bit of thought. It is fascinating to think about. Mostly, there is comfort and reassurance that our life is well guarded and preserved in Christ Jesus. He is our source. He sustains us. Let that be encouragement to wrap yourself even more tightly about him.

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Needful Prayer

On October 13, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 14             (Amplified)

Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.


I really think this is the hardest thing we have to do as Christians. If we are truly dedicated to our Father and really want to please Him, we have to learn to bless those who torture us. We have to learn how to ask God to bless those people who are mean and vindictive to us. Look, if they are behaving in a way that is mean spirited, then they really need your prayers. They are acting out of broken place in them and only our heavenly father has the power to heal those deep injuries. If you damn them and curse them, then who is going to pray for them? They are acting out towards you precisely because you are of the Lord and your life and light are beacons to them. Perhaps it is also a condemnation because they know the unloveliness that is resident in their hearts and they feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. Don’t give up on them though. No matter how they torture and abuse you, keep your faith in the Holy One of Zion. He will see you through and He is their salvation as well. Hang in there. You might be the only person that your tormentor has that will pray for them. Your father sees your suffering and your faithfulness. And even though it seems hopeless at times, your father will see you both through.
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Fired Up

On October 12, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 11        (Amplified)

Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

Are you on fire for God? That is what this scripture is telling us we can be; that we should be. Do you know that glow that a bride has  on her wedding day? That is like the glow that should follow us. When we get a real revelation of the deep love the father has for us, it lights us up like a Christmas tree. Then we can evermore glow with the fire of the Holy Spirit. We need that. Stir yourself up so that you never lack in zeal for the Lord. Serve Him with a full heart because you want to; never because you think you have to. Remember He called you in love rather than in duty. Yet it is your love for Him that will draw you into doing things you never even thought possible. Let the Holy Spirit fill you to overflowing so that you will be aglow with His love and power.

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Thankfully Seeking

On October 11, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 16: 11


Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.

This verse is placed in a “Psalm of Thanksgiving” found in First Chronicles. I find it interesting that in the midst of a Song of Thanksgiving David would include these words. This was his source of strength. He recognized that his source of Thanksgiving came from his seeking of the Lord. His great praise comes from his having sought the Lord on many occasions. He knew that he was enjoying this wonderful time of praise because he sought his Lord prior to the abundance of blessing.

We learn from this passage that the blessing is in the seeking. In other words, when we seek the Lord, we find the multitude of blessings that are just naturally a part of Him. David is teaching us that we should praise and thank the Lord but that we should also remember to continue to seek God’s face continually. Jesus prepared a way for us to commune with he and the father and it is in that communion with them that the greatest blessing is found. Then there is great ground for praise and worship.

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So Glad

On October 10, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 16: 8 – 9


O give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders.


Now there is a beautiful picture of praise. Here speaks the voice of one who is truly grateful for all the Lord has done and for who he is. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us so that we can be just as jubilant as was David in the above passage. I have to remind myself but once I get started I find there is an infinite well from which I can draw. Then it becomes easy to speak of all that He has done in your life. His wondrous deeds begin to bubble out of you. Sometimes when you begin to think of what the Lord has done it is hard to get past the blood of Jesus. That alone can fill you with praise. Think on all the things you have and all that God has done for you and then sing praises to Him.
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Healthy Advice

On October 7, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 16: 12

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.

How completely idiotic does Asa seem to you? Of course, this is what most of us do but it sounds really goofy when it is written out. You can hear the incredulity in the author’s tone. 
 
What is your first reaction when you get sick? Do you run for your Bible? I wish I could say that I do but it is often an afterthought. If we do pray without ceasing, pray at all times, then it would only be natural for us to immediately put our symptoms at the Father’s feet. Our immediate impulse ought to be to tell our Father how we feel at any point in our daily conversation with Him. 
One gets the impression from this brief statement about Asa that he allowed his condition to worsen without inquiring of the Master Healer. I would wish that you would tell God about every symptom, no matter how minor as soon as we become aware of it. Certainly, though, as symptoms progress we should seek not only healing but the Father’s advice. Even in small matters there will be things He can tell us that will help us feel better. Mostly, however, we should seek the Lord’s face and with that comes His healing power. 
 
It is not wrong to seek the advice of physicians as Asa did in this passage. God gave us physicians and has revealed truth to them in order to help us. Asa’s problem, and ours, is that we seek the physician’s guidance without ever consulting the one who has all health knowledge and who created us in the first place. He knows how our bodies work better than anyone and everything that human beings know, they got from the Father. So, the moral of this story is that we should not limit getting our medical advice from the medical community only. We should inquire also of our Father and God.

God is able to supernaturally heal you. He is also willing and able to tell you remedies which you can employ on your own. Most of all, Don’t be an Asa. Don’t wait for your sickness or disease to grow severe before you begin to seek the Lord. If you will start out looking to Him, you can avoid a great deal of discomfort and that is always a good thing.

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