Of Wolves and Sheep

On March 3, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 7: 14

The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”

I was asked a very good question recently. It is one we all must consider at some time. And we should be well prepared. The question really goes to the problem of whom we should trust to deliver the Word of God to us. Television preachers seem to arise every day as well as others who wish us to believe they are called by God to preach. Even I. Why should you trust me or any preacher in a pulpit or on television?

Jesus warned us about deception in the last days. “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.” So, we are wise to use discernment in choosing to whom we will listen.

In the world, the first thing we do is to look at a person’s credentials. What degree do they have? Where did they go to school? What experience have they and with whom? This is not a bad question per se, but the problem is that first, it is the world’s way of thinking and judging, not God’s. Therefore, its effectiveness is going to be limited and possibly even skewed. Secondly, when a false prophet comes into the world, he is probably going to have very good credentials. If a deceiver is sent into your community, he is not going to have the obvious shortcomings. That would make him easily detectible.

Just because someone has good credentials, maybe attended the best seminary, doesn’t mean that he is anointed by God to bring the good news of the gospel. Conversely, just because someone does not have a seminary degree does not mean that God isn’t using them to set the captives free. The best examples of this are Jesus and Saul (later to be renamed Paul). Jesus was “uneducated” and without the first credential. Saul on the other hand, was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He studied with the master of the time. He had the very best education, degrees and credentials. And yet Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good (Acts 10: 38) while Saul persecuted Christians. Who was operating in the will of the Lord and speaking the Word from God? Fortunately, Saul got turned around, was renamed Paul and went about doing great things for the Kingdom of God. His great education and credentials did not save him from the Jewish leadership then though.

Jesus, knowing we would face these difficult times, offered advice as to how we are to discern his chosen from would be deceivers and false prophets. “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” (Matthew 7: 15 -16).

We are to recognize people by their fruit. If their fruit is good, then the tree is good. But don’t forget that you can pray and ask your Father for wisdom. He can guide you to those who are anointed by Him to teach the gospel.

Lastly, from experience I have noticed that those with a strong anointing on them rarely are those who only and always tickle your ears. In other words, they don’t always say what you want to hear. The people that God has called will often challenge you and challenge your thinking. They will inspire you to do something. The deceivers will attempt to lull you to sleep while the true apostles will call you to some action. If you look through the Bible, you will notice that God’s called were always shaking up the people. They were trying to awaken the people to God’s voice. So, if someone is shaking you up a bit, don’t turn him off right away. That may be the one God has sent. If that preacher is making you a little bit uncomfortable, before you shut them down, ask God about it. That is probably the very person God has sent into your life.

God wants you to grow, especially in these last days. Therefore, the people he is sending are going to challenge us. He has a whole nation of folks to stir up so don’t be surprised if the voices you hear begin to challenge the status quo just like Jesus did in His day. If there is going to be a great awakening, there are going to have to be some alarm clocks.

Most of all, remember to be a fruit inspector. There will be many people vying for your attention, but each must earn it through established fruit. Here is the test God gave us, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” (Galatians 5: 22). Only those who are kind, good, faithful, patient, etc. pass muster because Jesus told us that we should judge them by their fruit. He warned us to be wary. We needn’t be afraid, only aware and mindful.

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Peace, Peace and More Peace

On February 24, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

This is a word about peace. We are living in prophetic times. There are wars and rumors of wars, multiple volcanoes erupting, erratic weather, fires, floods and political unrest and upheaval. Everywhere you look there are situations which threaten to raise your blood pressure and disturb your peace. Everyday there is more troubling news. It is not healthy to live under the amount of stress assailing everyone now. It’s not good for your body and it is certainly not good for your spirit.

In every situation, Jesus is good news. Bless the Lord for peace. This verse is Jesus’ own words. He knew this world would bring us tribulation so he gave us his words; he gave us the good news so that we could overcome stress and worry just as he did. He said he spoke so that we might have peace even in troubled times.

Jesus has in mind that we partake of his words; that we spend time with what he said. In modern parlance we would say read the Bible then meditate on what you’ve read. Meditation is simply thinking about his words. If we want to have and live in peace, then we need to become familiar with the words Jesus spoke. I like to say, “We hibernate there.” That suggests living in those words so that they become as familiar to us as our favorite, cuddly pajamas. We need the words of Jesus if we are going to live in peace.

Secondly, take what you read right back to Jesus in prayer. Ask him to illuminate what you’ve read. Ask him to give you deeper insights and to show you how what you’ve read is applicable to your life.

Lastly, since we know that Jesus and his words are what bring us peace, we may need to ask ourselves if we are getting enough of him. We are being inundated day and night with news; news that is not uplifting; news that weighs heavily on the human spirit. Are we spending enough time with him to lift our spirits and restore our souls to peace. Is there enough Jesus in our environment to buoy the lagging spirits of our friends?

In these highly stressful times, please take care of yourselves. You may need to give Jesus a larger slice of your time than normal. You may need more of the Word, more prayer, more praise music. Mind you take care to nurture your spirit as you would your body. In the process, maybe you can find someone else to lift up. Everyone you know is living with greater stress. Be the agent of good news. Be the bearer of peace. May our Lord fill you with his peace and may his peace follow you everywhere you go. Amen.

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Favor

On February 17, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 3: 4

So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.

God wants you to have favor with Him and with people. That is why He put this verse in the Bible, to instruct you in how to obtain favor. Read verse 3 to find what you should do. I want to, instead, give you a mini study on favor so that you will be clear that this is something God has established and ordained for you.

In Proverb 8: 35 Wisdom is speaking. She says, “For he who finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Psalm 111: 10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So, putting those together and remembering that the fear of the Lord is a reverential awe instead of terror, we find that revering God brings us the favor of God. Those who love and revere God will find favor and wisdom.

We see examples of God’s favor in both the Old and New Testaments. “Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men” 1 Samuel 2: 26. Luke 2: 52 records the favor of another important figure, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

So, this brief walk through the scriptures shows a definite pattern. God has provided for us to walk in His favor. He also expects you to have favor with people. So then, each morning when you say your prayers, ask God for favor for the day. Remind yourself of Proverb 3: 4 and that you are supposed to have favor with God and men. Speak favor over your life every day and when you see it manifest make sure you give God all the credit and glory, with thanksgiving.

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Say It

On February 10, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.

Revelation 12: 11

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.

God awakened me early in the morning last weekend with this verse on my mind. I had been reading some material that just didn’t sit well. I had a lot of questions. People need answers and I needed answers.

What God showed me in the middle of the night is that the way we prevail over the troubles of life requires the participation of both Jesus and us. The solution to your problem is the dynamic duo, you and God. You see, when God woke me up with that scripture, He was showing me that in order for us to live the abundant life He has designed for us we must partner with Him. Jesus said that He already overcame the world, so we shouldn’t be discouraged. The question remains, though, how do we appropriate Jesus’ victory and apply it to our problems? God showed me that it is through the power of our testimony.

You see, it takes you and Jesus to defeat the devil’s schemes. Revelation 12: 11 reveals that Jesus has already done His part. His shed blood beat the devil forever. He has defeated the devil and overcome the world. “But, the devil is still out there stealing, killing and destroying,” (John 10: 10) you say. Right you are. We’ve now got to do our part. We have to use our words. Our weapon, our sustaining victory, is the word of our testimony. Ephesians 6: 14-17 lists our spiritual armor and the one weapon we have. Our one weapon is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (verse 17).

So, there is our answer, the answer to our every problem. Jesus has poured out his blood, his sacrifice forever sealing the devil’s fate. Our part of the battle is to speak the Word of God letting it be our testimony. The Word of God has an answer for whatever crisis we encounter. Yes, Jesus has defeated the devil, but you have to participate in your own solution. You must apply His victory to your life by speaking His word. Don’t only pray asking Father to fix your problem. Yes, do that, but go beyond that and do as we are instructed to do. Speak the Word of God that addresses your issue. Speak it every day and especially any time doubt assails you. Look, this is a battle. The devil isn’t going to lie down just because you say one prayer. You’ve got to let the blood of Jesus speak for you and that is done by the Word of your testimony.

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Sigh of Relief

On February 3, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 9: 13

“But go and learn what this means, ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This should come as very good news today. We are relieved from worrying about our Christian performance before God. Breathe a sigh of relief.

In today’s verse, Jesus referred to a passage in Hosea where God told His people that He was looking for devotion rather than offerings. Clearly Jesus did not think that the Pharisees had yet learned what God was saying to them. He witnessed those trying to earn their way through works and their perception of righteousness. The point, though, is that God is not impressed by pharisaical offerings and service. He wants us to love with a pure heart. Godly love will reveal itself through compassion.

Jesus had once again been accosted and criticized by the Pharisees. Knowing what they were thinking and saying he tried to lead them into understanding. Jesus drew a distinction here. The sacrifice represents all of the works of the flesh and all of the ritualistic service of the Pharisees. Jesus, however, was, and is, looking to the condition of the heart. He those within hearing that God is more interested in them having a kind, loving and compassionate heart than to do Him ritualistic service. God is more concerned with our heart than our works. God would rather that we are kind and loving than that we show ourselves as religious perfectionists.
This is stereotypical God. He is much less concerned about our performance in church as our expression outside of church. The Pharisees’ approach is very self-oriented while God was, and is, trying to get people to be others centered. Service to our God is not about getting our cards punched. This is no longer Vacation Bible School. It’s not about getting a gold star for attendance and another one for reciting a Bible verse perfectly. That was our training when we were children. Now that training and our faith are supposed to have an outward expression. Much was sown into us by pastors and teachers. Those seeds were supposed to grow into a heart of compassion whereby we are not judgmental, or self-concerned. Instead, we embrace and bless the broken. We pray for and feed the needy. We can learn to show compassion to the sinner who at least has the excuse that they don’t know Jesus.

Further, the Pharisees would have done well to keep their criticism to themselves. This is another important lesson that we can learn from this passage. They were critical of Jesus because He was doing all the things they were not. It was much easier to criticize someone else than to clean up their own shortcomings.

So, let us pray, and let us ask Father for forgiveness because this is an easy trap to fall into, most of us having fallen short in this area at some time. Thank God we have the right to repent and begin anew. Let us show the compassion of the Father to all we meet and refuse to criticize and judge others. Let us focus on compassion rather than sacrifice. By this we will bring joy to the heart of Father and show people the real meaning of Christianity.

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Old is New Again 

On January 27, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 23: 4

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it.

There is some confusion over the part the Old Testament plays in a New Testament people. This verse gives an excellent opportunity to see how the Old and New Testaments work together.

Hebrews 13: 8 reads, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” That means that God has not changed His mind or principles. True, we are no longer living under the Levitical priesthood, so some things have changed but not God nor those premises that He sought to teach the Old Testament people. Jesus didn’t come here to throw out everything that God taught for thousands of years. Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5: 17). Jesus became the embodiment of the law. He changed it from a bunch of rules to a lifestyle. His life and ministry took legalism out of the law, turning it into a passion. His coming and his leaving takes us deeper, where our relationship with him is the focus but yet embodies all of the law and prophets. Our relationship with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit would have contained all of these elements even if we had never seen, heard of or read an Old Testament text. So, when you love Jesus, you automatically love the law and want to do those things that the prophets taught, even had the law never been taught. Compassion which comes from our love of Jesus now drives us to do all the things that the prophets had to instruct and order the Old Covenant people to do.

One of the things I love is seeing where the Old Testament text and the New Testament intersect. I enjoy seeing the fulfillment of the Old Testament and those mirror images of each other. For example, let’s look at this text from the book of Matthew. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will you heart be also. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6: 19-21, 24). Then Jesus went on to speak about not being anxious about our needs and concluded with, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6: 33). Jesus’ teaching in Matthew says the same thing as the proverb. It just took Jesus more words because He wasn’t just laying down a law. Rather, He was teaching the substance of the law. He was teaching why that rule was ever given to us. He could have just quoted the Proverb to us, but He came to lead and teach us rather than to give edicts. Under the new Covenant we are supposed to be able to understand, use wisdom and thereby make good choices for ourselves. We are still supposed to refrain from chasing after material wealth. We are still supposed to keep our minds from the consideration of it and our needs but now we have a fuller explanation. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of the law, but as you see, the basic tenets have not changed. Legalism is gone but love compels.

I hope you enjoyed this comparison and feel empowered by it. Love, it turns out, wrote the Old Testament. Now, through the lens of Jesus’ ministry, we see more clearly.

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Goal Achieved

On January 20, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 31: 33

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

This is the crux of the new covenant. I am especially moved by the latter part where God says that He will be our God, and we will be His people. This is where we are today. God wishes to be your personal God and you and me to be His people. There is a very personal, intimate anticipation in this. It is about the relationship that we are to enter into. No longer is God to be a distant and removed God, who can only be approached by a few select people, but rather a personal God with whom we have direct contact.

Jesus told us in John 14: 23 that He and His father would come and make their abode with us. He also told us in the 17th verse,  of that same chapter, that the Holy Spirit abides with us and in us. You see, this is a shift from the Old Testament relationship. In the new covenant, God wants to be a very personal God to us all. He no longer has His presence in an ark but rather in us as we have become the temple of the new covenant.

His Word is now a part of our hearts by the Holy Spirit and by the son himself. We have been told that Jesus is the word (John 1: 1-14). Here we see that the Word, Jesus, has come to live in our hearts. Additionally, the Holy Spirit who has been charged with teaching us and guiding us into all the truth (John 14: 26, 16:13) has made His home in our hearts. So, the Word has now been written to our hearts and is in our hearts.

The God of all creation, the God who made the sun, all the planets and every star, who made the trees, all animals and us, has come to live inside of you. He has chosen you as His temple. You are His chosen people. This is what God has been looking forward to for millennia, that we should be His people, and He should be our own God. You are the realization of His ambition.

These are the days. We are the prophesied people. You are no lowly worm of the dirt. You are the chosen people of Almighty God. You are the culmination of all of His desires and plans for thousands of years. That should make an impression on you and hopefully make you feel differently about yourself. Maybe it makes you consider your relationship with the Father a bit differently. Collectively we are the body of Christ. Individually you are a member of the body. You are important to God, immensely important. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

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