Logic Defied

On July 23, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 11: 24        Amplified

There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting or what is justly due, but it results only in want.

Have you ever heard anything so counter-intuitive in your life? How can you give away and yet have more or hoard and have less? It makes no sense. Look at the NIV translation rendition of this verse: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” I feel compelled to conclude that things work differently in the Kingdom of God than they do in the world.

We could reverse engineer this verse and get an epiphany. This is how that would look. If I want to increase more, then I would want to generously scatter abroad or as the NIV says, I would need to give freely. Now, here is where we have to make a decision. God is telling us one way to increase but all of our experience and logic tell us the exact opposite. If I need money, for example, my natural first response is not to go give money. One might work overtime, sell something or maybe not give to the church this month. That is how we have been taught by the world economic system. Look around you, though, how well is the world economic system working. Have you been listening to the news broadcasts about Greece’s troubles? Greece is not alone. We are all just a few short days away from being broke, busted. Why then are we so heavily invested in the world system? Does that really make sense? We keep investing in a broken system; we keep taking our advice from those who have run entire economies into the ground. Perhaps it is a time for a change in our thinking. Maybe it would be a good thing to take our financial advice from a guy who paves his driveway and roads with gold.

Honestly, if we want to succeed in this life, we are much better off to listen to our heavenly father than to continue to try to get a harvest from depleted fields. Our father has abundant resources staged and awaiting each and every one of us. We need to start listening to Him and applying His advice. It may not seem to make sense at first blush but how much sense does it make for us to continue to pour our money and other resources down the drain. This world system cannot produce fruit. It is broken. How long are we going to continue to try to ride a dead horse? Take a tip from the master investor. Scatter abroad, give generously. Then you will indeed have a great harvest. It’s true!

Back to Top

Living Long

On July 22, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 6: 3

Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

How long should we live? In this passage from Genesis God says a hundred and twenty years. Personally, I think that should be a minimum because this was after the fall. In other words, man in his fallen state should live to be one hundred and twenty years old. How long, then, should redeemed, restored people live? Before the fall and before the curse presumably people would live longer. Or before people learned how to die young, they lived longer.

Even in the depths of our disobedience people had an expectation of long life. In Psalm 90: 10 Moses wrote, “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” In this Psalm Moses wrote about the Israelites’ fallen state and how they had invoked the anger of the Lord. It is a lament, not a declaration. He is almost weeping as he writes this dirge. The Israelites were not living in the grace of the Lord. They had spurned the loving grace of God and chosen instead to worship idols. Still you couldn’t kill these guys. The life of God within them continued to bear witness in their flesh despite their gross disobedience. And to further undermine this life span limitation, Moses lived to the age of one hundred and twenty. Furthermore, “Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated” (Deuteronomy 34: 7). Moses was still climbing mountains when he reached the end of his life. He wasn’t feeble and broken and you are not meant to be either. We are children of the King, endowed with the life giving power of God Almighty living in our bones. He that called forth life from the very beginning is alive and well in every cell of our bodies right now. Only, we have the switch. We can be in life and health or we can increase in sickness. God said, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants” (Deuteronomy 30: 19). Why, then, do we keep choosing death? For goodness sakes, Moses was 80 years old when he went into ministry. “Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7: 7). His ministry was just beginning. The job that he is still known for didn’t even begin until he was what some may consider advanced in years and then he stayed in that job for forty years. Let’s get a revelation folks. We have been lied to.

Now let us quickly look at Psalm 91: 16, “With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.” While the 90th Psalm was written in the context of disobedience and God’s anger with the rebellious Israelites, the 91st Psalm is written about they who trust in the Lord. If you have section headers you may want to look in your Bible at this Psalm. My chapter heading reads “Security of the one who trusts in the Lord.” This is a direct promise to you if you live your life in Christ as we have been taught. If you trust God with you daily life then you should move out of the 90th Psalm into the 91st and expect to be satisfied with a long life. The late Kenneth Hagin said, “If you hear I have passed on you will know that I got satisfied.” And he did. He was satisfied with a long life and just laid his body down and moved to heaven.

Live as long as you want to and remain in good health the whole time. Be active and fruitful. Our Father has said “And I shall fulfill the number of your days” (Exodus 23: 26). So don’t go early unless you are satisfied. If you want to see your great-grandchildren then hang around and rely on the life giving power of our Heavenly Father.

Back to Top

A House Well Built

On July 21, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 22: 13, 17

13 Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice, who uses his neighbors services without pay and does not give him his wages.
17 But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain.

What is this really about? It is about building our lives on virtue and righteousness. We are living in a time that is very much centered on the individual. Our society tells us to get all we can for ourselves. We are actually taught to be very self-centered and greedy. And just look at the economic trouble that ideology is causing all of us right now. God wants us to have nice things but he does not want our gain to come off of the misused labors of others. God is a giver, not a taker. He wants us to behave as He does. When He wants something, He sows a seed. He gives his way into what he desires. He sowed His only child and got back many sons and daughters. That is how His kingdom works. Let us build our lives on the same principles God uses. Rather than using people for our gain and our purposes, let us bless those around us; building our house in righteousness rather than selfishness.

Back to Top

Working Toward Blessing

On July 20, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 4: 22

Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

Likely most of us think our labor is meant to meet our own needs. That is not, however, what God thinks. We need to make a radical departure from our thought process and get in agreement with the Lord, our God.

We have been trained by the world to think that it is our job to work and meet our own needs. If you can read today’s verse with fresh eyes you will see that our labor is meant to meet the needs of others. Our paychecks are seeds which we so into the Kingdom of God by sharing with those who have need. Our needs are met by God through our giving. “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 19).

In order to understand Philippians 4: 19 you have to read the passages surrounding it. Verse 19 is Paul’s response for the gifts which had been bestowed upon him. He was conveying to those who sent the gifts that because they had given to him, God would give to them. They met Paul’s needs so God was going to abundantly meet their needs. So our met needs are in our seeds. Our giving determines what we receive. 

When we consume all of our paycheck week to week, it is like we are stealing. God said to labor so that we might have something to share. We have to ask ourselves, “What are we sharing?” A farmer who reaps his harvest and eats all of the crop will not farm long. A portion of that crop is seed for next year’s harvest.

Look at your labor in a new way today. Get a new perspective on your job. God has riches stored in Christ Jesus that He longs to pour out on each one of us. It is literally a harvest of abundance. Now you know where to get the seed.

Back to Top

Hear Me

On July 17, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 13

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Okay, so here is my question. How is it that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is supposed to “speak” to us? Well? You see, I was reading in the book of John when I read this very familiar verse. I mean, it’s highlighted in my Bible. I know this verse and yet as I was reading it, I just stopped in my tracks. I have always assumed so much as I read it. How, am I to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking? How is he going to guide me into all truth? This is a big verse with several really big disclosures in it. Are we all prepared to hear him?

I am aware that there are a lot of people who never hear Yahweh speaking to them. I’ve got to say, my heart grieves over this fact. Most of you know my story and how I was desperate to hear God talking to me. I literally chased God down in my pursuit to hear His voice. The Bible says to seek Him but I was way past that. I flew 2500 miles to a conference to get Him and I told our Father that I was coming back with the ability to hear His voice. And you know what, Dad honored my desire. I got what I wanted and Dad got what he wanted, me. Life has not been the same since.

There is no reason why you cannot hear God, the Holy Spirit and the Son speak to you too. There certainly is nothing special about me. Maybe you can hear Him now but just not as often or as clearly as you would like. My advice to you is, “Don’t settle for anything less than everything.” Ephesians 3: 20 casts our mind out beyond normal, common or perhaps even possible. Father wants us thinking beyond our boundaries continuously. Today’s boundary is tomorrow’s history. He is the God of “exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.”

Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to us was a really big deal. This is the age of the Holy Spirit right now and we really need to connect with him. He was sent here for us, to help us and to be always at our side. We can talk with him, we can see him. He is here, in the earth, for us. It is he who leads us into victory daily.

I want to encourage you. If you don’t hear God’s voice routinely or you just want to improve your connectivity – Press In. Call on God. Chase Him down in the streets if you must. He is willing to grant you this interconnectedness with Him where you feel His presence and hear His voice. There is more that He would do with and for all of us but it is beyond all that I can think or ask in this moment. Let’s rally together to call on God and receive everything that Jesus won for us, especially that we hear all the Holy Spirit speaks.

Back to Top

Big Guns

On July 16, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 5: 44

Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Okay, now we are talking about serious spiritual warfare. This verse doesn’t look like warfare though, does it? None the less, this is where the rubber meets the road. When the enemy is all around you and it feels like even the house is falling down on you then start praying. Sometimes the pressure on you is so heavy that it is hard to pray. I understand that. Just come up with something real simple that you can say each time you feel overwhelmed. Here is an example, “Father, I forgive them and ask you to forgive them. I pray that you bless them and meet their needs.” Then every time that feeling comes in your gut just turn your thoughts to our beloved Father and pray those words.

Jesus gave this scripture for us, not for them. He said “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16: 33 NIV). This is one of the ways that he is leading us from trouble to overcoming. Trouble comes but Jesus is our victory. He has already provided the means of triumph. He spent his time on earth teaching us those means. So when you read that you should pray for your enemies, take heart because Jesus is leading you to the victory. Glory!

Back to Top

Eternal Life Secret

On July 15, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 3: 36

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

I’ve said it before – Christianity is more than the one time utterance of a salvation prayer. When Jesus went to the cross he had in mind the building of a family. He delivered himself up so that every person could be restored to the family of the Father. What Jesus did for us was very personal and as such, it was meant to bring us individually and collectively into a that very personal experience.

Yahweh is very proud of his son and all that he accomplished. He has raised him to the highest of all pinnacles. He is the first of all children and our lord and high priest. It is important, therefore, that we obey his word, not only to honor him but also because he is leading us into the light and to victory.

We call Jesus Lord and that should imply that we do what he says. First, though, we must know what his words, teachings and commands are. We can know this through our Bible and Bible teaching ministries. To say that we are under his lordship and yet we do not do what he says is to lie to ourselves. He who does not obey the Son will not inherit eternal life because Jesus is the way and he is showing us the way.

Second, we’ve got to learn to listen to his voice speaking in our spirits. How do we do that? How, if you’ve never heard God speak before, do you begin to hear and recognize his voice. Fortunately, there is an easy way and my friends at www.cwgministries.org will show you. 

Eternal life is in the Son. We must hearken to him and to his words. It is not enough to say that we are Christians. That isn’t the secret password to get through the gates. The secret is no secret at all – it is adherence, yes, obedience, to the Lord Jesus. Hear what he has to say, read his word and follow.

Back to Top