Solid as a Rock

On January 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”

When you call, he will answer. “Well,” people say, “I cannot feel him. I cannot hear his answer.” I know that is problematic so I want to address it. See God works in faith rather than in feelings. That is why we are not to go by feelings but rather by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word is our anchor, not our feelings. Feelings can be fickle and they can be influenced by a host of exterior and interior stimuli. The Word, on the other hand, is solid. It is the rock. Once you find a passage of scripture which speaks to your situation and latch on to it, then it becomes the final say in the matter. You don’t sway or let your emotions move you off of what the Word says. So, since the Word says that when you call, He answers, then you must choose to believe that rather than choosing to believe the emotion which says, “I cannot feel him.” Tell your emotions that they do not rule you and that you are not motivated by feelings; rather you are motivated by the Word of God. It does take some practice but you will find in a short time that you will begin to stand firmly. As your emotions recede to their proper place you will begin to hear the Father more clearly and you will feel him too. Trust in the Word for it has the power to change situations. Trust the Word because it is the anchor you need. Trust the Lord for He will answer.

Back to Top

The Christ-mas Gift

On December 24, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 2: 7 – 20

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

There is so much to appreciate in this passage and during this season. I pray that your Christmas will be filled with a new and bigger revelation of who he is and who you are in him.

Merry Christmas everyone and may the presence of the Lord keep you and fill you throughout this season!

We will be taking an end of the year holiday, so the Word of the Day will not be posted daily again until January 12th, 2015.  Until we are back together, be blessed.

Back to Top

The Rescuer

On December 23, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 91:15

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him.
    
This is an absolute promise from God and it means that when you were in trouble, God was with you. Whether or not you were aware of his presence, He was with you. He has promised to rescue you from your trouble. He has said it so he will do it. We have only to believe and receive it.  

We do not receive with our eyes though; we receive with our hearts. We don’t look with our eyes to see what God will do or what he is doing. We receive with our hearts despite the way the circumstances around us appear. No matter what someone says about the circumstances the truth is in God’s promises. You cannot convince me that our Father is not present in my time of trouble. Nothing you say will persuade me. That is what it means to be fully persuaded by God’s promises. We choose to believe God’s promises over any other evidence that anyone can present. God said he is with us in our time of trouble and that settles it.

Just this weekend I was with someone who has been challenged. Some weeks ago her husband fell asleep while driving and their young child was in the car with him. He crossed over into oncoming traffic, crossed back to his side of the road, went into a ditch and flipped the car. He had to be cut out of the car and the child seat is a total loss. Both the father and the child are afraid to get back in a car. I asked her how she would explain to her child that God is looking out for them and protecting them. In response she showed me the photographs of the damaged car. Without the Lord they would both be dead instead of banged up. She has an understanding that God didn’t cause the accident. She also knows how bad things would have turned out if He had not shown up on the scene the instant they needed Him.  

Her recent experience is why you can’t look with your eyes or your reasoning to discern God’s presence and help in the time of need. One with less discernment and less wisdom could easily conclude that God was not with her son and husband on that fateful day but her heart knows the truth and she cannot be persuaded otherwise.  

Thanks be to God who is with us every day and who answers every time we call, who is always with us in times of trouble; the God who rescues and honors us.

Back to Top

The Tail of the Snake

On December 22, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Exodus 4: 2 – 4

And the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he [Moses] said, “A staff.” Then He said, “Throw it on the ground” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail” – so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand.

I wonder how much time elapsed between when Moses fled and when he picked up the serpent by its tail. I think most of us would have fled when the staff turned into a serpent. What distinguishes Moses from many of us is that he did grab the serpent’s tail. 

Has God ever told you to do something that made absolutely no sense? What was your reaction? I know what I would have done if I was in Moses’ position. I would have said to myself, “That cannot be God telling me to grab the snake. Surely God wouldn’t tell me to grab a snake by the tail.” I would have talked myself out of it. There is an important life lesson in here. God is trying to lead us into the promised land but too many of us don’t obey His commands. When God told me to close my law practice and go into full time ministry I reasoned and thought until I talked myself out of following God. I convinced myself that I was not hearing God’s voice. It took a major event before I conceded that I was being led to leave the practice of law. I reasoned myself out of obedience. Looking back I can see that God had been nudging me for quite a while and I just couldn’t or wouldn’t hear Him. We will never get where we want to go if we do not follow God’s instructions. The road to the promised land is always paved with obedience.

When I think about some of the ridiculous things that God told people in the Bible stories to do it makes me laugh. The thing that makes them great stories, though, is that the people obeyed God and followed those outlandish directions. How many would-be Bible heroes do you think missed inclusion in the greatest book of all time because they reasoned away the instructions of God? Well, just be grateful that I wasn’t the one who was told to grab the snake’s tail. The nation of Israel would still be in Egypt. However, you could be the next great spiritual hero. Just do what God says. Don’t question His logic. Don’t reason. Just be a child and trust your Dad.

Back to Top

On December 19, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 23: 5

Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.

It is my opinion that Christians should not be feasting on the nightly news. Sure, it is good to know what is going on in the world but realize, it is the world’s news that is being reported, it’s even in the title of the news show. Those reporters are not reporting your news because you are not of the world. Does this sound trite? I hope not because this is a very important point. The news shows can only report the condition of the world. Our news is found in today’s scripture selection. We have been relieved of the effects of the curse and God has given us blessing instead.

Now here is the truth of this matter. You can have either report you wish. If you listen to and meditate on the world news tonight then that is what you will receive. If, however, you read God’s report and meditate on it, that is what you will receive. You will have whichever you give your attention to. You see Christians going the way of the world and it is heart breaking. It is because they are filling themselves with the world. We have 24 hour news channels that pump the airwaves full of doom and gloom and if we participate in it we will receive doom and gloom. It really is that easy. If, though, you fill your heart and mind with the Word of God and let His words penetrate your spirit then you are going to reap blessing even while 10,000 fall at your side.

Romans 10: 17 teaches us that faith comes through hearing. Whatever you put in your ears consistently is what you will have faith in. It is easy to develop fear in your heart. All you have to do is pump yourself full bad news. The reality is that even under the same circumstances some people will suffer while others succeed. We usually attribute the successful person with good luck but it isn’t luck. They daily program themselves to succeed. Computer programmers know this. They say, “Garbage in, garbage out.” They understand that the output can only be as good as the data input. So what input are you feeding to your spirit? It absolutely will determine whether you succeed or fail, whether you live in the blessing or wallow in the curse. And may I say, I have seen the truth of this personally. You can watch two people who are equally situated and in five years their conditions will be very different because one of them chose to listen to God while the other filled up on the world news. Your spirit can’t bear that immersion in the world. Don’t do it.

A person who will apply the Word of God to their lives will succeed even when the economic and environmental conditions are against them. Success isn’t in the stock market. It isn’t in your job. It is in the Lord our God who causes us to reap where we have not sown, who gives us a hundred-fold harvest in the midst of the famine. Our success is our inheritance from God so don’t let the doomsayers influence you. They aren’t talking about you. Your God, your Father loves you and turns the curse into blessing for you. Let His words fill your ears and your heart. Believe His report. You will be so glad you did.

Back to Top

Warfare Made Easy

On December 18, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 20: 15, 17

Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.   You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed.

How easy is a war that you don’t even have to fight in and yet you prevail? That is exactly what happened for Jehoshaphat and Judah. They were living peaceably when three nations rose up against them. Do you know what they did? They prayed, yeah, that was their great strategic ploy. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, stood before the assembly and magnified God and sought God’s solution. And God answered, “Don’t worry about it. This battle isn’t yours. I will fight it for you.” And that is exactly what He did. The next morning as the three armies rose against Judah God moved and the three invading armies ended up killing each other. When Judah arrived there were bodies strewn all over. Among the slain soldiers were weapons, clothing and “articles of value” (v. 25). In fact, there was more booty than they could carry.

Sometimes people wonder what relevance the Old Testament has for modern Christian believers. Well, here you go. This is the model for spiritual warfare. You face battles almost every day. Think about it. How often do you feel like you are fighting an uphill struggle? Well, no longer. Today God is giving you a battle strategy. Wisdom recommends that you read the prayer that Jehoshaphat prayed before the assembly. It will probably inspire your thinking and your prayer. Next, assemble your crew whether that be your family, your office, your employees, your church or your team. Whoever will be impacted by the result of the battle should congregate with you. Then you, as the leader, stand in the name of the Lord and pray the prayer of faith. Let God and everyone else know upon whom you rely. Then just cast the entire problem into His hands. In the example from today, the Holy Spirit alit upon one of the assembled who prophesied telling the nation of Judah what it should do. Today’s verse is taken from that declaration. The next thing you do is to follow God’s instructions. If He says march around the city, do it. If He says get out your guitar and sing, do it. His ways are not our ways and we do not need to question His logic. Just accept it and obey. And if it sounds a little bizarre, it probably is God because the spiritual realm operates in an almost diametrically opposed manner as does the worldly realm. Part of the beauty of the assembly is that if you have doubt you can take the pulse of the crowd. “Did that resonate in your spirit as the instruction of God?” I would ask this question too; if the instruction you receive sounds odd like going and washing in the river what would it hurt you to do it? Marching around Jericho had to sound pretty nuts to Joshua but they won the city without a fight. 

So, today the battle is yours. The hard part is not in battling the enemy. The part that challenges us is standing up as a leader and doing what we should do. “Dare I pray in front of my whole family or my employees?” Well, this is why many of us do not live in the victory that Jesus bought for us. There are still things that we must do that challenge us on the inside. But Jesus will help us to grow and accept these new responsibilities with grace. The first prayer might just have to be, “Jesus, help me.” He will be with you all the way and you will win every battle because Jesus has already overcome. Now, we just have to stand in the power that grace has provided. Go win your battles today in the might of the Lord.

Back to Top

Time Management

On December 17, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 5: 21 – 24

And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered about Him; and He stayed by the seashore. And one of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet, and entreated Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her that she may get well and live.” And He went off with him.

I have been thinking a lot about time management these days and I have decided that I need divine help. In good faith we make our plans but how many know that our ways are not God’s ways (Isaiah 55: 8). With best intentions I make my lists, block off in my calendar the time necessary but inevitably something comes up that disrupts my plan. But then, just look at Jesus’ life. I can understand why He had to be directly plugged into His father and I am realizing I need the same thing. 

Look at today’s verse. When Jesus crossed over the sea and landed on the other side don’t you imagine that he had a plan for what he would do when he arrived. No sooner than he set foot on land than a mass of people surrounded him. Perhaps he was planning some quiet time with his father or maybe he wanted to have a bite of lunch. Oh well, Jesus, there are thousands of people who want your attention. So what did Jesus do? “He stayed by the seashore” (v. 21). One thing I have learned as I have struggled with and prayed over time management the last couple of months is that there is nothing in my plan or even in Jesus’ that is more important to God than even one of His children. Regardless of our plan if someone calls and needs to talk or emails, it seems that always jumps to the highest priority. The point of the ministry is people. The point of Jesus coming to earth was people. There is nothing more important than one of God’s kids even if he or she seems to be the least of all. So despite Jesus’ plan, he stayed at the seashore and ministered to the masses.

But it didn’t end there. While he was attending to the multitude a man named Jairus implored him to leave what he was doing and instead hurry to his home to heal his little daughter. Jesus didn’t get irritated or frustrated. I am sure that he checked in his spirit to hear what the father was saying to him. Then he turned to accompany the man to his home. Again, Jesus’ plan was thwarted but he was listening to his father so off he went in another direction. Wouldn’t you know it, before they could reach Jairus’ house Jesus was waylaid again. Come On! This has to be getting frustrating by now, right?

You’ve read the story of the woman with the issue of blood. Well, here is where it fits in. As they made their way to Jairus’ house the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak and Jesus, sensing that power had gone out of him, stopped and asked, “Who touched my garments?” His disciples looked at him incredulously. In modern parlance they said, “Really Jesus? Really? People are swarming us on every side and you ask, “Who touched me?” (Paraphrase v. 30). And as incensed as the disciples were their reaction probably paled to that of Jairus. He must have been thinking, “Hey, my little daughter is lying upon the point of death and you stop to ask who touched you.” I know I would have been coming out of my skin if I were in Jairus’ sandals. While Jesus stood there talking to the woman who was, by the way, healed of the issue of blood, servants came from Jairus’ house bearing the news that his daughter had died. Can you even imagine the pain and anger that must have instantly flooded Jairus’ body?

So what was God thinking? Was Jesus really listening to God or was he just letting everyone pull him this way and that without a thought to what he should do and when? Isn’t this the dilemma we all face each day? You make your plan; you are going to get some of the things off of your desk that are like anchors weighing you down. Within thirty minutes someone is knocking on your office door, the phone is ringing, your computer dings incessantly with incoming emails half of them marked urgent and your plan, your priority is right out the window. With an exhausted sigh you put down your pen and begin to deal with the multitude which is pressing in on you.

Well, I do not have this whole time management thing figured out yet but here is what I am learning. When you make your plan, do your best to check in your spirit to see if your plan is what God has in mind. Then when the wheels start coming off of your plan, don’t panic. Even though God ratified your plan that does not mean that He isn’t going to call an audible right in the middle of it. Get ready to hear from Him again because He is calling a new play. No problem, just tune into your spirit again and listen. Take a deep breath, relax and feel what God is saying to you about your task list. Sometimes he may have you schedule some of those folks for later in the day; sometimes He will encourage you to help them right now. He is working everything out for your good so you have to listen to Him throughout the day. 

In conclusion I think what God is teaching me is to start out with a plan but not to serve the plan. Let the plan serve me while I serve Him. He and I are both masters of the plan. The only way I can get everything done that needs to be done is to listen to Him throughout the day and let Him shift the priorities for me. Otherwise I often will either stick too rigidly to my schedule or go so far astray that I get nothing substantial done. He will always lead us in the perfect way if we can relax a little and let Him speak into our workday. And, don’t even be surprised if He adds some downtime into your day. He knows what He is doing.

Back to Top