Shake, Rattle and Roll

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

Acts 4: 29 – 31

“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

I am very much encouraged by the number of pastors who are breaking out of restrictive molds and are preaching the Word of God with boldness. I have been meditating on this scripture for a couple of months now and I am convinced this is a word for today. It is not for pastors only and we err gravely if we think so. This prayer came out of a gathering of believers where they were all in one accord with a hunger for God and passion for His power to be made manifest in their lives, but not only in their lives but through them too. That is big. Shall we yield ourselves to speak with confidence? Note that the first thing said was the acknowledgment that they were under threat. As a matter of fact, this episode occurred when Peter and John were released from jail so the threat was real. Their response to being jailed was to pray for confidence and boldness to do more. 

Lord let your power be seen! The next thing the believers asked of God was for His hand to accompany their bold speech. So they had a picture in their minds. They envisioned speaking the Word of God with confidence while God complemented their speech with miracles of healing and signs and wonders. Can you see the image that was in their minds of what their meetings should look like? These guys were ready to take the world.

Then the best part of all. God answered and He answered in a big way. Because of their boldness in prayer, because they were passionate enough to ask God for big meetings and powerful moves, He answered them loudly. His presence came in that building and touched every person there and the whole building shook from the power and presence. Was the building just not designed to hold that much anointing, that much power or was the building rejoicing? I don’t know but what I get out of this is that God got excited! He answered them immediately. He gave them what they asked for and He did it with such personal zeal that everything shook. Man, I want to be in that meeting.

Does your heart leap at this idea? Does your spirit crave Holy Spirit encounters? Are you desperate for God to get loud in your meetings? Brother I am. Today’s passage shows us what we need, what Peter and John did that made God want to be in their meetings. Let’s do it too. Let’s get up off of that pew. Shake the building. Why not?

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Recompense

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

Hebrews 6: 10

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.

You are not alone if you sometimes feel that your work is in vain. I imagine that every person who ministers in the name of Jesus has shared that sentiment. However, we have good news. God is mindful. He is paying attention and knows the love in your heart for the saints. You are planting seeds which God is nurturing and watering. In the proper season, probably when you need it most, those seeds will sprout sending forth a crop, a harvest to feed you in your time of need. Perhaps it will be a harvest of encouragement; maybe it will be the donation of the resources you need to continue your good work. Whatever you need, He will provide. He will honor you for the work you do for any of His kids.

Many times people do not reward you for the investment you make in their lives. You were probably lucky at times to get a “Thank You” but don’t lose heart. The scripture says, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6: 9). God is not unjust. He will not allow your labor to go unrewarded. Even though it feels like no one appreciates you at times, trust that your Father is seeing your efforts and the condition of your heart. He is a just God and He will recompense you.

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The Heart of the Matter

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

Matthew 13: 14 – 15

And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return and I should heal them.”

 I cannot believe I never caught this before. Jesus was discussing how the Pharisees and those like them keep on hearing but never really hear and keep on looking but never see. They attend every conference, are at church every week but they never, according to Jesus, understand nor perceive. How catastrophic! They are dutiful but still ignorant. Why? Jesus explains in the next verse. He says their hearts have become dull. That is to say that regardless of how devoted we are about attending church and conferences, listening to tapes or streaming video it is all futile if we do not first engage our hearts.

Now, let’s be frank. A person who is constantly listening to CD’s, etc. is probably a true seeker and God has promised that those who seek find. However, those who haven’t set their hearts to God are going to be dull. In other words they have lost their passion and their hearts truly are not engaged. Jesus is telling us very plainly here that we cannot hear him nor perceive him if our hearts are not tender and open to him.

It seems that understanding is a heart matter rather than an intellectual issue. I didn’t know that. I have been seeking God with my intellect but look at the last bit of the passage. Jesus says that we will understand with our hearts. When we approach Jesus with tender hearts, with spirits which are open to him, then he will touch us and heal us. 

Our answers, our met needs are in Jesus and in the life that he came to earth to procure for us. If we are not living the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10: 10 then we might want to check our hearts. Are our hearts bared before him? Does he have an invitation to abide there? The secrets and mysteries, the deep things of God are to be found through our hearts where we will see and hear. Glory to God for this insight!

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Come In the Water

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

2 Chronicles 34: 27

“Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD.

There is a huge revelation in this verse for those who can hear it. It is this; let your heart be tender.

I confess that I have experienced great difficulty in this but my difficulty has, in the end, made me a bit of an expert. I have experienced the strain of trying to connect with God through a hard heart and the joy of experiencing Him through a tender heart. I can say with no doubt that one cannot enter into a deep and meaningful relationship with God if one’s heart is tough and calloused. That is why I so often write about allowing God to heal your heart. I know that God longs to have close, personal, daily communion with you but that you cannot hear Him if your heart is not tender.

I cannot help but recall the great frustration I felt when I desperately wanted to hear God speak to me but just couldn’t. I thought He wasn’t speaking. It felt like I was living life in a barren desert. Then, by grace, I learned that if I would be brave enough to allow Him to touch my heart that He would come into my life in a way that would not only satisfy my great hunger but that would also fill me to overflowing with His love, mercy and grace. I know beyond any shadow of doubt that the deep relationship that we crave with our father requires that we have a soft, tender heart through which He can commune. He doesn’t abide in our brains. He abides in our hearts so we must be able to engage our hearts in order to hear Him speak and to enter into the love relationship that He wants to share with us.

Our society does not teach us to be tender-hearted, rather the opposite in fact. Yet, many of you long deeply, hunger even, for the kind of relationship with the Father that you hear other people talk about. Honestly, it is natural for you to yearn for Him in that way. Your spirit, that place where your life force resides, craves the connection with the Holy Spirit. It is life. So, we must go against our training to allow ourselves to feel, to be tender. Frankly, many people do not have the courage for this kind of journey but once we realize the prize the journey becomes so much easier. There is no need for fear really. When you touch your heart you will find God and He is well able to care for you. It is what He wants to do after all.

If there is one encouragement I would give you above all others it is to allow God to touch your heart. Allow Him to heal the fears, the injuries and answer all of the questions. When we allow Him to heal our hearts then the tenderness which is His nature begins to saturate our beings. I am not telling you that you will turn into a crème puff. Actually, it is just the opposite your heart will become tender but you will have more courage than ever before. Frankly, it is fear that causes most people to harden their hearts. Once you have touched God in your heart and have the truth of Him living there you will have the courage of David. You will find that you also have the tenderness of David as well. You are going to like the real you that is revealed as the walls begin coming down and trust me, the people around you will too. The real you is glorious but is hidden in the recesses of your heart. Open up your heart and let the glory shine out. In your tenderness you will find great power and you will find love. Come on, jump in, the water is fine.

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IT WORKS!

On January 19, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 6: 38

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

If you have been reading this devotional for any period of time you know that I believe in this principle. I very much believe in the principle of seed, time and harvest but it is so easy to lose our conviction as we await our harvest. I shared the story of my overseeding my lawn this year and how I was beginning to wonder if anything was ever going to happen. All of a sudden, grass sprung up all over my yard. So the message there is, “Don’t give up on your seed.”

Recently I saw the truth of give and it will be given to you in striking reality and I want you to know that it really does work. Someone I know gave a significant contribution to a ministry. There were no strings attached. She is just a cheerful giver. The next thing she knew was that she received a gift of greater value than the donation she made. The gift was completely unexpected. It fairly came out of the blue.

Later she called me with her testimony. She realized that God led her to give. You see, God had in mind all along the blessing He wanted to get to her so He had her sow a seed which He then multiplied into something larger. God is so good and that is the way He works. And, it works all of the time. Even when you don’t see it working, those little seeds are in the ground sending out roots and growing. Before you know it you have a crop. Yahoo for harvest! 

So this isn’t theory, it isn’t empty theology. The Bible is a “How To” manual and it tells us how to reap a harvest … plant a seed. If you give, God will take that little seed and turn it into a full harvest. Just think how many tomatoes one tomato plant yields. That is God’s economy at work. Whatever you give to Him, He multiplies back to you many times over. So, if you have a financial need, give. It is the most counter-intuitive thing in the world but it works gang. Give and it shall be given unto you. Don’t believe me? Run your own experiment. See what God will do when you become a giver. I’m telling you, you will never have to worry about finances again.

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Guard Your Heart

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

Philippians 4: 8

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

I have written to you previously about ingesting the output from the news media. I want to share with you a personal story today and put a finer point on this conversation.

I have been working very hard on making my heart more tender and more open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In order for me to hear God’s voice more easily and thus more consistently I have to allow my heart to be open to Him. God works through my spirit to give me revelation and inspiration. So, I need to keep my spirit open and ready to receive from Him.

Yesterday I watched one of the morning news programs, which I do very infrequently, and I was shocked at what I saw. First there was the report of the shootings in France. There was a video clip of a police car approaching the two shooters and then the reporter announced that an officer had been shot and killed. The clip cut to the scene of the officer’s funeral.  It gave the impression that the shots we heard and saw as the police car approached killed one of the officers.

Then there was a story about a policeman in the US who shot a young man. The altercation was filmed by the video camera in the police officer’s car. Shockingly, the footage of the police officer shooting and killing the man was shown on this morning television show. I was appalled. I saw his pistol firing. I saw a person being killed, for real. That is more reality TV than I bargained for.  There was no warning that the clip they were about to show was graphic.

You will not be surprised to know that I turned off the TV and left the room. I noticed immediately that my insides were affected. I need to be open and sensitive to the Spirit of God but you cannot watch that kind of broadcasting and keep your spirit open. You will automatically begin to close down your sensitivity. You have to. Your own survival techniques respond to that over stimulation and begin to shut down your heart.

So here is my point. That kind of news reporting is not good for your spirit. However, I know that you wish to stay abreast of what is going on in the world. Here is my advice. First of all, print media, while sensational, is not as sensational as television video broadcast. It is still wise to guard your heart from an over indulgence in the negative news media regardless of the medium but at least print media and internet reporting do not have as great a negative impact on one’s spirit. Secondly, perhaps there are news sources that are not as sensational as the morning program I saw. I doubt there are many outlets sharing good news but perhaps you can find some that are not quite as extreme. 

We are living in different times. Never before have people’s spirits been so inundated with news media coverage. I believe strongly that this is not good for us. Just look at people who watch a lot of television news. Are they happy, successful, upbeat? There spirits are under the constant barrage of negativity. It is impossible for them to live in light, life and victory. God help them!

I will probably never turn on that morning program again but besides that I have made a decision to strictly limit the amount of that gunk I allow in my house. And I certainly do not want to poison my spirit with worldly pollution since my spirit is where God lives. I, like you, am the temple of God and I wish to guard and preserve that temple. I want to hear and be led by the voice of God and I cannot do that if I have closed the ears of my spirit because of the junk the world spews.

Look again at today’s verse. We are supposed to let our minds dwell on those things which are lovely, that which is excellent and worthy of praise. And truth? Jesus is the truth. It is he that our minds are supposed to dwell upon.

This is a life message. It is so important. Guard your heart for out of it flows all of the issues of life (Proverb 4: 23).

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Another Great Exodus

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

Judges 6: 8 – 9

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out from the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land.'”

All through the Old Testament we keep hearing the forefathers talk about God leading the people out of the bondage of Egypt. They constantly reminded each other that their God was He who led them out of bondage and into a life of abundance and blessing. Finally I was reading in the Old Testament and it dawned on me. Nothing has actually changed in that regard. God is still doing the same thing today, liberating people from bondage.

You see, the God that freed the Israelites from the cruelties of Pharaoh is still on the throne today and wants to give you your own personal exodus. He wants you to experience complete freedom. You can be free from financial worries, physical limitations and anything else that limits your life. Your heart can be completely healed, your life redeemed and your end can be far greater than your beginning. God really does have super huge plans for you but you have to partner with Him. Do you remember the exodus story? Remember how much difficulty Moses had persuading the slaves to leave their slavery and follow God into a life of freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey? We actually do the same thing today. We are so comfortable in our prisons, some of which are self-made, that it is easier to remain in bondage than to take a step of faith. It is hard to put your reputation and your heart on the line and actually stand with God. It is sometimes hard to hope. But God is calling to you to come out. He wants you to live a life without man imposed limits. Jesus removed all the limits, all of the ties which bind. He has given you wings with which you can soar.

Do you think this is just rhetoric? Look around. Some Christians are actually flying with Jesus. They are living that abundant life that Jesus promised all of us in John 10: 10. What makes them so special? I think it is just that they believe and we don’t. What if we could mend our believers and jump off the end of the pier like they do? What if we could really trust God with our hopes and dreams? Is He a god who is deaf or uncaring?  

I believe that we can all attain to great heights. We have only to open our hearts and let God speak to us there. We must abandon the rules of this world and all its negative reports and believe in the depths of our spirits that God really does want to work great things in our lives. There is nothing to stop us from having the very best year of our lives this year. This can be the year of bounty. Be still and hear what the voice of God is saying to you. Take time to listen to the whisper of your heart. There are great things on the wind for you. God is calling to you. Listen. Grab the truth and refuse to let go. Let the world go its way and follow dear Jesus to the land of milk and honey. It is just around the bend. Agree that this is your year. Set your heart in agreement with God. There is freedom for the captives; a great exodus. Where will you go?

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