Angelic Action

On October 29, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 103: 20

Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

You may or may not know much about angels. Here is one scripture that gives us some insight into their position in the Kingdom of God and relevance to our lives. Their role is to perform God’s word. When God wants a thing done, he speaks it and the angels go into action to perform that which he has spoken.

Romans 4: 17 says that God “calls into being that which does not exist.” He speaks out his word, calls light to be or whatever result he desires, and then his angels go about accomplishing that which was spoken. He has angels just standing by waiting to be given their marching orders. They await the spoken word of God and as soon as they hear it they hearken to it.

In the book of Daniel, the tenth chapter and twelfth verse, the angel responding to Daniel’s petitions said, “Your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”

The angels are listening and awaiting the spoken word. When we speak God’s word, they are attracted to it. If you speak God’s word into a situation, then the angels are going to hearken to His word and fulfill it in the situation that you have spoken God’s word over. So, if you are in need of healing, speak healing scriptures. If you have needs to be met, speak God’s provision scriptures. No matter what situation you are challenged by, there is a specific word of God in the Bible that is applicable. Find that word and speak it until the might of God shows up on the scene.

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Surrendering to Love

On October 28, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart.

This is a prayer we all need to make to the Lord but it might be a little frightening to ask God to look into the secret places of your heart. The very fact that it is a bit scary and that you may have concern that there is something in there that you do not want the Father to see is the very reason that you should have this conversation with him.

First of all, he is not going to be surprised. He knew what he was getting when he got you and he knows more of what is in there than you do. He is not going to see something ugly and stop loving you. He wants you to expose these hidden areas so that he can heal them or change them if need be. This is a prayer of great trust. When you begin to walk in deep trust with the Lord then you become confident that you can lay your heart and mind wide open to him. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that he will care for you.

The greater fear may be that you do not want to see or admit what is in the deep, dark recesses of your heart and mind. Fear not. God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Who better to have with you when you are walking in the dark places? Wherever he goes, there is light. Those places will not stay dark and scary for long because where the Lord is, there is love and light. Fear not; ask the Lord to examine your deep places. Invite him in and let his presence fill you.

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The Power of God

On October 27, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Numbers 11: 23

And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited?”

How would you answer that question if you were in Moses’ shoes? We all know the answer but God wanted Moses to get a revelation of how powerful God really is. He is all powerful. There is nothing beyond his ability. What is it that you need today? For what are you believing?  

God met the needs of the Israelites no matter the need. When they were thirsty, he brought water from a rock. When they were hungry, he fed them with bread from heaven. Their clothes did not wear out nor did their shoes. Still, every time they had a need they cried and moaned and doubted God’s ability to care for them. Their unbelief turned an eleven day trip into a forty year voyage. Let’s not make the same mistake. Call on the awesome power of the living God and let him turn your journey into a jaunt.

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Modeling Jesus

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

Philippians 2: 3-5

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.

There is an entire sermon in just the first phrase of this passage but I want to focus on the theme contained in the remainder of today’s selection. It is a very important topic and one that does not get a lot of coverage. That is probably because none of us really want to hear it much less teach it or have to submit to it. 

The first phrase calls us to never once act out of selfishness nor to ever act on conceit. The rest of the passage takes us just a bit further. It expands on the theme. Not only are we not to be selfish, we are actually supposed to put other people ahead of ourselves; their interests ahead of our own interests. How many people accomplish this directive? Importantly, how many are even trying? Are we, as the church, even aware that we are supposed to be putting other people, their interests, their needs ahead of ourselves? 

Most of us say that we want to be like Christ. We pray to the Father and to Jesus to help us to become more like him every day. Our churches teach us that we should follow his example and his path and yet how many are clearly telling us that we need to put others before ourselves in all things? And yet verse five says explicitly that this is the attitude which has always been in Christ Jesus.

First we have to learn that this scriptural imperative exists. As of today, at least you are on notice as to its biblical existence. Now we can do something about it. Most of us will need plenty of help in accomplishing this edict. Fortunately there is a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit who can and will help us. Begin by humbling yourself before the throne. Repent before the Almighty for those times when you have acted out of self-interest. Humility and repentance are cleansing forces. They clear your heart and mind making it easier for you to connect with the Father on a deep level. Then you can ask him for help with an open heart.

I know some people don’t like repenting or asking for forgiveness. We don’t like admitting that we were wrong or have behaved in a way that is not pleasing to the Father. We can make a million excuses why it is not necessary to repent but they are all just wasted breath. Repentance is good for the soul. We are not directed to repent and ask forgiveness for God’s sake. It is for our sake. In order to walk in this kind of obedience, you will need a lot of God’s help. When you need a lot of help from God, you need to connect with him at a very deep level. The way to do that is to start with a clean slate.

I encourage you, even as I admonish myself, that you make this a goal of your heart that you walk in the same attitude as Christ. That we all learn to put other’s needs and interests before our own. I heartily implore you to embrace this way of life. I pray that we would all learn to move ourselves out of our minds and let the ego have a vacation. Dedicate this day to putting yourself out of your mind and out of your motivation. Mark others as more important than yourself and let the Holy Spirit move through you to bless you and others.

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Minding the Spirit

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

Romans 8: 5

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

This scripture raises an interesting question for us all. Where, really, is our mind? I know for myself that I awaken in the morning thinking about what I need to do that day. So, my mind is on the things of the flesh. There are people, though, whose first thought in the morning is towards God. They pray before they ever leave their beds and they dedicate their day to the Lord, our god. 

No matter what our occupation we are supposed to live everyday unto the Lord. That can be a bit of a challenge when we let the world intervene first thing in the morning. I am learning that I need to right my ship early, then I can have my mind set on the things of the Spirit from the outset. From there all matter of life can proceed. If my mind is set on the things of the Spirit rather than on the things of the flesh don’t you imagine that priorities and the flow of my day may be affected? If, instead, I am focused on my to do list, getting to the grocery store, emails, phone calls and the like it gets very difficult for the Lord to lead me. You see, I believe in this verse Paul is giving us some very practical, everyday advice. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit so that you and the Holy Spirit are in synch the rest of the day. Let the Holy Spirit guide you through your to do list. Let Him inspire your actions. 

When we set our minds on the Spirit we will reap the fruit of the Spirit. That is what we want. We want to live Spirit inspired lives. Too many times people have the notion that Spirit led lives are for ministers. The minister’s job is to teach all of us how to live the high life, life which is lived in the power and light of the Holy Spirit. 

Begin your day by turning your eyes on Jesus. Let Him be your morning illumination. Then just follow where he leads.

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Righteous Reward

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

Proverb 13: 21

Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.

Let’s talk about prosperity for one moment. There are some people who think that prosperity is not part of the Christian ethic or that God is against prosperity. When you read the Bible, though, you find prosperity verses all over the place. It was a given by the time of the New Testament that prosperity followed the people of God. That is why Jesus’ disciples were so surprised when he said that it is hard for a wealthy person to enter the Kingdom of God (Luke 18: 24). They were astonished in fact saying, well, if the rich cannot get into the kingdom, then who can. You see, they had an expectation that the people of God were rewarded with prosperity.

Even in our own culture we have the same underlying expectation even if we have not cognitively accepted it. We expect the Jews to be the diamond merchants, bankers and generally to be people of substance. Why? It all goes back to this verse and others like it. We understand that wealth is part of the blessing of God.

But let us go a bit further. We are so obsessed with financial wealth that we do not receive the fullness of the prosperity verses. Half of us are consumed with the hope and belief that this verse means that we can have money while the other half of us fight against the idea. Ultimately all of us have missed the real point. In God’s eyes prosperity is a much bigger idea than money alone. That is one part of it, yes, but true prosperity is so much larger. In fact, the Strong’s concordance says “in the widest sense.” In other words, prosperity touches every area of one’s life. It is wellness (the state of being well) in every area of life. In truth, prosperity is most fully recognized and expressed in “Shalom” which means everything in place, nothing missing, nothing broken. It is wholeness. Interestingly, if you look up prosperity in your Strong’s concordance and you look up the word peace you will find that both refer you to key word 7965. Looking up word 7965 reveals Shalom – well, happy, health, prosperity, peace, favor, welfare, all is well, wholeness. To be in God is to be in shalom, complete wellness. It means family, health, finances, everything is well. Nothing is sick, nothing is broken. That is the blessing of the Lord. That is the reward of the righteous. And we know that we have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, not of ourselves, but because we are in him (2 Corinthians 5: 21).

So, we are entitled to financial prosperity. We have not been left orphans without an inheritance. We are also guaranteed wholeness in all areas of life. Don’t deny yourself any part of God provision, of His blessing. Don’t live out in the barn when God has prepared a place for you in the big house. You are an heir, a child of the king. Live like it.

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The Power to Change

On October 21, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Romans 12: 2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I was driving today when this verse popped in my mind. The thought that came with it was that we are not to transform ourselves but rather to allow ourselves to be transformed. Look at this verse from the Good News Bible: “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.” You see, we are not in charge of changing ourselves. We can’t. We haven’t the power to change but God can transform us into the beautiful image of us that He sees when He looks at us. 

Did you know that when God looks at you He sees the butterfly rather than the caterpillar? He sees you beautiful, glorious and when we spend time with Him His perception of us begins to rub off on us. Jesus is truth and God, our Father, has sent truth into the world to free us from every bondage, even the one of having to change ourselves into something worthy of love or of acceptance. You are already perfect. Jesus made you so. Okay, so sometimes the old man inhibits the full expression of that perfect creation within us but that outward expression does not change truth.

I tried for years and years to change myself and I was never successful but then the hand of Jesus touched me and through his love and acceptance I began to manifest the new person that he created within me. Okay, sure, I am far from the perfect expression of his love inside of me but if you knew the old me you would see the miracle of his grace at work. 

We can have the very best intentions and us the force of our will but the truth is that we just do not have the power to change ourselves. Without Jesus I can do no thing but with him all things are possible. That is why this verse does not tell us to transform ourselves or to change but rather to “be transformed.” This is the state of being rather than doing. In other words, allow yourself to be changed which is done through the renewing of your mind. Renew your mind with God’s thoughts, with His wisdom and that will transform you. Allow Him to shine the light of His love on you and you will change. God’s love, His truth are the forces which created the earth and everything in it. So, when we allow that love and the truth to touch our hearts and minds we, then, are just naturally and comfortably transformed into the lovely person we were created to be. It is a matter of allowing Him to be God, allowing Him to minister His love and acceptance to you.

The hard part of this is that you have to open your heart and allow God in. You also have to give your mind the food of renewal. What is that? It is the Word of God. The Word has transformative power in it because it is truth. The easy part is that God does all of the transformative work and it is painless because His transformation tool is love. When you really discover that you are not damaged goods, then you will no longer fear God seeing the real you. You won’t feel the need to hide anymore. He knows you better than you know yourself and He loves you. He even knows the person inside of you that you have not allowed to manifest yet. 

Won’t you let Jesus touch your heart and allow God to minister His great love to you? If you will open your heart and mind you will find that you never again need worry about changing. His touch will bring out the beautiful you that everyone else knows is in there. Allow yourself to “be” transformed. Renew your mind and allow love to have its perfect work.

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