Praying the Will of God

On August 4, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 30: 18          NIV

Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they at the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God – the Lord, the God of his fathers – even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

At first glance it appears that Hezekiah convinced God to do something for the people that He was otherwise either not thinking of Himself or had no intention to do. Let us look at this story through different eyes today and I believe we will see the dynamic of working with God open up before us.

God has always wanted to and offered to lead His people both individually and collectively. This passage reveals the prayers of Hezekiah who was, in fact, the king and a man of God. He called the people back to God, called them back to worshipping Him but the people had wandered so far that there were not even enough ceremonially clean priests to perform the rites. Hezekiah witnessed the people partaking of the feast without being clean. For the moment let us leave aside the prophetic nuances here that reflect forward thousands of years to us being unclean and partaking of the lamb and just look at this event on its surface.

God saw the people’s actions just as clearly as did Hezekiah. God didn’t judge them, though, and rain fire down from heaven. What did He do? He spoke to Hezekiah’s heart and led Him to pray for the people so that He could rain forgiveness down upon them. So many people have an image of a vengeful and angry Old Testament God and because of this preset in the minds of people they miss the gentle kindness that was actually present. God knew how to handle the situation so He spoke to His anointed one and just had Him pray. It was that simple. The problem was taken care of in an instant.

This story is significant because it reveals the true heart of God which is and always has been to help His people but also because it is a pattern for today. God is still working the same way. He sees the problems and He knows the solution. He wants to send soothing comfort to His people but He so often cannot find anyone who will pray. You see, the earth and the heavens were created by God and He owned it all but He gave the earth to humans and He gave us the authority for its administration. Although God is sovereign that does not mean that He is without restraint. He is Holy and because He is Holy and cannot lie He must abide by the rules that He has set out. That means that He cannot intervene where He has delegated His authority. That shouldn’t be a big problem for Him, though, because He has thousands of us to pray, inviting Him into situations, right? Well, there you see the problem we have faced. This is not a new problem but is a persistent one. In the second verse of Isaiah 50 we find this lament from God, “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is my hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?” God, through the prophet Isaiah, is lamenting the times that He could not find someone like Hezekiah who would be His earthly partner and follow His leading. 

There is a really large lesson in here for modern day believers. We can see through this example that there is a role that we are to play in the administration of the earth. We are God’s partners in the earth. We pray and He the answers. How is He send prayer answer if someone does not first pray? As the Apostle Paul taught, helping us to pray is one of the significant roles of the Holy Spirit. “For we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;” (Romans 8: 26). Another translation reads, “… But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words, (God’s Word Translation). God sent an intermediary to help us with our part of the equation. When we put all of these pieces together we begin to see the picture emerge of how we are supposed to function in the earth and what our role is. Our prayer time, so often, has become nothing more than a “bless me” session but that is not as it should be. We are each powerful warriors in the elite forces of God’s army. We are each strategically placed. As we understand this dynamic and open up our hearts and ears God will, through the Holy Spirit, lead us into what to pray even as He did Hezekiah in today’s passage. From there an avenue of God’s power and mercy is opened up in the earth.

God wants to send healing, forgiveness and blessing into the earth and into the lives of people that we each know. Each of us provides that portal when we hearken to the voice of our Lord and pray as He leads. Get a revelation of what a prayer life can and should be. See yourself as a key logistical asset in the Kingdom of God. You may not have been able to imagine how significant you are but hopefully as you meditate on the effect of Hezekiah’s obedience and on his partnership with God you will begin to see the great influence you can extend in the earth. God is just looking for a few folks who will pray His prayers.

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Dwelling in the Presence

On August 1, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 3: 8

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

As I read through the Bible one thing keeps being impressed on me and that is that God has always longed for close, personal fellowship with us. That idea begins with today’s passage. Imagine living in the Garden of Eden and in the evening God comes to walk along the garden path with you. Doesn’t that sound idyllic? Well, God’s original intention for the earth was for it to be a perfect garden where we could enjoy His company. Unfortunately, we spoiled the garden.

All through the Bible you see God return to this idea of living with His people. In 1 Kings 6: 13 we witness God expressing this very idea saying, “I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” When he saved the people from their captivity in Egypt He went along with them, leading them day and night by His presence. He was in the cloud. He was in the fire. He was their rear guard as well as their guiding light. Later He told Moses to “let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25: 8). Then He gave them the instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant. And His presence came and rested in the Ark and with the people.

Time marches on and King David sits on the throne. Finally there is peace in the land and David has a desire in his heart to build a temple for God but God forbids David from building the temple because he, being a man of war, has too much blood on his hands. So, his son, Solomon builds the temple. In 1 Kings 8 we read about the dedication of the temple. These interesting words appear in verse 10: “When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.” Again God came to live among His people.

This recurrent theme does not end with the Old Testament saints, however, nor with the Israelites because we have now become the temple of the Most High. “For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Corinthians 6: 16).

God has not changed. His long held desire has been to live with His kids. Ever since the Garden of Eden God has longed to be in close proximity with us both physically and emotionally. He has made us His temple so that He can be with us everywhere we go. And again, as in 1 Kings 8, He wants to fill His temple with His presence.

Today He wants to walk in the cool of the day with you. He longs to chat with you and hear what is on your heart. He deeply desires fellowship with you. This revelation will prevent you from ever being lonely again. You have a close and abiding friend and He is the Lord of creation. So, let us all stop thinking of God as high and removed. Don’t imagine Him far away in the cosmos. He is in the room with you right now. He is as close as your next breath. Begin to talk with Him as your best friend. It will change your life.

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The Hour is Late

On July 31, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 13: 11        NIV

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Awaken O Mighty Church of the living god. The time is at hand. This is the awaited hour. God is on the move and calling for His soldiers, the disciples of Jesus, to arise and establish the Kingdom of God in the earth. God has given us the tools. He gave us the Son and the Holy Spirit. He has saved our lives by grace. He has sent His messengers, the prophets, teachers and pastors to arm us for this age. There is nothing left for God to do. The call has gone out, “Arise! Awaken! Your time is at hand.”

You have been called by the Almighty to a great and glorious work. Shake off the everyday humdrum existence and look out upon the horizon. The army of God is assembling and you are part of this great and mighty force. Jesus bought you, saved you and redeemed you for this day. You are the hand of the Lord, the voice, the heart. Arise! Cast off your bedclothes for the voice of the Lord is calling out your name. Can you hear Him?  

God saved you because you asked Him. He saved you because He loves you but it does not end there. He called you even before you had a heart for Him. Your receipt of salvation was the acceptance of His call to you. You have been ordained for this time; to be a mighty force for the Kingdom of God. God did not send Jesus into the earth to save us only so that we might spend eternity with Him. He sent salvation into the earth while we are still living here so that we might partner with Him to accomplish His great purposes. Your salvation is not just for the end times; it is very loudly for today. God had a purpose for salvation and it was not so that we can continue to live carnal lives, lives that look very much like our lives before we were saved. If Jesus’ sacrifice and the resultant salvation was only about our lives in eternity then God could have chosen an after-death time of choice for us. Salvation came into the earth so that we could do something with it while we are here. We are to be alive to Christ now. Rise up, Paul says. Awaken from your slumber. This day, today, is THE day of salvation. This is the day that God marked for His children to awaken and become the active and powerful body of Christ. 

We must each live our lives as alive to Christ. What does that mean? Well, it may well be a question that each of us must take up with the Father but at one level it must mean that the lives we now live in this fleshly body are lived to and for Christ; that our relationship with the Lord is the most important thing in our lives. Furthermore, this dedication to the Lord and Father must show in our everyday existence. Our lives are to be more that earthly work and recreation. Our priority for Christ should be something we cannot hide. Our lives should be consumed with doing the work of Christ through love and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am not teaching a works doctrine. I am preaching a heart decision; a decision to answer the call on your life. Up ‘til now we’ve been in training but it is time for us to graduate and get out in the world and bring the power of God forward. It is time for global unification around the person of Jesus forsaking useless doctrinal debate.

What would it look like if all who profess to be followers of Christ would all at once stand up? Can you imagine looking at the body from outer-space and seeing it arise? No longer are we isolated and cut off from the hearts of other believers. The job of the Kingdom is too big for us individually but together we are a mighty force. We have only to hearken to the call and awaken. Visualize the body of Christ rising from its slumber. Each one of us is an important part of that body. Even if you are only a toe in the body of Christ imagine the body without that toe. We may stumble and fall without you. Today is the day. Let us all lift our voices in harmony answer the voice of our Lord. This is the day. This is the hour. Awaken from your slumber and arise.

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Free for the Asking

On July 30, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

James 1: 5

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

There is not one among us who does not, at some time, lack wisdom but we have good news delivered to us by Jesus’ brother, James. James walked out his beliefs through experience with God and Jesus. James wasn’t always a believer. Once James, along with Jesus’ other brothers went to seize him and take him home because they thought he was out of his mind (Mark 3: 21). But James watched and listened and he became a pillar of the church. He learned the ways of God even though he began in doubt and unbelief. Therefore, when James speaks, we can trust that he came by his knowledge through experience with the Christ. When he tells us that we can receive wisdom freely from our Father then we can trust that he knew what he was talking about because James lived it. The first step to receiving wisdom from God is believing that God will give it to you. Hopefully having James the unbelieving tell you from his own experience that God gives wisdom freely resolves the first problem.  

The second part is hearing God. Sometimes our receptors malfunction and though God is giving His wisdom freely and generously we can’t receive it. Here is a technique that I use to help me see through God’s eyes. I counsel myself. More accurately, I imagine someone else with my problem and think about what I would tell them if I was advising them. In this way I advise myself but with the wisdom of God because with this technique I find it quite easy to receive the wisdom of God. Another method I use is to picture myself seated at a table with God. I explain the situation to Him and then I look at Him and hear what He says about it. This level of focus helps me to receive His wisdom because it takes the pressure off of me to “hear” the voice of God. I just look at this scenario I have set, see myself there with Father and just listen to what He says to the me in the image. 

One other thing that helps me sometimes is to get a new perspective. Move out of yourself and see yourself and your situation through someone else’s eyes or from their view. It’s like stepping back from the situation and viewing it from a third person perspective. Sometimes we are so close to a situation that we cannot see, so it helps to move away. And here is one last little trick that I often use. Picture yourself standing on the moon looking down at the earth. What do you see? Do some global issues take on a different appearance from out there? Now, can you zoom into your world? Look at your environment. What is really important there? Are you spending your energy on the things that are most important? If you and God could sit there together and look at your life with this perspective what, if anything, would you do differently? Which problems no longer look so big?

I believe these techniques will help you to relax and gain the Father’s perspective and wisdom. We try so hard to hear Him sometimes that we block the flow. He is happy to lead you by His wisdom so take every little and large situation to Him and let Him show you His way.

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Snakes and Stones or Fish and Bread

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

Matthew 7: 7 – 11

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or what if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

I know this is a very familiar passage of scripture but it bears looking at again and again. And even though it is well known I am unconvinced that it has really sunk into the hearts of believers.

We begin with the entreaty of Christ himself telling us to ask the Father for those things we seek. He would have no need to tell the people to make requests to God if they were already doing it. Moreover, Jesus knew well that the words he spoke while on the earth were not only for the people of that era but also for us. There is an emphatic plea in Jesus’ tone as he tried to encourage the Jews of then and us today to take our petitions to the Lord, our God. 

Ask, he says, and you will receive. Clearly the people were not asking but the important underlying point is that they did not ask because they did not believe God would answer. That is why Jesus went on to explain God’s willingness to answer prayer by comparing Him to an earthly parent. Surely, even a half-way decent parent would not give a child a snake in response to a request for a fish or a stone in place of bread and yet followers of Yahweh don’t even give Him that much credit. We have failed to recognize Him as a loving parent. Jesus calls us to look at ourselves and compare ourselves with the God and Father who created us. If we are virtuous enough to give our children that which is good how is it that we do not believe that our heavenly Father is virtuous enough to care for us? In our comparison somehow we subconsciously arrive at the conclusion that God is not a good parent. The result is that we don’t bother to ask because we do not believe that He will answer.

As I read this I am forced to ask myself if I believe Jesus. What was Jesus’ purpose in speaking these words? Is this just theology or is he trying to compel us to really treat God as a father? Does Jesus think that the comparison of God to an earthly parent is rational? And does he really believe that if you and I ask God for something that God will actually provide for us? Will God provide for me as He provided for Jesus?

As I sit here I invite you to join me in thinking about what you really want and what you really need. What is in your heart today? Is it something in the physical realm or something intangible? Can you imagine yourself seated at the kitchen table with your father God? What would you say to Him about this need or desire you have? Can you see Him as a loving parent who wishes to meet your needs and who also loves to bless you with gifts?

So much theology is put to right when we receive a revelation of God’s love. When we come to understand His heart and His deep love for us then all the pieces begin to fall into place. We have to shake off this idea of Him as a distant and removed God and get a revelation of Him as a loving parent. That is what Jesus tried to reveal to us and he is emphatic that we should treat God as a parent by asking, seeking and knocking. We have Jesus’ word that we will receive, the door will be opened and we will find that which we seek. Move outside of your experience and your philosophy today and attempt to hear what Jesus is saying. Sit with him and let him minister the nuance and implications of the words as well as their literal meaning. There is something important in this passage that Jesus is trying to convey to you today. Require him to give you the fullness of its meaning.

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Extraordinary Success

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

Daniel 6: 1 – 3

It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they should be in charge of the whole kingdom and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

The Israelites have been carried off into captivity once again, this time at the hands of the Babylonians. When they were first taken into captivity the then king, Nebuchadnezzar, ordered that some of the youths of Israel should be groomed for service to the king and David was among those selected. Now Darius is king. Darius is organizing his command structure. One hundred and twenty satraps were appointed over the kingdom. We can think of them as governors or provincial rulers. These one hundred and twenty governors were accountable to three commissioners and the three commissioners reported directly to King Darius. David’s appointment to a commissioner position is remarkable in itself but even among the commissioners he stood out. The scripture records his great success as due to the remarkable spirit he possessed. We know who this remarkable spirit is. He is the Holy Spirit of God and we too can avail ourselves of his divine assistance. You see, Daniel was an outstanding man but his extraordinary talent was not innate. It was born of his close walk with the Spirit. To my way of thinking this in no way diminishes the greatness of Daniel. In fact, it elevates him in my mind because Daniel learned how to walk according to the Spirit which is a phenomenal accomplishment in any age but amazingly and incredibly so before the coming of Messiah. 

This is the same Daniel that was thrown into a pit of lions and survived. He is the same Daniel who had three good friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah whom we know better by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel hung out with guys who walked through a fiery furnace without getting even the smell of smoke on their clothes while the people that threw them into the furnace were burned up. What gave these young men their incredible power? They possessed an extraordinary spirit. 

Okay, I am willing to accept that explanation. How about you? We know that with God, truly, all things are possible. I can fathom the Holy Spirit being the secret to this awesome power at work in the lives of these young men. Here is the problem though. You and I have this same Holy Spirit. In fact, we are living in the age of the Holy Spirit. Only after Jesus came and left was the Holy Spirit sent. It was only through Jesus’ victory that the age of the Holy Spirit was ushered in. The promised outpouring of the Spirit occurred well after these young men walked the earth. Now, because of what Jesus did, the Holy Spirit accepts our invitation and comes to live inside us. That never happened before. So, that means that we have greater access to the Holy Spirit than did Daniel and his friends. Since they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them as we can today, what made these captives who had few resources more powerful than most of us today?

 I believe the answer can be found in the tenth verse of chapter six where, referring to Daniel, it reads, “and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God.” Daniel spent a lot of time seeking God and giving thanks and I presume his friends were like minded. I do not preach a doctrine of works, far from it, but I cannot deny that there is something that happens within us when we spend time with the Father. I am not saying that God will reward you with miracles if you will spend sufficient time in prayer. All of God’s gifts are free. We didn’t have to do anything to earn the greatest gift so we do not have to earn the others. None the less, prayer causes a change. We build up ourselves and our spirits when we spend time in prayer and in the presence of God.

We talked recently about sowing to the Spirit. It is basic logic to conclude that if we want to reap from the Spirit we must first sow to the Spirit. Said differently, if we wish to reap spiritual benefits we must sow spiritual seeds. To me that is as simple as saying, if you want tomatoes, plant tomato seeds. Don’t expect tomatoes if you put cucumber seeds in the ground. Look at what you want, at what you need and then sow that type of seed. But let us take our thoughts one step further. There is nothing in this earth or universe that did not begin in the spiritual realm. Even the tomato began in the mind of God who then communicated His thought to Jesus and the Holy Spirit and commissioned them to bring His vision into being. They then created the tomato in the realm of the Spirit and manifested it into the physical. That is how everything comes into being. Therefore, we, who have a pipeline to God, can go right to the source of creation and have all our needs met. When we spend time with our Holy Father, He shows us how to create the answers we need. He teaches us how to walk hand in hand with the Holy Spirit so that miracles become everyday occurrences. This is God’s plan for us. He promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit thousands of years ago looking forward to this day when He could teach us how to live and walk as He does. It is His Garden of Eden plan, the way that Adam and Eve were supposed to walk and work. This is the life of abundance that Jesus was tasked with bringing into the earth. It is here now and we can walk in it even more powerfully than Daniel and his friends. It is all at your fingertips. It is in your next breadth. There is nothing you cannot have, nothing you cannot do. Just spend time with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and let them lead you.

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Did You Receive

On July 25, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Acts 19: 2

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

Paul visited Ephesus and found some believers there. In fact, verse one says that he found “disciples” in Ephesus. He must have been well pleased to find believers there. I imagine that they exchanged stories and that they told him about all they were learning and experiencing. Then Paul asks them this significant question. Do you know about the Holy Spirit, have you received the Holy Spirit? Here was a group of believers but they knew nothing about the Holy Spirit. They didn’t even know there was such a thing as the Holy Spirit but they sure had the right person there to teach them.  

Reading this passage made me wonder if there are modern day believers who know little to nothing about the Holy Spirit and of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The New Testament believers first had to learn about the world after the coming of the Messiah. That was a big book by itself but there was a whole other chapter that they needed. I have said before that this is the third age of discovery. The Old Testament is mostly about the father. The gospels are mostly about Jesus, the Messiah but as Jesus began to transition out of the earth, he began to speak to his disciples about the coming of the third age, the age of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was promised in the Old Testament but it took Jesus to bring him into the earth. Now we come to know the Father and the Holy Spirit through the person of the Lord Jesus.

So the question is posed to us, “Have we received the Holy Spirit since we believed?” This passage shows us that once we become believers we still have to receive the Holy Spirit. Some people debate about receiving the Holy Spirit but if you ask me, it is a fruitless debated. We debate and argue about some of the silliest things. The thing we need to know is that it only takes an invitation to the Holy Spirit for him to come live with you. Why not ask him everyday to fill your life and your day? Let’s not get tied up in useless theology. The advice we get from both Paul and Jesus is to receive the Holy Spirit and so that is all that we need to focus on. Receive all that the Holy Spirit has for you every day and you will surely be blessed.

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