Doubt Arises

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

Matthew 11: 3

“Are you the expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”

In Matthew 3, verse 11, are recorded the words of John the Baptist when he prophesied about the coming of Jesus. John said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Then when Jesus did come, he (Jesus) went down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. John at first refused Jesus saying to him to him, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Matthew 3: 14. John knew who was coming before Jesus began his ministry. He knew the Holy One was on his way. Then when Jesus did appear to him, he recognized Jesus and who he was; as the one who was to come. He knew this was the one about whom so many prophecies had been made and he wanted Jesus to baptize him instead of the other way around.

It is one thing to believe and have faith and then it is another to keep believing and keep having faith. It can be hard to keep on believing when the pressure of the world starts bearing in on you. Would anyone think that John the Baptist, the one about whom Jesus said, “[T]here has not arisen anyone greater,” (Matthew 11: 11) could fall into doubt? And yet that is exactly what happened. Today’s text is what John the Baptist later asked Jesus via John’s disciples.

You see, John the Baptist had faith in Jesus until he found himself in jail. Now all of a sudden, things were not going to well. John began to look at the conditions around himself instead of at the Word of God which was in his heart. John was trying to use his eyes to convince his faith. Instead he should have been using his faith to convince his mind. He expected Jesus to build a kingdom on this earth. When he did not see this kingdom unfolding the way he expected it to, he began to lose his faith; to have doubts. 

Many times God will not do things the way we expect him to. That does not mean that he is not building his kingdom or that he is not fulfilling his promises. You cannot look around you for verification and then choose to believe God. It happens just the other way around. Do not use your eyes. Use your heart. That is where you plant the Word of God and you believe from your heart no matter what your eyes tell you. Then, when you have believed with your heart, you will see God’s victory coming into your life. Do not let doubt arise. Keep it down and your faith up.

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Overcoming Faith

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

1 John 5: 4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

We are born of God. That makes us world overcomers, does it not? Well, according to the Apostle John it does. The victory which overcomes the world is our faith. Surely John knew what he was writing about. This guy walked with Jesus daily. Additionally, he received great revelations from Jesus after Jesus ascended to heaven. So, if what he says is right, why am I not experiencing this overcoming faith in my life? And as I look around I see that other Christians are struggling with their world overcoming faith too.

Recently I determined to learn more about this overcoming power. I turned to an inspired book, clearly one of the best books I have ever read on faith. The subtitle of the book reads: The key to putting your faith to work for a successful life. That is what we all want isn’t it? We hear so much about faith and living by faith but sometimes preachers might as well be speaking in a foreign tongue for all the good it is doing me. I want to live by faith. I have determined to walk by faith but what do I do when my faith isn’t working.

The title of this life-altering book is The Fourth Dimension by David Yonggi Cho. The first time I heard of it I was handed it by my pastor. I stayed up all night reading it. The very next day things began to break my way. Cho built the largest Christian church in the world and he did it in Korea where Christianity was not widely accepted. None the less, he learned that if he would apply the laws of faith that all things were possible to him. I strongly recommend this book. 

Cho explained that there is a fourth dimension and that this dimension is the realm of the spirit. This is the realm of creative power. Cho teaches how we can operate in this realm. The first chapter of the book is dedicated to teaching us the foundations of faith. There are four cornerstones. First, you must have a clear cut objective. Second, you must have a burning desire for the attainment of that objective. Third, you pray about that objective until you have the full assurance in your heart that it is God’s will for you. It may take some time to gain the full assurance so we must be persistent and patient in prayer. Last, we must learn to speak the word according to that burning desire which is within us and which we have the full assurance of. Once God has assured us that He is in agreement with us then we speak to the mountain and call those things which are not as though they are (Romans 4: 17) until they manifest in the physical realm. God has already given us everything but it is in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1: 3). So, we only need to appropriate it and bring it into this physical sphere. To do that we use our faith. It doesn’t take a lot of faith, only as much as a mustard seed (Matthew 17: 20). The key is knowing how to apply that faith to our needs or to situations in our lives.

Have a burning desire for a clear cut objective. Pray until you have the full assurance of it in your heart, until you know that you know that it is yours, and then start talking to it. Like speaking to the rock to get water you must speak your desired end as well. Start calling forth water and the rock will have to yield. That is the way faith works.

And buy and read The Fourth Dimension by David Cho.

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Talking to Rocks

On May 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Numbers 20: 8, 11

Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink. Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came for abundantly and the congregation and their beasts drank.

This is undoubtedly one of the hardest lessons for us to learn. Moses sure learned it the hard way. God told him to speak to the rock and the rock would then yield its water. Moses, instead, struck the rock with his rod. It was an act of pure defiance and it cost Moses dearly. Because he disobeyed God, striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Moses was not allowed to go into the land of promise.

I don’t believe Moses was kept out of the Promised Land as some form of punishment. I think God couldn’t use Moses to take the people into the Promised Land. God was teaching His people that you must speak to your mountains if you want them to move. When they finally did enter into the Promised Land behind Joshua they took Jericho with obedience and a shout. God knew what lay ahead and He had a plan to turn over the land to the Israelites. In order to receive their new land the Israelites need to learn obedience, when to speak and when not to speak. There is a deep message here and it has a great deal to do with the words of our mouth. 

Our words are containers for God’s power. However, if we cannot marshal our tongues then He cannot give us His power. When God instructed the people to march around Jericho He also gave them explicit directions about when to keep silent and when to speak. When the appropriate time came they were instructed to shout. Then the walls of Jericho fell at their feet and all they did was march, obey and speak.

Jesus told us to speak to our mountains in the same way that the Israelites spoke to those walls. (Matthew 17: 20, Matthew 21: 21, Mark 11: 23). He learned from his father that the way to get water from a rock or to get a problem to desist was to speak to it. This is the lesson we must learn if we would live the life of success and grace that Jesus meant for us. Jesus did not say that if we would pray to the Father the mountain would get up and jump in the sea. Now I believe most earnestly in prayer but I am also fervent about doing what Jesus said. That means that I must eventually embrace this notion of speaking to the rock and commanding it to give me water, and talking to that mountain and ordering it into the sea.

I do not expect this teaching to be comfortable. It isn’t to me but I understand that this is where a great number of us are missing it with God. He has told us to speak to the rock and we’re running around hitting it with a stick. There is a time to pray. There is a time to seek. There is also, though, a time to speak to that mountain and this we must learn. Whatever that mountain is that is blocking your way, start speaking to it in the name of Jesus. Tell it what the Word says and tell it to move out of the way. It has to obey.

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Confidence

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

Hebrews 10: 35

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Confidence is important. It often affects our performance. This is a kind of self-confidence; confidence in our training, knowledge and skills. There is another kind of confidence too. It is confidence in our salvation, our relationship with the Father and ultimately confidence in Him. This confidence really does have great rewards.

Your behaviors are significantly affected by your measure of confidence. I think of basketball players who shoot because they have confidence in their skills and they keep on shooting even if they miss their first five shots. Confidence causes you to act differently than you would if your confidence is low. You make that sales call, believing you will get the sale. Sometimes it is that confidence that gets you the sale.

Well, our confidence in God works the same way. We behave differently because we have great belief. Perhaps we pray for someone. Perhaps we have the boldness to take a step that the Father has spoken to us because we have confidence in Him and believe that He is backing us up. When we act in the confidence we have in the Father it is called faith. You do what you wouldn’t do otherwise because you believe in the one who is backing you up. And brother when you act out of the confidence that you have in the Lord, it pays huge dividends.

Is it easy? Not always, but it is rewarding. No one has ever done anything great without taking a risk. Think of some of the ministers you know and the awesome success they are enjoying. You know they went through times of fear and doubt but ultimately they let their self-doubt receded behind their faith in the Almighty. Their confidence in Him and His ability carried the day. I marvel at these folks and how they have walked on the water. It is so inspiring because they have not done anything that you and I cannot do. They haven’t succeeded because of their great intellect or because of their great skill. They have attained great heights because they trusted the Word of the Lord. They were willing. They were bold enough to step out on that Word and trust God to be capable. Their success is because of God. The difference in some of us and them is that they were willing to step out in their confidence in God and we have not been . . . until today.

Today is a new day. We can express our confidence in the Mighty One. When we do, the reward is great. I don’t say it is easy. I am just saying let’s do it anyway. We don’t even have to believe in ourselves. We just have to have confidence in Him. So, how far can we stretch today? What would Dad like to do with our faith in Him? This can get really fun. It’s kinda like a roller coaster; it’s a little frightening as you get started but oh so exhilarating and then once the ride is over you want to do it again.

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Redeemed From Fear

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

Psalm 56: 3 – 4

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee, in God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

Who among us is not faced with fear at some time? It is a common human reaction to challenges in life. The first mention of fear appears in Genesis 3. It didn’t take long for mankind to find fear. However, they only became afraid after succumbing to the devil. Before Adam and Eve followed Satan and ate the forbidden fruit they knew not fear. Interesting. Since that time people have been plagued by fear. However, there is good news. God has provided a remedy for everything which plagues mankind, including fear. His remedy for fear is trust.

“When I am afraid,” the psalmist writes, “I will put my trust in thee.” He doesn’t deny that he was afraid. He just determines not to let fear have him. We are not to abide in fear. We are to run into the arms of our loving father and envelope ourselves in an abiding, overcoming trust. Trusting Him is the solution for every fear. It seems, then, that overcoming fear requires a decision from us. It also requires action on our part. We must intentionally shift our minds and hearts from fear to trust in the Lord. That means you take your eyes off of that which frightens you and put them on the Lord of your salvation. Look upon Jesus and decide to believe Him and to believe in the Father’s love rather than to believe in that which frightens you.

Fear is slavery and Jesus has set us free from all of the shackles of bondage. If we allow fear to remain in our lives then we are effectively rejecting the gift of Christ. It is making his sacrifice of no effect. This is no place for Christians. Galatians 5: 1 reads, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” That seems pretty clear to me. It is a shout, a command that we should not allow ourselves to be victims of fear. We must stand firm against fear. Jesus came to give us abundant life, not a life shackled by fear.

The psalmist, David, gave praise to the word of God. It occurs to me that was another of his weapons against fear. He looked to the word and encouraged himself so that he could pronounce his faith in God’s saving ability. David trusted God and stood on God’s word. He determinedly put his trust in God and God’s promises and time after time God pulled him from certain defeat. Now David teaches us these valuable lessons. Let us declare as he did, “In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.”

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Perfect Faith

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

Hebrews 12:2

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.

There is much talk and teaching about faith. Jesus talked about it a lot. One reason there is so much discussion about faith is because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6).  Another reason, I believe, is because it can be a hard concept to really get your hands on. 

Once we accept that we are to live by faith, the question becomes, “Just how do we do that?” You have, I am sure, heard sermons on how to increase your faith, how to walk in faith, and about every other facet of faith. As I read this verse recently, though, I saw it and faith in a whole new light. If Jesus is the author of faith and if he is the perfecter of faith then what am I so worried about? I came away with the perception that my faith is perfect now. I don’t have to work it up. I just turn to the master and he authors my faith. Sounds simple doesn’t it, easy even. And you know, maybe it is. I am finding that we complicate so many of the spiritual principles. When we take the Bible at face value and don’t try to twist it into something complex then it seems everything comes together for us. In this case, the case of faith, why am I trying to massage my faith into something functional if Jesus authored it in the first place? I mean, what can I do to improve upon something that Jesus has authored? And, if he perfected it then why does my faith need any help at all? No, the secret here seems to be in turning to the author for his insights. I can just see Jesus on a book signing tour being interviewed about this great book he has written. Perhaps one interviewer really digs into the chapter on faith. Well, who better to answer those questions than the author of the book?

So, here is my point. Perhaps faith doesn’t have to be so difficult to understand afterall. We have the author living within us. He has already created a perfect work within us. Just turn to him and allow him to show you how to operate that which is already perfect. Don’t worry any longer about making your faith something viable. That is not your job. Just let the master walk you through applying it. You don’t need any more of it than you have right now either. Jesus said a mustard seed’s worth is all you need and you’ve got that because he gave it to you. Relax and let Jesus be the author and perfecter of your faith.

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Hearing Aide

On February 27, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 10: 17

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Faith is an important trait for every Christian. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6). That is a weighty statement. So, if it is important, even vital for us to have faith then you would expect the Father to provide a means by which we can obtain this mandatory commodity. Enter Romans 10: 17.  Here God is teaching us how to get faith.

Apparently faith comes from hearing. Okay, from hearing what? Many people teach that faith comes by hearing the Word of God or the Word of Christ. Absolutely there is interconnectedness between the Word of God and faith. However, there is an intermediary as this verse indicates. How do we recognize the truth of this? It is in the text of the verse. Think of it this way. If you wanted to convey that faith comes from hearing the Word, you would say exactly that but that is not what Paul wrote. He said faith comes from hearing, and then he said that hearing comes by the word of Christ. There are two steps here. So let’s take just the first phrase first and figure out what this hearing is that creates faith in us.

What I believe Paul is trying to convey to us is that faith comes through communing with God in our spirits. That takes no great logic leap. So, faith comes when we hear God speaking in our spirits. Let’s say that you have a financial need and during your quiet time with God you hear His leading or perhaps He shows you a scripture that pertains to finances. What happens to your faith? It skyrockets, right? Any time you hear God in your spirit or He speaks through scripture it brings great encouragement and renewed belief. That is what I believe Paul is trying to convey to us. It is not all that different from Isaiah 40: 31 which we looked at earlier in the week, which told us to be intertwined with God and we would soar on wings like eagles. When you hang out with God your faith just soars. It happens.

“But,” you say, “I don’t hear that well.” Right; God thought of that. Paul wrote, “[H]earing comes by the word of Christ.” If you have a Bible with references and look at the note for this phrase it will tell you that a closer translation is “hearing comes by the word concerning Christ.” What is the difference? It all has to do with John 14: 6, where “Jesus said …, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.’” The way to the Father is through Jesus. So, for us that means that the way for us to improve our ability to connect with the Father is through Jesus. We wish to hear God better so it is not only through the Word of God but also through the person of Jesus Christ that we can do that. Don’t miss hear me though. You cannot separate Jesus from his word. That is why the rendering that we gain faith through the word is not inaccurate. It is just incomplete. It is not through studying the Bible that we improve our relationship with the Father or our ability to hear Him but rather through the person of Jesus. Jesus leads us to the Father. His mission on earth was to reveal the Father to us and provide a way for us to be reconciled with Him. Therefore, when we need revelation or when we simply need a touch from the Father we go to Him through the person of Jesus. Jesus is our mediator. He has provided us with the means to connect with the Father in a deep way. Whatever we need, Jesus can lead us and teach us. 

The bottom line is that in order to have faith, you need to hear the voice of God. If you cannot hear the voice of God or your hearing just needs improving, Jesus is there to help you. The good news about what Jesus has done for us is the catapult to deep fellowship with him and with the Father because Jesus always points to the Father. If you look at Jesus’ earthly ministry you will see that is true. So, this is how I would restate today’s verse in order to make it more clear, “Faith comes from hearing God’s voice, and the ability to hear God’s voice comes through Jesus.” The good news about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished is an engraved invitation to the throne room of God where you can be very relaxed in the presence of your father. Good ears come through the good news and the good news is “the word concerning Christ.” Jesus is the way. His role as our high priest and as our mediator is to lead us into the Father’s presence so that we can easily hear the voice of our beloved Father. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12: 2) and tune your ears to God expecting to hear Him speak to you. Then your faith shall rise as upon eagles’ wings.

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