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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The Rock Faucet

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

Exodus 17: 6

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

The lesson from this story has to be that if God can get water from a rock for the Israelites He can certainly meet our needs too. We live in a remarkable age. It wasn’t that long ago that people couldn’t just turn on the tap and have water flow out. What a magnificent blessing that is. And, people didn’t build their houses just anywhere; they had to locate a place for a well first. Then, of course, if you live in the desert or were like the Israelites, traversing the desert, water was a major issue. None the less, God has always met the needs of His people.

I wonder sometimes if our great abundance and enormous blessings have made it hard for us to exercise faith. Even if you are not a person of faith there is so much provided for us in this modern age. And our needs have shifted significantly. Besides the modern conveniences we also have food readily available. The issue really has become money these days. We need money to produce heat for our homes, pay for the water being delivered to our houses, and to buy the food that someone else has already raised and harvested. So, we focus on money, but that does not mean that we don’t still need food, shelter, clothing and water. In a sense our needs really haven’t changed but our means of procuring them has and I think that has caused a shift in our faith application. We understand that money will provide these things for us so we focus on that. In reality though, it is still the Father who meets our needs. Jesus told us that the Father knows we need all these things so we shouldn’t worry about them. Look at how He provided for the Israelites. That is the model of the Father’s provision for today. If He could provide water for them by having Moses strike a rock then He is well able to take care of our every need. We can hold this scripture up the Lord and pronounce bravely that we know He will meet our needs because that is what He has always done for His people. This is some good word that you can sow into your life. If there is any lack in your life at all, then use this example of God’s provision and sow that Word into the soil of your life. Hold it up to the Lord and proclaim the victory. Let God show Himself to you. Give Him a little “Word” seed to work with and He will bring you a Harvest. And if there is anything else He instructs you to sow be quick to do it and believe Him for every need met in the name of Jesus.

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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.

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Hope Prevails

On December 12, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 42: 3

A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

The forty-second chapter of Isaiah is a prophetic foretelling of the coming of Jesus. This passage reveals the gentleness of Jesus. He came that we might all come to the Father. He will not foreclose anyone’s opportunity to come into the Kingdom of God. No matter how dimly the light is burning Jesus will stay there and fan that flame. No matter how weak or damaged a person is, she is never too far gone for Jesus. He will bring forth justice for that person and they will receive their salvation and all of the other gifts the Father has provided. Never give up and never give up on anyone else. Neither Jesus nor the Father has forsaken them or you for God has promised us that he will never leave nor forsake us. 

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Eyes of Expectation

On November 26, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 15: 7       NIV

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

Sometimes you work and work, you give and give and yet you see no fruit from your effort. It can be very frustrating. Well, God has a word of encouragement for you today. “Don’t give up.” He sees your effort and He is guarding every one of those little seeds you are planting. You will have your reward.

The farmer plants the field and goes to bed. Each day he checks the field to see if any sprouts are sticking their heads out through the soil. One morning he gets up and finds that the seed has sprouted and there a young plant is growing. For days and days when the farmer checked his field there was no evidence of the work he had done. We sow the seed but then it is God’s job to cause the seed to germinate and send forth fruit. It often looks like nothing is happening but God is working on something. Sometimes when you least expect it fruit will appear. You may have planted a seed twenty years ago. Perhaps you have even forgotten about it or given up on it but God is watching that little seed. He is guarding it and watering it. Then one day, out of the blue, here comes your harvest.

Your job is just to plant seeds. God provides the harvest. There is nothing a farmer can do to make a seed transform into a plant. That is the miracle that God brings forth. Just keep faith in the seed and the one who keeps the seed. Approach every day with a great sense of expectation. I planted grass seed this fall. I put a lot of work into preparing the soil, putting out the seed, watering, and fertilizing. Almost every day I would walk around my yard and look for any signs that my effort was going to take root. Day after day I searched for any evidence of grass. Sometimes I could see the little seeds laying there. They looked dead and parched. Day after day there was no sign of success until I had begun to wonder if my seed was bad. Then one day a few blades became visible. The next thing I knew, there was grass sprouting all over the place. The lawn took on a general green cast like the green of spring and I was ecstatic. The work did pay off. God didn’t let me down. There was a sense of expectation that those little seeds would produce grass and I checked almost daily in anticipation but I almost gave up when I didn’t see the fruit of my effort when I expected to. Don’t do that. Just keep your eyes on Jesus and expect him to bring in the harvest. Every morning let your anticipation be renewed in the light of Jesus. He has not fallen asleep and he has not forsaken your little seed. Just hang in there. God is working under the soil where you can’t see it. All of a sudden you will reap a harvest and it will be an occasion of great joy and celebration.

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