Hope

On October 28, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 10: 23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hope is the beginning of faith. Without hope, one will not even look forward to the promise. But we can have great hope and hence great faith because the one who has made promises to us is more than faithful. He is honest and true without the ability to lie. And as we think of Him, our hope grows. We can feed that hope with the Word of God too, and it is just like applying fertilizer and water to a young plant. That Word causes our faith to grow the same as fertilizer and water cause the plant to grow. Our faith then develops and when it reaches maturity, it produces a crop. But it all begins with hope like a small seed faithfully sown.

We are to hold our confession of hope without wavering which means we keep speaking the word of hope and then the word of faith even when we cannot yet see the offshoot of the seed. We hold onto our belief that the seed will produce a plant whether or not we see the evidence of that plant. The evidence is our faith because our confidence is in He who promised. We keep our words (our confession) aligned with our hope and His promise despite any evidence. Then, when the proper time is come, the seed gives forth the plant which then gives forth the fruit.

Keep your hope and keep your faith. Fear not. Trust He who is faithful and worthy of our trust. Don’t dig up your seed with contradictory language, rather keep your confession consistent with His promise for in due time you will reap if you don’t grow weary.

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Hang On!

On April 26, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Throughout this series we have seen that our words impact our health. We’ve learned not to speak negatively about our bodies or our health and not to ‘own” disease or sickness with our words by talking about “our cancer” or “my bad knees.” We have learned to pray in conjunction with the Word of God so that our words match Father’s words, not to get hooked on sayings like “I am scared to death” but the most important of all lessons is that we can use positive language to bolster our bodies. We saw that when good words were spoken over water, they produced pretty crystals and ugly words produced hideous looking crystals.

Yesterday’s scripture was conclusively clear about our language, our confession, being part of the overcoming of any obstacle. We can pray with very affirming language knowing that He who promises is faithful. Looking back at yesterday’s verse, Revelations 12: 11, I would add that we may be strengthened in holding onto our confession because of the blood of the lamb. Knowing that Christ took our sickness and disease to Calvary and nailed it to the cross should bolster our confidence. By his stripes we were healed and now we can boldly and confidently declare victory in his name.

Today’s verse intimates that we will have need of endurance and perseverance. It is one thing to get our language straight. Quite another to hold onto our confession over time or when confronted with challenge. So, we have need of stamina so that we will not stagger in our profession of faith.

There is one more layer we should consider today. It goes right back to index cards or other memory and reminder devices. In that we have learned that the first step is to stop making negative decrees about our health and our bodies, and that the second step is to replace those words with edifying ones, the third layer is to make positive declarations. By this I mean that we can daily make a point of making affirmative pronouncements about our health. Every morning we can look into the mirror and proclaim our health and wellbeing. We know “they overcame . . . because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony,” so we must hold fast to our confession of faith. One of the best ways to do that is through simply repetition. In other words, practice.

We have need of endurance, but we know that He who promised is faithful and that the blood of the lamb is victorious. Therefore, hang on. Jesse Duplantis says to not let time defeat you. Hold on and keep to your affirmation even when the situation looks rough. In the end, you win. Just don’t give up and don’t stop saying what the word says about your health.

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Check-up

On April 11, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Samuel 7: 2

During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them.

Have you ever been in this same situation where it feels like the Lord has abandoned you? I suppose there are few people who have not had a time when it felt like God was not listening. We know in our minds it is not true, that He will never leave nor forsake us but there are those times; times when you feel like you are in the middle of a desert with no food or water, no sustaining presence. Where is God, you wonder.

Listen to Samuel’s response to Israel. Verse three reads, “Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” It wasn’t that the Lord had abandoned them. It was that they had abandoned the Lord. They did not seem to realize they had turned aside from him.

It is so easy to end up in the same place. It doesn’t seem like we have turned from the Lord but then, all of a sudden, something happens, maybe someone happens, someone like Samuel, and then you realize you don’t do the things you did and you don’t feel the way you did. There has been a subtle shift. So subtle, in fact, that you didn’t even notice. This isn’t criticism and it sure isn’t condemnation. It is just an opportunity to check yourself. Is your heart where it was? Do you still sing your songs to the Lord? Do you talk with Him as much as you did? Where did you put your Bible?

If this is you, don’t fret. God is as close as your next breath and He is not mad at you. He loves you and He understands. He knows we get distracted by all the things going on in our world. It happens sometimes. Today is a good day though. You can right that ship in a moment. Just talk to Him and tell Him what you feel and how you want things to be with Him. He is just awaiting an invitation.

If you feel like God has withdrawn, take a moment to reconnect. The Israelites had idols fashioned by hands. We shift idols onto our altar too, but we don’t always realize what we are doing. Our idols tend to be our jobs, social life, projects and even TV or the internet. We can become so distracted by those things and place such a priority on them that we supplant God. We don’t mean to, but it happens. Then one day we turn around and realize we aren’t where we were. We no longer have the Father firmly enshrined on the altar of our heart. The busyness of life has pushed out everything which threatens to get in its way.

Take a little check-up today. Are you where you want to be with God? Has your relationship slipped a little? Maybe it has not but you are just ready for a closer walk with Him. Today is the day ordained for just such a query. Perform your spiritual check-up and make sure there are no shrines to other Gods. Make sure nothing has enshrined itself in God’s place.

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End of Tears

On June 20, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Isaiah 30: 19

O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.
God answers prayer. He is always attentive and listening for you. He longs to be gracious to you. When he hears you cry out, He will answer. This does not say that He will sometimes answer or when He feels like it He will answer. It is a definitive statement, leaving no room for misunderstanding or interpretation. Perhaps we are not always attentive to His voice but He is always and forever answering our cries. 

Do you have a need today? Do you have a desperate situation with which you really need help? He is standing by to help you. He is there answering you. When you cry out to Him, accept that He is answering you. Be silent and listen. Don’t rush around looking for answers. Get quiet and receive His help. The hardest part is shutting off all of the noise in and around you. Know and do not question or doubt that our God is present and available. Know that he is helping you and is right beside you. As soon as you call, he comes. He is faithful.

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Faithful Servant

On May 29, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Titus 2: 9 – 10

Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

The apostle Paul directs us to subject ourselves to the authority figures in our life. We are supposed to be subjected to them and serve them. In the context of this verse one will understand that the bondslave/master relationship most naturally converts to the employee/employer relationship in today’s society. You may be under someone for whom you do not have a lot of respect. Or your boss may not be as smart as you. None the less, God says that you are to show them respect, not argue with them but rather show faithfulness to them and the company. Why do we do this? First of all, because God said so. That will be enough for most of us. But also so that the light of God and his doctrine shall shine and God be glorified. 

I also notice that Paul again addresses that argumentative behavior which many of us contend with in our personalities. Father has not called us to be critical or contrary. The light should bless people. We also must confront a systemic problem that pervades our society but which Paul addressed 2000 years ago. That is pilfering. We are not to take the pens, paper clips and note pads of our employers but equally important is to not steal time. If we are paid to work from 8:00 to 5:00 then that means that by 8:00 we are settled into our work station and working, not on the way to the coffee machine. You should never get paid what you are worth because you should always give more value than your paycheck. Your employer should come to notice that Christian employees are a blessing because they are faithful, obedient and trustworthy.

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The Heart of Truth

On June 24, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

John 6: 43, 61           NIV

“Stop grumbling among yourselves.” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?

The church needs to hear Jesus preach this message again and ask this critical question, “Am I easily offended, do I take offense?” We are living in an age where we must constantly walk on eggshells and I know that it becomes tedious for everyone and stressful to live in this state. But there is a larger issue here. That is that we so easily become offended at the message that Jesus has sent to the body. 

Jesus didn’t mince words. He taught openly and in honesty. And, yes, sometimes people were offended but can we be honest for a moment today without anyone taking offense? The truth of the matter is that those people in Jesus’ time just as the people in our time chose to be offended. It is so interesting that we use the expression “take offense”. That very expression reveals that we exercise our choice to take or not take offense. God would love to give us all the truth but we can’t handle it. Pastors guard themselves and honestly, between you and I, preach watered down messages because they know their parishioners can’t handle it. They endeavor not to hurt anyone’s feelings or cause anyone offense but if we want to be offended, we will find a way. I have met people that you could compliment and they would still be offended. It has become a lifestyle. Now, how is God going to minister life giving truth to us if we are so touchy?

This is life and death stuff here folks. We have got to yearn for the truth and receive it when it comes. We need to take the shackles off of our teachers and beg them to tell us the whole truth. Many clergy will not teach on tithing or giving because they are afraid of offending the congregation. I can appreciate their misgivings but if we will not allow them to teach us about God’s divine fiscal policies then we are doomed to poverty or at best mediocrity.

And I wish to make a personal plea here as well that you can perhaps also apply to your pastor. We have a mandate from God to tell the truth and I like every other minister of the gospel have to decide whether to deliver the message that seems hard or to disobey God. It is not a fun choice but there are two things you should know. Speaking for myself, I never deliver a hard message in order to hurt you. I give the messages that I think God is giving me for you and out of love for you. The Bible teaches us that a parent who loves their child will reprove them. I want the best for you so I am motivated to tell you the truth even if it stings a bit. Secondly, if it is a particularly hard hitting message, don’t be offended. I’m probably not even talking to you. I am probably preaching to myself because believe me, some of these messages are for me more than for anyone else. Some of them seem to be given only for me. But I take that as God’s love for me. He wants us to live the high life, a life of abundance and He knows the things in our lives which are acting as obstacles to this good life. How shall He tell us so that we may move into the better life that He has for us? Shall we choose to be offended when God is trying to help us?

So here is the conclusion. I honestly believe that any time we find ourselves offended by our pastor’s message we should check ourselves. Now, I am not saying that ministers are perfect. I have been offended by some messages too but there is another characteristic that should be working in us too. It is called forgiveness. We must overlook one another’s flaws. Do you believe your pastor hears from God? If the answer is no, change churches. If the answer is yes, then be faithful. Jesus, so many times said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” It could be that we are all still developing our spiritual ears. But let us come to this conclusion. Our minsters were called by God to serve us and they have an anointing on their lives to deliver the gospel. They have our best interests at heart and preach truth, even hard-hitting truth, because of their devotion to us. 

I would like to make this personal again. I apologize right now if I ever hurt your feelings. On the other hand I want you to know that I place a high value on telling you the truth and I trust that you are people of stern stuff rather than wishy-washy, half-hearted Christians. God is raising up His army in our generation and His ministers have been tasked with equipping the saints. I would rather bruise your ego a little than for the enemy to kill you. So this is the choice I make, to tell you the truth as God reveals it to me and trust that you are strong enough to hear it. There may be times you disagree with me. That’s okay. Listen, I still watch and listen to preachers that I have some disagreements with. It is very difficult for us all to agree 100% of the time but that should be no bar to our fellowship. You simply take those things to the Lord and let Him guide you and teach you. Some of those items will lead you into deep revelations. And I will tell you upfront that I am not walking in the full revelation yet. I am still learning as well. So don’t let that hinder you. If we continually allow ourselves to become offended, we end up isolating ourselves and then we develop our own personal theology which is very dangerous. 

Alright, so this is one of those messages I have not wanted to send though it has been on my list for months. When God showed me the exact same verse again today it just could not be avoided any longer. So don’t take offense at a message that teaches not to be offended and let us all remind ourselves that this message began with Jesus speaking. The spirit of offense which is in operation in the body of Christ can, and will, be crushed when we all refuse to feed it or give into its urgings.

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