Human Sacrifice

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

Romans 12: 1

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

This passage is so familiar that we often fail to look at the words. This isn’t just a call to present your body to God. There is more to it than that. This is a form of worship. It is part of our service to God. Note how urgently Paul entreats his followers. He seems to think this is very important. He tells us to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. If I sacrifice my body to God’s service then that must mean that I am giving up some level of control. My body is no longer my own. Isn’t that right? We are no longer our own. We have been purchased with a price, the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5: 9). Further, this offering is meant to be a sacrifice which is acceptable to God. What does that mean? People have many answers to that question, you hopefully will find your own, but one way to think about it is that I will not take God’s body anywhere I should not. It also seems that it would mean that when I use this body, I use it in ways that are consistent with the Word of God. And I would mention that when we present our bodies to God it means that we give each part, all members of our bodies to God. That means even our tongues. What we say ought to edify the Father and His children.

I wish to give you one other perspective on giving your body to God. I recently made a long bike ride. In the last eight miles it started getting tough. Well, the Father and I have a running deal that the last three miles are His. He helps me through all the other miles but that last three are His alone. Well, with eight miles to go I started praying. I said, “Dad, it looks like you are going to have to take the last eight miles today.” That presented no problem to Him at all. I started releasing everything to Him and then I said, “Father, I give you my legs.” Wow! An epiphany went off in my head. I received a revelation of God’s healing and energizing power flowing into my legs and of Him using my legs to power that bike. I tell you I am getting thrilled again just writing to you about it.

When we present our bodies we need to present each and every part. Don’t just present your body as a whole. Give Him your eyes and then look out through those eyes with Him. Look at your hands and give them to Him. How does your back feel? Give Him your back. Give all to Him and what you will find is that He just multiplies your sacrifices and offerings back to you a hundredfold. I don’t know when we will ever let this hundredfold return on our offerings really sink in but it is right there in our bodies as well as our pocketbooks. Every time Dad demands an offering or a gift it is because He wants to do something for you. If you will give Him your body you will receive it back in much better working order. He has healing in His hands so whatever you put into His hands comes out with healing in it. Hey, that wouldn’t be bad for our pocketbooks either, would it?

Well, the moral of the story is that I had a great ride. I completed my first 50 mile bike ride ever and my average speed was as high as for a 25 mile ride. And that is not all. The next day I was not sore at all. In fact, I walked on the treadmill the next day. It wasn’t in my strength but, hallelujah, when I am weak, then I am strong. Think I will give the sacrifice of my body on the next ride.

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One Touch

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

Matthew 9: 31

They went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land.

Do you want to know how to evangelize the world? Here is an evangelism revelation. There were two guys in this story who spread the word about Jesus throughout the whole land. Were these just two of the best evangelists ever or is there something else going on here? And most importantly, what can we learn from their story?

The backstory is that two blind men pursued Jesus and healing. When Jesus asked them if they believed he was able to restore their sight they answered, “Yes, Lord” (v. 28). Jesus then touched their eyes and said, “Be it done to you according to your faith,” and the men’s sight was restored (v. 29 – 30). Clearly there is a faith message there but we also see in this example of Jesus’ ministry how we can spread the good news about the Kingdom of God – heal a few people.

What? Me? Well, isn’t that the ministry Jesus has left us with? Look at Ephesians 4 with me, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ” (v. 11 – 12, emphasis added). God has established these ministry positions in order to equip the rest of us for the work of Christ. We, the body, carry out the divine commission. Jesus has also empowered us for this service. “And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons’” (Matthew 10: 1, 8). The only question we have to answer is, “Am I a disciple of Christ” because all who are Christ’s disciples are anointed with his authority. 

God gave Jesus the power to heal and Jesus gave it to us. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you’” (John 20: 21). As we see from the experience of the two blind men, one touch from God will change a person forever. They become the voice heard in the desert. The steps to world evangelism are first that we must allow Jesus to touch us, and I mean really touch us. It is his ministrations to our heart and receiving our own miracles that make his word like a fire brand in our mouths. We need to seek that personal touch and live in it. Then we extend his grace to others. We lay hands on the sick and they recover, not because of our faith, not because of our healing anointing but rather by the blessing of the Lord. Jesus said, “The Father abiding in Me does His works” (John 14: 10). So, we need not have performance pressure. It is Jesus within me who does the works and whoever Jesus touches will want to tell the world.

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Another Great Exodus

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

Judges 6: 8 – 9

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out from the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land.'”

All through the Old Testament we keep hearing the forefathers talk about God leading the people out of the bondage of Egypt. They constantly reminded each other that their God was He who led them out of bondage and into a life of abundance and blessing. Finally I was reading in the Old Testament and it dawned on me. Nothing has actually changed in that regard. God is still doing the same thing today, liberating people from bondage.

You see, the God that freed the Israelites from the cruelties of Pharaoh is still on the throne today and wants to give you your own personal exodus. He wants you to experience complete freedom. You can be free from financial worries, physical limitations and anything else that limits your life. Your heart can be completely healed, your life redeemed and your end can be far greater than your beginning. God really does have super huge plans for you but you have to partner with Him. Do you remember the exodus story? Remember how much difficulty Moses had persuading the slaves to leave their slavery and follow God into a life of freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey? We actually do the same thing today. We are so comfortable in our prisons, some of which are self-made, that it is easier to remain in bondage than to take a step of faith. It is hard to put your reputation and your heart on the line and actually stand with God. It is sometimes hard to hope. But God is calling to you to come out. He wants you to live a life without man imposed limits. Jesus removed all the limits, all of the ties which bind. He has given you wings with which you can soar.

Do you think this is just rhetoric? Look around. Some Christians are actually flying with Jesus. They are living that abundant life that Jesus promised all of us in John 10: 10. What makes them so special? I think it is just that they believe and we don’t. What if we could mend our believers and jump off the end of the pier like they do? What if we could really trust God with our hopes and dreams? Is He a god who is deaf or uncaring?  

I believe that we can all attain to great heights. We have only to open our hearts and let God speak to us there. We must abandon the rules of this world and all its negative reports and believe in the depths of our spirits that God really does want to work great things in our lives. There is nothing to stop us from having the very best year of our lives this year. This can be the year of bounty. Be still and hear what the voice of God is saying to you. Take time to listen to the whisper of your heart. There are great things on the wind for you. God is calling to you. Listen. Grab the truth and refuse to let go. Let the world go its way and follow dear Jesus to the land of milk and honey. It is just around the bend. Agree that this is your year. Set your heart in agreement with God. There is freedom for the captives; a great exodus. Where will you go?

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The Healing Touch

On November 17, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 30:17

For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds.

I am sure you have had an itch that you could not reach. Usually it’s right in the middle of your back. If you are lucky you can find someone who will scratch it for you. I want you to imagine that instead of it being an itch though, it is a wound. If it hurts a great deal you may find that you don’t want anyone to touch it, even a healer. This is the way we are with God. Although He has healing in His wings, many times we won’t let Him touch the spot that hurts.

Deep inside us are places that we cannot reach but we refuse to allow anyone else to touch either even if they mean to minister healing to them. We are afraid of receiving more pain. We need to address this dynamic and allow the great healer to touch us.

First of all, if we are afraid then fear is the first obstacle and it is usually the greatest hurdle we must overcome. Fear is not from God. All fear is from the pit of hell. Fear is not the same as wise caution. It you balk at doing something stupid because it may end in injury I would say that is wisdom. Fear of allowing God to minister to you can only be from the devil. That makes sense, right? So we must not allow fear to rule our lives. We are afraid of pain but healing pain is transitory. It is very short lived while leaving the infected area untreated will result in greater and greater sickness and pain. When this wound is in our flesh we ultimately come to these conclusions and seek out help. It is when the pain is in our hearts that we close up like a clam and we do not even allow the light of blessed Jesus to shine in those dark recesses.

Imagine with me again, if you will. Picture an infected wound inside your spirit, inside your heart. Is your instinct to hide it away and pretend it is not there? For many of us that is the first response but God has made us thinking spirits. We do not operate by instinct but by the grace of God. Therefore, we may engage a higher faculty. We have minds that have been anointed by Christ himself who gives us his thoughts and his wisdom. We have glorious spirits where the Holy Spirit himself resides. We can rise above animalistic instinct and engage in holy dialogue with the healer.

Believe me in this, trust me; his touch is tender. I have had doctors root around in physical injuries, I had one doctor hand me a bullet to bite on, I know about pain. I also have been touched by Jesus and it is not the same at all. He is gentle and kind. There are few people walking around without some sort of wound, we are the walking wounded and just because we can function does not mean we are whole. Jesus came to give us the abundant life that he and his father live; he came to give us his life (John 10: 10). He wants to lead us all into a glorious existence where our needs are met, our bodies are healed and we have rewarding relationships. He wants to give you everything you have ever wanted but he needs you to let him in. He can heal all of the broken places even the places you are afraid to look at. His healing is complete but you have to give him access. Won’t you spend some quiet time with Him and talk to Him about this. I know this is a big reason why you have a hard time spending quality quiet time with Him. You are afraid He will begin to talk to you about your brokenness but if you will allow Him He will make it all better. Give Him a chance. Let Him be your healer. It will be okay. I promise.

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Holy Health

On November 3, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 4: 2

But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like claves from the stall.

There is so much to love about this scripture. The image is one of incredible blessing for those who love God. Just thinking about the sun of righteousness rising on you might be enough to dwell on for quite some time. But that the rising of the aforementioned sun brings with it healing is great news. Because you love God, because you have dedicated your life to Him, there is blessing in the wings for you. One of the blessings is that you should live a healed life. You do not have to accept the sickness that the devil has spread. God and Jesus have already provided for your healing and your health. They have so blessed your physical body that as you receive more of the blessing, you will be able to skip around like a calf. You are expected to be spry and agile. Your body serves you. And if you are in Christ then you have your life in Christ and your body is his temple. Your body is dedicated to the service of the Lord and the Lord is responsible for its upkeep. Thank the Lord for his grace and mercy and for the great gifts he has bestowed on us.

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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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Made Strong

On August 19, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 105: 37

Then He brought them out with silver and gold; and among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.

I recently heard Pastor Joseph Prince teaching on communion. It is a brilliant teaching. The part that made the greatest impact on me was when he spoke about the Hebrew children leaving Egypt in the great exodus. He used today’s scripture in his message. The Amplified version says that there was not one feeble among their tribes. Prince ascribed that miracle to the immediate previous actions of the Israelites. They had just partaken of Passover. The people took unblemished lambs; slew them and used the blood to mark the entrance to their homes. Then they ate the meat of the lamb. You can see there the communion message because in our communion we partake of the body of the perfect lamb as represented by the bread. Since Jesus took all disease and physical ailment in his body we are able to live free of sickness and disease. The Passover looked forward to the slaying of the perfect lamb while our communion looks back to the sacrifice of our Lord. In both instances our sickness was born in his stripes (see Isaiah 53: 4 – 5, 1 Peter 2: 24).  

Joseph Prince’s teaching taught about the power in communion when you understand it and it is not merely a ritual. If it is done apart from faith, then it is meaningless. When, however, you mix your faith with the giving and receiving of the body of Christ then the miraculous can truly happen. That is what the bread is. It represents the body of Christ Jesus which was broken for us. Referring back to the fact that no one among the Israelites was feeble, Prince said that the partaking of Jesus makes you strong. If, therefore, you need healing in your body, it can be found in the broken body of Jesus, so receive the communion bread in faith expecting the healing power of Jesus to touch your body.

As I wrote earlier, I think it is a brilliant teaching but I am really trying to arrive at a different message by using Joseph Prince’s message as the foundation. When I heard him say that partaking of Jesus makes you strong my mind left the thoughts of the body of Christ which was broken for our healing and went to inner healing and inner strength. Partaking of the body makes your body strong but also partaking of the Spirit of Jesus and the Words of Jesus makes your inner person strong. 

Most of us have scars and injuries in the inner person and those injuries make us weak. They make us dance to other people’s tunes rather than living in true freedom. They incapacitate us and they steal life from us. However, if we will fill ourselves with Jesus we will be healed in the innermost parts and we will become strong. You can have everything you want if you will receive Jesus’ healing. It takes some courage perhaps. Too many of us are afraid to feel and afraid to make ourselves vulnerable even to the Lord. If you will let him, though, Jesus will make you strong in your body, mind and emotions. Of what are you afraid? Let him touch your heart. Partake of his spirit and his word and you shall be made strong. Of you it will be said, “Not one among them was found to be feeble.”

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