To Catch a Thief

On January 30, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 6: 31

Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, but when he is found he must repay sevenfold.

The devil is a thief. Jesus said that he comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). If he is caught, though, he also must repay seven times. That is the law by which he is bound. He is not allowed to run around stealing from you. Jesus has already defeated the devil. We are not awaiting some battle that is going to take place. It is done. Jesus went into hell and took the keys of death, hell and the grave. Everything that the devil ever had is now under Jesus’ feet and therefore under our feet. How long, then are we going to allow the devil to steal from us?

The problem that I often have is that I wait for God to do something when the power of the Almighty is alive inside me. Jesus said to speak to the mountain (Mark 11: 23); he didn’t tell us to pray about it. That’s kinda tough. I am supposed to do something about the situations of my life. I am supposed to wield this power. I would rather whine to Dad and Him do something about it but He says, “I have, I have done it all. I have given you everything you need. Now go forth and use the sword I gave you.” “Oh yeah,” I think, “I have the Word and the Word has already whipped the devil.” The Word is in my heart and now it must be in my mouth. I have to say something.

No one said there was anything comfortable about this. In fact, many of our churches don’t teach us this so we kind of look like deer in the headlights when we hear this message. Kenneth Hagin spent 50 years of ministry teaching people to speak to their mountains. I guess it is time we start talking. Speak protection over your family and belongings. Cover everything with the shed blood of Jesus. Then start telling your mountains to jump in the sea.

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The Heart of the Matter

On January 21, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 13: 14 – 15

And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return and I should heal them.”

 I cannot believe I never caught this before. Jesus was discussing how the Pharisees and those like them keep on hearing but never really hear and keep on looking but never see. They attend every conference, are at church every week but they never, according to Jesus, understand nor perceive. How catastrophic! They are dutiful but still ignorant. Why? Jesus explains in the next verse. He says their hearts have become dull. That is to say that regardless of how devoted we are about attending church and conferences, listening to tapes or streaming video it is all futile if we do not first engage our hearts.

Now, let’s be frank. A person who is constantly listening to CD’s, etc. is probably a true seeker and God has promised that those who seek find. However, those who haven’t set their hearts to God are going to be dull. In other words they have lost their passion and their hearts truly are not engaged. Jesus is telling us very plainly here that we cannot hear him nor perceive him if our hearts are not tender and open to him.

It seems that understanding is a heart matter rather than an intellectual issue. I didn’t know that. I have been seeking God with my intellect but look at the last bit of the passage. Jesus says that we will understand with our hearts. When we approach Jesus with tender hearts, with spirits which are open to him, then he will touch us and heal us. 

Our answers, our met needs are in Jesus and in the life that he came to earth to procure for us. If we are not living the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10: 10 then we might want to check our hearts. Are our hearts bared before him? Does he have an invitation to abide there? The secrets and mysteries, the deep things of God are to be found through our hearts where we will see and hear. Glory to God for this insight!

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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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Down but not Out

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

2 Corinthians 4: 8 – 9

[W]e are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

No matter what hardships come against us, we are never defeated because of the love of the Father, and God who always picks us up and provides us all the tools and weapons for defense and victory. We never have to live even one day in despair because we have a Father who is loving and kind. Moreover, he is able to care for us. He is always there for us. Even if some event knocks you down, do not despair. Your Father will not allow you to be defeated. You may say with all confidence that although you have suffered a blow, you will be back in greater form than ever before. God is not willing that any of us should suffer defeat. Put your confidence in His faithfulness. We are never forsaken. Not even when it looks like we have been. 

There is a destroyer (John 10: 10). He doesn’t have any real power. He is just a renegade and a trickster. He will try to convince you that you are forsaken, that God has turned His face from you. This is the only weapon he really has, deception. This is what he did to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He fooled them, tricked them into thinking things were one way when they were really another. So, don’t believe the lies of the devil. Don’t even believe your own eyes. Believe the Lord, our God. Jesus is the truth. Believe him. You cannot be destroyed as long as your eyes are fixed on Jesus and you deny the lies of the evil one. God bless you.

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The Prowling Lion

On October 7, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 5: 8

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

You have an adversary and he is named here. Do not be uninformed. There is an enemy out there and he comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). He will devour as many as will let him. Someone told me once that she did not believe there was any such thing as “evil” in the world. Well, she is susceptible to all of the snares of the wily one because she does not even acknowledge that there is an adversary. He can run around her life unchallenged. He can sneak around and plot all he wants because there is no lookout. I would rather trust the Apostle Peter’s knowledge and have my defenses built against foes. Be on your guard, be alert. Know that there is an enemy; prepare yourself by spending time in the word and with your heavenly father so that your defenses will be too much for the enemy. He will pass you by for easier targets because you are built up in your most holy faith (Jude 1: 20).

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The Fountain of Life

On August 20, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 36: 9

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

I cannot help but think of Indiana Jones when I read this scripture and every other treasure hunting story and movie. I have an image running through my mind of people searching the world over for the secret fountain. Can’t you see them competing with one another and trying to beat their rivals to the prize?  If only they knew.

Jesus said that he came to give us abundant life (John 10: 10). From today’s passage we learn that in God, the Father is a fountain flowing with life. When we take these two verses together we begin to understand that the life that Jesus came to give us is in the Father. Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father so that we can draw upon His life giving force. As you partake of Jesus you partake of the Father because Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. They are inseparable. In them are life and strength and the more of them you partake of the stronger and more full of life you become. 

Now we also understand how our strength can be renewed (Isaiah 40: 31). Our strength really is in the Lord and if you want to run hard you need to fill up. Believe me, I can tell, and unfortunately it is also evident to others, when I have not spent sufficient time in the Word or with my Father. It shows. I have never found the point, however, where I would say, “I have spent too much time with God.” Feeding on the Word and spending time in the presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the source of strength. Our endurance is in Him. You really can run and not get weary if you feed daily. There are so many demands on people’s time these days and I hear constantly how people are tired. With all those demands and corollary time limits it can be very difficult to get in quality time with the Lord. The truth is, though, if we will spend our time with God then he will give us the strength to do all that we must and we will do it in less time. I know this all sounds counter-intuitive but I have seen it work time and again.

There is a fountain of life and if we will drink from it we will glow with supernatural life. There is a remedy for every malady in that cool, clear water and strength for our tired bones. So, let Indiana Jones run around the world unearthing every clue while we steer straight to the fountain unhindered and drink our fill of life. Drink your fill, it’s already been paid for.

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