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?

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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).

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

Reborn, Renewed, Alive in Christ

On June 18, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 20: 30 -31

Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

John and the other writers of the gospels related some of the miracles of Jesus but John makes a point here to tell us that the miracles we read about in the gospels are by no means an exhaustive list of the many miracles Jesus performed. So, this question presents itself, “How many miracles does it take for one to believe?” We, who receive this daily devotional, are all believers in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God so somewhere along the line we must have seen enough evidence. Then John says that in our believing we should have life in the name of Jesus. What did he mean by that? He wasn’t talking to a bunch of physically dead people so he wasn’t talking about physical life. He was, however, speaking to spiritually dead people, people like us before we were saved. So this evidence of Jesus as the Messiah was supposed to infuse life into those who would believe, spiritual life.

When is salvation then? Will we be saved in the great by and by? We all talk about when we were saved (past tense) i.e. “I was saved in 1974,” “I was saved out at sea when a shipmate prayed for me,” etc. We have already been saved and given access to this life about which John writes. Salvation is not for tomorrow. We didn’t buy a ticket to salvation. We already have it today. You are living your eternal life in Christ right now. Your eternal life began the moment you received Jesus as Lord. So what is John really trying to get at in this passage? Do you think this is a simple message of salvation to the uninitiated or is there more here?  

One of the things that I think John is trying to get us to accept is that Jesus is a miracle worker. The believers of John’s time came to Jesus through his miracles. In other words, they saw and heard about the miracles that Jesus performed and through them they accepted that He is the King, Messiah and Lord. They first believed the miracles then they equated that miracle working power with his divine lordship. An interesting dynamic exists in our times. We believe that Jesus is Lord and through that confession of faith we try to believe that He is also a miracle worker. Many, however, are unconvinced of his power. They believe that He is the Christ but they do not believe in his ability to exercise miracle producing power today. Some do not even believe that the chronicles of Jesus’ miracles is a true account. They think the gospels are a fairy tale.

The third problem in our thought process is that some of us do not fully understand or appreciate that Jesus is alive. We have left him on the cross or in the grave but He is a resurrected Lord. He is alive and well. Without this revelation, by which I mean a clear and certain knowing in one’s heart as well as one’s mind, we cannot receive this life in Christ to which John is attempting to lead us. 

Jesus told us that he came in order to give us life, abundant life in fact (John 10: 10). This is what John is speaking about, the abundant life that is available in Christ Jesus to those who believe. But believe what? First that He is who He says He is, the resurrected Son of God, the promised Messiah, and second that He can do now what he did in the days before his crucifixion.

Miracles are still happening all over the world for those who believe. People are receiving sight from blind eyes just as they did when Jesus walked the earth. There are healings of every sort. Financial miracles abound, relationships are restored. All sorts of miracles are occurring, more than you can name. So I return to my first question, “How many miracles does it take for us to believe?” What is this life in Christ that John speaks of and how can we each live it. What did Jesus mean when he said, “abundant life?”

The life we live in the flesh is the low level of life but there is an abundant life overflowing with all of the blessings of God which is the free gift to whomever shall believe. This is the spiritual life, the renewed life. And with this new life in Christ Jesus every need is met, dreams and goals fulfilled, and a life of peace and joy. There is victory in Jesus, hence victorious living. All things become possible, life becomes easier and we can live a life where we feel fulfilled. Our lives are given purpose and we are satisfied even in the deep longing of our hearts. It is all available to he who believes. This life, this gift of a life in Christ, a life of abundance was the purpose of Jesus’ coming. If we are not living this life then why not? What does the body of Christ need in order to come into the life Jesus meant for us, died to give us?

The apostle John says that the secret is in our believing. We need to have our believers tweaked. Surely, the only way to do that is to renew ourselves in Jesus. We are going to have to seek him again as we did in the beginning. We need a renewal in our prayer life and in the Word. These are the two areas that we often let slide but which I am convinced are necessary for a life in Christ. It is only through communion with the Godhead that we are transformed in our hearts and in our thinking and can receive the revelations necessary for a rich, full existence in the person of Jesus. The hungry will seek and they will be fed. Jesus always fed the hungry. Do not settle for anything less than God’s best for you and He will fill you to overflowing as He has so often promised.

Back to Top

Staying Dry

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

Ephesians 1: 13

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

We are sealed in Christ. Our lives are sealed in Him. That is enough good news for us to close the book and go home. Perhaps some of you are outdoors adventurers and can relate to this. I like to kayak but one thing about kayaking is the water. Now, I love the water but my electronics don’t and even the dry clothes I carry with me are useless to me if they do not remain dry so I have dry bags for everything. I have a dry bag fanny pack and a dry bag for my phone and a dry bag for towels, clothes, etc. The technology of sealing these bags is remarkable. Some bags have zip lips, others fold down and clamp, others have zip locks that are impenetrable. So when I think of being sealed in Christ I have an idea that nothing unwanted, not even dust, can get to me. I am hidden away in Christ. We are in Christ but it is the Holy Spirit which seals us in Christ. So, imagine that Jesus is the dry bag. The Holy Spirit is the new technology of zip lips. The Holy Spirit is the seal that secures us from the damaging effects of the world. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one working together for our protection and security much like the dry bag and the closure on the dry bag. You cannot separate one from the other and truthfully say, “Well the bag is what protects my phone,” because the bag would not function fully without the seal and vice versa.

This is part of the miracle of Jesus’ victory over Satan. We know that Satan is like a lion on the prowl just looking for someone he can devour (1 Peter 5: 8). We know also that Satan’s intent is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). Knowing Satan’s nature God devised a plan to send the Holy Spirit into the world. Jesus even told us that it was to our advantage that he leave the earth so that he could send the helper, the Holy Spirit (John 16: 7). So, God sent the Christ to die for us so that the eternal life we live might be with Him in paradise. Then the Christ sent the Holy Spirit of promise so that we might live this life on earth in security and victory. God’s plan was a master plan that left nothing out. He did not disregard the time that we spend here on earth. He made a plan to seal our eternal life in His son, the Messiah and his plan further sealed out all of the devastating effects of life in the earth.  

I include amongst those ravaging effects the decay that the things of the world undergo. You know that just living on this planet creates a wear and tear on our bodies. Even gravity, for all of the good it does us, has its down side too. It is just like the water when you kayak. It is really, really beneficial to have water if you want to kayak but at the same time you have to protect yourself and your possessions from it too. So God gave us dry bags, and life preservers. In the same way, God sealed us from the negative impact of living in the earth so that our bodies do not have to suffer the negative effects of living in the world without protection.

The revelation of Paul was so huge that one little statement, such as today’s verse, contains a marvel of the miracle and mystery of Christ. This is why we must meditate on the scriptures. There is so much contained in even just a few words.

Back to Top