Creative Power

On January 15, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Genesis 1: 2

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Through this Word of the Day devotional and Ivey Ministries, you are continually encouraged to learn about the Holy Spirit and to develop a relationship with him. This week, I will endeavor to assist you in that pursuit by showing you some of the verses about the Spirit and by sharing some background information.

Today’s verse represents the first time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Bible. God didn’t wait long to introduce him. In fact, we hear about him before any mention of the Son. Verse one reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Then God begins describing the creation of the earth and that formation starts with the Holy Spirit. We find out in the book of John that Jesus was in the beginning and that nothing that was made, was made apart from him, but we see that Holy Spirit is central to creation. Even now, he remains the creative power of God.

The Spirit hovered, many manuscripts say, over the surface of the waters. He was awaiting the Father’s vision and command. Then when God spoke, the Spirit created, or brought into being, that which the Father designed. This process of creation is how things work today also. Father began His book by demonstrating a key principle of life and of the workings of the Kingdom of God. Creation happens in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

I told you that Jesus was in the beginning (John 1: 1). His role is significant but not so obvious. The power of creation begins with an idea or a vision. In this case, God had a design in mind for the earth. We know from Matthew 6: 10 that God’s idea was to create earth in the image of heaven. So, He had a clear picture in mind. The next thing He did was to speak. What did He speak, one might ask. He spoke The Word. That is where Jesus made his entrance. The Word is Jesus and Jesus is the Word. As soon as the Father spoke the Word, the Holy Spirit took that Word and materialized God’s vision.

We can do the same thing. We have an idea in mind, employ the Word of God by speaking it and then the Holy Spirit springs into action. He has hosts of angels and spirit beings who hearken to his command. This is how things get done in the earth. That is why it is so important for us to develop a relationship with the Spirit; to get to know him. Through our partnership with him, all things truly are possible. Jesus said he could do nothing of himself (John 5: 19). It was only through his collaboration with the Spirit that he could do anything. We know how successful Jesus was so there should be great motivation to learn to work with the Spirit as he did.

Today is a step towards knowing him better. We learned that he is the creative power of the Trinity. Knowing that might well change our perceptions of creating what we need in our lives as it probably affects our prayer life as well.

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Whose Truth?

On September 22, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 8: 17

He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.

If Jesus took our infirmities and carried away our diseases, why do we still have trouble with them here? This verse says he carried them away. To where did he carry them?

Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, as they say. This is a great dividing line between Christians. No, it’s not whether or not Jesus heals. We all pretty much agree on that. No, the real question is whether or not we believe the Bible. I mean, I took Matthew 8: 17 straight out of the Bible. Do we honestly believe, though, what we read there? What happens when we run into a verse like this one with which our experience so greatly disagrees? What do we do? The easiest method is just to ignore them. Some people are challenged by them while others get angry and defensive. Mostly, we reduce the veracity of the Bible to our experience. That is to say, we elevate our experiences over what the Bible says. This helps us maintain our ego. It is self-preservation. Otherwise, we are forced to admit we are missing something somewhere, and that is far from comfortable.

I want to suggest that this verse is absolute truth but the rest of the story is that I am not living the fullness of it either and that bothers me. I believe Jesus took all of our sickness and disease and put them in the same bag with sin and carried them to the pit of hell when he went there and took the devil’s keys. Where else could he have carried them away to? So, if they are gone, why are we still dealing with them?

Jesus has a truth and reality he is trying to convey to us. We should be able to read today’s verse and get really happy instead of overlooking it with a cavalier, unbelieving attitude. Perhaps if we could, as a body, believe these words, then disease would stay in hell to where it was banished. It is not God’s will, and certainly not Jesus’, that infirmity and disease are running rampant through our societies.

In today’s Word of the Day I wish to challenge you, not just to believe this passage of scripture, but to look at the Bible with new eyes, to read these passages as Jesus speaking directly to you. If you are not living what the Word says, then take it to Jesus. Hold him accountable to teach you because he is the Word, and we ought to be able to believe him.

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Word Speak

On May 4, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 2: 2

And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

Jesus’ public ministry began when he stood up to read in the synagogue. Opening the book of Isaiah, he read his commission (see Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 and Luke 4: 18 – 19). He came to preach the good news, proclaim liberty, recovery, and the year of the Lord and to free the downtrodden. In a sound bite, that is his mandate from God. Notice that his assignment included preach and proclaim. It is no wonder, then, that his ministry involved speaking the word.

Jesus’ proclamation, his preaching was of the Word of God, not of himself. Isn’t that interesting? Of all of the ministers and priests of all of the ages, if there is one who should be qualified to preach of his own knowledge, wisdom and intelligence it would seem to be Jesus. Yet, his preaching was, and is, proclaiming the Word of God. Apparently his message was so good that there was no even standing room. The Word ministered to people’s need and it still does today.

None of the things Jesus did on this earth were of himself. He always relied on the wisdom and guidance of the Father. Do you remember the story of the woman who was cast at his feet by the Pharisees, accused of adultery? They pitted Jesus in a quandary between grace and law wondering what he would choose. Either way, they figured, they would win. Jesus did not answer them immediately. Instead, he stooped down and began to write in the dirt. Finally, when they pressed him, he stood and gave such an enlightened answer that all of their guile folded back upon them. So, my question is this, “What was Jesus doing when was stooped over writing in the dirt?” We don’t really know but I believe he was inquiring of his Father.

My point is this, everything Jesus used for his ministry is available to us and even more. When Jesus spoke the Word, he only had the Old Testament writings. Think of how much we have in the New Testament with all of the stories about Jesus, words he spoke when he lived here and the writings of the apostles. I believe the power of Jesus’ ministry was that he was grounded in God’s Word. That is what he gave to people and out of that flowed the healings and miracles.

Don’t you wonder what Old Testament wisdom He spoke when he sat down to teach? Which stories did he retell? Think about it this way, we have in our hands, the substance of Jesus’ every sermon. That awes me. What did he see in those ancient texts? Whenever he preached, lives were changed. Wouldn’t every pastor in the world love to be able to make that claim. It is all there for us all, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the thoughts and wisdom of God as recorded in the Bible. Those are the tools with which Jesus changed the world. What can we do with them?

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Living Bread

On April 11, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 6: 51

I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.

It’s easy enough to accept this verse at face value. If someone says to us that Jesus is the bread of life we easily agree with them. What, though, does this verse really mean? Jesus said we are to eat this bread. If we do, we shall live forever. Okay, sign me up but how does one eat this bread?

Here is another question. Does this verse speak about consuming the Word or about communion? Better still, is there something else we are missing entirely? How do you imagine we are supposed to ingest this living bread, the bread of life, as it were? Go a step further and ask, how are we supposed to consume Jesus. That almost sounds disgusting, doesn’t it?

The truth of the matter is that He lost some people over this teaching which is kind of interesting. He had just told them how to have eternal life and they fell away. He even asked the twelve if they were going to leave also. As you know, they stayed with Jesus but this teaching was so strong and so difficult that many people stopped following Jesus. I guess we have the same problem today though. When the message gets tough the weak just leave.

It is a simple thing for us to say that in order to be saved, in order to gain eternal life we must partake of Jesus. The more difficult part is in figuring out what that means in practice. I am going to leave this for you to decide for yourself. Obviously this was not some platitude that Jesus offered. Had it been a shallow, non-substantive message, people would not have left him. So, there has to be something deep and strong about this, probably something which requires something of us. In any event, there is no life without Jesus, no life without eating the bread from heaven.

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Washy, Washy

On February 14, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 36: 1 – 4                  God’s Word

There is an inspired truth about the wicked person
who has rebellion in the depths of his heart:
He is not terrified of God.
He flatters himself and does not hate or even recognize his guilt.
The words from his mouth are nothing but trouble and deception.
He has stopped doing what is wise and good.
He invents trouble while lying on his bed
and chooses to go the wrong direction.
He does not reject evil.

This is an interesting psalm. It is twelve verses long; the remaining verses are in tomorrow’s Word of the Day. It is a study in contrast, as you will see. Ultimately we observe the grace of God which saves us and praise God for that. These beginning verses are beyond sad. They speak of a tragedy. David wrote this psalm so recall to your mind who his audience was. He, as I, wrote to God’s children. His psalms are an expression of what his heart experienced with the people God chose as His own. This is the lens through which you should read this psalm and this Word of the Day. We are talking about God’s kids here, not the unsaved heathen of a savage land.

The beginning of this passage in the New American Standard Bible reads, “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart.” In other words, the voice of transgression is the rebellion in the heart of the one who is not wearing his godly mantle. To be ungodly is just that. We have been reborn into the family of God. That makes us godly, “of God.” However, we don’t always behave as if we are “born of God.” Sometimes we appear to the world around us the same as any unsaved person. Why is this so?

Today’s devotional is not a call to behavioral modification. It is a call to nurture and heal our hearts so that transgression does not keep us bound by its deception. See that this person has “stopped doing what is wise and good.” He used to but now he has begun to listen to a voice which is misleading him. He has allowed his heart to be corrupted; contaminated. He listens to his own counsel which has become perverted so that he no longer even recognizes his guilt much less hates it. The Amplified version says, “For he flatters and deceives himself in his own eyes thinking that his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God]” (v. 2). Do you see what is happening here? It is a very important point. God is telling us that we deceive ourselves. Our own words, the words we speak to ourselves convince us as to our course of action. Do you see why this is so tragic. You cannot rescue yourself. Your wisdom and your counsel can mislead you. That is why we need Jesus and his word. Christians experience this misleading everyday all over the world. Well intentioned people have allowed a little slippage here and a little there until they no longer even see their sin. It isn’t only denial. They have become blind to it. But there is hope. There is always hope. Jesus and Yahweh have remedied every problem we have.

Have you ever heard the expression, “washed in the Word?” That comes from Ephesians 5: 26. Jesus’ words are a cleansing river. They fill us and simply wash out the old. It is not a painful process. It is like soaking in a hot tub. Grace and mercy flow in; lies and deception flow out. You cannot stand in Jesus’ presence and lie to yourself. He is truth. Fear not, though, because truth sets you free. Truth isn’t painful. It is liberating. Jesus wishes to show you the way. He is the way. He didn’t come here to accuse us but rather to save us so refresh your hope. Be renewed in joy. The root of Jesse has come to restore you and give you hope for tomorrow and the day after that and on and on.

Obviously, the big secret is abiding in the Word, Jesus and the Father. It is in being intertwined with the savior. Within his abiding presence is a host of help and tools. Do not feel alone, do not be alone. Reach out to others. Let your heart hear the truth from the Word and also from your pastor and other Christian friends. Listen to some of the most anointed preachers in the world through free internet programming. A theology which grows in isolation is rarely a healthy one. We need to hear other voices speaking into our lives. You should not be your only adviser. Reach out to others who are in the Word and share your experiences with each other. They can benefit from your voice too!

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Fire and Hammer

On January 5, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 23: 29

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

It is interesting to see how the Lord describes His word. In this passage the Lord was talking about the prophets. He was displeased because they were not telling the people what His word declares. He said in verse 28, “Let him who has My word speak My word in truth.” This is the job of the prophet. The mission is not to tell cute anecdotal stories and jokes. It is not the administration of the church. The basic function of pulpit ministers is to speak God’s word in truth. Why is this so? It is because the word is powerful.

What words would you use to describe fire? The word which comes to my mind is “consuming.” God’s word is consuming like fire. And why do you suppose God compares His word to a hammer. Is it because it is a tool with which a person can exert great force? Fire is full of power and energy as well. It seems that God is conveying to us that His word is a powerful force in our hands and mouths. He chastised the prophets because they were not equipping the people with the Word. The prophets were not giving the people that one tool which was able to overcome their problems.

What challenges are you facing right now? Make a list of them, actually write them out on paper. Don’t let your issue remain nebulous ghosts which haunt your waking and sleeping hours. Write them down. Now look at the list. Every single one of them has an answer in God’s word. Look in the back of your Bible for related verses for each. Search online, ask your pastor, ask me. There are answers. Don’t let those problems have free reign in your life. Light them up with the word. Burn ‘em down and beat them over the head with your Word hammer. The Word is more powerful than those challenges. Let’s get after them!

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Big Turn-out

On December 14, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Acts 13: 44

And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God.

I often wonder why we, as Americans, do not seem to honor the Bible greatly. In the passage above, nearly the whole town turned out to hear the Word of God. One reason may be that Bibles are so readily available to us; we have such easy access to them. Looking up from my keyboard I can count eight Bibles of various translations, formats and languages. And that only represents the ones in this room. There are others in different places in the house. Does this sometimes make us complacent? Do we esteem lightly those things which are easily obtained?

I also hear people talk about the Bible being written by men although it is inspired by God. Their point is that they think the Bible may be flawed because God had to pen it through a person’s hand. So I wonder, have we become arrogant in our age of individualism and intellectualism? Are we so impressed with our own great intellect that we do not feel that we need take direction from another? Do we believe that the Apostle Paul cannot inform our lives? If not that, are we just lazy? Do we forsake the reading of our Bibles because we have televisions to entertain us? Or maybe fear plays a role in our indolent attitude towards the Bible. Maybe we are afraid that it will in some way require something of us. Perhaps we fear it will require something we are unwilling to give. Maybe we think we can plead ignorance when we face God so we keep ourselves intentionally ignorant of the Bible’s passages.

I do not know all the answers to these questions but I do have observations. And I have observed that a great many Christians give short shrift to the Bible. The scriptures and teaching of them does not even always hold a primary position in Christian services. Whether we believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God or not, most of us do believe it is the Word of God. It is the only word of God we have.

I want you to develop a lifelong love affair with the Word because it is the power of God. There is comfort in the Word. There is healing. I know the best thing I can give anyone is the Word of God. There is so much security and help in the Word and all I can bring you is a little dose. God talks to us through his Word. He leads us through his word. It is your sword and your shield and your very constant companion.

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