Learning to be Trustworthy

. . . for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

God’s ways and our ways are never the same, and His thoughts are always superior to ours. It is good for us to agree with this truth, because it is the basis for understanding the things He wants to do for us and through us. Thus, each of us will be challenged with opportunities to believe God — to walk in the spirit, and to walk by faith. The choices we make in those moments will determine how we play our role in the work God does. Can He work through us and with us? Or does He have to work around and despite us? 

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)

The angel Gabriel has spoken to Zacharias about the miracle of bringing a son into the world through him and his wife Elizabeth, who were far past their childbearing years. He doubted, and the angel humbled him for his unbelief, silencing him until the child was born. Gabriel did not have to humble Mary, and she will ever be remembered as a willing vessel of honor, called, chosen, willing, and faithful to God. Mary received her calling with humility and gratitude, and so must we. 

If you are God’s child, He will call your name and reveal Himself to you. So, be prepared to receive Him, and embrace His encouragement and instruction with faith. That is what pleases God. That is what it means to trustworthy.

Let’s Pray — Father, I am determined to take You at Your word when You speak. I desire to be a trustworthy steward of revelation. My hands and my heart are open to everything You have for me. In Jesus alone, Amen.

When God Speaks

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (Luke 1:18-20)

 

Some things are easy to believe, while other things are harder. That is because when God speaks to us, He is never speaking to our intellect, our feelings, or our will. He is speaking to our spirit. He does not expect us to always understand, but to always trust and obey Him. That is where Zacharias fell short.

 

Zacharias was a religious man, perfect in all things pertaining to the Law of Moses. But Gabriel was preparing the way for one greater than Moses, and he was looking for faith. He silenced Zacharias — not to punish him, but because the season ahead needed a man speaking words of encouragement, not words of doubt and fear. 

 

Can God trust you with revelation and with answers to prayer? Will you believe Him when He speaks? Will you take God at His Word, believing nothing is impossible with Him? Zacharias failed the test, at least in the beginning, so God humbled him. Does He have to humble you and me, or will we just believe?

 

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Let’s Pray — Father, I thank You for the gift of faith that keeps me believing in You and following You everywhere You lead. May I be a trustworthy steward of truth and revelation. Speak, Lord. I am listening. Amen.

Joy and the Overcomer

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The world and its mindset are under the sway of Satan, and they are fiercely hostile to the Person, message, and church of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus continually encourages His disciples to follow Him closely, lest the difficulties and cares of life draw us away from the victorious life He ordains for us — those who overcome.

 

The overcomer is full of "good cheer," because the love of God is the assurance of victory and good success. The present hardships draw us to God, and there we find peace that defeats our fears, and our faith grows with each victorious experience. Our lives are the proof that we can live for God amid a wicked and perverse generation, and we can do so joyfully. 

 

Where there is overcoming life and love, there is joy. We absolutely refuse to lose our joy, because the joy of the Lord is our strength — our life.

 

Let’s Pray — Dear Father, You are my strength and my joy. I release every care and concern, and I make the choice to trust and obey Your Word. Jesus has overcome the world, and I have overcome in Him. In Christ alone, Amen.

My God and My Experience

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of things around us, but the things God is doing within us. The work we are given to do is to focus on the kingdom within and heaven above. That is what this passage reveals.

 

Jesus kept a spiritual mindset, and His heart was set on His Father’s will, so He walked humbly and gave Himself to a life of obedience. An obedient life may be difficult at times, but it is the only life that produces the fruits of the Spirit that please God. Jesus pleased God, and so should we.

 

So, be encouraged and strengthened, even in this difficult hour. When we learn to see our trials as necessary preparation for all we are becoming in Christ, we will endure, praise Him, and thank Him for His love and grace.

 

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

(Matthew 6:10)

 

Let’s Pray —Dear Lord, thank You for Your patience and strength that bring me through every difficulty with a song of praise and victory. Be glorified in me today. Amen.

My God and My Character

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble. The (2 Peter 1:5-10)

Christian character is not something we are born with. It is developed through time and experience with God, and no other way. Character is the reward added to us as we pursue our relationship with the Lord with focus and energy. It is the evidence of an ever-deepening dependence on Him and His grace. It is Christ living, speaking, and serving through us in real time and tangible ways. 

 

Peter shows us what character development looks like, and we simply cannot afford to take his instruction lightly. Our Lord is coming back for a church without wrinkle or spot, and her members must be holy and prepared for His return. This is the work we must do to be presentable to God, and no one can do the work for us — it is our reasonable service. 

 

You and I are to pursue Christian character through,

• virtue (moral excellence, integrity, chastity, uprightness)
• knowledge (intimacy, familiarity, closeness, certainty)
• self-control (sobriety, discipline, maturity)
• perseverance (determination, patience)
• godliness (Christlikeness),
• brotherly kindness (gentleness, winsomeness, helpfulness)
• love (possessing and reflecting God’s heart for all).

May the Lord bless and help you mightily on your journey to Christian character. 

 

. . . being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

(Philippians 1:6)

 

Let’s Pray — Dear Father, thank You for Your patience and mercy on me as I grow into the image of Your Son. May Christ be glorified along the way. Amen.

Stand Your Watch

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the LORD answered me and said:
"Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2:1-3)

 

If we allow, God will pepper our lives with blank spaces, seasons of stillness and quiet, times where we feel passed by and forgotten, overlooked and excluded, and left out. But for God’s man or woman, these are precious and opportune seasons where we learn to be small and humble in His sight, knowing He never leaves or forgets us or His promises.

 

What spirit will you harken to in those times? Will you serve Him, seek Him, wait on Him with patience and perseverance? Or will you take things in your own hands and make a way for yourself?

 

Be sure to wait on God in these times, and be careful not to fill in God’s blanks. 

Be still and know that I am God . . .

(Psalms 46:10a)

 

Let’s Pray — Father, thank You for the patience and faith to be still, quiet, and satisfied while I wait on You. I have learned that You are good, and Your timing is perfect. Amen.

A New Heart

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:7-11)  

The Christian life is the progressive life, and we are to grow from faith to faith. In other words, God intends that we never stop growing in grace and love as long as we are on this earth — and that is a good thing. John is not contradicting himself as he writes of the “old” and “new” commandments being both the same and different. God’s commandment has always been to love our neighbor as ourselves, yet before the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we had little chance of successfully obeying that command. John is telling us that the new commandment is the same as the old, only made more real and accessible to us in Jesus Christ, through the power given us by the in-dwelling Spirit. So, while the commandment is not new, we are new creatures able to approach the original standard with the vigor of Spirit-filled, born-again believers! 

 

Love is the litmus test for any authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, and where there is hatred, the Holy Spirit does not and will not abide. No spiritual work can be done in an atmosphere of darkness and sin, and there is no circumstance under which hatred and contempt for fellow believers is acceptable, because the Lord has given us His Holy Spirit and we cannot hate others any longer. Therefore, the Lord holds us accountable for walking in the light of His countenance — in forgiveness, in freedom, in purity, in peace with one another, and in love.

 

Let's Pray - Father, let us make every effort to be found in true fellowship with every believer. Thank You for Your unrelenting standard of love and Christ-likeness. Amen.