Husband and Wife

And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore, it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” So, it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. (Genesis 12:11-15)

How many men have lost, damaged, or delayed the promises of God because they did not esteem the importance of oneness with their wives and the promises of God? That which God promised to Abram was to come through Sarai. Yet, we see him operating like a man who had no relationship with and no promises from God. The Lord would produce a great nation through Abram and Sarai, and He would not change His mind and bring that nation about through any other vessels — but they would first be tested.

 

The Lord would rectify the situation and remove Sarai from Pharaoh's grip — but unfortunately, Abram would fail this test again (Genesis 20:2). He and Sarai would eventually learn to rely on the Lord to protect them and show Himself strong on their behalf, but it was a slow and painful process. Sometimes, the Lord has to keep His promises in spite of our weakness — but He is patient, and He is bringing us forward according to His purpose and plan.

 

Abram and Sarai would mature and receive God's promises, but now, the Lord was teaching them all it meant to be husband and wife, and joint heirs of His promises. May every married couple take heed to this valuable lesson and learn to walk together by faith.

 

Let's Pray – Dear Lord, may every married man endeavor to appreciate the gift he has in his wife. May he see her as the greatest gift the Lord will ever give him, and may his actions reflect that truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Go Make Disciples

Put on the whole armor of God . . . (Ephesians 6:11)

Spiritual life involves a tremendous amount of warfare, and the only uncertainty is whether those enlisted will actually show up for battle. Truly, there seems to be a multitude of legitimate reasons for dodging the draft. “My family needs me” . . . “I have important business to tend to” . . . “My hands are full already” . . . “Isn’t spiritual warfare for professional ministers anyway?” All too often, it’s all about us! How sad that we spend so much energy considering the price we pay to serve God, while forgetting the price Jesus paid to save us.

 

The call to “go” is answered by the chosen few willing to strap on the full armor of God and fight the good fight of faith, knowing the battle is the Lord’s and the victory is nigh. The armor is only for those who will fight; it is cumbersome and useless for saints who refuse to go to war.

 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . . (Matthew 28:19)

 

We rejoice over those who believe and receive salvation, and we should! However, the work has just begun for that convert, and many arduous days and battles lay ahead for the saint moving on into the fullness of Christ. That is why our Lord instructed the apostles to go and make disciples, not just converts. God uses His disciples to come alongside His children and lead them into the beauty of the spiritual life. Disciples are His most effective servants, and they have chosen to follow Jesus closely and glorify Him wherever they are sent. (That is why Satan doesn't fear converts — he fears disciples!)

 

It is God's job to save souls, and it is ours to make disciples — disciples of Jesus, not of us or our way of thinking. This is the work God has given us to do, and may we do it without complaint and without fail.

 

Let's Pray - Father, I gladly put on the full armor, which is Christ. I am, therefore, girded up and prepared for every battle. In Him, I am victorious. Amen.

The Words I Speak

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:62-63)

Jesus is not speaking to our common sense or human nature when He speaks, but to the new man and woman who walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit living in us teaches us to hear the words of Jesus as they really are — spirit and life! We who have come alive in the Spirit, who worship in the Spirit, who pray in the Spirit, and who walk in the Spirit hear the Word of God in the Spirit, and we hear Him clearly. We realize Jesus gives us the power to do what He commands every time, as we yield to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. God’s words make perfect spiritual sense to us now; and as we understand them, we will confidently embrace the commands of Jesus — even the impossible ones. "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

If our minds are made up on any subject, God cannot speak to us there, and we are left to our own devices. That is where darkness begins to encroach and take a foothold. Our beliefs may be sincere and even scholarly, but they are an affront to the Holy Spirit; and if not dealt with, they will grieve Him away. The Kingdom has come to rule in our hearts, and no other interests, activities, or relationships are to compete with the Spirit. Let God's word penetrate, search, and convict. That is what it means to be honest with God.

Let's Pray - Lord, may we learn to hear what You are truly saying to us. You are not speaking to our intellect or our emotions, but to our spirits. Speak, Lord. We are listening. Amen.

Kill and Eat

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times.  (Acts10: 13-16a)

God works in us in ways we cannot foresee. If we are truly spirit-filled, we are responding to His call to go where we would not have gone, love those we once felt nothing for, forgive those who hurt us most, and give what we would keep. That’s when the Holy Spirit is having His way with us. God was sending Peter, a Jew, to a place he would never have gone, and to minister the Gospel to people he didn’t think God even cared for. Peter’s obedience would make a way for those lost in ignorance and sin to enter into the Kingdom of God, because he allowed the Spirit to fill him and direct him.

 

I encourage you to trust God like Peter did. He did not resist the Holy Spirit — he simply obeyed. You, too, must obey Him, even when He takes you through new and uncomfortable challenges. He is an exceedingly gracious God who will perfect and prepare you for the challenges He sets before you. The lesson Peter learned is this — if you will obey God's voice, He will take you beyond your present and your prejudices, and He will use you to glorify His Son.

 

Let's Pray - Lord, help me to trust You, even when I do not understand Your directions. I am willing to go where You send me and do as You command. Lead me, Lord. Amen.

The New Wine

Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39)

When God's Kingdom comes, it brings a new way of seeing ourselves and everything around us. It's not that we did not see, but we did not see God! Our ability to perceive and understand spiritual things lies dormant until our spirits have been quickened by the Holy Spirit. Only then does the Word of the Lord begin to make sense and the Way becomes clear. This clarity is the birthright of the saint alone, while every other person walks in the darkness of the old; for only Christ can shine the light so we might see as He sees — so that we might see God.

 

Beware of the temptation to base your spiritual beliefs on the things around you. The saint who walks closely with God walks by faith and not by natural sight. The unseen reality is that which is most important to acknowledge, and that is why we pray to the Father for His wisdom and spiritual understanding. The worldly viewpoint stands on human wisdom, while the Kingdom of God is a matter of eternal issues and realities.

 

Our flesh will always hold on to the old and familiar, but our spirit-man knows God is doing a new thing in us, and the best is yet to come. Take hold of God in the spirit, and He will show you great and mighty things. Take hold of the new. 

 

Let's Pray - Dear Lord, may my heart remain open to the new things You place before me — things that I have never done or seen before! Thank You for this exciting life of faith! Amen.

Put it Away

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (Corinthians 13:11)

 

God requires that my innocence give way to the spiritual maturity that comes through the wisdom and holiness found only in Jesus. My spiritual growth requires I put away childish speech and thinking, and come to God as a man, not a boy. Putting away childish things means turning from my self-centered ways, so that I can look up and see Jesus. I must step out of the crib, take off the diaper, puts away the toys, come out from under the apron-strings, forsake all, and follows Jesus.

 

My spiritual maturity is not found in what I possess or gain, but what I put away. That is the hard work I am called to do — to put it away!

 

Make room for God today. Present yourself a living sacrifice, one who is willing to lose what you own to gain what God has for you. He desires to fill you, but you must first be empty. God will only lift the life you lay down.

 

May the Holy Spirit show you the relationships, activities, attitudes, and mindsets you need to put away. Your spiritual adulthood awaits.

 

Let’s Pray- Father, empty me, so that I might be filled with Your Spirit. I lay aside all my ambitions, my hopes, my dreams, everything. Holy Spirit, come and rule in my heart. I want to grow up! Amen

Nothing Can Separate

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

 

Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So, it does not matter what others do or say, whether they respect or disrespect me, thank me or use me, include or exclude me, honor or disdain me, bless or curse me. As long as I offer my body a living sacrifice to God each day and walk in the Spirit He gives, the Lord will receive me. That is the wisdom, the attitude, and the spiritual truth Paul is teaching here.

 

God's love completes us, and His grace is sufficient. It cannot be bested, out maneuvered, out worked, overwhelmed, or overcome — therefore, the battles and temptations we face cannot and will not separate us from the love of God in Christ. The Lord Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth, and all things exist for His pleasure and purpose. There is no one wiser, more powerful, or stronger than He. There is no time, realm, or circumstance where He is not God and He is not sovereign. We are His and we always will be, and nothing can snatch us from His hand. This the blessed assurance of those who have lost and found their lives in Jesus; we will never be separated from Him again — not by anyone or anything, ever. Amen.

Let’s Pray – Father, thank You for Your love that will never fail or forsake me, even in the worst of times. I am found in You and free in You, and I will give You praise and glory today. Amen.

Be Born Again

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

These are among the most stunning and consequential words ever spoken. Only Jesus is able to speak like this, for in Him alone can the Kingdom be seen. He presents Himself as the context in which everything and anything about God is to be understood, and it requires a literal and spiritual re-birth to even begin comprehending those things. Up until the coming of the Messiah, men saw spiritual things through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12) — but in Christ, we are able to see the Lord "face-to-face," and we can see Him in no other way. Has God presented the risen Christ to you? Have you received Him on those terms? Are you truly “born again?”

Christ cannot be packaged in any formal doctrine or presentation. Jesus did not come to establish a religion, a set of rules and requirements, a denomination, or a movement. He came to announce and establish the Kingdom of God, to save us from our sins, to make a way back to the Father, and that is exactly what He did. Nothing can be added to or taken away from Jesus, for the fullness and pleasure of God dwell in Him alone. He is God's Word, and the Word says a man must be born again or he cannot see or comprehend the things of God. 

Simply said, Christ is Christianity, and Christianity is Christ. That is the Kingdom, and those who receive this truth see it — "You must be born again."

Let’s Pray – Father, Jesus made it clear that I cannot earn my salvation. It is the gift of God, and I must be born again in the Spirit to receive it. Here I am, O Lord. Thank You for the new birth in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Called to Liberty

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

The liberty we walk in was bought and paid for by the Lamb of God, who took away our sin-debt and set us free from the bondage and wages of sin. Nails were driven through the hands and feet of our Lord, and the banner waving over our lives is stained with His Blood. Freedom in Christ has been given that we might testify of the Great Emancipator and show the world what it means to be loosed from the chains of self and sin, to overcome our fears by faith, and to serve the Lord without a trace of self-consciousness. Oh, that we would realize that Christ has liberated and set us apart for His own pleasure! Now we are free to be love-slaves of our Lord and King, and to belong to Jesus and no one else — not even ourselves. 

One of the great battles we will wage as saints is the fight to remain agenda-free and to live sacrificially. We are most victorious when we let the Holy Spirit love and serve others through us, keeping our eyes off ourselves and placing them on our Lord's interests in people. He came to earth to give His life, and we are on earth that He might give that life to others through us. We have been set free for this purpose; not to use our freedom to do as we please, but as He pleases. The freedom to serve God and love others is the most exquisite liberty we can experience. 

 

Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)

 

Let’s Pray – Precious Lord, I thank You, that I have been set free to serve You and Your purpose for my life. May I be a continual blessing to Your church. In Jesus alone, Amen.

Lift Your Eyes

"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. (Genesis 13:14,15)

There are things the Lord cannot and will not show you until He gets you alone. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women God sets apart to Himself — in fact, those men and women are the only ones He can truly and fully use. If we will not leave the comforts of home, riches, pedigree, human wisdom, or popularity we cannot be fully used of God, and our spiritual world-view remains limited, at best. Come away with God, then, lift your eyes.

 

It is rare that God will use a man who is accepted and highly thought of by the world. It is also rare that He will use an exceptional man or one who is sufficient in himself. Rather, He looks for one who is simple and humble enough to believe. The world (and many in the church) will see that man as a strange choice, but the Lord sees the one who is not afraid to stand on His promises — and that faithful one must be willing to stand apart and stand alone. It may take some time for God to get a man off to Himself, but in His mind, the wait is worth it. That is the man He can speak to, and when He speaks, He will say, "Lift your eyes . . ." 

 

Let’s Pray – Father, thank You for showing us things as You see them. We lift our eyes today, and we see all creation poised to give You praise and glory. In Jesus, Amen. 

The Wise Son

Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So, he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild (prodigal) living. (Luke 15: 11-13)

The blessings we look for from God can distance us from Him unless we are first pursuing an intimate relationship with Him. While the prodigal son goes to his father to get a blessing, the wise son knows that being with his father is the blessing.

 

Despite so much preaching today about our breakthroughs, our destiny, and our shining moment, the Bible is more focused on our character. So, our Father prepares and presents His wisdom to us every day, and we must be careful to turn aside from all other concerns and fellowship with Him through worship, prayer, and the Word. Our schedules tell us we don't have time for this, but our souls long for the moments of sitting at the table with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — laughing, feasting, talking, abiding in Him, and surrounded by His glory.

 

Are you seeking the Kingdom, or are you focused on things? Earthly things? Financial things? Success? All those other things are secondary, but one thing pleases the Father — that we be more like His Son. Jesus did not concern Himself one bit with the things of this world, only that He might please the Father. Therefore, the Father was pleased with the Son, and He is pleased with us when we are found in Him.

 

Let every other concern fade and look to the Holy Spirit. Then, ask what you will, and it will be done for you. That is the life and the prayer of the wise son and daughter. That is your life.

 

Let's Pray - Precious Lord, I will prioritize my relationship with You, for that relationship is the primary focus of my life. All my springs are in You. Amen.

We Believe God

And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

 

Abraham's life is synonymous with the fundamental doctrine of grace and faith in God, by which every child of God is saved and secured into the Kingdom. His role and contribution to the Christian faith is invaluable, as he is the man the Lord chose to initiate the great Plan of Redemption, which is completed in Jesus. Hundreds of years before the law was given to Moses on the mountain, Abraham demonstrated the righteousness according to faith that would supersede every effort to please God by works of the Mosaic law. He proved that the law was written in his heart, long before it was ever written on tablets of stone. He believed the Lawgiver, and that faith was credited to him for righteousness. Therefore, we who believe God today are aptly called the children of Abraham, because we believe like He did — and we are blessed because we do!

The term, "Father," is among highest designations one can receive, because it reflects that which is true of God, our Heavenly Father. Fathers possess life-giving seed and all its resident possibilities, and fathers of the faith reproduce that same faith in their spiritual children. That was true of Abraham, who not only became the father of nations, but he would become the father of all who believe God and take Him at His word.

 

Abraham's greatness was found in his faith — a faith that pointed to his God. May that same faith be found in us today, in those who make up the church, the true family of God.

Let’s Pray – Father, I am honored to be called a son of Abraham, because I believe in You, just as he did. Thank You for the gift of faith and use me to bring many more sons and daughters to glory. Amen.

Sanctify My Speech

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:8-10)

 

James says, "no man can tame the tongue," but every man can humble himself in the sight of the Lord and hide the Word in his heart. Each disciple will fight the battle to tame the tongue, and we will win that battle when Christ is perfected in our hearts through regeneration and spiritual discipline. The Lord's words are spirit and life, and ours should be, too. So, be encouraged, because Jesus will sanctify our speech as He purifies our hearts.

 

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  (Matthew 12:34)

 

If we speak our own words, they will be laced with self and sin, no matter how hard we try. Our hearts will betray us eventually, and our speech will reflect those areas we have not surrendered to God. So, the Spirit desires we lay our lives before Him, that He might touch us in places yet untouched, and sanctify us completely. Then, we are free to speak words that are spiritual, pure, refreshing, and "seasoned with salt." Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish this in us. So, stop trying to tame your tongue, and give God your heart.

 

Let’s Pray – Father, it is out of a pure heart I pray. Sanctify my speech, and may my words reflect my closeness with You. I want my speech to be a blessing today. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Build You Altar

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (Genesis 12:7-8)

 

Whether we are aware or not, we are building a life with words, thoughts, and deeds that reflect the God or god we see. If we see the living and true God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, our faith will produce a life of love, worship, and service to Him, and we will give Him glory and satisfaction. If we focus on the fleeting pleasures of this life, our faith will remain small and unproductive, as it is with many today. 

"Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." (Mark 4:18-19) 

 

Let us receive the privileges afforded to the children of Abraham who see the Lord and acknowledge Him, who "build an altar," who worship and honor God, who believe and receive all the promises of God — for all God's promises are "Yes and Amen" in Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s Pray – Dear Father, may my life be one of worship and acknowledgment of Your love and kindness. I will seize every opportunity You present me to lift up Your name for all to see. Amen.

God’s Difficult Lessons

Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts. (Zechariah 4:6) 

We are made in the image of God, therefore, we are the most capable living creatures on earth. Even still, human ingenuity has no place in God's plans for His children, and this is a very difficult lesson to learn. The Lord has been so kind to bless us with the gifts of intelligence, creativity, health, strength, and free will. Along with this endowment comes grave responsibilities, and the child of God must learn to steward these gifts with a constant focus on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In other words, we are never to exercise our gifts independent of the Lord. God's ways and thoughts are above ours, and we must believe His way is the only way. Our thoughts and ways are only pleasing to Him when we have asked for and received the Mind of Christ.

Our greatest successes and failures depend strictly on the choices we make to exercise faith or walk in worldly wisdom and human counsel. We must never insist on our way, and we must humble ourselves and walk in the steps ordained for us by God.

His way or mine? This is a battle we will wage as long as we are here on earth, and it is the quintessential test. If we trust, obey, and wait, we will see the salvation of the Lord; and we will see it with the eyes of the Spirit. May the Lord give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand these things.

Let’s Pray – Dear Lord, help me to understand Your ways. May my ways agree with Your ways in every circumstance. Please lead me by Your Spirit! Amen.

The Test of Humility

Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. (Genesis 13:9-11)

 

The conflict over Abram's interests versus Lot's was one of those controversies engineered by God, because He was determined to separate Abram and Sarai to Himself. Abram, to his credit, chose not to take preeminence, stake a claim, pull rank, negotiate, or even flip a coin. He simply humbled himself before Lot (who, as the younger, should have humbled himself before Abram), and his gracious behavior resolved the conflict before it could do more damage. Abram was led by the Spirit to humble himself and take what seemed less, and Lot took what looked best. To this very day, the children of Abraham walk in the Spirit of humility, and that Spirit will always lead us to the higher ground of consecration -- separated unto the Lord. Abram humbled himself and passed the test, and so must we!

 

Humility is, perhaps, the most overlooked trait of greatness, and it is hard to find, even among saints. We, too often, fall into the false belief that we should be first, when Jesus clearly says the last will be first in His kingdom. Yet, the humble man and woman is always willing to take the lower place and wait for the Lord to exalt them in due time. Lot would soon regret his decision, and he would find himself in Sodom, a place destined for destruction. Abram, through humility, dwelled and prospered in the will of God. May we, as Abraham's children, follow his example, humble ourselves, and receive the promises that are ours in Christ.

 

Let’s Pray – Lord, teach us to understand the issues before us as You understand them. May we fight the right fights, letting go of what might seem good, and receive Your best! In Jesus Christ, Amen.

Ears to Hear

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know these things? If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:9,10)

Nicodemus was asking the right questions, but the answers were not what he expected. That is because Jesus' words are spirit and life, and Nicodemus did not yet have ears to hear them. He was expecting Jesus to speak in the aloof, legalistic way he had become accustomed to. Yet, Jesus was speaking in a way that was new and unexpected, and with authority. 

 

Nicodemus would never be the same after this conversation, and Jesus' words were going to draw him or repel him. How he received those words depended on the condition of his heart, and the same is true of us. 

 

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 2:7)

 

It is God's pleasure to give us the keys to the Kingdom, and our good pleasure to receive them. When we come to the Lord with our questions and cares, we must be prepared to hear Him in the spirit —because that is the only language He speaks. He is the truth, and He speaks the truth to our spirits.

 

Those who are willing to trust and obey God hear Him gladly, and the mysteries of faith become clearer to us all the time. Are you simple enough, humble enough, quiet enough to hear and understand spiritual things? Can you receive the truth?

 

Let's Pray - Lord, I humble myself before Your Word. I am determined to be simple and childlike enough to hear and obey You. Thank You for ears to hear. In Jesus, Amen.