How Religious Are You?

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27)

Sometimes we get a little confused and think that we should stay away from the downcast of society so we don’t become defiled. But God’s idea of undefiled religion is that we live as His extension on the earth and help those in need– otherwise we wouldn’t need salvation in our time of life but only in our time of death.

James is telling us that our worship to God includes not only seeking Him through His Word and fellowshipping with the Body of Christ, but extending ourselves beyond the church pew to assist those in need. We can get so filled up with self-focus that we forget about the provision God gave us to share with others. If you really want to grow in your walk with the Lord, keep your fellowship with the Body, but watch God move as you extend yourself at His direction to the hurting and helpless.

I’ve been to gatherings that are so focused on their building campaigns that they can’t help a widow in need of a few dollars or some assistance with yard work. This type of attitude cannot stop us from personally helping those God puts in our paths. Use discernment, but purposefully seek to help others. If we want to keep our youth from the entitlement mindset, perhaps this is the mindset we should instill in them – serve others and give of your provision! And this is done not with an attitude of superiority, but humility – it’s God who gave the bread to us that we could give it to someone else.

We can believe for miracles and believe for our children’s lives – so why not believe for a place to sow into the needy? God will open a door almost before you can bat an eye because this is His heart. What we’re missing when we neglect this is an opportunity to receive and give His love, an immense blessing of personal growth in the Lord, and perhaps the avenue for the miraculous that so many are yearning for.

When we give and help those in need, we’re not just giving bread for food; we’re extending the Bread of Life. The provision of food and finances is simply the means of getting the Bread of Life to a hurting person – whether they already know the Lord or not!

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.” (Is 58:6-8)

Perhaps that breakthrough you’ve been waiting for is at the end of the hand that’s extended to help those in need!

Bumper Bowling: Steady in Life's Lane!

The Bible calls us to ‘exhort’ one another every day. Exhorting includes encouraging, teaching, guiding, buffering, walking along side, comforting, propelling forward, recommending and advising. This describes the give and take relationship of fellowship in Christ.

Exhorting brings to mind the image of bumper bowling, where those we fellowship with are the bumpers which keep us steady on the lane of life in Christ. When we have this type of fellowship we will sometimes be the bumper and sometimes be the ball! This means we’re going to bump up against others – people we love and trust – and that’s exactly the way God intended this fellowship to work. Notice, however, that it’s a bump, not a beating! Those bumps should help us realize that we are loved - it’s an encouragement toward going in the right direction.

This give and take relationship is so important in the Body of Christ that we’re told not to forsake it or we’ll be in danger of becoming hardened to God and falling into the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13). That sin may not look like your idea of the worst sinner - it may be subtle and cunning in its twisting of ideas and turning of your heart away from the thoughts and purposes of God. That’s why it’s crucial to have relationship with other Christians who will be truthful, love you, and want to see you prosper in the plan of God for your life. And it’s just as important that you are able to provide this for others.

This is the life of Christ we bring to one another, as though we are blood vessels supplying oxygen and nutrients to the Body. This fellowship doesn’t come from attending a church service once a week-there has to be a willingness to give up the things of life that block intimate relationship with others. However, God commands us into this life, knowing that we are crafted for this and thrive in this fellowship.

Could your fellowship be more intimate and beneficial to you and others? It may be time to clean up the path that leads to that fellowship – remove the barriers and go forward.

“Let the Word of God dwell in you abundantly. This will overflow into encouraging songs and grace-filled words of wisdom for those in fellowship with you” (Col 3:16 paraphrased).

Put Away the Sword, Peter!

Have you ever experienced embarrassment and hurt at the hands of someone you trusted? And was the person a Christian?

The easiest thing to do in handling a circumstance like this is to expose the person's sin - usually as a means promoting our own innocence...mixed with some indignation. It's human nature that strikes out in this way, and a hurt ego can give it additional power.

But Joseph, the Virgin Mary's betrothed husband, had a different way of dealing with Mary's 'sin.' Considering the evidence, it would have been perfectly legal and acceptable for him to expose Mary publicly, and in fact, he could have insisted that she be stoned to death (Deut 22). However, Joseph is called 'a righteous man' who would not make a public example of her (Matt 1:19). This is how the righteousness (holiness and character of God) was displayed in Joseph: he refused to bring the punishment on Mary that was fit for what appeared to be her sin. In fact, he was pondering on how he could keep her from suffering public humiliation when an angel appeared to him in a dream, giving insight into her condition.

Here is God's heart in dealing with us - He gives great mercy and desires that we do the same. It's as He said to Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Put the sword away, Peter. If you sow by the sword you will reap the destruction of the sword" (Matt. 26:52 paraphrased).

God is saying the same to us today: put away the sword, child. You will reap what you sow. If you sow grace and mercy you will reap a harvest of the same. If you sow harshness and vengeance you will be looking over your shoulder in constant fear of the same...and it will overtake you. What are you sowing?

Calling Those Things Which Be Not.....

"Abraham, you are not just a father of nations, you are a father of MANY NATIONS! And Gideon, you're not only a farm hand for your father, you're a MIGHTY WARRIOR for the Lord and for Israel!"

When the Lord spoke these things Abraham had no children, and Gideon was hiding his grain in a wine press in fear of the Midianites. God came and spoke His will and destiny over them, spurring them on to see His purposes then take action at His direction.

God spoke of things which didn't exist in their lives as though these things had already happened and were visible to their eyes (Rom 4). But to God, who has laid out time as a line before His eyes, the end can be seen from the beginning: all things are already in existence and waiting for the specific moment of fulfillment. It's much like Jesus being slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8) - it was already completed in God's eyes because He placed it on the timeline of eternity and saw it as completed. The earthly time of fulfillment was a matter of formality.

This is why it's important to get God's plan into your mind, will and emotions. We're not to speak cars and houses and material things into existence at our whims, that's not what this scripture is about. It's about God's destiny and plan for our lives as part of His kingdom and purposes; it's about encouraging us to live for Him and have singleness of mind on Him; it's about verbally laying down His footsteps that we would walk in His plan; it's about the destiny of a people called by His name; it's one person at a time fitting into His larger plan on the timeline of eternity.

Apply scripture wisely to your life, in the context that God intended it to be applied. This scripture is a powerful tool in our lives when used as He intended, but it can be a self serving form of modern day witchcraft when taken out of context. The soul of man is very powerful and will move the physical life of a person forward into what occupies it. This is why our souls must be occupied and preoccupied with the word and purposes of God.

You are an instrument of God's voice in this world. It's time to get God's direction in your life and speak it out! Call your children and spouse into His destiny. Use His plan as a prayer and proclamation over your life. Fulfill His purpose for His glory!

The Emotional Roller-coaster

Everyone goes through hurts and pains in life. Whether these are the result of relationship problems, health concerns or other issues, how we handle our emotions through these difficulties definitely matters to God.

While God's intentions for emotions is to extend His love and grace, the enemy wishes to use our emotions to accomplish his purposes, especially in the hurts and pains of life. If he can turn our emotions to fear, anger and disappointment, he'll be able to take our focus off of God and open a door to resentment and secret vows. A vow is made when we swear to commit to something from deep inside of us: we'll never attend church again because we we're hurt or we'll have nothing to do with men again because Dad didn't love us. Emotional strongholds, or protective walls, are put up to keep us from receiving the love of God for healing and giving the love of God into our circumstances.

Emotions are a wonderful gift from God but they can only be trusted to the point they are submitted to Him. For example, there is a righteous, godly anger, but man's anger does not bring about God's purposes (James 1:20). Jesus showed emotion through compassion, anger, sorrow and grief, but all were driven by the love and purposes of God. The temple merchants who experienced Jesus anger were profiting on the worshipers who'd come from great distances at the most sacred time of year (Matt. 21). Jesus anger toward them was a result of passion for God and His house and He was setting things in God's perfect order. Once he corrected the problem He didn't continue in anger and take it out on His disciples.

The fallen nature of man directs us to run from God when we experience unholy emotions, but the God nature in a reborn person enables us to run TO God in these circumstances. He is able to help us sort through our feelings and break down the walls to understanding, receiving and giving His love. RUN to the mercy seat when your emotions begin to take you into turmoil....grab the hem of His garment and keep your focus on Him. Submit your emotions to God and step off of the roller-coaster! He will reveal motives and strongholds which drive your feelings, then He'll bring healing to your heart!

Secret Keys

If you want to accomplish God's will you may have to take a risk...and risks take you into the unknown...but that's where the secret things lie that you need to open up. These are not secret things kept from you, but kept for you! There are things ordained for your life and wisdom ready for you to grasp which are hidden in God only....and He will reveal these only as you pursue Him.

Isaiah was taken into the temple in a vision and God revealed His plan, empowered Isaiah, and cleansed his sins so He could speak for God (Is. 6). The story of Isaiah's life is one of taking risks, suffering for the Lord and bringing great glory to His name. These things are written down as examples for us of how to live for God and fulfill His purposes (Heb. 11). You may or may not experience what Isaiah did, but God will reveal to you what you need to know if you get yourself in a place where you can receive His wisdom.

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deut 29:29)." These secret things are keys to life in Him, but you will only know them as you continue to passionately pursue Him and take the place in life that He's ordained, one step at a time and one risk at a time.

Put away fear by allowing God to envelop you with His love. Build your faith and trust in God by reading His word and hearing testimonies. Keep your eye single on Him that your attention would not be divided - let no one or no thing distract you from Him and His purposes. Jesus declared that he did and said only what He saw and heard from the Father: this is our example (Jn 5,8,14).

How passionate will you be in your pursuit of Him? Are you willing to embrace Him as your first love, hear the secret things He has for you and take risks as He directs?

Living in the Smogosphere?

If you wear glasses you know how the world looks through them when they're dirty....like your walking in a smogosphere. The same concept applies to computer and cell phone screens - when extra punctuation and little animals appear it's a clear sign to clean the screen.

A similar thing happens to us when our thought processes are skewed by our experiences: we see life through a dirty lense. When these thought processes are established in our lives they are called 'mindsets' or 'strongholds.' These mindsets are rooted in the experiences in life that the enemy has brought about and they are meant to add to, take away from, or alter the understanding of God's Word and the operation of the Spirit in our lives.

Mindsets can skew the word of God, making it more of a weapon or excuse rather than an instrument of love and grace. People who have been raised in an atmosphere of harsh judgement might hone in on disciplinary scenarios in the Bible and apply these as answers to every problem. Those who have grown up with false ideas of marriage may see scripture as supporting a slave/master relationship rather than an example of Christ and His bride, the Church.

What's born out of a mindset is an improper motive. A motive is that which influences us to act the way we do or that which induces feelings leading to words and actions (Dictionary.com). When our motives are consistently self focused, or set on getting a person or circumstance under our control as opposed to reconciling all things to God through His Spirit, then we are likely operating in a mindset.

The greatest weapons against mindsets are deliverance, washing of the water of the Word, prayer, mentoring, speaking the truth in love, and great grace! Not simply one of these, but all of them as the Spirit directs. When a person is controlled by a mindset the enemy has usurped the leading of the Holy Spirit - but a Spirit led believer can be an instrument to bring God's freedom to a person held captive by a mindset.

We are people who have been bought out of the slavery of mindsets into the glorious freedom of Christ! Be washed by the Word and led by His Spirit that you may walk in His freedom!

Your Mental 'Safe Deposit Box'

The world has an old saying which may well fit into our Christian lives at times: insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

There are times when God changes our circumstances and there are times when God moves us to change our circumstances. We always want to take action in His perfect timing, but sometimes we either miss the opportunity or purposely don't grab hold of it. Either way, He's always ready give us another chance!

What dreams do you have, or changes you need to make, that are sitting in the same mental safe deposit box as they were last year at this time, and 2 years ago and 5 years ago? What have you done, including prayer and preparation of your heart and soul, to participate in God's plan of action? For some of us that plan may include a desire to teach Sunday school, or a live a more financially responsible life....whatever the case, God is ready, willing and able to help us, and to help us help ourselves, through His Spirit and plan.

We each have a responsibility in the Lord to live life to the fullest for His glory. We will be held accountable for how we use the gifts and talents He's given us - don't waste this provision (Matt.25:14). Life is not a matter of using our God given talents to advance ourselves and then thank God: it's to advance His kingdom by fulfilling the purpose He's given us.

Don't accept excuses: from the enemy, from your friends or from yourself. God has put His fire inside of us - does He also have to light one under us? Encourage and build yourself up in the Holy Spirit, then take action!

 

 

Who's the Real Enemy?

If the enemy of your soul can captivate your mind, he can steer the ship of your life! He'll try to do this by continually giving you thoughts that absorb your thinking processes. This can lead to obsessive focus on a problem or obsessive behaviors.

When we're wronged, struggling with our past, or have done something to wrong others, our minds will continually go to that spot and the people involved unless we make a concerted effort to stay focused on Christ! This is how we are subtly turned from worshiping God to worshiping a circumstance and using God to either justify our feelings or condemn those involved in the circumstance.

The Word says we do not wrestle with flesh and blood (the people involved in our hurts and problems), but we have a spiritual battle raging with the enemy - taking it out on people or allowing our minds to be captivated with the battle will not win it (Eph 6:12). There are wicked spiritual principalities and powers behind every battle: this is why we must fight with spiritual weapons. These battles begin in the spiritual realm and then manifest in the natural realm - and this is the way we must handle them if we want to conquer the enemy through Christ!

Here are some simplified steps to battle by the Spirit instead of the flesh:
-ask the Lord to show you where you are at fault - then repent
-turn your heart and mind to the Lord-read His word and worship Him. This will also help you take every thought captive! (1 Cor 10)
-keep the process of sanctification (becoming holy and Christlike) actively moving forward. If the enemy finds an open door of sin in our lives he will use it to attack us
-ask the Lord if this is your battle - are you to fight this or are you involved in something that's not yours? Understand that the battle has the ultimate goal of bringing the light of Christ by submitting to His plan. Vengeance belongs to the Lord - that is not our goal!
-Allow Him to guide you every step of the way-don't take action in the natural realm (the flesh) without His guidance.

It is much better to err on the side of grace than to battle viciously and be sorry for it later-forgiveness and grace are often powerful tools that still the power of the enemy! God will put His plan into place and bring victory as we submit to Him. The process of obtaining that victory will eventually make us stronger, wiser and more dependent on Him.

For we are not battling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness manifesting in our world. Therefore put on the whole armor of God - put your entire heart, mind and body in Christ, completely focused on him, and you will be able to not only stand, but conquer! (Eph 6:12-13 paraphrased)

Uniqueness: No Excuse for Conflict!

The Word tells us we're formed in the manner of a clay pot: crafted by the Potter's hands, no two exactly alike (Is 64:8). In fact, the Bible encourages unity in the Body while at the same time promoting uniqueness. While expounding on the gifts of the Spirit, Paul tells us these gifts have innumerable possibilities in the way they manifest because of the uniqueness of each person's make-up (1 Cor 12).

However, the uniqueness of each person cannot be used as an excuse to stop up the process of sanctification - becoming more Christlike. If you find yourself struggling to get along with others from circumstance to circumstance or place to place, chances are you're not operating in uniqueness but out of an un-renewed mind and soul, keeping you from understanding God's ways. God is not into confusion and conflict in the Body of Christ, but the unity that comes from Christ-likeness in each of us.

You may have been hurt by the Body at some of the places you've attended, or you may have had numerous people part from your leadership over and over for the same reason...if either is the case, it's time to step back and ask the Lord what is causing this. What is in your heart and mind that causes the same circumstance to occur repeatedly?

If you want to move forward in the Lord and fulfill His will and destiny in your life, you have to get rid of the baggage of mindsets that have kept you back. You have to put offenses under your feet, forgive people, get into the Word and renew your mind toward greater sanctification! This rids us of our mindsets and gives us the mind of Christ.

Ask yourself, "is it more important to protect my pride and live with a trail of relationship casualties, or to forgive, seek God and live at peace in the Body of Christ?" If the answer is the latter, He is ready, willing and able to carry you through the process of renewing your heart and mind toward greater Christ-likeness.

As you seek Him, you will be renewed and recreated in the spirit of your minds (your thought processes); you are putting on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. (paraphrased Eph 4:23-24)

How Much Do We Know?

Our insight into circumstances and other people's motives could probably be represented by the portion of the iceberg that's above water: what's seen is generally not all there is to know. Like the little boy who saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, we also may not completely understand what we are seeing! This is why our decision making processes are desperately in need of God's wisdom and insight.

This is one of the reasons we've been given the Holy Spirit, He's here to lead us into God's truth. He reveals what's needed that we would discern not by sight but by His Spirit. Our knowledge and understanding are not complete (1 Cor 13), but He has the treasures of wisdom and knowledge stored up for us and desires that we go to Him for revelation (Col 2:3).

The person who seems to purposely push your buttons, or the child you view as rebellious....God knows what's behind their words and actions. If we react to people based solely on their physical and verbal manifestations, we may find ourselves trying to battle a spiritual stronghold with human power. But if we seek God, He will give us needed insight ...and at the same time He may reveal something in our own hearts which requires repentance.

As you seek God for wisdom and insight stay open to the various ways He may speak. Pray, seek Godly counsel, stay in the Word and be open to how He may guide you. He often reveals things to us as we go about our daily lives: a song we hear, a magazine we pick up while waiting for an appointment or a quiet moment where a thought comes to us.

Some things are not for us to know. It's not our place to get the 'scoop' on people as opposed to seeking God's wisdom and revelation to fulfill His purposes. If our motives match God's, He can trust us with His revelation to the end that His will is accomplished and He is glorified.

To God be the glory!

Power from on High!

Paul told the Corinthians that he didn't want them to be destitute of help while they were waiting for the return of Jesus (1 Cor. 1:7). He was speaking of the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through each of us to assist one another. But he wasn't speaking only to the Corinthians, he was writing to you and I and all of those that would be here "until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Since 'the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ' hasn't yet happened, God's expectation is that we will continue to operate in the gifts of the Spirit. This means, of course, that we need to have the Spirit residing within us as impetus for operating in these gifts because they have to be directed by His Spirit (Acts 2, Joel 2). This is the great desire of God for the Church - that we be filled with His Spirit and empowered to be witnesses in our words and actions as a testimony of His love for all people!

Denying that these gifts are operative today is the work of the enemy - he would like nothing better than for us to set aside the help of God through these gifts so that we are left wondering and wandering helplessly. When these gifts are denied operation, the work of the Holy Spirit and the help of God falls on pastoral staff in the body of Christ. This takes power away from God's lay people and over-stresses leaders as 'go to' people for the entire body. However, part of a leader's responsibility is to guide the development and operation of these gifts in the body that we would minister effectively to one another (Eph 4:12).

Above the wonder of God's Spirit operating through us by His gifts is the fact that His love is extended to others when we submit to being used. We're even commanded to 'eagerly desire Spiritual gifts' that we could effectively bring the love of God to others (1 Cor 14:1). In fact, the gifts are ineffective if not inspired by love (1 Cor. 13)...like a noisy, clanging symbol.

The love of God also inspires us to draw close to Him and daily be sanctified so the gifts have a purified vessel through which to operate. It's a responsibility given by the Lord, to administer His love through His Spirit to a hurting world. Denying the work of the Spirit in this assignment is like going back under the OT law - trying to live and give the love of God through the flesh and a set of written guidelines - it's futile!

The promise of the Holy Spirit is for you, and your children, and those that are far off (distant ages and time and places). All those who want to be effective witnesses for the Kingdom of God are compelled to receive the promise! (Acts 2:39)

This is NOT the end!

This is NOT the end!

For anyone who's been condemned by others, or been told their not going to be used of God again, or who's made mistakes and wants to go forward, GOD IS NOT DONE WITH YOU!!!! He may alter your direction, He may make some changes, He may require something of you...but I can tell you that He's NOT DONE WITH YOU!

The Bible is about the God who redeems people at their lowest points. People like Saul, who thought He was serving God by murdering Christians. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and declared Saul's Kingdom assignment, and just to make sure he didn't align himself with that old life, God changed his name to Paul. One day Paul was killing Christians and the next he became the apostolic father of the church!

What about David, who murdered a man to cover his adulterous affair. He was called 'the king after God's heart,' but he committed a sin that wreaked havoc on his family and the entire nation of Israel. He had consequences, but God didn't remove him from his position as King.

The fact is that people who love God sin: we are human. These men sinned, but God brought them out of it because they had an ear to hear Him when He corrected them, a heart that turned to God's voice and repented, and a willingness to PUSH THROUGH THE PAST and look to God's future.

God is reaching out to take hold of you, inundate you with His Spirit, and use you for His glory. That may be in a king's capacity or in a Sunday school room, that's God's decision. What He's looking for is a person who will turn from being stiff necked to being pliable in His hand; the person who has misplaced zeal and tenacity that He can redeem to power His Kingdom.

Consider this a wake up call! It's time to turn down the road to change. It's time to turn away from the past and look to His future! With God, 'the end' becomes 'the new beginning'...let this be your year of new beginnings!

To God be the glory!

 

 

Take These Chains

There are times when feelings and experiences are good aids in decision making, but if they work against the counsel of the Holy Spirit they are detrimental to us and those around us. The effects of our experiences, and the resulting emotions attached to them, can be an open door for the enemy to intrude in our lives and wreak havoc.

As an example, consider the parent who was sexually abused as a child. As an adult, he may protect his child so desperately that the child is inhibited from forming close and lasting relationships. Fear of abuse controls the parent and it stifles the love of God through this father. You can imagine the resulting relationship problems from a situation like this, not only in the child's life but also in the father and mother's lives.

This is but one example of how our emotions and experiences can affect our lives and the lives of others. We are sometimes unaware that we are operating this way, but we may continue to run into the same problems in life over and over. We may even decide that our way of thinking is a result of genetic makeup because our parents thought and did the same things. But we cannot allow the enemy to deceive us into coming to the wrong conclusions! In the end, we are not chained or imprisoned by our upbringing, but set free by the Word and Spirit of God if we choose to live for Him!

Look at the patterns in your life, where your actions and decisions have led you. You may see that many of them were deeply affected by your prior experiences and resulting emotions that have not been given to the Lord for healing. Anger, obsessive behavior, guilt, abuse, insecurity, manipulative behaviors .... God is able to heal us of these and cleanse our thought and decision making processes. Sometimes He leads us to get help from other people that He's trained up for this very purpose; only He knows the way in which His healing and wholeness will manifest in our lives.

Get in the presence of God and ask Him to show you why the things in your life are happening the way they are. Is there anything in your emotions and experiences that has grasp your thinking process and brought these patterns into your life? If so, God is willing and waiting to reveal it so that you can be healed and renewed in Him!

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me...He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners... to comfort all who mourn... And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify Him." (Isa 61:1 condensed)

Redefining Jesus

At one critical point in my walk with the Lord I had to make some choices about doctrine. I knew the choices I made would either leave me in the 'status quo' or bring about some drastic changes in my life.

As I struggled emotionally and wrestled in prayer, I heard a whisper coming up from inside of me, saying "read My word to know My character, to understand who I am and who you are in Me. Do not read my word to prove your existing doctrine."

That was a defining moment in my walk with the Lord. He was telling me that understanding His word is knowing Him! Rightly dividing His word is crucial to knowing His character. The Bereans understood this. They listened intently to Paul's teaching then searched the scriptures for themselves (Acts 17:11). Because of this Luke said they were noble: honorable, filled with wisdom and doing right.

Defining Jesus with even a little 'out of sync' doctrine is, in effect, remaking His character. Remember that His word will not return to Him void, but the word that we misinterpret, that which is not the Living Word, will return to us void and ineffective (Isaiah 55:11). Further, true faith cannot be built on wrong interpretation of the Word: this simply brings "high expectation based on wrong information" (C. Capps). We must seek to know the true Jesus!

When we understand who Jesus is and have relationship with Him through the Living Word (the Bible), that Word becomes effective in our lives. We are able to conquer the things that have beset our families for generations - the true character of Christ comes alive in us and we become living testimonies of His love and purposes for all mankind!

If we know the true character of God we will know His voice when He calls-there will be no confusion! Ask Him to correct any misinterpretation of who He is and take you deeper into relationship with Him, the Living Word! He died to make you His own - to know Him and live for Him.

"I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me." John 10:14

Prosperity. What is it?

God's word teaches us that prosperity is the result of an inward condition of the heart that overflows into one's life. Broken down into the basics of the NT word, prosper means "to do well in one's journey in life" (Strong's, 3 Jn 1:2). This 'doing well' is a condition of the heart and soul of man - which then overflows into the natural world.

That definition seems a bit different than today's twist on the word prosperity, which focuses on financial and material wealth. However, godly prosperity is achieved by following the leading of the Lord, as shown in Isaiah 48:17: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. " In other words, He teaches us the way to live for Him, that we would benefit and prosper on His terms.

Constant grasping for wealth can lead us away from the plans of God. Even though there are scriptures indicating God's gift of financial blessings, focusing on these scriptures as an overriding doctrine will subtly lead us away from God and into serving the God of this world. In fact, this grasping for wealth is evidence that one is already off track from God's purposes and serving fleshly lusts. Perhaps the most grievous sin in this is trying to coerce God into supplying our material desires and calling it 'faith.'

OT law made allowance to help those in need of food and other necessities-this was the responsibility of God's community of believers. There are also instances in the Bible where God miraculously supplied food, finances and other necessities to His servants. However, please be cautious about the continuous seeking of multiplication of finances as a means of satisfying the flesh - these Biblical instances were born out of deep necessity.

A look at the financial and material prosperity in our society, overall, in comparison to the standard of living during Biblical times, is indication that we have prospered both financially and materially above and beyond what they could have imagined. Now, the question is, have we kept up with that Spiritually?

God's plan for each of our lives, when followed, will assure our needs are met and we have a supply to give to others. He affirms this in Psalm 37:4 where He tells us to delight ourselves in Him, then He will give us the desires our of our hearts. "Delight" means to make ones self pliable in His hands, to completely submit one's life to Him.

I ask myself and the readers this question: are our hearts and minds concerned more with God supplying our desires or are we consumed with God's plans?

Purify our doctrine, Lord Jesus, and set our hearts and minds on your purposes. Lead us into lives which glorify you and bring your presence into a world of materialism and self-satisfaction. You are the answer to the world's sin, and we will deliver that answer just as you delivered us!