A Little Revenge Won't Hurt!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things in the Christian walk is to treat someone kindly who’s treated you poorly. I’m not simply speaking of people outside of the Church, but of those inside the church as well. Given the opportunity, many of us would like to either give someone who’s mistreated us an earful of our thoughts, or perhaps see their efforts in life come to a big time fail!

While there’s a time and manner in which to confront offenders, there’s also a way to deal with those who are unrepentant and repeat offenders. Romans 12:18-20 tells us to ‘do good’ to those who hurt us. Right now you might be thinking “you’re reading that wrong.” But the Bible goes even further and tells us not to take any kind of revenge on these people, or to retaliate or try to vindicate ourselves. Normally these types of actions are ways to let others see that we are innocent and we’ve been wronged.

The action God is calling for in this circumstance is to do good to the person who has wronged you, and to do so in thought, word and deed. That doesn’t mean you become a rug and serve this person with gifts, it means you take opportunities that arise to bless the person, keep your mouth shut about the wrong that was done to you (don’t gossip), and let God work on the person’s heart. If he or she doesn’t respond to your kindness and the conviction of God, that’s for God to deal with, not you.

You might say “what if the person thinks I agree with him when I’m kind?" So what! It doesn’t matter what the person thinks. If they want to engage in meaningful, graceful conversation then do so as the Lord leads you, otherwise, keep quiet and follow Christ. Jesus wasn’t concerned about what people thought of Him as He carried the cross to His death, nor should we be concerned about dying to self and following Him unquestionably.

Dealing this way with a person who has hurt us will also keep us in humility. It’s very difficult to be kind and benefit someone in this type of circumstance if we have pride in our hearts. But God is giving us the opportunity to help the offending person by means of extending love and forgiveness, the same thing He gave to each of us which melted the hardness from us and brought the life of God into us. These are the ‘burning coals’ that we heap onto the offender – not for revenge but for redemption!

A Revelation on Temptation

Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness where He fasted and prayed for 40 days. At this point the enemy expected to have a hay-day with Jesus because he looked at His physical condition and saw Him as vulnerable. So the first vice he used on Jesus was the same vice he used in the Garden of Eden: temptation with food!

The enemy gets his perception of us by what he sees from the outside, he does not know our thoughts except by our actions and words. The devil sees our weaknesses as cracks in our armor into where he may shoot his poison arrows. He wants to appeal to the fleshly, carnal side of man so he will often tempt with things such as food, power, sex and material possessions. He will even try to twist God’s word to get us to believe a lie and bring satisfaction to our flesh through it. “Just command these stones to be bread and you’ll have all the food you need. That’s why you have faith and power – so you can help yourself in these situations. God doesn’t want you to go without the things you need or desire” (Matt 4:4 paraphrased).

Jesus’ answer to these temptations was to be Himself, the Living Word. When he was pressed by the devil He oozed the life of God like a sponge being squeezed. When we are squeezed and pressed we will do the same – ooze what’s inside of us. Because there was no sin inside of Jesus there was no open door for the enemy to tempt Him and there was no ‘reward’ great enough to take His eyes off of God and the prize set before Him of redeeming our souls.

The temptations we struggle with reveal a spot where the heart hasn’t been yielded to the love of God, or a place where our affections have been removed from God and misplaced onto something that has deceived us. While we must walk in self control, we must all the more keep our affections on God - not because it will keep us from temptation, but because we have been created for union with Him.

Place your affections on the lover of your soul. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Turmoil and Anxiety's Prescription

Martha was 'anxious and troubled about many things.’ She wasn’t simply upset because Mary wasn’t helping her feed the funeral crowds; she had turmoil inside of herself (Luke 10:41-42). Her grief over Lazarus’ death and the perceived stress of serving all those who came to honor him only magnified her inner turmoil.

What was happening inside of Martha was manifesting in her behavior. Jesus saw into this and opened up a window to her soul so Martha could begin the healing process. Martha had anxiety and fear over many things, crying out for help in serving their guests was her way of drawing Jesus attention to her. I believe this was Martha’s disguised cry of desperation; it was her way of getting Jesus to give her some type of encouragement and reinforcement.

Jesus took note of her, but He didn’t reinforce her thoughts and concerns, He redirected them to the place she could receive healing. He didn’t drive out demons from her and He didn’t condemn her, He simply said ‘sit at my feet.’ What He was really saying was 'let my words wash over you, Martha, let them bring new life to you and heal your heart. You have much inner turmoil and you are looking to bring resolve by adjusting the world around you, but I want to love you and heal you from the inside.' As often happens when we have inner turmoil, Martha blamed some one else and sought to control the situation around her instead of allowing God to heal the issues inside of her.

One thing is needful – to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His words. This washing of the water of the word hits the ‘reset’ button on our thinking processes and imbues us with the mind of Christ. This establishes His kingdom within us and replaces the mindsets and resulting turmoil and friction that cause us to take our frustrations out on other people.

Sit at His feet today and hear His teaching. Let go of anxiety, inner turmoil and frustration, become renewed in your mind as you allow His word to wash and recreate you!

Blasphemy!

Jesus made it common practice to expel demons from people who were suffering. One time, as He set a man free who was mute, people in the crowd accused Him of being demon possessed Himself. “Why would a demon drive out a demon, that’s self defeating” was His response (paraphrased Luke 11). In today’s lingo, it would be similar to saying that members of an army had turned upon one another with their weapons.
This section of scripture begins with Jesus instruction to the crowd to continually pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit. He promises He won’t give them a scorpion or a serpent or something evil, but the power of God through the Spirit. Then He demonstrates the effectiveness of God’s power through His Spirit by casting out a demon.
But some of the crowd didn’t see that God desires to set us free from all oppression by the power of His Spirit! They didn’t understand it so they turned on Jesus. A man who couldn’t speak a moment before now stood in front of them and praised God for his deliverance, and some of the crowd said that Jesus had done this through the power of the devil.
This is blasphemy to the Holy Spirit: attributing the works of God to the devil. It includes speaking ill of God and the works He does out of His great love and grace toward us. It’s denying the power of God through His Spirit to bring freedom from oppression.
Our God is all powerful! He died to set us free and give us the Holy Spirit that we could be used to set others free. Bless His name and praise His great works in the earth!
God, help us to discern your great works. Help us to guard our hearts and mouths that we'd never think or speak blasphemy against your power and grace.

Are You A Smoldering Volcano?

There have been times in my life when I've kept my mouth closed on an issue that upset me, but I was seething below the surface with anger and frustration. Or worse yet, I discussed the problem with a few close friends and kept a fire of irritation brewing inside of me with the winds of gossip. If there was a checklist for things that are the opposite of love, these two items would be on it: seething and gossiping!

1Cor 13:7 says "love bears all things." That means 'to cover with silence' while taking it before the Lord. There's a difference between putting a blanket on something to smother or silence it, and suppressing it so it smolders and seethes under the surface. Suppressing isn't dealing with a problem, it just covers it and turns the toxic fumes to the inside of a person. There is the grave danger of moving into bitterness when we soak in seething.

There is no condemnation to the person who seeks the counsel of a beloved Christian friend in a discreet manner. However, the person who is seeking justification for their seething feelings will take their issues to many people and begin a circle of dis-content. If you find yourself at this point it's a necessity to get on your knees before the Lord and ask Him to cleanse you of the ill feelings and motives and help you to walk in love. Dis-content is like a pair of glasses one wears which changes the joy of the Lord into a war zone.

Handle problems quickly so the enemy cannot infest your heart with dis-content. Rid yourself of feelings of irritation as you sit before the Lord and get His perspective. If you have these negative feelings you cannot also have the joy of the Lord - these things block out the clarity of God's voice and word in your life.

There are some situations in life that only God can correct - some of them have to do with our issues and some have to do with the issues of others. Remember that you have the Holy Spirit to convict you of yours sins, not the sins of the rest of the world. You may be able to discern the sins of others, but God has to do the convicting.

Is "Destiny" A Biblical Concept?

God knows the end of all things before they have begun. He’s laid out the history of the world as though it were a timeline on which he could see every person and event in one quick glance (Is 46, Heb 1). The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world because, in the eyes of God, what is ordained at any given point on the timeline is already complete (Rev 13). In fact, much of prophecy in the Bible is spoken out as though it’s already happened, even though God is showing the prophet a picture of some future point on the timeline.

With this concept in mind, consider what your part is on God’s timeline. If you have known Christ for even a short period of time you should have a desire inside of you to do something to advance His kingdom for His glory. God knows exactly what that desire is because He put it in you. He created you for a specific purpose and knew the time and places you’d be living (Acts 17): you are an integral part of His plans that were laid out from the foundation of the world. You have a ‘destiny’ to fulfill, a point on the timeline that fits like a puzzle piece with the points and people around you.

The world sees destiny as a fulfillment of a personal desire through the use of one’s natural abilities, which is partly true. But as people of God our main concern is to fulfill God’s purpose for His glory, and in doing so we are completely fulfilled and satisfied as servants of the Most High God.

If we allow the attitude of the world to overtake us in trying to fulfill God’s purposes, we can slide into the arena of self promotion and self exaltation. If we sit on the gifts and talents He’s given us, holding back His grace and love which is extended through them, we may find ourselves hearing the same words as the unfaithful servant in Matt. 25.

Faithfulness to God is shown in developing our character through studying His word and fellowshipping with his Body, but it’s also shown in the way we handle the abilities and giftings He’s given us. We are responsible to develop them and give Him an honorable return on His investment: this is the destiny He’s given to all who call Him Lord!

“Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began” Psa 139:16.

Wanted: Super Model!

Do the sins of the fathers and mothers come onto the next generation? Do the children pay the penalty for their father's sins?

Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins; however, our children will suffer for our sins and the sins of our forefathers to the extent that we allow those sins to continue down our generational lines through our own lives. Our sins generally affect others around us, not only ourselves. Examining the life of an alcoholic, a person who regularly displays fits of rage or a drug addict brings this concept to light – the effects on the family of this person are astronomical.

We model life to our families and the people around us - modeling that life is our way of witnessing the love and life of Christ on a daily basis. We can teach others the way they should go, but if we don't live it ourselves we instill in them a hypocritical attitude and false image of Christ. This is great incentive to continually cleanse ourselves of sinful attitudes, actions and motives – the ‘little ones’ around us catch teaching that we don’t realize we’re presenting.

There is a way to break off every sin that tries to continue down your family line and establish itself in your children. This happens by developing a continual, daily, walk with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by making a concerted effort to join in fellowship with other believers who pray, teach you and speak the Word of God over you with great power and love, and by living through His Spirit for His glory. If Jesus Christ is your first priority – the rest of life’s concerns will take their place accordingly.

This is important not only for your family and loved ones, but for the world around you. You are not your own, you were bought with a price, the blood of Jesus Christ, that you would glorify Him as a witness to the world.

If you really want to know the fullness of life, the good life, know Jesus Christ and live life in extreme love and commitment to Him. There is nothing as fulfilling for either you or the family and friends you serve! This is the life of a ‘super model.’

Let It Go - It's Not A Big Deal!

Most things in life aren’t a big deal – people just make them into a big deal.

If we could just turn the other cheek and leave things alone instead of brewing on them, how quickly would they pass? If little things were just pushed aside and our attention was kept on God, how much turmoil would we be able to snuff out before it got started?

There’s a time to deal with problems and a peaceful and graceful way to do it, but giving our attention to something that doesn’t require it takes our energies and devotion away from where they should be. A consistent need to have our hands in little things like this may reveal lack of trust in God and an unhealthy desire to control the world around us.

Your thoughts are precious avenues to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and your actions follow your thoughts. If something is worthy of your attention let the Lord guide you in it. If it’s not worthy of your attention, let it go!

Spirit and Truth?

“But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

The Jews worshiped in Jerusalem and the Samaritan woman who Jesus met at the well worshiped on Mt. Gerazim, presumably where Abraham sacrificed Isaac. The Samaritans were concerned that they worship in the right location: like many ancient people they had superstition attached to worshiping where God had previously performed great miracles.

This can be seen today at times, also. People often believe there must be an appointed place where God comes and meets us in a magnificent way, so we rush to that place. But if God is meeting people in a particular place, it is likely because their hearts have met God before they arrived there - not because the location is especially anointed.

God is drawn to those who worship out of a spirit connection to Him, not because of a particular building or landmark or previous event which took place somewhere. When we know the truth of God through His word, and experience relationship with Him on a daily basis, we can worship him spirit to spirit at any location. Paul and Silas worshiped in Jail and an earthquake broke open the prison doors.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that a time was coming when true worship to God would require no specific location. No one would be required to go to Jerusalem or to Mt. Gerazim, but WHEREVER two or three gather He will be in the midst of them. In fact, Jesus said “The Father wants such people to worship Him,” speaking of those who will not only connect to Him via His Spirit, but will live life as worship to Him.

Whether there be 3 or 5 or 500 of us, God is drawn to spirit to spirit worship and our solid understanding of the Truth of who He is. While we never want to forsake gathering in unified worship, we also can be assured that God will accept our worship even as we lift our hands to him during a morning shower!

Full Steam Ahead!

If God directs you to do something that goes against your cultural standards can you do it? Can you lay aside comfort and pride and embarrassment and self-preservation and go full steam ahead without looking back to see how your neighbors view you? Can you pick up your cross and carry it to your proverbial Calvary?

Consider Hosea, who was directed by God to marry a prostitute as a picture of Israel’s harlotry against God. Or Ezekiel, who lay naked for months on one side then turned over to the other side, representing the years of sin of both Judah and Israel. Both of these men endured ridicule and shame from the very people they suffered for through God’s assignments. But God was with them: He continually spoke to them, directed them and empowered them.

When God calls us to a work he empowers us. He imbues us with His Spirit and anoints us with His holy oil to get the job done. He never leaves us or forsakes us and He provides all that’s needed to fulfill our purpose and His plans.

Don’t be afraid to step out. Lean into His unfailing love and wisdom and set your face like flint. Silence the voice of the nay-sayers by filling your spirit with the word of God - do not be moved by negativity! Keep your eyes single on the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him completely. Not only will you fulfill His purposes, you will find complete rest and joy in doing what He has created you to be and do!

Protect Your Kingship!

“I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet” (Ps 18:37-38).
King David was a mighty warrior whose enemies had in mind to overtake him and usurp the kingship God had appointed him to. But under God’s direction he annihilated every foe and gave glory to God.
David’s life presents a spiritual picture for us: we are to pursue the enemy and overtake him by first pursuing God and allowing Him to overtake us. The Psalms are full of David’s worshipful conversations with God and reveal that David’s first sword for battle was God’s word. It must be the same for us: we are to take up the Word as a sword and pursue the vices of the enemy in our lives.
Our enemies are not the people who stand in our way, nor the cookies on the counter-top, nor the sale that tempts us. Our enemies are the sinful desires and motives that lurk inside of us and manifest in our words and actions. Consuming our energies with efforts to change our circumstances is often a way to avoid submitting our hearts to God and allowing Him to free us through His Word and Spirit.
Vehemently pursue those things in your life which are against God. Destroy and annihilate the mindsets, desires and habits that are set against godliness in your life and don’t allow them to rise up again. They desire to steal your kingship and leave you powerless, but God calls you to take the sword of the Word and bring a swift end to those enemies of your soul.
The Word of God is a powerful, life-giving sword, much like a surgical instrument. It is able to penetrate deep into the soul of a man and purge the sinful desires and purposes of our hearts. This brings freedom and opens the door to the promised land of peace in Him (Heb.4:11-12 paraphrased).

Uprooting Bitterness!

As a gardener I've often joked that there are some weeds whose roots go as deep as hell. Spiritually, there is a root which grows from the depths of hell: it's called bitterness.
Bitterness is a condition of the heart which generally comes from a deep hurt or disappointment. It’s often brought on by a bad experience with someone or something and it becomes a root which is fertilized by dissatisfaction and regret.
For bitterness to spring up, there has to be an intentional decision to set aside the grace of God that we are to extend to others - this provides the fertile soil needed for the root of bitterness to grow (Heb. 12:15).
Bitterness is a mindset or stronghold within us which puts up barriers to relationship with God and other people. It turns a hurt into a platform for vengeance and it seethes underneath the surface of poise, waiting to pounce like a roaring lion. Bitterness is a motive which lurks in wait to take opportunity to justify oneself at any cost. Medical science suggests that bitterness leads to depression, cardiovascular problems and a weakened immune system. It’s a consuming sickness of the soul which spills over into the physical body, but there is a certain cure in our loving Savior!
Repentance, forgiveness and grace release us from the bondage of bitterness: forgive self, forgive others and extend grace to destroy the root of bitterness! Completely repent of and release thoughts of vengeance, self-justification, unforgiveness and regret! Replace those thoughts with the goodness of God and His Word - this retrains the heart and mind in God’s grace and love, and chokes out bitterness. Grace extended not only destroys the enemy’s opportunity to plant bitterness in us, but it melts the heart of the person who is bitter against us and others.
Tend your garden: pull up the root of bitterness today and move forward in your life in Christ!

Prayer: Where the Battle Rages!

“Thank you for praying. Because of your prayers it was as though God raised us from the dead, because we faced certain death.”

This is Paul’s message of great gratitude to the Corinthians after his life was spared when spreading the Gospel in Asia. Paul knew, without a doubt, that the prayers of the saints were what spared his life. Their prayers were the avenue through which God extended protection and deliverance, which Paul calls a ‘gift’ in 2 Corinthians 1:11.

Daniel prayed for understanding in Daniel 10. While the angel Gabriel set out to deliver that understanding, the enemy’s prince battled with Gabriel to such a degree that the angel Michael had to be sent to assist him. The high-ranking demon who detained them was determined to keep revelation from reaching Daniel-but Daniel’s prayers prevailed through the angels.

Our prayers are of utmost importance in this Christian life, and a commitment to pray should not be taken lightly. This commitment is equal to making an appointment with Jesus himself, who intercedes on our behalf and opens the door to heaven’s participation (Heb 7:25). In fact, one of the elements of prayer is to ‘bind oneself ‘ to the Lord in continual supplication, worship and agreement with Him. This type of determination to press through struggles and remain constant in prayer opens a road to bring God’s will and empowerment into our circumstances.

As a pray-er, what ‘gift’ will you bring today? Through the prayers of others Paul received protection and deliverance. Through Daniel’s own prayers he received understanding. Mostly likely, through someone else's prayers you received the gift of salvation.

If you are a pray-er, you are a giver!

Fellowship of the Believers

If we have confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have an instant connection between others who have done the same. However, there’s a deeper intimacy of relationship that comes from consistency of worshiping together, pressing through struggles together and learning to live the life of Christ together day to day.

This relationship is called ‘fellowship.’ The Bible speaks of it as a relationship with Christ by participation in the life of the members of His Body, the redeemed. This fellowship requires vulnerability and trust that go beyond worldly relationships. Fellowship is spirit to spirit between the people of God. It’s a picture of the trinity and their relationship to one another: love and dedication beyond human capabilities. The hand cannot forsake the other hand; they are attached to the same body. The mouth and the ears need one another: they co-exist and are co-dependent, as ordained by God.

When Jesus fellowship with the Father was broken because of our sins, He cried out in anguish “My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” His separation from fellowship with the Father was agonizing. Such is the great fellowship we share with the Father, but also with one another. It is so intimate that we are spiritually a part of one another. When this is broken there is great agony of the heart and soul within us and a longing to repair the breach.

We are made for fellowship and we yearn for it. When we don’t have true fellowship we are not able to experience God’s fullness for our lives. We have been put on this earth together to impact one another and the rest of the world for Him. Our process of growth and sanctification is partially dependent on this fellowship as the Body feeds and helps the rest of the Body to maturity.

Give and receive grace and love. Give and receive wisdom and guidance. Walk through the dark tunnels with one another in honesty and forgiveness. Keep the fellowship, called “Koinonia” in the Bible, on a daily basis. Going to church is not fellowship in itself – that can simply be a gathering of people. Fellowship is living this life intimately intertwined with one another through the Spirit of God on a daily basis.

Are you willing?

Praise: Breaking Hell's Chains!

The voice that speaks out praise to God is a mighty weapon of warfare. Psalm 8 tells us that even children and babes in the Lord can still (silence, stop, put away) the enemy by praising God! In fact, God has instructed us to do this in all circumstances.

Paul and Silas knew the importance of praising God in every circumstance (Acts 26). While they were bound in chains in a cold prison cell, in pain from being thrashed the day before, they praised God. They first lifted their voices in prayer then praised God not for what He might do or because they wanted something, but because He is God and He is worthy. They purposely put their minds on the goodness of God and their praise echoed throughout the entire cave-like prison. Every prisoner awoke in the midnight hour and heard those two ‘lunatics’ singing and making joyous noises to the Lord of Heaven.

Then the grips of hell suddenly broke loose and an earthquake shook open the doors of the prison! The prison guard was so frightened and amazed that he took Paul and Silas to his home, cleansed their wounds and became a believer in Jesus Christ!

At the darkest part of night, the time when there is no ray of light, the praise of God is ordained and called for from out of our hearts and mouths. When the voice of the enemy wants to silence our lives and our witness and bring defeat, God ordains praise for His great love and faithfulness.

Praise changes our atmosphere and brings the spotlight of heaven into our situation; it shakes the foundation of those things that imprison us; it draws attention to God and off of our concerns; it silences the voice of the enemy and it makes an announcement that we acknowledge our weakness in the light of the great God of the universe who is able to save and rescue us!

“Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful (Ps 33:1).

Pick Yourself Up!

Trials and stresses of life can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling completely helpless and hopeless, but David had a powerful approach to life's dire straits, especially at the kidnapping of his family.

“...David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:1-6). David fastened and bound his heart to the Lords heart and became valiant through God. He maintained his trust in God and his resolve was strengthened by God’s constant love for him.

Be encouraged in the One who knows every need and care you will face. He has already brought resolve to them, before you were born He had them worked out. Lift your head today and encourage yourself in the Lord. He has told us of His great love for us – soak it into your spirit today as though it were warm sun on a cold winter’s day!

-The Lord your God is mighty on your behalf. He rejoices over you with EXUBERANT GLADNESS and singing (Zeph 3:17).

-I THINK ABOUT YOU continually, says the Lord your God! I have planned good things for you both today and in your future (Jer. 29:11).

-The Lord greatly delights and TAKES PLEASURE IN YOU, His people (Ps 149:4).

-The Lord our GOD HAS SENT MINISTERING ANGELS to assist us and come to our aid (Heb. 1:14).

-If GOD IS FOR US, who could possibly come against us – for they stand against the Almighty if they stand against us (Rom. 8:31).

Blessed be the name of the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits! (Ps 103)

(All scriptures paraphrased)

You Are The Gatekeeper

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Prov 23:7)

The word ‘think’ in this scripture has two connected meanings:
1. to estimate oneself 2. to be a gatekeeper.

To estimate is to measure value or potential. There are two choices in how we estimate ourselves: by human opinion or by God’s destiny for our lives. God’s estimation of you is your destination and calling. The most important thing you can do in obedience to God is to find out who He has created you to be, believe it and live it! Your own estimation could be wrong and it could take you in the wrong direction. Don’t allow someone else’s estimation of you to stop you from following God’s plan, either. Keep going in His direction for your life! Get understanding of who He has made you to be and how you are to serve Him and others. Agree with His estimation!

A gatekeeper guards a gate and decides who or what gets entry or access. You are the gatekeeper of your mind and heart. You decide what goes into it to form your thoughts and direct your life. You can close the gate and you can open the gate: the gatekeeper holds the key to his own development. How much of God is allowed in as opposed to worldly influence? You must open the gate of your mind to the things that help you fulfill God’s estimation of you – don’t allow things that are contrary to the heart of God!

As a man thinks in his heart....so he will become! Agree with God's estimation! Be a faithful gatekeeper!

Miracles, Visions and Dreams, Oh My!

There’s a hunger in much of the Church today for supernatural things such as miracles, visions, angelic visitations and dreams. I would even go so far as to say that many in the church have a desperate desire to experience these things.

Biblically, these are very much a part of the Christian experience. They’re seen in a variety of circumstances in the Bible, and they’re generally unpredictable in their appearance in Biblical writings. I’ve heard many people say that these things no longer exist today, however the Bible never called for an end to them. Additionally, the lives of everyday people in Bible writings included these experiences as a means of hearing God’s will and leading for particular callings and circumstances in their lives. The Bible includes these examples as possibilities of the ways in which God might move in our lives.

There is one common theme for every one of these supernatural experiences in the Bible: the one receiving the experience never sought it! In fact, most of these events occurred when people were simply serving God through earnestly living His word, loving others and fulfilling His purposes for their lives. They may have called out to God for help or wisdom, but they never ask Him to give them one of these supernatural experiences. We must be cautious not to seek these experiences so desperately that the rest of our walk with the Lord comes to a standstill, effectively stifling our sanctification process!

The reason I write this word today is to ask you to look at what God has done in your life. There have been many miraculous things in mine that didn’t come with a flash of lightning or being rapt in a vision, but nonetheless they were miraculous. And there are times I’ve seen things which I know my natural eye couldn’t have conjured up – it had to have been supernatural. The point is that God is in every moment of our lives and it’s His decision how he chooses to move in each moment. Our openness to His possibilities is necessary, but when we over-stress our own definition of ‘supernatural’ and hyper-seek these experiences, we sometimes miss the voice of God and the way He wants to move in our lives. It is also necessary to see that Biblically, there are some giftings which experience these occurrences more regularly than others.

Remain balanced in God: just seek Him and stay in His Word. He knows the best avenue to get you where He’s created you to go in life. Recognize and be thankful for His participation, no matter how it comes. Yet, don’t limit His means of moving for fear of how He might supernaturally do it!

Get the Hell Out!

There's an old saying which asks the question "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer is "one bite at a time."
This is the same way we become accustomed to things which shouldn't have any part in our lives as children of God. TV programs, unhealthy relationships, ____________. You and the Lord can fill in the blank.
A little look here won't hurt.... and a little time there won't hurt....and before long we have swallowed the entire elephant.
Every once in a while we have to do a 'house cleaning' and get the ungodly influences out of our homes. A friend of mine use to say 'get the hell out' of your life! It's appropriate to say the same here.
You are the salt of the earth....don't lose your saltiness. You are designed to bring the life of God into your home and the world. Get rid of those things which conflict with this calling and draw your time and attention away from God. It's time for a holy house cleaning!
God is willing to be your everything? Are you willing to let Him?

Hope in the Desert

Life can have long and hard stretches: it seems like a dirt road at times and we're walking barefoot. Every step feels hard and dry and painful. We can certainly feel like the Pilgrim in Pilgrim's Progress.

There will be long, straight and dusty stretches in this walk, desert places so to speak, but there is purpose even in the desert place. Take the attitude that God has got you in the palm of His hand in that desert place, speaking to you and forming you. Let the Son bake you until you are perfectly cooked in Him - don't fight it!

Hope and vision keep us going during this time. We call out to God, who has perfect timing and never let's His word fall to the ground, and lift His word of promise up to Him in thankfulness. Then we suddenly come around a bend on that dusty, desert road and see things we couldn't see on the long, straight stretch. Those things were there, but we couldn't see them until we got around the corner. Somehow that long road changed our ability to see. Turning the corner made things seem bright and clear and there was relief and joy. Now we shake off the dust and keep moving forward.

How to "Dis" a Pharisee!

Jesus knew how to handle the naysayers and accusers, and He often did it with irony and unconventional methods. The Pharisees discourse with Jesus in John 8 is a perfect example of this. Here was Jesus, teaching and bringing life to the crowds at the temple, and the Pharisees drag in a woman whom they’d caught in adultery. “Well Jesus, since you know the law, tell us, what are we supposed to do with her?” What they were trying to do was test Him to see if He would follow the letter of the law. They saw the crowds following Jesus day after day and wanted to discredit Him for fear of losing their power over the people, so they tested Him with the very thing they represented: legalism!

This is what Pharisees do. They see the Bible as a set of rules, a cause and effect answer book. A Pharisee looks for what should be done to stay within the bounds of the Bible’s ‘rules’ instead of seeking God’s answer for each individual circumstance through His Spirit. In this way Pharisees remove the grace of God and the creativity of His solutions.

Jesus means of dealing with both the Pharisees and this woman were straight from the heart of God. God knew the motives of the Pharisees and the heart of this woman, and because Jesus listened to the Father’s wisdom, He brought the perfect solution. With a crowd of people behind Him and the Pharisees in front of Him, Jesus stooped down and drew in the sand, continuing to illustrate His lessons to the crowd as though the Pharisees weren’t there. Some things just don’t deserve our immediate attention! The Pharisees became more indignant and demanded an answer. Jesus stood up and looked at the crowd, saying “everyone who is without sin, pick up a stone and get in line to throw it at her.”

This statement hit the hearts of the crowd! Jesus could see into them! He knew their sins! But more importantly, He exuded the love and forgiveness of God. He brought the grace of God not only to this woman, but to everyone in the crowd, including the Pharisees. But they wouldn’t receive it!

The plan of the Pharisees backfired, just as it had with Daniel in the case of the lion’s den. It was the same ploy of the enemy to discredit the servant of God with manipulation - based on fear of losing status. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat when He was actually the answer to their fears. He was the freedom they longed for and the grace God desired to give them. But they refused it. They stuck with the letter of the law and discarded the grace of God, and once again walked away frustrated.

Pharisees are ‘anti-grace’ representatives. They misunderstand the New Testament to be a continuation of the Old Testament Law. But God’s answer to this shortcoming is GRACE! This is what He gave to each Pharisee, the woman caught in adultery and each person in the crowd that day. The irony of God’s answer to the Pharisee's sin of legalism is to cover him with grace, the very thing he lacks. The sin of a Pharisee is no different than your sin or my sin – it can be washed away by the blood of Jesus and the grace of God. Give it and receive it today!

Physical Senses - A Means of Discernment

Every Christian can sharpen his discernment by becoming more intimately acquainted with the Word of God. Paul exhorts us to get past feeding on the milk of the word, as infants feed, who cannot discern the world around them. He tells the recipients of Hebrews that their lack of feeding on the meat of the Word has caused them to have delayed growth, dull spiritual hearing and sluggish insight (Heb. 5:11, AMP). This would be similar to feeding a child food which doesn’t have enough nutrients for him to grow: he’d become malnourished and his body would not function properly.

In Hebrews 5:13-14 Paul elaborates more specifically the effects of being malnourished in the Word: our thoughts, purposes and actions remain infant-like and immature. This is because we can only think and do as the Word instructs to the degree we have it inside of our hearts and minds. If there is no foundation of righteousness within us, we can neither live righteously nor discern what is righteous and what is evil. However, the person who is filled with the Word, and is daily being transformed by it, discerns through every sensory organ in his body (Heb 5:14). In other Words, once the physical body is given over to the life of Christ and continues to feed on the meat of the Word, it can be used to discern the world around us. If we brush up against something we might discern either evil or good from our ‘touch’ perception. If we see something, we can discern evil or good with our ‘sight’ perception. Understand that our complete physical bodies are part of the gift He’s given us to not only live on this earth, but to discern the world around us for our benefit and protection.

Another requirement of discernment is to love! Discernment is not based on suspicion – it’s not looking for trouble or trying to pick out people and circumstances that can be fixed. The truth of the Word and discernment work hand in hand to examine and approve the things that are of God and dismiss those that aren’t. That's the job of discerning - to approve the things that are of God. It's not a personal affront to anyone when we discern, but a necessary element of the Christian walk and one of God's ways of protecting us.

The book of Philippians tells us that our love will abound to a greater degree as we grow in the Word and discernment. In other Words, sharper discernment is a means of excelling in love. Why? Because as we grow in the Word we grow in the character of God and we are able to approve and promote the things of God in others and in our world around us (Php 1:9-11).

I pray that your love for the Word of God will grow; that you’ll have a passion to seek Him through His Word. This is a sure fire plan to spread the love of God by discerning good and evil; approving of what He approves!

Momma's Shortcut: The Fat Shaker!

When I was a child my Mom had a machine that was supposed to shake away fat. The machine had a large motor elevated on a stand to about waist height. A belt wrapped from one side of the motor, around my mother’s posterior, to the other side of the motor. When Mom turned on the fat shaker the living room floor vibrated. It seemed odd to me at the time that a person could shake free from their fat in such a manner, but she swore by it, until the motor broke down.

The fat shaker wasn’t effective because the concept didn’t coincide with the way God designed our bodies to work. It was a short cut answer which circumvented God’s design for not only our physical bodies, but the whole person.

Because God cares about the whole person, He’s not into circumventing issues in our lives to bring easy answers. In fact, much of this life in Christ is about learning to walk through difficult things and removing the mountains instead of walking around them (Mark 11:23).

Consider the outcome of some shortcuts recorded in the Bible:
-Abraham and Sarah’s decision to have a child through Sarah’s handmaiden instead of waiting on God’s plan and timing (Gen 16).
-Simon the Sorcerer’s desire to buy the power to impart God’s Spirit as opposed to seeking relationship with God and being filled with the Spirit (Acts 9).
-David’s decision to carry the Ark of the Covenant on an ox-cart (which resulted in the death of a friend) instead of following God’s prescribed method of transporting the ark (1 Chron 13).

These shortcuts all have one thing in common: they show that God’s perfect will is never accomplished by the flesh of man because true faith is trusting God and obeying His voice. When God prescribes a way of doing something He has in mind to work out what’s best for our entire being; the whole body, soul and spirit of a person. If we invent our own processes of completing His plan we may get to the destination we want, but the casualties we leave amongst our friends, family, finances, personal growth (etc.,etc., etc), can create worse problems.

There are people and circumstances that God wants each of us to affect as we reverently work out our salvation at His direction. Decide today that you will not have things done your way and seek shortcuts to His plans, but you’ll submit fully to His direction and receive the blessings that exist in God’s process of bringing us to His destination!

Warfare or Common Sin?

There are definitely times when God allows us to go through trials for our own benefit, and there are times when we’re being attacked by the enemy of our souls and he brings a trial on us, but there are many times when we bring those trials on ourselves. In any of these cases, God can use the trial to make us stronger if we are willing to hear Him and obey.

How often do we hear people tell us they’re going through warfare? Certainly this is a reality for the Christian, battling the ploys of the enemy in our everyday lives, and Paul expounds on this greatly in Ephesians. However, we often bring on our own trials because of sin in our lives and no amount of commanding or taking authority over the situation is going to get rid of the problem in that case. The truth is that we have to face our faults and examine ourselves through the Holy Spirit or we’ll compound sin with neglecting to admit that sin and turn from it.

Everyday life is full of opportunities to fulfill our own desires and we can’t blame those desires on the enemy. The book of James says “every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire [lust, passions]” (James 1:14 AMP). So blaming the enemy when you have no lunch money for your child is not valid if you bought Starbucks on the way to work every day this week. And crying out to God for your spouse to spend more time with you…when you’re at a church event 4 nights a week while your better half sits home with the kids… is not an attack of the enemy. The enemy will use those situations and compound them, but you can command and speak to the situation until your blue in the face and it won’t change anything! It’s a condition of the heart that needs to be changed - it’s called selfishness.

There’s a scientific law which states ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ We have to see the cause and effect of what we do in our lives. Even though God gives great grace, we cannot take advantage of that grace. Its intention is to teach us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and live for Him (Titus 2:10-11), in essence giving us numerous opportunities to repent even as we see the effects of sin in our lives. This is why regular time alone with the Lord in reading His Word, worship and repentance is so crucial to our lives. God will stop us in our sinful tracks if we get our hearts before Him and let the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin – this greatly benefits us and advances the Kingdom of God as a testimony of His goodness in our lives.

We must not be tools in the hands of the enemy because of our own selfish desires! Make a choice. Be honest with yourself. Get off of the merry-go-round of having the same old problems pop up in your life and face those things which are your fault. Stop the insanity and repent.

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!