Zephaniah 3:17

Did you know that the Lord God Almighty, the creator of all creation, doesn't look down at you from his throne all grumpy saying, "why cant they get their act together"? No! He takes delight in you with Gladness. He shouts and sings in JOY for you! Imagine that! He is a proud Papa who brags on you to His angels. He is mighty to save! Zephaniah 3:17

Don't be like the Widow of Zarephath

Don't be like the Widow of Zarephath.
This lady lived under the supernatural provision of God but failed from so many levels. First, she had an encounter with the Lord where He told her Elijah was going to be coming to her house and "Commanded" her to provide for His prophet. Yet, when Elijah came to her she was preparing to end her life with her son because they were out of food. She didn't receive the Word of the Lord.

Then Elijah prophecies, "For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth."
And, the barrel nor cruse never ran dry. She was living in the supernatural provision of the Lord. After many days, possibly years, her son dies and she blames Elijah. Elijah raises her son from the dead and she says,
"Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."
Really? The endless barrel and cruse lasting years didn't do it. The blessing just became like manna in the desert, blah! This lady lived under the provision of the Lord but never recognized it. Possibly never thanked and praised the Lord for it.
Was this the sin that she feared Elijah was bringing to remembrance?

I hear people say, I tried tithing but it doesn't work; all I do is give but never get back. They look at all that is wrong around them and say "where is God?" I lost my job, I lost my wife, I lost, I lost, I lost.

Start recognizing and praising God for the small things that he does. His provision isn't always a fat wallet, sometimes it's as simple as scraps of bread and flesh from the ravens. Sometimes, it is as simple as the breath you breathe.

Matthew 6
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Hebrews 6:4

I am so distressed when I see mature Christians, whom God has revealed Himself in their hearts, whom have experienced God's free gift, whom have been born into a new creation with the Holy Spirit and whom having experienced the power, authority, and goodness of God's Word, how they can walk away from all they knew in their hearts and either declare that God does not exist, or that imaginary gods are more worthy and mighty than Adonai Elohim.
Pastors, teachers, mentors, mothers and fathers, bringing public shame to Him whom has given them so much, blessed them beyond measure, and loved them unconditionally; and now they turn their back on Him, spit in His face, and say I never knew you. My heart aches for their souls and that of their family.

How Long Must I Wait and Fight

I was meditating on Luke 8, (parable of the sower) today and thinking about the different types of ground that good seed falls onto. I think most of our ground is somewhere between the last two, depending on what is going on in our lives. Sometimes there are so many distractions pulling us in different directions (weeds) that the Word gets choked out and becomes unproductive. Sometimes it falls on good ground and settles deep in our hearts, takes root, and blossoms, and bang-o, prest-o; there's the harvest.

But often, the Word lands in good soil, takes root, blossoms, grows buds, and yet you never see the promise.

Luke 8:15 says “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

A key word here is the 'persevering'. It is the Greek word Hypomone. And means endurance, steadfastness. It means that we have a job to do after the seed is planted. We need to press forward, never giving up, step after step, struggle after struggle, victory after defeat after victory, over and over again until we see the fruition of the harvest.

The grow season is not an easy time, there will be struggles, dry times, frost, enemies will attack wanting to steal and destroy and devour your crop. BUT GOD, if you persevere through this growing cycle, will reward you with a harvest if you do not lose heart and stay in the fight. You have got to keep pressing forward, fighting the fight to see the promises of God manifest.

Have you got revelation of the Word in your heart and you know it took root. And yet you haven’t seen the promise manifest? All of us, from all levels in their faith walk, are in this position. And, you bang your head against the wall trying to figure it out. You know the Word is true and you see and hear of fruit all around you, but you look on your vines and all you have is little buds; the hope of the promise. And, you cry out to God, Lord I believe, how long must I wait and fight.

And the answer is, until you have persevered; for at the proper time we WILL reap a harvest if we do not give up.

5 Loaves, 2 Fish

If you go to a church similar to mine, you have probably heard a sermon or two on how God uses your giving in the Kingdom as the mechanism to give back to you; pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  If you don’t have a revelation of this in your spirit, you need to.  But have you ever thought about what happens to your tithe or offering once it leaves your hands.

The other day I was praying over my tithe and offering, much like I normally do, but I had a heavy heart.  Not because, I need the money that I am giving away; far from it.  I was excited about giving into the kingdom, but was distressed that I didn’t have as much money to give as I would like to.  In that moment of prayer, when I was praying that the Lord would give me more seed to sow back into the kingdom, I was thinking that my offering wasn’t going to go very far to pay the electricity, support ministries, etc. 

Have you ever had that thought?  Have you ever considered, “how can my $5, 10, $20.00, $100 really make a difference; wouldn’t it go so much further in meeting my needs than that of the church’s, as the church’s needs are so great”?

In the mist of this prayer and almost apologizing to the Lord about my tithe, the Lord spoke this in my spirit which really blessed me …

“Just as I supernaturally multiply your seed and create of harvest of fruit in your life, I too supernaturally multiply your offering into the Kingdom like I did with the five loaves and two fish.” 

And in my mind I could picture Jesus looking up to the heaven and giving thanks for my tithe and offering, breaking it, and handing to my pastor to pass out to the people.  And when everyone had enough, he took up twelve baskets that were left over.

This took the heaviness off my heart and I praised God for the miraculous things He will accomplish in the kingdom with my offering (five loaves and two fish). 

Sometimes, when I am ushering and passing the offering bucket around the congregation, I see some people that look burdened, as they place a dollar in the bucket, or even more whom look embarrassed as they pass the bucket without putting anything in it.  I am not writing this to condemn anyone or to place a yoke of guilt on you to start putting something in the bucket when it comes around.  I am writing this to share the revelation with you that it doesn’t matter how much you put in the offering bucket.  It can be $50.00 or 50 cents.  God will use that to do miraculous things in your life as well as in the kingdom.  You never know, someone may see you place two quarters (or a widow’s mite) in the bucket and be inspired to give $10,000.  God not only wants to bless you when you give with a joyful heart, but he also wants you to participate in the building the kingdom in every way that you can.

Please never let an opportunity go by to seed into the kingdom of God.  Even if you have to borrow a dollar from the person next to you, participate in Kingdom building by your giving and allow the Lord to supernaturally bless you as well as others.

-Jeff

Is Jesus Your Lord?

Is Jesus Your Lord?

Did you have a moment some time ago where you heard the Gospel message and your heart stirred and a pastor led you in the sinner’s prayer?  And then the next day, you realized that you are the same person, dealing with the same problems, with the same friends, and you’re still doing the same old things, and there is no tangible difference in your life except you have the pastor’s assurance that at least you not going to hell when you die.

And so you ask yourself, did it work?  Am I really going to miss hell?  Is my name really written in the Lamb’s book of life? 

My answer is, I don’t know.  It depends.  There is a possibility that if you came to the alter with the attitude of ‘what’s in it for me?’ and not ‘what can I give for Him’ that you might not be born again.  If you came to the alter wanting to take what He has for you but not giving to Him what He requires, you may not be.

The pastor may have read Romans 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Do you even know what that verse means? 

In a country where we are all free men and equals and have rights and no one is a bond-servant to another, and we are not subjects to a King, nor slaves to a master; do we even know what it means to confess ‘Jesus is Lord’?

Well let’s start with the Greek. 

The word ‘confess’ here is homologeó.  It means to make a public declaration and promise.  In the days of Jesus, when a person made a public profession or promise it was as binding as a 30 page mortgage contract.  Where generational covenants were bound by your word, this confession is not something you take lightly; like telling a telemarketer that you will consider their offer, just let me get off the phone.  This is a spiritually binding contract that you are getting into. One with no loopholes and bail-out clauses.  You are entering into a sacred blood covenant.

The phrase ‘is lord’, in this context, is kýrios. It is not the same word used for “LORD” as in God of Abraham and 'I AM'.  It doesn’t mean that you are professing that Jesus is Holy and part of the trinity, and is the Word; all of which is true.  But, it literally means ‘A PERSON EXERCISING ABSOLUTE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS’.  ‘ A MASTER’, ‘ONE WITH OVERALL AUTHORITY’.

So let’s put it all together.  Have you made a public declaration, binding on your life, that you are the property of and the servant to Jesus Christ of Nazareth?  In that, everything that you own is now His, that your life is now His, that your old identity is gone and dead and now your new identity is in Him?  As an American slave would have lost their previous identity and took on the identity of their master, so too must you die to your old self and be resurrected into your new identity. 

But our Lord isn’t a cruel master; a slave driver with a heavy yoke and sharp whip.  He is a master that instead of inflicting us with heavy burdens, he adopts us as his children; Children of God.  He gives us His ring, cloak, and banner; His authority under His name.  Just as Pharaoh gave authority to Joseph over Egypt, Jesus has given you authority in Him.  He wants more for you than you can even imagine.  In exchange for humbling and surrendering yourself to Him, He makes in you a new creation.  He brings His spirit in you to guide you and to teach you and to comfort you and to give you power and authority beyond your ability to believe.  He gives you His favor and prospers you and gives more than you will ever need to be effective and influential in the Kingdom of God.  He says, give and I will return to you more than you gave Me.  He says, seek Me with all your heart and I will give you all things.  He says, do what I command I will bless you beyond your ability to receive it all.

How do you know if you have been born again into this new covenant? 

One way is to look for the fruit. (John 15:1-11)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

What kind of fruit are you bearing?

Another way to know is … do you hear His voice?

John 18:37

Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

John 10:26-30

Jesus answered them, “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.”

How is it possible that you have submitted to a master whom you don't even talk to or listen to for His direction. He is always talking, are you ever still and listening? Do you ignore the check in your spirit when you do something you shouldn't?  Are you sensitive enough to it to be your guide?

The Holy Spirit confirms in our spirit that we are children of God.

Romans 8:14

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

You can’t lie and steal an inheritance into the Father and into heaven.  You can certainly make the world believe that you have made Jesus your Lord, but you can’t fool Him.  You can’t come to Jesus and say Hocus-Pocus (or some other magic words) and tell God to stamp your ticket to heaven.  That is not how it works.  Saying 'Jesus is Lord', is more than just admitting His deity.  For even the devil knows that Jesus is God and believes that He has risen from the dead.  That's not the ticket to paradise.  You need to make Him Lord.  Lord of your life.  Lord of your finances.  Lord of your relationships.  Lord of your ambitions.  Lord of your everything.  LORD OF ALL.

And if you are ready to enter into this covenant with the creator of the universe and are ready to say, Jesus, everything I am and have is yours, He is waiting to receive you.  Luke 15:11-31

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 living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

If you are ready to put it all aside and profess Jesus is Lord, and declare ‘I submit my all to you’, He is waiting to welcome you home.  He is looking for you in the distance.

You can start right now by praying this or what is on your heart.

Lord, I am so sorry that I have disappointed you.  That I have continuously broken your heart.  I am sorry that I have left you waiting for me for so long while I’ve squandered all that you have given me.  I believe that you died for me and rose again so that I might enter into this eternal covenant with you.  I give you all that I am.  I give you all that I have.  I give you all my ambitions.  I declare that you are lord and master over me.  I forever submit myself to your service and to your will.  Take all that I am and make in me a new creation for your glory.  I thank you Lord for the provision and inheritance that you will provide for me, but I’m not coming to you for the provision or reward.  I submit to you to be a humble servant and will serve you selflessly regardless of my lot in this life.  Transform me Lord into something that brings you Glory.  Use me Lord to make a difference for you.  Let me hear you clearly Lord so that I may know that I am your child and what you need from me.  Search my heart Lord to see my sincerity.  Show me Lord anything that I shouldn’t have and am hanging onto and I will lay it down and walk away.  Let me be an asset to the Kingdom.  Let my legacy be in you. Let me not be remembered for what I did or was, but let people remember me as ‘servant of the Most High God’.  Lord, see my heart and know that I am yours.  As I confess your Lordship and enter into this covenant with you, I receive your name.  I receive your ring.  I receive your banner.  I receive your salvation.  I receive your desires for me.  I will forever sing of your Glory.  Holy Spirit, fill me; teach me; guide me in Your ways.  Empower me to be effective in the Kingdom.  Let me speak and rely not through my experience, but through Your wisdom.  Let me speak in new tongues and flow in your anointing.  Let me fulfill my calling with signs and wonders; not for my glory but for Yours.  Let me share my testimony and preach the Gospel with boldness and let the words be not from my lips but from yours.  Let all who hear me, feel the same stirring in their spirit, that stirs in mine.  Give me a passion for the work of the Kingdom and a love for your people.  Let me hear from your lips when we finally meet face to face, ‘well done, my faithful servant’. 

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, my Lord and Savior, It is done (amen).

Joshua and Ai for Today

Rise up and sanctify yourself. You are holding onto and coveting things that are not of God and are cursed. They are impeding intimacy between you and the Lord and are preventing the blessings and protection that He promised from being realized. You will not be able to walk in His fullness until you cast aside all that is defiled and set your self apart for His holy purpose.
Yesterday you stood before your enemies and they were as giants; they mocked you and pursued you and drove you into the desert, where you were alone and vulnerable.
Repent and sanctify yourself for the Lord; for tomorrow He will be your banner and strong tower. The same enemies who chased you yesterday will now tremble and flee before you.

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.” – Joshua 8:1

Don’t look to natural phenomenon to define and rationalize a supernatural God.

Don’t look to natural phenomenon to define and rationalize a supernatural God.

We are in an age where we are discovering and understanding the things of this world that have never been seen before.  An age of science and problem solving that when stacked on top the discoveries of the past, are mind blowing.  We boast about being close to unlocking the secrets of the universe and the fabric that holds it together.  This scientific drive has instilled a desire within us to prove our hypothesis and rationalize the unknown.

This drive has been wonderful in moving us to a realm of new innovations and practices that has changed our world, in so many ways for the better.

However, in our effort and drive to understand our natural world, we have extended that to the supernatural or spiritual.

We will try to rationalize how the works of God can happen within our scope of the natural.  We will say that vibrations of the tromping feet and shouts brought down the walls of Jericho, as opposed to believing that faith in action and the hand of God brought down the walls.  In our effort to want to believe there is a God, we will come up with wild theories and rationalizations that feed our carnal senses, instead of just believing it for what it is, a work of God.  We don’t need to understand it, and it doesn’t even need to seem possible, we just need to believe it.

When it comes to the works of God, it is far better to get revelation by faith than it is to be assured with your carnal logic and senses.

Thomas was like this.  He would not believe by faith but needed Christ’s resurrection proved to his senses in order for him to believe.

Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:29

God doesn’t want his relationship with you to be based on carnality (what you can perceive with your senses), but his best for you is to just say, I don’t understand, but I believe.

You can spend your whole life searching for proof and validity of the Word; some artifact from the past, or a scientific algorithm to confirm a theory, but all you need to do is believe.

A very intelligent and respected teacher named Nicodemus, came to Jesus at night amazed by the signs and wonders that were following Him.  He believed in God but his focus was on the physical and carnal and not as much the spiritual.  When the Word of God gave him revelation that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.  Instead of getting the revelation in his heart of the spiritual, he looked to the world and science and said, “surely a person can’t reenter their mothers womb a second time.”  When Jesus expanded on the spiritual, it only confused him more because his mind was trying to rationalize the spiritual around the laws of the natural.  He said, “How can this be?”

Jesus said, “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (John 3)

If you want to better understand the spiritual or heavenly things, you need to stop rationalizing the Word of God.  If the Word says it, you may not understand it, and it may not seem possible, but believe it.  Don’t be like Thomas and say that unless I put my fingers in the holes in His hand and press my hand into the wound in His side, I will not believe.  Don’t be so caught up on trying to rationalize the spiritual within the realms of the natural, that you miss out on the revelation of the heavenly.

Receive the blessing that only comes by faith.

How big is your problem?

So you believe that God is your provision, but things of this world have beaten you down and made you tired and have stolen the Word that was so strong in you before.  Sometimes, it seems, it takes more than you have left, to fight and believe when the problem seems unsurpassable and beyond what you can see.

Moses was in that boat.  At one time, he on top of the world, spiritually; calling down plagues, leading the people from Egypt (with much of the wealth of the world), pillars of fire and smoke following him, striking the red sea and splitting it.  But, the people were rebellious and he had to continuously fight to keep them in faith.  By the time he got to the Jordan he was getting tired.  God aimed to encourage Moses and told him to send out spies into the promise land to see the provision that he is providing.  The spies came back with good reports of the provision and bad reports of the opposition. 

This is where many people are.  You know what the Word says and that God is on your side.  However, you’re looking at the bad report and the doom settles into your heart and steals your hope and desire to fight.  You’re at a crossroad, or a raging river.  If you decide not to fight, God will still be with you and bless you, but you may be eating mana for a while instead of experiencing God’s best.

Sometimes when you see the impossible in front of you, and your spirit withers, it is not that God has placed the impossible there so that the fight would be bitter and taxing and heavy.  It is because he wants to show you the mighty way he will work within you if you would only believe and take that step forward.  He wants you to lift your self up in the spirit and cross the Jordan to the promise land.  You see, you may think that you are headed for the battle of your life and that you may surely be beaten.  But, God may have something else planned for you. 

If Moses only knew what Rahab had shared so many years later:

“I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us,

    and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.

    For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,

    and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan,

    to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

    When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you;

    for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”  (Joshua 2:8-11)

You see, God still blessed Moses as he wandered through the desert.  But it wasn’t what God had planned for him.  God intended Moses to step across the Jordan in the Might of the Father, wearing His Banner, and all whom stood before him would tremble with fear because they knew that God was with Moses.  Moses would possess the land and all the riches.  And then, who knows what else God might have had in mind for Moses;  what stories of the miraculous would have been passed down through the generations.  There could have been another book in the Bible about his walk with the Lord.  He could have walked in the power of Elijah and Elisha, calling down fire from the sky.

But instead, he let the bad report beat him and settled for the scraps at the table.

If you're tired and you don’t feel you have it in you to believe for God’s supernatural provision overcoming and defeating your obstacle, don’t give up and settle for the mana.  Step forward into the realm of the impossible and see what God has planned for you.  There is another book and testament of God’s Glory in your life that remains unwritten.  You just need to believe and keep walking towards His promises.

Salvation is a free gift, but what is the cost of eternal life?

Salvation is a free gift, but what is the cost of eternal life?

It costs you everything.  At least everything carnal (worldly) that your flesh desires.

You must die to yourself, so that you may live. 

“But that doesn’t sound like grace?  Grace says that I can do what I want and I’m redeemed.”

Fondness for carnality is enmity with God.  

“Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” – James 4:4

Want some Word?

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” – 1 Peter 2:24

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” – Gal 2:20

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” - Eph 4:22

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” - Gal 5:24

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature” - Col 3:5

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” – Rom 6:11

“For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.” Rom 8:13

And one of my favorite illustrations of the new birth / new creature experience …

“We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” - Rom 6:2

Do you want your praises to God to be a sweet fragrance to Him?

Do you want your praises to God to be a sweet fragrance to Him?

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” – James 3:9-12

What weighs on your heart?

So you’ve got a hold of sin? You are not doing the things that you know are bad … very often.
Sin has no dominion over you. That is so wonderful. But how are you with failing to do what you know is good?
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.” – James 4:17

If you are like me, you periodically reflect on a situation and know that you were supposed to do something (i.e. pray for someone, talk to someone, buy them lunch, share Christ with them), and you failed to do it, for whatever reason. It burns on your heart and you grieve, “why didn’t I just …”.
At times I feel that failing to do what is good inflicts more consequential damage than doing wrong.
If God is laying something on your heart, just do it, just say it, just share it.
You will never know what could have been if you only would have followed your heart.

Want to know the secret to be blessed in what you do? ...

It's simple; Be a 'doer of the Word'. You can't go wrong.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. - James 1:22-25

Psalm 8

When I contemplate the Majesty of the heavens and the vastness and complexity of Your creation,
I'm in awe that You should consider and desire intimacy with me;
That you would make me in Your image and then place Your Spirit in me.
Not to possess or dominate me but to be my Comforter and Guide when I seek You.
And, to have given me power and dominion far exceeding my ability to comprehend.
How majestic is Your name throughout the earth!

Peter Do You Love Me?

What do you think when you ask a man if he loves you and he responds, you know I have affection for you? Doesn't it break your heart?
That was one of Jesus' last moments to Peter.

Peter, Do you love (agapas) me? Lord I'm affectionate (philō) to you.
Peter, Do you love (agapas) me? Lord, I'm affectionate (philō) to you.
Peter, Are you affectionate (philō) to me? Peter was ashamed, and said Lord, you know all things, you know I am affectionate (philō) for you.
Peter you dork! He just raised from the dead and wanted to hang out with you! Share your heart! Tell the Lord you love him more than life!

Drives me nuts!

Elijah was one cool cat!

"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

There is power in your public proclamation of faith. Are you believing for the supernatural manifestation of God's power? Proclaim it from the mountain top. What's the worst that could happen, you may be humbled. What's the best that could happen, Fire from the sky, and all who heard you fell on their faces and came to the Lord.

Elijah was one cool cat!

2 Samuel 24 : What is your offering to God today?

When an angel of the Lord told King David to build an alter at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, Araunah offered to give all he had to his king.
Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing."
An offering to God is a sacrifice that must cost you something. Something dear to you that you give to the Lord; Time, Money, Pleasure, etc.
What is your offering to God today?
How about giving an hour and a half to the Lord tonight and meeting me at Faith Builders Church? You will never participate in worship and listen to the Word and then regret it, wishing you would have stayed home and watched TV. Fellowship, worship, and the Word are the fundamentals that your spirit needs and cries out for.

Thoughts on Sin

Lately, God's led me to meditate on and study one of my least favorite books of the Bible. It's full of all kinds of stuff I get excited about and then there's the stuff that so unsettling it makes you want to flip the page. 1 John.

“If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation of our sins; and not ours only, but also for those of the whole world. Wow! Fantastic! Praise God!

But what do you do with the following verse?

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Or

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Or

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

The suspected author of this Epistle was John. It was believed to be written later in his life to be read to mature believers in Christian churches. So it is to us, specifically. Many people breeze through these verses and say, “well I don’t steal, kill, hit my wife, thank God that’s not talking about me”. But how about these sins?
Neglecting seeking God will all your heart and time.
Loving everyone (even the ones that hate and violate you).
Pride and self-centeredness.
It’s all sin, and in God’s eyes all the same.
Woof! Contemplate that!

Some have said, myself included, “Oh that, yeah I probably shouldn’t have done or said that. But it didn’t hurt anyone, and God has forgiven me.” God says that we despise Him when we make a conscience decision to do what we know isn’t right. 2 Sam 12:10 Even though it wasn’t directed at the Lord, we despise him. That’s heavy on me.
When we listen to that dirty joke instead of walking away, it Despises Him.
When we don’t open the Bible but zone out watching garbage on TV, it Despises Him.
When we don’t want to put out the effort to believe for your headache to go away and you just pop an Advil because it is easy, it Despises Him.
When we’re tired and we stay home on a Wednesday night instead of coming to fellowship with other believers and support your pastor, it Despises Him.
When you feel that urge in your spirit to pray for someone and you don’t, it Despises Him.
Heavy!

“Repent (change) from failing to do what you know is right.” And John says if you fail to meet the mark, Jesus is our advocate and that believers have eternity in Him, but my heart drops when I read that He is not in us when we mess up, or that we don't know him if we do. Jesus defined eternal life as "That we may know or have personal intimacy with the Father and Jesus". And John says if we knew Him, we wouldn't have missed it in the first place. I don't have revelation about this entirely, but I know that I want to KNOW THE FATHER and CHRIST JESUS. And I definitely want Jesus to know me. If this doesn't lay heavy on you, you are better man than I.

“Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil!’”

Heavy! Thank God for Grace and that there is an advocate in Jesus with the Father, but you can't just ignore this. It came straight from the lips of Jesus, and this time not even in a riddle, it is pretty clear cut! We can't lay down our grace card and believe there is no consequence for sin.
If you are mature in Christ and still continue to do what you know is wrong, you need to question how well you know Christ and consider if He really knows you. Ouch! That's smarts!

Want to know the best kept secret to always having more than enough?

Want to know the best kept secret to always having more than enough?
This wasn't shared with me in high school, college or through decades in the corporate world.
My brother shared it with me when I was almost penniless and up to my neck in debt, and it changed my life forever.
"Give, privately and with a joyful heart, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again."
Give your money.
Give your time.
Give your affection.
Give of yourself.
Sacrifice, of whatever you have. Your sacrifice is like a seed, and when planted in the kingdom of God, it will multiply and reap a great harvest; to you personally and in ways unfathomable.

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, to be honored by men.
I tell you the truth, if you do, you have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Did you know that God commands us to speak blessings over people?

My thoughts of the morning ...
Did you know that God commands us to speak blessings over people? God tells us to Bless and do not Curse. The whole idea of blessings and cursing and speaking the things into existence brings to mind thoughts of witchcraft. Our society still carries the idea of acceptable blessings such as, ‘have a good day’ or ‘good luck’. Why do we do this? Because we are speaking our inner desire hoping that they will manifest. Why is it so taboo then to speak the Word of God over someone and have faith that it will come to fulfillment?

God tells us in Numbers 6:23-27 specifically how to bless someone.

“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
“‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you shalom.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

God says that speaking His promises over someone, in His name, will place His name on them, and in turn, He will follow through and bless them. What a powerful promise. There is such power in our tongues. The power to lift people up above and out of their circumstances and the power to destroy.

I encourage you, this year, to use your words to exhort one another. And more particularly, to speak the Word of God over people and believe that God will keep his promise ‘and I will bless them’.

Here is mine to you ..
This year, may you have a new revelation of how much God loves you, the inheritance you have in Him, and the authority and power that He has placed inside you.