Living In Name-Tag Defilade

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." -  Jeremiah 29:11

Martie and I participated in a study some years ago called the "Truth Project", created by Focus on the Family.  A question was posed that struck at our very core. "Do you believe that what you believe, is really real?" If you don't believe something is true, you won't act on it and certainly won't stake your life on it! Do you believe that the Bible is God's revealed truth to mankind, and as such use it as a guide for how you live, view God and man? That, simply, is having a Biblical world view. Using the Bible as the prism through which you view this life we live. According to the Barna Research Group, only 9 percent of born-again believers hold a biblical worldview. In essence, the church as a whole does not believe what it says it believes. 

Do you believe that God has plans for you - you specifically - not just for the world at large? When you read a verse like Jeremiah 29:11 do you think - "Isn't that a lovely thought?" and then press on with your day? Or do you say, like young Samuel, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening!" (1 Samuel 3:10). Do you really want to know what the Lord has planned for you or do you prefer to remain in what we called "name-tag defilade". That needs a little explanation!

Defilade is a term that I learned when I was in Armor (read tanks) in the Army. It is when the park the tank behind something so only the main gun and turret are exposed to the enemy. To be in "name-tag" defilade meant that you the name tag on your shirt below the top of the desk and therefore not visible to the "enemy", that being the instructor, and they would not call on you. In our case, you try to not be noticed by God and perhaps He won't interrupt your own plans and ask you to do something that you stretch or test your faith. 

God knows how He would like you to join Him in His grand story. To continue with the military thread. We had Strategic, Operational, and Tactical plans (higher to lower). So does God. 99% of us are at the tactical level. Boots on the ground if you will. God will typically call our name - name tag hidden or not - to join Him in what He is doing in "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or perhaps, for some, the uttermost parts of the earth". The question is - are you listening and are you willing to answer the Call.  Or are you content with being saved - and living a non-descript life in name tag defilade. Are you willing to be recognized as a Christ Follower or are you like Peter was before Jesus' death and resurrection.

"And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, 'You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.' But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, 'This man is one of them.' But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, 'Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.' But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, 'I do not know this man of whom you speak.'" - Mark 14:66-71

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Finding Value In Others

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." - Galatians 6:2-3

I was in Home Depot the other morning shopping with my daughter. While she was having a spare key made, an older gentlemen, meaning older than me, walked up next to us and mentioned that he was looking for batteries. A younger women, in her 50's, was with him. She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said "C'mon pops" to the man and they walked off. It wasn't long and the man was back. We chatted about how hard it was to find things, but there were plenty of things that catch you eye while you are "on the hunt" (It is my contention that men don't shop, they hunt. - See it, tag it, bag it and leave. Now that is a successful day at the store!) It was a nice chat. Well the woman showed back up, took him in tow and walked off. We could hear him say, "I was having a conversation with them." 

When the woman rolled her eyes, I made the decision that, given the opportunity, I would talk with him again.  I was keenly aware that his daughter, I suppose, loved here dad, but had lost confidence in him. Treating him more like a child than an adult. Perhaps for good reasons that were not apparent to me during our brief interchange on Home Depot marketing strategies.  But it brought something else to mind. While we talked, I was talking to an adult not a child. I could see a glint in his eyes and a smile came to his face. 

When I talk to people, particularly older people, I have decided that I need to speak to their strengths and not their weaknesses. We all have both. Careful not to be patronizing. I think that when you speak to their strengths, you stir something inside them that was perhaps dormant - maybe untouched by caregivers - who may only be looking at their weaknesses. We need to help them be active participants in life and not seem that sitting at the bus stop waiting for the inevitable "last bus ride".

So Galatians 6:2 came to mind. Bear one another's burdens. Certainly help people in their weakness and need, but we can help them by engaging what strengths might remain. Honor their lives and who they are. I can imagine myself in the days ahead - being seen as old (hmm I might already be there!)  But acknowledged as an active part of humanity - up to and including my last breath - the last beat of my heart. 

My point to all of this, is to encourage you to look for opportunities to speak "life" into people. To look beyond the exterior and see the spirit - the heart of the people you meet. To be kind and don't jump to conclusions. You might just be surprised.

[I] "urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love" - Ephesians 4:1-2

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Task Versus Relationship - A Choice We Make

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:8-10

Martie and I drove to Atlanta from Houston over Thanksgiving. We had planned the trip for some time and looked forward to spending time with our daughter. I did not know that in the process I would be re-taught a spiritual lesson. You see, I am a task guy. I get things done. That is in contrast to being a relationship guy. You know the one that would rather sit and talk about doing something than actually doing it. Getting things done may seem like a good thing, but only in the context of relationship. Not in the absence of it.

Our daughter asked if I would build a couple of things for her new "digs" in Atlanta. Well three things. No four actually. The list has been growing. A hutch and two bed benches for linen storage for starters. I built them at home with the help of a friend and then we drove a rented pickup to Atlanta. Someone asked me why I just didn't buy the furniture. My reply? It was not about the furniture, but who made the furniture.  

The Spiritual lesson? God doesn't want us to do something for Him. He wants a relationship with us. And in the context of that relationship we do things with Him. That is where the fourth project comes in. So, we arrive, unload the "projects" and set them in place to the delight of our daughter. A day later, the other shoe dropped. Would I build a table for her home office with her help. All of my "power tools" were back in Houston. That meant that I would resort to hand tools. I am not a finish carpenter. That means that it would be functional, but not perfect. I told her that I measure with a micrometer and then cut with an axe. You don't want me to build a space shuttle! But that was from my perspective but not from hers. We put the last touches on it today and will call it "done" - well almost. There is one more thing that she will do by herself after we leave.  

If I am honest, I struggled with wanting to "re-do" some of the aspects of the table. Fine-tune it. But she is happy with it. Because we made it together. So I am going with what she calls the "perfect imperfections". Sometimes we can become so focused on the "doing" and wanting to be perfect that we neglect the "being" and resting in the relationship. 

Dr. Henry Blackaby said, "You have heard it said 'don't just stand there, do something' but God is saying 'Don't just do something, stand there'" In other words, find your joy in being a child of God and not proving that you are worthy to be a child of God. You are saved by grace through faith and not works.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Just Who Are We Thanking On Thanksgiving

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I thought it might be good to reflect on giving thanks and why we do it since it is a National Holiday today. The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia, the go-to if you want to know anything worth knowing! (tongue in cheek)

"Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, and conversely by patriot leaders, such as John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God", and calling on Americans to "unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions." - Wikipedia : Thanksgiving

My point is that this holiday has religious roots. The original focus was on Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. But as time dilutes tradition and the insidious nature of carnality usurps noble intent, any focus on God has dimmed in the lights of consumerism and an intention distancing from the "Christian God".

Tomorrow is called "Black Friday". Even before the smell of roasted turkey has left the kitchen and the last piece of pumpkin pie has been eaten, while no one was watching, the focus shifts to Christmas. Because we are excited about the celebrating the advent of Jesus Christ? Uh, no! Because of all of the great deals we can get in stores and on line. God gets only a token acknowledgement from a few, certainly not most.

My point. Let's not forget the why of these holidays, even if the majority already have. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." - Ephesians 1:3-4

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

What To Do When You Don’t Get What You Want

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:7-11

This is perhaps one of the most abused or misused verses in the Bible. If I want it then God will give it to me.  If He doesn’t, I will be upset with God because I have decided I need what I asked for.  Actually there are a few reasons that I see that might affect God’s answer to your prayer.

First.  You have failed to examine your heart.  You have some un-confessed sin tucked away in the corner of your heart.  You have decided that the sin doesn’t matter.  That you can stand before a holy God even though you have quenched the Spirit with the sin that you are embracing.  Yes, you are a child of God.  Washed in the blood.  But you need to clear the air … approach God with clean hands and a clean heart. (Psalm 24:3-5) “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” 

Second. In God’s wisdom, there is a better answer to your prayer than the one that you have decided is the best one.  This is a test of submission to the will of the Father.  Are you really committed to seeking His will or is it only when His will agrees with yours? 

Third.  As the King James Version says “You ask amiss”.  Is it your flesh, your old nature, that you are seeking to satisfy?

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." - James 4:1-3

If everything in your life is for God’s glory, why are His answers not good enough when you don’t get what you asked for? If God’s will for you is for your good and His glory, then the test is, can you trust God even when He is silent.  Even when you don't get what you asked for.  God is not here to serve us.  It is quite the opposite.  Since COIVD grocery stores have started delivering what they sell to homes.  You nearly don’t have to leave the house.  But God does not take delivery orders.  It is so very important that we have the right view toward God.  God does not want to “friend you” on Facebook!  He is not your buddy.  He is the creator God who sacrificed His Son that you might be adopted and eternally blessed – for His glory and for your good.  We all should keep that in mind when we approach Him in prayer. 

"Then he [Jesus] said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" - Matthew 26:38-39

It is not necessarily wrong to ask, it is just that we need to be willing to trust God and accept His will as being right and best. Your ability to do that is an indication of the strength of your faith and love for God.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

When Obeying God Makes No Sense To Others

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." —John 13:14

“Ministering in everyday opportunities that surround us does not mean that we select our own surroundings— it means being God’s very special choice to be available for use in any of the seemingly random surroundings which He has engineered for us. The very character we exhibit in our present surroundings is an indication of what we will be like in other surroundings.  The things Jesus did were the most menial of everyday tasks, and this is an indication that it takes all of God’s power in me to accomplish even the most common tasks in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels, dishes, sandals, and all the other ordinary things in our lives reveal what we are made of more quickly than anything else. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the most menial duty as it ought to be done.[…] We have to go the “second mile” with God (see Matthew 5:41). Yet some of us become worn out in the first ten steps. Then we say, “Well, I’ll just wait until I get closer to the next big crisis in my life.” But if we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I recall having a conversation with our, then, 16 year old granddaughter about our leaving Alabama to go to Texas to serve God and others. She asked why we decided to go to Texas.  It meant that I was leaving a really good job and comfortable life, again, to do what God had told us we should do. Her question reminded me that to people looking in from the outside, the appearance was that we had decided to do something different with our lives.  Actually, it was not our decision.  I explained to her about how God speaks to His children and the responsibility we have to obey His voice. 

“If you love me [Jesus], you will obey my commandments.” - John 14:15

Seems simple doesn’t it?   But when faced with the resistance of the flesh, it may be simple but it is not necessarily easy.  What is not visible is the natural battling against the supernatural. That is why we are encouraged to crucify the flesh and submit to the Spirit.  The life Jesus showed us is polar opposite to the world’s convention.  The first will be last.  If you want to be great, be a servant.  Love yourself last. There is no greater demonstration of love than to lay your own life down.  I recall a friend talking to me about what Martie and I would do have leaving Mississippi following 5 years of disaster relief work in Waveland.  I told him that we were going to Haiti.  He got close to me, looked in my eyes and asked, “Are you crazy?!?”  To which I replied, “It is not my idea, it is God’s calling.” 

Following the leading of God very often makes no sense to the natural man.  Even to many Christians.  And with respect to Christians, reading about faith and exercising faith are two, totally different things.  Many are content to leave faith in the theoretical.  Sure we can pray when we or someone else is sick or has a great need.  But c’mon! God would not ask us to do something contrary to what we know is wise in the eyes of the world, would He?  I mean that can’t be God can it? What about retirement?  What about a place to live when you are old?  What about …. What about ????  

“And he [Jesus] said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  - Luke 9:23

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” - 1 John 2:15

What do you trust in?  You will love –be devoted to – allow to control your choices – the things you trust in.    

 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1,2

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Who Do You Love

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." - Matthew 10:37-38

Last Thursday in Experiencing God, we studied the spiritual principal concerning the need to make Adjustments in our lives in response to God's call to join Him in His work. Hearing any teaching in a sterile or hypothetical environment is one thing, but living it is a horse of a different color!  By that I mean we may think we understand and accept a truth when we hear it but we won't “feel” the truth until we are exposed to it in life. 

Action by faith and taking some action requiring a disruption in your routine may seem reasonable, but what if the adjustment means that you must distance yourself from your friends and family.  From the familiar. 

"Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'  Then another of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'" - Matthew 8:19-22

When God makes His will for your life plain through experience you may well experience an inner conflict. For instance, your heart will be torn between your allegiance and devotion to people you care about and your love and obedience to God. THAT’S when you feel it. When you realize that you must choose one or the other. 

Very often, people will put pressure on you to choose them. You have to look them in the eye. Listen to their arguments about why you should choose them over God.  Now God will never put pressure on you to choose Him. He will speak to you by His Spirit and then the ball is in your court. You must make a choice. People will ask you or maybe guilt you into choosing them over God. They are essentially saying that you should love them more than you love God. They don't think of it that way. They are focused on themselves and that the cost your obedience to God will be that your relationship with them will be disrupted. That is where your struggle comes. It is a struggle of the heart. You may believe that you would choose God, and that is admirable, but you wont really know what you will do until the time, the test, comes. 

To choose well, which is to say to choose God, you must be spiritually prepared. In the Army we said that soldiers fight the way they train. My encouragement to you is to train well my friend. Prepare yourself for the spiritual battle that comes with saying yes to God. And when the battles comes you will be ready and found faithful to the One you love the most. 

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:15

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Some Regard Obedience Like It Is a Dirty Word

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” - Matthew 21:28-31

Isn't that an interesting parable? One son says "no", but obeys and the other says "yes" but does not. Obedience is more than saying the right things or having the right attitude. I have always struggled with Jonah's attitude. He refused to go to Nineveh, so the Lord put him in the belly of a whale. He did preach but that was not something he wanted to do. He obeyed God.

In the military, we were taught that you disagree with the "boss" to the point of decision. It is his responsibility and by his authority that he decides on matters. Same with God. Anyway, once the decision is made, we embrace it as our own. We do not undermine our boss. Speaking against his decision. Saying things like, "The boss said we have to do thus and so." I would speak as if it were my idea. (I think that may be where the Twitter employees got into trouble with their new boss.)

"Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." - John 14:23

As a Christian do you regard obedience as something you have to do or something you want to do? With regard to God, obedience is an expression of love. Dr. Blackaby said that if you struggle with obedience it is because you have a love problem. You don't love God enough. God is never wrong, unlike me and you. If you don't like what God says, then you disagree with the Truth and that does not change the fact that it is truth. As an old boss of mine would say, "You have the right to be wrong." refusing to obey is not trivial.

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." - James 4:17

 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Making Adjustments Are You Willing?

"As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." - John 10:15

The 6th Spiritual Principle is that "You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing."

"So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." – Luke 14:33

Just like Jesus did. He set aside His place in Heaven in obedience to the Father and laid His life down for us. I would say that was a pretty big adjustment wouldn't you? God requires no less from us. Abandoning our love for the world. Being willing to leave our nets, so to speak. Those things that we cherish. Maybe even think we are entitled to after working so hard for them. They are - or should be - of no comparable value to our relationship as a child of God.

"For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith" - Philippians 3:3-9

That was quite an adjustment for Paul, don't you think? He had studied and persevered in pursuit of his faith, as he understood it apart from knowing Christ. He was at the top of the religious heap. Yet, after meeting Jesus, he considered it all "rubbish" in comparison to "the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things". 

I attended a number of Promise Keeper conferences along with tens of thousands of other men. Someone would start a call on one side of the stadium "I love Jesus, yes I do. I love Jesus, how 'bout you!" Then the other side of the stadium would reply with the same words. Back and forth it would go, getting louder and louder. Finally ending with a joyful shout. That sounded wonderful, but did everyone really mean it? Jesus said to Peter.

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.'" - John 21:15

Jesus said of all of His follows, then and now.

"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me." - John 14:24

That is a big adjustment. It requires more than words. It requires us to lay our lives down on the altar. To take up our cross and carry it through this life. What we must lay down is different - person to person. But each of us knows what it is. The Spirit of God has shown us. The question is, "Are we willing to obey?"

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Where God Is At Work

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

In the study, Experiencing God, Dr. Henry Blackaby suggested that there are 7 "realities" or spiritual principles at work in the lives of every Christian. The first three are implied by Jesus words in Acts. Go and be witnesses. Not just by what you say, but how you live and love others.

#1. God is always at work around you. Understanding that God is at work in this world. Not just in the far reaches - Africa or South America (ends of the earth), but right outside your door in your Jerusalem. 

#2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. God has initiated our relationship with Him - recall John 3:16. It is through that relationship that we can go and do.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." – John 15:5

We can't do anything for God without God.

# 3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. Acts 1:8. Jesus was not sending his disciples out on their own. Nor does He send us out - in our neighborhoods, workplaces, cities, states, nation or other countries. Where we are on our own. God is already there at work.  We are merely joining Him. To see that, we must have spiritual understanding - spiritual perspective. (Ephesians 1:15-18) To obey Him demonstrates our love for Him. (Matthew 22:37-38)

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." – John 14:21

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Spiritual Revelation Is A God-Thing

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." -  1 Corinthians 2:14

Have you ever tried to explain the Bible to someone who is not a Christian? It is futile. It is equivalent to speaking to someone in another language, one which they do not speak or comprehend. Have you ever thought about spiritual conviction - you know - the conviction of sin that came upon you the day you surrendered your heart to the Lord by faith? I was lost and not able to understand spiritual things or  able to hear God, but suddenly I was able to hear and understand to the point of salvation. It is a mystery isn't it?

"He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” - John 8:47

Our son is being considered for a job as a business analyst with a software development company.  He will be helping customers to understand work through their business processes as they seek to automate those processes.  I am a process guy myself, when I am "making tents". Understanding how things are connected and who they flow. In a similar way, I think it is important that we understand the ways of God.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

As Christians, we have the capacity to understand God's ways, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Apart from the Spirit of God we do not. My point is that we should make the effort to understand what has happened, what is happening and what will happen in the context of God working in our lives and in the lives of those around us. For that we need the Spirit by Whom we are sealed and the revelation that comes through the Word of God!

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Our Father Really Does Know Best

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." -  Jeremiah 29:11

A few of the readers will remember the TV series by that name, "Father Knows Best". It ran from 1954 to 1958.  I was 8 in 1958. It starred  Elinor Donahue, Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Lauren Chapin, and Billy Gray as the Anderson family. (Never heard of any of those people?) A nearly perfect middle class - white, mid-west family. The family trusted the father to know what to do about everything. Do you see whare I am going with this? 

God's desire for us is the very best. Unlike Robert Young's character, he does have all the right answers to every problem. That does not mean, however, that He will intervene on our behalf in the way that we think is best. "Best" meaning the best possible outcome for us that does not mean sorrow, disappointment, or loss of any sort.  In other words, the way we want the outcome to be. In my experience, what I think is best does not always align with God's thinking. 

God's will, His answers to life's issues, are revealed in His Word and made plain to us by His Spirit. Since we can know what His will for us is, all that is left for us to do is to obey Him. Oh, that! Many times, what we want to do - what our flesh suggest we do is "Cherry Pick" God's commands for living. We pick the ones that look good to us and pass by the ones that don't. One problem.

"To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." - James 4:17

Ok, so we abandon the idea of ignoring what God makes plain to us. There is an adage that goes, "You can make me do it, but you can't make me like it." Like making your son tell his sister that he is sorry. And he can't get off of the sofa until he does. "Okay! I'm SORRY!" It very often lacks sincerity but in his mind, the end justified the means. He got off of the sofa by saying words that he didn't mean.

We can't see the heart, but God can. If we do the right thing out of obligation, we do not honor God. He sees our real feelings that reside in our heart. Though the world may hear our words or see our actions, they mis-interpret as a godly act. Something to be commended. When in fact, it is no more than feigned obedience. Jesus called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs filled with dead men's bones". In other words, they may look godly on the outside but their hearts are far from godly.

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me." - Matthew 15:8

If you struggle with obedience, it is because you have a love problem. You don't love God enough. So how much is enough?

"'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" - Matthew 22: 36-39

When you love God with every fiber of your being, then that love will be expressed in and through your life. Proving that your Father really does know best!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

God Expects You To Do The Impossible

 “Those who heard this asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with man is possible with God.'" - Luke 18:26-27 

Living by faith is all about the impossible. Jesus had just spoken to a wealthy young man who thought that doing the right things was what was necessary to be right before God.  As human beings whose roots are firmly planted in the Garden and the sin of Adam, there is nothing we can do apart from Jesus to be right with God.

Once we are born again, God will ask us to do the impossible for His glory.  Oh, that strikes fear in the hearts of most Christians.  For the rest, it at least gives them opportunity to doubt.  Like when Peter walked on the water but then began to sink. 

"Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" - Matthew 14:29-31

Human ability or inability is never in question.  None of us can do what God asks of us without faith and His mighty power.  That is why Proverbs 3 says trust God and not yourself.  That takes faith.  Do you remember when Jesus told the disciples to feed the people? 

"Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.' His disciples answered, 'Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?'" - Matthew 15:32-33

Jesus was asking the disciples to do what was humanly impossible.  Imagine putting one chicken leg on the table with your family gathered around to eat.  Impossible, for men.  In the same way, every day we are faced with doing the impossible.  Going beyond ourselves to do what only God can do through us by faith.  And as soon as we take our eyes off of Jesus and depend upon our own puny abilities, we begin to sink. We wonder, “How can I possibly do this? There are so many obstacles in the way.”  The Bible is replete with stories of the impossible, but I suspect that most if not all of us think that those stories were for another time and place. They certainly don’t apply to our lives.  The thing is – it’s the same God – the same world – just different people. 

So, what has He asked you to do that you have rejected as being impossible.  Perhaps you need to re-think that decision, or more correctly re-faith it.  Trust God. Walk by faith and not by sight.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Never has been and never will be. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

To do what I am suggesting, you need to be strong in your faith.  But that does not mean you need great faith. When exercised in concert with the will of God, faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20) It takes courage to live a life of faith. Courage is action in spite of your understanding what the natural consequences could be. So what are you waiting for?  

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

This World Is Not My Home

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" - Ephesians 2:19

We all were once foreigners toward God, but no longer. We, once born again, are now strangers and foreigners in the world we live our physical lives in. That means that we are no longer part of the culture that we live in. I don’t know if you’ve ever traveled in a foreign country, where you didn’t speak the language or even understand it. Everyone who does is doing just fine. But you don’t understand what’s being said or why things are being done in a certain way.

Martie and I have traveled out of the country some. I’ve been deployed to foreign countries when I was in the Army. Martie and I have traveled to Belgium and lived in Haiti for a little over four years. Each time I picked up a little bit of the language but was never close to being fluent. To use that as an analogy, some Christians living in this country and others have learned to speak the language of the culture and even to identify with that culture as their own. Why wouldn't they since they were physically born into it. They accept its ways, embrace its values and becoming fluent in the "language" of the country in which they live. Some other Christians may only learn a few words and so when they speak the local people know they are foreigners. And of course there are travelers who don’t understand a word, don't "do as the Romans do when in Rome", and are aware that they are just visiting, just passing through and soon they will be going home.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." - 1 John 2:15

The Bible makes it clear that we are not to embrace the culture that we live in. The one we were saved from. That our citizenship is in heaven. We belong to the family of God. We have a new ethnicity in Christ. Abraham's offspring though Isaac and Jesus.

"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,  having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." - 1 Peter 2:11-12

So what’s my point. It’s so important, especially in this day and time, to always keep who we are in Christ in the forefront of our thoughts. The fact that we are not part of the culture we live and work in, that we are strangers in a foreign land, should be apparent in the way we treat people, in what we value and in our devotion to God. And this is my encouragement to you today.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

The Road To Repentance And Restoration

"And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin" John 16:8-9

There is a pattern that people follow on their way to getting right with God. Jesus told the disciples that the Father would the Helper, the Holy Spirit with the expressed purpose of bringing conviction of sin in the hearts of men and women. When conviction comes two things can happen. One, the person can reject that conviction and go on their way, lost, accusing God of being a liar who has convicted them of the sin and deceiving themselves. Two, the person can yield to that conviction, confessing that they are guilty, and repenting. Turning away from the sin and turning toward God who forgives.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10

A couple of examples that come to mind, King David and the Prodigal Son. King David sinned with Bathsheba and was confronted by the Prophet Nathan - God spoke through the prophets in the Old Testament. David came under conviction of his sin, confessed before God and repented. God brought restoration.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise." - Psalm 51:10-17

The son had sinned, came under conviction, confessed to his father and repented. His father restored him. Do you see the tread.

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry." - Luke 15:20-24

Don't be satisfied with having sin harbored in your heart. Don't you see that it separates you from intimacy with the Father. You are still a son or daughter - but God desires to walk in the Garden with you. To do that, you must have a clean heart. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Walk By The Spirit

"So I [Paul] say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16

My basic goal in writing these devotions is to encourage you to think about your faith and your role in this magnificent story of life. We all must have our heads on a swivel, as we used to say in the Army. Being spiritually aware of what is happening around you.

You may not read all of these posts or read them at all. But I hope that seeing them pop-up on Facebook makes you think about the Lord and not me. Life is demanding on our time.  We are constantly making choices about what we will and won't do. My encouragement is to choose well. There are certain "must do's" in life. Like work or school or some other activity that you cannot negotiate on. I hope that time with the Lord is one of those as well. Very often the "must do's" in our lives come in direct conflict with our "prefer to do's". "Do I go to church or sleep in?"

We must be spiritually aware as we travel on this earthly road. I was thinking about my time in Vietnam. I was a 19 year old radio operator with MAC-V Advisory Team 68 in the Mekong Delta. I would often go on patrols with a Lieutenant and a Vietnamese platoon.  We always had a Kit Carson Scout with us. Think Indian scout with the Cavalry. These guys had been the enemy at one time, Viet Cong or VC, but had been repatriated. As we would walk on a trail in the rice paddy tree lines, the Scout would say - don't step there.  I didn't see anything, but he did.  It might have been a punji stake, a trip wire with a hand grenade ( a poor man's IED) or maybe a rigged artillery shell. His eyes were trained to see the danger.  Mine were not. I paid attention!  Well, that is what it is like for us Christians. There are dangers that our untrained eyes cannot see. We all need to be told to "not step there!" 

"[Paul] making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened" - Ephesians 1:16-17

We need spiritual eyesight as we walk by the Spirit. You might think of me, and others who encourage the Saints, as Kit Carson Scouts.  

Be mindful of who you are in Christ and the life you have been called to live. Discipleship is important - maintaining a close relationship with the Lord is more important." And that takes effort.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

 

The Spiritual Side Of Forgiveness

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." - Matthew 18:15-17

Is there someone in your life who has offended you and refuses to be reconciled? Are they a Christian? That is an important distinction. You cannot expect fresh water to come from a bad spring. In that same way you cannot expect someone who is not born again to behave like they are. Either way, saved or not, the principles of how you are to respond to them are the same, I think. The verses in Matthew 18 have to do with a Christian who sins against you.  In this case, part of the same local church. If that brother fails to repent, then you are to treat them like he/she were not saved. It is a little more complicated if the person is not local.  That leads me to the idea of forgiveness of an unrepentant brother. (BTW, very often this is about a relative or a friend who may or may not be born again). What does the Bible say?

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." - Colossians 3:12-13

So then how did Christ forgive us? When we came under conviction of our sin, admitted it and repented. When did we stop being angry with the person who offended us when we thought about the issue? I think that when we stop getting angry - when love has taken over.  We can't extend biblical forgiveness in the absence of conviction of sin and repentance. God has set the example for us. He loved us while we were yet sinners, but didn't ignore the sin which caused us to be separated from Him - So He sent Jesus who saves us from sin and the Spirit who convicts us of sin. Then it's up to us to confess and repent. Sadly some people we care about will never do that - they have hardened hearts.

So what do you do? Don't use their rebuff of your attempts at reconciliation to be an excuse to hold a grudge or them with disdain when you see them. Instead, let them see Christ in you. "Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, [and] longsuffering"

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Repentance Or Forgiveness - Which Comes First?

 "Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…" —2 Corinthians 7:10

“ …  Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). ... Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes. […] The foundation of Christianity is repentance. […] If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Forgiveness is a supernatural act.  There is a progression that leads to forgiveness.  As Christians we sin.  We come under conviction. That conviction produces godly sorrow which leads to repentance. Repentance leads to forgiveness and restoration.  Think about that.  Granting forgiveness without repentance is called enabling.  Even though you will be tempted, don't give someone a "pass" because you feel sorry for them.  That means you don’t love them enough to get to the point of repentance which brings healing and restoration.  

Think about the parable of the prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32)  What is the remarkable point of that story?  God is the “father” and we are the “wayward son”.  The father loved the son, but did not go after the son to convince him to come home. The father waited for the son to be convicted, to repent of his sin and return to the father seeking forgiveness.  The son did not even imagine that he would be restored as a son.  The best he hoped for was to be treated like a hired hand.  An evidence of a broken and humble heart.  Every day, the father looked to the hills in the hope that his son would repent one day and return.  He loved his son.  He loved him enough to let the process take its course … even though the father hated what his son was going through.  The father knew that until his son’s heart was changed, there could be no restoration.

That is true for us as well.  We are commanded to forgive, but we must be careful that the forgiveness is not misapplied … and abused.  That means we must exercise spiritual discernment and emotional restraint.  We must be ready to forgive, as we have been forgiven. (Ephesians 4:32) But remember, forgiveness and restoration comes after conviction of sin and repentance and not before.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

When One Is Not The Loneliest Number

"Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  ..... I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." - John 17:11-12, 20-21

I have addressed this issue before, but I think it bears repeating.  Although people have not fully understood it - the existence of the triune Godhead is fact - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I will not presume that I have deciphered the mystery - by some Divine insight into the Trinity. I can only speak to what the Bible plainly reveals. And, to my understanding, the Bible speaks to distinctive roles for each member of the Trinity. We know that Jesus prayed to the Father and was faithful to the will of the Father. That the Father sent the Son to make a way for sinful man to be restored to the Father. (John 3:16) And we know that the Father sent the Spirit as a helper to the Saints.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26

We know that Jesus is our high priest making intercession for us with the Father.

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:14-15

We know that God the Father predestined us to adoption as his children by Jesus to Himself

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." - Ephesians 1:3-6

We know that God the Father has sealed us on the day of our salvation with the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our eternal inheritance as the children of God. 

"In Him [Jesus] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him [the Father] who works all things according to the counsel of His [the Father's] will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His [the Father's] glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." - Ephesians 1:12-14

Lastly, we know that  we are loved by the Father and called his children.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." - 1 John 3:1-2

I am certain you are aware that I am not a theologian. Not even close! Having said that, I very often hear people mixing up who it is they are praying to. I have heard it in nearly every church I have attended. One moment the person is praying to the Father, then the next to Jesus, and then, directly or indirectly, perhaps unintentionally, referring to Jesus as the Father. In a simple form but not limited to this example someone might say words like "we ask these things Father and in your name we pray." That is reference to Jesus command to ask in His name when we pray to the Father. So is that a big deal? Well, I think it speaks to a drifting away from teaching the fundamentals of the faith. The trinity is a mystery to be sure. When the Father is referred to as the Son or the Son as the Father, it always gets my attention. And if prayed in that way before a group of people, then it is teaching those people something that is not true. The fact is that although the Father and Jesus are one (John 17) and Jesus prays that we would be like they are, they are not one and the same. Else why would Jesus tell the disciples to pray like this.

[Jesus said] "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."- Matthew 6:8-13

I think about stuff like this. Although I will never argue about how many angels can stand on the head of a pin,  I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Hearing From God

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." - John10:27

Do you believe that God speaks to ordinary people? Well, when I say "ordinary" I am referring to ordinary Christians. If you are not a Christian you do not have the capacity to hear God because God is Spirit and if you are lost, you are spiritually dead. I am not making this up!

"Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." - John 8:47

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

So have you? Heard from God that is. I know for some that is a little more "spiritual" than they are comfortable with. I am certain that you know or know about someone who claimed that they had heard from God to justify some "bizarre", unbiblical behavior. There are charlatans, there are always charlatans in every generation. That being said, I am convinced that God has in the past and does today, speak to His children. Just ordinary kids, like you and me.  Why? Because He loves us. A lot!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." - John 3:16-17

God did not save us from our sins only to ignore us. Just to give us the silent treatment. He wants to have a relationship with us. A personal relationship. Personal means intimate. Intimate means communication - verbal and non-verbal. I know - it is difficult to imagine that the Creator God would have time for any of us - well maybe the super-Christians - but that's it. Certainly not for a spiritual nobodies. Wrong!! In God's eyes, we are all somebodies!

So how does He speak to us? Glad you asked. Four ways but typically not exclusively in only one way. Since Jesus ascended and the Father sent the Spirit as a helper - and we need help! God speaks by the Spirit through prayer - one on one time with God, the Bible - which according to Timothy is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness so that the servant of God (us) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Josiah said that if we meditate on the Word we will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). Of course that means you have to read the Bible. Hello!?!?!?

God also speaks through life - circumstances in our lives - often times events that are inexplicitly coincidental.  I like to call them God-incidences. And fourth, through other Christians. A Christian may have a word from God for you. They have the same spiritual father and have the very same Spirit indwelling them. And very often, other Christians will confirm what God has said though the Word, prayer and/or circumstances.  Very often it is two or three ways, not just one.

I could share many instances in our lives over the years, when it has been clear that we heard from God. It always brings us to a crisis of belief. A place that requires faith and action on our part which means we have to adjust our lives to obey what God has said.  And maybe you are thinking, "I don't know if I want to hear from God!" Oh yes you do my friend - yes you do!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone