CHICAGO CITY BLESSING DAILY DEVOTION

Daily Devotion (Monday, September 21st - Friday, September 25th)

2009-09-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

Monday

"That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies..." Joshua 7:12

It matters not how strong you are. It matters not whether you have the greatest resources and talent. It matters not if you have the best plans and procedures. It will all fail if you have a break in your armor.

This is the message God told Joshua when he attempted to go against a small army at Ai, which was the Israelites' second battle in the Promised Land. Sometimes we try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor. We look at all aspects of our performance to see what went wrong. For the people of Israel, it was not easily seen on the surface. Everything seemed just as it should be from Joshua's vantage point, so when his army was soundly defeated, he cried out to God, "Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?" (Josh. 7:7a)

The people had been defeated because God could not bless them. One person had violated the covenant with God. They were not to take any possessions from the first battle, but one person failed to live up to this, and the whole army suffered.

Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from satan, who then gains permission from God to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness. If we break down in moral purity, satan comes in and establishes a stronghold. If we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others. If we become money-focused, we will fall into greed and deception. It is a vicious cycle.

Examine your armor today. Make sure you are not susceptible to attack. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation and your chances of success will be great.

Tuesday

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-5).

God often allows pain to ignite destiny in our lives. Without motivation, many of us would never fulfill the purposes for which God created us. Oftentimes a measured assault invades our life and creates a depth of pain that all we know to do is press into God with all our being.

At first, our motivation is to alleviate the pain. After a season of extreme emotional and sometimes physical pain, a second phase begins. This phase moves us to discover a new and deeper relationship with God. We begin to discover things about ourselves and about God that we never would have discovered without this motivation. Gradually, our heart changes our motivation from pain to loving obedience because there is a transition of the heart that takes place. No longer do we seek God for deliverance from the pain; we seek God because He is God. We seek His face and not His hand.

When we move to the second phase we often find ourselves moving into a new destiny and calling for our lives because God often separates us from the old life in this process. No doubt Joseph and Peter felt the pain of their individual crises. However, later they could realize God's purposes in their crisis. Like Joseph, we are able to say, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

Today, let God move you from the place of pain to the place of destiny. Let God show you the secret things He has reserved for you as a result of the crisis you may find yourself in.

Wednesday

"And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith" (Matt 13:58).

You can learn a lot about people in traffic. For instance, I observe a lot when I see 20 cars in one line and only 3 cars in another. The reason for the longer line is these people want to make sure they get to make their turn after the light. I, on the other hand, want to get through the light first, then I will worry about making the next turn. This is a difference in risk taking tolerance, or perhaps faith; or even some might argue with me that I'm operating out of presumption versus real faith.

No matter which person you might be in this situation, it is sure that faith is often spelled R.I.S.K. When the priests carried the ark into the Jordan River at flood stage there was a risk they could lose the ark to the Jordan River. However, that is not what happened. "And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap" (Josh 3:13). God changed the entire environment and made it possible to walk across without the pressure of wading through the powerful water only when they took the first step.

Risk means there is a potential for loss. However, when God leads us to take a risk, then He is there whether we succeed or fail. He is there in the success and He is there in the failure. If He leads you to take a risk it may not always succeed in the way you think. In fact, it could even fail.

The only true failure is when we fail to take the risk when God is leading us to do so. Sometimes the fear of failure is the greater obstacle than the risk itself. Has God called you to step out in an area that requires risk? This could be the place He wants you to move. Ask Jesus to give you the courage to step out.

Thursday

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me" (2 Cor. 12:7).

Have you ever had something in your life you wish was not there? If God gave you one wish, perhaps it would be to change that one thing. Perhaps it is the source of pain or challenge in your life. You seek God continually for relief from it, but He seems strangely silent.

Paul also experienced an ongoing burden that he called a "thorn in [his] flesh." Bible scholars have speculated as to what this thorn might have been, but no one knows for sure. We do know that it was so hurtful to Paul that he asked God on three different occasions to remove it from his life:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Paul had a great calling on his life. The revelations and faith experiences that God gave him would have been too much for any man's humility. So God, in order to insure His investment in Paul's life, gave this man a thorn in his flesh to help him maintain a humble, godly perspective.

Perhaps God has given you such a thorn designed to allow you to place greater trust and reliance upon Him. Ask God to reveal to you the blessing of the thorn He has placed in your life. The bloom of a rose is beautiful, but the thorn of a rose produces only pain. Thorns hurt us yet they humble us. That is the blessing of thorns.

Friday

"For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright" (Prov 3:32).

It is human nature to want to be included into the inner circle. It means that you are qualified to hear things, experience things and be privy to information the masses are not allowed to see.

Jesus had an inner circle of friends made up of Peter, James and John. John had a very special relationship with Jesus. He was considered to be Jesus' best friend. It was John who recognized Jesus after the crucifixion when He came to them on the seashore. "Then the disciple whom Jesus loved, said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'"(John 21:7).

The Bible tells us that John's friendship was such that he could even lay his head upon his shoulder at the last supper when he inquired about the betrayer: "So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, 'Lord, who is it?'" (John 13:25-26 RSV). Almost forty years after the last supper John wrote the final Gospel in A.D. 90,. He was chosen by God to receive "the vision" and record it in the Book of Revelation.

When it came time for Jesus to leave the earth for good, it was Peter, James and John who had the privilege to see the transfiguration. "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus" (Mark 9:2).

Do you long to have an intimate relationship with your creator? The Lord desires to have the same with you. He does not want you to have a mere form of religion, but a relationship whereby you experience His presence and power. Where you can see God perform His acts of power and love among others.

One of the keys to intimacy is uprightness. Uprightness means we are living a life of obedience and submission to His will in our lives. When we live at this place we enter His inner circle. Pray for God to make your life upright and intimate with Jesus.

Daily Devotion (Monday, August 31st - Friday, September 4th)

2009-08-31T10:43:00.001-05:00

Monday

"If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here" (Exodus 33:15).

One of the great dangers in Christian service is to move from a presence-based work to operate purely on our natural skill. Once we become established in something, the daily maintenance can lead us into complacency until a crisis arises that forces us back to our knees to appeal to the Lord for His presence to return.

Things were going well for Moses as he led the people out of Egypt. God was calling him to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, to receive the Ten Commandments. While he was there, the people fell away from the Lord by returning to the ways of Egypt by building and worshipping a golden calf under Aaron's watch.

This revealed that the spiritual foundation of the people and the leadership of Aaron had not been grounded enough for the leader to have an extended absence. God's presence had left the people. If you are in management, you must know the condition of your team to know how long you can be away from hands-on leadership.

When Moses came back and saw what had happened, he recognized the solution as well. Having God's presence return was the only way they could proceed and have success. "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Ex 33:16).

Moses also realized a weakness in his own ability to lead. He pleaded God to mentor him: "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you."

Is the presence of God in your current activities? Are the people you lead mature in their faith that allows you to be off site? Ask for God's help on both counts.

Tuesday

"Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name." --Hebrews 13:15

There are times when we are not in the mood to praise God. But did the first-century believers always feel like praising God? They were harassed. They were beaten. They were mocked. And that was all before breakfast. Yet they worshipped the Lord nonetheless.

The Bible doesn't say to give thanks to the Lord because you feel good. Rather, the Bible says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever" (Psalm 106:1). The Bible also tells us to "offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name" (Hebrews 13:15). Yes, praise and worship can sometimes be a sacrifice. There are times when we are down or depressed or things aren't going well, when there is a hardship or a tragedy, and we don't want to thank God.

But do you think Job felt like praising God when he lost everything? He lost his family. He lost his home. He lost his possessions. He lost his health--all in one fell swoop, in effect. But what does the Bible say he did? He "fell to the ground to worship" and said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" (Job 1:20-21). Now that is the sacrifice of praise.

The sacrifice of praise is also something we are to verbalize. Notice Hebrews 13:15 says that offering a continual sacrifice of praise to God includes "proclaiming our allegiance to his name." We need to verbalize our praise to God. It is not that God needs praise from us, but He wants it. And He tells us to verbalize our praise.

Wednesday

"The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was." Exodus 20:21

Like the nation of Israel, we are each called to the mountain of God, but few are willing to pass through the darkness to get there. God wanted to reveal His glory to the children of Israel, but they were afraid to enter into His presence. They only wanted to know about God, rather than know him personally like Moses did. This grieved the heart of God.

Why wouldn't the people of Israel risk entering the darkness if it meant being in the presence of God? What did the people fear?

Perhaps they had fears like each of us. The fear of the unknown. The fear of what might happen. The fear that God might not like what He sees. Or, perhaps even the greatest fear: the fear of darkness itself and what lies behind that darkness.

Many of us have been satisfied to hear about God from God's messengers. But there is a greater calling for each of you - a calling to enter into His presence. Sometimes entering into His presence means we enter through an unexpected door - a door that appears to have nothing good behind it.

We do not need to fear entering the presence of God even if it means entering through a period of darkness. Above all else we must believe that God is a God of love. If He calls us into darkness in order to enter His presence, then that darkness will become an entry to new levels of relationship with a God who longs for fellowship with you and me.

Thursday

"All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping [the idol] there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family" (Judg. 8:27).

Israel was at war with the Midianites and the Amalekites. So God chose a humble young man, Gideon, to deliver Israel by cleansing the land of idols. After submitting a fleece to determine it was God calling him, Gideon obeyed the Lord and destroyed the pagan idols in the region. Then he summoned a large army - over 30,000 men - to fight the Midianites and Amalekites. God said the army was too large, so He first reduced Gideon's army 10,000 men, and then to a mere 300 men. When God gave Israel the victory with an army of only 300 men, all of Israel knew that it was the power of God, not the strength of his army.

If the story had ended there, all would have been well. But at the moment of Israel's triumph, Gideon stumbled. He told the people, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." The Israelites took the gold from the bodies of the enemy dead and Gideon melted it and fashioned it into an idol. The Bible calls this idol an ephod, a word that refers to a ceremonial breastplate?Gideon probably depicted the Lord God as a warrior with an ephod of gold.

But God does not allow Himself to be represented by an idol. This idol was an offense against God and a trap for the people. After Gideon's death, the Israelites again worshiped the pagan god Baal. They forgot the Lord God who rescued them from their enemies.

The story of Gideon has a great beginning, but a tragic ending. This is an instructive lesson for us all. As the apostle Paul tells us, "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Cor. 10:12).
If we fail the Success Test we must go back to God without fear. We can ask Him to help us learn the lessons of our failure and to strengthen us for another effort. The God of second chances is able to accomplish His purpose through us even if we have failed Him many times before.

Friday

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. --1 John 1:3

Christians tend to throw around the word "fellowship" a lot, as in, "Let's have some fellowship," or "We'll be meeting in the Fellowship Hall." But what does this word really mean?

When Acts 2:42 says the early believers "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship" (emphasis added), it uses the Greek word koinonia, which could be translated, "fellowship," "partnership," or "communion." It also can mean "to be generous." So fellowship encompasses all of these ideas; it is far more than socializing.

Anyone can socialize. Anyone can get together and rally around their passions, whatever it is they might have an interest in. But the fellowship that the Bible speaks of is not that kind of gathering or social interaction. It is different altogether. It is people getting together to talk about the things of God.

Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is giving together. It is aging together. These are the fibers of fellowship. And fellowship with God and with His people go together. As we get to know God through His Word, we will long for fellowship with other believers. The stronger your vertical fellowship, the stronger your horizontal fellowship will be. As 1 John 1:3 says, "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." If you find yourself out of fellowship with God, then you will soon find yourself out of fellowship with other believers.

So if you want to be like one of the early believers in the first-century church, then you need to not only love God and study His Word, but you also need to spend time with His people in fellowship.

Daily Devotion (Monday, August 17th - Friday, August 21st)

2009-08-18T13:59:00.000-05:00

Monday

"All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. 'Isn't this Joseph's son?' they asked" (Luke 4:22).

Jesus was more qualified to be a carpenter than the Son of God in the view of religious leaders and the common people of his day. He was also becoming known as a rabbi who thought and did things "outside the box." He was an unusual mixture of the earthly common man who did daily work just like his other villagers in Nazareth. So, when the public ministry side of his life began to surface, the first observations were, "Isn't this Joseph, the carpenter's son?"

This is not unlike what happens when God calls us into a more public ministry. "Isn't that John, the CPA, or Bill the restaurant manager, or Susie the bank executive?" The first question among our critics is "Where did John, Bill, or Susie get religion?"

The religious spirit in the workplace or society reveals itself in many ways. The religious spirit can best be defined as an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices. The religious spirit seeks to distort a genuine move of God through deception, control and manipulation. It was the primary force against Jesus designed to intimidate and turn His relationship with God into a set of rules and regulations. Satan does not want Jesus in the workplace because that is where the authority lies to change a workplace, city or nation. God desires you to bring His presence with you into the workplace every day. Do not let the enemy of your soul shame you into alienating your faith from your work and limit you from become influence in your society.

Today, ask Jesus to go with you wherever you go. The two of you just might be the team to bring someone out of slavery and bondage.

Tuesday

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Observed this powerful principle: The pathway to leadership almost always takes us through the valley of adversity. We see this principle not only in the story of Joseph, who endured thirteen years of adversity, but also in the lives of many other leaders in both the Old and New Testament.

Moses was raised in the royal splendor of Pharaoh's household in Egypt, but he was forced to flee and spend 40 years in desert exile before God spoke from a burning bush and called him to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery. Joshua spent the years of his youth as a slave in Egypt and his middle-aged years wandering in the desert at Moses' side. He was well acquainted with adversity when God called him to lead Israel's armies in the conquest of Canaan. The prophet Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions before he could reach a place of power and influence in the Babylonian courts. And we see this same pattern played out in the lives of David, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and other Old Testament leaders.

Turning to the New Testament, we see that even Jesus had to face adversity in the desert, suffering hunger, thirst, temptation and opposition from Satan. Only then could He begin His public ministry. The Lord's disciples had to endure the loss of their Master, the failure of their own faith and character, and the dark days of despair between the cross and the empty tomb before they could become the founding leaders of the Lord's church.

It's hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great leader without earning an advanced degree at the "University of Adversity."

Wednesday

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God" (Ps. 55:12-14).

Betrayal is one of the most difficult tests that we will ever face because it involves being wounded by someone we trust. It's hard not to become bitter when a friend or family member wounds us. It takes a lot of Christ-like grace to forgive a traitor.

We have probably faced the Judas Test ourself. Everyday we work in a marketplace or hang out in society that is rife with betrayal, deception, duplicity, and treachery. Perhaps you have been betrayed by others. Or perhaps somebody betrayed a confidence or stabbed you in the back. It may have even been someone you've gone to church with or prayed with - someone you trusted as a brother in Christ.

The Judas kiss stings worse than a slap across the face. Almost every leader has experienced that sting at one time or another. Yet God is watching to see how we respond to the Judas Test. If we pass the test, He can then take us to the next level, the next test. If we fail, we'll probably have to repeat the test until we learn to forgive.

The Judas Test is God's graduate level course in faith, designed to reveal the truth about ourselves: Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives? The book of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Heb 12:15). When we refuse to forgive we risk infecting others with a "bitter root" of resentment.

Thursday

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).

Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.

This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. It is my belief that you can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?

Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus? purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.

Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.

Today, take steps to insure you are aligned with your purpose.

Friday

"This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:6).

Some of us may found the above verse very intimidating. It says that if we are truly living in Christ, we must walk as Jesus did. How did Jesus walk? He healed the sick. He perceived the needs and situations of others supernaturally. He spoke boldly into the lives of the unsaved. He met the needs of people by leading them to the Kingdom of God. Jesus says we must walk as He did. So, we can only conclude from this verse that if we are each called to live this way, He will also equip us to live this way.

So how did Jesus walk? He walked on earth as a human being, not as God, yet He was God. His miracles were done as a human being who tapped into the power of His Heavenly Father. This is why he can exhort us to live like He did not as deity, but as a human being who could appropriate all the Father had for him. This is what He means when He says "live as He lived." We are to exercise obedience and faith just as He did.

We live in a day that requires more than proclamation evangelism to break through in the all areas of life. We live and work in a skeptical society. It takes more than reasoning to see others come to Christ. The workplace is trained to see past phonies. So, it will require the genuine love and power of Christ to be manifested to break through to a unbelievers, a power-driven executives, or a foul-mouthed friends.

Jesus modeled a way of reaching the lost. He did not use reasoning to convince a person to follow him. He often operated in the supernatural revelation about a need in that person's life. Such was the case of the Samaritan woman. This encounter not only led to a woman placing her faith in the Messiah, but it led to the transformation of a community. Next time you have an encounter with an unsaved associate, find out about a need they have and ask God how you can meet it through His power.

Daily Devotion (Monday, August 3rd - Friday, August 7th)

2009-08-04T22:12:00.001-05:00

Monday

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. --Acts 8:5

Acts 8 tells us that Philip went to Samaria. We may read that in passing and not think much of it. But it actually brings out an important point.

Philip went to where people were. Here was a man overcoming his natural prejudice to bring the gospel to a group of people he would not even have communicated with under normal circumstances.

The Samaritans and the Jews hated each other. That is why, when Jesus asked the woman at the well for a drink, she said to Jesus, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"
Yet Philip went down to Samaria. He was not going to let prejudice keep him from bringing the message to someone who needed to hear it. He put those things aside.

That is a reminder that there is no room for bigotry, no room for prejudice, and no room for bias in the life of the child of God.

It also reminds us that we should not try to communicate only with people who look just like us. We may be more comfortable talking to someone who is basically our equal in age, gender, economic background, race, or whatever. But God wants us to take the gospel to all people.

They may be younger. They may be older. They may be of a different race or background. It doesn't matter. Everyone needs Jesus.

There is another thing. Philip was essentially watering seeds that Jesus had sown a few years earlier. When Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman, she came to faith and went out and told others. Now Philip was laboring in the same area.

It reminds us that the process of conversion happens through reaping and sowing, often over a period of years.

Tuesday

"Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown" (Num 22:27-31).

Have you ever wanted something so badly that your perception of the situation became distorted? We can force situations so much that we lose perspective.

The Israelites were defeating all their enemies in the Promised Land. Balak, the king of Moab, feared that they would be defeated by the Israelites. Balaam was a prophet of the Lord in whom Balak knew had the power to bless or curse a nation. So, he sent a delegation to get Balaam to curse the nation of Israel. Balaam wanted to do this for a nice fee that would come with his cooperation. However, God was not pleased. "But God said to Balaam, 'Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed'" (Num 22:12).

Balaam was not being obedient to the Lord because he proceeded with his plan. And this was displeasing to the Lord. God sent an angel to stop him and would it not have been for his "talking donkey" he would have been killed by the angel.

In the workplace, we can become driven to achieve. Corporate pressure drives executives to make decisions that can impact many people. We become deceived by the need to succeed at any cost in our venture.

In order to achieve Godly success, we must be sensitive to those around us who can give input to the direction we may be taking. God will confirm His direction in our lives if we are willing to accept input from those around us. It can come through a spouse, a co-worker, a boss, a secretary or any other person. Be aware of situations that encourage you to press too hard for a particular outcome.

Achieving goals should be a result of following the actions you believe God leads you to take. Let results become a fruit of your strategic actions.

Wednesday

He has planted eternity in the human heart...--Ecclesiastes 3:11

There are four things we should know about every person on this earth. No matter how successful they are, how unsuccessful they are, how famous they are, how beautiful and handsome they are, or how unattractive and plain they may be, everyone shares these four traits.

One, there is an essential emptiness in every person who hasn't yet come to Christ. Everyone is essentially empty. No matter how much money or prestige someone has, everyone has to deal with that emptiness.

Scripture says that God made His creation subject to vanity or emptiness, meaning there is a void--a hole, if you will--inside every man, woman, and child.

Two, people are lonely. We can assume there is a sense of loneliness in every individual. Albert Einstein once wrote, "It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely." People are lonely. We need to know that.

Three, people have a sense of guilt. They may try to mask it with alcohol or have a psychologist or psychiatrist tell them it is not there. But they have to deal with their guilt over the things they have done wrong.

The head of a mental institution in London once said, "I could release half of my patients if I could find a way to relieve them of their sense of guilt."

Four, people are afraid to die. Some may strut around and say, "Not me. I'm not afraid to die." But they are.

So don't be so intimidated by the facades that people hide behind and assume they don't want to hear what you have to say about your faith in Christ.

Remember, you used to be one of those people. And we responded to the gospel. So will they.

Thursday

"If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success" (Eccl 10:10).

Manufacturing companies live and die by the ability of its designers, engineers, and staff to bring new products to market quickly. Yet for many organizations, a team's capacity to turn promising ideas into new revenue is diminished because of fragmented business processes, a geographically dispersed workforce, and a lack of standards across the supply chain according to an industry expert on innovation in technology.

We live in an information age where the level of knowledge is increasing at warp speed. The way you did things two years ago may not be the same way you do it today. The knowledge you have two years ago may not be adequate to compete in the global marketplace today. Businesses have gone bankrupt because they were not willing to change with the times. Have you seen a Polaroid camera lately? Do you know someone over sixty years old who chose not to learn about computers? The world passes by such people because they are unwilling to "sharpen their ax."

God calls every workplace believer to model four key attributes: 1) Excellence, 2) Ethics and Integrity, 3) Extravagant Love and Service, and 4) Signs and Wonders.

The first quality of a Christian worker should be excellence. Excellence does not just mean the way we do our jobs, but it also means staying abreast of how we do our jobs. God desires to reveal His innovations in His creation. You will not compete in the marketplace today unless you make a commitment to stay abreast of innovation. This too is good stewardship.

How is your "workplace ax"? Does it need sharpening? What are the areas in your working life that need to be sharpened? What innovation is needed to insure that you will be the "head, not the tail" in your workplace calling? Begin today to evaluate action steps you may need to take to have a very sharp "ax".

Friday

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Tim. 1:7).

Fear is the enemy of faith. Fear is bondage. Satan wants us to live in bondage to the past and even the future, but God wants us to live in the freedom of His love and power in the present. As Paul wrote, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father'" (Rom. 8:15).

In order to be the leaders God calls us to be, we must conquer our fear and put it to death. This is a spiritual battle, and it can only be won with spiritual weapons. We must replace our fear with the peace that surpasses understanding. As Jesus told His followers, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

As the apostle Paul told the persecuted Christians in Rome, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). The God of peace is our conquering King; the peace of God is our weapon against fear and Satan. Before going to the cross, Jesus told His disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

Fear is a natural response to obstacles, adversity and failure, but peace is the supernatural response that God gives us by His grace. Just as Jesus had authority over the wind and waves, He has authority over the storms in our lives. He has authority over our doubts, fears and shame.

Doubts, fear and shame are the weapons of Satan, but Jesus stands against Satan's fury and says with authority, "Peace, be still." The peace of God shatters the weapons of Satan and sends our enemy fleeing.

Appropriate the peace God has already provided for you today.

Daily Devotion (Monday, July 27th - Friday, July 31st)

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Monday

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21).

Can a caterpillar fly? If you said, "No," you would be partially correct. Actually, a caterpillar can fly, but it must have a transformation first.

The butterfly begins life as a caterpillar, a wormlike larva that spins a cocoon for itself. For weeks, the larva remains hidden within the cocoon as it undergoes metamorphosis. When it's time for the butterfly to emerge, it must struggle and fight its way out of the cocoon. We might be tempted to help this process by tearing open the cocoon - but that's the worst thing we could do. The struggle makes it strong and enables it to fly. Butterflies need adversity to become what God intended them to be. So do we.

The Book of Job is the story of a wealthy and successful community leader named Job. He was a successful and righteous businessman with huge holdings of livestock and real estate. One day Satan came before God and asked him, "Where have you come from?" Satan replied, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

God said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Notice that God pointed Job out to Satan! God gave Satan permission to put Job through a trial of adversity. Job's herds were stolen, his servants were murdered, and all of Job's children were killed by a sudden tornado.

Through his trial of adversity, he grows in strength, wisdom and faith. His entire perspective on God is transformed by his suffering. He was even accused of sin by his closest friends.

We must get beyond the immature notion that God is interested only in making us healthy, wealthy and happy. More than anything, He wants us to be like Christ. And the road to becoming like Christ often leads through the wilderness of adversity.

In order for the butterfly to fly, there must be a transformation process that is often developed through adversity.

Tuesday

"When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely" (Judg 1:28-29).

Have you ever hired a contractor to do some work and ended up having to spend time and energy to get him back to finish the job? The small unfinished projects simply irritate you and create ill-will between you and your contractor. If you have been involved in a building project, you have surely had this experience.

God wanted his people to finish the job. He often told the Israelites to remove your enemies from the

Promised Land. However, many times they would not finish the job and the remnant that was left would come back and create difficulties. In most cases, the people of Israel would intermarry which enticed them into their enemy's way of living. Other times they had to enslave them, which took time away from their mission.

Whenever we fail to complete a job it creates ill-will from those we are serving. It also violates a basic biblical mandate for every believer to do their work with excellence. The Bible says that Daniel and his friends did their work ten times better than anyone else. They were known for their excellence.

It is often said of American football that the hardest place to score from is the one yard line. That is because the defenses are greatest where there is the most resistance. Sometimes completing a job is like this.

Whenever you have a project to do make sure you complete the job fully. Go the extra distance to make sure your boss or your client is totally satisfied with your work. You may complete 95% of your work, but if it is not completed you will be known for what you did not finish, rather than for what you did finish.

Wednesday

"You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there" (1 Kings 17:4).

The prophet Elijah pronounced a drought upon the land because of the sin of Ahab and the nation of Israel. There was only one problem. Elijah had to live in the same land as Ahab.

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.' Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 'Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there'" (1 Kings 17:1-4).

God provided for Elijah in a supernatural way. The ravens brought bread in the morning and meat in the evening. His water came from the brook.

God often uses money to confirm direction for our lives. Many times God uses a lack of provision to move us into new directions. It is a catalyst to encourage new ideas and strategies. Many times a loss of job becomes the greatest blessing to our lives because it provides the catalyst to do things we simply would never do without taking the step to get out of our comfort zone.

Friend, if you are fully following the Lord in your life and seeking direction from Him and you have no un-confessed sin in your life, there is no way He will allow you to miss His provision for you. He has a thousand ways to get the provision you need at the time you need it. Provision follows obedience.

Thursday

He made us accepted in the Beloved. --Ephesians 1:6

Like the pain we feel when we step on a sharp piece of glass, guilt is our moral warning system.

Guilt is not necessarily a bad thing, because it is a reaction to something in our lives that is not right. But sometimes the devil can use guilt to drive us to despair.

This is why it is important to distinguish between Satan's accusations and the Spirit's conviction. A feeling of guilt and shame is not a bad thing if it comes from the Spirit of God. But if it drives us to despair and hopelessness, then we have listened to the wrong voice.

The devil will accuse us, saying that we are not worthy to approach God. May I be blunt? We were never worthy. We will never be worthy. On our best day, we weren't even close to being worthy.

As believers, we have been made acceptable to God through what Christ did for us on the cross. We have been made acceptable in the Beloved. It is because of Jesus that we can come to God.

So don't ever let the devil's accusations drive you away from the cross, where you will find forgiveness.

You have a choice. The next time you sin, you can either give up in despair, or you can come back to the Lord and repent.

Remember this simple truth: Satan will always seek to drive you away from the cross, but the Holy Spirit will always draw you back to the cross.

Friday

Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? --Zechariah 3:2

Do you ever get sick and tired of being ripped off by the devil? Does it seem that in your Christian life, you take one step forward and two steps back? Have you ever felt condemned for your sin and wanted to just give up?

If so, listen up. There’s a good news for you. Your life as a Christian does not have to continue on this way.

One tactic the devil uses over and over again is that he first tempts you to sin and then accuses you once you give in to that sin. And having led you into sin, he doesn't just leave you to suffer the consequences. Instead, he wants to make sure that you are doubly defeated. He wants to drive you away from the presence of God.

We see this illustrated in the Book of Zechariah, where the prophet had a vision from the Lord one night:

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:1-2)

Here is Joshua standing condemned, just like us when we sin. The devil was going for the kill--but suddenly he stopped in his tracks. Why? Because God basically said, "Hands off. This is a brand plucked from the fire. This one belongs to me. This one is mine."

Aren't you glad you are His? Don't let the devil drive you away from the presence of God.

Daily Devotion (Monday, July, 20th - Friday, July 24th)

2009-07-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

Monday

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
--Luke 2:40

When Jesus was on Earth, He didn't empty himself of His divine attributes, but accepted the limitations of humanity.

For example, we know that Jesus became weary like we do. On one occasion, as He came to Samaria, we read that He was weary (see John 4:6). Why? He had been walking all day in the hot sun of Israel.

Now if I were God, I probably would have said to the disciples, "You boys go on up to Samaria, and I will see you there." Then I would have just appeared in Samaria. After all, why tire myself out like that?
But Jesus voluntarily went through the process of feeling what it was like to be tired and exhausted.
We see this throughout Scripture. We know that Jesus was tired. We know that He experienced physical thirst. As He hung on the cross, Jesus said, "I thirst" (Luke 19:28). The very God who created water allowed himself to experience thirst.

We also know that He was hungry. Jesus experienced physical hunger after fasting for 40 days during His temptation in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:2). But did Jesus have complete omniscience and omnipotence as a baby in the manger? Luke's Gospel tells us, "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). So it appears that Jesus went through a learning process like anyone else.

Jesus grew as a human, but there was never a moment when He suddenly became God or when deity was transferred to Him. That was always a part of His life. He was fully God and fully man.

Tuesday

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (Ps. 63:1).

The desert holds a special place in God's Word. The Scriptures portray the desert as a place of inspiration and exaltation - a place where people met God in a powerful new way. King David wrote the 63rd Psalm while in exile in the Desert of Judah. He was hiding from his son Absalom, who wanted to replace him as king of Israel.

For Joseph, a deep pit in the desert was the first stop on a 13-year journey through desolation and despair. That 13-year desert experience served to break Joseph's self-will and self-confidence. It taught him that he could not control anything and that he needed to rely on God to manage the events in his life. Joseph's desert trial prepared him by scorching the youthful pride and arrogance out of his young life so that when he was 30 years old he could rule Egypt at Pharaoh's side in a spirit of humility and servant-hood.

Before becoming king of Israel, David was a shepherd. Part of his training for leadership involved hand-to-claw combat with the beasts of the wilderness, including the lion and the bear. Elijah learned the principles of spiritual leadership while in the wilderness of Gilead. And Jesus was tempted and tested for 40 days in the desert before He began to preach.

Perhaps God has given you a dream, but now it seems that your dream has withered and died under the scorching desert sun. It seems that God has gone away and is not listening to your prayers. But I want you to know that that your dream still lives. God is with you, even if you can't see Him, hear Him or sense His presence. He is preparing you in the desert.

Wednesday

"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses" (2 Kings 23:25).

What type of person does God raise up when a nation becomes synonymous with idol worship and sin? God raised up a leader that had the courage to destroy the evil and bring the nation back to God. His name was Josiah. "The nation of Israel had been led away from God by Manasseh who reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites" (2 Kings 21:1,2).

Manasseh's son Amon reigned for twenty-two years after him and was also wicked. However, Amon's son was named Josiah and became king at eight years old after his father was assassinated.
"Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left" (2 Kings 23:8). He was a courageous leader. "Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger. So the LORD said, 'I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, 'There shall my Name be'" (2 Kings 22:13).

God responded to the Godly reforms that Josiah brought to his nation. "Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD . . . Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place'" (2 Kings 22:19-20). Judgment always follows the sin of a nation. If there were ever a time we needed God to raise up Josiahs in our cities and nations, it is now. Pray that God brings forth Godly leaders into your city and nation.

Thursday

"But after the men were healed, God told Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you'" (Josh 5:9).

God is calling thousands of people out of Egypt, out of their old lives of bondage. He's calling them to become new people, living out His plan for their lives in the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. God wants Christians to take their places in the financial marketplace, the corridors of commerce, the capitals of information and entertainment, and the halls of government.

When the people of Israel crossed over the Jordan River and set foot upon the land of promise, God told Joshua to make flint knives and revive a ritual that had fallen into disuse: circumcision.

The rite of circumcision, of course, is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) of the penis. This rite was established as a sign of God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17, but it had not been practiced during the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land. Joshua obeyed God's command and had all the Israelite men circumcised at a place they called Gibeath Haaraloth (a rather graphic name that means "hill of foreskins").

The rite of circumcision is painful, bloody and personal, and the Israelite men were incapacitated until the wound had healed. With the removal of the foreskins, the men of Israel became a new and different people. They were no longer slaves of the past; they were free people with a future. It was time to put aside the old way of life and to put Egypt behind them and enter the Promised Land with confidence and power.

The people of Israel would go on to fight 39 major battles before the Promised Land came under their control. The Israelites couldn't compromise with the evil and idolatry that was in the land. God told them to destroy it. As believers, we will always be in a battle against evil until the war is won.

God has designed a bright future for us - and it's ours if we accept His calling and cling to Him as He reshapes us and remakes us.

Friday

"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness" (Rom. 6:17-18).

Becoming a new person in Christ is part of a life-long journey that begins at conversion. Before coming to Christ, we were living (in a metaphorical sense) in Egypt, in the land of bondage. Just as the people of Israel toiled as slaves in Egypt, we were slaves to sin and worldly ambition.

Before we came to Christ, we sweated and toiled to build our career and acquire material possessions. Work was our idol. Greed was our taskmaster. We may have had all the trappings of power in the business world - a corner office, a staff of our own, a key to the executive washroom - but we were living as a slave in the land of Egypt. We didn't run our career; our career ran us.

Jesus once said, "No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money" (Luke 16:13). In the original language, the word translated "money" was an Aramaic word, Mammon. This does not refer merely to money as a medium of exchange but also to a demonic spirit designed to promote a mind-set of ambition for riches, power and worldly gain. The word is capitalized in the original text because the people of Jesus' day thought of Mammon as a false god. Jesus was saying that those who spend their lives seeking worldly gain are idolaters. No one can serve two masters. No one can worship both the true God and a false god.

We cannot experience the grace that God gives to His children because we are too busy striving for riches and enslaved to Mammon. The only way we can be free is to turn away from Mammon and allow the one true God to transform us into a different person.

Ask yourself today if your life is best represented as Egypt or the Promised Land.

Daily Devotion (Monday, July, 13th - Friday, July 17th)

2009-07-14T04:01:00.000-05:00

Monday

"I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."
--John 14:16

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit today. We can turn on a "Christian" television program and see some rather bizarre things taking place in the name of the Holy Spirit. But is this really the Holy Spirit?
Some of us may look at those things and say, "I don't know if I want that in my life. It frightens me."

The good news is that this is not the work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, it is a misrepresentation of Him. That is why it is important to gain a biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as a helper. The word helper is translated from the Greek word paraclete, which means, "one called alongside to help."

During the days that Jesus walked this earth, His disciples had the wonderful privilege of talking with Him and listening to Him. But then He ascended into heaven.
Jesus had promised His disciples (and essentially all followers of His to this very day) that He would lead them from that point forward in an entirely new way. This would take place through the Holy Spirit:

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16--17)

God's Holy Spirit wants to help you. He is there for you. He wants to do a wonderful work in your life. And He will abide with you forever.

Tuesday

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus gave us a math problem that centered on multiplication. In this equation, he talked about multiplying new believers. He didn't take on the word problem himself. Amazingly, he left the math up to a hand full of humans. He left it up to us.

To help complete this equation, we need to be able to see people in our lives that need Christ present in their lives. We need to see who we can share our faith with. But that is not always an easy thing for us to do. In order for us to see these people, we may need to look at our lives through a different lens, through a different perspective. We need to put on polarized glasses.

Polarized sunglasses are amazing. When you are out on a lake or skiing down the slopes, these glasses help you to see with more clarity and definition. They allow you to be able to see things around you that you could not have seen without them.

The same thing needs to happen in your life and mine. But to gain that new perspective, we need to ask God to give us those polarized glasses. We need to ask God to give us x-treme insight to be able to see those around us that need Christ in their lives.

This week, ask God to give you x-treme insight. Just say to him, "God, show me someone in my life that I need to invite to church or share you with." God wants you to be his witness. Look for the people in you life that need him, and then be a witness to what God has done in your life. Help finish God's equation of multiplying new believers.

Wednesday

"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son" (Gen 22:10).

There are times in our lives when God brings a test to see if we are ready to put to death the very thing that God promised we would have. Such was the case in the life of Abraham with Isaac. Isaac was the promised son. Yet, God said to raise the knife to sacrifice him in obedience to God.

When God brings such a test into our lives we usually have a choice. Neither choice is attractive. One choice will often salvage some aspect of the vision. The other choice will totally kill the vision from our perspective. However, that is the faith decision. That is the only decision from God's perspective.
If we choose the faith decision that kills the vision - we will witness the resurrection of the vision supernaturally by God. Our own faith will be launched into a whole new dimension. He will raise us up in order to speak through our lives in that experience. God often brings that person into a very public ministry.

However, if we choose the lesser decision, we will reside in a lesser walk with God. God will accept the decision but there will be consequences to our faith journey. He cannot trust us with a bigger vision because He sees our obedience is moveable based on our perceived consequences.
If we choose the lesser decision then God will often orchestrate other events in our lives that are designed to develop our faith to a level that will allow us to make the right decision the next time.

Do you have resurrection faith that will trust God to raise your situation from the dead?

Thursday

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. --1 Timothy 4:16

In America today, we have something that could be described as a new spirituality. It's a revival of sorts--not in the biblical sense of people turning to God, but a revival of all kinds of ancient and weird spiritual concepts and beliefs.

People are spiritually hungry. They are searching for truth. And the problem is, some of this strange theology is finding its way into the church.

We must be very careful to keep our guard up. Don't forget that when the devil misled Eve in the Garden, he did it with partial truth. He did not question God's Word altogether. Rather, he questioned if Eve properly understood it.

We must be careful of the deviant teachings that are out there today. So often, when a new teaching comes along, we will get excited: a new revelation!

There aren't any new revelations. Everything you need to know about God is already written in His Book. As it has been said, if it's true, it isn't new. And if it's new, it isn't true.

So don't go looking for new revelations. Spend your time instead in learning God's Word, and He will bring fresh understanding of it.

Years ago, the great thinker C. S. Lewis warned us, "If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones." I think this is especially important today.
We need to know what Jesus said. We need to know what the truth is. We need to pay attention to doctrine.

Friday

I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things. --2 Peter 1:12

In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew blasted across south Florida with 160 mile-per-hour winds, causing terrible destruction.

In the midst of all the debris, reporters were amazed to find one house still standing firm on its foundation. A reporter approached a man who was doing a little sweeping around the house and asked, "Sir, how did you manage to avoid the damage of this hurricane?"

"I built this house myself," the man replied. "I built it according to the Florida state building code. I guess the other people didn't follow the code."
There is some good theology in that homeowner's statement. He did it the right way.
Yet many believers today are not following the code when it comes to building their faith. They haven't properly laid a biblical foundation.

Many people in churches today don't know as much as they think they know. They may intellectually agree with certain truths they are taught, but they could not make a biblical case for those things themselves.

That is why we need to go back to the basics to lay a foundation for those who are relatively new in the faith or for those who didn't do it right the first time.

The apostle Peter wrote, "For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth" (2 Peter 1:12).

Let's lay a good, strong foundation for our faith. Let's always remind ourselves of the basics. Let's follow the code by studying the Bible and immersing ourselves in the truth.
When we build on solid rock, we, too, can withstand the storms.

Daily Devotion (Monday, June, 29th - Friday, July 3rd)

2009-06-29T12:06:00.000-05:00

Monday

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us - Romans 8:26

Have you ever been deeply concerned about something or someone, but you didn't know what to pray? "What can I say," you wonder. "I don't know how to articulate this."

But did you know that sometimes some of the best prayers are the shortest and the simplest?
We might think, God likes flowery, long prayers. In fact, the longer they are, the more impressed God will be.

Jesus spoke of the Pharisees who loved to pray long prayers. He said, " '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' " (Matthew 6:7--8).

Sometimes, we will come to God and say, "Lord, I want to pray for this situation. Um, well, um. . . ." We want to pray, but we don't know how to articulate it. It may be nothing more than a grunt or a groan.
But God understands that prayer. Whether you have a beautiful prayer to pray or whether you don't know what to say, present it to God, and the Holy Spirit will help you.

According to Romans 8:26, "The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses." The Holy Spirit helps us to pray.
Remember all that God has done for you and all that He is doing for you. He saved you. His Holy Spirit indwells you. He assures you. He teaches you. And He helps you to pray.

So let's yield to Him. Let's open up our hearts to the work that He wants to do in our lives.

Tuesday

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God speaks to his children in many varied ways. God has said that his ways are not our ways. If left to our reasoning, we will fail to fully walk in the full counsel of God, which leads to poor decisions.

Thus, our goal is to avoid being deceived and to develop a listening ear that hears the voice of God with confidence. Our goal is to have such intimacy with God that we can walk in the full blessing of our decisions and to be assured they are not based on our own reasoning alone. This does not mean that we do not use the intellectual and logical skills that He has equipped us with.

A.W. Tozer said that the man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can't make a wrong choice - any choice will be the right one. J. Oswald Sanders explains his method of receiving guidance from God for decisions; "I try to gather all the information and all the facts that are involved in a decision, and then weigh them up and pray over them in the Lord's presence, and trust the Holy Spirit to sway my mind in the direction of God's will. And God generally guides by presenting reasons to my mind for acting in a certain way."

The apostle Paul said, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13). God has equipped us with everything we need to make good decisions. Hearing His voice is the first step toward making right choices in life.

Do you have a decision to make? Submit that decision to the Lord, ask God for clarity. Ask Him to make the desires of your heart the same desires that He has for you in this matter. Await His perfect timing on the matter. Then you can be assured of making the right decisions.

Wednesday

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

Remember the day the Holy Spirit shined His light in your heart and showed you that you were a sinner? You thought you were an okay person, but suddenly the Holy Spirit began to convict you of your sin.
It was the Holy Spirit who brought about that change in your heart.

Jesus said, " 'Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit' " (John 3:5--6).

Not only does the Holy Spirit bring about the work of conversion, but after it has taken place--after Christ has come into your heart--the Holy Spirit personally gives you the assurance that you are a believer. As Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

As a result, you can have the inner conviction and witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God.
And as part of this wonderful work of conversion, the Bible also teaches that the Holy Spirit indwells us. Romans 8:11 tells us, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

God is not asking you to do the impossible. He will give you the power to live the Christian life.
With the Holy Spirit empowering you--and as you yield to Him--you can live this life that God has called you to live.

Thursday

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin. . . . " --John 16:8

When we know people who are not believers, we obviously want them to come to faith in Christ.
Yet, as they live their lives and break the laws of God left and right, we see that they seem to have no sense of guilt, no remorse, and no concept that they are engaged in wrongdoing. So we try to assist the Holy Spirit in an attempt to bring them to a sense of conviction.

Mothers are especially effective in this area. Even if you haven't done anything wrong, one look from Mom will have you confessing something. It is a unique ability that mothers have.
Jesus, in speaking of the Holy Spirit, said, " 'And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . because they do not believe in Me' " (John 16:8--9).

Another way to translate the phrase, "to convict" is "to convince." The Holy Spirit is not coming to merely convince us of certain sins, but also to get to the root of our problems: sin itself.

The worst sin we can commit is the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ. This is what we will be ultimately judged for. When we stand before God, it will not be a sin issue as much as it will be a Son issue.
So we must be careful in our zeal to reach people for Christ that we don't actually deter them. If we get in the way of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can actually drive unbelievers away. If someone can be pressured into the kingdom of God, they can be pressured out.
We must let the Holy Spirit do His work in His way.

Friday

"Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight" (Isaiah 5:21).

Many of us have been trained to make decisions and respond to problems in a horizontal way instead of vertical. Operating from a horizontal basis means we try to fix the problem through our own self-efforts by bringing greater pressure upon it through our reasoning or our natural skills. Operating from a vertical position means we are seeking God for the answer and waiting for him to impact the problem. Perhaps it is a spouse who fails to put their clothes away, or a boss who is overly critical, or an employee that you clash with. When we operate horizontally we attempt to shame or coerce the other to change their ways.
God knows the solution to the problem before it ever exists.

Our responsibility is to ask God for help to solve the problem and to rely on Him for the outcome. The minute we take on the responsibility, God quietly stands by to let us experience failure until we decide to seek Him for the answer.

One of the best examples of the contrast between a vertical and horizontal dimension in scripture is that of King Saul and David (see 1 Samuel 25). King Saul thought the way to preserve his kingdom was to kill David. While in pursuit of him there were several occasions when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but David chose to wait upon God's timing and await his own deliverance because he understood authority. David had such respect for those who had been put in authority by God over him that he would not take matters into his own hands.

Saul represents the exact opposite of this principle. He thought David was the problem and sought to get rid of him through force. As a result, he lost his kingdom because he chose to rule horizontally instead of vertically under God's rule in his life.

No matter what problem you face today, stay vertical with God.

Daily Devotion (Monday, June, 22nd - Friday, June 26th)

2009-06-23T08:04:00.001-05:00

Monday

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-5).

Sports can teach us lot of valuable life lessons if we'll let it. Sometimes we buy into the idea that if we will do all the right things and execute the perfect golf swing, or the perfect baseball pitch, or the perfect whatever, we are guaranteed success. The problem is that sometimes it really is true. The outcome matches the execution and the goal. However, in sports, as well as in life, success is not guaranteed.

Sports psychologist Bob Rotella says, "If you bring a smothering perfectionism to the golf course, you will probably leave with a higher handicap and a lousy disposition, because your game will never meet your expectations."

You can make the perfect golf swing and end up in a sand bunker, or make a great baseball pitch and the batter will hit a homerun. The analogies are limitless.
So what do we do when the outcome is bad? We must accept that in sports, as in life, outcomes don't end the way we always hope.

Jesus came to be Savior of the world. He was a perfect human being without sin. He did all the right things. The result was death on the cross because a short term positive outcome was not God's plan for the situation. He had a bigger picture in mind.

We need to keep the big picture in mind when short term outcomes don't turn out well. The Bible calls this perseverance. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).
Ask God for the grace to accept bad outcomes even when you have done all the right things.

Tuesday

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

The Bible tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God (see Jude 21). But we are also told in the same passage that God will keep us (see Jude 1).
Is this a contradiction? Not at all. These verses complement one another. They show us God's part and our part. We don't keep ourselves saved, but we can keep ourselves safe.

God's love is unconditional. And fortunately for us, Jesus Christ loves, preserves, and intercedes for us before the Father.

But we can do things that will get us out of harmony with His love. That's why we are reminded to keep ourselves in the love of God, which means that we are to keep away from all that is unlike Him. We are to keep away from any influence that would violate God's love and bring sorrow to His heart.

We are loved by God, and He will protect His investment. For example, if you own an inexpensive pair of sunglasses, you may not be all that concerned about where they are. But if you have a more expensive pair, then you will tend to know their whereabouts.

Or, if you went to Disneyland with your children, you wouldn't just forget about them. Instead, you would keep your eye on them, because you want to protect what is dear to you.

In the same way, we are preserved, we are protected, and we are being kept by the power of God. But we need to keep ourselves in a place where He can actively show His love to us. We need to keep ourselves in the love of God.

Wednesday

"Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24).

The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the daily grind of everyday life when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. In the 1600's, there was a monk named Brother Lawrence who was a dishwasher in his monastery.

He made a profound discovery that is true for every believer in the workplace today. "For me the time of activity does not differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are calling together calling for as many different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as when upon my knees at the blessed Sacrament."

You see, he found no urgency for retreats, because in the common task he met the same God to love and worship as he did in the stillness of the desert. It is this kind of life that Jesus desires for each of his children. Enoch was also a man that practiced the presence of God. The Bible does not give a detailed account of is life. All we know about him is that "He walked with God." In fact, it says in Genesis 5:22 that Enoch walked with God 300 years! Wow! That is faithfulness!

What does it mean to practice the presence of God daily? It means we are constantly talking to our Heavenly Father about the issues in our day. It means praying about things as they come up. It means stopping at a red light and praying for the person God brings to mind. It means singing a song in your car while you are sitting in traffic. That is practicing the presence of God.

Today, when God gives you times alone or there are needs that arise, stop and consult your Heavenly Father about the situation. Then you will be practicing the presence of God.

Thursday

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 20:24

Imagine for a moment that you are running a race that is ten laps long. And let's just say that you are in first place for nine of those ten laps. Not only are you in first, but you are creaming the competition.
So when you come to the tenth lap, you think, "What's the point? I'm obviously the winner here. I'm going home."

Guess what? You don't get first place, second place, or even an honorable mention. You don't get a gold medal, silver medal, or bronze medal. You are disqualified because you didn't finish the race.
In the same way, it isn't enough for you to do well in the first five years or the next 20 years of your Christian life. You have to cross the finish line.

That is why the apostle Paul, when he was leaving the elders of Ephesus, said in his departure speech, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).

That is what we should all be aiming for. The apostle Paul wanted to win the spiritual race.
We should want to win it as well. And that is why this is not the time to be easing up. This is the time to pick up the pace. This is the time to pour it on.

Friday

"Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day. . . . " Joshua 14:12

What is the secret to spiritual longevity? Caleb, one of the unsung heroes of the Bible, stands as a shining example of someone who never lost his edge spiritually. He was faithful to the very end.
When he was 85 years old, Caleb said, "I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain . . . " (Joshua 14:11--12).

But there is another statement of Caleb's that we should take note of: "I wholly followed the Lord my God" (verse 8).

What does that tells us? To be winners in this spiritual race, we, like Caleb, must follow the Lord our God completely--not half-heartedly, but fully. It means giving 100 percent of ourselves to God.

When Caleb said, "Give me this mountain," it is worth noting that Hebron was one of the most treacherous, mountainous areas of the Promised Land. In fact, there were some formidable adversaries there. No one wanted to take them on--except for 85-year-old Caleb.

Caleb trusted in God's promises. He had waited 45 years. So he said, "Give me this mountain. In fact, I have already picked out the area. I want Hebron." People must have thought Caleb was out of his mind.
Look at Caleb's boldness. He took the mountain. He overcame his adversaries. And he was victorious. While others looked back, Caleb looked forward.

That is an essential key to spiritual longevity. You are always moving forward. You are always seeking to grow spiritually--and never looking back.

Daily Devotion (Monday, June, 8th - Friday, June 12th)

2009-06-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

Monday

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. . . .” - 1 Timothy 6:10

It has been wrongly said that the Bible teaches money is the root of all evil. The Bible teaches no such thing. Rather, it teaches "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10, emphasis added). There is a difference.

The issue is not money, but the love of it. Verse 10 continues, "for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
So we see that as a result of coveting money, some actually have strayed from the faith.

You might look at someone who has been blessed financially and think, That person is obviously very worldly and money-oriented. Then you look at those who have very little and conclude that they aren't materialistic.

But the fact of the matter is that just the opposite may be true. It may be that the person who has been blessed gives more than you will ever know, but doesn't tell anyone about it. It also may be that the person who has very little is obsessed with money.

The point is that if you are obsessed with money, it can destroy your life spiritually. For some people, having a lot could result in their spiritual ruin.

We need to find the right balance, just as one writer in Proverbs observed: "Feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8--9).

Tuesday

"Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." - Matthew 6:21

It was Martin Luther who said there are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse (or wallet, as we would say today). But for many of us, the wallet is often the last thing to change.

You can tell a lot about a person by their giving, or lack thereof. You can tell a lot about someone by taking a tour of his or her checkbook, because it will reveal their real value system.
Why? Because Jesus said, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be" (Matthew 6:21).

It has been said that we should give until it hurts, but in reality, it should hurt when we cease to give. We should realize what a great privilege giving is.

It is also a test of our faithfulness to God. Jesus said, "And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?" (Luke 16:11).

Before God entrusts us with spiritual responsibility, He wants to see how we do with the temporal financial resources and assets He has placed in our care.

As we give generously, God will return generously to us. As we give to Him from what we have received, He will meet our needs.

This doesn't mean we are striking some kind of a deal with God that stipulates as we give to Him, He must give back to us in a multiplied way. Then our motives are wrong. The right motive is to say, "Lord, because You have given to me, I am gladly giving back to You." The fringe benefit is that God promises to give to you in return.

Wednesday

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle" (Psalm 144:1)

You'll never experience God in powerful ways by acquiring Bible knowledge alone. It is only when that knowledge is used in the heat of battle that you will know the reality of what you've learned intellectually. Otherwise, it remains only an exercise in spiritual gymnastics that yields little fruit.

David became a great warrior and leader of a nation at an early age. His training ground was his job as a shepherd in the open fields. When bears and lions sought to take his sheep, he personally fought them. This was his early preparation for future battles. Goliath was the real competition amongst a discerning audience to reveal how well his training prepared him.

Today, our local churches often look more like luxury cruise liners designed to tickle the ears, entertain its members and make them feel good instead of a battleship designed to train an army for war. The average member still watches from the sideline.

In sports you discover how well you handle pressure by competing. You can practice all you want but never know how you will do until you enter the game and test what you've learned and practiced when there is pressure added to the equation. In battle you discover how well you are trained by what you actually do on the battlefield.

Have you ever prayed with someone in public? Have you ever personally led someone to Christ? Have you ever served others for the sake of the Gospel? Have you ever taught a Bible study? If you said no to these questions, you are not engaged in the game. Today, why not ask God to give you the grace to step onto the battlefield.

Thursday

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Self-esteem from a cultural and worldly perspective is often tied to possessions, to looks and to achievement. Society tells you that the higher your status, the trendier your style, and the greater your success, the better you should feel about yourself. And this sense of self-worth is also directly related to how others perceive you in each of these areas.

This, however, is not God's view of you. God looks at the heart and at the intangible qualities that have lasting value. From God's perspective, each one of us is a masterpiece, created with a sense of significance and purpose. In fact, God thinks so highly of you that He paid a high price to redeem you from the empty way of life the world offers. Style, status, and success in and of themselves leave you with nothing but possessions that will rot, looks that will fade, and achievements that are ultimately forgotten.

God, on the other hand, offers eternal treasure in heaven, an inner beauty that never fades, and true success in the things that really matter in life. Christ has paid the price with his blood. Have you accepted his payment on your behalf? The offer is on the table; it's your call. Trust Christ with your life today and begin the incredible journey to the center of your worth.

Friday

"David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. 'I cannot go in these,' he said to Saul, 'because I am not used to them.' So he took them off." (1 Samuel 17:39).

David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor. He gave it back to king Saul.

God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths and abilities. David knew who he was and who he wasn't. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor.

What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use? God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life. He will not call you to use someone else's tools.

However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is released and manifested in the physical realm.

Sometimes we admire the talents of others and seek to emulate them. The temptation arises to be someone we are not. This is a mistake. Let God live His life through the unique you.
Then, mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested.

Daily Devotion (Monday, June, 1st - Friday, June 5th)

2009-06-01T06:41:00.000-05:00

Monday

"And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." - Romans 8:27

We don't always know what to pray in every given situation. That is when the Holy Spirit will help you, even interceding for you. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."

But what is God's will?

We as humans are always in interested in the here and now, what will benefit us temporarily. God, however, sees things a bit differently. He is also interested in the "bye and bye" and the eternal.
In other words, God has a bigger plan than our personal happiness in the given moment. He desires our holiness as we are conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

It is interesting that following Romans 8:27 is Romans 8:28: "People don't read what follows Romans 8:28." Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Right after that, Romans 8:29 tells us, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" (nkjv). We need to read Romans 8:26-29 to get the whole picture!

Let's put this all together, because this is showing the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There are times when we are overwhelmed with the way life is going. We are so distressed that we don't even know how to pray. In our hearts we groan. But the Holy Spirit takes these groans and sighs and turns them to prayers to the Father.
No matter what is happening, God is going to take your present circumstances and bring good out of bad. But His ultimate goal is take all that happens, the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, and make us more like Jesus. Because that is the objective and endgame for every believer.

One other thing, happiness does not come from seeking it, but from seeking God. If you dedicate your life to being happy, it's doubtful you ever will be. But if you focus instead on being holy, on being the person God has called you to be, you will find personal happiness as a byproduct of having your priorities in order.

Tuesday

"And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die'" (Gen 2:16-17).

Everyone needs the gift of freedom and boundaries in their work to succeed. God set up the ultimate work environment in the Garden of Eden. He gave Adam and Eve responsibility to manage the animals, the agriculture and every activity. He gave them specific instructions as to how things were to be done but gave liberty of expression for fulfilling their tasks.

He also told them what was off limits. They could not eat from the tree of good and evil because He knew it would be bad for them. He was not trying to withhold from them; He was trying to protect them.

If you are a manager it is your responsibility to clearly define the job responsibilities of those under your care. They should know clearly what the freedoms and the boundaries are in carrying out their duties. They should be given adequate freedoms with authority to enforce their decisions that will impact whether they can be successful or not.

Once freedoms and boundaries are established, this allows a healthy accountability to take place between management and worker. Both can have healthy expectations of each other.

Do you have a clearly defined job description with measurable goals outlined? Are your freedom and boundaries clearly defined so you know what you can and cannot do within the scope of your job? If not, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Today, evaluate your job function and make sure you have clearly defined expectations and the way in which you are expected to accomplish your tasks.

Wednesday

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."
--John 14:16

There are times when we don't really know what or how to pray. Maybe you are overwhelmed by a burden. You find yourself discouraged, depressed, and overwhelmed. It is at that point that the Holy Spirit will help you.

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as a "comforter." In John 14:16, He said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever" (KJV).

We have lost the meaning of the word "comforter." It comes from the Greek word Paracletos, which means "called alongside to help," a helper, aide, or assistant. Some versions translate Paracletos as the word "advocate," which is applied to Jesus in 1 John 2:1: "If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous."

The purpose of an advocate is to plead the cause of another, an intercessor. This is part of the work that the Holy Spirit has come to do in your life. Sometimes a sigh will do. Why? Because we don't always have to put words to our prayers.

Here's the good news--sometimes just a sigh or groan will do. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.
Many times we don't know what to say, or how to say it. We just know that we are in pain, so we sigh, groan, and sometimes cry.

That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. As Romans 8:26-27 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

Thursday

"For David...served the purpose of God in his own generation" (Acts 13:36 NASB)

Imagine for a moment that you have just died and you are about to come before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus is speaking to his angel about you. He then says these words: "Janice served the purpose of my Heavenly Father for her generation."

Will God be able to say you served your purpose in your generation? Imagine being able to say that. God was able to say this about the life of David, even though David made some incredibly bad choices in his life that led to long term consequences. However, because David repented each time he erred, his purpose was accomplished on earth as God had designed it.

One of the prayers we should often pray for people is this; "Lord, may you fulfill every purpose for which you made them. May there be no inheritance left on the table that he/she is entitled to."

That is really the definition of success. Success is fulfilling the complete purpose for which God made us. It has nothing to do with wealth, accomplishments, stature in life, or standard of living. It has to do with living a life of obedience to the Father. And when we live a life of obedience to the Father, we will fulfill the purposes that God had in mind when he made us.

In 1924, Eric Liddle, a Scottish Olympic runner who's life was chronicled in a movie entitled the Chariots of Fire, was challenged by his missionary sister to forego running in the Olympics in lieu of going to China with her as a missionary. He responded by saying, "When I run I feel His (God's) pleasure. I was made to run and I was made to be a missionary too." Eric understood his complete purpose for his generation. As a result, he brought glory to the Father through his running and his missionary service.

Today, ask God to fulfill His purposes for your life in your generation.

Friday

"Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

I don't know about you, but when Christmas rolls around, it seems as if there is always someone for whom we feel obligated to buy a gift. Although we don't really enjoy the process, some of us do it out of duty. On the other hand, it is exciting to buy a gift for someone you really love, isn't it? You look forward to it.

This is how God wants us to give to Him--not out of duty that says, "Oh, I had better give to God and help Him out." Or, "I guess I should help in the Sunday School. After all, God needs my help with those kids." Or, "I ought to go tell someone about Jesus, because God needs my help in getting the gospel out."

If this is how we feel, then we should keep our money, our time, and our service, because God doesn't want them. Our hearts and our attitudes matter more to Him than our "gifts."

If you give your money, time, or anything out of duty, constraint, or an expectation of receiving something in return, then your motive is wrong and it won't count for anything before God.

Your heart needs to be right first. Giving is a voluntary action. You don't have to do it if you don't want to.
Maybe you feel as though you don't have much to offer. God can do a lot with a little. Just take what you have, present it to Him, and say, "Lord, it isn't much, but here it is. It's yours."

Then watch what God can do and how He can bless the life that has been dedicated to Him with a willing heart.

Daily Devotion (Monday, May 18th - Friday, May 22nd)

2009-05-20T07:38:00.000-05:00

Monday

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
--Philippians 3:8

What is your determined purpose in life? Everyone has one. Some of us declare it, and others of us just practice it.

But we all have something that is our purpose in life--something that gets us up in the morning, something we live for, something we would even be willing to die for.

The Apostle Paul's determined purpose was to know the Lord. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, "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" (Philippians 3:7--8).

Paul recognized the wonder of becoming more intimately acquainted with Him. God can be known. Not completely grasped. Not completely understood. But at the same time, God can be known in a personal and a very real way.

What a great purpose in life. I hope it's yours.

Tuesday

"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant" (Josh 24:13).

God called the people of Israel to leave Egypt and come out of slavery in order to enter their own Promised Land. It meant they had to change a way of life they had known their whole lives. Instead of being told what to do everyday by a taskmaster, they were now being led by the cloud of God that led them into the desert with the ultimate goal of entering their own Promised Land.

Every believer has a Promised Land in their lives. It is the place where you receive all God intended for you to receive. However, many of us are still living in Egypt where we sweat and toil in response to the taskmaster of production dictated by our workplaces and our lifestyles of busyness.

We will know when we are beginning to experience our Promised Land when we experience God's rest at the same time we are fulfilling our work life call. We will begin to give testimony to what Joshua says in the above verse. We will begin to receive things we never built or planted. We begin to experience a level of rest in our working lives that is not characterized by sweat and toil. Things become easier because we are receiving them as a fruit of our call instead of a goal.

We will begin to experience this new way of living if we willing to be obedient to doing things based on His directions.. Provision begins to follow obedience. Projects begins to get done with little sweat. God will bring people to us to get things done. And we don’t have to manipulate outcomes that we want to happen. God will give us our Promised Land as we yield our will to Him.

Are you living in your Promised Land? If not, release the goals of your life to the Lord and simply be obedient to His voice. Ask Him for the steps you are to take to receive your Promised Land.

Wednesday

Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God. - Acts 27: 25

One night on a storm-tossed ship in the Mediterranean, the apostle Paul headed toward Rome. He had been persecuted and imprisoned, and he was going to appear before Caesar for judgment.

On the way, a horrendous storm came up. It was so bad that the sailors on the ship thought they were going to die. They hadn't seen the sun or stars for days; they didn't know where they were.

But Paul was able to stand up on the deck of that tempest-tossed ship and say to that fearful crew,

"I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me." (Acts 27:22--26)

It's a wonderful thing when we as Christians can say those words, "I believe God."

It's especially good to be able to say that in this crazy world that seems to get darker and stormier and even more wicked. In fact, we are living in a time when wrong seems to be right and right seems to be wrong. Everything is turned around.

But God is eternal, He never changes. He said to the prophet Malachi, " 'I am the Lord, I do not change' " (Malachi 3:6). We can trust Him. Like the apostle Paul, we can say, "I believe God."

Thursday

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness..." (2 Peter 1:5-6).

We face a multiplicity of choices in the maze of life. Whether big or small, highly impactful or uneventful, the decisions that we make form who we are. And inversely, how we are designed, how we are wired will effect how we make decisions.

Our decision making styles and abilities vary greatly - from choosing what we think is best in the moment to stewing over the choices for far too long. Some of us even try to put off making decisions as long as we possibly can.

Christ, though, showed a perfect balance of patience, trust, forgiveness, obedience and decisiveness in choosing his actions and behaviors. The choices he made reflected the way God wants each of us to make decisions today. But how do we do this? How can we reflect Christ in what we decide?

Every time a decision presents itself, we should ask ourselves the same questions that Christ asked himself - some of which are macro questions, others are micro questions. We have to ask ourselves if our decision follows the guidelines of God's written word, if our decision reflects God's love, and if our decision is on God's agenda. After answering these macro questions, we need to ask some micro questions - is the decision the best possible choice considering our past decisions, present conditions and future aspirations.

This week, run your decisions through the macro and micro funnels of the right questions. As you ask yourself these questions, your decisions will filter down to reflect a perfect balance of what God wants - a balance of the decision making styles that Christ reflected. And as you discover the answers that God has in store, you will be much better equipped to negotiate the maze of life.

Friday

"So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah" (Ruth 2:17-18).

The story of Ruth provides an excellent illustration of the connection between spending time in the presence of God and receiving physical provision. Naomi was married to Elimelech. They had two married sons. Elimelech died and ten years later both of the sons also died. Ruth was married to one of the sons.

The other daughter-in-law moved back to her family, but Ruth, in spite of Naomi's encouragement, insisted on staying with Naomi. The only way for the family line to continue would have been for Ruth to marry another son or direct relative. Now, through a custom known as the kinsman redeemer, Ruth could be married to a relative in the family line. Times were tough and most people made a living by farming. Naomi had a relative named Boaz who was a prominent land owner and farmer. She sent Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz all day in hopes of picking up excess grain left behind by the harvesters.

Ruth stayed in the fields all day and yielded just one ephah of grain. It is a picture of sweat and toil for very little return. However, something happens later in the story. Naomi realized the only way Ruth was going to have any kind of future is if a kinsman redeemer came to her rescue. She instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz would be and to quietly sit at the feet of Boaz all night. This would be a sign of submitting her life to Boaz. He would have to exercise his right to be her kinsmen redeemer.

Later, Boaz sends Ruth home and takes the necessary steps to become her redeemer. But before he sends her home, he gives her six ephahs of barley - six times what she got spending all day in the fields.

Friend, if we are going to succeed in fulfilling God's destiny for our lives, we must have a life of intimate worship and devotion to Jesus. Why not start spending more time at the feet of Jesus.

Daily Devotion (Monday, May 4th - Friday, May 8th)

2009-05-05T08:12:00.001-05:00

Monday

"Noah did everything just as God commanded him" (Gen 6:22).

When God chooses to do something on the earth He uses a man or woman to accomplish it. It is a partnership that is very one sided. God got the worst part of the deal.

God got to a very bad place with the human race. He decided to start over. He was going wipe out the entire population and begin afresh. He chose one man to place His entire strategy around. Can you imagine that? God placed His entire plan around one man. Why? Because He could trust him. The Bible says Noah did everything just as God commanded him. He didn't argue with God. He didn't take short cuts. He listened and he obeyed.

Who was this man Noah? "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" (Gen 6:9-10). When it came time to execute God's plan, He chose Noah to build a big boat. However, Noah had no idea what a boat was or how to build one. So, God told him how to build it. He gave him the dimensions; the height, width, space requirements - everything he needed to complete the task.

God will instruct us in performing our work too. God is in partnership with us in our working life. He has given us the tools, the creativity, and the drive to accomplish what He placed us on earth to do. That partnership requires us to listen to our senior partner though because He knows the exact way our project is to be done. And when you follow His direction that project will be excellent in every way.

"Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: 'I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go'" (Isaiah 48:17).

Do you need God to show you how to succeed in your call? Ask for His wisdom and understanding. God says he will give it generously (James 1:5).

Tuesday

"There is nothing too hard for You." --Jeremiah 32:17

Is God's power limited? Scripture tells us over and over that God is omnipotent, which means all-powerful. Even when Job was in pain and distress, he said to the Lord, " 'I know that You can do all things. No plan of Yours can be thwarted' " (Job 42:2 NIV).

The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God's power: " 'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You' " (Jeremiah 32:17).

The archangel Gabriel reassured Mary by saying, " 'With God nothing will be impossible' " (Luke 1:37).

Now you see how silly it is when we say something like, "I have tried everything, and now all I can do is pray." Now all you can do is turn to the all-powerful God, the Creator of the universe, who happens to love you a lot.

What do you mean, that's all you can do? That's the first thing you should do. Before we do anything else, we should turn our troubles over to God, because nothing is too hard for Him.

Nothing is impossible. Nothing is beyond His reach. Nothing is beyond His ability.

Wednesday

"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!'" (Matt 14:29-30).

Jesus told Peter to get out of the boat. There is always a risk when we attempt something never done before. Naysayers seem to come out of the wood work. Why? Because it's not their vision, it's yours. Sometimes we fail the first time out. It's a fact that most entrepreneurs fail before they are really successful.

"Success," said Winston Churchill, "is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Everybody fails. It's part of the process that leads us to maturity and success. Most successful entrepreneurs don't think of their failures as defeats. They think of them as lessons.

If you hope to succeed, learn everything you can from your failures. Our experiences may not all be triumphs and successes, but so what? Failure is usually a far better teacher than success - if we are willing to learn the lessons. Experience is the best teacher, but a hard grader. She gives the test first, the lesson later.'"*

God never gets mired in our past failures. He is constantly viewing our lives with future success in mind. "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isa. 43:19). Someone once said, "When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave." God wants to give us new dreams that are bigger than anything that has ever happened to us in the past.

Don't let past failures keep you from future successes.

Thursday

You... are acquainted with all my ways. - Psalm 139:3

What is God like? Where is He? Does He know everything? Two key attributes of God are found in Psalm 139. We read these words from King David:

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways . . . Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:1--3, 7--10)

From this psalm and other passages in Scripture, we learn that God is omnipresent (He is everywhere) and that God is omniscient (He is all-knowing).

Now that can be comforting or frightening, depending on your relationship with God. If your relationship with Him is close, it's very comforting to know that no matter what you face in life, God will be there for you.

Whatever happens in your life, you can remember that it comes through the screen of His love with your best interests in mind. Remember that as you go through the difficulties of life.

You can have confidence in the knowledge that you are never alone. The all-knowing and ever-present God is with you.

Friday

And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord?" - Exodus 5:2

Who is God? Thousands of years ago the Pharaoh of Egypt asked a question that is still being asked by many. It was, " 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go' " (Exodus 5:2).

I think that by the time Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Pharaoh had a better understanding of who exactly God is. "Who is God?" is not an easy question to answer, because we are trying to grasp the infinite with the finite. We are trying to grasp something far beyond our mental capacity.

We have often said that if God were small enough for our minds, He wouldn't be big enough for our needs. Until the day we see Him face to face, there are things about God we are never going to completely understand. For example, we know that God is holy, but we don't understand everything about His holiness. We also believe God is a triune being--He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But that is hard for us to grasp.

The apostle Paul put it clearly when he said, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

So yes, there is coming a day when it will all make sense. At the same time, though, with the help of the Holy Spirit, there are many things that we can and should know and grasp about God. After all, knowing what God is like is foundational to knowing God Himself.

Knowing God and making Him known is the essence of being a Christian.

Daily Devotion (Monday, April 27th - Friday, May 1st)

2009-04-28T10:32:00.002-05:00

MONDAY

1 Pet. 3:17 – ‘It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.’  Joseph (not his real name) was the model of a trusted military officer, rising in his nation’s army to the rank of colonel in the Special Forces. With this came great opportunity, both for good and bad.  Deployed into a region racked with drug trafficking, Joseph was intent on bringing justice to that plagued area. He and his troops began dealing with the criminals to protect the people. Some of his superiors, who were corrupt and took bribes from the drug runners, ordered him to turn his head to let them move their drugs. He repeatedly refused until he was finally arrested and imprisoned for 8 years – for doing good.  Sadly, we live in a world where at times doing good brings suffering. This was true for Joseph; his payment for serving his people was unjust imprisonment. The apostle Peter, having been jailed for doing good, understood that kind of heartache. He gave us this perspective: ‘It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.’ (1 Pet. 3:17).  As Joseph shared the stories of what God taught him in prison, I learned that the justice of God is not hampered by the evil of men. Doing good is still pleasing in His sight – even when we’re mistreated by the world for it.

TUESDAY

Deut 4:40 – ‘Keep His statutes and His commandments…that it may go well with you and with your children after you.’  “God never threatens; the devil never warns,” declared Oswald Chambers. We sometimes use the word threat and warning interchangeably, but Chambers saw a principle that suggests a distinction. Threats are used to get people to do what is in our best interest. Warnings are issued to get people to do what is in their best interest. In other words, threats seek to preserve power whereas warnings serve to protect people from danger.  Satan wants us to think of God’s loving warnings as mean-spirited threats, but he is wrong. According to Chambers, ‘A Warning is a great arresting statement of God’s, inspired by His love and patience.’ The evidence of this is found in the many commands that are coupled with phrases like ‘that it may go well with you…’ (Deut 4:40).  In loving relationships, people warn one another of the inevitable consequences of foolish behavior. In unhealthy relationships, people threaten one another with punishment if they fail to live up to unreasonable demands. As we interact with others, it’s good to consider the nature of our counsel and commands. Do we use ultimatums to preserve our own well-being? Or do we lovingly warn others to keep them from harm?

WEDNESDAY

Mt. 5:39 – ‘I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.’  The pastor of an inner-city church told his congregation, ‘Some people believe in ‘an eye for an eye’. But in this neighborhood, it’s two eyes for an eye. You can never even the score; you can only raise the stakes.’ The people the nodded in solemn understanding of the reality they faced each day.  We’ve seen it happen on a school playground or in our own homes – a child bumps into another during a game. The one who was bumped pushes back and the shoving quickly grows into fight. It’s the process of retaliation and escalation in which each act of revenge exceeds the one that provoked it.  In Matthew 5, Jesus tackled a number of key relational issues by raising the standard to the one that pleases God, ‘You have heard that it was said…but I tell you…’ His words about turning the other cheek, going the second mile, and giving to those who ask may sound as radical and unrealistic to us as they did to those who first heard them. Are we willing to ponder and pray about Jesus’ teaching? Are we ready to apply it when we are wronged at home, at work or at school? The cycle of escalation can be broken when a courageous, faith-filled person refuses to strike back

THURSDAY

Ps. 63:3 – ‘Because your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.’

In his book ‘Objects of His Affection’, Scotty Smith shares his journey of learning to personally experience the passionate love of God. As a young boy, he lost his mother suddenly in a car accident. Because of this, he closed off his wounded heart to others – including God. Several years later he received Jesus as his Savior and began to learn the truths about Christianity. Yet his relationship with the Lord in those days was, as he described, “side by side rather than face to face. Important, but not intimate.”

Do you ever feel that way? You talk to the Lord a little bit, read His words in the Bible, but don’t sense a passionate connection with Him like that expressed by the psalmist David in Ps. 63. Scotty suggests ways to overcome the obstacles to intimacy, from which we may glean these two ideas.

Live honestly. Open up to the Lord about the pain of your losses and admit your failures. And ponder and believe the Scripture about God’s character and His longing for you. Being close in a relationship takes time and effort – even when it’s with the Lord. As Scotty Smith says, ‘God pursues us in our relentlessness, receives us in our sinfulness, and holds us in our brokenness.’

FRIDAY

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them, "What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?" Then Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found." But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father."Genesis 44:14-17  What kind of response do you think Joseph was looking for? He placed his cup into the pouch of his brother, Benjamin (the only brother that had the same mother). Did Joseph want to reveal his identity to Benjamin alone or was he testing the hearts of the brothers to see if they had changed after all of these years? Both Joseph and Benjamin were their father’s favorite children because they were born by the mother Jacob loved most. Favoritism does bring about jealousy, resentment and bitterness but the brothers were still responsible for their own behavior before God. After all these years, Joseph probably wondered what his other brothers thought of their actions in selling him. Did they regret it? Would they do it again? Were they treating Benjamin the same way?  Now, God has given Joseph the upper hand and patiently and wisely tested them to discern what was in their hearts. Judah said, “God has found out the iniquity of your servants.” In other words, he was acknowledging that the brothers deserve to be treated as slaves for the sin they had been hiding all these years in selling Joseph as a slave.  What goes around, comes around… We truly do reap what we sow and these boys knew it first hand. God is willing to forgive and we find Joseph acting like the God he trusts in.  God tests our hearts because He wants us to know what is in them. He is so gracious to forgive if we are willing to confess.

Daily Devotion (Monday, April 20th – Friday, April 24th)

2009-04-21T07:35:00.001-05:00

MONDAY

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
There is a line that separates everything we do. It separates the moral from the immoral; the ethical from the unethical; the wise from the unwise. And too many of us walk the edge and the ledge of that line trying to see how close we can get before we have to face the consequences.
God tells us, though, in order to reach our potential, in order to gain the full and rich life that he has in store for us, we can't walk that line. Instead, we need to be in line with him. And to be in line with God we must make wise, insightful decisions. When we fail to do that, we spend an insane amount of time swimming laps in the pool of regret. We look back at our dumb, shake our heads and say, "If only... "
The best way to avoid diving into the pool of regret; the best way to make the right decisions is to ask ourselves the right questions. As you go through the decision making process, look at each option with "in tense" eyes. When you are in tense about your decision making process, you will gain the insight that allows you to see what is obscure to the rest of the world.
This week, ask yourself if your decisions are going to reflect what you have learned from your past; if your decisions are wise considering your present conditions; and if your decisions are the best options to get you where God wants to take you. Get in line with God and you will be able to see the right answers to life's multiple choice test.

TUESDAY

So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah" (Ruth 2:17-18).
The story of Ruth provides an excellent illustration of the connection between spending time in the presence of God and receiving physical provision. Naomi was married to Elimelech. They had two married sons. Elimelech died and ten years later both of the sons also died. Ruth was married to one of the sons.
The other daughter-in-law moved back to her family, but Ruth, in spite of Naomi's encouragement, insisted on staying with Naomi. The only way for the family line to continue would have been for Ruth to marry another son or direct relative. Now, through a custom known as the kinsman redeemer, Ruth could be married to a relative in the family line. Times were tough and most people made a living by farming. Naomi had a relative named Boaz who was a prominent land owner and farmer. She sent Ruth to glean in the fields of Boaz all day in hopes of picking up excess grain left behind by the harvesters.
Ruth stayed in the fields all day and yielded just one ephah of grain. It is a picture of sweat and toil for very little return. However, something happens later in the story. Naomi realized the only way Ruth was going to have any kind of future is if a kinsman redeemer came to her rescue. She instructed Ruth to go to the threshing floor where Boaz would be and to quietly sit at the feet of Boaz all night. This would be a sign of submitting her life to Boaz. He would have to exercise his right to be her kinsmen redeemer.
Later, Boaz sends Ruth home and takes the necessary steps to become her redeemer. But before he sends her home, he gives her six ephahs of barley - six times what she got spending all day in the fields.
Friend, if we are going to succeed in fulfilling God's destiny for our lives, we must have a life of intimate worship and devotion to Jesus. Why not start spending more time at the feet of Jesus.

WEDNESDAY

" 'If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. . . .' " (John 15:20)
It is hard for a lot of Christians to understand how their friends and family can suddenly turn against them. People they have been close to for years suddenly become hostile, simply because they have said they were now following Jesus Christ.
Many of us many times amazed at how parents have turned against children. Perhaps we've heard teens and young adults how they were strung out on drugs, or living sexually permissive lives, or getting in trouble with the law all the time. Then they found Christ and their lives changed. They began living moral lives. Their parents were angry with them for coming to faith when, in fact, they should have been elated by the change.
Sometimes, even parents won't understand what the Lord is doing in our life Sometimes, our extended family won't understand. Sometimes, your husband or wife won't understand. Sometimes, your friends and coworkers won't understand.
Remember when Saul, later to become the apostle Paul, was striking out against Christians? One day on the Damascus Road, he met none other than Jesus Christ himself who said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). Saul thought his fight was with the Christians. But it wasn't It was with Christ himself.
People take their hostilities out on us because you are God's representative. And probably we experience after we have spoken with people who discover we’re Christians, suddenly they begin dumping everything they have against God on us. Friends, we should know that it is a great honor to be God’s representatives. But with that honor comes responsibility. Be careful. Don't keep someone away from Christ by misrepresenting Him.

THURSDAY

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save" (Psalm 33:16-17).
The Bible tells us not to put our confidence in things the world considers to be our protection, defense, or strength. However, the man or woman who does not perform well on the job is left behind in today's competitive world. Not only is this typical of the world at large, but even many Christians promote the importance of identifying our strengths and encourage us to move in them to accomplish God's will. Yet, throughout the Bible, we are discouraged from depending upon our own strengths. Instead, we are urged to rely totally upon the Lord.
God wants us to depend upon Him, and He demonstrates this throughout Scripture. For example, in Judges 7, God wouldn't let Gideon fight against another army until he reduced his own from 22,000 soldiers to a mere 300, so that Gideon could not boast about his army's strength. In Joshua 6, God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets instead of relying upon his mighty army to overpower his enemy. In 2 Samuel 24, God judged David when he counted his troops to determine the size of his army's strength, apparently because David took the census out of pride or overconfidence in the strength of his army.
On the other hand, Jesus instructed the disciples in due diligence through the parable of the builder, who is cautioned to consider the cost before beginning to build. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).
Today, bring every project and endeavor before the Lord as you ask for His power and grace to accomplish it using both your natural gifts and the Spirit of God working together.

FRIDAY

Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand" (2 Chron 16:7).
Asa was a godly King of Judah. There were two kingdoms during his reign - Judah and Israel. Israel's king was Baasha, who was a wicked king. To the east of Judah was Damascus, whose king was Ben-Hadad. Asa was an amazingly faithful and righteous king for thirty-five years. He got rid of the idol worship, and even deposed his mother for idol worship. God blessed his rule by allowing peace in the land for thirty-five years.
When Asa came into power the nation was lost. There was no godly ruler. There were many wars and the people began to cry out to God for deliverance. God sent them Asa.
When Judah was attacked by Zerah the Cushite who marched against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, Asa called upon the LORD and God answered his prayer and delivered them from a larger and stronger army than Judah's.
However, thirty-five years later, Asa began to move away from trusting God and decided he could buy the favor of his enemy, the King of Ben-Hadad. Asa sent gold and silver to him as a bribe asking Ben-Hadad to cancel his treaty with King Baasha and go to war on behalf of Asa and Judah. Asa's strategy worked and he defeated Israel. However, there was a cost.
"In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers" (2 Chron 16:12-14).
What we learn from Asa is that whenever we place our trust and obedience in the Lord, God becomes our source for security and prosperity. However, when we move away from trusting God, that security is removed and we fail to receive those things God intended us to have.

Daily Devotion (Monday, April 13th – Friday, April 17th)

2009-04-13T23:46:00.002-05:00

Monday

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save" (Psalm 33:16-17).

The Bible tells us not to put our confidence in things the world considers to be our protection, defense, or strength. However, the man or woman who does not perform well on the job is left behind in today's competitive world. Not only is this typical of the world at large, but even many Christians promote the importance of identifying our strengths and encourage us to move in them to accomplish God's will. Yet, throughout the Bible, we are discouraged from depending upon our own strengths. Instead, we are urged to rely totally upon the Lord.

God wants us to depend upon Him, and He demonstrates this throughout Scripture. For example, in Judges 7, God wouldn't let Gideon fight against another army until he reduced his own from 22,000 soldiers to a mere 300, so that Gideon could not boast about his army's strength. In Joshua 6, God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets instead of relying upon his mighty army to overpower his enemy. In 2 Samuel 24, God judged David when he counted his troops to determine the size of his army's strength, apparently because David took the census out of pride or overconfidence in the strength of his army.

On the other hand, Jesus instructed the disciples in due diligence through the parable of the builder, who is cautioned to consider the cost before beginning to build. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

Today, bring every project and endeavor before the Lord as you ask for His power and grace to accomplish it using both your natural gifts and the Spirit of God working together.

Tuesday

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" - Matthew 28:9

The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that God provides second chances. When Jesus was crucified, it came as a shock to His followers. They just did not seem to understand that He would be crucified and rise again on the third day. When the Crucifixion actually took place, it shattered their faith.

But after His resurrection we see the risen Lord seeking out these discouraged, disheartened disciples to revive them, to reignite them.

How easily Jesus could have written them all off and said, "You didn't stand by Me in My greatest hour of need; now I am not going to stand by you in yours." But no--the Lord sought to restore them.

When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus early in the morning, the angel told her that the Lord had risen. As she and the other Mary "went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' " (Matthew 28:9). She found the living Lord, who restored her hope and purpose in life.

Thomas missed the meeting when Jesus had appeared to the other disciples, but He reappeared when Thomas was back with the group. How gracious of Jesus to condescend to the skepticism of one single man. It almost appears that He came to that meeting simply to restore Thomas.

Remember the two discouraged disciples on the Emmaus Road? As He spoke to them, their deadened hearts began to reignite. "And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?' " (Luke 24:32). Jesus went out of His way to restore their hope.

Maybe you have doubts or fears today. The same Jesus who restored Mary, the disciples on the Emmaus Road, and the skeptical Thomas, will restore your faith. You too can discover that Jesus gives second chance

Wednesday

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will” - Romans 12:2

There is a line that separates everything we do. It separates the moral from the immoral; the ethical from the unethical; the wise from the unwise. And too many of us walk the edge and the ledge of that line trying to see how close we can get before we have to face the consequences.

God tells us, though, in order to reach our potential, in order to gain the full and rich life that he has in store for us, we can't walk that line. Instead, we need to be in line with him. And to be in line with God we must make wise, insightful decisions. When we fail to do that, we spend an insane amount of time swimming laps in the pool of regret. We look back at our dumb, what was I thinking decisions, shake our heads and say, "If only... if only... if only."

The best way to avoid diving into the pool of regret; the best way to make the right decisions is to ask ourselves the right questions. As you go through the decision making process, look at each option with "in tense" eyes. When you are in tense about your decision making process, you will gain the insight that allows you to see what is obscure to the rest of the world.

This week, ask yourself if your decisions are going to reflect what you have learned from your past; if your decisions are wise considering your present conditions; and if your decisions are the best options to get you where God wants to take you. Get in line with God and you will be able to see the right answers to life's multiple choice test.

Thursday

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship" (Romans 8:15).

Living a balanced life is evidence of a Spirit-led life. People work long hours for many reasons which can lead to significant problems in our lives.

One reason people over work is that they often think they must work longer hours to keep up with their workload. This is often the surface reason people give to the question of working long hours. Like any compulsive behavior, there is usually something beneath this behavior. As a former workaholic myself, I can tell you the root of overworking is often 1) a fear of loss, and 2) a need for self-acceptance created by performance.

The fear of loss issue can be a fear of what will happen if we don't work long hours. A fear that there may not be enough money if I don't work long hours can drive us to overwork. Often an inaccurate view of what is enough makes us drive ourselves to greater levels of achievement, believing a financial reward will insure us against potential financial disaster. This usually operates at a subconscious level. When one operates at this level you often find those around them will feel shamed if they do not work at the same level and can be intimidated by the unspoken or spoken directive that long hours are required. This leads to a whole new set of problems.

The second reason people work long hours is their need to gain self-acceptance and esteem from their jobs. It is rewarding to see something come from our efforts. However, when we begin to be driven to work, it becomes an unhealthy condition. We are looking to gain self-esteem needs from our performance instead of being secure in our position in Christ.

So, in order to avoid work becoming an idol and a compulsive behavior, we must maintain a balance that provides time to spend quality time with the Lord, our families and fellow believers. Sometimes the greatest exercise of faith is to work only forty hours a week. This insures that the outcome of our work is dependent upon God, nor our self-effort.

Friday

"Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage" (1 Sam. 10:22).

If you want to experience something you've never done, you must do something you've never done. "You cannot go with God and stay where you are."

God often has to radically change us if we are going to fulfill His purposes in our lives. Saul was about to be anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel. Samuel said to Saul, "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person" (1 Sam. 10:6). Up to this point, Saul had never prophesied or led a group of people. He had also never had to be accountable to a prophet and to God for his every action.

Saul took a big step of faith right away and prophesied with the prophets just as Samuel said he would. How exciting that must have been. Yet, when Samuel called the entire nation of Israel together to announce him as Israel's first king in history, Saul was nowhere to be found. This part of the story is humorous. Excitement is in the air, but when they call Saul's name, he doesn't even come forward. So the people "inquired further of the Lord, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage'" (1 Sam. 10:22).

The story of King Saul should be an encouragement to us all. God continues to pick the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Your greatest setback can be thinking that there's no way that God can use "little me." However, the reality is that He can and will, if we respond to the new places He takes us.

Daily Devotion (Monday, April 6th - Friday, April 10th)

2009-04-07T08:32:00.001-05:00

Monday

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood… - Ephesians 6:12

A spiritual battle wages in our world today; and God is looking for men and women who are ready to go into that spiritual battlefield and make a difference.

The battle has been raging since the very beginning, as Satan has tried to keep us apart from God. The apostle Paul described this spiritual struggle when he wrote, "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).

The devil has always opposed Christ, and he will oppose those who follow Jesus Christ.

One of Satan's strategies was to try to stop the Messiah from arriving in the first place. Remember in the book of Exodus when Pharaoh commanded all of the Hebrew baby boys to be killed? That was Satan's plan to wipe out the tribe the Messiah would come from. Satan tried again with Haman in the book of Esther and with King Herod who killed all those babies in Bethlehem, intending to stop the arrival of the Messiah.

Well, those plans didn't work, but the battle continued. Certainly the devil was at work when Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver. You might have thought that Satan was basically successful when nails went through the hands and feet of Jesus on the cross.

But as the devil hammered home those nails he was hammering home his own defeat, because it was the blood of Christ that redeemed us.

Thank God today for that redemption! Let's be warriors in the battle.

Tuesday

"So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant" (Josh 24:13).

In the world of business we are taught to do whatever it takes to produce a desired outcome. Competitive forces can drive companies to go beyond the limits of ethics and integrity to achieve a desired outcome. Men and women can become work-a-holics as the need for competitive advantage is passed down the various management levels in order to meet sales and marketing goals. This sweat and toil mentality contradicts God's Kingdom Economy.

The Kingdom Economy is found in the above verse in Joshua. When the people of Israel were coming out of Egypt, a place of sweat and toil and slavery, God was trying to teach them a new economy of receiving. Instead of sweat and toil, He wanted them to learn obedience. Now their income would be based on their obedience, not their skill or their sweat and toil.

This new Kingdom Economy meant that there would be times when what you receive from your efforts might be less than the commensurate time invested. Yet, there would also be times when you would receive more compared to your time invested.

Many used to determine whether they would meet with a person based on their perceived return on that investment. We justified that behavior as being a good steward. God says we are to determine if He wants us to meet with that person or be involved with an endeavor based on His leading alone, not based on the perceived outcome. It is His responsibility to bring fruit from the activity.

This will result in a new freedom in your work life. Stay vertical with God and let Him determine your next activity.

Wednesday

Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him." --1 Kings 18:21

The greatest day in your life was the day you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and forgive you of your sin.

It was the day that your eternal destiny changed, the day that you passed from darkness to light, the day that you found new purpose and meaning for your life.

But that day was also the day that a very real spiritual war began. Some Christians are shocked to find the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground.

Like it or not, you are in a battle between good and evil, between right and wrong, between God and Satan. It's not optional, and you must choose which side you want to fight on.

As Elijah asked the people up on Mt. Carmel, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him."

I will be honest with you; I never understood the appeal of a half-hearted commitment to Jesus Christ. Neither did Elijah, he followed the Lord with all his heart. On the battlefield, either you advance and let God use you, or you retreat.

It's time to get out of those foxholes. It's time to dust off your clothes, shine up your armor, and sharpen your sword. Because, like it or not, you have been drafted into God's service.

As a child of God you are going to be a soldier. Your choice is whether you will be a good soldier or a bad one.

Elijah had already chosen to be a spiritual soldier, and he was ready for battle. Are you?

Thursday

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

As we begin to express the life of Christ in our work lives, we need to be aware of another set of Satan's deceptions, namely, the religious spirit.

The religious spirit can best be defined as an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices. The religious spirit seeks to distort a genuine move of God through deception, control, and manipulation. This spirit operates out of old religious structures and attempts to maintain the status quo, favoring tradition over a genuine, intimate relationship with God. It influences believers to live the Christian life based on works instead of grace. Similar to the Greek way of thinking, the religious spirit depends on human effort to acquire spiritual knowledge and favor from God.

In the years before the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther's greatest challenge was to root out the religious spirit. He was told by his religious teachers that there were stringent requirements for receiving the favor of God. "Remember Martin, just to pray by yourself is not enough. The church has to pray for you too. Even when the priest has asked that you be forgiven, God will not listen unless you do good works. The more gifts you give to the church and to the poor, the more trips you make to Rome and Jerusalem, the more pleasures you give up, the better will be your chances for heaven. The best and safest way to do all this, and the one that is most God pleasing, is to give up everything and become a monk." The essence of Martin Luther's struggle to win God's favor still resides in many a Christian worker.

The religious spirit nullifies the importance of faith and grace that has been given to us through the work of the Cross. You cannot gain acceptance from God by doing any works. Accept His unconditional love for you today.

Friday

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11-12).

When Joseph was elevated to be ruler over the entire kingdom of Egypt after years of slavery and imprisonment, some would guess that it didn't really matter that much to him. He thought he was going to get out of prison years earlier when he successfully interpreted the cupbearers dream only to remain there two more years. "Why should this situation prove any different?" he must have thought to himself.

Joseph had come to a place with God where he resigned himself to remain wherever God had chosen to keep him. He had become dead to his circumstances. It does not mean we can't have a longing for better days, but there is a Godly contentment that allows us to remain in any condition with a peace that passes all understanding.

The Bible says we are to live as though we are dead. This does not mean we do not have emotions or dreams. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them (Mark 14:34). That sounds like anxiety, right? yet we know Jesus never sinned. So, we can conclude that we can have concerns and emotions without crossing over into sin. God has given us His Spirit to allow us to operate inside the storms of life without sinning.

Place your faith today into the hands of the One who can calm any storm in life.

Daily Devotion (Monday, March 30th - Friday, April 3rd)

2009-03-30T12:31:00.000-05:00

Monday

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
--1 John 4:4

The devil can gain a foothold on your life in many ways. Some think one way is through drugs. Sadly, we are seeing a real revival of drug use today.

Another way we can think of is by opening the door to demonic power is through these occult activities that people dabble in today. You may think of them as innocent, but they open the door a little bit.

Now, can demons tempt Christians? Absolutely. Can demons harass us? Without question. Even the great apostle Paul spoke of a demon power that would come and buffet him (see 2 Corinthians 12:7).

But God won't let you face more than you can handle. He always will put His hedge of protection around you. The Bible clearly promises that when Christ comes in your life, you are free and protected.

Jesus Himself said, " 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed' " (John 8:36).

When Jesus comes into your heart, it is not in a timeshare plan where He occupies the heart part of the time and the devil occupies it part of the time. No, Jesus takes control and He is there to stay. Christ made this clear when he proclaimed, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (John 4:4).

But, if you are not a Christian, if Christ is not living in your heart, you are open game for the devil. Maybe you are not a drug addict or an occultist. But I will tell you this--you are still a sinner. Everybody has sinned and broken God's commandments (see Romans 3:23).

Reach out to Jesus now. He is greater than the devil. He will forgive you. He will transform you.

Tuesday

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

There are three forces at work in the life of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. First there is Satan. Just like a roaring lion, Satan had already come into that man, intending to destroy him (see 1 Peter 5:8).

Next, there was society. What had society done for him? They had chained him up, but he broke the chains. What else could they do?

Society couldn't solve the problem, because the problem was in the man's heart. No one could help this man. His situation was hopeless.

But then the Savior came into his life. What did Jesus do for him? He came to the spooky little graveyard where the man lived. Jesus saw his hurting, tortured soul and offered hope.

What society could not do, Jesus did with one simple command: "He said to him, 'Come out of the man, unclean spirit!' " (Mark 5:8). The demons came out of the man, and went into a herd of pigs. Jesus transformed the man's life. He was free indeed.

As Jesus said, " 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed' " (John 8:36).

Isn't it interesting that with all of our wonderful achievements today, society still cannot deal with problems caused by Satan and sin? We cannot overcome Satan in our own power. We don't know what to do.

Society doesn't have the answers. We, too, need a Savior to help us.

Jesus Christ can transform your life and make you free, too. We know it is true, because He has already done it for many of us. Come to Him, let Him make you free. Let Him be your Savior.

Wednesday

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
--Isaiah 59:19

In Mark 5, the Bible tells us of a man who was possessed by demons, had superhuman strength, and was able to break chains with his bare hands. This man lived among the tombs and on the mountains. He was a dangerous and a frightening man.

But underneath this horrendous exterior was a tortured soul. It's a picture of Satan's ultimate goal. This is really what the devil wants to do. He wants to destroy your life.

Although it is true that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, it also is true that Satan hates you and has a horrible plan for your life.

The devil knows his judgment is certain. He knows that Jesus is indeed coming again. Therefore he is pulling out all the stops. He is redoubling his efforts.

The good news is that although the devil will be at work, God will also be at work. The Bible says, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19).

This story had a very happy ending--Jesus came into this poor tortured man's life and made him into an altogether different kind of a person. Jesus cast out the legion of demons, which went into a herd of pigs and ran over a cliff. It was a dramatic transformation for this man.

Jesus can transform your life, too. Let Him lift up a standard against the enemy in your life, today.

Thursday

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
--Acts 4:12

Have you been with Jesus? Or do you just see Him as a mythical figure, perhaps a moral example?

Well, the same Jesus who died on the cross, the same Jesus who gave boldness to the apostles Peter and John (Acts 3-4), is here with us right now and He is still changing lives.

He wants to be a part of your life, guiding and directing your steps and cleansing you of your sins. He loves you, and He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He wants to mold you into His image, so that you become like Him, so that you know Him.

The apostle Peter said, " 'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved' " (Acts 4:12).

The only way for you to be forgiven of your sin, the only way for you to know that you will go to heaven when you die, the only way for you to have true peace in your heart and have a guilt-free conscience is to ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to forgive you of your sin and to be your Savior and Lord.

There are no other options. There is only one lifeline dropped from heaven for humanity, and it is Jesus Christ.

Friday

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. - 2 Chronicles 16:9

Think of all the ordinary people God has used to turn this world upside down.

Think of that shepherd boy David, who God raised up to be the greatest king in the history of Israel. God used that frightened man Gideon to lead a great army and he turned out to be a man of courage and valor.

A simple Jewish girl named Esther saved her people from destruction because she stood up for what was right. God used Deborah to lead the armies of Israel into battle when everyone else was afraid.

God called two ordinary fishermen, Peter and John, to speak His Word with boldness.

You see, God can use ordinary people like you. As the Scripture says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

God clearly looks for ordinary people to turn this world upside down. There exists a place and a calling for every one of us. We all have something to do for the Lord.

God can do a lot with a little. God changed us. When you have been with Jesus, God can use you.

Daily Devotion (Monday, March 23rd - Friday, March 27th)

2009-03-23T11:20:00.001-05:00

Monday

"O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life" (Ps 17:14).

There are two types of people in the world. There are those whose activities are designed to generate a reward in this lifetime. And there are those who live to generate a reward when they meet our Lord in Heaven.

Not every Christian models the latter. How does one judge whether they are living for the future reward versus the earthly reward? There are several key indicators.

Future reward people tend to be givers. They make their time and resources available to be channeled for Kingdom purposes. They realize their sowing will ultimately be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ where what they have done on earth will be judged and rewarded by God (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Future reward people live a life based upon obedience-based decisions. They don't make decisions based on their perceived outcome. They realize a decision based on obedience alone may not result in an immediate outcome. Jesus was obedient to the cross, but the immediate outcome was His own death on the cross.

Future reward situations show up in daily life in a number of ways. Perhaps a person has wronged you and God calls you to forgive and even bless that person without expectation of their response. Perhaps God calls you to sow money into a ministry or another person's life without expectation of return from them. Perhaps you are called to serve another person without expectation of any earthly reward. The situations we might encounter are unlimited.

Are you living a life based on a future reward, or short term reward? Today, evaluate how you make decisions and how you allocate resources. This will reveal whether you are a future reward Christian.

Tuesday

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

What does it mean to test God? It is the mentality that asks the question, "As a Christian, how much can I get away with and still be saved? How far can I go and still be a child of God?" In other words, "How far to the edge can I get without falling off?" It is a dangerous question to ask.

The church at Corinth had developed a similar problem. It was located in the midst of a metropolitan city, with visitors coming from all around the world. The city of Corinth was entrenched in sin. The problem with the believers there was that they thought they could commit certain sins and it would be acceptable to God.

Paul had to set the record straight. He wrote to the Corinthian believers, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify" (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Let's not push the limits and see how much we can get away with as believers. Let's go the other direction. We should be asking, "How much more can I know this One who died for me and forgave me and has done so much on my behalf? How can I become more like Him? How can I make an impact in my world for Him?"

Let's not take for granted all that God has done for us in our lives. May we never see how far we can go and be guilty of testing the Lord. Rather, let's stay as close to Him as we possibly can.

Wednesday

"And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.' " (1 Corinthians 10:7)

At first glance, the sins that brought the children of Israel down in the wilderness don't seem to have any rhyme or reason. But a closer examination reveals that the root problem was a lack of relationship with the true and living God.

When Moses was temporarily taken out of the scene when he went to meet with God on Mt. Sinai, the people wanted something to take his place. It was only a matter of time until they were bowing before a golden calf.

When you get down to it, Moses was their first idol, and the golden calf was their second. Moses was like God to them, so when Moses was gone, they created a god of their own making.

We do the same when we start remaking God in our own image. When we give God a 21st-century makeover, when we make God politically correct, when we start changing His Word to fit the perverted morals of our time, this becomes idolatry. We are remaking God because we are not comfortable with what He says. We don't like His standards. Thus, if we can remake God in our image, we can live the way that we want to and do as we please.

We want a celestial salad bar where we can casually stroll up, choose the attributes of God that most appeal to us, and leave the rest behind. It's religion á la carte.

When we mold God and His Word into our image, it is as much an act of idolatry as it was when the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf.

Thursday

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

It is clear that we are living in the last days. All around us, the signs that Jesus and the prophets told us to look for are taking place before our very eyes. The devil and his demons are doing their dirty work, and this should not surprise us. The Bible warns that in the last days, things will go from bad to worse.

One of the signs will be an abandonment of the faith, or an apostasy. Some will fall away and will follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Could you ever become one of these spiritual casualties? Could you ever fall away from the Lord? Without question, the potential and even the propensity for sin lies within us. We all have the potential to fall.

That is why we must give careful attention to potential pitfalls for believers that are given to us in Scripture. There are things we must be aware of as we live in the last days. As the apostle Paul wrote, "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light" (Romans 13:12).

Your relationship with Jesus Christ needs constant maintenance and cultivation. The day that you stop growing spiritually is the day you start to become weak and vulnerable to the devil's attacks. The best way to not go backward is to keep moving forward.

Friday

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!"
--Luke 15:6

In the Gospel of Mark, we read of the devil trying to stop Jesus and the disciples from reaching a poor tortured soul, a demon-possessed man who was living among tombstones (see Mark 4:35--5:20).

Jesus said to the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they boarded their little boat and began to make their way across the Sea of Galilee.

Suddenly, a storm arose and the waves beat the boat so much that even these seasoned sailors thought they were going to drown.

But Jesus would not be stopped. He explained why in the Gospel of Luke, saying:

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' " (Luke 15:4--6)

The devil is always on duty. He doesn't rest day or night. He is ever watchful. He wants to destroy you and make your life miserable.

This tormented man was the lost sheep Jesus was after. He was not going to let high water stop Him from His intended goal.

Satan tried to stop Jesus, but he failed. He always will.

Daily Devotion (Monday, March 16th - Friday, March 20th)

2009-03-17T08:38:00.002-05:00

Monday

The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." - 1 Kings 20:28
Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It is the best vantage point to see what lies ahead. Wouldn't it be great to live on the mountain all the time in order to anticipate what is ahead? God allows us to experience the mountaintop at times. Joseph's first mountaintop experience was as a young man. He had the favor of his father, Jacob. He was given a fine coat and even had a dream about his future. As a young man, Joseph had a sense of destiny about his life. God often gives us a picture of our future so that we will remember this picture when we are being tested to trust Him in the valley. This picture usually does not reveal how God intends to bring about the visions for our life.
However, none of us really derive the character qualities God desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It is in the valley where the fruit is planted and harvested. It cannot grow on the mountain; it must grow in the valley. God is a God of the mountain, but he is even more a God of the valley. In the valley, it is more difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit our sight. Joseph was thrust into a deep valley that left him wondering if the God of his father had forsaken him. Jesus hoped that He might be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood. There is a valley that each of us must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to experience the God of the valley-and to experience His faithfulness in the valley. Once we have spent time in this valley, we come out with something we would have never gained if we had not entered it. The valley brings much fruit into our lives so that we might plant seeds into the lives of others. God does not waste valley experiences. If we are faithful in the valley, we will enter a new dimension with God that we never thought possible. There is a harvest of wisdom and virtue that can only be grown in the valley.
Has God brought you into the valley? Know that the valley is a place of fruitfulness; it is a place of testing. It is where God brings what you know in your head into your heart. The only value of knowledge is when it becomes part of your heart. Look for God in the valley today.

Tuesday

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15 - 1 Kings 20:28
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" (1 Samuel 18:8)
This statement caused something to snap in King Saul. From this point on, Saul was never the leader God intended him to be. He allowed insecurity to drive his every decision. Insecurity leads to the need to control people and circumstances. The need to control leads to anger once we realize we are unable to control the circumstance. King Saul could not accept, much less rejoice, over David's success. David's life would never be the same, because Saul sought to kill David every chance he had. Saul had a choice; he could have seen David as an up-and-coming general in his army who could have become an important part of his team and made the kingdom of Israel even stronger. Instead, he looked at him as a threat.
When you hear good news about fellow workers or associates, do you rejoice with them? If you find yourself comparing your life's circumstances to others and don't feel you measure up, recognize that this is one of satan's greatest ploys to destroy you.
Christ has given you all things in Him. He has a unique plan for you that cannot be compared to another. He alone is your security. Trust in the purposes He has for your life. And remember, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19 KJV).

Wednesday

That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. - John 17:21
What is the greatest power that allows the unsaved to make a decision for Jesus Christ? It isn't prayer, though this is important. It isn't good deeds, though deeds indicate a fruitful relationship with God. It isn't good behavior, though Christ commands us to be obedient as sons. The greatest power God's children have over darkness is unity. Jesus talked a great deal about His oneness with the Father and the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. It is the most difficult command Jesus gave to the Church, because it wars against the most evil aspect of our sin nature-independence.
In the last days we are seeing God's Spirit convict His children of the lack of unity among His Church. We are seeing God move between blacks and whites, ethnic groups, denominations, and parachurch groups. There is much work to be done. The walls of division and competition among His Body are a stench in God's nostrils. He sees the competition and the pride of ownership and weeps for the lost who cannot come to Him because they cannot see Him in His Body. When His Body is one, the unbelieving see that Jesus was sent by God. It is like a supernatural key that unlocks Heaven for the heathen soul. The key is in the hand of Christ's Church.
When there is unity, there is power. Scripture tells us five will chase 100, but 100 will chase 10,000 (see Lev. 26:8). There is a dynamic multiplication factor in unity of numbers. We are a hundred times more effective when we are a unified group. Imagine what God could do with a unified Church.
Jesus prayed that we all might be one, as the Father and He are one. He wanted the same love God has for Jesus to be in each of us. When this love is in us, we are drawn to each other with a common mission. The walls fall down. The independent spirit is broken. Competition is destroyed. Satan's accusations are thwarted. Our love for each other is manifest to the world around us. Lost souls begin to seek this love that is so foreign to them.
Have you contributed to an independent spirit within His Body? Are you seeking to break down walls of competition among Christians, churches, denominations, and ethnic groups? Until we walk in the spirit of unity, we will hinder those in whom God has reserved a place in Heaven. Pray for His Church to be unified.

Thursday

Everyone will be salted with fire. - Mark 9:49
Jesus used parables to communicate principles of the Kingdom of God. He said each believer's life should have the same impact on his or her world as salt has on food. Salt gives food flavor and brings out the best, while at the same time it serves as a preservative.
What allows a Christian to become salty? Fire. God knows that each believer needs a degree of testing by fire in order for Christ's fragrance to be manifested. We cannot become salty without this deeper work of the Holy Spirit's fire in our lives. Fire purifies all that is not of Christ. It takes away all the impurities that prevent His nature from being revealed in us.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Are you a salty Christian? If not, pray a prayer that the immature are unwilling to pray. Pray that God makes you a salty Christian. It will result in praise and glory at the throne of God.

Friday

David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. - 1 Samuel 17:39
David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.
God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor.
What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use? God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life. He will not call you to use someone else's tools.
However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is released and manifested in the physical realm.
Mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested.

Daily Devotion (Monday - Friday)

2009-03-09T00:22:00.002-05:00

Monday (March 9, 2009)

"All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. 'Isn't this Joseph's son?' they asked" (Luke 4:22).

Jesus was more qualified to be a carpenter than the Son of God in the view of religious leaders and the common people of his day. He was also becoming known as a rabbi who thought and did things "outside the box." He was an unusual mixture of the earthly common man who did daily work just like his other villagers in Nazareth. So, when the public ministry side of his life began to surface, the first observations were, "Isn't this Joseph, the carpenter's son?"

This is not unlike what happens when God calls us into a more public ministry. "Isn't that John, the CPA, or Bill the restaurant manager, or Susie the bank executive?" The first question among our critics is "Where did John, Bill, or Susie get religion?"

The religious spirit in the workplace or society reveals itself in many ways. The religious spirit can best be defined as an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices. The religious spirit seeks to distort a genuine move of God through deception, control and manipulation. It was the primary force against Jesus designed to intimidate and turn His relationship with God into a set of rules and regulations. Satan does not want Jesus in the workplace because that is where the authority lies to change a workplace, city or nation. God desires you to bring His presence with you into the workplace every day. Do not let the enemy of your soul shame you into alienating your faith from your work and limit you from become influence in your society.

Today, ask Jesus to go with you wherever you go. The two of you just might be the team to bring someone out of slavery and bondage.

Tuesday (March 10, 2009)

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Observed this powerful principle: The pathway to leadership almost always takes us through the valley of adversity. We see this principle not only in the story of Joseph, who endured thirteen years of adversity, but also in the lives of many other leaders in both the Old and New Testament.

Moses was raised in the royal splendor of Pharaoh's household in Egypt, but he was forced to flee and spend 40 years in desert exile before God spoke from a burning bush and called him to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery. Joshua spent the years of his youth as a slave in Egypt and his middle-aged years wandering in the desert at Moses' side. He was well acquainted with adversity when God called him to lead Israel's armies in the conquest of Canaan. The prophet Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions before he could reach a place of power and influence in the Babylonian courts. And we see this same pattern played out in the lives of David, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and other Old Testament leaders.

Turning to the New Testament, we see that even Jesus had to face adversity in the desert, suffering hunger, thirst, temptation and opposition from Satan. Only then could He begin His public ministry. The Lord's disciples had to endure the loss of their Master, the failure of their own faith and character, and the dark days of despair between the cross and the empty tomb before they could become the founding leaders of the Lord's church.

It's hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great leader without earning an advanced degree at the "University of Adversity."

Wednesday (March 11, 2009)

"If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God" (Ps. 55:12-14).

Betrayal is one of the most difficult tests that we will ever face because it involves being wounded by someone we trust. It's hard not to become bitter when a friend or family member wounds us. It takes a lot of Christ-like grace to forgive a traitor.

We have probably faced the Judas Test ourself. Everyday we work in a marketplace or hang out in society that is rife with betrayal, deception, duplicity, and treachery. Perhaps you have been betrayed by others. Or perhaps somebody betrayed a confidence or stabbed you in the back. It may have even been someone you've gone to church with or prayed with - someone you trusted as a brother in Christ.

The Judas kiss stings worse than a slap across the face. Almost every leader has experienced that sting at one time or another. Yet God is watching to see how we respond to the Judas Test. If we pass the test, He can then take us to the next level, the next test. If we fail, we'll probably have to repeat the test until we learn to forgive.

The Judas Test is God's graduate level course in faith, designed to reveal the truth about ourselves: Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives? The book of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Heb 12:15). When we refuse to forgive we risk infecting others with a "bitter root" of resentment.

Thursday (March 12, 2009)

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).

Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.

This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. It is my belief that you can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?

Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus? purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.

Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.

Today, take steps to insure you are aligned with your purpose.

Friday (March 13, 2009)

"This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:6).

Some of us may found the above verse very intimidating. It says that if we are truly living in Christ, we must walk as Jesus did. How did Jesus walk? He healed the sick. He perceived the needs and situations of others supernaturally. He spoke boldly into the lives of the unsaved. He met the needs of people by leading them to the Kingdom of God. Jesus says we must walk as He did. So, we can only conclude from this verse that if we are each called to live this way, He will also equip us to live this way.

So how did Jesus walk? He walked on earth as a human being, not as God, yet He was God. His miracles were done as a human being who tapped into the power of His Heavenly Father. This is why he can exhort us to live like He did not as deity, but as a human being who could appropriate all the Father had for him. This is what He means when He says "live as He lived." We are to exercise obedience and faith just as He did.

We live in a day that requires more than proclamation evangelism to break through in the all areas of life. We live and work in a skeptical society. It takes more than reasoning to see others come to Christ. The workplace is trained to see past phonies. So, it will require the genuine love and power of Christ to be manifested to break through to a unbelievers, a power-driven executives, or a foul-mouthed friends.

Jesus modeled a way of reaching the lost. He did not use reasoning to convince a person to follow him. He often operated in the supernatural revelation about a need in that person's life. Such was the case of the Samaritan woman. This encounter not only led to a woman placing her faith in the Messiah, but it led to the transformation of a community.
Next time you have an encounter with an unsaved associate, find out about a need they have and ask God how you can meet it through His power.

Daily Devotion

2009-02-26T23:45:00.001-06:00

Monday

"On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, 'No! He is to be called John.' They said to her, 'There is no one among your relatives who has that name.'" (Luke 1:59-61).

Have you ever had to go against public opinion or advice from family members or peers?

Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. It was time to name the child. Tradition said the name would be in honor of a family member. The family members were insistent. When Elizabeth didn't agree with them, they appealed to Zechariah who supported Elizabeth.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were told by the angel Gabriel the name was to be "John." They were being obedient to the Lord's command which went against tradition and public opinion.

We live in a day when people and leaders are often driven more by public opinion than what is right. We are each called to live a life based on obedience-based decisions, not public opinion. Living a life of obedience will often go against the tide of public opinion. Jesus lived a life based on a purity of purpose and mission. The Pharisees wanted Him to conform to the rules of religious tradition.

The result was He died because He lived to obey an audience of One, not public opinion.
Are you challenged to live a life of conviction versus pleasing others? Be true to what God has called you to do no matter the cost.

Tuesday

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:5).

Have you ever argued with God? One of the first sermons Jesus ever gave was from a boat. It was Simon Peter's boat. Jesus used a businessman's business to preach the Gospel. However, Peter had to first make his business available to the Master. When he did, something wonderful happened to his business.

You see, Peter's fishing business was in a slump. They had just fished all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, Peter made his boat available to Jesus to use as He wished. Jesus used it to preach to the multitudes. After Jesus used Peter's boat for His purposes Jesus did something interesting for Peter. He blessed his business. However, Peter almost missed the blessing because he began to argue with Jesus. Peter was looking at the market conditions instead of the instruction of Jesus. Something inside of him made him reconsider Jesus' instruction. Jesus rewarded his obedience. "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink?" (Luke 5:6-7).

We see a number of Kingdom principles we can apply in our work lives in this story. 1) We must be willing to let God use our work life for His purposes. 2) We must not look at circumstances and argue with Jesus when His instruction seems to contradict what we have seen or experienced already. 3) We must obey the Lord.

When we obey the Lord we might just see Jesus use us for His glory and bless our obedience.

Wednesday

"I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt 11:11-12).

John the Baptist did no miracles. Elijah performed miracle after miracle. Daniel interpreted dreams for kings and he and his friends impacted an entire nation. Jeremiah and Isaiah were two of Israel's greatest prophetic voices. Jesus built his church through the twelve disciples. But Jesus made a profound declaration about this man who performed no miracles - He is the greatest among all the prophets.

Why did Jesus make such a claim? Because he did one very important thing - he fulfilled his purpose on earth in every way.

The disciples asked John the Baptist, "Are you the one we have been waiting for? John responded quickly, "No." Then he made a profound statement: "A man can receive only what God gives him" (John 3:27). He had a complete understanding of why he was placed on earth.
Jesus proclaimed John the Baptist was the greatest because he (John) knew and fulfilled his purpose. The angel Gabriel described John's purpose to his father: "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).

His purpose was absolutely necessary to be achieved in order to prepare the way for Jesus. Do you know why God made you? Are you fulfilling the destiny He has planned for you since the foundation of the earth?

Understanding your work and everything that you do in life is key to receiving your inheritance. Paul said no matter what kind of work you do, if God has called you to do it, you will receive an inheritance for doing it. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Col 3:23-25).

Thursday

"When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold. The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. Then David asked the Lord, 'Shall I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?'" (2 Sam 5:17-19).

When you are about to enter your destiny, there is always opposition from Satan designed to prevent you from fulfilling your destiny.
When Jesus was born, Herod tried to kill him. When Jesus was baptized and fasted 40 days, Satan came to tempt Him in an effort to derail his destiny. When David had been anointed king over Israel, God's destiny had been revealed for all to see-even Satan. So, Satan raised up the Philistines to try and kill David's destiny.

However, in response, we see David do two things. First, he retreats to his stronghold. It is a place of protection. It is a quiet place. Second, he inquires of God. It is here that he inquires of God for the strategy to defeat his enemy. God reveals it to him and he goes on to defeat the Philistines. In fact, David NEVER lost a battle because he learned to inquire of God for the strategy to defeat his enemies.

Do you know God's intended destiny for your life? Beware of Satan's strategy to attack you in the place of your destiny. His desire is to take you off this divine path.

We must follow David's example in response to the enemy of our souls. We must retreat to our stronghold, seek the Lord, and listen for His answer. Then, we will fulfill the purpose for which God created us.

Friday

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).

Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.

This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. It is my belief that you can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?

Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus? purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.

Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.

Today, take steps to insure you are aligned with your purpose.

Thursday, February 19 2009

2009-02-19T01:24:00.001-06:00

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. --Colossians 3:23
God never gives up on His children. Whether we're only now discovering our work matters to Him orwe've known it for years, here are five principles that help us keep our service in line with His priorities;with His thinking.
We were created to be in relationship with God. Presbyterians have for centuries stated it this way intheir confessions: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." The first and mostimportant thing to remember is that relationship always trumps action in God's economy. To know and bein His will, we must understand that our first priority is to be in relationship with Him.
How we do that, is by fulfilling the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus tells us in thesepassages that loving God and loving others are the most important commandments; echoing the truth ofour first point. But how do we fulfill this commandment? We love Him by coming to know Him, and thatcomes by knowing His Word. When we read His Word, God then reveals Himself to us, and teaches us tolove Him and others.
Once we've understood why we were made and what is the first priority of life (loving God and others);we're now ready for some assignments. Those who know God have an obligation to tell others about Him.
Next, God gives us our second assignment in Genesis 1:26-31 and Genesis 2:15. Here He tells us it's theChristian's responsibility to tend His creation. This means the accountant is as important as the pastor ormissionary in God's economy; and the truck driver and coal miner are as vital to God's plan as theaccountant and pastor; and the stock broker is as significant to God's structure as the coal miner andaccountant, and so on.
Finally, to put the pieces together with the humility that gives our work power and authority, we mustaccept that this life is about service and sacrifice, not self-ambition or service to self. Those who wouldteach health/wealth principles take you away from the place God wants His people. Our motto should beechoed in the words of John the Baptist, who said of Jesus: "He must become greater and I must becomelesser." (John 3:30). Other passages to support this include Romans 12:1-2 and Galatians 2:20.
We've each been granted the privilege of expressing our love for God by our service to His creation,and how we do that will be different for all of us. The Great Author has imbued the story of human historywith poignancy, power and resonance by giving each of us who are willing to serve the chance to play arole in the drama.

Tuesday, February 17 2009

2009-02-17T22:39:00.002-06:00

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away (subtracts) the sin of the world! John 1:29
To most people, math is no fun. We tend to think of it as the subject in school that was just there to bring our GPA down. But math is important-especially in God's equation for our lives. He uses math in our lives to work out his supernatural equation.
When it comes to applying God's math to our lives, most of us don't mind adding. We love to add new things because it can make life exciting and new. Too often, though, we forget that addition is not the only part of God's equation. He also tells us that we need to occasionally take things away from our lives. But we tend to balk at applying subtraction to life.
What we need to understand is that subtraction is just as important in God's math as addition is. God does not always ask us, "What are you doing?" Many times he asks us, "What are you not doing that you were doing before?" He wants us to subtract those things from our lives that are hurtful or unproductive. God tells us that subtraction is vital for our growth.
What is God telling you to subtract from your life? Is it a harmful habit or a draining relationship? Whatever it is, God wants you to subtract it from your life so that you can grow. This week, listen to God's instruction and apply his mathematical equation. Don't just focus addition-remember that subtraction is just as important.

Monday, February 16 2009

2009-02-16T11:38:00.002-06:00

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him - James 1:12

As Christians, one day we will receive rewards for our service to the Lord. I don't know about you, but I have not acquired a vast number of awards in my life. I have mostly won those purple honorable mention ribbons. They are just not as exciting as a big first place trophy!

But Jesus told us that our service to God, even it if is not seen by people, is indeed seen by God. He says, " 'Your Father who sees in secret will Himself one day reward you openly' " (Matthew 6:4). The Bible speaks of crowns that will be given as rewards in heaven. One of them is called the soul winner's crown, also known as the crown of rejoicing: "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

The Bible also speaks of the crown of life: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).

Thirdly, there is the crown of righteousness: "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). There is a reward waiting for the believer who longs for His return, who loves Him, who is homesick for heaven.

Friday, February 13 2009

2009-02-13T09:18:00.001-06:00

The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan" (Josh 5:12).

God calls you to eat from the fruit of your own work. During the exodus from Egypt, Israel had to eat manna, the supernatural provision of God because there was no ability to make a living in the desert. However, the moment they stepped into the Promised Land the manna stopped because God had brought them into a new place. The new land could yield food and provision for their families. They simply had to work it.

For most of us God has provided us an ability to derive our provision from the work He has called us to do. God made a covenant with His people that provision would always be there if we were faithful to His commands.

"You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out" (Deut 28:3-6).

In order for this promise to be fulfilled we must fulfill His requirements. We must love the Lord our God with all our hearts and minds. And we must avoid having any idols in our lives that will take the place of God.

Every believer is called to come at out of "Egypt" and enter into our own Promised Land. He has already set aside the land for you. It is your responsibility to prepare yourself to be able to derive the fruit from your land. "The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands" (Deut 28:12).

Thursday, February 12 2009

2009-02-12T08:27:00.001-06:00

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The murderer was condemned to life in prison. Then one day something amazing happened. The guard came and opened the jail cell. "You are free to go. Someone else is taking your place," said the guard. "How can this be? I am still guilty!" said the prisoner. "Your debt has been paid. You are free to leave," said the guard once more. The prisoner decided not to leave. "I cannot allow another to pay my debt," said the prisoner. Because of his pride he chose to remain in bondage.

Imagine the guilt Peter must have felt when he betrayed the Son of God three times by saying he never knew him. Imagine what he must have felt the moment he reunited with Him after the resurrection.
The hardest person to forgive sometimes is ourselves. It is especially hard for high achievers to forgive themselves. We think we are above such failure. However, the Bible says we all sin and it is impossible to remedy that sin by ourselves.

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives?" (1 John 1:8,10). The question is not whether we will sin, the question is what we will do when we do sin.

There is only one thing for us to do. Go to the cross. Jesus paid for that sin by dying on the cross. Picture yourself writing your sin on a white piece of paper, then pinning it to the cross. Now, leave it there. The cross is for sinners. When Jesus looks at you, He no longer sees your sin. He cannot see the sin because He can only see the cross.

When you come to Jesus with your sin, there is nothing more you can do besides confessing and renouncing your sin. Sometimes it may require restitution with others. However, once you confess your sin and ask forgiveness, it is no longer on the ledger of debts. Why not choose to walk free. The cell has been opened

Wednesday, February 11 2009

2009-02-11T00:53:00.001-06:00

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

Division is defined as the act or process of separating things into parts. God is into division-he made the decision for division long ago. It is apparent in his very essence; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-three in one, one in three.

He has also shown division in the local church. God divided gifts into people's lives to reflect himself within the church. Each of us has been given specific talents and gifts according to God's desire for the purpose of spreading his word. In other words, God has delegated his authority to each of us to complete his math.

Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus delegated the responsibility of spreading his message to his followers. You and I have been handed that responsibility. What God has placed in our lives, what he has divided among us, is there for the purpose of reaching others for his glory.

What has God divided into your life? What talents or gifts has God given to you? Use those gifts the way that he intended. Use them to complete his math. Because after all, that is how his equation will be completed-through you and me dividing Christ among other people who still count to God.

Tuesday, February 10 2009

2009-02-10T00:47:00.002-06:00

"Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come." -- Daniel 10:12--14

Our culture gravitates toward behind-the-scenes events. We become excited when we're driving down the street and see movie cameras set up for a big scene. We love that inside look to which no one else has access.

Fascinating events also transpire behind the scenes of the supernatural realm: the world in which angels and demons dwell. Consider this: when we pray, a spiritual battle often takes place. We must believe this occurs when we pray for the salvation of the lost.

Many times the reason God may not immediately answer our prayers is because of behind-the-scenes spiritual warfare.Take Daniel for instance. He had been praying for weeks with no answer from the Lord (see Daniel 10). Little did Daniel know, God heard his prayers and dispatched an angel with a special answer to his prayers.

However, somewhere between heaven and earth, between the visible and the invisible, this angel found himself waged in a battle with another evil angel. After 21 days of spiritual warfare, God sent Michael, the archangel, to save the other angel.

Just as a battle raged over God's answer to Daniel's prayers, a spiritual battle often rages due to your prayers. This is why we need to keep praying, even if we go days, weeks, or even months without receiving an answer.
Jesus said, " 'And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks" (Luke 11:9).

Prayer is a continuous, ongoing process. We must never stop praying, for God's delays are not necessarily His denials.

Monday, February 9 2009

2009-02-09T13:27:00.002-06:00

He has planted eternity in the human heart… --Ecclesiastes 3:11

Have you ever really been homesick? Even in a beautiful place, surrounded by people you really like, you want to return home as quickly as possible. As they say, there is no place like home.
No matter what your actual home on earth is like, there is one home that all of us should be very homesick for. That place is called heaven. Deep inside of us, there is a homesickness for heaven, almost as though we have a homing instinct guiding us there.

It's amazing how God has built the homing instinct into animals. Against all odds, salmon come home from the sea to spawn in the rivers of their birth. In San Juan Capistrano, year after year, the swallows return to their nests at the mission. There is something built into those fish, those birds, that brings them home.

God has built that into each of us, to an instinct, a desire, a homesickness for heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has planted eternity in the human heart." And because of that, we will never be fully satisfied with this life. Nothing will ever measure up to heaven.
You were created to know God. You were created to go to heaven.

God has put this homing instinct in you, and it will only be satisfied when you see Him face to face. Are you ready to do that? Are you ready to go home?

Thursday, February 5 2009

2009-02-05T08:43:00.001-06:00

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col 3:2-4).

If Christ is Lord over all of life, then He must be Lord over work, too. Our identity must be wrapped up in who we are, not just what we do. "Whatever we do for work, we should do it in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col 3:17), that is, with a concern for His approval and in a manner that honors Him.

The Spirit empowers us to live and work with Christ-likeness. Christ gives the Holy Spirit to help us live in a way that pleases Him that has enormous implications for how we do our jobs.

God values our work even when the product has no spiritual value. A common measure of the significance of a job is its perceived value from the eternal perspective. Will the work "last"? Will it "really count" for eternity? The assumption is that God values work for eternity, but not work for the here and now. This is not a biblical truth, but heresy. Keep in mind the following when you are tempted to deem secular work as second-class Christianity.

-God Himself has created a world which is time-bound and temporary (2 Pet. 3:10-11).
-God promises rewards to people in everyday jobs, based on their attitude and conduct (Eph. 6:7, 9; Col. 3:23, 4:1).
-God cares about the everyday needs of people as well as their spiritual needs. He cares whether people have food, clothing, shelter, and so forth.
-God cares about people, who will enter eternity. To the extent that a job serves the needs of people, He values it because He values people.*

Your work does matter to God. You are called to first to be a Christian, but masquerading as a doctor, lawyer, construction worker, secretary, or whatever.

Wednesday, February 4 2009

2009-02-04T07:50:00.001-06:00

But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name'" (Acts 9:15-16).

Sometimes we can place the idea of calling too much on the thing we do versus the One we are called to serve. Paul said that he was "called to be an apostle." This has made some feel that if we each do not have a "special call" then we are second class citizens.

Paul saw his calling like any other believer's call to salvation and obedience. We cannot negate the fact that God did call Paul in a dramatic encounter with the Lord that had broad significance to the rest of the Body of Christ. And, there are assignments that are going to impact the Body of Christ more than others. However, this is not the case for every believer and we should not feel slighted should we not have the same level of call.

Every believer shares the same basic calling with Paul, "as a bondservant of Jesus Christ, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ," as he says in (Romans 1:6). Paul was saying to the Roman Christians their call was the same as his. They were not all apostles, but they were all "called of Jesus Christ."

For most of us, God will work out His calling upon our lives in many different and varied ways. Like Paul and the rest of the New Testament Christians, we are all called with the same glorious calling and thus stand as equals before God

Tuesday, February 3 2009

2009-02-03T00:44:00.001-06:00

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ...
--1 Peter 1:6--7

You never know when a storm will hit. In October, 1991, Hurricane Grace collided with a cold front from Canada and a storm from the Great Lakes off the coast of Nova Scotia, creating what meteorologists called "the perfect storm." With waves a hundred feet tall and winds over ninety-five miles an hour, this storm-of-the-century left little warning when it struck its victims.

On October 27, a sword-fishing boat named the Andrea Gail, and its six-man crew, headed home from Grand Banks, Canada, with a hold full of fish. Sometime in the middle of the night, the Andrea Gail found herself at the center of the perfect storm. "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong," radioed Captain Billy Tyne of the Andrea Gail.

Soon after, Billy Tyne and his five crew mates disappeared without a trace. They were never seen again. Maybe you have been hit by a storm like that. Not a literal storm, but a crisis or tragedy that hit your life without warning, leaving you ravaged and riddled with problems.

We all face storms in life. It has been said that only two kinds of people exist in this world: those who are going through a crisis and those who are about to go through a crisis.

This is something that might surprise you. Storms can be good. We can learn lessons in storms that we can learn nowhere else, producing fruit in your life as a Christian. The next time the storms of life rain on your life, don't be discouraged. God might just be refining your faith so that you can better praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Monday, February 2 2009

2009-02-02T09:26:00.003-06:00

pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. Ephesians 3:16

The Holy Spirit typically uses one individual as the catalyst for revival. The last great American revival was the Layman's Prayer Revival of 1857--1858. It began with a 48-year-old businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier.

He began a noon prayer meeting on Fulton Street in downtown New York. Jeremiah handed out flyers to downtown businessmen, saying, "Come to our prayer meeting when you are having a break for lunch."
Only a handful of people showed up. But Jeremiah persisted; and that handful of people kept meeting for prayer.

Then something dramatic took place. The stock market crashed. Suddenly, the prayer meeting grew. People fell to their knees, and then the prayer meeting exploded. Prayer meetings were popping up quickly throughout New York City.

Within six months, 10,000 people were gathering for prayer in New York City alone. They were renting venues, which Broadway normally used, and packing them out at lunch time with men and women who were calling on the name of the Lord.

Fifty thousand New Yorkers reportedly came to know the Lord from March to May. During that single year, the number of reported conversions throughout the country reached an average of 50,000 a week for about two years. Even a notorious criminal nicknamed "Awful Gardiner" shocked everyone when he came to Christ through the prayer meetings.

When it was all over, one million people had come to faith. No one orchestrated that revival in New York. It wasn't a campaign planned by people. It was a work of God where He poured out His Spirit.

Jeremiah Lanphier was not a great preacher. He was not a famous person. Jeremiah Lanphier was an ordinary Joe--but he decided to pray. You can do the same!!!

Thursday, January 29 2009

2009-01-29T01:56:00.002-06:00

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works . . ." --Revelation 2:5

Before we can ever talk about revival in the church, every Christian must ask themselves, Am I personally revived? Am I living as a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ?

Ask yourself that question right now. If your answer is that you are not a committed, on-fire follower of Jesus Christ, you exist as part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Listen to what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation. He says, "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent." (Revelation 2:2--5)

Jesus gave the church of Ephesus the three R's of revival: remember, repent, and repeat.

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen," and then He says. "Repent." In other words, turn away from your sins. And finally repeat, "Do the first works." Get back and serve God like you once did.

Remember, repent, and repeat. Put the three R's of revival into practice, because we need to be revived before God.

Wednesday, January 28 2009

2009-01-28T06:50:00.001-06:00

Throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness--righteous, holy, and true.
--Ephesians 4:22--24

We hear the word revival tossed about frequently these days. Some churches claim to be having a revival. "Revival this week only! Starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 9:00 p.m.," says their church signage.
I'm sure they're having some great meetings; and I understand they are using the word revival in a loose sense. But real revival is not something we start or stop. It is something God supernaturally performs.
During dark times of moral breakdown, God has intervened. God in His grace has stepped in and brought about a spiritual awakening. That is what we need today.

The word revive means to be restored to its original condition. People today like to restore old cars. They will find a T-Bird or a Corvette or some other classic car and transform it to its original condition. These are people who are real sticklers about original paint and original parts. They say, "You don't want any add-on parts. You want genuine parts."

Spiritual revival is very similar. It means to get back to God's original design.
Charles Finney, who was known to be a part of a great revival, said, "Revival is nothing more or less than a new beginning of obedience to God." A. W. Tozer defined revival as, "That which changes the moral climate of a community."

That is the kind of revival we require. Not just an emotional experience and not just a tingle down the backbone. We need to see God work, because our nation needs it like never before.
Something new is not the answer. The answer is to get back to God's original intent--to the very standards He gave us.

Tuesday, January 27 2009

2009-01-27T09:47:00.002-06:00

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son." --1 John 2:21--22

The first sign that something has been popular is when you start to see knock-offs or imitations everywhere. It has been said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; but honestly, no one likes to be copied or ripped off. That's just a nice way of saying, "Don't feel too bad when someone copies you."
The devil is a genuine copycat. He has never specialized in originality. He has always seen the value of copying something and confusing the issues.

Whenever you see a genuine work of the Spirit of God, the devil will always have his imitation. Satan's business specializes in flooding the market with cheap imitations, thus clouding the issues. As a result, people have difficulty discerning between the truth and lies.

The explosion of religions in our world today stands as one example of Satan's work. The gurus, false prophets, and teachers, and psychics who claim to possess the hotline to heaven are simply puppets in the hands of Satan. They're his tools in muddying the waters of truth.

The end result is somebody who looks at all of the world religions and thinks, I just can't make sense of it all. They just want to throw it all out and forget about it. When that happens, the devil has accomplished his purpose.

Keep this in mind: if you see a lot of imitations out there, an original exists somewhere in the midst of all the copies. The devil only floods the market with imitations in order to keep people from the one and only true God. Seek the original, open up God's Word. Only then will you discover truth.

Monday, January 26 2009

2009-01-26T09:08:00.001-06:00

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
--Colossians 3:16

"You must spend a lot of time handling counterfeit money to know what it looks like," said Ruth Bell Graham to a man from Scotland Yard, who was in charge of identifying counterfeit money.
"No," he replied. "We never touch the stuff. All day long, we just handle the real thing: genuine currency. And when a counterfeit bill comes our way--we can quickly detect it."

As a Christian, you could go nuts trying to keep up with the latest heresies and counterfeit teachings people spread in this world. But if you familiarize yourself with the Word of God and become conversant with it, you will immediately recognize counterfeit teachings.

You will hear someone say something and think, This isn't right. You will know what God's Word truly says and what it doesn't say, because God will give you spiritual discernment.
Spend time today studying the real thing. If ever there was a time we needed spiritual discernment, the time is now.

In the words of the Apostle Paul, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

Friday, January 23 2009

2009-01-23T07:35:00.002-06:00

"But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him" (2 Chron 10:8).
Age and wisdom do not always equate to one another, but they often do. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. It appears that Solomon had become heavy-handed in his employment practices by placing an overbearing burden on the workers. This was causing a problem with the northern tribes. It was the equivalent to a threat of a labor strike. Jeroboam was like the head of the labor union. In fact, he had fled from Solomon because of the abuse he perceived was happening. When Rehoboam was selected as the new king, he came and appealed to Solomon about the plight of the people.
"Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you." Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days." So the people went away (2 Chron 10:4-5).
So, Rehoboam asked for advice from the older men who had been a part of Solomon's reign and then he asked for advice from his younger contemporaries. The elders advised Rehoboam to not be too concerned. They told him that if he did, they would be loyal workers the rest of their days. He chose not to take this advice. The younger advisors told him to tighten the reigns more. This turned out to be bad advice. As a result, the northern tribes rebelled, and the kingdom was permanently divided.
Today there is a tendency to discount input from older people. However, God has placed wisdom in older people that the young can learn a great deal from. Do not despise input from those who may be considerably older than you. God has placed a level of wisdom in them that can help you avoid major mistakes.

Thursday, January 22 2009

2009-01-22T09:05:00.001-06:00

"So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'" (1 Sam 19:23-24).

Whenever God calls you into a new thing, you can expect to do things you've never done. Saul had just been anointed to be the first king of Israel. He was being launched into a whole new calling. He was hanging out with the spiritual leaders of the nation.

When he began to prophesy the prophets wondered if he, too, was a prophet. He was not a prophet but God was doing a new thing through Saul - activating something in him that had been dormant until then.

When God calls you into a new endeavor you will find that God will anoint you in areas you considered your weakest traits. God turns shepherds like Moses into leaders of nations. He turns farmers like Gideon into reformers. He turns impetuous and unstable personalities like Peter into leaders that can transform a culture and lead a movement.

Whenever God does a new thing in a life, those who knew them before notice the change. Quiet people become bold. Poor speakers learn to become great communicators. Those who were never leaders before become the new leaders. This is the way of God.

When God looks at an individual, He looks at their future, not their past. He is always looking at the person He has created you to become, not the person you are now. When Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the next king of Israel, it would be years before this would happen. However, God already knew who he was to become.

How does God view your life? What is the destiny He has chosen you to fulfill?

Wednesday, January 21 2009

2009-01-21T15:26:00.002-06:00

David and Jesus pulled together two teams that were the most unlikely groups to accomplish what they achieved. David's small army of men became known as "David's Mighty Men" because of their extraordinary exploits. However, they were the rejects of society.
Jesus' team was made up of common men who would never have been chosen by other rabbis'. They would here been men who would not have qualified for mentorship by most rabbis' of their day. Yet, they were chosen by the superstar of up and coming rabbis' - Jesus.
We can learn three key things about David and how he related to his Mighty Men. First, David's men came to him as a result of battle. They had fought together and learned first-hand from one another's capabilities. They had covered one another's backside on several occasions. And they trusted each other.
Second, David modeled servant leadership with his men. When three of his mighty men risked their lives to obtain drinking water for him during a battle, David refused to drink it, choosing instead to pour it out onto the ground. This no doubt made a big impression on his men and only drew greater devotion to him because of his own sacrifice.
Finally, David and his men experienced God-size victories when they were the underdogs. The fought bigger armies and more resourceful enemies they themselves. They saw God's hand in their victories. Keep these things in mind as you build your own team. Learn from the management styles of David and Jesus by modeling their servant-leadership

Tuesday, January 20 2009

2009-01-20T06:17:00.003-06:00

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:9-11).

There is a Kingdom principle I find few others really understand. The principle is this: When you focus on serving others, your need is often met through God's supernatural law of serving.

The law of sowing and reaping comes into play in this Kingdom principle. "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love" (Hos 10:12). "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Cor 9:6-9).

Whenever God calls us to serve another person with our time and resources God can measures those resources back to us from unrelated sources. Sometimes it comes through an unexpected donation or a new opportunity. We are never to view people or organizations as competition. The Bible says that God has already assigned our portion. We need not have to manipulate outcomes

"LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance" (Ps 16:5-6).

We don't serve others to get. However, when we do serve others, there is a Kingdom principle that works on your behalf as fruit of your service. Is there someone you need to serve today?

Monday, January 19 2009

2009-01-19T21:58:00.002-06:00

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29-30).

The way you interact with fellow employees at work can often determine whether you will be the leaven for Christ in your workplace or be viewed as one of the multitudes. Two defining situations in the workplace involve joke-telling and discussions about employees and bosses.

If we laugh at off-color jokes we give permission to the person telling the joke that it is OK to continue this activity in your presence. If we fail to laugh, we discourage this behavior. When someone is about to tell a joke in my presence, I stop them and ask, "Is this a clean joke? If not, I don't want to hear it." This will define future situations with that person and it will get communicated to others in the office because of your response. You might become known as the religious person in your office, but that is OK.

The other situation that can define you is how your talk about management is in front of other employees. In a workplace it can easily become a "we" versus "them" culture. If this happens you violate Paul's command to honor those who employ you. "Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (Titus 2:9-10).

"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman" (Ps 15:1-3).

Remember, you are always a witness at work, whether you use words or not.

Friday, January 16 2009

2009-01-16T09:53:00.001-06:00

"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" (Ps 13:1-2).

Have you ever heard someone jokingly say, "It's not easy being me?" This expression is poking fun at their unique personality or challenges they face in life. Well, it wasn't easy being King David.

His life was a life of extreme highs and extreme lows. He was a shepherd, a political leader, a builder, a prophet, a businessman, a warrior, a lover, a giver, a murderer and a worshiper. He must have been criticized by others as being hypocritical in his early career. In each of these roles he achieved things for God but he also failed God on many occasions. He had a creative-type personality, which is often very passionate with many mood swings. We see this side of him when he unabashedly danced before the Lord in front of his subjects almost naked (2 Sam 6:14).
When David wrote his psalms he was honest about what he was feeling. When he feared his enemies he expressed it. When he could not understand why God was silent, he expressed it as in the psalm above.

However, David never stayed in the place of despair. He often ended his psalms like this one. "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me" (Ps 13:5-6).

David chooses to focus on what God has done for him, not what He has not done. If you are waiting for a breakthrough with God, be honest with Him about your hopes and dreams. However, also affirm your faith and trust in Him to accomplish His purposes through your life. Be an overcomer.

Thursday, January 15 2009

2009-01-15T22:12:00.002-06:00

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD" (Isa 31:1).

It is human nature to want to use whatever means available to us to succeed. However, a conflict arises when we place our total trust in ourselves instead of God. The idea of maintaining a proper balance between trust and obedience to God versus placing an over dependence upon our natural skill and resources has created problems since Genesis. We are prone to build strong defenses through our natural gifts to avoid failure and use all of our might to be successful in our endeavors. However, this can often be done at the expense of the supernatural in our lives. When it comes to receiving from God, it is important we don't make the same mistake Moses made when God told him to speak to the rock in order to receive water for the people. Instead, He struck the rock and failed to enter the Promised Land. The people of Israel often fell back to trusting in their own abilities and God had to send a reproof into their lives.

How do we avoid the trap and maintain a proper balance between the natural and the spiritual? The rule of thumb is to submit every activity to God and use your skill as God directs you. Be sensitive to God's leading in all your activities. Avoid trying to build resources for the sake of insulating yourself against calamity which is rooted in fear.

Finally, follow Solomon's advice: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Prov 3:5-6).

Wednesday, January 14 2009

2009-01-14T00:31:00.004-06:00

Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. But the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king (2 Sam 14:23-24).

Many people hate conflict to the point they will never confront a wrong. Taking this path will only lead to later hardship. Such was the case for Absalom and his father King David.

Amnon, also a son of David, raped his sister Tamar. When this happened, David was furious but he did not punish Amnon for his actions. Absalom saw this as a terrible injustice for his sister. So, Absalom plotted to kill Amnon at the right time. He patiently waited for two years before he set up a situation to have him killed.

David was heartbroken over the death of Amnon and held Absalom responsible. At the same time, David still desired to have a relationship with Absalom, but because he failed to address the situation with Amnon when it happened, it led to more serious consequences in the family. Absalom was banished for three years because of David's anger towards him which allowed seeds of resentment to grown in his heart. Absalom then conspired to overthrow David's kingdom.

It is imperative to confront problems when they arise no matter how uncomfortable it might be. We are called to speak the truth in love. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (Eph 4:15-16). Failure to confront in love allows the enemy to sow greater seeds of conflict.

Is there someone in your life that you need to confront in love? Make plans now to get with this person and work through the issues that divide you.

Tuesday, January 13 2009

2009-01-13T22:11:00.002-06:00

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matt 2:1-2).

God is looking for leaders who recognize the signs of their times. Such was the case of the three wise men who were so in tune with their times they were able to pinpoint when the long awaited Messiah was born. They recognized God had come in their midst.

These three men were philosophers, priests, or astronomers and lived chiefly in Persia and Arabia. They were marketplace ministers of the Eastern nations devoted to astronomy, to religion, and to medicine.

They were held in high esteem by the Persian court, were admitted as counselors, and followed the camps in war to give advice. They came from the professional ranks in society and were sought out by the kings of the nation. They would be the authorities in their field of expertise. This is why they were able to meet with King Herod. (v7)

They were likely aware of the prophecy of Balaam, Num 24:17, "There shall come a star out of Jacob," etc. They came and gave three distinct gifts - each represented a prophetic significance. They were gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is obtained from a tree by making incisions in the bark, and suffering the gum to flow out. It is highly odoriferous or fragrant when burned, and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God. Myrrh was also a production of Arabia, and was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. The name itself denotes bitterness, on account that it is significantly bitter. It was used chiefly in embalming the dead, because it had the property of preserving dead bodies from putrefaction.

Like the men of Issachar, who "understood the times and knew what Israel should do," (1 Chron 12:32) the three wise men knew what they were to do because they were aware of God's activities in their times.

Are you recognizing God's activity in your times?

Monday, January 12 2009

2009-01-12T09:03:00.003-06:00

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38).

Have you ever had a boss come to you and give you an assignment which had rules never before used? Not only were the rules different, he was asking you to agree to them not knowing the outcome or impact it would have on your life. That must have been the way Mary, the mother of Jesus felt.

God was about to do something so extraordinary that it required a face to face meeting with the subject, Mary, and his key angel, Gabriel. What God was about to do was so foreign that it needed detailed explanation.

Mary had been handpicked to give birth to the Christ-child. Can you imagine!? However, in order to do so she was going to be pregnant while yet unmarried, something totally taboo in her culture. In fact, women were stoned to death if found to be fornicators. So, when Mary heard the assignment and responded by saying, "May it be," this tells us what a courageous woman of faith she must have been.

She did not understand the implications of what she was about to do. However, she placed her total trust in God and knew that if God chose her for such an assignment, she could trust the outcome to Him. She would even have to trust the explanation to Joseph, who was not going to understand. In fact, when he discovered Mary was pregnant, he immediately considered divorce proceedings.

However, when God saw Joseph's response, He sent an angel to explain the situation through a dream. I am sure the time between her telling him and his dream must have been difficult to explain. She did not know God was going to solve the problem. This is another example of her faith and courage. I would imagine most women might have responded to the angel like this, "I won?t do it unless you tell my husband!"

Do you have an assignment from God that seems impossible on the front end? Is God calling you to trust Him for the outcome? Take a lesson from Mary and release the outcome to God.

Friday, January 09 2009

2009-01-09T09:20:00.003-06:00

"For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way." (Job 34:11 NKJV)

There is a belief held by many in the body of Christ that says "If we’re not doing something that has an inherent spiritual value, then it has no value at all." They believe what their secular work is simply a means of supporting the real ministry carried out by local churches, ministers, missionaries, and vocational ministries.

However, this has no biblical basis. Some of the most important leaders in the early church had secular jobs. And, they did not see them as jobs only to support other ministry. They considered their own jobs as ministry.

Consider Dorcus (also known as Tabitha), who was a clothing manufacturer who was "abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did."(Acts 9:36). When Dorcus died it was immediately brought to the attention of Peter which tells us she was very important to the early church leaders. "Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcus had made while she was still with them" (Acts 9:39). Dorcus was known equally for her business as well as her ministry among the people. However, she was about to be known for being raised from the dead!

"Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, 'Tabitha, get up.' She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord" (Acts 9:40-42).

What type of ministry in the workplace do you suppose Dorcus had after this event? Dorcus is a great reminder for every worker in the secular marketplace that "He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way."

Thursday, January 08 2009

2009-01-08T07:47:00.001-06:00

You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands (Job 14:15 NKJV).

Did you know that God has already pre-wired you for the work He created you to do? We all have things inside of us that excite us when we think about it. God is the source of this passion. However, our career path may require many stepping stones before we reach the work that we were ultimately created for. The psalmist says "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Ps 139:16).

When the ark of the covenant was to be designed to contain the sacred ten commandments, God prepared a man to perform the important work.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts -- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship'" (Ex 31:1-6).

We do not know much about Bezalel, but you can be sure he had many jobs leading up to this most important assignment. He was also the first man mentioned in all of scripture to be "filled with the spirit of God."

When your work is empowered by the Spirit of God you will be hand-picked for some of the most important assignments. He says the skilled worker will even serve before kings (Prov. 22:9). God will see to it that your skills will be used for His ultimate purposes. This is the call of God for each of us -- to be fulfilled in our work and to use our work to fulfill His purposes on the earth.

Wednesday, January 07 2009

2009-01-07T08:17:00.002-06:00

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Mal 3:18).

When Moses led the people out of Egypt he had several crisis moments during those forty years. His greatest crisis was when he came back from the mountain and discovered the people had made a golden calf. It was after this he came to a profound conclusion.

"Then Moses said to him, 'If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.' What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Ex 33:15,16).

The difference between a Christian in the workplace and a non-believer should be that the Christian brings the presence of God with him to work. However, this is not always the case. A Christian can shut out the presence of God by his behavior. Like the Israelites who experienced great miracles in their lives but began to worship idols, we can move away from God. Sin separates us from God. His presence moves away from us. Moses realized, he too had to have the presence of God with him to lead such a people.

The prophet Malachi was saying a day is coming when you'll be able to recognize a clear difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. Would your co-workers be able to recognize a difference in you from others? Ask God to fill you with His overflowing presence in all you do today.

Tuesday, January 06 2009

2009-01-06T09:47:00.003-06:00

Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Ex 33:15-16).

Today, there is a new move of God that is focused on the "9-5" window. This represents those who work—whether they are homemakers, construction workers, nurses, executive, CEOs or pastors and vocational ministers. The one thing many of us have in common is that we work. However, the one thing most workers have failed to do is bring Jesus into their work lives. But, God is changing this.

God is helping workplace believers today understand the importance of bringing the presence of Jesus into their work lives so that He may be shared with those who have yet to receive salvation. God is calling us to move past "principle-based" living to "presence-based" living. It is only when we bring God's presence into our work lives that we see real transformation in us and others. It is the mission field of the 21st century—the "9-5" window. It is where more unsaved people live than the 10/40 window.

God is calling us to establish "church plants" into this new frontier that the church has failed to focus upon. The "Church" is a Church when two believers come together in the name of Jesus. It is not a building. It is a people. So today, bring the Church to the workplace by focusing your mission activity on the greatest mission field of the 21st century—the 9-5 window.

Monday, January 05 2009

2009-01-04T23:14:00.002-06:00

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor 5:17).

A mulligan is a golf term which allows a player to play a second shot off the first tee if the first shot is poor. It's a second chance to get a fresh start without penalty.

Sometimes in life we need a mulligan - a new start. Christ represents the invitation to throw away our first life and begin anew with Him as a new creation.

The Promised Land represented a new life for the people of Israel who had lived a life of bondage and slavery in Egypt. It is also symbolic of a new life in Christ. It says we are no longer going to be driven by the appetites of our old nature, but Christ now lives in us to live a righteous and holy life. It does not mean we're perfect, we're just forgiven.

The new life in Christ has nothing to do with church attendance or even doing good things. Christ said there will be many people who will claim Him as their Savior but they never really knew Him. In other words, there was no evidence of the living Savior in them. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matt 7:22-23).

Jesus invites everyone to partake of the new life He offers. We only must believe, invite him to remove our sins and allow Him to live as Lord through our lives. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me?" (Rev 3:20).

If you've never had a mulligan in life, now is the time to let Jesus give you a brand new start. Ask Him for that new start today.

Thursday, December 18 2008

2008-12-18T12:02:00.001-06:00

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had specific things to say about worry and anxiety. He said, “So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not." (Matthew 6:25--27)

Why shouldn't we worry? First of all, Jesus tells us, it's because of the Father. Our Heavenly Father is watching out for us.

Jesus points to the birds. You've never seen a bird sweat, have you? Birds are relatively calm. Certainly, the birds need to go out and gather their food. They do their part to get what they need. But they don't worry about it.

The point Jesus is making is that if God cares for the birds, will He not take care of you? The answer obviously is yes, He will. Second, worry does not bring about anything productive in your life. It is a destructive emotion. It doesn't lengthen your life and can even potentially shorten it. The next time you are tempted to worry about something, channel all of the energy you would have put into worry and put it into prayer instead. Say, "Lord, here is my problem. I am putting it in your hands. I am going to trust you."

That is not an easy thing to do. But it is something we need to consciously do.

DAILY DEVOTION

2008-10-27T00:13:00.002-05:00

MONDAY

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

One of the most obvious ways of taking the Lord's name in vain is through profanity. Unfortunately, most of us have heard the Lord's name taken in vain in that sense. That always bothers me, because that is my Lord they are speaking of.

We might even find ourselves correcting someone. "You shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain," we might say. And right we are.

But did you know that profanity isn't the only way to take His name in vain? The phrase, "in vain," is used to describe something that is empty, idle, insincere, and frivolous. Think about that. To take His name in vain means to use His name in an empty or idle or insincere or frivolous way.

As Christians, we often find ourselves tossing up little spiritual clichés such as "God bless you," "Praise the Lord," or "I'll pray for you." There is nothing wrong with these statements, but if we say them, we should mean them. We shouldn't say, "Praise the Lord" or "God bless you" when our hearts are not really in it. When we tell people, "I'll pray for you," then we should pray for them. Otherwise, we shouldn't say these things at all.

Jesus said, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). When we say that He's our Lord, yet we don't do what He tells us to, that is the ultimate way of taking His name in vain. Hypocrisy in the church is far worse than profanity in the street. Let's be careful not to take His name in vain.

TUESDAY

The sixth commandment obviously forbids the taking of another human life for no justifiable reason. We might say, "Well, I've never murdered anyone. At least I can say I haven't broken this commandment." But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared,

You have heard that the law of Moses says, "Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment." But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:21--22)

So, anger in our hearts can be like murdering someone. According to 1 John 3:15, "Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them." The word, "hate," used here means "to habitually despise." It is not speaking of only a passing emotion of the affections, but a deep-rooted loathing.

Now we all lose our tempers here and there. But this is speaking of hating, loathing, or despising someone. It is allowing bitterness toward someone to develop over a period of time--to the point that you are seething with anger every time you see that person or hear his or her name. Spreading lies about someone, gossiping about them, or assassinating their character can be like murder. If you love God, then you will love your neighbor. And if you love your neighbor, you won't do these things to them.

WEDNESDAY

"Do not testify falsely against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)

Some years ago, a book called The Day America Told the Truth was published. According to the authors' findings, 91 percent of Americans lie on a regular basis. "The majority of us find it hard to go through a week without lying," the book states. "And one in five cannot make it throughout a single day without lying." Apparently, we are a lying culture. While some people consciously lie, many others try to couch the truth with a little diplomacy because they don't want to offend someone. But God's Word has a lot to say about lying, and Proverbs 6 includes it in a list of things God hates:

There are six things the Lord hates--no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord among brothers (verses 16--19). Notice that three of these seven things are closely associated with the ninth commandment: a lying tongue, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who sows discord among the brothers. From this, along with the command not to testify falsely against our neighbor, we can safely conclude that God hates lying.

God is the source of all truth. Jesus said, " 'I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .' " (John 14:6). He is the embodiment of truth. Scripture also tells us that it is impossible for God to lie (see Hebrews 6:18). In dramatic contrast to this, Satan is described as "the father of lies" (John 8:44). So when we lie, we are behaving more like children of the devil than children of God.

THURSDAY

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Cor 12:27)."

All legitimate work matters to God. God Himself described himself as a worker. In fact, human occupations find their origin in His work to create the world. Work is a gift from Him to meet the needs of people and the creation. "You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas" (Ps 8:6-8).

However, there is often an unspoken hierarchy that positions clergy (missionaries and evangelists, pastors and clergy) at the top, and occupations such as of the "helping professions" (doctors and nurses, teachers and educators, social workers) next, and "secular" workers (business executives, salespeople, factory laborers, and farmers) at the bottom.

So what determines the spiritual value of a job? How does God assign significance? The hierarchy assumes sacred and secular distinctions, and assigns priority to the sacred. But does God view vocations that way? No, He does not.

God creates people to carry out specific kinds of work in order to meet human needs. God uniquely designs each of us, fitting us for certain kinds of tasks. He distributes skills, abilities, interests, and personalities among us so that we can carry out His work in the world. That work includes "spiritual" tasks, but also extends to health, education, agriculture, business, law, communication, the arts, and so on.

Paul was a tentmaker by occupation, along with his friends, Aquila and Priscilla. Other church leaders practiced a wide variety of professions and trades. There's no indication that God looks at vocations in the form of spiritual hierarchy.*

The next time you consider your vocation a second-class spiritual calling, consider what God says. Your work matters to God and is valued by God equally to other forms of work.

FRIDAY

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” - Philippians 2:9-11

Have you ever been in a position where you were the only Christian? Possibly now, you may be in the situation that your co-workers, neighbors or family members speak against Christians continually and frequently use His name as a curse word. What are you supposed to do? Our tendency is to try to maintain a position of peace (and so silence). We tend to back down, keep silent and ignore the comments. These actions reveal a person who is powerless and ashamed, even if that is not our intent. We should never appear powerless or ashamed of our Lord!

We need to stop and consider Who Our Lord Jesus is. One day all will bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. Every tongue, tribe and nation will be on their knees giving glory to God the Father, just by speaking the name of Jesus Christ. That day is coming and what a glorious day that will be! There will be no more denying Who Jesus is and no more discriminating against those who boldly speak His name. There will be no more hiding, embarrassment or guilt, only praise and pride in praising our Savior. And shame and sorrow, “gnashing of teeth,” to those who did not praise Him now.

Most importantly, stop and consider Who He is to you personally today. Should anyone have the right to discredit Your Lord and Savior at any time or anywhere? Paul tells us in Romans 1:16 that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. By succumbing to fear and acting ashamed of the gospel, we fall right into the pit of the devil. Why? Because our power is stifled. To not be ashamed allows the power of God to be released through your words. We represent life. Those who are criticizing represent death. We have the responsibility and we have the power to share the gospel of Christ.

Today, ask the Lord to forgive you for not speaking up and for not speaking out for Him. Today, as you wait for Him to open the door, ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to speak about Him. Today, ask the Lord to teach you to be bold for Him because you do not ever want Him to be ashamed of you. And today, thank the Lord for saving you, forgiving you and giving you His Holy Spirit so His will.

Tuesday, October 21 2008

2008-10-21T08:42:00.002-05:00

Jesus replied, " 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Matthew 22:38-39)

When Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself," He was not saying that before you can love others, you must first love yourself. That is the common interpretation we often hear, but that is not correct. Jesus is not teaching self-love. Essentially, He is saying that just as you already love yourself, as you already care for yourself and think about yourself, you are to love your neighbor in the same way.

We already love ourselves. As the apostle Paul said, "No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it . . ." (Ephesians 5:29). And that is true.

Sometimes people say, "I hate myself. I'm so ugly. I'm just so horrible. I just hate myself." Really? If you truly hated yourself, then you would be happy that you were ugly, right?

Why is it that people who say they hate themselves spend all their time talking about themselves? "I hate the way that I look," they will say. "I hate this about myself. I hate that about myself." No, the fact of the matter is that all of the attention they shower on their own lives proves they love themselves. The truth is, we all love ourselves.

Jesus is saying, "You already love yourself; therefore, love your neighbor." He goes on to say that if you do this, as well as love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, then all the commandments of God will be fulfilled, because you will naturally do the things that please Him.

Tuesday, October 14 2008

2008-10-14T22:59:00.003-05:00

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (Ps 84:5-7).

There is a spiritual law in the Kingdom of God. Every great leader in the Kingdom will pass through the Valley of Baca. Baca means to weep. It comes from the Hebrew word,bakah (baw-kaw'); a primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan.

However, Baca is also a place of springs. There is nothing better on a hot day when you're thirsty and weary than to drink water from a mountain spring. It refreshes. It renews. It gives you a second wind to continue your journey. Those who commit themselves to a pilgrimage with God will experience the Valley of Baca. But in the midst of Baca they will discover that in this valley they will also drink from a very special spring that refreshes with a different kind of living water.

It becomes the source of "secret things in hidden places" described by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 45:3) reserved only for those willing to journey on the Great Pilgrimage with God. Once you drink from this spring you will be energized in your spiritual man from strength to strength. Each Valley of Baca will result in a new spiritual spring from which you will drink. It is handmade just for you by God. But know this?it will be used to provide a refreshing drink for others you will encounter who are also on their pilgrimage.

Ultimately, Baca leads to the presence of God. There is something about being in a place with God that results in our weeping and crying out to Him. Do you find yourself in this place with God today? If so, know that His springs are also available to you. Ask him today to give you a drink from His spring only available in the Valley of Baca.

Wednesday, October 8 2008

2008-10-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5b).

A black hole is a place of total nothingness. It's a time in our life when God removes the resources and supports that we normally rely on to feel secure - our careers, finances, friends, family, health and so forth. It is a preparation time.

When you find yourself in a black hole experience, don't just sit and brood. Take stock of your life. Take a look at your relationship with God.

First, ask God if there are any sins, habits, or attitudes that He might be judging in your life. It's important to discern whether the trial we face is the result of God's discipline for our sin?or if it is preparing us for a future leadership role.

Second, when you enter a black hole, don't trust your feelings. Trust God. Your feelings will tell you, "God has rejected you. Abandon hope. He has left you utterly alone." Feelings change; God never changes. Feelings come and go; God is always with us.

Third, remember that your black hole experience is not only intended to refine and define you; it's also intended to influence and change the lives of hundreds or even thousands of other people. Our adversity is not just for us, but others in our sphere of influence.

Fourth, don't try to hurry the black hole process along. Remember, when Joseph was in the depths of the pit, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't climb out, jump out, levitate out, or talk his way out. All he could do was pray and wait upon the Lord.

Fifth, lean on God. Even when you don't feel like praying, pray. Even when you don't feel like reading His Word, read. Even when you don't feel like singing songs of faith, sing. When you pray, don't just talk; listen. Be silent before Him and listen for His still, quiet voice.

Sixth, be alert to new truths and new perspectives. During a black hole experience, God often leads us to amazing new discoveries. A black hole can be a storehouse of unexpected riches for the soul.

Tuesday, October 7 2008

2008-10-07T06:33:00.002-05:00

"Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'" (John 20:21-22).

Have you ever entrusted someone to carry on a project only to have them fail miserably? What was your response? Many times leaders shame others in order to help them realize the gravity of their failure.

Bill ran a manufacturing company. His executive management team sought to take over the company in a hostile corporate take over. It was unsuccessful. Bill would have to manage the same team that betrayed him.

When Jesus was crucified many of the disciples fled. Peter denied Jesus three times. He was a leader without followers. Jesus has now come back to life. How will Jesus handle this reunion among those who have totally abandoned Him and the mission?

"Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'" (John 20:21-22). What an incredible greeting after all they had experienced. No shame. No harsh words. Just a reaffirmation of the mission and His commitment to them. Jesus used grace and total acceptance as motivation for His followers to carry on the mission.

He didn't need to remind them of their failure. They already felt bad enough. It was time to recast the vision with new life. When there is failure in the organization, it is more important to revitalize the team, not focus on the past.

Do you need to rally your team around a mission that has stalled, failed or gotten off track. Begin by affirming those under your leadership. Be at peace and send them forth!

Tuesday, September 30 2008

2008-09-30T08:20:00.002-05:00

"Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD" (1 Chron 21:18-19).

In 1857, an American businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier was sent out by his local church to begin a noon-day prayer meeting on Fulton Street, right around the corner from Wall Street in New York City. A simple prayer, a willing heart, and an act of obedience resulted in city transformation throughout the United States.

However, at that very first meeting, no one showed up in the first 35 minutes. But Jeremiah waited. Gradually, six people wandered into the room at 35 minutes past the hour. Six months later, 10,000 people were meeting for prayer throughout New York City. This led to one of the greatest spiritual renewals in the United State's history.

What would have happened if Lanphier had decided to abandon the idea after 30 minutes? In a small, darkened room, in the back of one of New York City's lesser churches, a man prayed alone. His request of God was simple, but earth-shattering: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" He was a man approaching midlife, without a wife or family, but he had financial means. He had made a decision to reject the "success syndrome" that drove the city's businessmen and bankers. God used this businessman to turn New York City's commercial empire on its head. He began a businessmen's prayer meeting on September 23, 1857.

The meetings began slowly, but within a few months 20 noonday meetings were convening daily throughout the city. Thousands met to pray because one man stepped out. This was an extraordinary move of God through one man.* It only takes one man or woman who is willing to be obedient to be used by God to impact a workplace, city, or even an entire nation. Simple obedience can lead to things you cannot imagine. Are you willing to be used by God?

Wednesday, September 24 2008

2008-09-24T09:22:00.003-05:00

"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:33)

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want. The other is getting it."

This statement reminds me of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking answers. Here was a man who, of all men, should have been content and fulfilled. He had great influence and affluence.

Yet in spite of all his accomplishments, there was something missing in his life. He asked, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Jesus told him, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." Jesus was not implying that by keeping the Ten Commandments one would be saved. Rather, Jesus held the Ten Commandments up as a mirror to this man to show him his sin.

The ruler replied, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"

Jesus probably smiled at this. He saw what this man was really all about. So He took it up a notch and said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Jesus knew the problem with this young ruler was that possessions had possessed his soul. But Jesus just as easily could have said something completely different to someone else. What is really holding someone back from Christ and further spiritual progress can vary from person to person.

We would do well to come before Jesus and ask, "Lord, is there anything in my life that is getting in the way of my relationship with You?"

Tuesday, September 23 2008

2008-09-23T07:29:00.001-05:00

"But many who seem to be important now will be the least important then, and those who are considered least here will be the greatest then." (Matthew 19:30)

A missionary couple who had served for many years in Africa were returning to the United States. Leaving Africa with broken health and no pension, they felt defeated, discouraged, and afraid.

As it turned out, President Teddy Roosevelt was traveling on the same ship. Of course, it caused a great commotion as everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the president, who was returning from a hunting expedition.

The missionary commented to his wife, "Something is wrong. Why should we, who have given our lives in service to the Lord all these years in Africa, come back and not receive any fanfare or attention? And this man, who has done nothing more than just go on a hunting trip, is the center of attention. It just doesn't seem right."

When the ship arrived, a brass band played and the mayor welcomed the president. The missionary was so discouraged. "It isn't fair," he told his wife. "Why have we not received any attention or adulation for what we have done? God is not treating us fairly.

She said, "Honey, why don't you just go tell that to the Lord?" A little bit later, he was smiling. His wife said, "You look different. What happened?"

He said, "Well, I told the Lord how bitter I was that the president received this tremendous homecoming, while no one greeted us when we returned home. Then it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and said, 'Son, you are not home yet.' " God sees those things you do for Him, and He will bless you. But remember, we are not home yet.

Thursday, September 18 2008

2008-09-18T14:26:00.002-05:00

"Moses said to the LORD, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue'" (Ex 4:10).

One of the greatest affronts you can commit against God is to refuse His calling that He has placed upon you. Imagine arguing with your Creator and telling him you know better than Him.

That is exactly what Moses did when God called him to be his spokesperson to Pharaoh.

God and Moses got into an "I know best" competition. "The LORD said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.' But Moses said, 'O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'"

God actually relented in the argument. Can you imagine that? But He's not happy about it. "Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, 'What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?'" God has to use Aaron as Moses' mouthpiece.

Have you ever not pursued something because it had to be perfect? There is a fine line between doing things with excellence and being a perfectionist. Perfectionists become argumentative with God. They refuse to step out in faith and obedience because they care too much about what others think if the results don't turn out perfectly.

When God places His anointing on you He uses whatever level of skill you have to fulfill His purposes in your life. This is why you need not fear moving into an unfamiliar area if He calls you there.

What is God waiting for you to do? It may be time to step out. He specializes in "cliff-catching."

Wednesday, September 17 2008

2008-09-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

"Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one, is unique..." (Song of Solomon 6:8-9).

Every business must have a unique niche if you wish to separate yourself from others to compete in the marketplace. This is especially true if you are competing in an industry that is very crowded with competition and low price is a driving incentive for the customer.

It used to be that a cup of coffee was just a cup of coffee. Then a company came along and completely changed the rules. They violated every marketing rule. They overpriced their product. They changed the language - a small is actually a "tall." A medium is "grande." You get the idea.

Starbucks, the specialty coffee retailer, is one of the great 21st century American success stories. Considered as one of the most successful and admired companies today, Starbucks has grown from a single store begun by a Jewish man in Seattle 33 years ago to 12,000 stores, almost 4,000 of which are in 36 countries outside the U.S. In fiscal 2006, the company posted revenues of more than $8 billion.* Cup by cup, Starbucks has changed the way people drink coffee.

More remarkably, the company successfully transformed a pedestrian commodity into a high-end accessory. It has created a "Starbucks lifestyle" that more people continue to embrace in the United States and abroad. They created community around their product.

If you're thinking about starting a business, or making an existing business better, ask yourself this question: "What's unique about my business or product?"

God created each of us to be unique. Define this uniqueness in your work life and promote it with integrity, and you'll have a good chance for success.

Tuesday, September 16 2008

2008-09-16T22:56:00.003-05:00

"She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said" (Luke 10:39-40).

A story is told of a western missionary group that was sitting with a foreign visitor planning strategy for an upcoming evangelistic trip to his country. One man led in prayer, asking for God's help in planning their activities. The visitor was surprised how the meeting quickly moved to the planning phase after only a few minutes of focused prayer.

He turned to the leader and said, "You have taught us the scriptures well in our country. However, I've noticed when it comes to prayer you spend so little time in prayer listening and much time in planning." The western believers were convicted by his words.

Martha was Mary's older sister. Older sisters always think they know best. They tend to mother the younger siblings. So when Jesus came over to spend an evening at their home Martha wanted to prepare a special meal. She noticed Mary was spending all her time in the living room listening to Jesus. Martha finally felt compelled to appeal to Jesus about the situation.

"But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (Luke 10:40-42).

Jesus reveals a danger in this story that each of us must be aware of. When our concern for serving Jesus exceeds our need to be with Jesus, we are in danger of focusing on the lesser thing. The hardest thing to do for most workplace believers is to sit and listen. It is easier to do. Today, begin to spend more time listening before you begin doing.

Monday, September 15 2008

2008-09-15T17:47:00.003-05:00

"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position" (James 1:9).

Whenever God takes a saint to a very lowly state it is designed to accomplish something only that process can do. Job learned that "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). Job's trials allowed him to learn things about God, himself and his friends that we all needed to know as well. He assumed things about God that he had to recant: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3).

God reveals things in the dark places of circumstances that will be used to reveal something He wants you and others to know. He has sent you ahead to learn these things so that you and others will benefit from your unique experience. God views this place where you receive these truths as a high position. The world views it as a place to be despised.

"He called down a famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true" (Psalms 105:16-19). Joseph was also led to this high position. It was here he was prepared to be the most powerful man in the world as a thirty-year old. He learned many things about God during his captivity that was used later as a ruler over a nation.

So, if you find yourself in a lowly state, realize your lowly state is considered a high position by God that is preparation soil for revealing deep things from the dark places that God desires you to learn.

Thursday, September 11 2008

2008-09-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

"All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping [the idol] there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family" (Judg. 8:27).

Israel was at war with the Midianites and the Amalekites. So God chose a humble young man, Gideon, to deliver Israel by cleansing the land of idols. After submitting a fleece to determine it was God calling him, Gideon obeyed the Lord and destroyed the pagan idols in the region. Then he summoned a large army?over 30,000 men?to fight the Midianites and Amalekites. God said the army was too large, so He first reduced Gideon's army 10,000 men, and then to a mere 300 men. When God gave Israel the victory with an army of only 300 men, all of Israel knew that it was the power of God, not the strength of his army.

If the story had ended there, all would have been well. But at the moment of Israel's triumph, Gideon stumbled. He told the people, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." The Israelites took the gold from the bodies of the enemy dead and Gideon melted it and fashioned it into an idol. The Bible calls this idol an ephod, a word that refers to a ceremonial breastplate?Gideon probably depicted the Lord God as a warrior with an ephod of gold.

But God does not allow Himself to be represented by an idol. This idol was an offense against God and a trap for the people. After Gideon's death, the Israelites again worshiped the pagan god Baal. They forgot the Lord God who rescued them from their enemies.

The story of Gideon has a great beginning, but a tragic ending. This is an instructive lesson for us all. As the apostle Paul tells us, "If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Cor. 10:12).

If we fail the Success Test we must go back to God without fear. We can ask Him to help us learn the lessons of our failure and to strengthen us for another effort. The God of second chances is able to accomplish His purpose through us even if we have failed Him many times before.

Wednesday, September 10 2008

2008-09-10T22:53:00.002-05:00

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-5).

God often allows pain to ignite destiny in our lives. Without motivation, many of us would never fulfill the purposes for which God created us. Oftentimes a measured assault invades our life and creates a depth of pain that all we know to do is press into God with all our being.

At first, our motivation is to alleviate the pain. After a season of extreme emotional and sometimes physical pain, a second phase begins. This phase moves us to discover a new and deeper relationship with God. We begin to discover things about ourselves and about God that we never would have discovered without this motivation. Gradually, our heart changes our motivation from pain to loving obedience because there is a transition of the heart that takes place. No longer do we seek God for deliverance from the pain; we seek God because He is God. We seek His face and not His hand.

When we move to the second phase we often find ourselves moving into a new destiny and calling for our lives because God often separates us from the old life in this process. No doubt Joseph and Peter felt the pain of their individual crises. However, later they could realize God's purposes in their crisis. Like Joseph, we are able to say, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

Today, let God move you from the place of pain to the place of destiny. Let God show you the secret things He has reserved for you as a result of the crisis you may find yourself in.

Tuesday, September 9 2008

2008-09-09T07:35:00.003-05:00

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)

When Jesus referred to taking up the cross, the meaning wasn't lost on the disciples. The cross, as the people would know in this time and culture, was a hated and despised symbol. It was the symbol of a very cruel death. The Romans crucified many people on the roads leading into their cities as a warning to any man or woman who would dare defy the powers of Rome.

The cross was meant to humiliate. It was meant to torture. Ultimately, it was meant to kill.

Today, the cross is shrouded in religiosity. It has become a symbol of many things, from a religious icon to an ornate piece of jewelry. It is not necessarily a bad thing to wear a cross, but I think we have lost the meaning of it.

Imagine wearing a little replica of an electric chair around your neck, studded in diamonds, or maybe a little hangman's noose. Wearing jewelry like that would be rather morbid, because those are symbols of death and pain. But that is what the cross symbolized.

So when Jesus told the disciples, "If you want to follow me, you must take up your cross," they would readily understand what He was speaking of.

The cross speaks of dying to self, of putting God's will before our own. If this sounds like a horrible, negative lifestyle, consider Paul's words: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). It's through death that we find life. May God help us to see that His trade-in deal is the best there is.

Monday, September 8 2008

2008-09-08T14:22:00.003-05:00

The Bible doesn't tell us what Job's task might have been after God completely restored him, but it certainly tells us what happened with Joseph, in the book of Genesis. Through unbelievable adversity as a young man, God prepared him for a task beyond his imagination.

We remember his story. Abandoned and betrayed by his brothers, and sold into slavery, he was eventually elevated to a position of great power. As the prime minister of Egypt, the second most influential man in the world, he was given charge of Egypt's food stores during a worldwide famine.

Then the day came when ten of his brothers, who thought Joseph was long dead, came down to Egypt from Canaan to get food for their starving families. The moment Joseph saw and recognized them, he could have had them summarily executed on the spot. Instead, he forgave them, and made this amazing statement:

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

Earlier, he told them: "But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives" (Genesis 45:5).

Did you catch that? Joseph didn't just say "God allowed it," though you could describe it that way, too. But he actually said, "God did it." Why? Joseph said, "To save many people alive."

God delivered Joseph from his brothers' jealousy, from a false accusation by his master's wife, and then from the dungeon, so he could interpret the dream of the Pharaoh and make provision for the future. And many, many people across the ancient world lived as a result. The suffering he went through prepared him for the job that God had for him.

Maybe the Lord is allowing you to go through some difficult circumstances right now to prepare you for something He wants you to do tomorrow. That thought might not comfort you all that much in your present distress. You may be thinking, "No, this suffering doesn't make any sense at all. It's meaningless. There's no point to it." Joseph might have thought that same thing at several points in his life journey. It's certain that Job did! But the truth is, God might very well be preparing you to touch someone else's life in a way no one else could. You have no idea how much comfort that can bring. And it would be something that only you could say. No one else could say those words with the same kind of credibility.

Paul, who had his own serious issues with suffering, wrote: "He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 nlt). God will give you that comfort--over and beyond what you can personally contain--so that you can share it with others.

Friday, September 5 2008

2008-09-05T08:24:00.002-05:00

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me" (2 Cor. 12:7).

Have you ever had something in your life you wish was not there? If God gave you one wish, perhaps it would be to change that one thing. Perhaps it is the source of pain or challenge in your life. You seek God continually for relief from it, but He seems strangely silent. Paul also experienced an ongoing burden that he called a "thorn in [his] flesh." Bible scholars have speculated as to what this thorn might have been, but no one knows for sure. We do know that it was so hurtful to Paul that he asked God on three different occasions to remove it from his life:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Paul had a great calling on his life. The revelations and faith experiences that God gave him would have been too much for any man's humility. So God, in order to insure His investment in Paul's life, gave this man a thorn in his flesh to help him maintain a humble, godly perspective. Perhaps God has given you such a thorn designed to allow you to place greater trust and reliance upon Him. Ask God to reveal to you the blessing of the thorn He has placed in your life. The bloom of a rose is beautiful, but the thorn of a rose produces only pain. Thorns hurt us yet they humble us. That is the blessing of thorns.

Thursday, September 4 2008

2008-09-04T18:51:00.002-05:00

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:4-5).

In Bible times, a Jewish wedding was a special celebration that could last seven days. It was a time of joy and celebration on behalf of the couple. Wine was an integral part of these weddings. Jesus, the disciples, and Mary, his mother, were invited guests to such a wedding. At some point during the celebration there was no more wine. Mary became concerned and turned to Jesus to solve the problem. But Jesus had not yet performed any miracles. However, His mother must have known that he was capable of doing so. Perhaps she had been waiting for the time for him to begin performing miracles.

When she proposed to Jesus that He solve this problem, he answered, "My time has not yet come." You can almost hear that motherly Jewish tone... "Yes, it has son. Please handle this emergency for me." Then she instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, seeming to know that He was going to solve the problem, but not really knowing how. Jesus proceeds to respond to his mother's request.

Now, in our western mind, imagines what the headline would be the day after this wedding, in the politically incorrect Cana's Daily News: "Son of Mary turns water into alcoholic drink - 180 gallons!" What a way to begin a ministry! Thankfully, there was no negative press.

Now the quality of the wine that Jesus made was exceptional and would have cost a fortune. Imagine, 180 gallons of fine wine! As in most miracles Jesus performed, He involved the faith and obedience of others. The servants were an important part of the miracle - as they did just what Jesus told them to do. Have you ever asked Jesus to get involved in an unusual problem? No matter what problem you have, Jesus invites you to seek Him as the solution to your problem. Are there areas of unbelief in my heart? About what? Talk to the Lord about it today.

Wednesday, September 3 2008

2008-09-03T12:39:00.002-05:00

"These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." (Acts 17:6)

The Christian life is more than just saying a prayer or walking down an aisle and getting "fire insurance," as it were. The Christian life is meant to be dynamic.

It is meant to be exciting.It is meant to have a radical effect on the way that you live and your outlook on life, because Jesus Christ not only wants to be your Savior. He wants to be your Lord. Not only does he want to be your friend, but He also wants to be your God.

Many today are now living a substandard Christian experience. That term is really an oxymoron in many ways, because if it is a Christian experience, then it shouldn't be substandard. In a sense, that isn't even a technically correct term.

You really can't be a substandard Christian. Yet there are many who are failing to receive all that God has for them.

How did a handful of ordinary people living in the first century turn their world, as they knew it, upside down? They did it without television, without radio, without megachurches, and without all the resources that we think are so important today in reaching the goal of world evangelism.

How is it that they were able to do it? I think you could sum it up in one word: disciple. They were disciples of Jesus Christ- not fair weather followers, but true disciples. They weren't living an anemic, watered-down, ineffective version of the Christian life. They were living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived--as Christ Himself offered it and as the early disciples apprehended it. If we want to impact our culture today, then we, too, must be disciples.

Tuesday, September 2 2008

2008-09-02T08:34:00.001-05:00

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether it be the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well (1 Peter 2:13,14).

God used government authority in the lives of many people in the Bible to accomplish His purposes in their lives. Scripture tells us that even the king's heart is in the hand of God (See Proverbs 21:1). God uses these authorities to continue the work that He has started in us and will continue to manifest His character in us through governmental authorities.

Moses and Pharaoh, Joseph and Potiphar, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, Esther and the king, Jesus and Pilate, and many others throughout the Bible became great men and women of God because they gave those in authority their rightful place.

If we find it difficult to live under the authorities in our life, we'll usually find it difficult to submit to the will of God in our lives too. Rebellion is reflected in our unwillingness to live under the authority placed over us. We may not have respect for the person who is the President of the United States, but we are still to honor and respect the position the presidency represents, and we are to recognize that God has placed him in authority over us. As long as we are not asked to violate a biblical commandment, we must recognize those in authority as God-given and that He is going to work through them on our behalf.

We must not obey the government when it calls us to compromise God's Word. Issues that violate the Word of God may require civil disobedience. However, each person must evaluate these situations in light of what God's Word says and be true to their own conscience. Pray for those in authority over you.

Monday, September 1 2008

2008-09-01T20:02:00.002-05:00

"Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at him... And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief" - Matthew 13:54-58

One time in the Gospels it says that Jesus couldn't do much in the town "because of their unbelief" (Matthew 13:58). Wouldn't that be an awful thing to have said about your home, about your family, about you? Jesus couldn't do much in or through you because of you just didn't believe Him. "Lord, why don't You do more in our church?" Could it be because of people's unbelief?

Faith is the key. God's promises are activated by faith. Faith is not passive-it's an action verb. Don't say, "Well, I'm just waiting here. Maybe God will work; maybe He won't." What are you doing about it? Well, not much.

It's like the sick guy who needs to get better, but he doesn't go to the doctor. That's foolishness. You've got to do what you can.

Like the girl who is looking for a husband, but never goes to the Young Adult meetings at church. She just sits down in her basement. "My husband will have to find me here." Yeah, that's not a great plan. And ike the person who's filled with concerns and wants to have hope, but has never read the Bible.

It's God promises that give us hope. How many Scriptural promises do you know? How many promises have you memorized? How many are on the tip of your tongue? Well, no wonder you're filled with anxiety! No wonder you don't have any hope! You're not holding onto anything.

Get your heart around some of the exceedingly great and precious promises of God! Hold on to what God has said in His Word. Someday you're going to be in a difficult situation and the enemy will be try to pull you down but you've got God's Word hidden in your heart. His words will flood you with courage and fill your life with faith.

"God helps those who help themselves" is not in the Bible but it is a biblical concept. Faith has to be active to be real. Remember the guy in 2 Kings 5 who had leprosy and Gold told him he had to go dip in the river? In faith, he had to do what he could. Like the woman in poverty in 2 Kings 4 who had to collect containers to hold all that oil God was giving her - she did what she could. Like a warrior heading into battle, he has to pick up his weapon.Put some action behind what you believe and watch God work. Going Deeper: What am I believing God for right now for myself? For my family? For my church? Are there steps of faith I can take as I wait for Him to work?

Friday, August 29 2008

2008-08-29T13:46:00.002-05:00

"Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Acts 6:8-9).

In the beginnings of the early church, the disciples were seeing God move in mighty ways. The disciples found themselves preaching the word of God all over the region. However, there became practical needs that arose among the people that the disciples were tending to. However, due to their preaching, these needs were not being met adequately. One of these needs involved food distribution to widows. There became an issue as to whether the needs of all the widows were being cared for. This brought pressure upon the disciples who felt their primary focus must be to preach the gospel. They now realized they could not do both adequately. This led them to appoint seven men whose lives qualified for service as leaders to serve these needs.

The first man named to fill this responsibility was Stephen, described as a man full of faith and the Holy Ghost; with a strong faith in Christ. He was full of courage, gifts and graces. He was an extraordinary man, and excelled in every thing that was good; his name signified a crown.

This was a time when the church began mobilizing other marketplace believers for ministry in the community. Stephen was the first chosen and interestingly, became the first martyred believer. One of the most interesting things one can notice when the disciples took this action is described in these passages. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7). It is as though the Lord took the cap off and everything started happening. Even a large number of priests came into the faith.

Take an inventory of your life today and determine if someone could describe your life as a person "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power, and one who does great wonders and miraculous things." If not, begin asking God today to accomplish this in your life.

Thursday, August 28 2008

2008-08-28T17:43:00.003-05:00

"He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." (Matthew 26:39)

There are some people who teach that we should never pray, "Not my will, but Yours be done," because it supposedly voids what you have just prayed for.

What nonsense. If Jesus prayed this, certainly we should follow His example.

He gave us the same pattern in the Lord's Prayer when He said, "May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). I never need to be afraid to say, "Lord, Your will be done."

Then there are those who say that we should only pray for something once; otherwise, we are demonstrating a lack of faith.

Yet Jesus taught His disciples, "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9). We give up far too easily sometimes.

We won't always know the will of God in every situation. Then there are times when we will know the will of God, but we won't like it. Finally, there are times when we will know the will of God, but we don't understand it.

The late D. L. Moody once said, "Spread out your petition before God, and then say, 'Thy will, not mine, be done.' " Moody concluded, "The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me." Have you found that to be true? We must never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Wednesday, August 27 2008

2008-08-27T09:09:00.002-05:00

"For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright" (Prov 3:32 ).

It is human nature to want to be included into the inner circle. It means that you are qualified to hear things, experience things and be privy to information the masses are not allowed to see.

Jesus had an inner circle of friends made up of Peter, James and John. John had a very special relationship with Jesus. He was considered to be Jesus' best friend. It was John who recognized Jesus after the crucifixion when He came to them on the seashore. "Then the disciple whom Jesus loved, said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'"(John 21:7).

The Bible tells us that John's friendship was such that he could even lay his head upon his shoulder at the last supper when he inquired about the betrayer: "So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, 'Lord, who is it?'" (John 13:25-26 RSV). Almost forty years after the last supper John wrote the final Gospel in A.D. 90,. He was chosen by God to receive "the vision" and record it in the Book of Revelation.

When it came time for Jesus to leave the earth for good, it was Peter, James and John who had the privilege to see the transfiguration. "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus" (Mark 9:2).

Do you long to have an intimate relationship with your creator? The Lord desires to have the same with you. He does not want you to have a mere form of religion, but a relationship whereby you experience His presence and power. Where you can see God perform His acts of power and love among others.

One of the keys to intimacy is uprightness. Uprightness means we are living a life of obedience and submission to His will in our lives. When we live at this place we enter His inner circle. Pray for God to make your life upright and intimate with Jesus.