Month: February 2019

ARE YOU HUNGRY, THIRSTY & DISSATISFIED?


Spiritual Blog - Hungry

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  NASU

In my prayer time and musing on God, the things of God, and His word throughout the day recently, I developed a sense of deep dissatisfaction and intense hunger.  My dissatisfaction was not that I was displeased with my home, family, friends, etc.  My dissatisfaction was that I was dissatisfied in the condition of complacency or status quo spiritually.  I did not think I was complacent or had embraced the mindset of status quo but as that dissatisfaction has grown I realized that is exactly where I was.

I believe that God can do anything, but I am not seeming Him do many things.  I believe that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but have a sense that, there are times when my life suggests that He has ceased the miraculous.  I have grown tired of going to hospitals and into homes and praying for people to get better and for God to guide the physicians and surgeons and wanted to see the manifestation of God’s Power and Glory in this present hour.  Some believe that is for bygone eras but if Jesus is the same and His word is the same and His commandments and covenants are true, I cannot relegate His miraculous to another time.  I believe it is for today!

 I have experienced divine healing in my own body.  I saw the X-rays of a broken radial head in my right arm completely normal after ten days.  I saw the two X-rays compared side by side and on the first, the bone was broken and depressed enough that normally surgery would have resulted and the second there was no break and no separation of bone.  I had parathyroid cancer and underwent surgery.  The doctors told me that they were not sure they got it all and since the parathyroid hormone levels did not drop as expected, remaining high, it was likely they did not.  We scheduled a second surgery and began to pray.  I would sit in my vehicle every day at lunch and pray, quoting God’s promises, meditating on His Promised, and rejoicing in His goodness and about ten days before the surgery I felt a warmth flow through me.  I believed I was healed and the blood tests, a day or two later, required before surgery revealed that the PTH levels had dropped to the low side of normal. The doctor said, “This does not happen.  God did this!”  I have been cancer free now for 14 years and rejoice in His healing.

I have witnessed healings of different conditions, situations, and relationships both physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial.  My experience does not determine my doctrine but when my experience and the Bible align, I develop a conviction that is unshakable.  My conviction is that Jesus still does what He did and still wants to today.  Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming LORD revealed that in His work of atonement He also bore the stripes for our healing and that, I believe, covers far more than the spiritual.  He did not need stripes for our spiritual healing He shed His blood.

Jesus told the disciples to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed by Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”  Notice several things, please.  Notice the periods in the verse. We sometimes quote it with little thought as to the import and impact of the passage.  Oh, Father, You Name is Hallowed!  We worship God the Father who is in heaven.  Your Kingdom come!  We are to ask for the Kingdom of God, the Presence of God, the Rule and Reign of God to be manifest on Earth.  Father, Your will be done… There is no period there but a comma because the punctuation reveals where and if you will when we are to expect both His Kingdom to be manifest and His will to be done.  Where is On Earth ‘just as’ or ‘as it is’ done in Heaven.  When, I would contend is Now!  We do not need to pray for the Kingdom of God to come when we get to Heaven, IT IS!  We do not need to pray for the will of God to be done in Heaven, IT IS!

Jesus said, in Matthew 28 that ALL Authority has been given to Him both in heaven and on earth.  He operates in both dimensions or worlds.  His commission was to those there and us now to “Go, therefore…”  Go and do what and with what authority and with what power?  We are to not only take the Gospel witness to the world but once we reach them we are to disciple them.  That is far more than simply catching the fish or planting the harvest it is development, preparation, and requires a huge investment of ourselves in their lives.  We are to baptize them and Teach them.  Teach them what?  To observe ALL things, I have commanded you.

The word translated “observe” is ‘tereo’ which means to guard, protect, keep an eye upon and to keep unmarred.  Remember Jesus’ words in John 14:12?  What did He say?  He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do will he do also; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to My Father.”  There is no greater work than Salvation so if His statement conveyed the idea beyond or other than Salvation how do we relegate His miraculous to the past?  Notice verses 15-18, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And 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.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”   That is nothing short of amazing!

Was His instruction to go into all the world and preach that included ‘signs and wonders’ following the preaching not one of His Commandments?  My friends, I am dissatisfied with feeling impotent when faced with the need of the miraculous and with the assaults of the devil against the lives of people who are hurting in this world.  I am hungry for More of God and the words of John the Baptist ring in my ears, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Also, the cry of the Psalmist in 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You O God.  My soul thirst for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?”  Read the remainder of that chapter for encouragement and get a sense of his dissatisfaction, desperation, and hunger.

I leave you with the words of Jesus which is an incredible promise and should be an inspiration to motivate us to press into His presence.  Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  Is that the current condition of our lives and our prayers?  Are we receiving, finding, and seeing His doors opened including the miraculous?  Get thirsty and stay thirsty, my friends.  Until we become dissatisfied enough to create a longing and hunger in our hearts for more of God will we remain in the status quo.  That is unacceptable or should be!

May God bless you and may you develop an insatiable hunger for God and His presence!

 

 

           

 

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KINGDOM CULTURE and ATMOSPHERE OF HEAVEN…


Spiritual Blog - Kingdom

Matthew 6:5-15 – “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  8 “So do not be like them; for your, Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  

9 ” Pray, then, in this way: 

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  10′ Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11′ Give us this day our daily bread.  12’And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13’And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] 

14 ” For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”  NASU

The more I read and study what we call the “Lord’s Prayer” I realize that was not a prayer for Him, but it could rightly be called the “Disciple’s Prayer” because it is a guide for us in this present world.  It touches on vital aspects of life and is a guiding light for us to follow as we pursue Him and His purposes here on Earth.

I don’t want to get into sectarian or cliquish phraseology and identifications, so I must walk softly in this presentation.  Why?  Because I want to talk about Kingdom Culture and the Atmosphere of Heaven here and now on Earth.  I feed the need to ask a question that may lose readers at the outset, but it is pertinent.  If Jesus told us to pray to the Father for the Kingdom to come and His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven and that is not for now, when is it for?  A follower up question must be, “What is God’s Kingdom that we are praying will come?”

I will state adamantly that it is not some sectarian or cliquish grouping of people as was found in the Corinthian church when some were identifying themselves as Paul-ites or Apollos-ites or Jesus people.  It is, in my humble opinion and belief, the embracing of God in His fullness, His sovereignty, and rule completely.  It is allowing the culture of His Kingdom and the atmosphere of Heaven to be manifest in our lives and in our present world.  What does that mean?  It is not some cliché it is demonstrated through the manifestation of the Power of God.

It is Expectation not, Resignation.  The expectation that God’s promises, all of them, will be realized, received and embraced in our lives.  It is not a theoretical but an experiential relationship with Him.  It is not being satisfied or resigned to whatever will be will be but taking the Promises of God and the Directives of God in the Bible as Present Promises and Current Assignments and pursuing them.  Too often we justify our failures in prayer and the fact that we ask and do not receive some things.  We say, “the will of God be done.”  Amen!  But if that is more an expression of lack of confidence that we can have what He has said and justifying it with, “it must have been the will of God.” 

I remember the words spoken to Daniel when he had been praying and fasting for three weeks and then he had a vision, which answered his prayers.  The angel said, “Daniel, the first day you prayed your prayer came before God, and I have come in response to that prayer.  However, for 21 days the prince of the kingdom of Persia has withstood me.  Michael, came to help me break through and here is the answer.”  Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Persistence, not resignation to offering a prayer, genuine and sincere, and saying, “The Lord’s will be done.”  We all want the Will of God to be done and to be submissive to that will but too often that statement becomes our escape hatch for not receiving what we were praying for even when what we have asked is identifiable as being in the promises of God.

In Heaven, there is no defeat!  In Heaven, there is no sickness.   In Heaven, there is no poverty.  In Heaven, there is no uncertainty.  If we are truly asking God to send His Kingdom to our present world then we are asking for the Culture of the Kingdom and the Atmosphere of Heaven to come in the here and now.  The Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  It is a convenient escape hatch to relegate some things to then and not now because if we live in His Kingdom and the atmosphere of Heaven now we are not satisfied unless we see the manifestation of His Glory and the fulfillment of His Purposes.   Mark 16:15-18 becomes real and realized in our lives.

I am not suggesting that I have fully attained that place.  The battles I am facing are evidence I have not, but I am pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God and want to Live in the Atmosphere of Heaven in the here and now.  To do that, I know that I must change my Perspective, Perception, and Expectation.  I must make Him my objective and pursuit.  His Promise is that if we seek Him first and foremost the other things of life will come with that pursuit.  It is a Place that is Desired in my heart, not just for me but so that I could be a vessel He can and does use to bring in the harvest of souls and break the lingering hold of the evil one in our present world.

God bless you as you allow Him to take full control of your lives and enjoy this wonderful day He has made!

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PEACE AND STRENGTH THROUGH TRIAL…


Spiritual Blog - Hang On

Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  NASU

I love the beginning of this chapter.  Paul highlights the foundational truth that we are Justified by Faith.  He then reminds us that because of that reality we have Peace with God through Jesus Christ.  His work of Grace ushers us into the presence of the Father and in that relationship, we have a Peace that the world is unable to supply and incapable of taking from us.  It is the Peace of God and Isaiah referred to it as Perfect Peace.

Paul reminds us that we were introduced into the Grace of God, through faith and the finished work of Jesus Christ.  In that condition and position, we rise to a place of exultation in which we experience extreme joy and happiness.  This is sheer ecstasy in the realm of the Spirit. It is jubilation that is as the Bible describes it, “Joy unspeakable and full of glory.”  It could be described as walking on air, jumping for joy, or being on cloud nine.

Then he adds, “And not this only…”  As if that was not enough we discover there is more but, in this condition, state, relationship, and peace we can ‘exult in our tribulations.’  Doesn’t that sound a little like what James said in his writings?  He tells us to ‘count it all joy when we fall into different kinds of temptation.’  That makes no sense to the natural man, but the Spiritual man recognizes that in every trial there is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His Incredible Agape Love and Grace.

Paul gives us an insight into trials that most reject or do not wish to discuss.  He did not advance a doctrine that we are to seek for, look for, or hope for difficulties, but that when they come, and they will, we can ‘exult’ in them.  Why?  Because we know that through the tribulation or trial we learn perseverance.  We learn to ‘having done all to stand and keep on standing’.  We learn to ‘never quit.’  He then reminds us the perseverance produces proven character.  I have said for a long time that I do not want to go to war with anyone without a limp.  I want them to be proven and tested.  I want to know they will stand with me to the end.  God wants that from us and for us.  When we know that we will stand and resolve to stand, the anointing of the Holy Spirit becomes even more powerful in our lives.

He continues that proven character produces Hope!  What is biblical hope?  It, I would argue, is elevated faith.  Remember Hebrews reminds us that Abraham held on to his hope and “in hope against hope believed.”  Hoping to the patriarchs in the Bible was not wishful thinking it was rock solid.  It was assurance and confidence in the unshakable and infallible promises and character of God.  They lived in the Hope of the Resurrection and in the Hope of the promises of Covenant.

Paul reminds us that this kind of Hope does not disappoint.  Why?  Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  That is one of the ministries of the Comforter.  He brings us into the presence of the Father and pours the love of God in our hearts so that we are filled with His fullness.

Therefore, when you face trials rather than lamenting and complaining realize that in this difficulty there is Hope and, in our Perseverance, we grow stronger and more confident in God.  In that confidence, we can pull down strongholds and withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one.  We are able, as David, to “serve the purposes of God in our generation.”  That should be the inscription on each of our headstones when we depart this life.

I want you to take courage and know that you are not forsaken, and God has not unleashed the devil to torment you, but if trials come, in your hope and confidence you can develop perseverance, proven character, and hope as you bask in His love, grace, peace, and power.

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

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