Author: rbeaird

IT IS NOT “If” I TRUST IT IS “Who” I TRUST…


Spiritual Blog - Trust

Jeremiah 17:5-8 – “Thus says the LORD: 

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”  NKJV

 

At the risk of being identified as one who focuses on the negative, I feel that I must address the Curse first.  I believe that the Curst pronounced by God can be seen in the Church of 2016.  What am I talking about?  TRUSTING FLESH.  Flesh, here, is not the physical body it is the nature in us, received by inheritance from our father Adam through the fall in the Garden of Eden.  If you will remember that Adam did not produce offspring until after he had transgressed God’s command.

Let me state emphatically that the essential motivation of Adam’s transgression was not the desire to do evil, but the desire to be independent of God.  That desire is found in all of Adam’s descendants.  It is THE FLESH – doing what we want, when we ant and how we want.  In Religion it “performs” and seeks approval by doing “righteous acts” without depending on the Supernatural Power of the Holy Spirit and Grace of God.  No matter how good the intentions, the final product will always be an Ishmael, not an Isaac.  It will be FLESH, not FAITH.

The Flesh of Man is corrupt!  Hebrews 6:1 identifies it as “dead works.”  Back to our text and topic, this person in Jeremiah 17:5 is not a stranger to the grace of God.  It calls him one “whose heart departs from the LORD.”  You can’t depart from what you have never known!  So, the one who has experienced  or known God’s Grace and turns back is trusting his own ability and thereby TRUSTING THE FLESH.  Jeremiah 17:6 gives a picture of the outworking of the curse in this individual’s life.  He lives in PARCHED PLACES and in a SALT LAND.  All that surrounds him is barren and dreary.  Others around him may be refreshed but it always eludes him and he lives in barrenness and frustration.  That is a terrible place!  He is like a bush in the desert having potential but no water needed to make it flourish.  He is in stony places where the soil is dry and shallow and not conducive for producing.  He will not see prosperity when it comes because he is spiritually blind and fruitless.  He lives in an uninhabited salt land where there is no reproduction and fruitlessness is the norm. That is a terrible condition!

THERE IS A DANGER we must note.  Every move of God of any significance in Christendom began with a powerful supernatural work of the Grace and Spirit of God.  God’s presence gave prominence not what they did but WHAT HE DID and WHO HE IS.  Over time, history reveals, they begin to rely on their natural abilities and do the best they can in their own abilities.  They MADE FLESH THEIR STRENGTH.  I will not charge that it was or is  malicious, but in reality, the hearts departed from God.  They may and many do gain religious and intellectual respectability but forfeit God’s Power and Presence.  What happens is the exaltation of the Carnal over the Spiritual. That is manifested in numerous ways some are:

  • Theology becomes exalted over Revelation.
  • Education is placed above Character.
  • Psychology overshadows Spiritual Discernment.
  • Program supersedes the Leading of the Spirit of God.
  • Eloquence desired above the Supernatural Power.
  • Reason replaces Faith.
  • Laws have more prominence than Love.

            The Lifeblood of any person or church is Relationship with God and the continual revelation of God’s person to His people.  If you shut that off, all you have is a study about God not the Living Presence of the LIVING GOD HIMSELF.  All those find their root in one basic error.  Putting man in a place God has reserved solely for Himself, through Christ’s finished work on the Cross.  In Galatians 3:1-10, Paul traces the problem from its source to its culmination and calls it WITCHCRAFT.  I know that will be troubling for some but read verse 1 and you will follow what I’m saying.  What has blinded the spiritual eyes and clouded the mind? What has covered the Cross so that whereas we could see God (Jeremiah 17:5) but now we cannot – – WHAT HAPPENED?  If we lose sight of the Grace of God in its fullness the inevitable result is returning or turning to a System of Religious Laws where we Trust the Flesh to Perform.

I will say more on this subject but pause here and pray that God grant you a new vision of Him and enable you to see any areas in which you are trusting flesh rather than God and run to the altar and receive His Presence today. 

           God bless you as you enjoy this day He has made and be overflowing with rejoicing and thanksgiving!

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WHO DECIDES WHAT IS AND IS NOT FOR TODAY BIBLICALLY?


Spiritual Blog - Pickiing

Mark 16:14-18 – “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  NKJV

 

My title question is a valid one and one that I have received more and varying answers than I could have imagined.  Some take this passage and relegate parts of it to bygone eras, the disciples, and the 1st Century Church and yet include other portions as valid for today.  Who makes that decision?  At what point in this passage did Jesus say, “This part is for now and this part will continue from generation to generation?”  I have had some use or attempt to use 1 Corinthians 13:10 as their argument against anything miraculous or the operation of the gifts of the spirit today.  It reads: “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will be done away.”  The assertion is that the recognized Bible fulfills that which is perfect and therefore many things are no longer valid or appropriate for today.

Hold on Nellie!  Let’s back up a few verses to 1 Corinthians 13:8 and begin evaluating what the apostle said in its fullness.  He said, “Love never fails…”  Okay, I get that God is love and God is eternal therefore if we are to experience, operate in and demonstrate God we will have love present always.  So far so good, right?  Then he says, “But whether there are prophecies, the will fail…”  So we toss prophecy out the window under this interpretation.  Next, he says, “Whether there are tongues, they will cease…”  The assertion is that tongues are not for today but what tongues are we talking about?  Then we come to a major problem where the apostle says, “Whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away…”  Now, who is going to argue that KNOWLEDGE has vanished and wouldn’t that be counterintuitive because the Bible dispenses knowledge and is filled with instructions to seek knowledge, but if we are to follow the interpretation to its logical conclusion we toss knowledge out the window too.  What are we left with?  LOVE.  Now, I would never argue that we’d be better off with love as the driving force for our world but how can we conclude that is what God was talking about?

What do we do with James 5:13-18?  “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. AND…”  The and… is important because the next words declare, “AND the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”    The remainder of that passage we take when it suits our doctrinal view and interpretation but reject when it touches things we have relegated to bygone eras.  Who decides which we can pick and choose? 

The writer of Hebrews makes a powerful statement and one that is difficult to square with the view that we are to take some of God’s promises and directives as valid for today and relegate others to history.  It says in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  If He is and then we come to 1 John 4:17 which speaks about perfected love and its power and then adds something spectacular, “…because as He is, so are we in this world.”  As He IS not was and not will be but AS HE IS, so are we in this, not the just next world.

I question why God would tell us to do something if He did not mean for us to do it.  Virtually all believers embrace, “Go into all the world and preach…”  However, many have declared that only the 1st-century church had miracles because they needed miracles to establish the church.  Let me ask, “If miracles got people’s attention back then, why do we think they would do less today?  If miracles opened doors for preaching the gospel then why would it do less today?”  I confess, I do not want to pick up snakes and have no intention of doing so.  However, I fully believe that were I, as happened to Paul, accidently encounter one I could expect God to perform a miracle for me.  Also, knowing that there is a literal side to this I am convinced there is also a spiritual aspect to the serpents and while the slithering critter is definitely in the scope interpretation I believe demonic powers are as well and that old serpent, the devil, and his crowd are also rendered powerless when we go in Jesus name.

Someone asked me if I believe in divine healing and I quickly answer yes.  I have personally experienced it in my own body.  Once was when I broke the radial head in my right arm playing softball in a church league.  I saw the X-rays and heard the reports of the doctors declaring that it was broken and depressed almost enough to require surgery.  Ten days later, at my insistence X-rays were taken and the diagnosis was a perfectly healthy right arm was in the film.  Bones do not heal in ten days but God healed mine.  Also, I had parathyroid cancer and my doctor declared that what had transpired was a miracle and beyond medical possibility.  I saw God heal my mother of a broken back where she was paralyzed.  I have seen other miracles of healing.  Then they asked, “Why is it that everyone doesn’t get healed?”  That is a perplexing question.  Some believe it is simply the lack of faith, but if I believed that a person was not healed because I did not manifest enough faith or faith, I would go into such depression or become so calloused that I would say, as I’ve heard said, “Well, they just didn’t have enough faith.”  The speaker excused themselves and blamed the person needing healing.  I can’t square that with James 5 nor can I square it with many other passages of scripture.  The real answer is I DON’T KNOW.  I believe in every promise God has given and understand that faith or the lack thereof is definitely a part of any equation but I also know that I am not God and some things I wrestle with and am not casually willing to just say, “Oh well, the providence of God” and absolve myself from responsibility.  No, I want to continually seek God to be and become a person that walks in the fullness of His promises and follows His directives fully.

So, I choose to believe that if God says it He means it and if He is, and He is, the same yesterday, today, and forever then what He declared to the apostles He speaks to me today.  You can agree or disagree and that I will leave to you and God to sort out.  But, if you are sick I will lay on of hands, anoint with oil, and pray and believe that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.

            God bless you as you enjoy all His blessings on this wonderful day!

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LET’S TALK ABOUT “Faith Gates”… [Part Two]


Spiritual Blog - Faith

1 John 5:4-5 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  NKJV

 

I hope that what we said yesterday did not leave the impression that everything is entirely dependent upon you alone.  God has HELPERS or HELPS to lead us on the right path.

Consider some examples:

  • THOMAS the Doubter.

God initiated the experience where Thomas’ faith was ignited and God is no respecter of persons as Acts 10:34 declares.  If He did it for Thomas, He will do it for you and me.

  • THE DISCIPLES on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24.

Imagine, those two disciples who had seen Jesus perform miracles.  They had seen the dead raised, the 5,000 fed, the water turned into wine, and much more.  Those disciples were walking to Emmaus weak in faith.  Their faith had degenerated to the point that it was little more than a whimsical wish.  Their words in verse 21 illustrated that reality, “We trusted (past tense) that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel.”

You have to grasp the reality that they were not anchoring their Faith in the redemption or resurrection of the Lord.  Jesus had spent three years with them and now He heard them speaking incredible doubt and unbelief.  How could they be rescued?  In verse 25, Jesus said, “O foolish ones, and slow heart to believe…”  Then in verse 27 He began at Moses and all the Prophets and walked them through the truth of God’s Word and Promises.  They still struggled and their faith floundered but when He appeared to them in verses 30-31 their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.  When they saw His hands their faith soared.  God has Faith Amplifiers that He will use to encourage us.

  • GIDEON in Judges 6 the Mighty Man of Valor.

Gideon exhibited some signs of cowardice at the time the angel appeared to him.  What happened to transform him into a Might Man of Valor?  God gave him a Word (Rhema). That word got into his ears, flowed through his mind and as he meditated on it that word got into his heart and FAITH soared.  His faith was transformed from the theoretical to the experiential and became realized reality.  I believe that is exactly what Paul was referring to in Romans 4:17, saying that God calls those things that be not as though they were.  In Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for (that which you actively anticipate), the evidence of things not seen.”  Evidence of the unseen?  That is where your imagination must become an active part of the process.  You see it in your mind through the spirit and then you reach for it.

  • ABRAHAM.

God told him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or the grains of sands on the seashore.  Those were constant reminders of the Promise.  Biblically there were two Israel’s – Sand = Natural or the Earthly and Stars = Spiritual or Faith.

The Holy Spirit will not only teach us the words of Jesus but use Faith Amplifiers to cause our faith to explode and soar moving us from the theoretical to the experiential or realized.  If we want to become that which God has designed and desired we must carefully guard the Gates of our Lives.

God bless you as you go through this day in Jesus!

 

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LET’S TALK ABOUT “Faith Gates”


Spiritual Blog - Gates

1 John 5:4-5 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  NKJV

 

It is my genuine desire that I, my family, and the Body of Christ rise above the theoretical into the realized experience of the Victorious Plateau of KNOWING who we are in Christ and fully enjoy, embrace, and experience our FULL INHERITANCE in Christ.  I would suggest a number of passages for you to read as you consider this topic:  [1 John 5:4-5; Hebrews 11:6; Mark 11:22; Galatians 2:20; Romans 10:17; Matthew 17:20; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23] 

I believe it is obvious that FAITH is an absolutely essential quality or characteristic in the life of the Child of God. I also believe that DOUBT and UNBELIEF are incredible enemies of the life-walk of faith.  FAITH and DOUBT, to be active in a life must come out of the HEART.  Therefore, if I am to KNOW who I am in Christ and move from the theoretical to the experiential reality, there are some things that must happen in our lives.

  • We must be Born-Again – – [1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:3; John 10:27]
  • We must apply ourselves to Discovering our Inheritance – – [2 Timothy 2:15]
  • We must discipline ourselves to Do what He Directs – – [Romans 10:17; Luke 8:21; Matthew 21:29; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Psalm 119:11]

For Faith to become a reality in my life it must move from the theoretical (mental) into the experiential (heart) producing a settle confidence of knowing.  The ultimate result is that we must become one with Christ.  Therefore, there are a few obvious thing that must come into focus.  I believe there a number of Gates we should consider and be aware of beneficial to our understanding and spiritual progress.

There is the EYE GATE – – The Visual or what I see or allow myself to view.

There is the EAR GATE – – The audio, what I hear, listen to or allow myself to hear.

There is the MIND GATE – – The Imagination, that upon which I meditate and evaluate.

There is the WILL GATE – – This is my choices, that which I choose.

Everything that comes through the Gate of my eyes and ears enters into my mind affects my will or willing.  The Bible speaks to our response regarding what we allow, in Ephesians 4:27 we are instructed to give no place to the devil and in Matthew 5:29; 18:9 and Mark 9:47 give clear direction as to what we allow entrance through the Gates of Life.  In fact Philippians 4:8 gives an extensive list of things to allow in our minds for meditation and ultimate entry into our hearts.  If we think, meditate, study or ponder these things they will get into our hearts and then Proverbs 23:7 becomes reality and we become what we focus on or become transformed by those things.

When anything stands before my Eye Gate, Ear Gate or Mind Gate I can choose its disposition, but when it gets into my heart I may find that I need to be rescued from its destructive impact.  Remember it got there by an exercise of choice or My Will.  The Eyes and Ears can only report. The Mind meditates, contemplates, associates, connects and rationalizes.  The Will chooses according to its strongest foundation either the flesh or the spirit, the world or the word of God.  I would offer a word of caution, that you do not try to avoid the use of the various Gates but you allow the Holy Spirit to utilize them to build a strong foundation of the Will where we recognize, discern and properly respond to all things that come to us and through us.

The Psalmist prayed in Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”  And in Psalm 101:3 declared, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes…”  Job spoke of making a covenant with his eyes and that is a promise I made to my wife when we married.  What we SEE, HEAR, and THINK have the potential to increase and strengthen our Faith or deter it.  If I see, hear, and think speaking fear, doubt, and question THEN I will choose that and DOUBT will reign in my heart.  But, if I address it when it is in my mind I can, by the help of the Holy Spirit, I can bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

I want to say more but will pause here for this devotional and ask that you digest what has been presented as the Holy Spirit moves you toward a strong condition of faith.  God bless you richly is my prayer!

 

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OUR COMMISSION FROM CHRIST…


Spiritual Blog - Commimssion

Matthew 28:18-20 – “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.   NKJV

 

As we consider our Commission from the Lord Jesus Christ there are several factors important to entertain.  Our text is the basis for the Commission and is based on the Authority of Jesus.  We are informed in Ephesians 1:7 that we have been redeemed through His blood and therefore candidates for the Commission.  In Colossians 1:13 we discover we have experienced a transfer of kingdoms.  Our citizenship has shifted from the kingdom of darkness to God’s kingdom of light.  Then in Colossians 2:11-17 we find that Jesus “legally” owns us, has “legal” standing to seek for us and His authority is backed by the full force and authority of Heaven’s Power.

Why are those things important?  It shows that our Commission is not just a directive to go search for whoever might be interested, but is a RESCUE MISSION for all those who Jesus bought and paid for with His blood on the Cross.  In a very real sense, we are “plucking them as brands from the burning.”  In Matthew 16:18 our Lord makes us aware of a powerful encouragement that even the powers of hell are powerless against us saying that, the gates of hell cannot prevail against His church.  I want you to catch the truth and powerful encouragement that we are sent or commissioned on the basis of God’s Supreme Redemptive Authority to RESCUE THE PERISHING!  We are empowered and sent as Representatives of Heaven.  In a very genuine sense, His Power is now our power because we are His commissioned representatives.

Mark 16:15-18 has a direct connection to this overall commission.  We are to go IN HIS NAME which means we are representing all He is, does, and will do.  We have been given legal standing and authority over all the powers of darkness, including demons, dangers, and diseases.  Therefore, in the light of our commission to go, we go in His Stead and in His Power.  We have been given biblical and legal authority to bind demons, defeat danger, and destroy disease.  We may or may not be doing that but it is the biblical commission.  That is an incredible Weapon if we can believe it and learn to use it.  In the biblical record, it is first “bind the strong man” then “spoil his house.”  The devil’s claim on man has been revoked by Jesus’ sacrificial work on the Cross.

If we link the statements of Mark 16 with Evangelism we can see the incredible power afforded to the followers or disciples of our Lord.  When a person is free from the satanic bondage they are more readily able to hear the message of the Gospel.  We have been promised divine protection and have the promise that the sick will be healed as an expression and demonstration of the Love of God, which also opens new doors to proclaim the message of the Cross.  We have also been afforded the Spiritual power and authority to pray in the Spirit and even when we do not know how to pray as we should the Holy Spirit does and prays through us.  These thoughts make my heart rejoice and increases my anticipation daily.

  • The Commission is GO.

This is clearly the soul winning part of the commission and the starting point.  Until we actually launch out we have no hope of filling our nets with fish (souls).

  • The Commission is MAKE DISCIPLES.

This the grounding and anchoring of the new convert.  It is not enough to win converts we need to equip them for walking the walk and living the life.  We are to disciple and that means investment in individual lives imparting to them the Word and Wisdom of God.  It means an investment of TIME! 

  • The Commission is to BAPTIZE THEM.

Some have overlooked that this is the responsibility of the Evangelist or Soul Winner.  We do not just win them and leave them floundering on the shore.  We invest time or ensure that time is invested in making disciples of them and we lead them in the public declaration that is evidenced in baptism.

  • The Commission carries PROMISE.

Jesus said, “I am with you all the time and until the end of your earthly journey.”  What a Promise!  We take the message of John 3:16 with the knowledge that those who come to Christ will have their names in the Lamb’s Book of Life and can look forward to eternity with God, but also that in the interim they can go in total confidence that HE IS WITH THEM.  Our love for others and the lost should be easily demonstrated because of His Love for us.  I suppose that we could say that if love can be measured at all it can be measured in our desire and willingness to please and obey Him.

I pray that you are never hesitant or timid about sharing the reason for the hope that is in you and demonstrating the Love of God in today’s world.   God bless you as you embark on this leg of your journey in Christ.

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WE NEED TO LEARN TO HARNESS OUR HARVEST…


Spiritual Blog - Harvest Law

Galatians 6:7-10 – “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  NKJV

 

In talking to some I have discovered they do not believe we can have or should expect a harvest in this life.  They relegate all blessings to the next life or eternity.  I am totally convinced there is not one person among us who does not need, want or desire a harvest in some area in their life.  That may be financial, in matters of faith, regarding family or relationships, and even direction in life.  If we are honest, all of us have some area in our lives where the outcome of the harvest is a major factor in the present as well as the future.  I would also suggest that A HARVEST IS COMING because we have all been sowing seeds of some kind.  That harvest may be good or bad depending on the seed we have sown.

I believe it is tremendously important that we understand harvest.  In the natural, there are laws that operate on every principle.  Therefore, it stands to reason that there must be laws with regard to harvest in the spiritual and directly impacts believers.  I have learned that these Laws of Harvest are universal and affect believers and unbelievers alike.  Yet, the believer has even greater promise and hope.  In fact, the Bible declares that for the heirs, the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22).  So, I would like to take a little time and highlight some of the principles of God’s Laws of Harvest and how they affect you and me.  Hopefully, the brief mention of them will inspire in your heart a desire and hunger to dig more deeply and discover the truths therein for you.

  • Seed Must Be Sown Before You Can Have A Harvest.

John 12:24, “…except a grain of wheat falls into the ground… it abides alone…”  The seed [act, deed, money, etc.] has to be placed in the ground [sown or planted] in the ground before there can be any prospect or hope of Harvest.  No Sowing, No Reaping!

  • The Sown Seed Must Be Rendered Useless.

John 12:24 applies here as well.  The seed [act, deed, money, etc.] enters into a state of uselessness to the sower.  He cannot eat it or otherwise use it.  That seed DIES and once it dies the process of multiplication begins but it only begins once it leaves your control.

  • The Seed Must Be Sown To Determine The Type Of Harvest.

Genesis 1:12, “…herb yield seed after his kind.”  What you plant determines what you harvest.  You don’t plant peas and get corn.

  • The Size Of The Harvest Is Determined At The Time Of Planting.

2 Corinthians 9:6 TLB, “…a farmer who plants just a few seed will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much.”  You do not wait until the Day of Harvest to determine what the harvest will be, that is done at the time of planting.  I would suggest that abundance is preferred to a shortage in a good harvest so that should be our rule of sowing.  Psalm 35:27, “…let the Lord be magnified, which has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.”

  • The Seed Must Be Sown In Good Soil.

Matthew 13:8, “…other (seed) fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.”  It is only Good Ground that produces the good harvest naturally, therefore only Good Ground will produce a good harvest spiritually.  A passage that has lived with me for years is Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  The key is IT.  Whatever you give you harvest it is the IT Factor of Harvest.

  • Harvest Is Always AFTER or LATER Than Sowing.

Mark 4:26-27 addresses this and virtually the only instant harvest in life is sowing a Big Smile which often produces an immediate harvest.  Virtually all other harvests take time.  Patience is an absolute requirement.  You can dig up the seed to see what is happening with it.  You plant it and leave it planted.  It is in DUE SEASON we reap.

  • The Crop Must Be Cared For To Have A Full Harvest.

Matthew 13:7 addresses this identifying the possibility of thorns choking out the good seed or plants and destroying the harvest.  You can’t leave your seed unprotected in a hostile environment and expect a harvest.  The insects, birds, weeds, drought, etc. will attempt to destroy your harvest.  Matthew 6:33 gives us a pathway to harvest in instructing us to SEEK FIRST God and His Kingdom.

  • The Sowing Must Always Be To The Harvest Size Rather Than From The Harvest Size.

You sow to your desired harvest!

  1. Expenses Are Always Greatest At Harvest Time.
  2. A Portion Of Every Harvest Is For Future Sowing Not Eating. [You never want a one-time harvest of good things.]
  3. A Portion of Every Harvest Is For Eating Or Personal Consumption.
  4. Every Harvest Is A Miracle. 

2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

Let me conclude in this long devotional with these thoughts.  The type of Harvest is determined by the type of Seed.  The size of the Harvest is determined by the amount of Seed sown. The fullness of the Harvest is determined by the care of the Crop in the growing process.  We Reap WHAT we Sow.  We Reap LATER than we Sow.  We Reap MORE than we Sow.  Rest assured  there is a Harvest coming and what you sow determines the type of harvest.  God bless you as you go through this beautiful day in Him.

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FOR GOD SO LOVED…


Spiritual Blog - Love

John 3:16-18 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  NKJV

 

I hear a lot about LOVE not only in church but from various sources and sometimes it is difficult to fully determine exactly what is meant by the term.  Sometimes the word love is used for lust, covetousness or passionate desire.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs LOVE and everyone desires to love and be loved.  There is something in the human makeup which craves love.  I would venture to say that, without love we perish.  Jesus was and is our example in all things and especially in love.  Jesus provides for us through the Inspired Record (Bible), a pattern for life and living.  He demonstrates His truth by His life and when He speaks of LOVE, He demonstrates and illustrates love by His life.

LOVE can only be known or is shown by the actions it prompts.  God’s love is seen in the Gift of His Son.  1 John 4:9-10, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”  BUT, this Love is not the result of any excellence in us or due to any intrinsic worth on our part.  Romans 5:8, “But God commanded His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  This Love is an exercise in the Divine Will in deliberate choice, based on the very nature of God.  Deuteronomy 7:7-8 – “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”   Also, 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 

There are several points to which I feel the need to draw attention as revealed in our text passage.  Consider with me:

FOR GOD SO LOVED…

Probably every Sunday school child could quote John 3:16.  It is, without a doubt, the most popular and most used verse in the Bible.  It is also one of the most meaningful and powerful verses in the Bible… GOD LOVED!  Those are not empty words but a statement filled with depth and meaning far beyond human ability to fully understand.  “For God So Loved…”  He not only loved but loves, but He LOVES UNLIMITEDLY.  God SO LOVED!  He loves and loved in an almost incomprehensible measure.

  • God Is Love.

1 John 4:8b, “God is love…”

1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter illustrates the vastness of Love.  When we consider the Love of God we realize that He saw man’s condition yet loved. He saw man’s rebellion but yet He loved!  Our Lord, the Bible declares, is moved with compassion toward His creation.  I have often said that God is far more willing to pardon than judge.  He desires to restore rather than destroy.  He wants to bless not condemn.

  • God’s Love Is Everlasting.

Romans 8:37-39, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”    Our love is often fickle, flexible, and changeable.  Our love, for the most part, is conditional and rises or falls, increases or decreases based on conditional circumstance.  God loves us without condition and loves us regardless of our response.

I may not know all the right words to say or things to do.  I may not know much scripture or have the proper interpretation.  I may even be wrong in many of my theological and philosophical views.  I may stumble and transgress.  I may become fearful and fretting.  BUT, even in all that HE STILL LOVES ME!  That is not to say that God winks at or excuses sin, nor does He overlook rebellion!  He does love the world (people) enough to FORGIVE FOREVER!

  • God’s Love Is A Holy Love.

Agape is the word to describe God’s Love and His love demands that He be merciful, but just and His love is extended to WHOSOEVER WILL.

  • God’s Love Is Complete.

There is nothing lacking in the Love of God.  It sees the need for redemption and acts.  It lovingly leads to truth and life.  It satisfied the void and longing in the heart of hearts.  It is impossible to outrun God’s Love and we cannot refuse to be loved. We may reject God, but He will continue to love us.  It is as we understand the Love of God that we comprehend the impact of the statement, “For God so loved the world that He gave…”  That passage includes each of us and is God’s continual call for us to COME!

            God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him!

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TYPES and SHADOWS – First the Natural, then the Spiritual…


Spiritual Blog - Types and Shadows

Exodus 19:3-6 – “And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”  NKJV

 

As I have studied this passage I found it to be fascinating.  We know in studying the Bible that the things that happened and were taught and demonstrated in Israel through Moses were types and shadows of heavenly things to come.  They were examples and to serve as tutors for us to help us understand from a spiritual perspective what was being demonstrated in the natural.  A good rule to always remember is “first the natural, then the spiritual.”  It is also wise to remember that the spiritual is virtually always a “progressive revelation.”  There are a number of things to be gleaned from this passage that can benefit us in our understanding of God’s Kingdom and our Purpose and Promise today.

  • GOD WANTED THEM TO BE A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS.

I ask that you examine some pertinent facts in these verses.  First, He (God) bore them on EAGLES WINGS.  He would carry them to their destination rather than them getting there on their own strength. All their victories would be as a result of His hand, not their might, wisdom, power, or ability.  That is something we need to always keep in the forefront of our minds regarding the things and purposes of God.  It is not us, it is Him.

Second, there was a condition attached to His Promise.  They had to “obey His voice, and keep His covenant.”  That is a condition that God places on virtually every Promise in the Bible.  Deuteronomy 11:26-28, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing IF you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse IF you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.”  So many other passages that you are familiar with leaving us with only one conclusion that to have God’s Promises there is a Condition.

Third, we come to the Promise.  They would be God’s SPECIAL TREASURE and they were to become a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS.  Both are powerfully important as are all God’s Promises but if we understand that the things that happened to them were to be examples for us and point to our promises in a New Covenant established on better promises.

Consider what this means to the nation of Israel and then relate that to us today in the Body of Christ.  The Covenant of God contained some incredible provisions and promises, not the least of which was they would be GOD’S POSSESSION, His TREASURED TREASURE.  Think about being God’s Treasure for a moment.  We protect our treasures, do we not?  We guard our treasures and keep it safe, so we can walk in the confidence that IF we meet the conditions we can receive the promises and walk in the protection of the Almighty as HIS TREASURE.  That should put a spring in your step.

But He did not stop there, He also said they were to become a KINGDOM OF PRIESTS or that is what they were supposed to become and a Holy Nation.  So long as they walked in His Covenant and met His conditions (not that they earned anything) but in their obedience. they could expect His Provision, Protection and fulfill His Purpose.  No enemy could stand before them so long as they walked in that condition.  What does the New Testament declare of us?  We are a Holy Nation, a Royal Priesthood, a Chosen Generation and that we are more than conquerors through Jesus. 

  • THEIR REACTION TO GOD SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THEM.

When Moses gave them this word they unanimously and in unison declared, “We will do it!” Then God came and talked to them directly and they panicked and told Moses, “You speak to God and tell us what He says, but don’t let God talk to us directly.” [Exodus 20:19]. That was a problem then and is a problem now when the Kingdom of Priests do not hear from the LORD but want to get the message second hand.

We need to take personal responsibility for HEARING GOD for ourselves.  Today, many are terrified of a speaking God and have relegated God’s speaking to times past.  They want God to work in their lives but do not want to come near enough to HEAR HIS VOICE because that is too frightening and dangerous.  Coming into the Holy of Holies requires purity of heart, proper order, obedience and holds great responsibility and accountability.  We’d rather someone else enter in and then tell us what God says and if anything goes wrong we can blame them.

God is a speaking God and still speaks to men’s hearts today.  It is now time that we come out of the shadows and press into His presence and HEAR GOD today.  Our world is in dire need of the Voice of God to overcome the evil being demonstrated.  In the types and shadows concerning Israel, we see much of God’s purpose for the Church and each believer.

God bless you as you go through this beautiful and wonderful day!

Spiritual Blog - Types

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PRAYING THE PROMISES OF GOD…


Spiritual Blog - Promises and Prayer

Matthew 16:19 – “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  NKJV

 

My text verse is probably not one that you have used regarding PRAYER but I believe it is soundly rooted in prayer’s purpose and power.  I do not believe that any student of the Bible can conclude that prayer is unimportant to God or in the life of a believer.  The Bible is filled with passages that call people or encourage people to pray and the life of Jesus was marked with the time He spent in prayer.  A passage we should never forget is found in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind.  Does He speak and then not act?  Does He promise and not fulfill?”  Clearly, the message is that HE DOES NOT fail to do that which He has declared.  If God’s will and desire are to GIVE US THE KINGDOM and FULFILL HIS PROMISES then some of us may need to change our attitudes about prayer.  We need, I believe, to learn to PRAY THE PROMISES and even PLEAD THE PROMISES in our prayers.

D.L. Moody is credited with the quote, “Each word or promise of God can be traced back to a form of kneeling.  If you tarry at a promise God will meet you there.”  That is powerful.  Moody related an incident which changed his attitude and approach to prayer that transpired when he was a young minister.  He believed God had called him to ‘plant churches’ and one of his first acts was to initiate prayer meetings.  He related that one of the first he attended was attended by an elderly Methodist minister.  When that minister prayed, Moody instantly knew there was something different about his praying and that this man was tapping into heaven when he prayed.  Moody said, “As I prayed, God was way out there, listening in the distance and the answer was also far off in the distance.  This preacher prayed as though God were there with them in person and the answers were current realities.”  The preacher’s name was Ambrose Whaley, a retired blacksmith and Methodist lay preacher.  Moody, asked if he could pray with Whaley.  The old minister took him to a barn, up a ladder to a haystack where two large Bibles lay and one was open.  Moody wondered what this meant but did not ask and he prayed first and poured out his heart, needs, burdens, aspirations, and ambitions before God, then the old minister prayed and it was totally different.  Moody, inquired as to his secret of prayer for the old minister seemed to literally touch heaven with his prayers.  Ambrose Whaley looked him in the eyes and said, “You man, learn to plead the promises of God!”  Moody, as many of us, prayed with fervency, zeal, urgency, and ambition but one thing was missing.  The missing ingredient was FAITH. 

Where does faith come from?  The Word of God.  Moody, listened to this elderly preacher plead the promises like a lawyer would present a case in court.  He would remind God of Promise after Promise not so much to change God’s mind but to bring to the fore in his own heart and mind the truth and reality of the Promises of God.  It was producing and building FAITH as he PLED THE PROMISES.  As he prayed, Moody could hear the Holy Spirit pouring in His assurances of the validity and reality of the Promises and FAITH soared in the words of this preacher.

Find the Promises of God and PRAY THE PROMISES.  Find the Promises of God and PLEAD THEM.  Find the Promises of God and meditate upon them.  Find the Promises of God and remind yourself of the truth and reality that “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  PRAY THE PROMISES with confidence that the Promises of God are meant to be realized in our lives here on earth!

            God bless you as you go through this wonderful day in Him!

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PRAYER – PROMISE – PROPHECY…


Spiritual Blog - Promises

2 Corinthians 1:20 – “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”  NKJV

1 Timothy 1:18-20 – “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”  NKJV

 

In my years of ministry, I have sometimes asked questions that I do not have the complete answer for and was chastened by an attorney for that.  He said, “Roy, no good lawyer would ever ask a question, in court, which he did not know the answer.”  He was telling me that I should never ask a question for which I had no definitive answer or one that I was still studying.  My attitude is that if my question opens the further discussion, causes more prayer, and facilitates deeper study in the pursuit of godliness and the advancement of the kingdom, I believe it good.

I have asked, in preaching and teaching, “What is the purpose of prayer?”  I’m not sure that anyone can exhaustively answer that and sometimes the attempts become exhausting, but if we are to “pray without ceasing”, as Paul instructs in 1 Thessalonians 5, there must be a benefit and reason for the practice.  The oft quoted and much-needed passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a definitive call to prayer for nations and peoples and is a call to prayer with promise.  So, my question is, “What is the purpose of prayer?”  Maybe I should ask, “What happens when we pray?”  Are we changing God’s mind in our prayer?  Most would say, NO!  Our Lord Jesus made a powerful statement and often troubling one when He responded to the disciples’ request to teach them to pray.  He said, “…For your, Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”  Well, if He knows what I need then why am I praying?  Why doesn’t He just take care of my needs without me having to pray?  If prayer is not informative for Him or a tool to change His mind, what is the purpose?

Jesus was a man of prayer and in Luke 18 He began a parable about a widow’s persistence in petitioning a judge by saying, “…men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”  In the case of the unjust judge, the persistence wearied him and he changed his mind or agreed to consider the case.  God is not an unjust or uncaring judge, so what would prayer’s purpose be, for us, in this example?  I believe that prayer’s greatest power is two-fold in human lives and human events.

PRAYER is a means of changing or transforming our hearts. That is where PRAYING THE PROMISES comes to the fore, in my mind.  We are reminding ourselves of the Promises of God and as Paul instructed Timothy, as we pray the Prophecies and Promises we do warfare spiritually.  We plant seeds of faith in the fertile ground of our hearts.  If the Promises of God are all YES in Jesus that means, to me, if God promised it, His desire is to bring it to fruition in our lives.  If they are AMEN, in Him, I believe that indicates our involvement in the process.  Amen means “so be it”.  It could be defined as “acknowledgment of a things truth and certainty.”  A Promise, a Blessing or a Prophecy is not complete until it is received and in Prayer, we are saying AMEN to the Promises of God.  In that process we are allowing the truth and reality of the Promise to stay in the forefront of our minds, dwell richly and deeply in our hearts, and as we pray the Promise that Truth transforms our hearts and causes us to gravitate toward the Heart and Purpose of God.  It is a Seed of Faith which continual prayer waters allowing germination and ultimately the producing of the Fruit of Promise.

PRAYER is an act of submission on our part and an open invitation to God to come into our lives and do that which is needed to produce the Promise, Blessing or Prophecy in our lives.  If God made a Promise there can be no doubt of His desire or willingness to bring it to pass in our lives and 1 John 5:14-15 reads, “Now this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”  THAT IS POWERFUL!  Someone said there are 7,959 Promises in Scripture that God made directed toward man.  If we were to pray one Promise each day it would take 22 years to pray them all.  Caleb lived 40 years on one promise.  He prayed the promise, proclaimed it, and lived his life reaching for it.  How much more faith-filled and purpose driven would our lives be if we PRAYED THE PROMISES of God daily in our lives?

Prayer, therefore, has more to do with the human heart than the heart of God but the Bible is filled with directives, from God, for a man to pray.  I would suggest that without prayer we will not move into or onto the Promised Land or the Promises of God for our lives.  The Promises will largely remain, wishful thoughts and hopes but not visible realities and through Prayer, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in keeping the Promises and Prophecies before us and as we gaze on them we are transformed by them.  It is as we pray that our hearts are turned to the Purposes of God and the Transformation takes place, thus opening the door for the fulfillment.

I have not fully answered my original question but I hope that I have given you something that will encourage you to PRAY.  Rather than attempting to convince God to change His mind let’s allow the Holy Spirit to change ours and realize that it is true, “the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.”  If God promised it, He wants to bring it to pass in our lives.

            God bless you as you embark on this day’s journey in Christ!

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