Author: rbeaird

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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ARE WE AFRAID OF THE WILL OF GOD? [Continued]…


Spiritual Blog - Will of God

Proverbs 3:5-8 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.  8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”  NKJV

 

When we KNOW the Will of God for our lives and are convinced of that will we can GIVE THANKS in all things!  That is a powerful place spiritually and affords us such peace that people will often wonder about us and possibly seek to know our secret.

In Colossians 1:12-13, the apostle Paul speaks of “giving thanks unto the Father who has… made us FIT [capable] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.”  Paul is not saying MAYBE, he is saying God has ALREADY made us capable or fit, in Jesus, to be partakers of our inheritance.  That is not a promise to be realized after we die and go to heaven IT IS NOW!  In Colossians 4:12, Paul instructed, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand PERFECT and COMPLETE in ALL the Will of God.”  [Emphasis mine].  Paul’s prayer was for them and us to KNOW and DO the Will of God for our lives.  Clearly, it is possible to KNOW the Will of God else why pray such a prayer?

In Romans 12:1-2, an often quoted passage we read, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”   TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our minds is a powerful image and is the same word used to describe what happened to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.  God remolds our minds from within.

When God TRANSFORMS us in our minds we think differently than we have every thought.  I heard an illustration that fits in illustrating this truth and reality.  Imagine a little boy looking through a knothole in a fence at a parade going by on the street. He can see only a small portion of the parade at any given time.  If he sees a clown he is full of laughter and joy but if he sees a lion he is filled with trepidation and fear.  If there is a space between the band and the acrobats he may think the parade is over.  It would or could be a very frustrating experience attempting to evaluate a parade only on the basis of what he can or cannot see at any given moment.  Then suppose his big brother invites him to the top of the fence where he can see the entire parade, not just small segments, his view would be completely different.  Sadly, too often we are viewing life through a knothole and our elder brother Jesus is inviting us to rise to the top of the fence and see what He sees.  Ephesians 2:6, “And (He) has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

Someone said to me, “Keep looking up” and I said, “No, I need to keep looking down because I am sitting with Jesus in heavenly places and am not under the circumstances but looking down on them from God’s perspective.”   Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

             Sometimes we see a promise in Scripture and claim it only to find that those we love and respect do not respond positively.  Then, over time, we lose heart and begin to complain, “Ever since I began to claim God’s Promise, things have gotten worse.”  Well, PRAISE THE LORD!  I had a preacher tell me once, “The man who is angry is nearer to God than the man who is indifferent.”  Romans 12:2 gives a practical outline for mind renewal.  Do not let the world squeeze you into its mold and embrace the changing of your mind by the Spirit of God.  Romans 12:1, tells us exactly how to do that.  We do so by deliberately giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, we open the door for God’s transformation to sweep through our entire beings.

We can fear the Will of God or embrace it and in embracing it we will find that it requires a COMPLETE OVERHAUL or TRANSFORMATION of us from the inside out.  God bless you as you embark on the rest of life’s journey beginning with this beautiful day in Jesus!

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ARE WE AFRAID OF THE WILL OF GOD?


Spiritual Blog - Will of God

Proverbs 3:5-8 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.  8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”  NKJV

 

Let me make a bold statement and hopefully not lose anyone before we begin.  Most Christians major in minors.  We pray: “Lord, help me make this payment, find a new job, get a new car, etc.”  Those should be minor concerns but often are at the top of our lists.  Before you reject my statement and challenge me I suggest we consider how the apostle Paul viewed and approached daily life.  I find this revealed in a powerful way in his prayer for the new church at Colossae in Colossians 1:9, “…we…do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of HIS WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”  [Emphasis mine].

I believe that the basic underlying premise for all Divine Guidance is that it is possible to KNOW the will of God.  If it is possible to KNOW God’s will then that knowing should be at the top of our list of prayer list.  Remember the prayer when Jesus responded to the disciple’s request, “Lord teach us to pray.”  Do the words, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” resonate in your spirit.  THY WILL BE DONE…  We are not likely to do the will of God unless we know the will of God, therefore the pursuit of knowing should be a top priority.

Man was made to have communion and fellowship with God.  God created man with the ability to KNOW God and in KNOWING God man would also know the WILL OF GOD.  Rebellion broke the lines of communication in the Garden but through the Last Adam, Jesus, those lines have been restored affording us the intimacy of fellowship with God.  If we are to KNOW the Will of God we must learn to walk in intimate fellowship with Him.  Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”  The FIRST must be God, His kingdom, and righteousness in which we find the will of God and then those things we put at the top of our prayer lists become secondary items because they fall within the “AND SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU.”

The apostle Paul understood what transpired in a person’s life when that individual came to KNOW the Will of God.  In Colossians 1:10-12 he lists seven (7) expected results and I will highlight them in the passage for your consideration.

Colossians 1:10-12 – “That you might WALK WORTHY of the Lord UNTO ALL PLEASING, being FRUITFUL in every good work, and INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE of God; STRENGTHENED with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all PATIENCE and LONGSUFFERING with JOYFULNESS; giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us FIT TO BE PARTAKERS of the inheritance of the saints in light…”  [Emphasis mine].

If we are to WALK WORTHY of the Lord we must KNOW what He wants from us, right?  Jesus walked UNTO ALL PLEASING.  He was a FATHER PLEASER!  That should be our daily prayer, “Father, I want to be a son/daughter who pleases you.”  However, many people are SELF-PLEASERS, others are MAN-PLEASERS but until we mature and come to the place that the overwhelming drive and desire in our heart are to be GOD-PLEASERS we will NEVER fully understand the will of God in our lives.  Let me insert, it is only by DOING the will of God that our lives truly become FRUITFUL.  Imagine an apple tree praying, “Lord, please bring forth apples from my life.”  NO!  An apple tree would not pray to bear apples because bearing apples what it was made for and what it does.  It has to bring forth the LIFE that is in it, that is what it was created for.  It does not have to strain or struggle to bear apples, fruit should come naturally as a result of the life that is in the apple tree.  The same is true of our lives!

As we KNOW the Will of God we increase in the knowledge of God and are strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.  That is the real strength!  Too often we focus on our weaknesses rather than God’s strength and I have had people on numerous occasions ask me to pray that they would have more strength, joy, victory, etc.  That is not necessarily bad or wrong but I would suggest that as we seek to know the Will of God for our lives we should remember that one of Paul’s requests was that they are strengthened with all might according to God’s glorious power UNTO all patience and longsuffering with joy.  What does that tell you?  It should convey the understanding that in the Will of God and our walk therein we will face times where those are needed. That means it will not always be smooth sailing and instant answers.  The biblical promise is that when we KNOW we are in the Will of God we can withstand any hardship and do so with a quiet confidence and joy!  It is when we do not know for certain that confusion comes through the front door and patience heads out the back door.  Patience (hupomone) means to remain standing when everyone else has collapsed.  It is when you know that you know that you know you can give THANKS IN ALL THINGS!

I cannot simply end here for there is another thought or two that I feel needs to be inserted so I will pause and pray that God grant you KNOWLEDGE of His will in all things and at all times in your journey.  God bless you richly is my prayer!

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THE “IS”-NESS OF GOD…


Spiritual Blog - God Is

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God…”  NKJV

In taking only a portion of a verse I am always concerned with missing the context but in this case, I believe it appropriate to do so.  Read the verse with me and notice it speaks of the “beginning” or the starting point or origination and then it offers the most captivating thought one could encounter, GOD.  In the beginning God.  That leaps off the page when I read it for it speaks of the “IS”-NESS” of God.  God IS not simply WAS or WILL BE but HE IS.

Have you considered how many times the Bible says, “God IS” and then conveys a truth that is life changing?  I will not attempt to exhaust the references but they are numerous but could we consider some of them in hopes of building your faith and confidence in Him.

GOD IS TRUTH…

He is present truth not simply past truth or future truth but PRESENT TRUTH.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…”  Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent (change His mind).  Has He not said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”  He is TRUTH and we know from John 8:32 that TRUTH liberates and makes free.  That freedom is Salvation and the New Birth.  The “IS”-NESS” of God inspires our hearts and gives us a complete contrast to the devil whom Jesus said in John 8:44, is a liar, the father of lies, and the truth is not in him.  It is in the “IS”-NESS of GOD that we find the freedom and revelation of TRUTH.

GOD IS LOVE…

He is NOW LOVE not simply God has love but He IS love.  That is the “IS”-NESS” of God coming to light again.  In 1 John 4, there are numerous references to this truth as John declares GOD is LOVE.  The apostle Paul highlighted a truth that should encourage our hearts in Hebrews 13:8 declaring that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Taking from that revelation we can anchor in our hearts the reality that God was love in the past, will be love in the future and is love in the present.  Then when we view the extent of that love in John 3:16 we should be brought to our knees in humble adoration, appreciation, and awe.  God loved us enough that Jesus would die on the Cross for our sin.  God’s Love is found in His “IS”-NESS.

GOD IS LIGHT…

When darkness covered the world God spoke and called forth light for that is what He is and light dispels darkness.  1 John 1:5 tells us that, “…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”  He is completely devoid of darkness and light is more than truth it is a revelation and affords guidance.  The Psalmist declared in 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Jesus, the Bible declares in John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

God is the truth, love, light, life and the whole of the IS-NESS of GOD can be found in God’s declaration to Moses at the burning bush when Moses insisted on knowing God’s name.  God declared in Exodus 3:14, “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.'”   I “AM” not simply was or will be but I AM.  The “IS”-NESS of God declares to us the NOW REALITY of Who God is, what God does, and what God has for His children.

He is love.  He is power.  He is truth.  He is light.  He is life.  He is a consuming fire.  He is mercy.  He is longsuffering.  He is THE LIVING GOD.  Some want to declare in the thinking of the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche that “God is dead” but I’m here to declare that GOD’S NOT DEAD.  No, No, No HE IS so rejoice in the “IS”-NESS of GOD.  I encourage you to grasp the “IS”-NESS of God and as you discover the powerful revelations of His word and experience the awesomeness of His person you will find a new boldness and confidence in the face of the world’s darkness.

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

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IS DIVINE GUIDANCE POSSIBLE? – – [Continued]


Spiritual Blog - Guidance

Isaiah 35:8 – “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.  The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others.  Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.”  NKJV

 

Once you have received Jesus as your personal Savior, received the Holy Spirit, and have committed yourself to reading and studying the Bible more, accepting it as truth, do those facts mean that you have become exempted from the “wisdom from below”?  Does it mean that we have automatically become attuned to the “Wisdom from Above”?  Does that mean you will automatically HEAR GOD and receive DIVINE GUIDANCE?  You already know the answer is NO!

One of the problems is we do not always realize that we are constantly being exposed to the counterfeit wisdom birthed and belched out of hell.  We have a clear promise in Scripture that we can KNOW the mind and will of God in any matter, there is also a warning to “beware the false guidance and false sources.”  I have, over the years, realize and been disturbed by the reality that some well-meaning believers have turned to dangerous sources and methods of guidance that are anti-biblical.  I am specifically referring to “Familiar Spirits.”

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 – “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.”  NKJV 

Let me list some sources that are contrary to Truth and Light and should be avoided:

Divination – – Fortune Tellers.   Observers of the Times – – Astrologers.   Enchanters – – Genuine Magicians.  Witches – – Sorcerers.   Charmers – – Hypnotist.   Consulters of Familiar Spirits – – Mediums with a spirit guide.   Wizards – – Clairvoyant, psychics.   Necromancer – – One who consults with the dead. 

             I realize that some will question some of those but if you examine the record of God’s Word you will find that they are sources that are not conducive to truth and light.  They are supernatural, but not the Spirit of God.  They may sound good and even be accurate on points and because they are supernatural some accept them as being from God.  I caution you to remember the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “…for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Another real problem in receiving Divine Guidance is the trickery of our mixed-up human emotions, impure motives, prejudices, habits, and patterns of thought and action.  I have been made aware that because of some well-known failures in this area, entire churches have turned their backs on Divine Guidance declaring:  “We have the Bible, that’s all we need.  God no longer speaks to people today other than in His written word.”  Others take almost an opposite approach declaring, “I hear God, so I don’t need the Bible.”  BOTH ARE WRONG!  We need to HEAR GOD and we need GOD’S WORD, the Bible.  How else can we evaluate the “word” we heard if not by the Bible?

I believe that if we desire to honestly be led by the Spirit of God we need to learn four basic principles.

  • Divine Guidance Does Not Come Automatically – – [You cannot push a button, flip a switch, open a Bible randomly, or listen for voices and be safe in HEARING GOD.]
  • Receiving Divine Guidance is a Skill to be Learned – – [Often we learn through trial and error and often this journey will require some spiritual adventure and exercise of faith on our parts.]
  • Receiving Divine Guidance is Not Relegate to a Formula or a Set of Methods – – But it is obedience to a Set of Principles.]
  • Divine Guidance is Intensely Personal – – [It comes through Relationship with God.]

Additionally, God’s Divine Guidance requires a CLEAN BREAK from all other forms of guidance.

James 3:15 – “This [superficial] wisdom is not such as come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, even devilish or demonic.”

James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first of all Pure (undefiled); then it is Peace Loving, Courteous (considerate, gentle).  (It is willing to) Yield to Reason, full of Compassion and Good Fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned.”  It is FREE FROM DOUBT, WAVERING, and INSINCERITY.

If any so-called revelation does not agree with God’s Word as revealed in the Bible and pass the test of James 3, then our source of wisdom is not from above and must be rejected.  Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” 

We need to commit ourselves to being disciplined and trained by the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and when we do so we are demonstrating spiritual maturity and open our hearts to purity which will lead to DIVINE GUIDANCE.

            God bless you as you embark on your day’s journey and find the path for your life. 

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IS DIVINE GUIDANCE POSSIBLE?


Spiritual Blog - Guidance

Isaiah 35:8 – “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.  The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others.  Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.”  NKJV

 

I want to embark on the consideration of a subject that, I believe, will better enable many to discover how to discern or know what we are supposed to do in our lives.  I have had so many inquiries about this matter that I find that no matter where I preach and teach this is a topic many want to consider because so many are struggling in this area.

I have discovered two extremes in the Christian world in which we live.  One says, “God told me” concerning everything and the other says “God doesn’t speak today.”  Both, in my view, are extremes and have proven to be detrimental to the cause of the Kingdom of God.  Both have contributed to the discarding, by many, the wonderful truth of DIVINE GUIDANCE and resulted in throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

The text passage of Isaiah is a wonderful promise and a cause for hope.  What a picture, a highway in the wilderness that is so clear, level and straight the even the simple can follow it.  God wants to GUIDE US today!  Jesus said in John 16:13, “When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will GUIDE you into ALL TRUTH…”  This GUIDE of John 16 is clearly the Holy Spirit and He is a Person in the sense that He has personality, mind, will, and emotion.  He cannot be reduced to a METHOD, but He does work according to some clearly revealed principles in Scripture.

Therefore, our objective is to “distinguish” God’s Guidance from the confusion of our own desires, prejudices, preconceived notions, and impulses as well as identify the devil’s counterfeit leading and impressions.  Nobody gets lost on a straight road!  Everybody is interested in finding a “surefire” way to KNOW what direction to take or course of action to follow.  We want to be on target and not miss the mark in life.  In fact, even the world, avidly seeks out many forms of guidance and some of it has seeped into the Church world such as psychic prognosticators, astrologers, market analyst, etc.  You can find hundreds of experts, yet there are incredible disagreement and confusion among seekers of truth.  WHY?  A very simplistic answer is they believe that all wisdom comes from the same source.  FALSE!  The Bible identifies two sources of wisdom.  There is Wisdom from Above – GOD and there is Wisdom from Below – Satan.  Both are supernatural.  Both can be sought.  Both can be found.  The Wisdom from Above is TRUTH, the other is FALSE.  One causes us to HIT THE MARK the other causes us to ERR and MISS THE MARK.  Now that I have caused some consternation in hearts let me state that God wants us to KNOW clearly His Will and Word.

GOD’S PROVISIONS FOR GUIDANCE…

  • The Lord Jesus Christ.

In Him, we have Salvation and have been reestablished in right relationship and are exposed to and have access to Light and Life in and of God.

  • The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 2:38 we read, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  In John 16:13 we find, “But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”  Luke 11:13 declares, “If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”  God wants to give us the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to be OUR GUIDE.

  • The Holy Scriptures.

The Bible is the written revelation of the will and purpose of God and is, in my view, infallible.   James 8:31-32, “Jesus therefore, was saying to those Jews who had believed in Him, if you ABIDE in My Word, THEN you are truly disciples of Mine; and you SHALL KNOW the truth and the truth shall MAKE YOU FREE.”

Everybody lives by or under some authority, whether Pluto or Plato, the God of all creation or the god of this world.  But blessed is the person who makes God’s Word his/her authority.  Jesus said that if we do, we will never be put to shame!  So it is clear from even a casual reading of scripture we cannot avoid the idea that God wants to give us guidance.

I want to say more but will pause here until next time and pray that God will grant you His perfect peace to walk in His way and will.  Blessings abundantly are my prayer!

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A VITAL ESSENTIAL OF CHRISTIANITY and LIFE – – Continued…


Spiritual Blog - Hearing God

Mark 4:21-25 – “Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”  NKJV

 

In considering the SPEAKING GOD and our ability to HEAR GOD today I want to introduce you to some familiar passages for your consideration and assurance.  In John 16:7, Jesus informed His disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, THE HELPER shall not come to you; but if I go I will send Him to you.”  Then in Romans 8:14, the apostle Paul taught that it was the Christian norm to walk in the Spirit, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the Sons of God.”  Also, in 1 John 2:27, the apostle John declares, “You abide in Jesus, the anointing you received from Him (Holy Spirit) abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, you abide in Him.”  That, to me, is powerful.

 

It is vital for us to HEAR GOD so that we may walk in the reality of FELLOWSHIP, enjoy the fullness of His Protection, Provision, Guidance, and Grace.  HEARING GOD is vital and never optional.  I am reminded of a story I heard that helps to illustrate the necessity of HEARING GOD.

I do not ski so I have to rely on what others tell me but I’m told that, in Colorado, from time to time one can see a skier wearing a red vest and a sign. The sign reads: “BLIND SKIER.”  It is difficult enough for a sighted person to ski but the blind skiers manage quite well.  HOW or WHY?  Because that blind skier has to TOTALLY TRUST his guide’s voice.  The guide is behind or in front of the blind skier continually giving instructions.  (Simple but specific.)  They use two forms of communication:  Tapping the ski poles to let the Blind Skier know they are there and all is well and speech or oral commands.  The ONLY RESPONSIBILITY the Blind Skier has is to exhibit COMPLETE TRUST and IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE to the instructions.  Can you see that in our spiritual walk?  Our responsibility is to LISTEN and OBEY but before we can OBEY we have to LISTEN and to LISTEN we have to KNOW the voice of our guide.

That brings us to another often asked question, “How Can I know God’s Voice?” or “How Can I know it’s not the devil deceiving me?”  Please do not expect an exhaustive or exhausting answer, but let me suggest a few things that might be of benefit.

LISTENING IS A LEARNED QUALITY.

God is a Father and He is interested in being our Father.  Some are probably like I was, my concept of God was that he was “Boss, Judge, Etc.”  I did not really see Him as the Loving, Caring Father.  Failure to see Him as a Loving and Caring Father hinders fellowship and hinders hearing.  We learn to HEAR.  Remember Jesus said 15 times, “He that has ears to hear, LET HIM HEAR.”  That suggests two facts:  We have ears with which to hear and we can choose to use those ears for hearing or not use them.  A baby, normally, is born with the inherent physical ability to hear but does not know what he hears.  Understanding or comprehension must be learned.  LISTENING is the communication skill we practice most often but usually we do not do it right.  We LISTEN but we do not HEAR.  Do you realize that most of us spend 80% of our awake time communicating but LISTENING is the one communication skill we are not taught?  Remember, if the capacity is there the ability must be developed for it to be effective.

Hearing God must become vital to us and perceived as an absolute necessity in our life if we are going to LEARN TO LISTEN for His voice.  Until HEARING GOD is vital to us we will not likely to HEAR GOD quickly, correctly or regularly.  Jesus emphasized our need to HEAR GOD saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  [Matthew 4:4].  Jeremiah 29:11-12 speaks a powerful word to our lives, “I know what I have planned for you.  I have good plans for you.  I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you a good future.  Then you will call My name, you will come to me and pray to me and I will LISTEN TO YOU.”  Can you follow that the extension of that would be that not only will God LISTEN to us but He will SPEAK to us?

To develop a HEARING EAR there has to be a deliberate effort to set our minds on God.  We must make a deliberate choice to exercise our minds by focusing on God regularly and consistently.  We must carry that exercise of setting our minds on God to all aspects of our lives.  I saw a sign in a Health Club Gym that describes what I’m speaking of.

F – Frequency                                                                                                                                                                    I – Intensity                                                                                                                                                                       T – Time

             The ability to HEAR GOD is one that we must develop and it is something the Holy Spirit is very interested in helping us develop.

            God bless you as you embark on today’s journey in Christ.

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A VITAL ESSENTIAL OF CHRISTIANITY and LIFE – – Continued…


Spiritual Blog - God Speaks

Mark 4:21-25 – “Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”  NKJV

 

Back to the subject of HEARING GOD TODAY, I feel compelled to raise a few issues with you to enhance our forward progress in this discussion.  Let me ask a few pertinent questions:

  • Which would you Determine to be More Important – – The Author or the Book?
  • Who would be the Best Possible Source to Interpret a Book – – The Author or Another?
  • Which are we to Worship – – The Book or the God of the Book?
  • How can we discover and know the Will of God for Most Things in Life Unless He reveals or tells them to us?
  • Why has there been so much Division caused by the Bible or in Bible Interpretation? The Bible encourages and even commands us to be unified.
  • How did Christians from earlier centuries make it? Especially those before Guttenberg invented the Printing Press because the masses never owned a Bible.

 

I realize we could get into all kinds of arguments and discussions as a result of those questions but can we not conclude that the Holy Spirit must be, somehow, communicating the Will of God to the hearts and minds of people?

In John 16:13 we are told that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth” whose job is to guide us into all truth, SPEAKS.   Therefore, we can be confident that God is STILL SPEAKING since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We can conclude that God’s children can HEAR HIS VOICE for Jesus said, “My sheep shall hear my voice and know Me.”  We should expect God to communicate with us as we seek His will in our lives on a daily basis.  God has a Will and wants us to Know it!

One of the most repeated phrases of Jesus (15 times) He said, “He that has an ear let him hear…” The last seven (7) of those were in the Book of Revelation and He added, “What the Spirit is saying…”  Jesus, speaking from heaven by the Holy Spirit to the heart and mind of man on earth.  In John 10 our Lord declared that His followers are those who HEAR HIS VOICE and He knows us and we follow Him.  In Luke 8:21 Jesus said that His family was, “…those who hear the Word of God and do it.”  Additionally, our Lord taught that we (believers) are to live as He lived and minister as He ministered.  He then told us how He lived and ministered.  John 12:49, “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but The Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say and what to speak.”  In Luke 10:41-42, Jesus said to Martha (the busy one) that only one thing was necessary and that was what Mary was doing, LISTENING TO HIS WORDS.

The New Testament Picture reveals that the Holy Spirit lives IN the believer NOW and is to the believer ALL THAT JESUS WAS to His disciples.  Remember John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may be with you forever.”  Then, our Lord explained more fully that this Helper “is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold or know Him, but you know Him BECAUSE He abides with you and will be in you.  I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU AS ORPHANS.”  [John 14:17-18a].

I want to say more on the matter of HEARING GOD and the SPEAKING GOD for today but time is short and your endurance may be limited so I will pause and approach this more fully in the next presentation.  God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him. 

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A VITAL ESSENTIAL OF CHRISTIANITY and LIFE…


Spiritual Blog - Ears

Mark 4:21-25 – “Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”   24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”  NKJV

 

My primary focus will be on vv.23-24 but all of it is germane as is all of the Scripture.  Throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments there is an emphasis on the importance of HEARING GOD.  In biblical history, we find numerous records where earthly kings would not move without first “hearing” a word from God through the prophets and seers.  In the New Testament, we are repeatedly reminded directly, by implication and suggestion that HEARING GOD is vital for work, walk, and warfare in the life of the believer.  YET, the overwhelming majority of believers in our generation do not hear, do not know how to hear and often do not know or believe you can hear God now!  I am convinced the devil loves this and laughs at the failure of the church to emphasize HEARING GOD.

            In 1 John 1:3, the apostle writes, “What we (apostles) have SEEN and HEARD we proclaim to you… THAT you… May have fellowship (koinonia = community) with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”  [Emphasis mine].

A very simple but important question must be, “How can you have FELLOWSHIP with someone who does not communicate?”  That is a virtual impossibility.  The concept of Fellowship between God and man is woven intricately throughout the pages of the New Testament and is a vital part of the message of grace.  In Revelation 3:20 we find Jesus standing at the door and knocking wanting to come in and have fellowship with us.  In John 14:23 we read that Jesus desires to come to us and make His home with us.

The Father’s heart both natural and spiritual cries out for FELLOWSHIP with His children.  He (God) wants to commune with us and communicate with us in a true fellowship of love and for us to enjoy each other.  Hebrews 11:6 declares that “without faith (abiding trust) we cannot please (gratify completely) God.”  That is Fellowship.  In Revelation 4:11 we find God’s declaration that, “You created all things (including man), and for Your pleasure they were created.”  Romans 10:17 declares, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  That is communication and communing which means FELLOWSHIP.  We know that faith which is an essential element in pleasing God comes by HEARING GOD SPEAK.  Therefore, if I cannot or do not HEAR GOD I cannot have faith developed in my heart to that level and therefore cannot please God.  If I do not please God that would assuredly diminish the prospects of fellowship with Him.  In fact, we read in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.”  Therefore, if we cannot HEAR GOD, we cannot fulfill, fully, our call from God.  That is a condition and situation that leaves us empty, unfulfilled, and often frustrated producing the absence of peace and victory.

            THE VITAL QUESTION:  “Does God Still Talk To Man Today?”  There are those who contend that God has said all He is going to say through the Scriptures.  Hear me carefully, please.  God will not write a new Bible but He is a SPEAKING GOD and COMMUNICATES with us even today.  I am not suggesting that we all throw away our Bibles and run around with a “Thus saith the Lord.”  NO!  I believe that anything God communicates to us today will fit squarely and perfectly in harmony with what HE HAS SAID in the Bible.  Also, every word must be tested.  1 Corinthians 14:29 gives a guide that prophetic utterances are to be judged by the other prophets and by consent the Word of God.  Likewise Matthew 18:16 with is a reference of Deuteronomy 19:15 teaches that it takes “two or three witnesses” to establish a word.

            HEARING GOD is vital but as in most things caution must be exercised because of the deadliness of presumption. There must be order and a willingness to test and have our words tested through the Bible, God’s elders and prophets.  I believe that we can HEAR GOD TODAY and that God is STILL SPEAKING to His people in 2016 or wants to speak to us!

I must pause here and pick up next time as we continue to consider this Vital Essential of HEARING GOD in today’s world.  God bless you as you embark on today’s beautiful and fruitful journey in Him!

 

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