Psalms 139:13-16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” NASB

I encourage you to read another scripture in conjunction with this passage; it is 1 Corinthians 12:13-31. It will help to shed light on this subject. Each of us, at one time or another, has been gripped with the feeling that we are totally or at least partially inadequate for the situation that we are in.  We have, no doubt, feared that everyone involved is highly capable and qualified except us.  As a result, we acted or reacted in ways that alienated us from those around us.

Let me tell you a story that helps to illustrate my point: 

It is like the man who went to his psychiatrist, and when the doctor asked him what had prompted his visit, the man said, “I am suffering from an inferiority complex.”  During the subsequent few visits, the psychiatrist put his new patient through a battery of tests, and finally came the long-awaited diagnosis. 

The doctor called the man and asked him to return to the clinic for a consultation.  Upon arrival at the clinic, the doctor seated the patient before him and said, “I have some interesting news for you.”  The patient eagerly waited and asked, “What is it?”  The doctor said, “It is not complex.  You are inferior.”

Some of us indeed have more to feel inferior about than others.  Mr. Lincoln was partly wrong saying all men are created equal because all men “are not” created equal regarding various mental and physical capabilities.  But we have far more natural endowments than most will ever realize or use.

There have been scientific reports that there is enough “Atomic Power” in one human body to destroy the entire city of New York.  We are also told that the human mind is so amazingly powerful that, as one scientist said:   “It is almost impossible to calculate this phenomenon, but as best as I can determine if we could build an electronic computer that could do all the human mind could do, it would have to be housed in a building about a city block wide and deep and be at least twenty-two stories in height.”   That is incredible!  Yet, despite all this, human beings cower in timidity and feelings of inferiority, and I find that amazing!

Although it is true that each of us faces this problem of feeling inferior, we do not have to cultivate it.  We can defeat it and walk in wholesome victory in Jesus.  We can live knowing to whom we belong and the authority and power we have as heirs of the Most High God!

Let me give you some interesting facts about this:

• Feelings of Inferiority are not necessarily related to intelligence. 

Those with IQs 130 or higher often suffer more than those with lesser IQs.  People with relatively low IQs often suffer little from feelings of inferiority.

• An Inferiority Complex is not always noticed on the surface.

People usually mask it.  Some of the ways are incredibly interesting and would be humorous if they were not so serious and even deadly.  One way is by adopting what we commonly identify as a “Superiority Complex.”  Another is “Sarcasm.”

• These feelings of Inferiority are not limited to the non-Christian world.

While we cannot always see the problem on the surface, it is there.  Many people are comfortable, capable, efficient, and at ease behind the scenes but cannot handle face-to-face contact with others or public scrutiny.

It is a profoundly serious problem, in my view!  It is not God-caused, nor God-directed.  God made us to succeed at whatever He has called and commissioned us to do.  He designed us to be Overcomers AND More!  We are Conquerors through Him!

I hope I have whetted your appetite a little because next time, we will look at one of the most prolific characters in the Bible who illustrates what I am trying to communicate – Moses.  I believe some things will help us rise above the diabolical deception of the devil and enable us to rise to our full potential in God. 

Until next time, may the God of Peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and enable you to walk in His Peace!

Matthew 17:20-21 – “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.  21 [” But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]  NASB

I am sure they did not have the saying “When pigs fly” in Jesus’ day, but I am sure they had something that would be akin to it.  The phrase is an adynaton – a figure of speech so hyperbolic that it describes impossibility!   I wonder if that is what the disciples thought when Jesus spoke to them about moving the mountain.  I know that I have said things to people both from the pulpit and in one-on-one situations where the look on their faces said, “Yeah, when pigs fly.” 

I am sure that when Gideon’s band heard his plan, somebody in the crowd thought, “Yeah, when pigs fly.”  What about the onlookers when David went to face Goliath?  Do you suppose that there were any skeptics in that crowd?  I have seen miracles and fully believe in God’s ability and willingness to do them in our day.  I can testify to that in my own life.  Let me give you a testimony of His miraculous healing personally and in my family.

When I was in Bible College, my mother had an accident through which she was paralyzed from the waist down, and the X-rays revealed a broken back.  I was in Palestine, Texas, with a group from school when a lady from my home church tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “How’s your mother?”  I know the look on my face was so puzzled that she asked, “Don’t you know?”  

I did not know anything, and when she informed me that Mother was in the hospital in Crockett, I immediately told some in our group that I was heading to the hospital immediately and asked them to pray.  Upon arrival at the hospital, she was in a terrible condition, and the look in her eyes offered no hope.  The weight of the world was resting on my shoulders as I went to the lobby and called a friend at school and asked that they have prayer for her in our school revival. 

I returned to school on Tuesday and went to bed with a high fever.  On Wednesday evening in the service, the Holy Spirit used a testimony of the evangelist, and I knew in my heart that Mother was healed.  Ten people came to me after the service and said the same thing about the testimony. 

I went to see her that weekend, and there was no change on Saturday.  I told her what I felt in the service and assured her that she would be okay.  The next day after church, I went back to the hospital, and I could see a change.  She looked at me and said, “Last night, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, ‘Get up.” At that moment, she sat up in the bed, swung her feet to the side, and stood up.  She said, “He told me I was well but to stay in bed until the doctor took another X-ray as a witness to everyone what He had done.”  

My dad called me at school the next day and said, “The doctor is amazed because your mother can walk, and the 2^nd X-ray shows no broken bones whatsoever.”  I was jubilant.  He then said, “The doctor has decided that the first X-rays were flawed.”  I asked to see a copy of both sets of X-rays because my mother and I knew what had happened, even if others were willing to accept an explanation that did not require God’s miraculous work.

When I told her what I expected before God finished the work, some in the room looked at me with the expression that said, “When pigs fly.”  Well, PIGS FLEW!  I have had broken bones healed, miraculous provision of finances, cancer healed, and entertained angels unaware until after the encounter and, from confirmed information, found that their presence in several instances was God’s divine protection sparing my life.  So, when it comes to God, I believe that the proverbial PIG CAN FLY! 

None of that was about me.  I relate that account not to call attention to me but to the incredibleness of God and His awesome power and love!  God did not heal my mother because I was some great man of mega-faith, but because we asked and He loved her, as He does everyone!   He said, “Call, and I will Answer.”  We called, and He answered!

I do not know what your particular need is right now, but I know that no matter the problem, we serve a God big enough to solve them, and through it all, He will never leave you nor forsake you!  I cannot explain God, nor do I try to explain why one time there is a miracle and another there is not. 

As I have said to families in times of loss and suffering, the question is not “Why?” but “Where to from here?”  During a crisis is not the time to question God’s character (no time is), but it is a time to ask for His guidance.  The Cross should be evidence of His undying love for us; the crisis is not a sign of his casting us aside. Instead, it is an opportunity for us to lean more heavily upon Him and depend more completely upon His love and care.  Do not go through life looking at things and saying, “When Pigs Fly.”  Go through life and say, “With God, the pigs will fly.”

May God be with you on this day and guide you through whatever you face with His love, mercy, power, and grace.  Blessings abundantly!

Proverbs 18:24 – “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” NLT

I like this particular rendering of this passage because of the simplicity of how it phrases the statement.  Truly, we have all had “friends’ that turned out not to be true friends and did more detriment in our lives, and we were in theirs, than good.  We also have known those individuals who proved to be closer than “blood kin.”  They are true treasures. One has few of them in a lifetime and should treasure them and treat them as treasures.  Yet, we have in Jesus a friend that, although He is a brother, stands closer than any “blood kin” could or would ever stand.  He will Never Leave us nor forsake us.  His Love is Unconditional and Inseparable. 

I am reminded of the old hymn – “What A Friend We Have in Jesus,” written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother, who was living in Ireland while he was living in Canada.  The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868, and William Bolcom composed a setting of the melody.  It has had many modifications and transitions through the years, but the baseline theme has remained the same – – The unequaled friendship of Jesus in all life’s trials is the bedrock of the song.

Consider the words:

What A Friend We Have in Jesus Hymn

What a friend we have in Jesus, 
All our sins and griefs to bear! 
What a privilege to carry 
Everything to God in prayer! 
O what peace we often forfeit,
O, what needless pain we bear, 
All because we do not carry 
Everything to God in prayer. 

Have we trials and temptations? 
Is there trouble anywhere? 
We should never be discouraged; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Can we find a friend so faithful 
Who will all our sorrows share? 
Jesus knows our every weakness; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Are we weak and heavy-laden, 
Cumbered with a load of care? 
Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
Take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
In his arms, he’ll take and shield thee; 
Thou wilt find a solace there.

As you read and probably sang those verses, at least in your hearts, you immediately had a sense of His presence, promise, provision, and power.  How true we forfeit peace by failing to come to the Cross with those things that trouble our souls.  We bear needless spiritual pain that He would gladly lift if we would learn to roll it onto Him, accepting His sacrificial offer as seen at the Cross. 

We all face discouragement, despondency, and even bouts of depression from time to time.  However, if we turn to the Lord, our true friend, we rise out of the ashes of hopelessness into the bliss of optimism in His Promises.  As we find that we can hardly go on another mile, He lightens our load, allows us to be carried in His arms over the rocky part of the pathway, and renews our strength so that we can walk, run, and soar with and in Him once again.  It is all because of His commitment to Covenant Friendship that we are afforded this bountiful place.

As you begin this day, consider who it is that you call a friend.  After you have enumerated the many names you will call, ask yourself who is the one friend who not only would die for you but has died for you and has also risen for you and made full atonement for you before the Throne of Heaven giving you access to the very presence of the Father at all times!  JESUS is His name! 

Let this song travel through the corridors of your mind and heart as you go through your business today, and I believe that you will find the difficulties easier to handle, the joys even more blessed, and the beauty of life even more beautiful.  

God bless you richly as you enjoy living your life in Him today!

Ezekiel 3:16-21 – “At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18 “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. 20 “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 “However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”  NASB

Ezekiel 33:7-20 – “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. 8 “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. 9 “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. 10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”‘ 11 “Say to them, ‘ As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ 12 “And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 “When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. 14 “But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 ” None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live. 17 “Yet your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18 “When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. 19 “But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 “Yet you say, ‘ The way of the Lord is not right.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”  NASB

I am aware that I have used a very large amount of scripture and that those scriptures alone could serve as the entire devotion.  I used a massive amount intentionally.  I realize that this was spoken to the prophet in Ancient Israel, but the heart of the message is applicable today on every level of life.  I believe this applies to individuals, churches, governmental entities, schools, and other organizations that can be privy to information and have the opportunity to sound this alarm.

It applies to what we would classically call “sin,” but does it not equally apply to every facet of life?  If we see something morally, ethically, socially, politically, spiritually, relationally, domestically, economically, or historically wrong, are we not obligated by our Christian values to sound the alarm?  But what if the Government warns us to be silent?  Would that not place us in the same predicament as the disciples of our Lord when they were warned to speak no more in the name of Jesus?  Peter’s response should be our response, “Whom shall we obey, God or man?”

What are some things we are commanded to warn about?

• If I, as a Christian, see people heading down a path to moral destruction, my Christian obligation is to warn them. 
• If I, as a Christian entity, church, organization, or political party, see a path destroying people’s freedom to worship freely and live rightly, dare I remain silent? 
• If I see the murder of innocent unborn babies and remain silent, what does God think of my silence? (Read the above passages, and I believe you will get the idea of how He feels.) 
• If I see the inalienable rights of individuals trampled upon by political manipulation that separates and divides peoples and nations, dare I sit back and say, “Separation of Church and State as my excuse for silence?”  Does the threat of the I.R.S. pulling my 501-C-3 status justify my silence, or do I have a larger mandate regarding right?

If I saw someone about to unknowingly ingest poison, would I be morally and spiritually okay to be silent?  If I saw a crime being committed and had the ability to call the police or give a warning and failed to do so, would my silence be justified, or would I be guilty of the innocent blood being shed through my silence when speaking out? Would it have prevented it or minimized it?

We Must proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to whomever, whenever, and wherever.  We Must also warn of impending perils as we see them coming upon individuals, nations, and peoples, no matter the cost to us personally.  To do less is an affront to the Grace of God. 

Therefore, I call upon individual believers, pastors, churches, politicians, and other leaders to Become Watchmen on the Walls in these perilous times.  Christianity is more than passively living in our little circles, disturbing no one, and flying under the radar.  It may mean putting your head on the line for what is right, which may be costly.

My question is, “How much is your faith worth to you?”  “How much does God expect of us as we become aware of wickedness or wicked actions or policies?”  Today, it is time for the Body of Christ to rise up and stand as the prophets of old, get in the faces of kings when necessary, and declare, “You are the one from whence the trouble is originating.”  God will protect or take us home, but we will have stood for right either way!

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

2 Chronicles 20:1-34 – – – [I ask that you read that lengthy passage later]

First, giving you virtually an entire chapter to read is probably a bit much for a devotional post. Still, I thought it necessary, and I will keep my remarks as brief as possible because the account itself is so descriptive of what I want to say.

Judah was facing what was likely “complete destruction” from a unified advancing army of multiple nations.  The people were “fearful,” and there was tremendous danger of “revolt” unless there was “clear” and “courageous” direction from their leader, King Jehoshaphat.  He was afraid and turned to the Lord, which was the right thing to do.  If something is causing fear, whether justifiable or not, the “first place to turn” is to the Lord!  He gathered the entire nation to a solemn assembly to seek God.  How I long to see America do the same!

I find verses 5-13 incredibly informative as Jehoshaphat addressed God, and his prayer reflected his fear and faith.  In some ways, it appeared that he was trying to convince himself that God was who he believed God to be.  He seemed a bit uncertain at the moment. 

Then, at his prayer’s conclusion, he makes a powerful and much-needed statement, “…we are powerless before this great multitude…. Nor do we know what to do… But OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.”   He got it!  That is the secret to the whole thing.  We find an acknowledgment of the situation, an admission of our inability to handle it, and an expression of hope and faith in God.

In verses 14-19, we find God responding to their honest, open prayer and promising deliverance and victory!  It is not just a promise to help them in battle but to do the battle for them, and there is a difference!  Sometimes, God allows us in the battle, and sometimes, He fights the battle for us and tells us, “You just stand there and watch.”  This is one of those times!

In verses 20-25, we see what took place.  I love Jehoshaphat’s declaration and instruction to the people found here.  “…put your trust in the LORD your God, and you will be established.  Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.”  Let that get into your hearts; you will find a key to success if you receive it.  Then, he takes another step that is certainly not taught in “Schools of Military Tactics.” 

He put the choir or the praise team out in front of the army.  That took a great deal of courage and faith on their part.  They would be the first people the enemy encountered, and they would be “unarmed,” just singing the Praises of God! 

The incredible reality is that their only weapon would be the Praises of God in their mouths!  As they sang, God, not Judah, put ambushes against the advancing enemy army, and incredibly, they turned on each other.  Judah did not have to shoot an arrow, throw a spear, or wield a sword – GOD DID IT for them!  It took three days to gather the spoils of the battle.  That is a lot of booty to gather!

The result was a rekindled faith and commitment from Judah toward the Lord and a fear of God instilled in the enemies of the people of God.  Devils fear and tremble when the people of God obey God’s directive in humble obedience and faith! 

They were completely vulnerable and trusting, and God came on the scene.  He will do the same for you, so stop trying to figure it out and do it yourself.  Instead, “call upon Him” in honest, humble sincerity, and I will guarantee that He will respond.  He will guide you and even fight the battle for you, but He will give you the direction you need to go through the situation.

May God be with you as you go through this day in Him!  Blessings abundantly!

Luke 21:19 – “In your patience possess ye your souls.” KJV

I am fully aware of the context of this passage but want to use it to speak to a particular issue that I have been aware of in my life and much of the Christian world – IMPATIENCE! 

Most Christians have been trying to live as Christians with a“Microwave Mentality” for way too long.  We have been spoiled with the instant everything in our lives.  Unlike our parents and grandparents, generations where they had more of a “Farmer Mentality,” we have a “Magician’s Mentality.”  We want it yesterday!

My mother and grandmother cooked most things from scratch, as they called it.  I remember when my mother bought an “instant cake mix” and baked a cake with it rather than from “scratch.”  Then, we were introduced to “instant potatoes” rather than real potatoes that had to be peeled, cooked, and mashed.  Next was “instant coffee,” which did not make it in our house because my dad could not tolerate the thought of not having his coffee brewed or boiled. 

He usually would take a stovetop percolator, remove the insides, leaving just the pot, put his water in, pour in the coffee grounds, and boil the coffee.  That was fine until you reached the bottom of the pot, and your cup would be filled with those pesky coffee grounds.  He did graduate to the more modern coffee makers, such as Mr. Coffee, and that was a significant step for him. 

The Farmer knows that the seed he plants today will not be harvested for weeks or months and has no expectation of waking up the following day and having corn ready to harvest or any other crop.  Today, we expect our food and everything else to be virtually instant.  We do not like to wait! 

I am probably one of the world’s worst about waiting, especially at a restaurant.  I do not like to sit and wait 30 minutes or an hour for a table.  I would rather go somewhere else.  I do not like waiting at the doctor’s office or in the examination room.  I want my computer to operate with blazing speed, and when I go to the ATM, I expect my cash to be instant. 

Unfortunately, that also spills over into our relationship with others and God.  I am virtually Never late unless it is beyond my control, and then I do everything I can to notify those waiting for me.  I do not like waiting for someone who habitually arrives late because I consider it inconsiderate and an expression of the lack of value of my time.  I like meetings to begin on time, and I want an immediate answer when I pray.  God works on me on that part quite a lot.

We need to learn the value of a patient spirit.  It will help you eliminate frustration and even enhance your health and well-being.  Amazingly, with my lack of willingness to wait on many things, I love to fish and can sit all day long fishing without getting a bite and be content.  I am patient.  I can hunt the same way.  So, I realize it is a mindset I can change concerning other things I cannot control.  I can learn patience and, in so doing, learn to rest in the confidence that God is in control, and I can trust Him.

If you are an “impatient” person, you need to hear what I am saying today and, as I’ve been told before, “chill out.”  I know that is not a term used today and dates me.  I remember once being single before my wife and I married. I was out on a date, and the lady with me slapped my shoulders and said – “Roy, relax.”  I had no idea I was tense, but it was so apparent that she did that.  God has done the same thing to me on more than one occasion. 

So, as you go through this day, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to be patient.  In developing patience, you will encounter things that test your patience, and you may not like my advice, but it is worth it to learn patience!

May the Lord be with you as you go through your day!