2 Peter 2:18-22 – “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” NKJV

Peter was addressing false teachers and heresy.  He made some interesting analogies in this portion of scripture.  We have all known or known of preachers and teachers whose lives do not match their preaching and teaching.  Some of them are charlatans who live in the prison of their lust for money, power, position, lasciviousness, and the like.  They come promising the hearer liberty but are bound by corruption so that they can offer nothing spiritually that is liberating.  They offer words that are “empty” because their words are not backed up by their hearts.

Peter addressed the sad situation where one escapes the world’s pollution through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then becomes entangled in those pollutions again.  He powerfully expressed that it would have been better for that person to have Never Known the way of Righteousness than to have experienced it and turned back.  His picture is that of the natural inclination of a sick dog or a cleaned-up pig returning to the mire.  

I realize that some will totally disagree with me doctrinally or ideologically on this.  Yet, Peter was speaking about people who have escaped the world’s pollution through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  They have moved out of darkness into light.  He then addressed the issue of the person then turning their backs on what they have received and returning to the way of the world, and he compares it to a dog’s nature or a pig’s nature. 

I say, “A pig cannot help being a pig but a person who comes to know Jesus has a “new nature” through the Blood of Jesus and does not have to return to the mire.”  Just because temptation comes does not mean you are obligated to yield to it. 

You are no longer a pig! Therefore, get it out of your head that you are somehow obligated to wallow in the mire just because you are human.  That would diminish the power of the Cross, and that is unacceptable to me.  If the Blood of Jesus can wash away my sin, then the Grace of God can keep me from sin and help me live the Christian life!  Of course, we may all and probably will stumble at times, but that doesn’t mean we return to the mire and allow the “old nature” to gain control.  No, we immediately repent and allow the Spirit of God to help us learn from our mistakes and mature. 

I have known people who kept succumbing to the same temptation time after time.  They would come to me in tears crying for help.  I had one person tell me once, “I can’t help it. It’s the way God made me.”  

As you might suspect, that did not sit well with me.  I am equally convinced that it did not with God either.  Once we receive the knowledge of the Lord and are born into the family of God, we are New Creations.  God did not make us subservient to our temptations. 

It is our responsibility to resist, and in resisting, the Bible tells us that the devil will flee!  Bullies only bully people who offer no resistance.  So, a pig is a pig, but you are not a pig. You are a child of the King and have been washed clean.  If you stumble, you have an advocate with the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ!  You may experience that failure but don’t have to take up permanent residence there.  God’s Grace is Greater than all our Sins!

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

Psalm 113:3 – “From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.” NASB

Any reasonable understanding of this passage tells us that we cannot praise God too much!   The Psalmist addressed the workday, not to exclude the night.  He suggested that we should make a conscious effort to Praise the Name of the Lord all the time and in all things.  Praise is a conscious choice, and if we do not focus our hearts upon the Lord, we will become too involved in the activities of life to offer genuine praise to the Lord of Hosts.

I find this passage to be in the same category as the directive of Paul in Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.”  It may be impractical for us to engage in what most would consider prayer ‘without cessation,’ but we can always have an attitude of prayerfulness. 

Likewise, we can always have an attitude of praise without stopping what we are doing to do what most consider praise.  We pigeonhole and have predetermined ideas of what constitutes praise and prayer and fail to understand that God hears our hearts as well as our words spoken out loud. 

Remember that God hears the thoughts in our minds, not just the words that pass our lips.  We can and should develop an attitude of gratitude in which we consistently and continually commune with the Lord and offer Him praise and thanksgiving.  From the time we wake in the morning until we go to sleep at night, our hearts should be praising and thanking God. 

I had a minister who was holding a meeting in the church I was leading respond to the question, “When and How Much Do You Pray?“  He looked them squarely in the eye and said, “I am a walking prayer.”  They wanted him to be in the church for ‘x’ number of hours per day, engaging in what they deemed to be prayer.  They had not learned that prayer is as much a condition and attitude of the heart as it is time spent on your knees or prostrate before the Lord crying out aloud. 

The question, “Can You Praise God Too Much?”Should be answered, NO!  However, I would say the answer is Yes and No!  YES, if you shut down everything, you are responsible for doing what is commonly identified as Praise.  NO, if you develop a mindset and attitude of praise in your heart and allow your entire being and life to become continual praise to the Lord! 

If you neglect your duties and responsibilities to engage in the religious activity called ‘praise,’ then are you really praising the Lord?  If you fail to do what you know you are supposed to, are you bringing honor to His Name?  But, if your heart is filled with awe, love, and appreciation for Him at all times, and out of that attitude, you live, work, speak, and love, then you cannot praise too much!

So, as you go through this day, go with a song in your heart and let your mind be filled with His awesomeness.  Let your heartstrings be strummed by the Holy Spirit offering a sweet aroma to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Psalm 95:1-2 – “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”  NASB

I love the Psalms!  They are filled with wonderful spiritual nuggets that lift my spirit and elevate my view far above the turmoil of this life.  Today I have been struggling with what is happening in our world and the condition of man’s heart as I see it.  Then in my reading, I turned to this Psalm and immediately heard the Holy Spirit ask, “Are you going to just read it, or do it?”  I made the Choice to Rejoice, and my spirit is soaring!

Consider what he said: 

• Let us sing for joy to the LORD – – (A definite decision for us to do something.)
• Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation – – (I realize that might not be dignified, but I have been having a bit of a spell shouting to the Lord here alone in my house and feel good about it.)
• Let us come before His presence with Thanksgiving – – (As I sang to the LORD and shouted to the LORD, my heart was filled with thankfulness.)
• Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. – – (Yep, that is just what I did!)

You have at least two choices every day and in every situation.  You can turn it all inward and become depressed or look outward and upward and choose to rejoice.  I have done both in life and can testify that the latter is the better of the two choices.

As we go through this day, let us Rejoice with singing to the LORD.  Let us Shout to the LORD, come before Him with a Thankful Heart!  We need to just let go and start singing and shouting the Psalms.  We might be amazed at how therapeutic that can be.

May God be with you as you go through the day!

Genesis 1:1-3 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said…” NASB.

If I counted correctly nine (9) times in Genesis 1, we discover the phrase, “God said…”  Nine times he spoke something into existence, and almost that many times, the Bible tells us that “God saw…”  In these two descriptions, we have a clear revelation that God is Alive, Sees, and Speaks.  In the New Testament, we find the words of Jesus in John 10:27, where He declared that His sheep Hear His voice.  Yet, many today look at you as if you fell out of a well if you say, “God told me” or “God said to me.”  Can I ask one simple question, “When did God stop speaking?” 

Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, would come and teach them all that Jesus had said.  I do not know how He was to teach, but one of the most used teaching methods is Speaking.  I do believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to people today.  I am not telling you that I hear audible voices, but I hear God clearly in my heart and know that I am hearing God, not just me or someone else.  I have learned the voice of Jesus and the voice of the Spirit of God.  Any voice that contradicts Scripture is immediately rejected, but when God speaks, and I know it is God, I Listen!

Who would you rather teach you what is in the book, the author or a commentator, about what the author meant?  Who would you rather instruct, you in life, the one who sees the end from the beginning or man who sees the beginning from the end?  Who would you rather guide your life, the one who created all things or someone with limited experience, as do all humans? 

If God is the creator of all things and Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, why do we relegate Him to speaking only through the Bible or Preachers?  I do not suggest and would reject any notion that God would say anything contradictory to the written Word of God.  But, as Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and follow Me.”

I desire fellowship with God, and when I have fellowship with any human being, talking is involved.  Why would it be different with God?  In my prayer time, I talk, and I listen.  Sometimes I hear that still small voice in my deep inner man, and sometimes I hear a much bolder voice in my heart, but I Hear God!  You Hear God!  You probably hear much more than you think you do.  I contend that God is “always speaking,” but we are not “always listening,” so we need to learn to listen more and expect to hear more.

As you go through this day, expect to hear God speak to you in guidance, counseling, and comfort.  He wants to communicate with you and will guide you through the maze of life.  

Blessings as you go through your day!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” NASB

I never thought about my mortality when I was in my teens and even in my twenties (after I returned from Vietnam).  I was ten feet tall and bulletproof; at least, that is how I lived.  Later as I had children of my own, and lost my grandfather and then my father, I began to realize that I was just passing through this life and will one day pass from this life. 

Some people resist planning, in advance, for their funeral, thinking it is too morbid. Some have told me that they don’t want to invite “bad karma” by doing so.  The Bible says it is appointed unto men “once to die and then the judgment.”  We will all depart this world via death should Jesus tarry His coming.

Paul addressed the reality of losing loved ones and friends in this passage; it has long been a comfort and encouragement to me.  He addressed our mortality and the Promise of the Lord to return for us.  He identified the scene of the Lord’s coming for those who are alive and remain. 

He tells us that the Lord will bring back those who have preceded us.  As He descends from heaven, He will shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and at that time, the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and that will begin our eternity with God.  He concludes by saying, “Comfort one another with these words.”

Mortality is a reality none of us can avoid.  You are not invincible in your mortal flesh.  Once you are born, you begin the process of dying.  You cannot change that.  You cannot take enough HGH or anti-aging creams, rubs, or pills to avoid the absolute eventuality of the end of your mortal existence on this planet. 

It Will Happen!  There is nothing that any of us can do to stop it.  What we can do is prepare for it spiritually and, if you so choose, financially for those you leave behind.  I have had friends who completely planned their memorial services, picked out their burial plots, and purchased their caskets.  I have largely done that.  Some have determined what clothes they would wear, and everything was settled long before they departed. 

Most of the loved ones in those situations have told me they appreciated it, but some have said they felt restricted in what they could do and the honor they could pay because of it.  That is a family thing, and I won’t touch it, but spiritual preparation is not an option. It is a requirement.  So, I do not hesitate to remind you that you are Mortal, and you should begin thinking about that reality today.  Today is the day of salvation!

May God be with you as you go through this day!

Exodus 31:1-7 – “Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:” NASB

The Anointing is not just for preaching; it is for everything!  In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, we read, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  Remember John’s words in 1 John 2:20, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One….” 

Each of us has a gift, calling, talent, or gifts callings and talents that God has given or anointed us to function in.  That was the case in Exodus, where God said, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all kinds of craftsmanship….”  I would remind everyone of the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “…What do you have that you did not receive?”

If we were working on a team and one of us had the anointing for organizing, it would be foolish not to defer to that person and allow their gift and anointing to flow.  If a person with another gift attempted to take care of the organizational issues, it would result in chaos.   It would not produce the optimum results! 

I have observed pastors who found it impossible to release various gifts to function because they felt it was their job to take the lead in everything.  If your gift, talent, ability, and anointing are in an area where I know I am weak, I will gladly defer to you and follow your lead.  When we reach the point that my gift, talent, skill, ability, or anointing is required, I will step forward and ask you to move from the point and allow that gift to flow. 

We are The Body of Christ, and a human or spiritual body comprises differing parts.  We would die if the hand tried to do the heart’s job.  We would suffocate if the ears tried to do the lungs’ job.  If the feet attempted to assume the role of the eyes, we would stumble around, having the ability to move around without vision.  If the eyes see, the ears hear, the lungs breathe, and the heart pumps blood while the brain coordinates all the parts, we will function much better.  Each part is needed, and each part has a specific anointing.  

Some have an anointing for service and should serve.  Some have an anointing for decoration and should decorate.  If it is culinary, then find the kitchen.  If business and creating wealth, then turn your attention to it.  If it is preaching, then preach anywhere and everywhere. 

What are you good at?  What tugs at your heart?  What has God uniquely gifted you to do?  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your all.  Rejoice in His gift and call and know that no matter what your gift is, that gift is valuable to the Body of Christ and the Kingdom of God.  Just don’t be like a person who said once, “My gift is irritating people.”  I’m not sure that is an anointing from God, but if we pursue His purposes, we will irritate some, but it is never with malice. 

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

Matthew 8:1-4 – “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, ” See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”  NASB

This is an interesting question and is in the same category as the question Jesus as the man at the Pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?”  It reminds me of the question Moses asked Pharaoh about the frogs, “When shall I remove them?”  

The man at the pool began to explain why he had not gotten his healing rather than answer the question.  Pharaoh delayed until the next day to get relief.  Here the leper, who I am certain was hopeful but uncertain, said to Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing….”  The question in my mind was whether this was a question of doubt or faith laced with the human idea of deserving.  Actually, it is not a question at all but a statement.

The leper, an outcast, speaks to our Lord with confidence and question. He is confident that God can.  Multitudes in the Body of Christ are in the same boat as this man.  They believe God can, but they are uncertain if He will or if He still performs the miracle they need today. 

I cannot imagine teaching a Gospel that relegates the miracles of Jesus to a bygone era and limits God in what He can, will, and wants to do.  If I relegate the miracles of Jesus to a bygone era, it lessens my responsibility to believe and receive.  I would then not feel the pressure to exercise faith for someone else as they faced a dire need, such as a miracle of healing. 

This leper’s statement revealed his uncertainty as to the willingness of Jesus to do anything for him.  It could have been due to the way the Jews viewed leprosy.  They considered it a sign of God’s displeasure, and this man, a leper, would have felt condemned and outside the scope of God’s willingness.  It could be because he did not feel worthy of Jesus doing this. 

The response of Jesus is encouraging.  The matter-of-fact way that Jesus responded indicated that it disappointed him that there would even be the question of willingness.  At the same time, our Lord gladly used this as a ‘teaching moment’ for the Pharisees and all who observed. 

The Pharisees would be appalled that anyone would touch a leper, which was taboo.  Jesus once again demonstrated His power of disease and ‘touched him,’ bringing healing to the leper.  Jesus followed the Law in His instructions to the Leper, for only the priest could pronounce someone clean.  Jesus knew that once this man went to the priest and the pronouncement of cleanness was given, the testimony of the leper would be spread like wildfire.

The caution or concern I have is that we sometimes tag all our prayers with “If it be your will” when the Word of God has declared His willingness to do many, if not most, of those things we are asking.  I love the clarity of John in 1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, HE HEARS US.  And if we KNOW that He hears us in whatever we ask, we KNOW that we have the request which we have asked from Him.”  [Emphasis mine]. 

Do you grasp that truth?  If we ask according to His will, He Hears us, and if He Hears us, He Grants the petition.  Nothing ambiguous there!  The key is determining the will and then asking.  If the Word declares it is His will, then we can come boldly before the throne and ask what we will.  If we are unclear, then our prayer should be to determine what the will is and then offer the petition with complete confidence that we asked according to His will, and He guaranteed, He would Hear us and Grant our petition. That is incredible and wonderful.

God, bless you richly as you embark on today’s leg of your life’s journey!