Romans 8:10-12 – “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh….”  NASB

We are the “Living Dead” and I’m not talking about Zombies as Hollywood seems to be obsessed with these days.  When I say the “Living Dead” I am talking about people who have “died to sin” and “risen to life” in Jesus Christ through the Power of the Blood.  It is a beautiful place to be – LIVING DEAD!

Paul informs the Roman believers that “IF” the Spirit of God, that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us that same Spirit will give us Life in our mortal bodies.  We are then Dead but Alive and that is because we are not controlled by the “flesh” but the “spirit.”  As a result, we are no longer under obligation to live according to the Flesh.  That leads me to my next question – “Why do we?”  Why do we allow the Flesh to have so much power in our daily lives?  Why do we allow the Flesh to be such a dominant force in our lives?  WHY?  There can only be one of a few possibilities.

• We are uninformed as to our position and condition in Christ.
• We are willing participants with the FLESH.
• We are so underdeveloped spiritually that the devil easily sways and overcomes us.

None of those are conditions that are required or that we are obligated to embrace.  When Jesus came he lived a sinless life, died sacrificially on the Cross, rose the third day, and is now ascended to the Right Hand of the Father! When that transpired the devil was fully and finally defeated!  That is not a maybe or someday hope. It not somehow we will enjoy this when we get to heaven – The devil is defeated NOW! 

Jesus said that All Power or Authority, in heaven, was given to Him and He has given that to us.  Therefore, we have authority and power over the devil which would mean that the Flesh is to be subject to the Spirit of God, not vice versa. We are under No Obligation to succumb to the temptations or whims of the flesh.  We are More Than Conquerors through Jesus and We Can do all things through Christ!  That is our Covenant, Heritage, and Promise from the Lord Himself so why not employ it and enjoy it?

Therefore, as you go through this day go in the strength of the Power of the Spirit of God and walk in Victory!

God bless you richly is my prayer!

1 Corinthians 8:9-13 – “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” NKJV

It has always been and will always be an issue in the Church about our personal liberty and the conscience of a weaker brother or sister.  How far do we press our liberty before we become a stumbling block for a “weaker brother”?  Is there a time to say, “Grow up and realize that different people have different convictions”?  Is exercising our liberty worth causing another to stumble?  How you answer those questions will determine how you relate to those around you.

There was a time in my Christian walk that I felt that everyone should hold the same convictions that I did and if they did not, they were “carnal” at best and “backslidden” at worst.  Most of the time I considered those, one and the same and was a Pharisee of Pharisees!  It took God rattling my cage in a major way to cause me to rethink my way of thinking and to understand that I am not God’s Fruit Inspector He can handle that job just fine. 

I had to learn that although in my heart I knew that most of what I called “convictions” were simply “opinions” and did not have the weight of Scripture.  An opinion is just that and is something that may and should change if new light is brought. 

If God “convicts” your heart over an action, belief, or anything you should follow what God says implicitly and explicitly.  Yet you must always remember that what God “convicts” you of He may not convict another.  Many times, the roots of that conviction stem from something within you or the geographic region in which you live and the mind-set of those around you.  God will bring conviction to your heart for your benefit not so you can attempt to impose it on everyone else that would be what a Pharisee does.

There have been times that I could have done something but knew that there were those around me who would be hindered in their Christian walk if they saw me.  So, in the interest of another, I choose to abstain.  In traveling to other parts of the country and world I have found that there are many differing views on various things that Christians do or do not do.

I have learned that sometimes the dogmatism is so strong that no amount of reason or biblical teaching can break it.  Unless God brings light to the heart that person or persons will remain as they are.  Attempting to legislate to them a particular mind-set or lifestyle would be futile and brings to mind the old saying: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”  They may yield to your insistence, but their hearts and minds have not truly changed.  You are not God so why try to be? 

As you go through your day realize that what you do and say will have an impact on others so choose your words and deeds carefully considering another for your liberty is not worth hindering another in their pursuit of GOD and His GRACE!

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

Ephesians 4:25 – “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.” NASB

I don’t want to make this political or go on an all-out attack on religious hypocrisy but will say that what we need in this present world is men and women of The Truth.  Paul tells the Ephesian church that they are to “lay aside” Falsehood and “speak the truth.”  He reminds them and us that we are not isolated from each other but as members of both the human race and the family of God we are part of the same fabric and while we sometimes are guilty of lying to ourselves or distorting reality in our minds, we do not practice that regularly, at least I hope we do not.

My grandfather and father always told me, “Tell the truth it is easier to remember than a lie.”  They usually told me that when I attempted to pull the wool over their eyes. Both of them saw through those attempts with amazing clarity.  Neither would tolerate laziness or dishonesty and were truthful to a fault and even if telling the truth brought them personal or financial difficulty.  They believed and so do I that “honesty” is not just the best policy it is the “only policy.” 

If we are truthful then we do not have to worry about being exposed and that brings a certain sense of peace and security to the heart and mind.  We have all known people who it seems would climb a tree to tell a lie when they could have stood on the ground and told the truth.

My children know that I told them, “If you lie to me and I catch you it will be far worse than if you tell me the truth.”  If they remember they can recall some of the times when they told me the truth and escaped punishment and times when they were not truthful the punishment or correction was stepped up a notch. 

If we encounter someone who tells us untruths on a regular basis, no matter how hard we try not to label or characterize them as being a liar we still do. In the back of our minds we see them as liars and it affects our relationship or prevents us developing one that is positive.  No one wants to do business with a person that distorts the truth or facts.  No one would want to sit under a preacher who tells fabrications.  As a friend of mine had a member of his congregation asked him, “Pastor was that story you told the truth or were you just preaching?”  What a statement and while she may not have meant it as it came across that she would even entertain it is a tragedy. 

You do not want anyone to tell you anything but the truth so why practice telling others something that is not truthful?  You would not want your doctor to tell you something that was not true regarding your health because that could cost you your life.  You would not want your banker or financial adviser to misrepresent your finances that might cost you your possessions.  In life (all of it) let’s be People of the Truth!

May God bless you as you go through your day!

Galatians 4:1-7 – “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ” Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” NASB

Paul’s way of explaining our relationship with God is powerful.  He brings to mind that a child although a member of the family and ultimately owner of all the family fortunes and worth, is very little different from a slave because the child is under the authority of his/her parents or those whom the parents have placed over them.  They are not allowed the privilege of operating as an “owner” until it is deemed by the father that they are ready. Owner of all but the authority of a slave is the condition described.

Then he declares to us that we are sons (a non-gender term as used here) and because of that truth God has sent the Spirit of God into our hearts crying “Abba! Father!”  As a result, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters and if we are sons and daughters, we are Heirs of God!  How often do we as children of the Most High live beneath our privilege?  How frequently do we live as slaves rather than sons and daughters? 

It is time that we assess who we are and whose we are.  It is time to reread the Bible and determine what this “New Covenant” that is established upon “Better Promises” is all about and what it affords.  It is time that we reevaluate our relationship with the Lord and that we have authority and power to not only overcome the enemy of our souls but the grace to live The Abundant Life that Jesus promised.  You are not a Slave you are a Child of God and an Heir according to His Promise!

Let’s move from a slave mentality to a son and daughter mentality.  Let’s move from timidity to boldness in our relationship, heritage, and covenant.  Let’s begin to live as Heirs and bring real hope to this hopeless world outside of Christ. 

God bless and keep you as you go through your day!

2 Timothy 2:1, 11-13 – “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…..11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” NASB

How about you, do you want to be “Strong in Grace?”  I believe that I can answer that for you without violating your right to make the decision for yourself and say YES!  Paul identified in verses 11-13 some truths regarding our walk, in Christ in this life by saying:

1. If we have died in Him, we will also live in Him.
2. If we endure, we will reign.
3. If we deny Him, He will deny us.
4. If we are faithless, He will remain faithful
5. God cannot deny Himself.

We are dead in Christ through the “new birth” and have been made a new creation through the gift of Salvation and one day we will live with Him eternally.  Jesus never hid the fact that we would face difficulties in life and in the Christian walk and neither does Paul.  He tells us the end of that enduring is reigning with Jesus.  He warns that if we deny the Lord, God will deny us on that day and that is not something that any of us desires.  He tells us that we may be less than faithful, but God will always be faithful because He cannot deny Himself and He is faithful.

So, to be “Strong in Grace” is to embrace the faith that is in Jesus Himself.  It is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is to allow the Holy Spirit to shed the Love of God abroad in our hearts and to teach us all things that Jesus said.  It is to allow the Holy Spirit to quicken our mortal bodies so that we shake off the shackles of carnality and move into the realm of the spiritual.  It is to become focused on the King and the Kingdom of God as paramount and supreme above all else.  It is to Totally Surrender our life, all of it to GOD!

It is in that condition and position that we become “Strong in Grace” and no matter what comes we come out the other side In Christ and therefore Victorious! 

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

John 1:23 – “He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”  NASB

As a preacher, it is the cry of my heart to be a “voice” for God, not an “echo” simply repeating what others have said.  The Christian Church has been saturated with preaching to the point that we are almost anesthetized and have built up an immunity to its effect.  We have heard it all so many times, it is commonplace to us and because it is too frequently without any demonstration of the Power of God it is just more words or theory to many.

When John the Baptist was asked who he was this was his response, “I am a voice…”  Years ago, in a time of frustration over the lack of visible results from the meetings in the church I cried out to the Lord in specific prayer.  I prayed, “LORD, help me be a voice, not an echo.” 

What I meant and mean by that is, I do not want to simply regurgitate what men before me, or my contemporaries are saying about God.  I wanted to ‘hear’ what God was saying to me and to the church and speak ‘for Him’ not simply ‘about Him.’  I want to be able to practically apply the biblical truths to life situations and see the presence and power of God manifest.  I want to ‘pull down strongholds.’  I want to see the fulfillment of Jesus’ words, “the works that I do you shall do…”  Forget, the greater works for the moment and simply focus on doing what He did and enforcing the Victory He won at the Cross.

It has long been the cry of my heart for Isaiah 61 to be a reality in my life.  I want that anointing.  I want to fulfill the declaration of Jesus in Luke 4 when He quoted this passage from Isaiah and declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He anointed me to…”  He then detailed what the Spirit of God had sent Him to do.  Preach the Gospel, release the captives, give sight to the blind (spiritual and natural), and to free the downtrodden proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord or God’s Jubilee.

 We learn in Romans 10:17 that faith, that sometimes elusive mysterious thing in the minds of many Christians comes by hearing.  We learn that true hearing or spiritual hearing comes through the Word of Christ.  Earlier in that chapter, we are informed that salvation, deliverance, healing, and God’s redemptive power comes to those who hear. 

In Romans 10:14, the apostle asks, “How shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”  Those questions ignited a spark that has become a raging fire in my heart.  I want to be a VOICE so people can hear, believe, receive, and be set free!  Echoes do not set people free, but voices do!  Echoes repeat old clichés and doctrines, that are wonderful and powerful if believed and received, but voices become a ‘Rhema’ to the soul igniting the fire of faith.

I have no desire to simply talk ‘about’ God, I want to see the fulfillment of Jesus’ instruction regarding prayer.  I want to see, God’s Kingdom come into my world, my life, and my presence.  I want His will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven and to be the prevailing determination of everything I am, and I do. 

I pray that God will help all of us to become Voices for Him and say what we hear Him saying and do what we see Him doing.  Taking His Word and applying it to our lives and situations with expectation.

May the LORD bless you and keep you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

Numbers 11:23 – “And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”  NASB

Maybe a better way of asking that question would be, “Is there anything that can limit God’s power?”  Clearly from the overall teaching of Scripture, God is Omnipotent.  That would mean and does mean that His power is UNLIMITED!  He does not have Power, He is Power!  If God decides to do something, there is nothing that could prevent the fulfillment of His decision.  That, I believe is absolute and the clear message of the Bible.

However, I must ask again, “Is there anything that can limit God’s power?”  Maybe we should rephrase that again and ask, “Is there anything that we can do that would cause God to withhold His power?”  Obviously, that is an entirely different question and presents totally new parameters in the equation or question.

There are two distinct passages that address this in the New Testament.  One is in Matthew 13:58 where it speaks of Jesus’ lack of miracles in His home town due to unbelief.  Then in Mark 6:5 referring to the same situation worded it differently saying, “Now He could do no mighty work there, except He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.”  The next verse tells us that Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.

The Bible teaches plainly that with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37; Luke 18:27; Jeremiah 32:17; Job 42:2; Genesis 18:14).  We are also taught that if we believe and have the expectation that God will fulfill His promises all things are possible to us. (Philippians 4:13; Mark 10:27; Mark 9:23; Mark 11:24).  These are not the only passages we could use but are sufficient to establish that with God all things are possible and with those who exercise faith all things are possible.

We are taught in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is eternally the same.  He is the same today as He was yesterday and will be the same tomorrow as He is today.  He is the Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent Creator of all things.  He is “The Living God.” (Deuteronomy 5:26; Joshua 3:10; 1 Samuel 17:26, 36; 2 Kings 19:4; Psalms 42:2; Romans 9:26). 

If God is The Living God and nothing is impossible with Him, then why would we doubt Him?  I am convinced that the only thing that stops God from moving on our behalf is us.  If we doubt Him and live our lives without expectation, we will live beneath the place He desires.  If Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and if God is Omnipotent, righteous, holy, just, and loving, why do we doubt His willingness to fulfill His promises and provisions?

Let me offer one possible reason.  We, humans, are prone to earn things and want to feel we deserve them.  That is foreign to Grace and because we love and think as humans we tend to think of God as we think of ourselves.  We feel unworthy of His favor, grace, and blessings and therefore question God because we question ourselves. 

Another is, we have been taught limitations to God.  We have been taught dispensational ideas that relegate certain attributes and demonstrations of God to certain eras.  We have been taught, contrary to the Word of God that what God did He no longer does.  Yet, the Bible teaches that He is the same, past, present, and future.  That is why Jesus would respond with almost shock when someone said, “If you are willing?”  He responded, “If I am willing!”  Indicating that He was amazed that they would question His willingness to do good.

Therefore, rather than questioning whether God is Limited or not we should encourage ourselves that He is Limitless in Power, Limitless in Love, Limitless in Willingness, and become open vessels to receive His Promises, Provision, and Power.

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

Luke 5:31 – “And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.”  NASB

I preached from this passage many years ago and had a man come to me afterward and say, “Preacher you missed it completely today, we are not sick.”  I understood his view but was somewhat surprised since we have a very powerful time of ministering to people who came forward for prayer.  God healed bodies, hearts, and relationships in that service.  So, this man’s view of the condition of the church was different than those who came for prayer and ministry.

He considered himself a religious man, and he was.  However, simply being religious is not necessarily without the need for ministry.  Jesus was addressing the self-righteous Pharisees and Scribes in His statement.  Recognizing the need for ministry is somewhat like being lost if you don’t know you have a need you will seek no help. 

There is a key principle taught in the Bible regarding ministering to others.  Jesus illustrated who our neighbor is in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  He addressed the need of serving others in His washing the disciples’ feet.  Paul brings this into focus powerfully in Galatians 6:1 as he spoke of discovering a brother or sister entrapped in a spiritual or moral failure.  What is the right biblical response?  Restoration!  Restoration with ourselves in mind, realizing that we could easily be in their shoes.

God’s purpose is always Restoration!  God’s purpose is not condemnation, judgment, and punishment, but restoration.  That should be our view as well.  I ask that you call to mind the declaration of Jesus in Matthew 7 as He spoke about dealing with others who have issues.  His instruction was that we are to ‘seek healing for our own sins’ before trying to correct others.  In that declaration, He made it clear that, from time to time, we all need a doctor, spiritually.

I remember as a young Christian and a fledgling preacher developing a sense of personal piety and falling into the trap of comparing myself to others.  I would look at people who did not look right, talk right, dress right, or, in my view, live right and would piously think, “Thank God I’m not like that.”  One day the Holy Spirit rattled my cage and said, “No, you are worse.”  That shook me more than I can describe.

I attempted to argue and present my good works and abstentions as qualifiers for my belief that I was somehow better than those I was looking down on.  The more I argued the more I realized that I was nothing but a Pharisee and had lost the view of God’s purpose for people.  I was elevating myself, thinking I was whole, when there was a hole in my heart that needed the loving attention of God’s balm of Grace. 

I wanted to please God more than I wanted anything.  I had my list and was checking all the right boxes.  However, in that process, my heart was growing cold toward my brothers and sisters.  I was not as compassionate as I thought I was.  I was not as loving as I envisioned myself.  I was judgmental although I would have argued that I was just inspecting the fruit not judging.  As, I realized my own deficiencies and need, in repentance, I was brought into the Emergency Room of God’s Love and the Healing Balm of God was applied.  I was transformed in a very real way. 

I could, once again, speak of sin with a broken heart.  I could, once again, speak of love out of a heart overflowing with love.  I needed a doctor and thank God the doctor was in the house and willing to treat me and bring me back to health.  In that experience, I discovered that it would not be the last time I needed a doctor, Doctor Jesus to come and address an area in my life.  Thank God, that I have learned that if I have a need, my heavenly doctor is always ready to minister healing.

God bless you as you reach out to Doctor Jesus in your time of need.