John 4:46-50 – “Now he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had made the water wine.  In Capernaum there was a certain royal official whose son was sick.  ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.  ⁴⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe!” ⁴⁹ “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus told him, “Go home; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home.”

As I read, prayed, and considered the Word of God today, the simplicity of faith staggered me.   Staggered me?  Yes, because of the extent we complicate it in contrast to biblical examples of exercised faith.

In John 4, we have the account of the synagogue official who had a sick child and came to Jesus for help.  Interestingly, after his request, Jesus said in verse 48, “…Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe!”    The official was undeterred and said, “Sir, the official said to Him, come down before my child dies.” He believed that healing and help were within Jesus’s person and power.

Jesus responded to his persistence and expectation in verse 50 – “Go home; your son will live.  The man believed the word (Rhema) that Jesus spoke to him and set off for home.”

He had come to bring Jesus to his problem.  He believed that if Jesus came to his problem, healing would result.   Jesus chided him and them for seeking signs.  The man persisted, showing his confidence was not in the external but in Jesus.  Jesus spoke the word (Rhema), and he received it.

There is a simple pattern that reveals the simplicity of faith.   

• He believed Jesus could. 
• He came to Jesus with his request. 
• He presented his petition and persisted.
• He heard the Word (Rhema) Jesus spoke.
• He believed the word (Rhema).
• He acted upon that word (Rhema).

At that moment, nothing had changed in the natural.  But because he heard, believed, and responded, God’s power went before him and performed the miracle.  Because he heard, believed, and acted upon the Word (Rhema) of Jesus, he received.

He did not see any visible change but trusted Jesus. He came to bring Jesus to his problem.  Instead, he left his problem with Jesus and acted as if what Jesus said was a realized reality he received.

We tend to be led by what we see and feel.  We trust what we see more than what Jesus says.  We insert our understanding, our definition, and our evaluation.  This man heard, believed, obeyed, and received.

This is not a formula but a pattern.  We have a problem or need.   It is unfixable by human ability.  We bring it to Jesus and petition.  He speaks by the Spirit or the Word.  It is at that juncture that there are two roads before us.

We continue to petition, convinced we have to get Him to our problem, road one.  We take Him at His Word and act like He is telling the truth, road two.

Let’s first come to Him and make our request known to Him.   Let’s hear Him.   Once we’ve heard Him, let’s believe His Word and act upon it.  Obey Him.  The biblical promise is the fulfillment of His promise.

Remove the confidence in or confusion of human sight or emotions from the equation.  Decide to believe and obey explicitly, and faith that came as a seed from God will produce the fruit desired.  Faith received and released to God is expressed in simple obedience.

I pray that the LORD will help each of us embrace the simplicity of Faith and put our total trust in God and His Word!

Isaiah 40:28-31 – “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is an eternal God, the Creator of the whole earth.  He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom.  ²⁹ He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. ³⁰ Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble.  ³¹ But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”

As I read from Isaiah and John, my head was exploding with the incredibility of God and the devastating power of deception on humans.

Isaiah 40:28-31 is one of my go-to passages when I need encouragement and a reminder of God’s promise and my hope.   He is the eternal creator who never gets tired.   We do, but the promise is a renewal of energy when we are spent (a divine Red Bull energy drink).

Young and old alike stumble, but those who focus on God and His kingdom and purposes get a divine infusion of energy as if their aging had been reversed.   They become a Caleb or a Timex watch.   They took their licking and kept on ticking.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Don’t be afraid (easier said than done), for I am with you!  (Source of our renewal and courage).  Don’t be frightened (emphasis in repeating the directive), for I am your God!  (Who He is and the reality we are His empowers us).  I strengthen you – yes, I help you – yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand!”

Isaiah 43:2-3 is another of my favorites!  No fear because God has promised protection.  He declares we are His!   The waters (trials or people) won’t overcome us.   The fire (tests, trials, persecutions) will be like a toothless dog unable to touch us.

A danger lurks in the shadows that we must guard against – deception.  We can become so confident that we hear God, that God has our backs, that our desires are His promises, and that we open the door to deception.  Isaiah 44:20 describes an ever-present potential danger if we are not rooted firmly in Him and use all our cognitive and spiritual ability to discern what is available.  “He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him.  He cannot rescue himself…”

God’s incredible promise to keep, sustain, guard, and guide us can be held at bay if we allow incomprehensible fantasies to become our realities.  Deception often renders a person undeliverable until their world completely falls apart, and then the danger is that they lose faith and turn away.  They thought they wanted and longed for what was not truly promised to them.   God needs no outside source to supply all we need.  Beware of feeding on ashes!

The NET translation is interesting in its rendering of John 1:5: “And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.”

The light is never understood by or through darkness.   Darkness can be represented by individuals, humanity as a whole, or the malevolent environment surrounding us.  It is the forces of evil, and those forces are continuously seeking to conquer light and truth or master it.  We must keep our focus on God and surrender EVERYTHING to Him, including our deepest hopes, to prevent darkness from darkening our light and deceiving us.   If we find ourselves feeding on ashes, we must run to the Cross in repentance and receive renewal.

Victory is God’s desire; bondage is the devil’s.   Which one we have is rooted in our choices.

May your day be prosperous and filled with the Strength of God!

Luke 22:14-20 – “Now when the hour came, Jesus took his place at the table and the apostles joined him.  ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves.  ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ Then he took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, Luke 22 was part of my reading.   The Lord’s Supper reminded me of that mighty weapon and worship tool that believers too often neglect, misuse, or underuse.

The Body of Christ is a significant emphasis in Scripture.   Understanding the Body of Christ (physical and universal) is essential for victory.   

Discord within the Body of Christ (the Church) opens the door for the devil to work.  Unity in the Body of Christ (Church) binds the forces of darkness and opens the door to the provisions of the New Covenant.   

Each time believers gather at the Lord’s table, they declare their unity and Covenant relationship with the Lord and with one another.   Failure to properly discern the Body of Christ means betraying each other and dishonoring the Cross.   It causes division and violates the terms of the Covenant (love one another).  Instead of bringing Covenantal Blessing, it brings Covenantal Judgment.

The New Covenant Table of the LORD becomes God’s altar, where we renew, recommit, reinforce, and remind ourselves of the Cross and all that was provided. 

The Body of Jesus (physical) now in Heaven guarantees that God’s full atonement has been completed, accepted, and extended to us.  It is the guarantee that our bodies will be raised and glorified.  It is the guarantee that, as His wounded body is now fully healed, ours will be healed, physically on earth and eternally in heaven.

The Blood is our guarantee that forgiveness is ours.   Authority over all the forces of darkness is ours.   Grace to overcome has been granted, and we are more than conquerors in Him.

Communion is an act of worship that reminds us of the Cross and the totality of Christ’s victory.   It is also an act of warfare, binding the forces of darkness and linking us to the New Covenant.  It is a demonstration of faith, enabling us to embrace the provisions of the Cross.   The New Covenant brings us into the Everlasting Covenant that will endure for eternity.

We fight now with the weapons provided, and Communion is a spiritual weapon of warfare through worship.  Understanding the Cross and the Body of Christ is essential.  As we participate, we demonstrate confidence in His provisions at the Cross.  By expecting His Promises to be manifested, we become overcomers and testimonies to the world.

The Body and Blood are essential for full victory in this life.  They are so important and powerful that misuse and misapplication have dire consequences, but right practice has amazing provisions and blessings.

We are overcomers, not overcome, victors not vanquished, and triumphant, not triumphed over.  Victory in Jesus!  Utilize all the weapons in your arsenal.

May the rich presence of the LORD flow freely into your life as you embrace the Body of Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to implant you in the designed and desired spot for your assignment!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the Book of Ecclesiastes led me down several meditative paths of enlightenment and understanding.  I will be contemplating those nuggets for some time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 contains some thought-provoking insights.  “God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time…”   That is easily digested.   Then he says, “BUT (that always opens the door to something deeper) He has also places ignorance in the human heart…”

Wait?   Did God make people ignorant?  Read on, “SO THAT (Explanation) people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.”

Wow!   God keeps us in the dark as to His foreordained plans.  Why?  Why would God not clearly show us His plan and purpose for us?  That would make it easy if we knew at the beginning our purpose, path, and destiny, right?   It would be easy to plan and chart our course in life, right?

Well, no!    It forces us to seek Him and rely on His guidance.   It enables us to build or grow faith in Him as we encounter the unexpected and the unrevealed.   We learn the value and power of effectual and fervent prayer.   We learn the value of studying His Word.    We realize the need for personal intimacy with Him.   We discover the impossibility of life without His Holy Spirit to guide us.

God knows but only shows us glimpses to establish us in the faith.  If He showed us everything from the start, we would be in danger of falling prey to pride.  We would never pray and exercise faith.  Sometimes, not knowing is the best thing because it forces us to seek and trust Him.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 – “For to the one who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy…”    Contrast that to the lost in the remainder of the verse.   “BUT to the sinner, He gives the task of amassing wealth – only to give it to the one who pleases God.”

We don’t know about tomorrow, but God does.   We don’t always have the things we need, but God does.  We have a God who knows the end from the beginning.  He is the same past, present, and future.   So don’t fret over not knowing or even by the surprise events – God is still on the Throne and promises never to fail us.

I hope I have not messed with your theology too much, but that is what the Bible declares.   The Key is to Trust God in Everything and All the Time!

Luke 13:6-9 –  ^“Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.  ⁷ So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none.  Cut it down!  Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’ ⁸ But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.  ⁹ Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’”

The Gospel of Luke held my attention as I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today.  As usual, the Holy Spirit addressed several areas for my consideration and development.  

One that challenged me deeply was Luke 13:6-9, the story of the unproductive fig tree.  The owner of the vineyard is God, but the fig tree has multiple possibilities.   It could be Israel.   It could be the church.   It could be us.   Three years could be a reference to the earthly ministry of Jesus or simply a reference to a time of normal development that was expected to result in fruitfulness.

The worker could easily be a reference to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and Jesus.  The thing that challenged me was that there is a limit to God’s patience in our being nonproductive for the kingdom.

We are here for a purpose larger than ourselves.   Our existence is not random.   Each of us has a call, a destiny, a purpose, and the gift(s) to fulfill that purpose.  We are God’s Fig Trees.   

Remember Jesus’ reaction to the fig tree that appeared to be fruitful but had no fruit?   We mistakenly equate fruitfulness with exploits and great works praised by men.   

We are members of the Body of Christ with specific functions to perform.   The hand, the eye, the knee, the foot, the heart, the ear, and even the armpit have a beneficial purpose and function.  God does not need, nor does He want us to all be an eye, etc.  He wants us to be what He created us to be and utilizes the abilities He has put in us for that purpose.

We are living stones.  That is wonderful, but terrible at the same time.  A natural stone stays where it is placed, never complains, and aspires for a more desirable position, visibility, and recognition.  Living Stones have a bad habit of aspiring for a position not designed for them.  They don’t stay where they are put.

The body cannot function at its peak performance and productivity unless each body part is in its proper place, performing its designed function.

We are God’s “Fig Trees,” and our assignment is to produce the “figs” He purposed us to produce.   No one may ever call your name publicly, but if you are producing the figs you were designed to produce, you will be praised in heaven.  “Well, done will be your recognition!”

Don’t allow old slew foot to bring condemnation, telling you that you should do or be something.  Ask God what body part you are and where your placement in His building is, and with contentment and confidence, Bloom where you are planted, and the fruit you are designed to produce will be realized.

Rather than fretting over, “What’s my gift?”   Seek Him; what you are designed to be will become clear as you see Him.  He will open your heart, mind, and eyes to realize what truly draws your heart and what you do well.

Do not predetermine what you think gifts are.    If it’s to smile and spread cheer, rejoice!  If it’s baking cookies, rejoice!   If it’s intercession, rejoice!  Be who you are and give that to Him.  He will produce the fruit in you.  Cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He prunes and fertilizes you.  You are one of God’s fig trees and have one job – fruit, the fruit He determined for you to produce.  Never compare yourself to someone else; just be!

May the fruit of your life be manifest for all to see and impact your environment and the Kingdom of God!