John 1:1-5 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  NKJV

The Bible tells us that Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing comes by The Word of God.  To have spiritual hearing we must be willing to listen and obey the Word of God.  There is the Logos or the written word and the Rhema the spoken word and both are indispensable and neither relegates the other to a previous dimension or era.  When we go to Genesis the first book of the Bible, we find that God is a Speaking God.

It would be impossible to ignore that considering the number of times we read, “And God said.”  Not only that we find God coming to Walk and Talk with Adam in the Garden and throughout the Old and New Testaments we find the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Speaking to people.  Some people get nervous when the term Rhema enters the conversation and argue, rightly, that any Rhema cannot and will not contradict the Logos Word of God.  The Bible is a clear evaluator of any Word we believe we have heard.

But if Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing comes by the Word and the Word is God (Jesus) then it becomes imperative that we learn to Hear His Voice both in the Logos and Rhema.  It is imperative that we become sensitive to the speaking voice of God.  I do not suggest that you will hear God audibly.  You may but likely you will hear God like most of us, in our spirit, mind, and heart.  It may be an impression.  It may be a clear word where you hear a detailed declaration.  It may be a conversation through the Holy Spirit.  I don’t know exactly how you Hear GOD, but I know that we can Hear GOD and must Hear GOD if we are to become the fullness of what He desires for our lives. 

The development of Faith both for salvation and for miracles requires a Relationship with The Word of God.  We would never contemplate developing a relationship with another human being without actual communication.  That may come through the written word via Social Media, Text, Email, or Letters. It may also, and likely will involve oral interaction.  We believe that God is alive and that if we call upon Him, He hears us and yet many do not believe we can Hear GOD personally or have a dialogue with Him. 

Some believe that God stopped speaking in the 1^st Century with the establishment of the New Testament Church.  Yet, the Bible encourages prayer and obedience to God’s Word.  The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit coming as a guide and helper to lead us into all truth and teach us the words of Jesus.  It also speaks of building ourselves up in our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.  If God quit speaking to humans that would be a needless directive and request.  If God is, as the Bible declares Him, the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever then how can we not expect Him to Speak to Us?  Oh, I know the argument that He does through the Bible and that is valid to a degree.

Let me ask it this way.  If you were sick or shut-in and desired me to visit you, I could visit you in two ways.  I could come and drop off my letter to you at the Nurses’ Desk and let you read it yourself? Maybe I brought you the books I had written and dropped them off for you to read my words.  Another way would be for me to come into your room and talk with you for a time. Which would be more beneficial and desirable? 

Before you argue that this is comparing apples and oranges, I ask, Is It?  Who is better equipped to explain the Logos of God than the Word of God Himself?  How many times have you realized that you have misinterpreted a particular passage and when the revelation of the truth came you rejoiced, and it empowered you?  If you could visit with the LORD Himself and Hear Him speak to you personally would that not likely strengthen your faith?  You would be Hearing the Word!  The Word is Truth and Truth is liberating. 

What I want to convey if I convey nothing else is that The Word is HE, not just words on a printed page preserved over the centuries.  The Word of God is a Person, and that Person is our Creator and Giver of Life.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  He is the Door of access to God!  He is our Hope and Coming King!  My daily prayer is, “LORD, create in me a clean heart, renew in me a right spirit, please do not take your Holy Spirit from me, and restore unto me the Joy of Your Salvation.  LORD, enable me to Hear You with clarity so that as I Hear You, I can respond to you in Faith and Obedience.” 

May the LORD bless you richly as you enjoy this wonderful day in Jesus!

Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  NKJV

Life is filled with choice. We make choices every day and even multiple times if not thousands of times every day.  Where we are today is a compilation of the choices we have made after this moment in time.  Who we are is the result of the myriad of choices we have made?  Yes, God wipes the slate clean and gives us a brand-new start at salvation but the formation of our character, condition, and position in life is directly related to our choices or if you will allow the direction to which we look.

Paul was addressing difficulties of life, suffering, trials, tests, and temptations in his and their ministry.  He was highlighting the need and desire to always reach for a life that is pleasing to and representative of God and His Grace.  He was focused on Spiritual Perfection or Spiritual Maturity to the point and degree that he and they could walk victoriously in all things and at all times without imperfection.  You may say, “Roy, that is an impossible dream” and I would not argue with you that on this earth we will likely never reach that point.  But Paul makes a poignant point and calls to mind something that I’m not sure we do not miss or overlook.

He acknowledged that He had not attained spiritual perfection or completeness.  His heart was crying out to lay hold or apprehend Jesus just as Jesus has laid hold of or apprehended him.  The word used means to seize, eagerly possess, and suggests a unification and becoming one with. 

The Psalmist described that heart condition in Psalm 84:2, “My soul longs, yes even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God.”  In Psalm 63:1, he cried, “O God, You are my God; I shall seek you earnestly; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and a weary land where there is no water.”  Paul was describing a longing and thirst that can only be quenched by the Water of Life that Jesus gives, that water our Lord said would spring up within us and be like a River of Living Waters flowing out from us.

He knew his position and condition and then reminded them that although he had not attained, he knew what he must do.  He spoke of Two Looks in Life that determine our destination.  He says, “one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal of the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  Paul’s One Thing has three parts – I do not dwell on the Backward Look.  I focus on the Forward and Upward Look.  I determinedly, doggedly, and devotedly Press Toward that which is ahead. 

He considered that a mark of maturity that we forget the past and focus on the future in God.  He considered it a necessary quality of a believer that we turn our hearts and minds upon the things of God and as he told them earlier, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ.”  That mind was void of selfishness and self-centeredness. He demonstrated a servant’s heart and a mind to serve. 

If we look at what was and dream about what might have been we will lose sight of what is, what can be, and what will be if we Press Toward the Mark and Keep Pressing Toward the Mark!  You have a choice in life to follow the BACKWARD LOOK or the FORWARD and UPWARD LOOK.  Which look do you choose?

God, bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him.

Colossians 3:1-4 – “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  NKJV

In this Christian walk, too often people are waiting for God to do it without considering our part of the equation.  Paul told the Philippians to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and do His good pleasure.”  Here in Colossians, the apostle uses the infinitely powerful two-letter word “IF” as a qualifier for his life instruction. 

He says, “IF then you were raised with Christ…”  IF here is an identifier more than a question and although used rightly it could easily be SINCE.  His instruction is for those who have received Jesus as their savior, died to sin, and experienced the New Birth and been transformed as New Creations, those who have arisen from spiritual death to spiritual life.

As Christians, the focal point of our life is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” as Jesus instructed.  Paul says, “seek those things which are above…”  Those things are current realities where Christ is, as He sits at the right hand of the Father.  He reminds them of the Promise of our Lord to return for us and that “when Christ who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  That is the ultimate objective, prize, and goal – Eternity With Him!

Yet, the apostle does not stop there with a forward look and longing but gives some definite instructions as to Our Part in the equation.  The things that God will not do for us but will help us achieve.  The things subsequent to salvation and our reception of His Saving Grace.  He gives instruction and a basis for it. 

• You SET YOUR MIND on things above, not things of this earth. 

Become heavenly-minded.  Yes, we have all heard people say, “Don’t become so heavenly-minded you are no earthly good.”  However, I would argue that if you truly focus on the things of heaven or the things of God rather than becoming no earthly good you will be of the optimum good.  Why? Because of the transformation in your heart, mind, life, and actions.  Why are we to do this?  Because we are Dead, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. 

We have been Redeemed and Transformed.  We are now strangers and pilgrims on this earth and just passing through.  Our citizenship has been transferred to His Kingdom and because of that, we need to think the thoughts of Heaven and hear the words of Heaven so we can function more perfectly on earth.

• You PUT TO DEATH YOUR MEMBERS which are on earth.

What members?  Read what he says next, and you will have no question as to what he is referring.  Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.  Why?  These things corrupt and defile and divert our attention from Heaven’s Purpose to gratification of the flesh and its desires.  To avoid the wrath of God and come out from among them and be separate.  We to be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and present a witness that is other than that of the world.

• You PUT OFF all these.

All What?  Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  Stop telling lies to one another.  Why or How can you do this?  Because you have been redeemed and by the Grace and Mercy of God have put off the old man.  You are a New Creation, the old is dead and you have been resurrected to newness of life spiritually.  You are not the same as the old you.  You have a renewed mind and in that, your knowledge is transformed and renewed making you Like Him!  You are no longer sectarian but view all mankind as one and make no distinction based on race, color, or creed.

• You PUT ON these.

Put on what?  Tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with or being patient with one another, and forgiving one another.  That is a tall order and rather than waiting on God to do it for you remember He Has Done It in you and therefore it is up to you to walk out what He has done on the inside. 

How is that possible?  By Remembering!  But Remember what?  Remember that you are forgiven!  How can you make this a reality in your life?  Put on Love, which is the bond of perfection.  Let the Peace of God rule your heart.  Always be led by peace. We are one body, saved by the same grace and created by the same God.  Let the Word of God Dwell in You.  Not just dwell in you but dwell in you richly.  That means you give and are given wisdom, teaching, admonition and one of the most powerful ways for that to occur is through Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, singing with Grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

Whatever you do and that means Everything whether in word or deed do it in the Name or as a representative of Jesus and do it with a thankful and grateful heart!

God, bless you richly is my prayer and desire!

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  NKJV

The Bible deals with Hope in many passages and many ways. It is powerful and encouraging.  However, there are contrasts of Hope in the spiritual and natural realms.  We have all heard someone say, “Well, we can only hope,” or “All we can do now is hope.”  Those are statements of despair, not faith.  Those are resignations to what the natural would call inevitable.  It is aligning the mind and heart with the report or prognosis of failure and destruction. 

I’ve had Christians tell me, after prayer, “I’m hoping,” or “I hope so.”  What I hear in those situations is the use of the word Hope in a defeatist sense and it breaks my heart.  I know the experience.  I know what it is to feel hopeless and not see a way out of the situation.  I know what it is to face a diagnosis that is anything but positive and then have everything that transpires validate the sentence of death or destruction.  I know what it is to be overcome with a sense of Hopelessness.  So, please understand I am not speaking condemnation to anyone who is battling and struggling with Hope or the lack thereof.  I hope to offer a higher Hope than that the world affords.

The Definition of Hope from man’s perspective is – A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  A feeling of trust.  Merriam-Webster defines it as – to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.  To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. To expect with confidence. 

But what does the Bible say about Hope?  What is Bible Hope?  From the text passage, it is clear, that Hope has Faith, but Hope is not Faith, nor is it Love.  It is a separate condition and that makes it important for us to understand and consider.  I believe that Hope is a foundational part of Faith and faith is a foundational part of Hope.  They are inextricably linked and should be viable elements in the Christian’s thoughts and prayers. 

Some consider Hope nothing more than wishy-washy unsure optimism and wishful thinking.  A prevalent mentality in today’s world is that Hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much but with no real assurance of getting the desire.”  In the Bible Hope means, “a strong and confident expectation.”  In that sense, we would almost say it is Faith for the Hebrews 11 definition of Faith is, “…the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  I suggest to you that Hope is the subject of Faith, and it is rooted in Expectation!  It is rooted and grounded upon God’s Word, God’s Promises, and God’s Covenant!

Romans 8:24-25 tells us that it is in Hope that we are saved…  It further states that hope that is seen is not hope because you do not hope for what you have you hope for what is not now evident.  You hope for that which you expectantly await.  You have a need, like healing, and you hope for a full recovery.  If you are well, you are not Hoping for Healing but if you are sick hope comes into play.  Therefore, hope is a product of need and upon entering into a condition of need and you allow expectation to arise in your heart Hope Comes Alive!

The apostle Paul made an incredible statement regarding Abraham in Romans 4.  Paul related the account of Abraham when God had given him the promise of a son, born of Sarah, his treasured wife. God said, “Abraham, I have made you the father of many nations…”  Sarah was barren and yet God said you are going to be the father of many nations.  God did not say, “I’m going to make you, but I have made you…” 

Paul then said, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did…”  It is there in that condition that Paul says of Abraham that he, “contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations.”  The KJV renders it, “Who against hope believed in hope…” 

I believe that we better understand this declaration and understanding of Abraham’s situation is that when the natural conditions suggest it was impossible, he refused to allow human reason to define his condition and situation.  When God gave Abraham the promise, he rejected human reason as a definition or explanation or justification for not receiving but he clung to the Promise of God and considered it done! 

He heard, “I have made,” not “I will make.”  He heard God’s declaration and hoped even when everything in him said, “This is Hopeless.”  The end of that hope was Isaac and the fulfillment of God’s Promise. The end of that was that God looked at Abraham’s hope and saw faith and obedience and the Bible says it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

As we stand today, many of us are facing situations and conditions that man says are Hopeless but like Abraham, we need to align our words, our minds, our hearts, and our actions with God’s Promises and His Word.  We are to Hope not as the world hopes but with Expectation!

God, bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.”  NKJV

The Psalmist tells us in verse 10, “Cease striving and know that I am God.”  The word CEASE in Hebrew means “relax.”  You will never discover the tent of Power that God desires to build over each of us if we keep scurrying around, fretting stressed out with pressure.  Stress will ultimately win out and destroy you if you do not learn to “Cast all your care on the Lord…”  I read a Poem a few years ago, that I will share with you and hope it inspires and encourages you.

“Slow Me Down, Lord.

Ease the pounding of my heart by quieting my mind.

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations, of slowing down and looking at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read a few lines from a good book.

Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that I may grow toward my greater destiny.

Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing speed.

Let me look upward to the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.”

That resonates in my heart powerfully.  For God to counteract the incredible toll that stress takes, We Must Slow Down!  It is My Stress countered by God’s Strength!  Let me offer three practical thoughts regarding the matter of finding God’s Strength in our condition of Stress.

• GOD’S STRENGTH IS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.

Our trials are not superficial or irrelevant they are vehicles of Grace that God uses to produce growth in our lives.  I heard a humorous illustration that conveys a wonderful message.

A man went to his doctor, complaining that he was constantly having severe headaches.  The doctor inquired, “Do you smoke?”  The man said, “Well, yes I do.”  The doctor said, “Stop smoking.”  The man stopped but the headaches persisted, so he went back to the doctor. The doctor asked, “Do you drink?”  The man said, “Yes, I do.”  The doctor said, “Stop drinking.”  He did but the headaches did not diminish.  He went back to the doctor and the doctor asked, “Does your job cause you to engage in any physical labor that would in some way put pressure on your back?”  The man said, “Well, yes it does.”  The doctor said, “Quit that job.”  He quit his job and took another lesser position, but the headaches did not go away.  Every day the pain pulsed through his head and finally he realized that he was wearing a size 15 collar on a size 16 neck.  Problem solved!

Superficial problems call for superficial solutions but the real-life stresses to the bone, they touch every nerve and need a supernatural solution.  God is our Present Help in the time of need.

• GOD’S POWER IS OVERPOWERING.

There is no power like God’s Power. There is no anointing like God’s anointing. There is no Peace like God’s peace. He is OMNIPOTENT.

• GOD’S POWER IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON OUR HELP OR ABILITY

We need to remember we are weak, but He is Strong!  Have you felt your weakness lately?  Are your life-changing units nearing the 300 mark?  God is ready to assist.  Why are we insistent on carrying the Load Alone?  Why do we allow Stress & Pressure to destroy our lives?  Why are we content to be robbed of our Joy, Peace, and Happiness?  God is ready to come to us and operate in us and help us Relax!   Jesus said, “Take My Yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”  If you can say, “I am Stressed & Pressured out of measure and I need God’s help and strength, HE OFFERS HELP!” 

Let me ask a few simple questions:  Do you Believe God is God, and His Word is True?  Do You Believe that God can do what He said He would do?  Then, come to Him, casting your care on Him knowing that He not only cares for you but has provided for you. He will cleanse your heart and mind.  He will renew your spirit and give you refreshing.  He will refill and refuel you.  Cast Your Burdens on the Lord – – He Cares For You!

God, bless you richly as you enjoy this day!

Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.”  NKJV

If you examine the biblical record and the historic evidence of what was transpiring at the writing of the Psalm you discover that it was in the context of extreme stress & pressure!   It is a healing balm for everyone who is bowed down under the load of the Cares of this Life.  Martin Luther, a man constantly under pressure and satanic attack, found that Psalm 46 was a powerful comforting Promise of Peace and because of its message penned the hymn: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, A Bulwark Never Failing.” 

The first verses of this Psalm introduce the theme of the entire Psalm.  It could be paraphrased like this: “God Is Our Instant Help When We Are in A Tight Squeeze.”  The word TROUBLE in the Hebrew means to be restricted or tied up in a narrow, cramped place.  I know that Place! 

There is the old saying we have all heard and probably used, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.”  That is exactly the spot the Psalmist was in when God inspired him to pen the 46^th Psalm.  Stress means that I am being pressed and pressured.  It is being squeezed in a tight place.  Stress, negative stress, is doing a number on us.  The Psalmist is telling us that in those times God is Our Refuge and Strength!

When you are stressed and under the heavy weight of pressure and being pushed down exposing your weakness and humanity that is a difficult place.  But the Promise of God is that in those times He is building a Tent of Refuge for us.  He is protecting us!  He is surrounding us with His love, care, power, and might.  He has given His angels charge over us to Protect Us.  In those times and at all times His Strength is available for us IF we will learn to receive it and tap into it.

In this Psalm, the writer calls to mind three situations that can, do damage to our faith and cause fear to well up in our hearts.  He identifies these situations to help us to realize that stress & pressure are not the Final desired, Destination in God – PEACE IS!

• Natural Calamities – – Psalm 46:1-3.  When those come, the natural reaction is Fear but for the one Trusting in God the reaction is or will become “I Will Not Fear!’
• Civil Disturbance – – Psalm 46:4-7.  The city was under attack and the natural reaction is PANIC but for the one Trusting in God the reaction is or will become, “GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF HER, SHE WILL NOT BE MOVED.”
• Post Battle Fatigue – – Psalm 46:8-11.  At that moment when it would be easy to give up or go into hiding the attitude for the person Trusting in God, we declare that we will, “Cease Striving and know that God is God so, therefore, I WILL NOT STRIVE.”

We can conquer Fear! If we take God’s Promises to heart and believe them to be current realities and available we can stand as the Psalmist and declare that even if the earth should change, the mountains quake, and fire roar around us. GOD IS OUR BRIDGE OVER TROUBLE WATERS! 

The question is, “IS HE?”  Is He to us personally?  We need to search our own hearts with total transparency and honesty and see where God fits in our lives in peace and in trouble.  I want to offer a few passages that I believe will inspire confidence in your heart.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God, has not given us the Spirit of Timidity (fear), but of Power and Love and Discipline (sound mind).”

Joshua 1:9 – “Be strong and very courageous.”

Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the defense (strength) of my life; whom shall I dread?”

Psalm 27:10 – “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up.”

In times of heavy assault from stress & pressure, God extends to us His invitation to come to Him and rest in His Loving Embrace and Protective Covering.  In those times, we are to Stand Fast as Psalm 46:5 declares, “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved.”  The word Moved in Hebrew means to totter and shake. 

The song “All Shook Up” was made popular by the late Elvis Presley.  He was born dirt poor in a little Mississippi town and was an only child.  He had little encouragement and no special skills. At the age of 18, making $14 a week as a truck driver, he decided to make a recording on a lark.  You know the rest of the story as he became the best-paid male entertainer in America.  But shortly before Elvis died, he said, “I would give a million dollars for one week of a normal life and peace.”  Money cannot relieve stress and fame won’t cure it.  The Only Cure is God!

I want to pursue this at least one more time so I will pause here and say, May the Lord Bless you and Keep you and Guard and Guide you as you enjoy this day in Him!

Numbers 32:1-5 – “Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”  NKJV

The Reubenites were the kind of people who really did not want to cross the Jordan.  The reason for coming out of Egypt was to cross the Jordan and go into Canaan, the Place of Promise.  There was a very large contingent coming out of Egypt. 

They were blood-bought, baptized in the Red Sea and now after wandering in the Wilderness for forty years and on the brink of breakthrough they said, “Don’t make us cross the Jordan, we want to stay where we are.”  In a very real sense, they were saying, “What we have become fits very nicely into what we have already possessed, and we don’t want any more.”  It is easy to sit in church and say: “What we have become fits nicely into what we have already possessed.  We have ‘x’ number of herds and flocks, and it fits nicely, so we are satisfied.”

Let me take you back a bit to the Lion King Movie where Mufasa the King said to Simba from the clouds, “You Are More Than What You Have Become.”  It is easy to get in a state of mind where what we see fits into what we are able to accommodate, and we do not want to move.  It is saying, “Don’t Make Us Go Over the Jordan.”  But if we grasp the Word of God, we realize that we Are more than what we have become, and God is not finished molding us yet.  We need to remember Who we are and Whose we are and realize that we truly Are more than what we have become. 

Let me caution you and state this was not about Reuben stealing Glory from God. It was about Reuben stealing the Glory of Jacob.  It was about Reuben wanting a Glory that was not his to have.  We find that in the local church.  It is not about someone wanting the Pastor’s job or the Elder’s job.  It is about, “What’s in it for me?”  It is about Recognition and Comfort.  Believers, we are not here for what is in it for us, we are in it for what is in it for Him!

Reuben wants to experience something beyond his measure.  You will never be happier than when you abide in the measure God has granted you.  If your measure is to have no authority, no leadership, no responsibility in the House you will be far happier if you abide there than if you press into a measure, you have not been called to receive.  Remember the disciples in the boat had ‘heard the word’ and as a result, they got blisters on their hands struggling against the waves and the wind but they had heard God.  It was as they persisted in What they heard that He came to them in the night and brought victory. 

If you observe the weather, you will not launch out into the deep. Anybody can run in good weather.  The only way you launch out into the unknown is by knowing that you know that you know that God has directed your steps.  Don’t quit!  Do you understand why you get turbulence where two rivers run together?  That is the place where the vision and intent of River ‘A’ and River ‘B’ come together.  If you are not careful in life you will get DI-VISION not VISION. Turbulence can create DI-VISION but out of that confluence where the two become one there is quiet power. 

We need to be willing to Cross over into the Place of Promise taking with us that which we have learned in deliverance from bondage, baptism in our Red Sea, learning in the wilderness, and enter into the Place of Promise and Possess the Land.  God gives a Warning, sends His Word, and prepares the Way.  Will we be people who are Obedient and then eat the good of the land?

God, bless you richly as you enjoy this day in Him!

Matthew 14:22 – “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.”  NKJV

There is one word I want to focus on and address some questions that arise out of that word.  It says, “Jesus MADE the disciple get in the boat and go before Him…”  Let me ask the obvious questions: 

• Did Jesus Make the Disciples Get in the Boat?
• Was Jesus in the Boat?
• Would it suggest that there can be a time, in the work of God, where we can be led by the Lord and made to follow a Word He has given when He IS NOT in the boat?

Back to question one.  “Did He make them get in the boat?”  I urge you to read verses 23-34as you consider the question.  Often, we associate the presence of Jesus with the settling or solving of our circumstances.  His presence does bring Peace, but we dare not miss the point that Jesus Was Not in the boat and there was a storm.  On another occasion, He was asleep in the boat and there was a storm so clearly, the storms of life come when He is and when He is not in the boat with us. 

Adversity is not proportional to the amount Jesus is in the boat.  It is a much deeper issue it is the realm of faith.  If we have heard the word of the Lord and we are going to consistently apply that word to our lives, we must do so regardless of whether we feel He is in the boat or not.  Please read, Mark 6:45-51 and if it does not intrigue and raise questions you are not reading it deeply enough.

Jesus was watching them struggle and resisted the temptation to get involved at the first sign of struggle.  He did not come to them until the 4^th watch of the night so there was a period of time that Jesus let the disciples struggle and the situation intensified.  They were in the middle of the lake straining on the oars and going nowhere.  It was a hard situation.  Jesus could see them straining. 

How often do we get religious and say that straining at the oars is unspiritual?  I suggest there is a time to strain on the oars and a time to break a sweat in labor.  In every sovereign move of God, there is a time to labor.  We must be committed to straining at the oars no matter what others are doing in other places or God is doing elsewhere.  WHY?  Because, Jesus said, “Get in the boat and go to the other side.” 

The simple question is: “Are we committed to the Word of the Lord that has come into our spirits, even when it seems that Jesus IS NOT in the boat?”  Even when the winds are contrary, and our hands are getting blisters from rowing?  Even when we have done all we know to do, and nothing is getting better?  Are we determined to obey His directive to “Get in the boat and go to the other side?” 

That is what faith’s all about!  (Note John 6:16-21 for a wonderful reality.)  Three or four miles is a very long way to row, especially when the wind is against you and the water is rough with the current trying to push you back and the waves about to capsize your boat.  Jesus showed up and they thought He was a ghost.  What I want you to get is He Did Come to Them!  He comes out of the darkness to the boat, and they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately they were on the other side.  I like that!  In the midst of struggling, straining, striving WHEN they allowed Him to get in the boat Victory Came!

Why Would God Allow This?  Why should we be made to get into a boat, when Jesus knows full well that we are going out in the middle of the lake where a storm is going to force us to struggle and strain?  Why would He put us in that position?  Why would He allow them to encounter a situation where all their hard work seemed totally in vain and was coming to nothing? 

Here is a truth you much catch.  If you stop rowing you go backward, so their labors were holding them in place and moving them slightly forward almost imperceptibly, but it was producing something good.  If you stop rowing the wind wins and the waves defeat you.  There is a time in the experience of every believer when God will allow us to struggle.  If you are in the middle of the lake and you know you heard God, but all hell is breaking out against you and defeat seems imminent what is the point?  It conveys to you a certain confidence and establishes a commitment to OBEY in Faith.  It enables us to realize that Christ in Us enables us to do all things and nothing is impossible with God. 

Anybody can run with the weather, but Jesus wants His disciples to be those who will obey regardless of the obstacles and opposition.  It is a choice, but it should be no choice.  We should determine that we are going to OBEY regardless.  It is saying, “I’m in this for the duration.”  It is saying, “I don’t see you, can’t feel you, and there is little evidence you are here, but YOU SAID IT and I commit to doing it.”

We will consider this area just a little more but for now, God bless you richly as you enjoy this day in Him!

Matthew 7:7-8 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  NKJV

This passage reveals the desire of God to answer prayer and is a mild rebuke for not praying.  There are many passages in the Bible about prayer, answered prayer and explanations why our prayers are not answered.  It is not as simple as saying, “If you do not get what you requested, it was not God’s will.”  That might be true, and it might not be much more involved than that simplistic interpretation. 

It has been observed that Jesus did not teach on ‘unanswered prayers.’  Why not?  The simplest explanation – HE DID NOT HAVE ANY!  He is our example and if we follow His example and pattern, we will find fewer incidences of Unanswered Prayers in our own lives.

If we take that stance, we should also take the stance that God’s Will is always done which would negate the need for or purpose of prayer.  That, in my view, would be completely opposite of the teachings of Scripture.  I believe that prayer is a command, has a purpose, and is effective in securing answers from God. But what about those times when we do not receive answers to our prayers.

Let me suggest, without going into great detail, several reasons that we might not get an answer to our prayers or receive the petition we have presented before God.  It is difficult to reconcile unanswered prayer with the passage above where Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you…”  He did not say, “Ask and if God wants to, He will grant your petition.”  It simply said, “Ask, and it will be given to you…”  Therefore, if we ask and it is not given, WHY?

Let me take several, not in any particular order and hopefully it will encourage you, inspire you, and instruct you so that you can pray more efficiently and effectively.  What are some reasons for Unanswered Prayer?

• Asking Amiss.   James 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”  WRONG MOTIVE! God will never share His Glory and will not participate in our pursuit of carnal purposes.  He is all about the Kingdom of God, Righteousness, and Redemption.  If we are asking selfishly, we are asking amiss and we will find frequently that those prayers are not answered in the affirmative.
• Double-Mindedness.  James 1:2-8 deals with the need for wisdom but can be expanded far beyond simply praying for wisdom and guidance, it tells us that if we are double-minded we are unstable and cannot expect to receive anything from the Lord.  A spring does not produce sweet and bitter water and a tree does not produce good and bad fruit.  If we live with one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world, we have guaranteed that our prayers will go unanswered.
• Wrong Timing.  Ecclesiastes 3 speaks specifically to this reality that there is a time for everything, and we may be asking for something that is perfectly in God’s plan for our lives, but the timing is wrong, and God will not grant our petitions prematurely for that would likely short-circuit His purposes. 

Maybe there is something we do not see that He is teaching us before we reach that time.  I am not saying that God puts sickness on anyone, HE DOES NOT! Remember Israel in the Wilderness?  They kept circling the mountain and spent 40 years in the wilderness as God was teaching them and bringing them to His perfect timing.  I have no doubt that Moses and Israel prayed for the Promised Land but until God’s timing, He did not grant that petition.

• Unspecified Generalized Prayers.  Philippians 4:6 instructs us about prayer we are told to ‘make our requests known unto God’.)  Make Known requires specificity.  It is more than praying bless me and expecting God to answer specific desires that are undeclared.  If you pray generalized prayers, how will you know when or if they are answered?
• Doubt. Mark 11:23 is an incredible passage regarding Faith Praying and Banishing Doubt.  Jesus begins by saying, “Have faith in God.”  Then, He opens a door that few ever walk through spiritually.  He tells us to ‘speak to things including mountains’ believing that what we have declared is a factual and literal reality without doubt.  Jesus says if we do that, we will have what we said or prayed.  But if we say or pray in doubt, we negate the Promise and Pollute the Prayer.
• Feelings of Unworthiness.   So many passages identify that Nothing we can be earned and everything we receive from God is based on His Grace, Mercy, and Love, not our deserving or earning.  In the natural, if we do not feel worthy, we tend to hesitate to make a request of others.  In the realm of the spirit, we do the same thing.  What we must understand is that we will never be good enough, holy enough, or righteous enough.  It is not our worthiness but His that is the basis for our petitions. Our feelings of unworthiness may prevent us from asking or cause us to ask with no expectation or faith.
• Failure to Ask.  The Text Verse – If we Do Not Ask, we will not receive but if we Do Ask, we will receive.  1 John 5:14-15 is an incredibly powerful directive that we should take to heart.  “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 

Let me conclude with the following emphasis:  If we Ask Anything according to God’s WillHE HEARS US!  If He hears us, We Receive the Promise.  So, if we know biblically that something is God’s declared will is we can and should Ask with complete confidence that He will hear that prayer and if He listens to it, He will grant our petition. 

Therefore, if you are not getting answers to your prayers consider those possibilities I have listed and examine yourself to see if you are failing in any of those areas and ask God to help you correct them.  My list is not exhaustive.  My heart tells me that the way to answered prayer is to FIRST – Seek God with a whole heart and Submit to Him totally.  I John 4:14-15 is one of my go-to passages in life.  “¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

God, bless you richly as you pursue His Purposes in this life.