If you watch the news and keep up with all the latest political issues in our nation and around the world, you could get very discouraged. You must keep your eyes on what Jesus and the other prophets said would one day happen. Jesus will return one day and rule the earth. Two things Jesus told us is these things must come to pass and we are not to be troubled. So, despite what is going on, we can have an attitude of joy and trust in God!.
Matthew 24:6-7:
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers (different) places.
As Christians, our vote and participation in government activities is important. Yet, on the other hand, when things do not go the way we think they should, we have to leave world history in God’s hands. He knows what is going to happen and is guiding all world events to the time when Jesus will return and be in charge of planet earth. All we are to do is maintain our joy and do our main job: Spread the Gospel!
Matthew 5:5:
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
A meek person is not a weak person. They are not the ones who lay down and let others walk all over them. A meek person is teachable. A teachable person will inherit the earth. Knowledge and wisdom have to come to those who are willing to accept it. God has given His wisdom to those who have “ears to hear.”
James tells us to “receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21). Spiritual growth, a mind renewed to God’s Word can only come through a teachable heart. Meekness is also listed as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:23. The Holy Spirit is our teacher.
It is often most difficult to open ourselves up to instruction in areas we feel like we know so much about. We should never come to a time when we cannot learn. When we become unteachable we quit growing. We could quote the beatitude this way, Blessed are those who remain teachable. They shall keep on inheriting the earth. There are so many more riches, possessions and levels of maturity yet to go, but they are only obtainable to those who remain teachable.
A faithful person is a plodder. Without much outside motivation, a plodder keeps moving each day, driven by their mission and the Word of God in their heart. A plodder does not become weary in well doing. We are told we will reap in due season if we faint not. A plodder is one who will not faint. He never seems to give up. Unlike many others, he does not gain great amounts of ground at one time. Yet, when other have given up and thrown in the towel, the plodder is till going. The important thing is not who starts with God, but who finishes. Finishing is much more difficult. That is why many are at the starting line, but only a few cross the finish line. God is not so interested in how many begin with Him. He is more interested in how many finish. This is reserved for the plodder. Remember, the won who won the race was the tortoise, not the hare!
Thursday - March 15, 2007 God’s idea of resting in our faith is not sitting in front of a television, eating chips all evening long. God’s idea of rest includes being busy! You can work hard for the Lord Jesus and at the same time be at peace in your heart. Rest in the Christian life is freedom from worry, anxiety, and stress. It is a relaxed enjoyment of each day as we work for the Lord. Jesus entered a boat and commanded the disciples to go to the other side. He then laid down and slept, even during the storm. The disciples were worried and fearful. They even woke Jesus up and blamed Him for not being concerned about them. Jesus rebuked the storm and then rebuked the disciples. If Jesus could sleep through a storm, why couldn’t they? The disciples made it safely to the other side by the word Jesus spoke in the midst of the storm. Like Jesus, we too can find a promise from the scriptures, fluff it up like a pillow and sleep on it during the worst storms of life. God’s promises are designed to give us peace. Faith can only work with an attitude of peace. What storm are you facing today? What scriptures have you chosen to put your faith in? Choose today to separate yourself from worry and concern and go about your business serving the Lord. If God promised it, He will cause it to come to pass!
Wednesday - March 14, 2007 The situations and circumstances of the natural world are FACTS. The promises give by God in His Word are TRUTH. If your body is sick, that is simply a fact. The Word says you are healed. That is the truth. Facts are subject to change, but truth will never change. Whether you are sick or well, God’s Word will always say, “…by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Whether you are living in abundance or lack, God’s Word will always say, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper…” (3 John 2) It is quite acceptable with God to look at and address the facts of your life, as long as the truth remains preeminent. Abraham, Moses, David, Paul and others spoke of problems, sickness and the trials of life, but they did not allow these to cause shipwreck of their faith. They stood faithful to God’s promises and watched barren bodies conceive, slavery give way to freedom, giants fall and heathen turn to the gospel. You too, can continue to trust in God’s Word and your circumstances will change the truth will change your facts!
Have you ever seen a news report on television that change focus from a near object to a distant object? Let me explain. One night I saw a news report on a prison riot. They report began by focusing on a chain link fence that surrounded the prison. You could not see the prison in the distance. It was blurry and out of focus. The camera then began to focus on the prison in the distance and the fence just seemed to disappear. The fence was still there; you just couldn’t see it anymore. The camera could not focus on both objects, but only on one or the other. So it is with our daily spiritual and natural lives. We live in two worlds. With our spirit and soul we contact the spiritual world. Our physical body contacts the natural world around us. We have two sets of eyes. The natural world is seen with our natural eyes. The spiritual world is seen with our spiritual eyes. Shifting from one set of eyes to the other is a choice, like refocusing a camera. Where are your eyes focused today? Are they focused on the problems of the day or are they focused on the answers found in God’s Word? Why don’t you choose today to focus on the answers already provided through God’s promises to you?
When the Ark of the Covenant was being returned to Jerusalem after being captured and in possession of the Philistines for many years, David danced before the Lord with great joy at its return. In 2 Samuel 6:14 the Bible says, “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” David’s first wife, Michal, was disgusted as she watched from her window because her husband removed his official robe and looked like a common priest before the people. As David worshiped with the priests, he looked like all the other priests and not like a king. When you celebrate and worship the Lord, you are operating as a priest. Peter called us “a royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9). God wants you to take off your attorney’s robe, doctor’s robe, teacher’s robe, whatever robe you wear. Under the “robe” you may be proud of is the garment of the priesthood. Under our garments of pride, we are all the same. When we come to church, it does not matter who we stand beside, we are all priests if we are born again! Our only concern should be for the One we will worship for all eternity—the Lord Jesus Christ!
Would you like to have strong faith? You might think that would be hard, but nothing in God’s Word is hard. It just takes a little persistence. In fact, for the Christian, faith should be like water to a fish. It should be your environment. Without faith, you are like a fish out of water. I’ve become so accustomed to faith in God’s Word that when I’m in a church where there is a lot of unbelief, I’m uncomfortable. Romans 4:20-21 says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” The next verse is the definition of strong faith. “And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” Abraham saw that God is not only able to back His Word, He is willing! Which promise of God are you standing on today? He is not only able to bring it to pass in your life, He is willing!
Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” What kind of anger can you have without sinning? How can you be angry and not sin? By being angry at the devil! Jesus could be angry without sinning. He threw the money changers out of the temple. He called the religious leaders of His day, “whited tombstones.” He said, “On the outside you’re pretty and white, but on the inside you are full of dead men’s bones. You generation of vipers!” Jesus was mad at the works of the devil! Ephesians 4:27 says, “Neither give place (ground) to the devil.” We don’t fight until the sun goes down; we fight until we win! It doesn’t matter if financial pressures are coming against you today. Command the problems to stand still until you win!
Wednesday - March 7, 2007 Numbers 6:25-26 says, “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” Sin causes God to turn His face away from us. When you’re headed in the direction of sin, God’s face cannot shine upon you, but when you turn and go back to the ways of the Lord, He can cause His face to shine upon you once again! Where are you headed to today? Have you been dabbling with sin? Have you been walking in the ways of the world rather than in the ways of God? Repent! Ask God to forgive and get back on the right path. The moment you do, God’s face will shine upon you once again!
The man who goes from strength to strength is the man who has the Word in his heart. Strength is developed in persecution. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word, but then faith must be used. What good are weapons if there is no battle? A lot of people want to use their faith, but they want to run from opposition and talk about how great their faith is. God has given us faith to use, and faith is built up in the midst of persecution. First Peter 1:7 say, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” The word trial means testing. God says the testing you go through is precious. We know God doesn’t bring the testing, but He sees it as precious when you go through the testing. If you are being tested today, know that God will bring you through to victory!
We live in two worlds—a spiritual kingdom and a natural kingdom. Faith justifies you before God, but works justify you before man. My friend, what good is faith inside if it can’t be seen on the outside? In James, chapter 2, James in essence says, “Quit telling me you have faith. I want to see your works. Your works will tell me that you have faith.” Your body is merely the expression of the spirit man on the inside. Your body is very similar to a glove. The glove has no life in itself and therefore, needs a hand inside of it before it can move. Your body has no life in itself either. It derives its life from the spirit on the inside of you. Just as others see your body moving because of the spirit within, in essence, others see your works because of the faith that is within. When others see you performing works, they know faith on the inside of you is operating. What are you standing in faith for today? Finances? Then put works to your faith by sowing seed into God’s kingdom. Healing? Perhaps you need to move something that you have been unable to move. Put action to your faith today!
Everything has a voice or a language characteristic to its nature. Cats meow because they have a cat nature. Dogs bark because they have a dog nature. Chickens cluck because they have a chicken nature. Human babies cry because they have a human nature. All born again believers receive the language of the inner man from our Heavenly Father. The language of our born again spirit calls those things which be not as though they were, just as our Father in heaven does. Abraham had faith in God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, and he began to express the voice of his inner man. God said, "Abraham, you are the father of many nations." Abraham responded, "I am the father of many nations," even though it didn't look like it was true. What are you believing for from God's promises to you today? Does it seem like His promise will never come to pass? Like Abraham, keep calling those things that be not as though they were, and you will see God's promise to you come to pass!
When you get born again, you are not magically removed from all of life's challenges and difficulties. Instead, you are given the equipment to face those problems and be victorious through God, who is your help in the midst of trouble. Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Your strength is perfected in the trouble when you pull out the sword of the Spirit, when you use the shield of faith, when you practice to become adept with all the weapons of your warfare. Would God have given us weapons if there were no battles to fight? The answer is no. But not only did God give us supernaturally powerful weapons, He Himself promised to be our very present help in times of trouble! Are you facing trouble today? Look to the One who is very present to help you today!
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