Don’t Let Them Fool You!
Posted on April 30, 2013 8 Comments
“Truth is relative. All religions are the same. All that matters is that you do what makes you happy and you treat other people right. As long as you are sincere, God understands.” You’ve probably heard people express these sentiments. It’s becoming more and more popular to talk and think this way. But don’t be fooled!
If you drink a glass of poison because you Read More
An Ocean of Grace
Posted on April 23, 2013 5 Comments
Can fish live in the ocean and not be totally immersed in water? Can a person be in Christ and not be totally immersed in God’s love, grace and favor? Impossible!
In Ephesians 1:7-8, we find these powerful words:
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” (NASB)
God is not stingy with grace. According to the dictionary, Read More
Judgment Day
Posted on April 16, 2013 4 Comments
Judgment Day is coming. You can read about this in the Book of Revelation. I remember how terrified I used to be to know this. But I am no longer. And here’s why Read More
Will You Be Caught Up?
Posted on April 9, 2013 10 Comments
When you look into your distant future, do you see things to get excited about? I do! And one of those things I am very excited about is the Rapture.
The word “rapture” is not found in Scripture, but is taken from the Latin word “raptus” that is used to translate the phrase, “caught up,” in 1 Thes. 4:17. It is the translation of the Greek word “harpazo,” which means Read More
The Gospel In Four Words
Posted on April 3, 2013 8 Comments
Here is the Gospel in four words-not I, but Christ; or simply, Christ in my place. Christ in my place on the cross, Christ in my place in the presence of the Father, Christ in my place in the presence of my enemies, Christ in my place in prayer, Christ in my place in the midst of tests and trials, Christ in my place in life and ministry! Read More
God’s Blessings Are Free
Posted on March 26, 2013 2 Comments
God’s blessings are not cheap, but they are always free. We can never earn them, and we could never buy them. We are not good enough to merit, or rich enough to purchase them. The only way, therefore, to receive things we can never earn or buy is to receive them freely.
That’s the lesson the Parable of the Prodigal Son intends to teach. The younger son
When Trouble Comes
Posted on March 12, 2013 4 Comments
None of us would deny that we are living under incredible pressure. Sometimes life seems like one continuous migraine headache. So, how do you deal with troubling, stressful situations? Do you lose your ability to sleep, turn to food, become discouraged, or get angry? If your response to stressors is inadequate, physical, emotional, or spiritual illness results. You may experience burn-out, loss of motivation, depression, and even feel Read More
Before You Pray, Read This First!
Posted on March 5, 2013 17 Comments
Many people come to God in prayer like they are going to the grocery store. They march into the throne room with their grocery carts and grocery lists and start walking up and down the aisles of heaven shouting, “I want this, and I want that, and while you are at it, give me some of this.” And when God asks their name, they say, my first name is Gimme and my last name is More. Gimme More! For them prayer is the way to get things and more things from God to meet their physical and material needs. God is simply a tool. They misunderstand the primary purpose of prayer and for this reason, struggle in their Christian life unnecessarily.
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And the primary purpose for prayer is to develop intimacy with our Heavenly Father. Contrary to what people think, Jesus did not come primarily to deliver us from hell, or to cleanse us from sin. No, he came chiefly to make it possible for us to enjoy unbroken fellowship with God and for God to enjoy unbroken fellowship with us. And this fellowship is now possible because Jesus shed His blood and has cleansed us from all our sins. That means, the sins we commit no longer cause the Father to withdraw from us. We can approach Him anytime, even if we have sinned, knowing we are forever accepted in the beloved. (I John 1:7)
When we accepted Jesus as Savior, we were born-again and entered a Father-Child relationship with God, and a Groom-Bride relationship with Jesus. But a relationship without fellowship is like marriage without intimacy. When two persons exchange their vows, they legally become husband and wife. They have a formal relationship that offers many possibilities, but the thing that will cause the marriage to come alive and make it fruitful is the quality time they spend with each other. But when they are not spending time with each other alone and with others, even though the marriage still exists legally, neither party is fulfilled or satisfied. Some people try to make up for this lack of fellowship with presents, but presents cannot replace presence.
It is the same with our relationship with God. What God wants most of all from us is presence. God’s love language is time spent with Him, minds set on Him. Isn’t this the lesson Jesus taught Martha in Luke 10:38-42? What we do with Christ is far more important than what we do for Him. Yes, we are to witness and work, but first of all, we are to worship. Yes, we are to go and give, but first of all we are to come and commune.
Now, when we concentrate on the relationship and not the results, an amazing thing happens. We get the relationship and the results! In fact, getting results becomes practically effortless. You see, fellowship is the mother of faith and the producer of fruit.
It is time for us to make the main thing the main thing. 1Cor 1:4-9 tells us we have been called into fellowship with Jesus. That means, we are invited to participate with Jesus in the fellowship He is enjoying with the Father. And in I John, the Apostle says to us, “I am writing these things to you so that you can have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son.”
So, the next time you enter the throne room to talk to your Heavenly Father, don’t bring a grocery list. Bring yourself. If you see this truth, you can start enjoying God, who already knows the things you have need of even before you ask. And He can start enjoying you!
Okay, now that you know this, go ahead–Pray!
Taking God’s Medicine
Posted on February 25, 2013 7 Comments
Do you know that God’s Word works like medicine and that it can heal your spirit, soul, and even your body? Unfortunately, if you are a typical Christian, your relationship with the Word is extremely shallow. You spend very little time time meditating and renewing your mind in it. And that is a big mistake, because the Word of God contains the power of God that produces health and wholeness. Renewing our minds with the Word is the key to walking in the perfect will of God.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)
Jesus underscored the importance of the Word when He spoke to His disciples and said: “If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will and it shall be given to you.” Notice that Jesus links the power of answered prayer to a relationship with both Him and His Word.
Here is an illustration I shared with you in another blog to help you understand how hugely critical the Word is to you. Suppose you were extremely ill and decided to seek medical help. You went from doctor to doctor seeking a diagnosis and cure for months to no avail. Then someone recommended you see a particular doctor reputed to be the best in his field. You took the advice. He examined you, diagnosed your condition, and prescribed medication for you to take three times a day the rest of your life. He also required you to see him regularly.
You begin taking the medication and it works! It keeps you alive, as long as you take it daily, as prescribed. Now, tell me, what type of relationship would you have with your doctor? And what type would you have with your medicine?
Because you know your life depends on being under the doctor’s care and taking your medication faithfully, you would follow his instructions diligently. You would see him as often as he required, would listen closely to his instruction, and would make taking your medicine three times daily a major priority.
And you would keep your medication near you all the time. The first thing you would do upon waking would be to take your medicine. You would never travel without making sure you had it with you. If you noticed you were without it, you would turn around. And as soon as you noticed your supply was running low, your priority would be to see the doctor for a fresh supply.
Now, this is an apt description of what our relationship with Jesus and the Word of God should be like, if we want to be whole. Our well-being depends on both. Like the doctor, Jesus is our Great Physician. He is the only One who can make us whole. But like the medication, His Words are the means by which He imparts His Life to us and makes us well. (John 6:63). They are the means by which we receive His Life and health into our souls and mortal bodies. Our health and well-being depends on us renewing our minds by hearing and feeding His Words into our hearts and minds consistently.
Listen to the advice of a wise man:
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:20-23 NKJV)
The word translated “health” in the passage above is also translated “medicine” in some versions. His Words are “medicine to all their flesh.”
The wife of a minister was diagnosed with “incurable” cancer and given a few months to live. She decided it was not her time to die and that she would look to God’s Word for life. She began meditating on the Word of God regarding healing and feeding on the healing Scriptures day and night. Her symptoms did not immediately get better, but she kept taking God’s Word as her medicine, speaking it to God and to herself throughout the day. She kept renewing her mind with the Word, rejecting doubt, until she could “see” herself well, according to the promises. Contrary to the doctors’ prognosis, she is alive today, many years later, totally healed, and still serving Jesus! God’s Word is medicine.
Child of God, now that you have received Jesus as your personal Savior, you can rest assured that He is always willing to attend to you and minister His healing power to you. But remember, He can only do so if you are willing to take His medicine, the Word, as prescribed. So, cultivate a strong relationship with His Word. Make it your priority to hear His Words concerning healing continually and meditate on them diligently. The more you renew your mind with His Word, the more His Life and Medicine can work in you. And the more you will experience His perfect will for your life, and that includes healing you of all your diseases. (1 Peter 2:24, Psalm 103:1-5)
If you are battling sickness of any kind, know it is God’s perfect will for you to be whole. As our Redeemer, Jesus took our sicknesses in His body on the cross that we may have a covenant right to enjoy healing and wholeness. So take God’s Medicine daily and as you do, do not be afraid to declare, “He died young so that I may live long!”
A Way to Overcome the Storm
Posted on February 19, 2013 2 Comments
This mission of love began after Jesus had completed a long day of ministry. Weary and tired, love compelled him to board a small boat to go over the sea of Galilee. “Let’s go to the other side,” He told His disciples. He did not tell them why; He kept the details a secret, but He was going to find Legion, a man possessed by demons that numbered in the thousands.
Soon after they embarked on their journey, Jesus fell asleep. Then a ferocious storm arose. So strong was the wind and the waves that the boat appeared to be in danger of sinking.
That storm was not a mere act of nature. Satan was behind it. He knew Jesus was on a special mission of love to rescue Legion. And he wanted to drown the ministry of Christ in the Sea of Galilee before He could get to Legion to deliver and change him.
Now, let me tell you, if you do not already know this, Satan wants to hold on to every man, every woman, every boy and every girl he has, to take as many people to hell he possibly can. He does not want to see one soul saved in your family, among your friends, or in your community. He does not want to see one mission of love succeed. So He will try to drown the ministry of Christ in you. He will do whatever he can to discourage you and frighten you.
The disciples panicked. Jesus, on the other hand, remained sound asleep. The entire time the storm raged, Jesus slept. I mean he did not awaken, even to pray! He was totally unconcerned and unmoved by all the noise, all the water, all the wind, all the commotion taking place around him. He slept through it all.
We can be like Jesus, so sure of God’s love, so committed to God’s purpose, so conscious of God’s presence and power that no storm will frighten us; nothing will cause us to worry or be afraid. So full of the Word and the knowledge of God that the angrier the devil gets and the more trouble he stirs up around us, the better we rest!
The disciples, however, not having yet renewed their minds with the Word, not having learned yet how to rest in the knowledge of God’s love and His unchangeable purpose, panicked. They could take it no longer. They cried out to Him, “Lord, don’t you care we perish?”
At that point, he arose and said to the storm, “Stop it!” And to the sea, “Be still, and remain still!” Immediately, there was a great calm.
Observe. What Satan, what the sea, and what the storm could not do, their prayer did! Satan could not move Him, the sea could not stir Him, and the storm could not awaken Him. But their prayer, not only awakened Him, it moved Him to stand up and speak on their behalf. Jesus could remain unmoved by the storm, but He could not remain unmoved when His disciples prayed.
Your prayers are more powerful than Satan, and more powerful than the sea and the storm. Your prayers are strong enough to move the One who can still the storm.
Child of God, since God hears prayers, instead of panicking, why not turn your care into prayer! Place your faith in the One, who is the Master of the Sea, to stand up and turn the mega storm in your life into a mega calm for you. That’s one sure way to overcome the storm!
A Moment of Grace 