Tuesday, 17 March 2015
Friday, 13 March 2015
Possibility Faith—You Can Have It!
By Kenneth W. Hagin In the 1920s, Joseph Baermann Strauss dreamed of constructing a bridge that would span the Golden Gate strait—the narrow, turbulent channel where the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay meet. His skeptical peers believed that such a bridge could never be built. They believed that engineering challenges and enormous building costs made this dream impossible to achieve.
But this determined engineer didn’t allow the opinions of people or the nearly insurmountable construction challenges rob him of his dream. Sixteen years after he submitted preliminary sketches to San Francisco’s city engineer, the Golden Gate Bridge finally opened for traffic.
Joseph Strauss had what I call “possibility faith.”
You may be asking, “What is that?” Possibility faith knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that any adversity can be overcome and any dream can be achieved.
Possibility faith is based on the following scriptures.
LUKE 18:27
27 The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
LUKE 1:37
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Possibility faith is a faith that believes in your heart, says with your mouth, and receives what you believe in your heart (Rom. 10:9–10). You may be thinking, Well, Rev. Hagin, that’s easy for you to say, but my faith isn’t as strong as yours.
Let me show you how to turn what may look like an impossible situation around. It’s not as difficult as you may think!
In Mark 11:22, Jesus told His disciples to “. . . Have faith in God.” The Worrell New Testament translates this verse as “Have the faith of God.” In other words, it’s saying, “Have the God-kind of faith.”
If you have been born again, as a child of God, you have become a member of God’s family through the redemptive work that Jesus completed on the Cross of Calvary. You are now a joint-heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17.) We see in Romans 12:3 that “. . . God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” So, you see, you have been given the same kind of possibility faith that God has!
Now it’s up to you to develop, or strengthen, that faith. Just as you have to eat every day so that your physical body is strengthened, you must also “eat” spiritual food. This is done by reading and meditating on Scripture every day. You can’t read your Bible once a month or pick it up when a crisis happens and expect your faith to be strong.
I recommend that you have a time of prayer and Bible reading before you leave your house every morning. And from your Bible reading, take one scripture and mull it over in your mind all day long. Quote it every time you get a chance. Think about that verse until it becomes so strong in your heart that if something happens that is contrary to it, you simply can’t accept it. Why? Because your thoughts immediately turn to the Word of God, and you accept only the Word as your final authority.
For instance, let’s say you’re meditating on First Peter 2:24, which says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” You’ve thought about this verse and meditated on it for such a long time that if a doctor gives you a bad report, your first thought is No. That sickness is contrary to the Word of God. Jesus paid the price for ALL diseases when He died on the Cross. I’m not going to accept the doctor’s report. I’m going to stand on God’s Word until healing comes to pass in my life.
Then when you speak what God’s Word says about healing, it’s more real to you than any pain or symptom you feel in your body. As you continue to confess healing scriptures, you will see the manifestation of your healing.
Unfortunately, too many people speak God’s Word before it has grown big on the inside of them, and they expect that to work for them. This is what I call “head” faith. They’ve heard what the Bible says about something, and they believe it superficially. But when their body begins to hurt or they encounter adversity, instead of speaking God’s Word, they speak what they feel or see. They need to continue to say what God’s Word says until that Word gets down in their spirit and a living faith arises in their heart.
I believe all Christians fall into three categories of faith. I can usually talk with somebody for just a few minutes and know which category he falls in.
1. The “excited faith” people.
These people are caught up in the inspiration of the moment. They’ve heard a good sermon and are excited about what God can do. But they don’t have any Word in their heart, so their faith never produces anything.
2. The undecided people.
Although these people know what the Word of God says, they give more weight to the pain in their body or to their circumstances. They’ll make a faith confession one minute but are quickly snared by the words of their mouths by speaking how they feel the next minute (Prov. 6:2).
3. The “positive confession” people.
These are the people who have possibility faith! They’ve taken the time to meditate on the Word of God until it has become more real to them than how they feel or what they see. While they acknowledge that their body hurts, for example, they acknowledge that the Word of God is a higher authority. No matter how bad they may feel or what the circumstances, they continually confess Scripture. They are not moved by what they feel or see but firmly stand on what God has said. As a result, it’s not long before their healing—their answer—manifests.
In our home, believing God is a way of life. There are times when I will purposely use my faith to get something even though I may have the money to pay for it. Instead of using money from my checking account, I’ll wait until God provides it. That way, I’m constantly developing my faith. Then when I face what seems to be an impossible situation, I’m at my best. And I’m ready to conquer the impossibility with possibility faith!
Too many people wait until they are diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal disease before they start filling their hearts with healing scriptures. You can compare that to trying to put a roof on a house during a storm! It can be done, but it’s going to be tough. That’s why you need to start developing faith for healing, for example, when you’re feeling fine and not facing a challenge.
Don’t wait until a crisis happens to develop possibility faith. Continually spend time reading, meditating, and confessing the Word. When you do, it won’t matter what comes your way, your faith will turn impossibilities into possibilities!
Thursday, 12 March 2015
The Power of Prayer and Fasting By Marilyn Hickey
"Fasting and prayer? Didn't those go out
of style decades ago?" The woman who said this to me was a godly
woman, a woman who had been in the church all her life, and a woman
intent on obeying the Lord. She knew her Bible. She was very serious
in her questions.
Yet for some reason, she had concluded -- at least subconsciously -- that fasting and prayer were no longer intended for believers in today's world.
The truth is, fasting and prayer are for today! In fact, now more than ever!
The combination of fasting and praying is not a fad or a novelty approach to spiritual discipline. Fasting and praying are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance. Fasting and praying are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world.
Through the years, I have learned that many people in the church have never been taught about fasting and prayer, and many have therefore never fasted and prayed. As a result, they don't know why fasting and praying are important, what the Bible teaches about fasting, or how to fast. To many, fasting sounds like drudgery -- or a form of religious works. To others, fasting sounds extremely difficult. People tend to stand in awe at reports of those who have fasted for several weeks. When I hear about such fasts, I no doubt think what they think: If I fasted that long, I'd die! I couldn't possibly do that!
Let me assure you at the outset of this book that I am not advocating prolonged periods of fasting for every believer. A fast can be as short as one meal. Neither do I advocate fasting and praying for the mere sake of saying with self-righteousness, "I have fasted and prayed about this." I do not advocate fasting so that the hungry in a foreign nation might have the food you would have eaten that day -- which is highly unlikely. I do not advocate fasting apart from prayer.
KEY REASONS TO FAST AND PRAY
I do, however, encourage every believer to fast and pray for two very important reasons:
1. The Scriptures Teach Us to Fast and Pray
The Bible has a great deal to say about both fasting and praying, including commands to fast and pray. The Bible also gives us examples of people who fasted and prayed, using different types of fasts for different reasons, all of which are very positive results. Jesus fasted and prayed. Jesus' disciples fasted and prayed after the Resurrection. Many of the Old Testament heroes and heroines of the faith fasted and prayed. The followers of John the Baptist fasted and prayed.Many people in the early church fasted and prayed. What the Scriptures have taught us directly and by the examples of the saints is surely something we are to do.
2. Fasting and Prayer Put You into the Best Possible Position for a Breakthrough
That breakthrough might be in the realm of the spirit. It may be in the realm of your emotions or personal habits. It may be in the realm of a very practical area of life, such as a relationship or finances. What I have seen repeatedly through the years-not only in the Scriptures but in countless personal stories that others have told me -- is that periods of fasting and prayer produce great spiritual results, many of which fall into the realm of a breakthrough. What wasn't a reality . . . suddenly was. What hadn't worked . . . suddenly did. The unwanted situation or object that was there . . . suddenly wasn't there. The relationship that was unloving . . . suddenly was loving. The job that hadn't materialized . . . suddenly did.
The very simple and direct conclusions I draw are these: First, if the Bible teaches us to do something, I want to do it. I want to obey the Lord in every way that He commands me to obey Him. And second, if fasting and praying are means to a breakthrough that God has for me, I want to undertake those disciplines so I might experience that breakthrough!
Every person I know needs a breakthrough in some area of his or her life. I am no exception. I need breakthroughs all the time -- it may be a breakthrough in understanding a situation, a breakthrough answer to a problem, a breakthrough idea, a breakthrough insight, a breakthrough in financial or material provision, a breakthrough in health. If you have any need in your life, you need a breakthrough from God to meet that need! Fasting and prayer break the yoke of bondage and bring about a release of God's presence, power, and provision.
I certainly have seen this borne out in the course of my ministry.
When I was forty-two years old, I went to an Assemblies of God camp in Alexandria,Minnesota, to speak for a women's retreat. The first two days of the retreat went very well, and then I had one day in between the first retreat and the second -- so many women had registered, the camp could not host all of the women at the same time. I took that day in this lovely place in Minnesota to enjoy the lakes and trees -- it was a gorgeous environment -- and to fast and pray about God's will for my life. I felt as if I was doing a lot of good things, but I also thought I might miss God's best for me. I longed to hear from God and to receive a revelation from Him about my life.
In that day of fasting and prayer, God spoke to me words from Isaiah 11:9: "I have called you to cover the earth with the Word." Through the years, the Lord has confirmed that word to me a number of times, but this was my initial call to take the message of God's Word to the whole earth, and it came as the result of one day of prayer and fasting.
The breakthrough that you may need in your life is a sense of God's direction -- not only for today and tomorrow, but for the broad scope of your life. If you long to know God's purpose for you on this earth, I strongly encourage you to seek God in prayer and fasting.
THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL FASTING
There are two main overriding principles related to prayer and fasting in the Bible.
First, biblical fasting is going without food. The noun translated "fast" or "a fasting" is tsom in the Hebrew and nesteia in the Greek language. It means the voluntary abstinence from food. The literal Hebrew translation would be "not to eat." The literal Greek means "no food."
I know people who say they go without television or movies, and they call these "fasting" times. I'm not opposed to that definition of fasting-fasting does imply that we are giving up one thing in order to replace it with something else, and in the Bible sense, specifically to replace it with prayer. But in the main, I believe fasting has to do with our abstaining from food. Second, biblical fasting is linked with serious seasons of prayer. The more seriously we approach prayer and fasting, the more serious the results we will experience.
I sometimes hear people say, "I'm giving up chocolate" and they regard this as a type of fasting. I think this is a rather frivolous approach. The first and foremost purpose of a biblical or spiritual fast is to get a breakthrough on a particular matter that one lifts up to the Lord in prayer. A spiritual fast involves our hearts and the way in which we relate to and trust God. It relates to discerning and receiving strength to follow through on what God might reveal to us about circumstances in our lives or a direction we are to take.
I am not against people fasting in order to lose weight. Many people fast to lose weight or maintain their weight.What I am opposed to is making the losing of weight your primary goal in a season of spiritual fasting and prayer. To have weight loss as a goal makes your fasting a diet plan, not a time of genuine fasting and prayer. If losing weight is your purpose in fasting, you will be missing out on the full reason for fasting, and you likely will be concerned only with what you don't eat rather than with what you are led to pray.
Now there's certainly an issue of food that is associated with many seasons of prayer and fasting, and let me quickly add this: control of eating is a valid reason to fast. The purpose is not the number of pounds you might lose during a fast, but rather, trusting God to help you regain mastery over food during a fast. Jesus said, "The spirit is . . . willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Fasting is a means of bringing the flesh into submission to the Lord so He can strengthen us in our mastery over our own selves. Fasting in the flesh makes us stronger to stand against the temptations of the flesh. Those temptations very often deal with food.
Abstaining from food is often God's way of showing that His desire for us is that we regain mastery over all things associated with our flesh in order to subdue our flesh and elevate our emphasis on spiritual matters. God's promise is to help us as we overcome the flesh and put all carnal temptations into subjection.
ABSTAINING FROM FOOD TO REGAIN MASTERY OF THE FLESH
We are wise to recognize that food was the enticement the devil used to cause Eve and Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 the Lord God told Adam and Eve that they could eat freely of every tree in the garden of Eden, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). God did not tell Adam and Eve to refrain from touching a particular animal or smelling a particular flower or swimming in a certain stream. He told them to refrain from taking a particular fruit into their bodies-one type of fruit out of all the many types He had made available to them.
God had given Adam and Eve authority over all things that He had created-every bird, fish, beast of the field, and over "every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" (Gen. 1:29). God did not prohibit Adam and Eve from interacting with any part of God's creation when He commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it-except for this one tree and its fruit. They were not to eat of a particular tree,what God described to them as the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Why did God set apart this one tree and its fruit? God was giving Adam and Eve free will and the ability to make choices and decisions. Free will isn't really free if a person has no choice.
Adam and Eve had a choice to make about this one tree. God told them to abstain from eating from its fruit because He did not want His beloved creation to have a knowledge of evil. He had already given them a full knowledge of everything He called "good."He wanted to spare them the heartache of knowing evil. That's true for us today as Christians. God calls us to pursue only what is good. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Whatsoever things are true . . . honest . . . just . . . pure . . . lovely . . . of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). God desires only good for His children. He tells us in His Word, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).
Even as God calls us away from evil and toward good,He gives us a choice. So many of the problems we have in our world today are the result of men and women making the wrong choices. They have knowingly and unknowingly chosen what is evil.And the end result is the same for us as it was for Adam and Eve: death and all forms of sin that lead to death (see Rom. 6:23).
Let me point out to you two results from the disastrous choice that Adam and Eve made about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
1. Diverted Attention
First, Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the fruit itself. The devil diverted her attention from whatever it was that Eve was doing. He called her attention to the tree and its fruit. The Bible tells us the devil came to her in the guise of a beautiful and subtle serpent and said to her, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). There's no indication that Eve had given much thought to the tree before the devil asked her this question. There's no record that she longed for it or had any curiosity about it. She certainly didn't crave it, because she had never tasted it!
In many ways, the devil uses this same tactic today. He calls our attention to how beautiful and refreshing certain foods and beverages appear. It's difficult to go through a day without seeing enticing food and beverage commercials on billboards, on television, and in magazines. Foods are presented in the most tempting ways in stores, restaurants, and on menus. The devil says the same thing to us he said to Eve:"Has God really said you can't have a bite of this?"
A woman once said to me, "If there's a piece of pie in my house, it calls out to me. It says to me, even in the middle of night, 'Eat me. Come eat me.' I can't resist."
Now I'm certainly not linking the devil to a piece of pie, but I am saying this: the devil will always call your attention repeatedly to the thing that is harmful for you, but he will do it in a way that makes you feel deprived if you don't indulge in eating, drinking, or partaking of what is harmful. The implication of the devil is always: "This is so good. Has God really said you can't have any of this good thing?"
Never forget that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the knowledge of good and evil. There was an element of good in that fruit, not just evil. The devil told Eve specifically that the fruit of the tree was "good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes" (Gen. 3:6). All Eve had to do was look to see that the fruit was pleasant. She made a bad assumption, however, that what was visually pleasant would also be "good for food." In that, the devil was very wrong!
What about us? There's an element of good in foods and substances that are ultimately bad for us, even if it's just the good appearance, smell, or taste. Have you ever noticed how beautiful all the colored and distinctly shaped bottles look in a bar? Those bottles always seem lighted in just the right way to make them look very special, very festive, very appealing. Many foods are pleasant to the eyes. Many drinks are presented in ways that make them appear pleasing. We buy into the lie that what is pleasing is also nutritious and beneficial.
Fasting calls us to turn away from food. Fasting calls us to redivert our attention back to the things of God and His commandments. Fasting calls us to face and overcome the devil's call: "Has God really said you can't have this?" Fasting calls us to abstain from all things harmful for us, and in most cases, from all food for a period of time. The devil's insistent question is likely to become very loud in our minds as we begin a fast: "Has God really said you can't eat? Not anything? Not the things you love the most? Has God really called you to fast- to abstain totally from this thing that you have labeled as 'good'?"
Our answer must be a firm "Yes! God has called me to fast. He has called me to give my full attention to Him and to His commandments. He has called me to obey Him fully in all things. And God has called me to say no to you, devil!"
2. Temptations Toward False Benefits
Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the benefits of eating what God had prohibited. The devil always points out the would-be and usually short-term benefits of sin. Many substances that are ultimately harmful for us taste good or feel good or bring pleasure. In some cases, the partaking of the substance makes us feel like adults, feel accepted by others, or feel more powerful and in greater control. Some people say about certain foods and substances that they "give me quick energy," "make me more alert," or "help me relax."
The devil told Eve that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her wise-she would be as a "god," knowing good and evil.
In the short term, the devil was right. Eve suddenly had a knowledge of evil. She really knew in her own experience as a human being that evil existed. This was the first time in her life she had ever known the contrast-up to that point, all things had been good.
What the devil failed to mention to Eve was the ultimate consequence that God had associated with eating of this fruit: "You shall surely die." The devil failed to mention any downside to her disobedience. In fact, he dismissed God's consequences with a sarcastic question.
The devil comes at us the same way. The devil never tells us that drinking alcohol can make a person an alcoholic. He never tells a person that smoking cigarettes can cause him or her to have lung cancer. He never tells a person that eating too much of the wrong foods can lead to chronic illness and premature death. The devil points out only short-term benefits, never long-term disasters.
When we fast, we are suddenly aware once again of what is good and evil. We have a heightened awareness not only of God's goodness and of God's commandments, but of the evil that abounds in the world around us.
A man once said to me about fasting, "It seems that when I fast the world seems much more black and white, at least for a period of time. I see right and wrong much more clearly. I see good and bad, blessings and cursings, benefits and negative consequences, what is godly and what is ungodly. I am much more discerning about what lines up with God's commandments and what falls into the category of 'man's commands.'"
I asked him what happened after he stopped fasting. He laughed and said, "I am still very clear on these things, but there's also a time after I end fasting that the whole world seems more vivid and more colorful than ever before. I can distinguish tastes again. The sky seems bluer than before. The air seems crisper in the mountains. All of my senses seem to be heightened toward what is God's creation-which is always good- and what is man's invention-which very often has an element of evil to it."
Those who fast often experience greater discernment of good and evil. In fact, it seems to be a major by-product of fasting. God seems to give us an opportunity as we fast to take a look again at our lives and the world around us and to discern what is good and what is evil.
Yet for some reason, she had concluded -- at least subconsciously -- that fasting and prayer were no longer intended for believers in today's world.
The truth is, fasting and prayer are for today! In fact, now more than ever!
The combination of fasting and praying is not a fad or a novelty approach to spiritual discipline. Fasting and praying are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance. Fasting and praying are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world.
Through the years, I have learned that many people in the church have never been taught about fasting and prayer, and many have therefore never fasted and prayed. As a result, they don't know why fasting and praying are important, what the Bible teaches about fasting, or how to fast. To many, fasting sounds like drudgery -- or a form of religious works. To others, fasting sounds extremely difficult. People tend to stand in awe at reports of those who have fasted for several weeks. When I hear about such fasts, I no doubt think what they think: If I fasted that long, I'd die! I couldn't possibly do that!
Let me assure you at the outset of this book that I am not advocating prolonged periods of fasting for every believer. A fast can be as short as one meal. Neither do I advocate fasting and praying for the mere sake of saying with self-righteousness, "I have fasted and prayed about this." I do not advocate fasting so that the hungry in a foreign nation might have the food you would have eaten that day -- which is highly unlikely. I do not advocate fasting apart from prayer.
KEY REASONS TO FAST AND PRAY
I do, however, encourage every believer to fast and pray for two very important reasons:
1. The Scriptures Teach Us to Fast and Pray
The Bible has a great deal to say about both fasting and praying, including commands to fast and pray. The Bible also gives us examples of people who fasted and prayed, using different types of fasts for different reasons, all of which are very positive results. Jesus fasted and prayed. Jesus' disciples fasted and prayed after the Resurrection. Many of the Old Testament heroes and heroines of the faith fasted and prayed. The followers of John the Baptist fasted and prayed.Many people in the early church fasted and prayed. What the Scriptures have taught us directly and by the examples of the saints is surely something we are to do.
2. Fasting and Prayer Put You into the Best Possible Position for a Breakthrough
That breakthrough might be in the realm of the spirit. It may be in the realm of your emotions or personal habits. It may be in the realm of a very practical area of life, such as a relationship or finances. What I have seen repeatedly through the years-not only in the Scriptures but in countless personal stories that others have told me -- is that periods of fasting and prayer produce great spiritual results, many of which fall into the realm of a breakthrough. What wasn't a reality . . . suddenly was. What hadn't worked . . . suddenly did. The unwanted situation or object that was there . . . suddenly wasn't there. The relationship that was unloving . . . suddenly was loving. The job that hadn't materialized . . . suddenly did.
The very simple and direct conclusions I draw are these: First, if the Bible teaches us to do something, I want to do it. I want to obey the Lord in every way that He commands me to obey Him. And second, if fasting and praying are means to a breakthrough that God has for me, I want to undertake those disciplines so I might experience that breakthrough!
Every person I know needs a breakthrough in some area of his or her life. I am no exception. I need breakthroughs all the time -- it may be a breakthrough in understanding a situation, a breakthrough answer to a problem, a breakthrough idea, a breakthrough insight, a breakthrough in financial or material provision, a breakthrough in health. If you have any need in your life, you need a breakthrough from God to meet that need! Fasting and prayer break the yoke of bondage and bring about a release of God's presence, power, and provision.
I certainly have seen this borne out in the course of my ministry.
When I was forty-two years old, I went to an Assemblies of God camp in Alexandria,Minnesota, to speak for a women's retreat. The first two days of the retreat went very well, and then I had one day in between the first retreat and the second -- so many women had registered, the camp could not host all of the women at the same time. I took that day in this lovely place in Minnesota to enjoy the lakes and trees -- it was a gorgeous environment -- and to fast and pray about God's will for my life. I felt as if I was doing a lot of good things, but I also thought I might miss God's best for me. I longed to hear from God and to receive a revelation from Him about my life.
In that day of fasting and prayer, God spoke to me words from Isaiah 11:9: "I have called you to cover the earth with the Word." Through the years, the Lord has confirmed that word to me a number of times, but this was my initial call to take the message of God's Word to the whole earth, and it came as the result of one day of prayer and fasting.
The breakthrough that you may need in your life is a sense of God's direction -- not only for today and tomorrow, but for the broad scope of your life. If you long to know God's purpose for you on this earth, I strongly encourage you to seek God in prayer and fasting.
THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL FASTING
There are two main overriding principles related to prayer and fasting in the Bible.
First, biblical fasting is going without food. The noun translated "fast" or "a fasting" is tsom in the Hebrew and nesteia in the Greek language. It means the voluntary abstinence from food. The literal Hebrew translation would be "not to eat." The literal Greek means "no food."
I know people who say they go without television or movies, and they call these "fasting" times. I'm not opposed to that definition of fasting-fasting does imply that we are giving up one thing in order to replace it with something else, and in the Bible sense, specifically to replace it with prayer. But in the main, I believe fasting has to do with our abstaining from food. Second, biblical fasting is linked with serious seasons of prayer. The more seriously we approach prayer and fasting, the more serious the results we will experience.
I sometimes hear people say, "I'm giving up chocolate" and they regard this as a type of fasting. I think this is a rather frivolous approach. The first and foremost purpose of a biblical or spiritual fast is to get a breakthrough on a particular matter that one lifts up to the Lord in prayer. A spiritual fast involves our hearts and the way in which we relate to and trust God. It relates to discerning and receiving strength to follow through on what God might reveal to us about circumstances in our lives or a direction we are to take.
I am not against people fasting in order to lose weight. Many people fast to lose weight or maintain their weight.What I am opposed to is making the losing of weight your primary goal in a season of spiritual fasting and prayer. To have weight loss as a goal makes your fasting a diet plan, not a time of genuine fasting and prayer. If losing weight is your purpose in fasting, you will be missing out on the full reason for fasting, and you likely will be concerned only with what you don't eat rather than with what you are led to pray.
Now there's certainly an issue of food that is associated with many seasons of prayer and fasting, and let me quickly add this: control of eating is a valid reason to fast. The purpose is not the number of pounds you might lose during a fast, but rather, trusting God to help you regain mastery over food during a fast. Jesus said, "The spirit is . . . willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Fasting is a means of bringing the flesh into submission to the Lord so He can strengthen us in our mastery over our own selves. Fasting in the flesh makes us stronger to stand against the temptations of the flesh. Those temptations very often deal with food.
Abstaining from food is often God's way of showing that His desire for us is that we regain mastery over all things associated with our flesh in order to subdue our flesh and elevate our emphasis on spiritual matters. God's promise is to help us as we overcome the flesh and put all carnal temptations into subjection.
ABSTAINING FROM FOOD TO REGAIN MASTERY OF THE FLESH
We are wise to recognize that food was the enticement the devil used to cause Eve and Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2 the Lord God told Adam and Eve that they could eat freely of every tree in the garden of Eden, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). God did not tell Adam and Eve to refrain from touching a particular animal or smelling a particular flower or swimming in a certain stream. He told them to refrain from taking a particular fruit into their bodies-one type of fruit out of all the many types He had made available to them.
God had given Adam and Eve authority over all things that He had created-every bird, fish, beast of the field, and over "every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" (Gen. 1:29). God did not prohibit Adam and Eve from interacting with any part of God's creation when He commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it-except for this one tree and its fruit. They were not to eat of a particular tree,what God described to them as the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Why did God set apart this one tree and its fruit? God was giving Adam and Eve free will and the ability to make choices and decisions. Free will isn't really free if a person has no choice.
Adam and Eve had a choice to make about this one tree. God told them to abstain from eating from its fruit because He did not want His beloved creation to have a knowledge of evil. He had already given them a full knowledge of everything He called "good."He wanted to spare them the heartache of knowing evil. That's true for us today as Christians. God calls us to pursue only what is good. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Whatsoever things are true . . . honest . . . just . . . pure . . . lovely . . . of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). God desires only good for His children. He tells us in His Word, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).
Even as God calls us away from evil and toward good,He gives us a choice. So many of the problems we have in our world today are the result of men and women making the wrong choices. They have knowingly and unknowingly chosen what is evil.And the end result is the same for us as it was for Adam and Eve: death and all forms of sin that lead to death (see Rom. 6:23).
Let me point out to you two results from the disastrous choice that Adam and Eve made about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
1. Diverted Attention
First, Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the fruit itself. The devil diverted her attention from whatever it was that Eve was doing. He called her attention to the tree and its fruit. The Bible tells us the devil came to her in the guise of a beautiful and subtle serpent and said to her, "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). There's no indication that Eve had given much thought to the tree before the devil asked her this question. There's no record that she longed for it or had any curiosity about it. She certainly didn't crave it, because she had never tasted it!
In many ways, the devil uses this same tactic today. He calls our attention to how beautiful and refreshing certain foods and beverages appear. It's difficult to go through a day without seeing enticing food and beverage commercials on billboards, on television, and in magazines. Foods are presented in the most tempting ways in stores, restaurants, and on menus. The devil says the same thing to us he said to Eve:"Has God really said you can't have a bite of this?"
A woman once said to me, "If there's a piece of pie in my house, it calls out to me. It says to me, even in the middle of night, 'Eat me. Come eat me.' I can't resist."
Now I'm certainly not linking the devil to a piece of pie, but I am saying this: the devil will always call your attention repeatedly to the thing that is harmful for you, but he will do it in a way that makes you feel deprived if you don't indulge in eating, drinking, or partaking of what is harmful. The implication of the devil is always: "This is so good. Has God really said you can't have any of this good thing?"
Never forget that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the knowledge of good and evil. There was an element of good in that fruit, not just evil. The devil told Eve specifically that the fruit of the tree was "good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes" (Gen. 3:6). All Eve had to do was look to see that the fruit was pleasant. She made a bad assumption, however, that what was visually pleasant would also be "good for food." In that, the devil was very wrong!
What about us? There's an element of good in foods and substances that are ultimately bad for us, even if it's just the good appearance, smell, or taste. Have you ever noticed how beautiful all the colored and distinctly shaped bottles look in a bar? Those bottles always seem lighted in just the right way to make them look very special, very festive, very appealing. Many foods are pleasant to the eyes. Many drinks are presented in ways that make them appear pleasing. We buy into the lie that what is pleasing is also nutritious and beneficial.
Fasting calls us to turn away from food. Fasting calls us to redivert our attention back to the things of God and His commandments. Fasting calls us to face and overcome the devil's call: "Has God really said you can't have this?" Fasting calls us to abstain from all things harmful for us, and in most cases, from all food for a period of time. The devil's insistent question is likely to become very loud in our minds as we begin a fast: "Has God really said you can't eat? Not anything? Not the things you love the most? Has God really called you to fast- to abstain totally from this thing that you have labeled as 'good'?"
Our answer must be a firm "Yes! God has called me to fast. He has called me to give my full attention to Him and to His commandments. He has called me to obey Him fully in all things. And God has called me to say no to you, devil!"
2. Temptations Toward False Benefits
Eve listened to what the devil had to say to her about the benefits of eating what God had prohibited. The devil always points out the would-be and usually short-term benefits of sin. Many substances that are ultimately harmful for us taste good or feel good or bring pleasure. In some cases, the partaking of the substance makes us feel like adults, feel accepted by others, or feel more powerful and in greater control. Some people say about certain foods and substances that they "give me quick energy," "make me more alert," or "help me relax."
The devil told Eve that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her wise-she would be as a "god," knowing good and evil.
In the short term, the devil was right. Eve suddenly had a knowledge of evil. She really knew in her own experience as a human being that evil existed. This was the first time in her life she had ever known the contrast-up to that point, all things had been good.
What the devil failed to mention to Eve was the ultimate consequence that God had associated with eating of this fruit: "You shall surely die." The devil failed to mention any downside to her disobedience. In fact, he dismissed God's consequences with a sarcastic question.
The devil comes at us the same way. The devil never tells us that drinking alcohol can make a person an alcoholic. He never tells a person that smoking cigarettes can cause him or her to have lung cancer. He never tells a person that eating too much of the wrong foods can lead to chronic illness and premature death. The devil points out only short-term benefits, never long-term disasters.
When we fast, we are suddenly aware once again of what is good and evil. We have a heightened awareness not only of God's goodness and of God's commandments, but of the evil that abounds in the world around us.
A man once said to me about fasting, "It seems that when I fast the world seems much more black and white, at least for a period of time. I see right and wrong much more clearly. I see good and bad, blessings and cursings, benefits and negative consequences, what is godly and what is ungodly. I am much more discerning about what lines up with God's commandments and what falls into the category of 'man's commands.'"
I asked him what happened after he stopped fasting. He laughed and said, "I am still very clear on these things, but there's also a time after I end fasting that the whole world seems more vivid and more colorful than ever before. I can distinguish tastes again. The sky seems bluer than before. The air seems crisper in the mountains. All of my senses seem to be heightened toward what is God's creation-which is always good- and what is man's invention-which very often has an element of evil to it."
Those who fast often experience greater discernment of good and evil. In fact, it seems to be a major by-product of fasting. God seems to give us an opportunity as we fast to take a look again at our lives and the world around us and to discern what is good and what is evil.
Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Keys to a Lasting Marriage
Dear Reader,
A lasting marriage depends on the raw material you put into it. There are things you must do to bring about a lasting marriage. To enjoy a lasting marriage, you must be ready to give it all it takes. Come along with me as I give you some of the keys to unlock the blessings of marriage.
This Week, I will be teaching on Total Commitment under the topic: Keys to a Lasting Marriage.
Marriage is a lifelong partnership between a man and a woman. God’s Word clearly states that marriage is ordained by God to be a lifelong commitment. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall join to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh (Matthew 19:5).
For you to enjoy a lasting marriage, you must be totally committed to it. So many marriages today, suffer a lot of setbacks because of lack of total commitment. You will not suffer again in Jesus’ name! Before I go ahead to show you the importance of commitment in marriage, it is important you have an insight of what commitment is all about.
Commitment connotes an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. It also means to bind together. We all know that marriage is a covenant and it involves two parties: God on one hand and the man (and his wife) on the other hand. This means that when you are committed to God, nothing can break your commitment to your spouse and children. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says: A threefold cord is not quickly broken. It is important for us to know that God will always fulfill His own part of the covenant, to be committed to the success of our marriage. The onus now rests on us to fullfil our own part of the covenant to be committed to God, in order to bring us to our expected end in our marriage. This takes us to the three strands in the three-fold cord commitment.
Commitment to God
Commitment to your marriage begins with your commitment to God. This simply means that, if you are committed to God, you will not have difficulty being committed to your spouse or your family members. Since it is God who instituted the family, it is only reasonable that He has a central part in family life.
When we commit ourselves to Christ, Christ commits Himself to us. 2 Timothy 1:12 says: For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Commitment to God begins with Salvation. Not only do we need to commit our souls to Christ at Salvation, we also need to commit ourselves to doing the will of God. Psalm 143:10 says: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
A husband and wife who are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and doing the will of God are walking in the light (1 John 1:7). This brings great stability into marriage and family life.
Commitment To Your spouse
To accept marriage as a sacred covenant means, first of all, to be willing to make a total commitment of ourselves to our marriage partners. This is why Paul in Ephesians compares marriage to the relationship of Christ with His church (Ephesians 5:25-26). Christ’s commitment to us, the church, is so total that He loved us, while we were yet unfaithful (Romans 5:8) and gave up His life that we may live (Ephesians 5:25).
Christ’s total commitment being with us in life and death, shows us the kind of total commitment upon which Christian marriage is to be founded. It is a commitment based on unrelenting love. It is a love which is “patient and kind; . . . not jealous or boastful; . . . not arrogant or rude; . . . it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. It is a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). It is this loving commitment which makes Christian marriage a sacred and permanent covenant. A Christian married couple is called to enter intimately into the kind of total commitment existing between Christ and His church. Such a commitment makes possible the blending of two lives into an existential union of marital inter-relationship, where they grow together in loving unity and faithfulness.
God created a wife to be a companion, completer, helper and friend. Once you have chosen the woman for your wife, marriage brings you into a lifetime commitment to her. In Proverbs 18:22, the Bible says: Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. The point is, marriage is a lifetime commitment (Romans 7:2-3) with daily exercise of love (1 Corinthians 13). It is taking time to know your wife and communicate with her (1 Peter 3:7-10). It is building the kind of a relationship together, so that you enjoy being together and after years of marriage you are still ravished with her love (Proverbs 5:18-21).
Every marriage must be based on commitment and an unselfish loyalty and concern for the other person. If you are marrying for what you can get from a person, your marriage will not last. If you are both marrying for what you can give to the other person, your marriage can be a huge success.
The first step in a successful marriage is for both husband and wife to put all their efforts into the relationship—each giving 100%. Your commitment in marriage has to be total, or else, there won’t be any balance. 50% commitment will not be enough to have a long lasting marriage, because marriage is for ever. Before, I conclude this teaching, I will like to conclude with the third strands in the three-fold cord commitment.
Commitment to Your Children
The final strand in the three-fold cord is a commitment to your children. There is no way to be committed to God and your spouse and you will not be committed to your children. If you fail in any of the three, it will definitely affect the others. As we can see in the case of Eli, he was not committed to the training of his children. We all know the consequences. First, his family was cut off from the priesthood in Israel. Second, his two sons and Eli lost their lives. Thirdly, the whole land of Israel was punished: they lost the Ark of God to their enemies in battle (I Samuel 4:1-11). He failed to be committed to his children in terms of child’s training. You will not fail in Jesus’ name!
It is God who gives us power to hold fast to our commitment. Commitment to God begins with Salvation. You get saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and your Lord. If you are ready to be saved, please say this prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan, to serve the Living God. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I know I am born again.”
If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, and conselling@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores:
A lasting marriage depends on the raw material you put into it. There are things you must do to bring about a lasting marriage. To enjoy a lasting marriage, you must be ready to give it all it takes. Come along with me as I give you some of the keys to unlock the blessings of marriage.
This Week, I will be teaching on Total Commitment under the topic: Keys to a Lasting Marriage.
Marriage is a lifelong partnership between a man and a woman. God’s Word clearly states that marriage is ordained by God to be a lifelong commitment. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall join to his wife: and they two shall be one flesh (Matthew 19:5).
For you to enjoy a lasting marriage, you must be totally committed to it. So many marriages today, suffer a lot of setbacks because of lack of total commitment. You will not suffer again in Jesus’ name! Before I go ahead to show you the importance of commitment in marriage, it is important you have an insight of what commitment is all about.
Commitment connotes an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. It also means to bind together. We all know that marriage is a covenant and it involves two parties: God on one hand and the man (and his wife) on the other hand. This means that when you are committed to God, nothing can break your commitment to your spouse and children. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says: A threefold cord is not quickly broken. It is important for us to know that God will always fulfill His own part of the covenant, to be committed to the success of our marriage. The onus now rests on us to fullfil our own part of the covenant to be committed to God, in order to bring us to our expected end in our marriage. This takes us to the three strands in the three-fold cord commitment.
Commitment to God
Commitment to your marriage begins with your commitment to God. This simply means that, if you are committed to God, you will not have difficulty being committed to your spouse or your family members. Since it is God who instituted the family, it is only reasonable that He has a central part in family life.
When we commit ourselves to Christ, Christ commits Himself to us. 2 Timothy 1:12 says: For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Commitment to God begins with Salvation. Not only do we need to commit our souls to Christ at Salvation, we also need to commit ourselves to doing the will of God. Psalm 143:10 says: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
A husband and wife who are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and doing the will of God are walking in the light (1 John 1:7). This brings great stability into marriage and family life.
Commitment To Your spouse
To accept marriage as a sacred covenant means, first of all, to be willing to make a total commitment of ourselves to our marriage partners. This is why Paul in Ephesians compares marriage to the relationship of Christ with His church (Ephesians 5:25-26). Christ’s commitment to us, the church, is so total that He loved us, while we were yet unfaithful (Romans 5:8) and gave up His life that we may live (Ephesians 5:25).
Christ’s total commitment being with us in life and death, shows us the kind of total commitment upon which Christian marriage is to be founded. It is a commitment based on unrelenting love. It is a love which is “patient and kind; . . . not jealous or boastful; . . . not arrogant or rude; . . . it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. It is a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). It is this loving commitment which makes Christian marriage a sacred and permanent covenant. A Christian married couple is called to enter intimately into the kind of total commitment existing between Christ and His church. Such a commitment makes possible the blending of two lives into an existential union of marital inter-relationship, where they grow together in loving unity and faithfulness.
God created a wife to be a companion, completer, helper and friend. Once you have chosen the woman for your wife, marriage brings you into a lifetime commitment to her. In Proverbs 18:22, the Bible says: Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. The point is, marriage is a lifetime commitment (Romans 7:2-3) with daily exercise of love (1 Corinthians 13). It is taking time to know your wife and communicate with her (1 Peter 3:7-10). It is building the kind of a relationship together, so that you enjoy being together and after years of marriage you are still ravished with her love (Proverbs 5:18-21).
Every marriage must be based on commitment and an unselfish loyalty and concern for the other person. If you are marrying for what you can get from a person, your marriage will not last. If you are both marrying for what you can give to the other person, your marriage can be a huge success.
The first step in a successful marriage is for both husband and wife to put all their efforts into the relationship—each giving 100%. Your commitment in marriage has to be total, or else, there won’t be any balance. 50% commitment will not be enough to have a long lasting marriage, because marriage is for ever. Before, I conclude this teaching, I will like to conclude with the third strands in the three-fold cord commitment.
Commitment to Your Children
The final strand in the three-fold cord is a commitment to your children. There is no way to be committed to God and your spouse and you will not be committed to your children. If you fail in any of the three, it will definitely affect the others. As we can see in the case of Eli, he was not committed to the training of his children. We all know the consequences. First, his family was cut off from the priesthood in Israel. Second, his two sons and Eli lost their lives. Thirdly, the whole land of Israel was punished: they lost the Ark of God to their enemies in battle (I Samuel 4:1-11). He failed to be committed to his children in terms of child’s training. You will not fail in Jesus’ name!
It is God who gives us power to hold fast to our commitment. Commitment to God begins with Salvation. You get saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and your Lord. If you are ready to be saved, please say this prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan, to serve the Living God. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I know I am born again.”
If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org, and conselling@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores:
- Marriage Covenant
- Making Marriage Work
- Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
Monday, 16 February 2015
THE CONSEQUENCE OF SALVATION Luke 6:46
Peter described Christ's relation to believers in two words.
Again and again in his brief second epistle he used these two words. Listen
for them. "Entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you" (1:11). "If, after
they have escaped the
defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last
state has become worse for them than the first" (2:20). "Remember
the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment
of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles" (3:2). "But
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
him be the glory both now and
to the day of eternity. Amen."
Lord and Savior. As the oak tree lies within the
acorn, so all that Christians believe about Christ lies in those two words.
Both are equally important, but we have tended to give more attention
to Saviorhood than to Lordship. We prefer to think more about what Jesus
does for us than what we do for him.
Jesus is indeed our Savior. He saves us from sin and damnation.
But he is more. He is our Lord. Salvation is more than hell-fire insurance.
It is a life lived in loving obedience to our Lord and Savior. Jesus makes
his disciples face this issue in Luke 6:46-49. He asks, "Why do you
call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what
he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation
on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not
shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and
does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the
ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house,
it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
You can't say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy
Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). That is our profession of faith. But that
profession alone doesn't guarantee you a one-way ticket to heaven. Jesus
said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what the Lord asks" (Matthew
7:21). You and I will be judged by our walk not our talk, by our life
not our lip. It is not the hearers of the word nor the talkers
of the word but the doers of the word who will be blessed (James
1:22). Those who talk their religion by the mile and live it by the inch
ought to be kicked by the foot. They have a Christian vocabulary instead
of a Christian experience. They think they are doing their duty
when they are only talking about it. They are professing Christ
as Lord but not possessing Christ as Lord. Jesus asks them and us this
simple question: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do
what I say?"
An ancient inscription on the Cathedral in Lubeck, Germany,
says: "Ye call me master, and obey me not. Ye call me Light and seek
me not. Ye call me Way and walk me not. Ye call me Wise and follow me
not. Ye call me Fair and love me not. Ye call me Rich and ask me not.
Ye call me Eternal and seek me not. Ye call me Gracious and trust me not.
Ye call me Noble and serve me not. Ye call me Mighty and honor me not.
Ye call me Just and fear me not. If I condemn you, blame me not."
Jesus made clear that profession without possession is a
beautiful house without a foundation. Such a house cannot survive the
storms which break upon it. Jesus said, "The one who hears my words
and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on
the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house,
it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
After Hurricane Andrew devastated homes in southern Florida
a TV reporter asked an owner why his house was the only one still standing
in his neighborhood. "I built this house myself," the man replied.
"I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When
the code called for 2x6
trusses, I used 2x6 trusses.
I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane.
I did and it did." Others didn't!
When the sun is shining and the sky is blue, we are tempted
to build our lives on something other than the blueprint of God's Word.
But Jesus warns us there is a hurricane coming — for everyone.
Empty profession of faith may look good for a time. Indeed,
it may look better than genuine commitment because all its attention is
given to external appearance and none to structure. The missing foundation,
however, will be exposed by the inevitable storms of life. Zechariah says,
"God wants to know why you are disobeying his commandments. For when
you do, everything you try fails" (2 Chronicles 24:20 LB). Life doesn't work if you don't obey the rules.
-
You can't improve your sex life by committing adultery; you will only destroy something precious.
-
You can't save time by breaking the Sabbath; you will only break your own health and happiness.
-
You can't save money by stealing the tithe; you will only lose your financial partnership with the Almighty.
If your
religion is a convenience instead of a conviction, you will be destitute
when the bad times come. Disease, disappointment and death will blow it
down like a house of cards. It has no foundation.
That's
bad news. But Jesus announced the good news. "I will show you what
he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation
on rock." Jesus describes this rock foundation in two ways. First,
it is built on the rock of hearing. "He who hears my words,"
Jesus said. A good foundation begins not with talking but with hearing.
There is no one more worthy of your attention than the Architect of the
Universe. Put your ear to the Bible, to prayer, to public worship, and
hear God speaking to you about his plan your life.
Second, it is built on the rock of doing. One who
hears Christ's words "puts them into practice." Hearing without
doing is like cement without sand and water. James said, "Be doers
of the word, not hearers only deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
Yourself is the only one deceived. Nobody else is fooled by one who is
long on words and short on action. (See Ezekiel 33:30-32.)
The church is in constant danger of producing connoisseurs
of religion — experts in hearing, amateurs in doing. In the words
of my favorite philosopher, Charlie Brown: "We never win any ball
games, but we have some interesting discussions!"
Are you like the one who prayed:
"I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord,
Real service is what I desire;
I'll say what you want me to say, Dear Lord,
But don't ask me to sing in the choir.
I'll say what you want me to say, Dear Lord,
I'd like to see things come to pass;
But don't ask me to teach girls and boys, Dear Lord;
I'd rather just stay in my class.
I'll do what you want me to do, Dear Lord.
I yearn for your kingdom to thrive.
I'll give you my nickels and dimes, Dear Lord,
But please don't ask me to tithe.
I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord,
I'll say what you want me to say;
I'm busy just now with myself, Dear Lord.
I'll help you some other day."
Auditoriums and sanctuaries look a lot alike. They are both
big rooms where people sit, but they are different. An auditorium is where
people come to hear something religious. A sanctuary is where people
come to do something religious.
That reminds me of the old joke about the preacher flying
over the ocean. The plane lost power. The stewardess said, (I said this
was an old joke!) "You're a preacher. Can't you do something religious?"
He took up an offering! Actually, that's theologically sound. The offering
is one point in the worship when we actually do something besides
sit, listen and sing.
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,'" Jesus asks,
"and do not do what I say?" Are you professing Jesus as Lord
or are you possessing Jesus as Lord? Possessing him as Lord actually means
that he possesses you. We mean something different when we say, "my
pen" and "my Lord." That this is my pen means I own it
and can do with it what I please. That Jesus is my Lord means he owns
me and can do with me what he pleases. When Moses was a young man he slew
an Egyptian and spent the next forty years hiding in Sinai. He did in
a small way what he would later do in a big way. But he didn't do it God's
way and at God's command and time. The question Jesus asked his disciples
he continues to ask of you and me: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,'
and do not do what I say?" What is your answer?
THE POWER OF SALVATION Acts 1:8
Small
children who are threatened by school yard bullies are fascinated by Superman
and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As they grow older they take an
interest in Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. When I was a
kid anyone named Arnold or Sylvester would be picked on and beat up.
People never outgrow their desire for power. Most of us
wish we had more physical, emotional and spiritual strength. We face a
critical energy crisis. We have more stuff to do than power to do it.
The name Jeremiah gave to Pharaoh Hophra fits us: "The Man with No
Power But with Plenty of Noise" (Jeremiah 46:17 Living Bible).
The gospel is not just about principles but about power.
Paul declared, "I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of
God for salvation to everyone who has faith" (Romans 1:16a). Salvation
is not just the plans and principles of God. Being saved puts you in touch
with superhuman power — the power of Almighty God.
Jesus promised his disciples, "You will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts
1:8).
Would you like to tap into that power in your own life?
To be empowered like the disciples you must be prepared like the disciples.
To
Receive Power You Must Wait
Jesus told his disciples, "Do not leave Jerusalem,
but wait for the gift my Father promised, that I told you about"
(Acts 1:4). Jesus' command was puzzling. He died, arose and commissioned
his disciples to a needy world, but told them the next step was to wait.
"What are we waiting for?" they might have asked. What they
were waiting for is power. That's important, for instead of waiting for
God's power we are tempted to substitute our own resources: intellectual,
ecclesiastical, and financial (see Zechariah 4:6). When we do that we
turn God's powerful witness into religious propaganda. Saving souls becomes
human manipulation instead of divine regeneration. In effect, Jesus told
the disciples, "Don't just do something. Stand there."
Stand there until you have received the power of the Holy Spirit.
"Wait for the gift my Father promised" is a puzzle.
And it is prerequisite. Much frustration in today's church is caused
by pre-pentecostal powerlessness. Just as an electric motor will burn
out if it is forced to run on inadequate power, so many Christians get
"burned out" in church. They try to do God's work without God's
power.
When Lawrence of Arabia took some Bedouin chiefs to London
they saw faucets and running water for the first time. Impressed by their
convenience, the chiefs tried to screw the faucets intending to take them
to the desert. They didn't know that the faucets worked only because they
were connected to a reservoir. Like those Bedouin chiefs, the church is
more interested in faucets than in reservoirs. We look for techniques
and tricks instead of the living water of the Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost Peter declared: "All the people of Israel…are
to know for sure that it is this Jesus, whom you nailed to the cross,
that God has made Lord and Messiah" (Acts 2:36). The Holy Spirit
said, "Amen" and 3,000 people were saved (Acts 2:41). If Peter
had preached the same sermon one day earlier without the Spirit's "Amen,"
no hearts would have been moved and no souls would have been saved.
To receive power you must wait. And …
To
Receive Power You Must Pray
When I give the invitation on Sunday morning and nobody
responds, my first thought is I've got to preach harder. I hope your first
thought is we've got to pray harder. The disciples "gathered frequently
to pray as a group, together with the women, and with Mary the mother
of Jesus, and his brothers" (Acts 1:14). Their prayer was preliminary.
Prayer was not their last resort; it was their first. I laughed at a cartoon
that shows two lonely men on a life raft surrounded by sharks. One says
to the other, "We've tried everything else. I guess it's time to
pray." For the apostles, prayer was not a response to circumstances; circumstances were a response
to prayer.
Their prayer was preliminary and it was powerful.
This is the first mention of Jesus' brothers in the book of Acts. In the
gospels his brothers were unbelievers (John 7:5). We know from Acts and
the Epistles that his brother, James, became a pastor of the church at
Jerusalem (Acts 12:17). What a powerful change! What the life and witness
of Jesus could not do, a prayer meeting did. Greek Philosopher, Archimedes,
said, "Give me a lever long enough and a prop strong enough, I can
single-handed move the world." Prayer is the lever and faith is the
prop. With them you can move the world.
Their prayer was powerful because it was persistent.
Pentecost came after a ten day prayer meeting. God could have sent the
Spirit after a ten minute prayer meeting. But he didn't. Delay is not
denial. It is not evidence of God's reluctance to empower his disciples.
Instead, it is God's desire that we persist until we are fully ready for
the answer.
You may have prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but
are you ready for Him whose presence at Pentecost was described as the
sound of a mighty wind and burning fire? (See Acts 2:2-3.)
Don't blame The Electric Light and Power Company if your
bedroom lamp doesn't burn. It may not be plugged in. Unlimited resources
of power are available to you in God's omnipotence. Your problem is you're
not plugged in. The same Spirit that filled and empowered the apostles
can fill and empower you.
Friday, 6 February 2015
If You Love God…
No one should be satisfied with a mediocre, barely-get-along kind of
life. God has a great plan for every single person, and I want to
encourage you to go for the very best life He has for you. If you want
to get to that life, the key is obedience to God and an understanding
of His great love for you!
I
used to have to hide teachings about obedience under a different title
because people honestly get hung up on this word. But I decided I
didn’t want to hide it anymore, because obedience to God truly is the
path to the greatest life possible.
But it’s pointless for me to teach you to obey God more without teaching you how to love God more and to let Him love you. Because the only thing that is truly going to compel you to be obedient is your love for Christ.
Now, I’m not saying we can buy more of God’s love through our obedience, but our love for Him will grow as we live in obedience to Him and as we experience His faithfulness. I obey God much more now than I did thirty years ago, but I also love God and His Word much more than I did back then. I love Him for who He is…because He’s beautiful and amazing. And it’s because of that love for Him that I want to obey Him.
I want to encourage you with the same advice I gave them. Just like a parent with a child, God is saying to each of us, “Why don’t you just do what I tell you to do? I’m telling you this for your own good.” The truth is, whatever God asks us to do, it’s for our benefit, so we need to take it seriously and submit to His direction.
He’s not taking things away from us to be mean or giving us a long list of impossible rules. He’s teaching us what things are going to benefit us and what aren’t, because He wants us to live the very best life we can. He doesn’t want us to be bitter, hurt, resentful, and lost, which often come as a result of disobedience. He wants us to have righteousness, peace, love and joy.
Second, obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit for your life. God doesn’t lead every individual in the same way. The Bible applies to everyone, but the Bible doesn’t give every detail of everything we need to do. That’s why we also need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our heart.
My prayer is this teaching is an encouragement to you. No matter how many things you need to work on, give them to God one by one and let Him do the work in you. As you step out and become more determined to obey Him, He will help you do what needs to be done. And not only will you experience more peace and joy, but your love for God will grow and grow.
I
used to have to hide teachings about obedience under a different title
because people honestly get hung up on this word. But I decided I
didn’t want to hide it anymore, because obedience to God truly is the
path to the greatest life possible.But it’s pointless for me to teach you to obey God more without teaching you how to love God more and to let Him love you. Because the only thing that is truly going to compel you to be obedient is your love for Christ.
If you love God…
John 14:15 says, If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.Notice Jesus didn’t say, “If you keep My commands, I’ll love you.” He already loves you perfectly, and He could never love you more than He does at this very moment.Now, I’m not saying we can buy more of God’s love through our obedience, but our love for Him will grow as we live in obedience to Him and as we experience His faithfulness. I obey God much more now than I did thirty years ago, but I also love God and His Word much more than I did back then. I love Him for who He is…because He’s beautiful and amazing. And it’s because of that love for Him that I want to obey Him.
Are you living in obedience?
“
It's pointless for me to teach you to obey God more without teaching you how to love God more.
”
Is there any area in your life where you are being
disobedient? When I taught this at a conference once, almost every hand
in the building went up when I asked that question. I want to encourage you with the same advice I gave them. Just like a parent with a child, God is saying to each of us, “Why don’t you just do what I tell you to do? I’m telling you this for your own good.” The truth is, whatever God asks us to do, it’s for our benefit, so we need to take it seriously and submit to His direction.
He’s not taking things away from us to be mean or giving us a long list of impossible rules. He’s teaching us what things are going to benefit us and what aren’t, because He wants us to live the very best life we can. He doesn’t want us to be bitter, hurt, resentful, and lost, which often come as a result of disobedience. He wants us to have righteousness, peace, love and joy.
How do you obey Him?
First, make a commitment to obey His Word. In other words, anything you read in the Bible that tells you what to do or not to do—do that. If you don’t understand some of it, focus on the things you do understand first. Start with the clear instructions like, Forgive your enemies; pray for those who hurt you. And remember that even though the instructions are clear, you’re still going to have to be determined to do it. It may not be easy to forgive people who hurt you, but it’s actually a lot easier than being bitter and resentful your whole life. And remember that whatever God asks you to do, He will give you the ability to do it.Second, obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit for your life. God doesn’t lead every individual in the same way. The Bible applies to everyone, but the Bible doesn’t give every detail of everything we need to do. That’s why we also need to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our heart.
My prayer is this teaching is an encouragement to you. No matter how many things you need to work on, give them to God one by one and let Him do the work in you. As you step out and become more determined to obey Him, He will help you do what needs to be done. And not only will you experience more peace and joy, but your love for God will grow and grow.
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