Demons Believe and Tremble

To believe in God is not enough. Even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). In these modern times, much of God’s army is slumbering in apathy and ineffectiveness. The persecuted church worldwide understands the true nature of Christianity. No hypocrites attend those churches, because they have to lay their life down for Christ every day. Will casual Christians ever arise from their spiritual siesta and allow God’s Spirit to set them on fire?

Few Believers actually focus solely on God’s will for them (Ephesians 2:10). These dedicated individuals listen to His Spirit’s prompting and obey His voice all day long. They reside in the moment with total righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Having no reservations, they share Christ’s gospel with anyone who will listen, at any time of the day or night. They use any form of media possible to communicate God’s love to the world (2 Timothy 4:2).

Devoting their life to prayer, these authentic Believers walk in the Spirit and deny the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25). They are effective and accomplish much for God’s Kingdom (James 5:16). They understand that Jesus died to pay the price of every sin, for every sinner, for all of time (1 Peter 3:18, 22); and that His Spirit remains alive and united with His immortal body at the right hand of our Father. Now, all angels, authorities and powers are subject to Jesus (1 Peter 3:18, 22).

Jesus raises us to walk in this powerful new life, which God prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10). Through salvation, our carnal nature dies and is buried with Christ in baptism (Colossians 2:12; Romans 6:4). Jesus, who is our whole reason for living, hides our humanity with Him in God. We live with Jesus in glory, even now on this earth (Colossians 3:3-4). Since Jesus lives in us, His precious and powerful name gives us His authority, so that all powers and principalities are subject to us as well (Luke 10:17).

Prayer:

Father God, we are Your blood-bought children and we trust in Your faithfulness. You rescued us from hell’s fire and You freely give us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). Satan’s only power over us comes from our unbelief. He is our accuser (Revelation 12:9-11). Some of Your children forget all about the victory You won for us on Calvary’s cross (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). They lose their freedom, which Jesus gave His life for us to enjoy. Remind them of Your love for us; so they will seek first Your Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) and set their mind on the eternal, infinite aspects of life (Colossians 3:2).

Thought for the Day:

We are forever redeemed from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 1:18-19

Time For God

 

Many people complain about not having time in their busy schedule to spend time with God. That is the sign of someone who is way too busy. There are many ways we can incorporate prayer into our daily agenda. One idea is to Prayer Walk. This accomplishes several things at once…exercise, prayer for your neighborhood, a time to praise God for the nature all around you, and a time to share your concerns with God and to listen to His advice. Another idea is to stop watching television, which robs us of so many hours in our day. We can also put worship music on while we do household chores and worship right along with the singers.

Those who spend time with God are closer to living a spiritual life than the person who spent hours in Bible College. To do both is even better! Once we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit teaches us all things as we read the Word, listen to sermons and fellowship with other Christians. The longer we live the Christian life, the more tempted we are to think we have arrived. We get complacent and cold hearted toward spiritual things. We grow bored with reading God’s Word and going to church services.

If Satan cannot take you back into a life of sin, the second best weapon he has is to deceive you into apathy in your Christian walk. The Bible tells us that in the last days, the hearts of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). There will be a great falling away of people who live as cultural Christians and who do not have a fervent, personal relationship with Christ by His Spirit (Revelation 12:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

In America we have unlimited access to spiritual tools and events. Yet, we make every excuse to miss fellowshipping with other Believers and learning from God’s Word. Our worship turns mechanical and we grow colder by the day. We honor God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).

An intimate relationship with the God of the universe allows us to love and be loved, to walk in victory through the trials of life and to be led by the Spirit of God moment of moment throughout the day (Romans 8:14). When we commit all of our body, spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions - to Him, we receive blessings from Him in return. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), and just waiting for us to enjoy them.

If our spirituality is not infiltrating every compartment of our life, we are not allowing Jesus to live as our Lord. The goal is for us to walk in the spirit at work, home, school, church, the shopping center and on the roadways. The closer we walk with Him the easier it is to trust Him in the hard times (Psalm 56:3; Joshua 1:9). Our uncompromising habitual service to God (Psalm 50:9-10) is more important to Him than occasional grand gestures. He meets us the moment we long for His presence (Jeremiah 29:13), and gives us both the desire and the power to accomplish His will in our life (Philippians 2:12-13).

Prayer:

Father God, You dearly love all of Your children. You shower us with patience and provide everything we need to live a Godly life. Help us not to choose Satan’s lies, but to choose repentance instead (2 Peter 3:9). You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place and to appease Your wrath over our sin. You provide Your Holy Spirit to lead us into Your truth and to strengthen us through the trials of life. Help us to faithfully follow the leading of Your Spirit and to do Your works until Jesus returns to the earth.

Thought for the Day:

God is not an emergency technician that we only call in times of trouble. He is our Lord and Savior and deserves our committed life of devoted worship to Him.

Spiritual Anorexia

Read: James 1: 22-27

 

“Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21

As a Pastor’s wife I often get discouraged when I see my husband pouring over the Bible for hours each week to prepare three sermons; and yet, very few people ever come to listen to them, and fewer still ever respond to the Word that he preaches.

He spends as many as 10 hours preparing each sermon. He starts by praying about which series or Biblical book to preach from. Then, he prays over each individual message as he prepares it. He studies the text, researches his subject, reads other sermons concerning the same text or topic, finds illustrations and humor to make it colorful and then he polishes it for days. When he stands in the pulpit, he already internalized his message and he preaches the words with all of his heart. Yet, it seems to go in one ear and right out the other of most of the people in the congregation.

Many preachers are in this same lonely position in the Body of Christ. They faithfully preach the message God gives them. They joyfully delight in the Word of the Lord. They walk faithfully before their God (Jeremiah 15:15-16). They love the Lord and dedicate their every waking moment only to Him. They strive to serve as God’s spokesmen and to speak only the Words He gives them (Jeremiah 15:19). They weave this passion into every sermon they preach, hoping to inspire others to share in their enthusiasm. Yet, the love of many is waxing cold (Matthew 24:12). No wonder the rate of salvations in evangelical churches diminishes ever year.

God’s prophets throughout the ages experienced this same indifference and apathy. Jeremiah was one man who lived with a passion for proclaiming the Word of the Lord. Yet, the people of Israel continually failed to repent and to follow God. After many years of this cold-hearted rejection, the Israelites heard this proclamation from God: "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go!" (Jeremiah 15:1).

As I was praying about this dilemma, I realized that many people in our churches today have spiritual anorexia. We take in the sacred meal provided for us in every church service, and then we purge everything we consumed as we walk out of the building. We fall back into our old habits and sinful ways, consuming carnal junk food during the week and starving our spirit until the next Sunday morning church service. I researched this idea and there are several authors who give detailed information about this topic.

Sometimes, we skip Sunday worship and stay home to sleep in, half-heartedly watching TV preachers to assuage our conscience. We hide our light under a basket full of dirty laundry and do not give repentance a second thought. We spend so much time in trivial pursuits that we rarely pick up our Bible to read at home. This behavior damages our divine health and even threatens our future spiritual life. Some of us do not even have a personal, life-changing relationship with the Savior of our soul. 

I want to challenge everyone who reads these words to make a commitment today to live as a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:22). God only blesses those who both hear His Words and walk in them (Luke 11: 28).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray for an increased spiritual hunger in the hearts of church people all over the world, but especially in America where hearts have grown cold. Give us a focused hunger, which is satisfied only by our obedience to Your Word. Use us to infect today’s society with a passion for more of You.

Thought for the Day:

Commit to live as a spiritually, well-nourished Child of God and share what you learn as you passionately consume His Word.

One Can Make a Difference

Read: Psalm 119: 57-64

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt 6:33 (KJV)

Satan delights in using stressed out lives, unfit bodies, and exhausted emotions in his efforts to create hindrances in our road to intimacy with God. We are too tired, too listless, too apathetic or too lazy. On the other hand, we just may not feel like sitting quietly, especially when our “to do” list is a mile long. In order to walk in God’s precepts, however, He calls us to choose to sit alone with Him and listen, reading His Word, singing His praises and giving thanks to Him in and for all things. If we seek God first, He will add everything to us that we need (Matthew 6:33).

We have several options other than waiting on the Lord. We can do what is right in our own eyes, we can make our choices in order to serve our own best interests as we pursue our own plans, or we can follow the whim of some significant other person in our life. Sometimes, we can even pursue religious activities and still live outside of God’s will, "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt 7:23)

Jesus gives us an example to follow when he emphatically stated, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). Once we realize we are helpless without God leading each moment of our day, we come to realize that this is a vital key to living a fulfilled life.

Psalms 27:14 encourages us, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Waiting on the Lord is as important to our soul and spirit as breathing is to our body. Sometimes, God does not come when we call. We tend to blame our self, and it may happen that sin in us is blocking our communication with God at that moment. However, even David, the man after God’s own heart, experienced fatigue in waiting on God at times, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Ps 69:3)

When I sit at Jesus’ feet, I receive my marching orders for the day; I find my comfort and my strength; I receive His unconditional love and peace. "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope" (Ps 130:5). Then, as the Spirit of God directs me, I can go out into my world and spend my energies telling others what He has done for me, lending a helping hand to those in need, listening to a broken heart and encouraging one drowning in despair. I want to make a difference in my world, but I have to start by spending time alone with God (Proverbs 8:34).

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I compare my thoughts with Your Words and I judge them according to Your precepts. Help me to live like a thermostat to regulate the temperature in the world around me, instead of as a thermometer, which just registers the status quo.

Thought for the Day:

Make a commitment to change the world around you, one life at a time.

Am I Satisfied?

Read: Philippians 4:11-13

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” - 1 Tim 6:6-7 (NKJV)

Like Paul, it took me years to learn to be content. I do not want to live “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1), because that denotes an apathetic attitude. On the other hand, I do not want to live with stress and anxiety either. Striving often brings contention between us and our neighbors, coworkers, family and friends. I want to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).

The only striving the Bible suggests that we partake in is to “strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24), to “always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men” (Acts 24:16), and to “strive together in prayers to God” (Rom 15:30). There is no other striving in our life once we come into the presence of the Lord. We cease from our labors and enter into the true Sabbath rest of God.

If we "grab" or strive for more out of life, because of discontentment with what we have, God will withhold His gifts from us. However, when we sit contentedly at His feet, ready to receive whatever He thinks is best for us, that is when He gives us all good things to enjoy. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Prayer:

Lord, You promised to give us our daily bread and all that we need to survive in this natural world. You clothed the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. We thank You for providing for us just as richly.

Thought for the Day:

God gives us all good things to enjoy.