seek Jesus

 I have really been thinking about Nicodemus these past few days. I have really begun to identify with him. If you go to John chapter three you can read about Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was of the religious sect, the Pharisees, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin court.  He had been taught the scriptures and had studied them. He lived what he believed to be a holy life. He had always believed and had put his faith in God. He believed the promises of God. He was probably seen as a faithful man. Yet, when presented with what he thought was impossible, he asked, "How can these things be?"  Nicodemus appeared to be truly seeking for truth and he wanted to believe. He had questions and sought out Jesus for answers. He had the privilege of hearing Jesus say the very words we love in John 3:16. We do not get to read much more about Nicodemus, but we can find that he boldly urged the leaders not to take innocent blood and to give Jesus a fair trial in John chapter 7. We also find that he loveingly helped Joseph of Arimathea take Jesus' body down from the cross and place it in the tomb. He was probably a wealthy man and provided the costly myrrh for the burial. Nicodemus took the message of Jesus to heart and became a follower of Jesus. What he did for Jesus took courage and went against the Pharisee traditions. He loved Jesus enough to seek him and to follow him.

I think about many of us who have been raised in church. We have been taught the Word, studied the word and participated in worship. We have read the Bible and sought after what we know to be right. But, like Nicodemus, I want to know what is possible through Christ.  As I read the promises to the church and the believers for the last days, I ask, "How can these things be?"  I want to believe and see what Jesus promised. Yet, this world is appearing to become more Godless by the day. That too, was prophesied in the Bible. 

Peter stood on the Day of Pentecost and spoke these words in Acts chapter 2: 16-21

¹⁶ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ¹⁸ And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: ¹⁹ And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: ²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: ²¹ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

He was speaking of what we are promised today. Mark 16:17 speaks of the signs that will follow them that believe. I believe we should be seeing the signs following us as well for today, yet my flesh struggles to truly believe we can see that happen. I ask: what am I still missing when it comes to faith? Nicodemus went to Jesus with questions. He sought answers and appears to have taken the words of Jesus to heart. I can go to Jesus as well with my questions. He has all the answers, I only need to listen, and put faith into action. I may have been raised in church, but that does not mean I know all I need to know. I need to seek Jesus just as Nicodemus sought Jesus. When Jesus promised the comforter, that promise came to pass. We have the Spirit of God to lead us. We can take to heart the promises found in the Word of God. We need to have the courage and boldness of Nicodemus to seek Jesus, stand for Jesus, and love Jesus above whatever this world offers. We can stand boldly for Christ and he will stand with us. As Hebrews 13:6 says, So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. I want to boldly stand for speak up in faith knowing I have a Savior who has given me power over the enemy. I have promises that miracles are within the realm of possibility. That revival in the last days is a possibility. That what appears to be hopeless, can come to life!  We know a God who created all things by the power of His Word. What have we to fear and what have we to doubt?  Come boldly to him with your fears and questions, He will respond and as the disciples asked, Lord, increase my faith. (Luke 17:5) I don't want to just continue in what has always been done as the traditions of the current church, I want to boldly follow God in whatever direction he plans to take me. Nicodemus recognized that the traditions were not enough, but that Jesus held the answers. May we seek Jesus and find out what he really wants us to do. May we be bold and full of courage in the face of adversity and may we stand for Christ like never before. 

learning curve

 I remember when I was young, I loved to help my mom bake. I would sit in that kitchen, asking her questions and trying to help as much as she would let me. When I was about ten, I declared that I was going to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies all by myself. My mother said she would be around if I needed her.  I was quite certain I would make great cookies all by myself.  I started out great but as a batch was in the oven, I got distracted by something else.  I realized my cookies might burn and rushed to pull the cookies from the oven. I realized too late that I had forgotten the hot pad. I grabbed that sheet of cookies bare handed, burning my hand badly.  I knew right away I needed my mom.  She quickly doctored my hand and finished baking the cookies.  I felt that burn for several days.  I learned quickly that day, that hot pads are truly necessary and I still think of that incident today when I open a hot oven. I still have a love for baking and my baking skills have greatly increased. That day, I had a jump in my learning curve.

What is a learning curve? It is defined as the rate of a person's progress in gaining new experience ir new skills.  This applied to every new skill or experience we have.  We all learn at different rates and speeds. Some experiences give a great amount of experience and others bring us forward little by little.  This applied to our spiritual walk as well.  

I was raised in church and learned early on, that that does not make me any better or less of a sinner than anyone else.  We are all born into sin and we all are in desperate need of the Savior. I learned Bible stories and memorized verses.  This has been a foundation on which I have been able to stand as an adult. But those stories and verses are not enough for a lifetime. I needed to learn to more about God, experience God for myself and learn from my own experiences, good and bad. 

As I became an adult, I had to determine for myself that God was there for me as well.  I had friends who walked away from God as soon as they were no longer at home with parents. I had others who were determined to walk toward God with all their heart and soul.  I had to make a decision for myself to serve God.  Looking back, that was an easy decision. But making the decision over and over in the face of adversity, trial and loss is a bit harder.  I have learned that God is always present and never leaves or forsakes his children.  When I choose Him, he always responds to work for my good.  Not what I want, but for my good.  I have learned that Bible study and prayer are deeply important to my spiritual growth. I have learned that church attendance and fellowship are important for spiritual development. I have learned that fasting is necessary at times. I have learned that my life has no meaning without Christ as the center. 

I have also learned that being a Christian is not about being perfect. I used to look at older saints and never imagine they made any mistakes. I wondered how I could ever live up to that standard.  I have learned that I do not need to be perfect and neither were any of these saints. Churches are filled with imperfect people and that is what makes church so wonderful.  Matthew 5:48 in the Amplified Version says, You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus was telling us to work toward maturity and grow in the spirit, not expect to never make a mistake again.  His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and he knows humans are not perfect, he does expect us to grow and learn. To perfect is to finish or complete a work in us. We all make mistakes. We all say or do things that are not from a heart of love. We all have moments that our past and sinful nature attempt to rise up. We all get tired, grumpy, frustrated, disappointed and even allow those things to dominate our thoughts and actions. We are not perfect. We may see others fall, we may fall ourselves. We may be hurt by words from another. This does not mean we are not going to make it through or be loved by Christ. Instead, it speaks of the need to learn from the experience, fall into the arms of Jesus again, and allow him to work on our hearts. These moments bring us further along the spiritual learning curve. The decisions we make in those moments determine our growth in Christ. Do we call out," I need to you God!" Do we turn away in shame and give up?  These decisions bring about growth or destruction to our soul.  Do we pray and reach out to the fallen and hurt or write them off as another one who could not serve?  Our decisions to determine our growth.

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  This verse tells me that God will work on me as I submit to him and allow him to work on me. He will change me and develop growth in me to make me more like him. He is able to change my imperfections, forgive me when I fall, and lift me up to better.  He will make me well pleasing, I cannot be changed and increased in faith without him. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says his strength in perfect in my weakness. When I am disappointed, see fault in others or myself, I can lean on his strength. He will carry me through. I do not need to expect perfection from myself or anyone else. I can expect to hurt, disappointed, and find that faults can be hard for relationships. But, God's grace and mercy can be extended to me and to others. God's grace and love will cover a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)  When we love with the love of God, we can become an encourager of those who struggle, and a lifter up of the fallen. When we place our faith in Christ through all circumstances, we become a testimony of faith. When we run after God and His purpose, we grow in strength, faith, love, and humility.

 We are all somewhere on this learning curve of faith. Some have had great experiences that have developed deep faith quickly, some of us are taking baby steps all along the way.  We can only pray one for another and love one another as Christ loves us. (John 13:34-35)  We are not called to be perfect, but to work toward perfection or maturity in Christ. He will finish the work, consecrate us and complete his plan in us as we submit to him. 

There is a funny picture that shows our plan verses God's plan. It shows us planning out a straight line straight to glory, but God's plan is full of ups and downs, curves and bumps, all of which break off the sin nature, cause growth and bring about the spiritual perfection he seeks to give us. We learn to trust him through each and every curve, up and down. We grow through the learning process. We are all in a process. May we support one another, help one another and give grace to one another, including ourselves as we go through the process of learning to be like Jesus. 

where is God when life gets hard

 In this life, we are all going to have times that life gets hard. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen, broken world where bad things happen. We must realize that we are subject to this world of sin because we live here in this physical world. There are consequences of this life rather by our own doing or by no fault of our own. We go through loss, pain, hurt, and times when things don't turn out the way we had planned or hoped. We face trials and temptations. It is so easy to sit down, give up, and wallow in the misery and sorrow. These times can overwhelm us, defeat us and destroy our faith if we give in to the emotions and struggle. We can easily become angry and bitter at God. We can blame him and easily say, "Where are you, God?" as it seems he is far away. 

 These times are not times that God has abandoned us. Not by any means. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) He does not abandon us when hard times come. Rather, he is there to carry us and encourage us. He is there at all times. He does not it back and watch us struggle to see what would happen. He rather provides what we need and often prepares the situation for our good. 

Hard times can produce increase in strength. When we continue to place our faith in God through the hard, impossible moments, our faith will grow and strengthen. Strength will come as faith is put to the test. Paul encouraged Timothy to endure hardness. 

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:1-3 

This increase and endurance becomes a testimony to teach others of how God can bring us through the hard times. Others will see you endure and be encouraged that they too can endure. Strength will increase in your faith. 

Hard times increase faith. In Luke 17, Jesus explained to the disciples that offences come and they needed to take heed to themselves to forgive those that sin against them. The disciples response was in Luke 17:5 when they said Lord, increase our faith.  They understood that only faith could help them respond as Christ was instructing. Faith should be the response to hurt and struggle. 

Faith grows when tested. Temptations come and in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  This tells us that God has already prepared a way for us to say no to temptation. He has equipped us but we need to take action in this circumstance whether it be to call on him in prayer, reach out to a fellow believer for support, or just get out of the situation that is tempting us. We must guard against temptation and be aware enough to not purposely put ourselves in situations that temptation becomes too great. 

Hard times should draw us closer to Christ. Often, in hard times, the human response to push God away and allow fear to overwhelm.  God wants us to get closer to him. He is a place of refuge and shelter for the storms. James 4:8 tells us to draw closer to God and he will draw closer to us. Psalms 9:9 says he is a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble and Psalms 46:1 says he is our refuge and strength and a very present help in time of trouble. We can run to him and find strength and help. He will be our shelter and our rock. He will wrap his loving arms around us and hold us as we go through the trial. He is described as covering us with his wings like a hen does her chicks (Psalms 91:4) We can rely on God through the hard times. 

God is love. He does not abandon us in hard times. There are so many verses that give us hope. There are many examples in the Bible and in our church families that speak of God's faithfulness through the fire. God brings us through. Whatever trial may come, God is there. Those dark moments and hard times reveal God's love. We must turn to God in the struggle, not run from him. How can we do this? Read the word. pray, and listen. His word is full of life and hope. Find hope in his word. Pray. Talk to God about the hard times. He is present and ready to listen. He cares about what we care about. He tells us to cast our cares on him and he will sustain us. (1 Peter 5:7, Psalms 55:22).  He will listen. Every prayer is precious to him. Then, listen to what God has to say.  So many times, God is speaking to our hearts and we may be so caught up in the emotions of the situation, we may miss what he is saying. He speaks comfort and peace if we listen. He may provide direction in how to proceed. He may speak and encourage us to wait as he works it for our good. We need to listen to hear his voice. So many times, when I have taken time to listen, I have heard his voice say exactly what I needed for that moment. He has spoken love, peace, comfort, and instructed me at times when I needed him. He has proven over and over his love for me. 

Be encouraged that when hard times come, God is already prepared for the battle and the struggle. He has equipped us to endure hardness, and he is the strength we need. We can rely on his faithfulness. We will grow and become a walking testimony of who God is in the trial. He is the strong tower, the strength we need, and the One who has worked it all for our good. He is the Lord of triumph and victory. He is there when life gets hard.

a testimony of faith

I have always loved the story of Lois and Eunice. These two women had a witness and testimony that became a legacy in Timothy.  They had a testimony of unfeigned faith that was recognized by others who knew them. They are mentioned by Paul when he wrote to Timothy and in Acts when Paul went to Derbe and Lystra. Paul preached and they became believers.  We know that his mother was a Jew, and his father was a Greek.  It is believed that his father may have died when Timothy was young, and his mother and grandmother raised him.  They may have endured some hardships and loss, but faith grew in them so much that others knew their faith by how they lived.

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

2 Timothy 1:5

Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

Acts 16:1-2

Paul was impressed by Timothy and that he had been taught from a child the word of God by his mother and grandmother. These women left an impression on Paul and Timothy. They had a testimony of faith that caused others to notice.

¹⁴ But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

¹⁵ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

Lois means agreeable

Eunice means good victory

Timothy means honoring God or precious to God

I do believe the a good name is rather to be chosen that great riches as I tells us in Proverbs 22:1. Lois and Eunice have a good name. That is a good reputation. Not only do their names have great meanings, but they also had a testimony that brought about influence on others in a good way. Others became believers and were impressed by the faith they held.    We know that Paul advised Timothy to be an example of a believer.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  1 Timothy 4:12

Timothy had some great examples to look to and here, Paul is telling him to continue in faith and be an example as well. 

I look at these two women and the lesson they teach. We need to be an example to the believers and non-believers in our faith.  They stood firm in the face of all trials. We don’t know much about them but we know of their faith.

Scripture tells us about faith. We have Hebrews chapter 11 that lists many great examples of faith. But the first two verses say:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

² For by it the elders obtained a good report.              

 

There is a good report or testimony for those that demonstrate faith.  We can see in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God.  I want to have a testimony of faith that is pleasing to God.  How can I develop my faith into great faith, unfeigned, sincere faith like these women and others have had?

 

Dive into the Word.  Become a student of the word of God. His word tells us about God, his character, who he is. It tells us how to live, how trust, and reasons for following him.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.        2 Timothy  2:15

 

Take your unbelief to God. As the father in Mark 9:24 said: And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.  Ask God to help you with doubt and fear. Ask God to help you believe that he is, he can, and he will.

 

Pray. There are so many scriptures on prayer. Praying is communion and communication with God, It is listening and talking with the Savior. He becomes your best friend as you develop relationship with him. Without prayer, we do not have a relationship with him. It is a lifeline and how we can learn more of him as well has learn to recognize and hear his voice when he speaks to our hearts. 

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;  Ephesians 6:18

 

Exercise your faith. James wrote about faith needing to be demonstrated. He knew that faith without action is dead. Believing should bring about action not because the action saves us but because it is faith in action. Faith is demonstrated not by talking about it, but by acting upon it.

 

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  James 2:18.

 

Faith exercised bring more strength and more faith. Faith will grow as it is exercised.  I want to rejoice as Paul did when he said in 2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

That growth only comes from practice and continued use. We gain skills and become experts by practice. Practice of faith is the same. Faith will be gained and grow when we put it into practice.

 

Complete surrender to or trust in God.  Without trust or complete surrender, we may not reach the potential of faith that God has for us. We cannot fully trust him if we are not completely given to him.

 

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James 4:7-8

 

We need to be able to run to God with every situation and every concern. We need to know that we can cast our cares on him because he cares. (1 Peter 5:7) We should not fear or doubt that he is able and willing to meet every need. He is able to establish us and carry us through every valley, mountain, trial and temptation. He is the God of the impossible. For with God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:27) God will not fail. He is faithful.  We can grow in faith as we learn his Word and exercise the faith we have. Romans 12:3 says we have all be given a measure of faith.  We can take that faith and grow  into unusual, unfeigned, sincere faith that becomes a testimony. We can leave a legacy of faith to the next generation as Lois and Eunice did. We can inspire faith as all the heroes of faith did in Hebrews chapter 11. We can grow faith that is unwavering, unstoppable and brings about powerful works that only God can do.

 

through the valley

When we lived in California, one of my favorite views was looking east at the mountain range that bordered the valley. It stood high and beautiful with the peaks covered in snow. In the mornings, I would look up at those mountains and think about how majestic and glorious our God is. His creation was speaking of his majesty. Some days, I would quote the verses Psalms 121: 1-2  I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  I knew I could find help in my time of need by calling on Jesus. Those mountains reminded me of how big God is and that he is all I need.

Now we live in farm country with fields of crops, and lots of trees and animals. God reveals himself in many ways. This is also creation that speaks of his majesty. He is there at all times and in his creation.

 

Part of his creation is the valley. We all hear stories of the people who have braved the climb to the mountain top. They reach the pinnacle and are relieved, victorious and shout the joy of reaching the top. They can see for miles and see the valleys all around. But one thing I have realized is that while being on the mountain top is a sign of victory, there is not much growing there. There is nowhere to build a house, place a foundation, nowhere to farm or grow food. There is no sustenance provided on the mountain top. Life and growth happen in the valley. The valley is where the homes are built, foundations laid, crops are produced, farming happens. Life happens in the valley. In the valley, we face the struggles, the trials, the many situations that cause us to grow. We face the hurts, the decisions, and the joys of victory over struggle. Without the valley, we do not grow and live.

 

Spiritually, we need to go through valleys to grow and become more like Jesus. We cannot always be on the mountain tops. We must grow through the valley. Our spiritual walk will take us through valleys. We need these valleys to draw us closer to Christ, to break off the parts that are not in line with God’s will, and to become molded into His image.  It is through the valley, we are changed. It is in the valley we are able to find his peace, his sustenance, and his grace to make it through.

 

 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 68:8

 

He wants to make us more like him and the only way to do that is to be submitted to his hand. His will is done in us as he works on us. He removes the things that are not pleasing and replaces it with the fruit that brings him glory. If we lived only on the mountain top with nothing but victory, many of our weaknesses and marred areas would never be revealed. If we don’t face the hardships, we many not realize we have not completely surrenders to his will for us. We need to go through a few things to help us realize how much we still need him and how truly valuable his gift of salvation truly is. It is in the hard moments, that trust and faith is built.  The valley gives us the opportunities to face those moments we need to grow.

 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

 

The valley gives us reason to come face to face with our Lord in prayer and Bible study. It gives us reason to call on him in faith and call on him in praise. These are the moments he reveals himself to us and reveals parts of ourselves that need to change. I may be in a valley and realize I have not fully trusted God to handle the situation. I may see my own pride getting in the way. This gives me the opportunity to lay my pride before God, and ask him to change me yet again to be more like him. These moments are valuable and bring about a victory. The valley gives us reason to rejoice on that next mountain top. That valley brought us one step closer to being able to reflect him more perfectly.

 

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23:1-6

 

Psalm 23 is the one chapter that tells about being in the valley. It is in the valley we find rest and restoration. It is in the valley where God provides and protects. It is the valley we find our sustenance and comfort. It is in the valley we are able to say that his goodness and mercy have followed us. It is so important to walk through those valleys. It is in the valley we are able to become more of who God has intended us to be, to be made more like him and to be able build that relationship with Jesus that leads us to eternal life with him.

 

 

watch for snares

 As the days pass and I am becoming aware of how short life is, I am realizing that many who were once strong in faith are now missing in action.  It is hard to see brothers and sisters fall away and reverse course.

³⁴ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

³⁶ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 21:34-36

 

This verse gives us a warning about such things that may sneak in and draw us away from the family of God. There are snares set to distract us and lull us into a state of unawareness till we become easily trapped into sin once again. It is important to watch, pray and take heed. We must be on watch for what the enemy uses to ensnare our souls. We must pray and diligently stay in close contact with our Savior. He can warn us and guide us. When we are in contact with him, he will speak a warning or direct us away from the snare. We must take heed that we are not immune to trouble and sinful things. We are still very much able to be distracted, lured and tempted.

 

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 14:27

 

We have a guard and that is to keep our selves focused on Jesus. The fear or respect of the Lord will guard us and keep us. We will stay out of the snares when we are keeping our eyes and heart on God.

 

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:7

 

Our testimony of good report needs to be seen and unseen. When we hold ourselves to the standard of God’s word, keep integrity in our private and public life, and spend time in the prayer closet, others will have a good report of us in public. Our secret or private time needs to reflect the relationship we have with God just as much or more than what we are seen doing publicly. It is good to be seen in church, be seen doing good, be seen in prayer and worship, but what does God see when you are alone? What are you spending time on when no one appears to be watching? That time often determines the outcome of public life.

 

²⁴ And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

²⁵ In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

²⁶ And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

 

We know of saints who have fallen and are in situations because of snares that were set for them. They have become ensnared into sin and troubles. Our job is to pray for them, be gentle with them and speak truth to them reminding them of the loving God who wants nothing more than to set them free. So many feel like the church has turned away from them, and no longer experience the love of God. They feel guilt and do not even believe God can forgive them once again. We must prayerfully and in meekness speak the love of Christ into their lives and pray that it is received into a softened heart once more. Let us reach for our wounded, bound and hurt brothers and sisters who have become ensnared by the traps of the enemy. He seeks to kill, steal, and destroy every soul. Let us seek to deliver, save, and set free those whom he has laid hold on.

 

May we set ourselves on watch, take heed and prayerfully keep our eyes on God. May we seek these who need our love and prayers. May we seek him while he is near.

 

⁶ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

gather the harvest

This Wednesday night at Bible study, my husband used this parable from Luke 14:7-15.

 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

We had a great study and discussion about this parable and how we need to reach out to those who cannot return the favor or repay, the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, as described in verse 14. We so often worry about what we can receive and rather than what we can offer. We talked about having an humble spirit and what God expects of us. 

I began to think of this is the spiritual sense as well. In church, we are comfortable with those we call brother and sister. We pray with them, pray for them, encourage one another and help one another. This is all good and should be happening. We are all part of the body of Christ and should find that we have great care and love for one another. However, there are people who are poor, maimed, lame and blind spiritually. They too need to be reached and given the Gospel. 

There are so many in the world around us right now that do not know God for themselves. They are blind to the truth of God, poor in the knowledge of salvation. Some have been wounded and hurt spiritually and do not seek God for healing of the soul. How much can we do to reach out and minister to these souls who truly need to come to the table and feast on the precious word of God?

First and foremost, we can pray for them. Prayer truly changes things. Pray that God open us doors to reach them. Pray that God prepare their hearts to receive Him. Pray that God lead someone to them who can show them the love of God and share the life-changing Gospel with them.

Second, we need to pray and prepare ourselves to be the right witness. Pray that we see the hurting and lost. Pray that God prepare our hearts to be right before him to hear him direct our path to that person in need. We need to get before God and repent, humble ourselves, and be right and holy before him. We cannot win a soul effectively when we are bogged down with the cares and worries of the world around us to the point that we are victorious in our living for Christ.

Third, we need to go out and willingly engage with the lost and hurting. Listen for God to direct you to that one soul. We often think we need to reach the whole world, the whole area or city in one fell swoop. All we really need to do, is reach one soul at a time. Reach one. That may not seem much, but to that one, it is everything. Just as Jesus taught that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, we can rejoice as well. We can rejoice that one more soul is added to the Kingdom. One soul can then reach out to one more. 

Fourth, we need to be ready to disciple those new souls. They need new friendships, new relationships, new understanding. They need to be founded and grounded in the word of God. They need instruction and leadership. They need care and concern. Just as a new baby comes into this world unable to fend for themselves, we need to see them as new babies in Christ who need the body of Christ to care for and nurture them to maturity in the Spirit. 

I think there have been so many hurt, lost souls that have been overlooked. But God says it is time to go into the highways and byways to seek out the souls that are ready to receive him. He said the fields are white and ready for harvest. The mission field is right here in my hometown. We have a harvest ready to be gathered in. Are we prepared and ready to reap the harvest? Invite them to come to the table and join the feast God has prepared..

beyond the struggle

 We all have gone through struggles and will face struggles in this life: sickness, pain, loss, fear, thoughts we think, things done to us, acts of nature, life in general has hardships and struggles. Spiritually, we face struggles of being steadfast, faithful, consistent, and strong in our resolve of faith. We are faced with struggles that seem to keep us from every promise we have from God. His word is full of promises for every believer. He has given us promises individually as well. Promises for our families and promises spiritually. Those promises may seem deterred or out of reach. But, in faith, we can look beyond the struggles and the promise is still there.  

Moses was given a promise, At the first sign of trouble he began to question. In Exodus 5:20-23 we see Moses asking God why he is allowing Pharoah to punish the Israelites and not actually delivered them at all. 

Exodus 5:20-23 

And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us .And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Yet, Moses knew who had the power to change things. He had gone straight to the Source. He ran to God and God answered with deliverance. 

We also see David had a promise. He was chosen to be king of Israel. He went through years of trials. years of Saul chasing and trying to kill him. His promise seemed far away. At one point, David faced a great trial, he wept and grieved, but ran to God. He knew where his help came from. 

1 Samuel 30: 1-8

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.  

 David was faced with the loss of all he had, his family, home, livestock, all he had. Even his men were ready to take it out on him. He ran to God and encouraged himself in the Lord. He prayed and asked God to lead him. He asked God what to do next. If you keep reading, we find that God did exactly what he promised. 

We also need to run to God when his promises seem far away.  Moses and David are great examples of this. They were given great promises that seemed defeated and unlikely to come to pass. Yet, when they called on God, he responded with the next step.  We need to remember that he cares and already has a plan set in motion.

⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1 Peter 5:7

God is able to work it out and leads us further down the path if we but rely on him, ask for his wisdom and guidance and seek him first. he is able to give us strength, establish us and make us more in his image. He is working to bring about his will in our lives. We can be encouraged in his word and be settled, calm and in peace knowing we are in his plan.

¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  1 Peter 5:10

 We can be grounded and find a peace knowing God is working it for our good. He has called and made his promises known to us for a reason. He will not allow his word to fall void and he will fulfill his word. 

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

 God fights the battles. The answer is on the way.  Our flesh is weak and becomes afraid, When we look with the natural eyes, the promises may seem unavailable and impossible. But God is a Spirit. We are to walk in the spirit. God is fighting for us. We cannot allow our thoughts to be distracted by the natural appearance of a situation. God is mighty, powerful and nothing is impossible for him. That battle before you already has an answer in God. Use your spiritual eyes, increase your faith. Use the weapons God has given you. Pray, Speak his word. Call on his name! His Word is our weapon. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 7

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

The enemy will be defeated as he attempts to destroy what God has given us. We cannot allow ourselves to give in to anything that tells us we will never see the promise of God. We can be encouraged that God's word is true. God will allow us to walk right over the enemy that tried to destroy us with peace and victory. We will be triumphant when we are aware of the devices the enemy uses against us. He attempts to give us unbelief, doubt, and fear. If he can get us to fear or no longer believe, he destroys our faith. Keep the faith! 

Romans 16:19-20

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

 We can be confident that Gods promises are yes!  He has promised and he will never lie. He is the God of truth. His word is true. When he speaks, there should never be a doubt.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 1:2

Be encouraged in faith.  If you have a promise the enemy has tried to destroy, call on God. Run to him. Ask him to lead. He has the next step for you. He has the plan in place. He can change to situation just as he did the Moses and the children of Israel. He can restore what the enemy has stolen. He can bring it back and make you whole again. He is able to do more and exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think.  Lay it all at the feet of Jesus and let him do what only he can do. Look beyond the struggle at the promises of God. His promises will be fulfilled. His promises are true. 

 

 

launch out

 Have you ever felt like God is challenging you to grow, go deeper, or do something you never thought you could do?  Have you questioned, worried, or tried to figure out how that dream you have for ministry will ever come to pass?  I think we may all have had some experience with this.  We want to see the dreams God has given us to come to fruition. We want to be used of God. I think Peter may have experienced this a few times. He started out with God telling him to do something a little crazy after trying to fish all night and had caught nothing. They were tired and ready to go home. But Jesus challenged.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5:4

Upon obeying, the catch was so great it caused the nets to break. It did not make sense but Jesus stepped in and changed the situation. 

Another momentous act was when the disciples were out in the boat tossed by the waves when Jesus came walking on the water. When Jesus cheerfully revealed himself, Peter asked, "If it is you, bid me come. "

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Matthew 14:29

Here we see Peter obeyed and placed his trust in Jesus.  Yes, in the second story, we can read that Peter became fearful and Jesus had to pull him up from sinking. But the point is, he stepped out of that boat and began walking on the water. 

So many times, we may feel called to move, speak, write, or go, but we allow doubt and fear to hinder and stop us. God wants us to trust and obey.  I have spent many times of my life afraid of the outcome and did not do what I know God was asking of me. I did not obey all the while saying, "I trust you Lord." I did not demonstrate that trust with obedience. I hope I am not alone in that confession. 

God is ready to use his people. The first step is to trust, then obey.  The word 'obey' is in the King James Version 114 times with varying examples of those who do and don't obey the word of the Lord. I want to choose to obey his voice. 

I must know His voice. I cannot obey effectively if I have not spent time getting to know the voice of God. This comes with prayer, study of the word, some fasting, even and yes, listening. I must hear his voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  We will hear and know his voice when we follow him.

I want to obey in the small things so when he decides I am ready to tackle the big things, he can trust me to listen, trust and obey. Jesus spoke a parable demonstrating this very principle in Luke 19. He told the servant that he had been faithful in the little things and placed him as ruler over ten cities. I want to demonstrate to God that I am faithful in the small things. The Bible is full of small things we are to do. Love God first, love others, study to show yourself approved pray without ceasing, be witnesses, and the list can go on and on.  When we work on these small things, God can find us able to be used in greater ways or magnify these small things into great effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.  Sometimes, I think we see these commandments as a drudgery or as not important in the Kingdom, but without the foundations being laid and built, the Kingdom cannot stand. Each of us has a part in the Kingdom of God. We are all part of the plan and part of the building as well as the building process. Each stone laid is for a purpose in the Kingdom of God. Every prayer, time in study, time in worship, words spoken to share the gospel are not unnoticed by the King. 

So, I come to the verses again. Launch Out! Come! When God speaks and lays something on your heart, launch out and do what he is speaking.