The Resurrection is the Recalibration of Our Reality

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important historical event for mankind, next to the creation of the world. It demonstrated that Jesus is the Son of God with power over sin and death (Romans 1:4). Because He went to the cross, bearing our sin and shame, we can now live life abundantly in Him (John 10:10) escaping the corruption of sin (2 Peter 1:4) and judgment of God upon sin (Romans 5:9).

The resurrection is the great "game-changer" for those who turn to God and believe. Prior to this, mankind was separated from God because of sin and lawless acts (Colossians 2:13). But because of God's love for us, while we were dead in our sins, He sent His son as the ultimate sacrifice to die in our place (Romans 5:8). When Jesus shed His blood for you and me it reconciled and made us right (justified) before God, saving us from the penalty of sin and God's wrath (judgment) against us (Romans 5:8-9). When we turn from sin, considering ourselves dead to it, acknowledge Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we now experience life by the power of God (2 Timothy 2:11). As a result, we partake of His divine nature, escaping the corruption of sin (2 Peter 1:4). The eyes of our understanding are opened so that we may may know the hope of His calling, as well as the riches of the glory of His inheritance for us - for His children who believe (Ephesians 1:18).

God wants us to understand and experience the incredible greatness of His power for our lives, which is the same power that God utilized when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places above every other power and authority, placing everything under His feet (Ephesians 1:19-22).We are no longer to walk in sin, nor are we to walk in defeat and weakness - we have God!

The Apostle Paul understood this and made it His life's passion to love and serve God, without reservation. He purposed to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10) in his life and ministry. We too are called to walk this way. Though we are weak in ourselves, we no longer serve ourselves and can call upon a God who loves us, blesses us and gives us His power to overcome the obstacles and problems in life, as well as minister with His power and love. As we seek God and love Him with all our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:5) obeying and trusting in Him, we come to see His glory and the goodness He had given us with His very great and precious promises that are for us (2 Peter 1:4). Because we belong to Him, He has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

For this reason we bow before God, serving Him with all reverence and love. We are strengthened by His power through the Holy Spirit in our inner self so that Christ dwells in our hearts by the faith He has given us. Being rooted and grounded in His great love, He reveals the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ - a love that goes beyond all knowledge, so we may know all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-20).

This is the true meaning and purpose of life - the life we are meant to live, as destined by God. This is the abundant life God has for us who believe. We are to receive the power of the resurrection from Him. God is so glorious and His love is so wonderful that it recalibrates our reality!

Immanuel-God With Us!

Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:22 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel - which means, 'God with us.'"

This was written about 700 years before Christ and was a prophecy given by Isaiah the prophet to Ahaz, the king of Judah. While it is part of a larger prophecy concerning Ahaz, Judah and Assyria, it also served as a Messianic prophecy because it foretold the coming of God Himself to mankind.

The Jewish people had longed for the coming of the Messiah, the King of Righteousness, for centuries. The Messiah was the fulfillment of the hopes and prayers of many people in many generations who sought their Heavenly King to rescue/deliver them in the midst of a very broken world wrought with sin and great oppression. Jeremiah 23: 5-6 states: "'The days are coming,' declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."

Matthew, the writer of the book of the same name, repeats the prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) in Matthew 1:23 to illustrate that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah that was promised. The name 'Jesus' means "God is salvation" and the name 'Immanuel' means "God with us" which speaks of Jesus being both God and man. He was fully man so he could share in our humanity and that by His death He would destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For this reason He had to be made like us in every way, in order that He would become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He would make atonement for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:14-15, 17-18). He was also fully God because He was, and is, the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3).

The Old Testament believers prior to Christ were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised (Hebrews11:39). But for us today, who know Him as our Lord and Savior, we have the fulfillment of what they hoped for, which is the presence of God with us!

Jesus is our Immanuel and we therefore have the riches of God's grace lavished upon us with all wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:8). Also,..."because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace [we] have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

Not only is God with us, He is also in us by the person and power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14 says:  "Having believed, we were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance in God" (Ephesians 1:13b-14a). The fact that each of us as believers has the Holy Spirit is a guarantee that we belong to God, that we have every spiritual blessing in Him (Ephesians 1:3), that our future hope of eternity with Him is very real and will be fulfilled because of His faithfulness. What a hope! What a joy! What a life we have in Him!

May God open the eyes of our hearts that they may be enlightened in order that we would know the hope to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe (Ephesians 1:18-19).

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (the Old Testament believers who hoped and prayed for the coming of Immanuel), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Jesus is our Immanuel who in ages past was the unrevealed mystery of God, but who has now been made known to us as God in us and amongst us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

The Cinderella Church

We all know the story of Cinderella. It is one that can serve as a great metaphor and illustrate God's heart toward us - His church and children. Many of us may know the story by heart, however, if you are like me and either haven't read it or seen the Disney version of it in several years, here is a brief recap:

There once was a widower who had a kind and sweet daughter (named Cinderella) from his first marriage. The widower was married to a vain and proud woman who had two daughters of her own, equally as vain and proud as their mother. The step-mother and step-sisters reduced Cinderella into being a domestic slave. One day, the Prince of the kingdom announced he was having a ball from which he would chose a young bride. All the young women of the realm were invited. Cinderella, who dreamed of going to the ball, instead had to help her step-sisters prepare for it. They mocked and ridiculed Cinderella, telling her that the Prince would probably chose one of them and that a servant girl could never attend the ball. Therefore, Cinderella was sentenced to stay at home, forfeit her dreams, and live in perpetual servitude.

Once Cinderella's sisters left for the ball, she wept. However, in response to her tears, her Fairy Godmother magically appeared and vowed to help her. Common items like a pumpkin, rat, mice and a lizard were turned into a stately coach, uniformed coachman, well groomed horses and a footman. Rags were turned into an awesomely beautiful gown, along with the famous (no air cushion support or orthodically engineered) glass slippers. Cinderella goes to the ball, becomes the talk of the town, and captures the Prince's heart, as both of them dance the night away. Unfortunately, time marches on during the biggest evening of Cinderella's life, and she finds that she must leave in a rush - just as the clock begins to strike 12 midnight; the time she was warned by her Fairy Godmother that all the magically transformed finery would revert back into common things. In her flight, she left behind one of her glass slippers. Then after the Prince, who knows that he found the woman of his dreams, sets out on a search using the glass slipper to identify the owner and his future bride. The story ends with Cinderella, the once disdained and ill-treated outcast servant, identified as being the owner of the glass slipper and the woman who would become the future Princess. Great story! Not a guy story, but you have to admit, a great story!

Remember Israel, reduced to bitter slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1:11, 14)? They were in absolute utter bondage and despair with no possible hope or future. Like Cinderella, the Israelites were reduced to servitude under cruel masters. However, while Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother, the Israelites had God who loved and cared for them. God said enough is enough, raised up a deliverer, Moses, judged the evil oppressors and set His people free (Exodus 2-12). Throughout scripture, we see numerous accounts when God released His people from captivity. As a matter of fact, the list is almost endless (God rescued Noah, Lot, sent numerous Judges to fight for and free Israel, King David vs. Goliath and others, Esther, and then our Lord and Savior Jesus).

The Bible says in Micah 4: 7: "I will make the lame a remnant, the outcast a strong nation; so the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever." Our God has a heart for the lost, destitute, outcasts, lepers and the lame. He makes the "nothings" of this world into "somethings". He makes us, His children, to be His most treasured possession. He builds us up in Him, gives us a new identity and rules our lives by His Spirit with wisdom, power and strength.

In Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 14:16-24, Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who arranged a marriage for his son. He sent servants out to call those who were invited, but they refused to come... Again, he sent out servants imploring them to come, but they made light of it and went their own ways. Then the king became angry and told the servants to go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind. The king compelled the people to come in that his house would be filled.

This is our God! He takes the base things of the world, like Cinderella - the abused and mocked servant girl, and transforms them into people of His noble purposes and plans, like Cinderella - the transformed Princess. He calls not many wise according to the flesh, not many noble... He is the One who chooses the the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. He uses the weak things to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things which are despised God has chosen... (1 Cor 1:26-28).

While we know that Cinderella is a fantasy story, we also know that our lives and destinies in God are not! We serve a powerful God with powerful promises for His children. Consider the following promises He makes to us: Those who find God find His favor (Proverbs 8:35-36). He promises to make us the head and not the tail, if we obey Him (Deuteronomy 28:13). God promises that His words to us are flawless and that He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him (Proverbs 30:5). "Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). Also, "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

Just as Cinderella had an evil step-mother and oppressive step-sisters who wanted to deny her any good thing, so the children of God have Satan and many who are enemies of the gospel opposing us. Yet, God in Micah 4:11-13, promises: "But now many nations are gathered against you (God's people). They say, 'Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion (His church)!' But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, he who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 'Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron, I will give you hoofs of bronze and you will break to pieces many nations.' You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.' Imagine that! Though we have many enemies who think they will defeat God's people, God turns the tide of destruction against them. He uses His church to confound and break the tyranny of the nations. God also empowers His people to use the wealth of the wicked for Him, His kingdom and purposes.

It is a great story and great destiny for the church - the people of God!! It is awesomely wonderful that we have such a place in the heart of our King.

"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and every. Amen" (Revelation 7:12).

Intimacy With God Is Our Prize When We Give Thanks

In less than a week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving, an important national holiday in the United States. For many people it can mean different things: a turkey feast, a big football day, or the day before "Black Friday" which is the kick-off to the Christmas shopping season. Yet, the origin of the holiday in the U.S., has to do with the Pilgrims who gave thanks to God for their preservation, well-being, and the fulfillment of their hopes to live in a land where they could freely practice their faith. 

Thanksgiving is about honoring God. While it is a holiday, it should also be a way of life for us as believers. By giving thanks we recognize that we are a people who continually need Him. We also acknowledge the Lord as the source of our lives and every blessing that we've been given. To give God thanks honors and glorifies Him. Being thankful, along with a deep-felt gratitude and humility toward God, is indispensable to living a victorious life in Christ. Our King loves a thankful, humble heart and He rewards us for it (Psalm 146:6-8 & 1 Corinthians1:26-31). It deepens our love for God and creates within us a spirit of worship and praise.

King David is a great example of someone who knew the secret of giving thanks and was richly blessed for it. In 1 Chronicles 15-16 David, along with the elders and commanders of Israel, brought the ark into Jerusalem. As you may recall, he danced with all his might before God as they brought the ark into the city. Offerings and sacrifices were given by the people out of gratitude and worship. David entrusted to Asaph and those with him a psalm of thanksgiving (1Chronicles 16:7-36). This beautiful psalm encouraged the people of Israel to give God thanks; as well as to sing, glorify, praise, recall His mighty deeds, and called for all creation to acknowledge His worthiness.

When we get out of our comfort zone and radically thank God, like the Jews did when they worshiped at the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem, we are brought through the gate of our limited physical lives and into the presence of the King of Kings. Our thanksgiving turns into worship and causes our hearts and spirits to be one with God. We cannot help but know His pleasure and blessing by the atmosphere we create by our thanksgiving and worship. Yes, that is correct! It is the atmosphere we create, not God. We do this by initiating the thanks and praise, and He responds by blessing us with His presence.

The intimacy we experience as a result of our encounter with God causes us to know our Father's heart and to participate/partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). By participating in His divine nature, we see His glory and goodness in full measure. We also become aware that every single one of His very great and precious promises are given to us and meant to be fulfilled in our lives (2 Peter 1:3-4); regardless of our lives or circumstances. He is over all those things. In His presence we are meant to be transformed and deeply blessed.

Thankfulness is a crucial key for growing in intimacy and releasing the power of God in our lives. Expect God to richly bless and move in your midst as you cultivate a life of thanking Him with a sincere and pure heart. He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

God is Eager to Transform Your Life & Situation - Part 2: The Power of Worship

Worship is meant to be transformational. God allows us, even beckons us, to enter into His presence where we connect and become one with Him. In worship we abandon the limitations of our lives and the world around us. We transcend our circumstances and access the throne room of heaven itself. There we meet with the One who loves us and longs for our sincere love, adoration, and praise. As we love Him and worship with all our being (body, soul and spirit) we experience a blessing that is like nothing else in life. He lavishly loves, comforts, and blesses in return.

Our obedience to God makes our praise and worship become an acceptable fragrance and sacrifice before Him. God rewards us for our time, effort and faith in worshipping Him (Hebrews 11:6). Beyond the joy, peace, love we receive from being in His presence we also carry His glory and presence with us after we've spent time with Him. Remember Moses' face which was radiant with the glory of God (Exodus 34:29-35). Worship is indispensable in building a very rich, rewarding and deeply intimate relationship with the Lord.

Because worship causes us to experience God's perfect love, it casts out all fear (1John 4:18). Worship activates and energizes our faith. Because we are in God's presence in worship, He floods our lives with His peace, joy, love, and strength.

Worship frees us from bondages and releases blessing and freedom instead. Worship takes us from the hand of the oppressor and places us in God's protective hands. The devil cannot stand it when we worship God. Satan flees and the dark clouds of oppression leave when we worship. God becomes our rock and high tower. Read Psalm 18.

Our worship touches God's heart and motivates Him to come to our aid. We realize that we are not orphans. Instead, we are sons and daughters of the King with all the rights and privileges. This causes us to walk in victory and strength because we know our God and He knows us - we have His favor and that is better than life itself.

E.M. Bounds once said: "Only God can move mountains, but our faith and prayers move God." Worship releases the Holy Spirit to move on our behalf and causes His anointing to flow into our lives. We can speak a million words to no avail, but one word from God can birth something out of nothing, heal any disease or sorrow, and/or overcome any situation.

When we worship we should boldly and prophetically proclaim God's Word. This will cause mountains to move (Mark 11:23-24), crooked ways to be made straight, strongholds and gates to be torn down (Isaiah 45:1-3), captives to be delivered, healing to flow, and it will literally transform our lives and realities around us.

It may be easy to worship God when we are going well, but it is absolutely necessary to do so when we are going through a dark hour. It seems counter-intuitive to worship in the depths of despair, yet our worship will cause God to break forth the dawn and fortify us with His presence and love until our deliverance comes.

We need to hunger and thirst for worshipping God. Consider David and what he did while in a desert period of his life:

Psalm 63:1-8

 ¹ You, God, are my God,
   earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
   my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
   where there is no water.
 ² I have seen you in the sanctuary
   and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
   my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
   and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
   with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
 ⁶ On my bed I remember you;
   I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
   I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

Worship is one of the greatest ways to become a victorious overcomer in Christ. As we become worshippers, we will know our God with an intimacy reserved only for those who take the time to cultivate it. We will also be transformed by Him, into His likeness, and see Him transform our lives as He unleashes His power and presence in and around us. Let's worship Him with all our hearts and make His courts resound with our praise.

God is Eager to Transform Your Life & Situation - Part 1

Two days ago, while at church, God healed me of a progressive and debilitating injury to my left shoulder that I have had for the last eight to ten months. Healing for this injury has been an odyssey and a process of discovery of God's faithfulness and love.

Just as I had a shoulder injury, all of us have situations or circumstances that beset us and weigh us down. These things make me think about the concept of "entropy" and there seems to be a lot of it in life, things and life itself going from order to disorder, breaking down, etc. Since the fall of mankind into sin (Genesis 2:17), death, which is a form of entropy, is now a part of life, part of the "natural" but broken order of everything around us. Things going from life to death, from strength to weakness. Prior to the fall of mankind into sin this wasn't the case. Originally, God produced life and it was always abundant and fruitful. God's plan was for mankind to live in abundance and fruitfulness - to be living beings, not dying beings (Genesis 2:7)!

Fortunately, God the Father had a plan to overcome the fall and sin. As we know, it was revealed in Christ who came to restore His Father's purposes. In doing so, Jesus came to seek and save the lost. By His sacrifice, we can now enter into relationship with God and receive every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Jesus came to give us life and give it abundantly (John 10:10). Jesus conquered sin and death (Romans 7:24-25). In Him, we too conquer sin and death - "We are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loves us" (Romans 8:37). Therefore, we have the power through Jesus to live this life overcoming the effects of entropy, breakdown, chaos, and death in all its various forms.

Jesus said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Tragically, we tend to focus upon the ..."you will have trouble" portion of this verse because this is what we experience and know in this life - the brokenness that comes with the fall and sin. However, while trouble is "a" reality, Jesus wants us to experience a better, greater transforming reality. That reality is ..."take heart! Because I (Jesus) has overcome the world."

So how do we take heart? And, how do we move from taking heart to seeing God and His Word fulfilled in our lives and situations? God stated in Proverbs 4:20-22: "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's (or woman's) whole body." Nothing is more important in this life than God and His Word. He is a God of His Word. He is the Word (John 1:1). As we are in His Word; reading it, meditating upon it, praying over and through it, obeying it, saturating ourselves with it, growing in faith by it, He will perform His Word in us. He will do so because, again, He is a God of His Word.

Notice in the above verse the strong admonition to "pay attention", "listen closely". Often times and unfortunately, there are many things in this life that we pay attention to and ought not. However, we need to understand that nothing is more important than paying attention and listening to God and His Word. Sadly, we often frame our ideas about life and ourselves based upon what we see, hear, experience and think. But God calls us to a higher plane - to frame our lives only upon His Word (Psalm 119:105). We are not to let life dictate our faith or determine our circumstances. Instead, we are to boldly stand on the Word of God and let it dictate to our lives and transform/liberate us FROM our circumstances. As we shut out all the noise, listen closely to God and keep His Word continually before us, (allowing it to wash/renew and transform our hearts (Ephesians 5:26)), it will cause life and blessing to flow to us in every way.

Jeremiah 1:12 states: "Then the Lord said to me, you have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it." Our God eagerly desires to perform His Word in us. Do not listen to the lies that say He doesn't care or that His Word doesn't apply in all situations or only works sometimes. God is not uncaring. He is not random. He is a God of His Word. He EAGERLY desires to perform His Word in our lives. We serve a God who is eager, alert, active, and watching to bless His children in every way and in every opportunity, if we will believe and receive it.

2 Chronicles 16:9 gives us a wonderful promise when it says: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are blameless towards Him." We must stand in unshakable confidence that Christ is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We can have His favor and blessing as we love, trust and obey Him (Psalm 90:17, John 8:31). He is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31-37).

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). Yes, the victory belongs to Jesus and He has given it to us, to those He loves. Accept it, meditate upon the truth of it, bask in it, thank and praise Him for it.

Isn't He absolutely beyond all expectation? All glory and honor belong to Him.


(Note: This article is part 1 of a 2 part series. In the next post, I will discuss how to maintain a overcoming attitude and conquer every doubt and fear.)

The Blood That Answers The Accusation

Hebrews 12:23b-24 "You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

The blood of Abel speaks about the first gross act of sin, recorded in scripture, after the fall of man. It speaks about innocent blood being shed. The blood of Abel cries out about the horrible injustice done to him. Abel's blood demands justice. It fully reveals sin, taking the cloak off of it and shows it for what it is - ugly and evil. Abel's blood speaks of the law and the requirements for justice.

Yet the blood of Jesus shed at the hands of murderers does not cry out for justice. It is justice applied. His blood answers the blood of Abel. The blood of Jesus covers over and thoroughly cleanses. It is God's answer to the sinful act of shedding Abel's blood. Instead of crying out for vengeance and justice, the blood of Jesus cries out to the lawbreaker about God's reconciliation and restoration. Abel's blood justly accuses, while Christ's blood answers that accusation with God's mercy and forgiveness.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:7-8). Isn't it incredible that God "lavishes" the riches of His grace upon us? We committed sin, turned our backs on God, and yet He was pleased, even eager, to give us all mercy and forgiveness by sacrificing His only Son on our behalf. That is grace!

Who is he that accuses? Where are they that condemn?

John 8:1-11 says: "Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them. The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?""No one, Master.""Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." (The Message)



"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

  Therefore, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:17b-19).

Set Your Face Like Flint and See God Provide The Victory!

Isaiah 50:7-8 – Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

There are many times in life when, through no fault of our own, we are at risk of being disgraced in some very real ways. It can be that we are under attack because of our testimonies, trials in our lives, etc. However, God will not allow His children, who love and obey Him, to be disgraced. We are assured that we have His help.

I recently wrote an article posted 5/9/10 on one of my other blogs (www.thepathoffaith.blogspot.com), titled "God is a Yasad". In that article I mentioned that our God, by His very nature, as well as by His actions, is a deliverer/rescuer. He loves us and promises to rescue us. His Word promises that He is a very present help in our time of need (Psalm 46:1). It also says that the Lord is with us so we don't have to be afraid (Psalm 118:6). And, because we belong to Him, we have the victory (1 Cor. 15:57). In addition, God promises that He will not leave or forsake us (Hebrew 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6). Be assured, God is with us, no matter what the situation, to protect and to reveal Himself to us, even in our most difficult hours.

When we go through seasons where life is on the edge, we must take that time as an opportunity to deliberately and wholeheartedly turn to God. By doing so, we turn away and say "NO" to ALL fears, anxieties, and thoughts of impending disgrace and ruin. If we don't do this, we will be overwhelmed and will succumb. I'm not diminishing the reality, seriousness, or enormity of such situations. However, this becomes the appointed hour in our lives to take a stand and refuse to look at the situation, circumstances and the seemingly "inevitable" failure that we face. Instead, we must only look to God. This is how we set our faces like flint. This is also the essence of faith.

Abraham is a wonderful example in this regard. In Genesis 15, God promises him a son and an heir, Isaac. Though Abraham's body was as good as dead and Sarah's womb was dead, he had faith that God would do exactly what He promised (Romans 4:19). Romans 4:18 says: "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…" Abraham refused to waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He promised (Romans 4:20-21).

The stakes were very high for Abraham. What a magnificent promise, yet seemingly so impossible to believe in, at least from a human point of view. Abraham had to choose what or who he would believe in - his fears or God. Abraham exercised some very real courage and chose to fully trust God and His promise, no matter how improbable hope may have seemed for his situation, at that time. By doing so, he set his face like flint against all doubt, fear and unbelief. He was absolutely undeterred in believing that God would be anything other than faithful to His Word. Because of his faith, Abraham received a very big reward. Not only did he receive a son and an heir, but his descendants are as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore (Hebrews 11:12).

Rather than weakening in his faith, Abraham's faith strengthened during this trial, according to Romans 4:20. This verse also says that he gave glory to God, meaning that he thanked and praised God for the promise, even before it was fulfilled. That is biblical faith! It is also the appointed way God has given all of us to obtain our victories. Psalm 50:14-15 says: "Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me".

Just as Abraham was strengthened in his faith during his trial, we too can experience great victory in any situation, no matter how dire, by doing the same. When we do, we will see God do amazing things in our lives – things that will take us to a deeper level of blessing and bring greater glory to Him.

God Wants You To Be His Delight!

Did you know that God not only loves you (John 3:16-17), has forgiven you (Romans 4:7-8), and has a future for you (Jeremiah 29:11), but He also wants to delight in you?

When we turn from our sins and trust completely in our God He sets in motion a whole series of blessings that cannot be contained. First, He chooses to not remember our sins anymore. He literally erases them from His mind and will never bring them up again. Hebrews 10:17 says: "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." By doing this, He restores us to the position of being able to receive from Him.

Second, He makes Himself known to us and gives us access to Him. John 14:21 states: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Third, He restores us and shows us His mercy. Deuteronomy 30:2-3 says: "and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you..."

As a matter of fact, Deuteronomy chapter 30 provides us with a great understanding of the progressive restoration process God places us in when we forsake our sins and turn to Him. The truths in this chapter of scripture provide us with deep insights into the heart of God and His intentions/plans for us.

Fourth, He renews our love for Him by healing the deadening effects that sin has had in callousing our hearts. We don't have to worry about how to love God and how to conjure up emotion and feeling for Him. He is the one who gives us a new love for Him. Deuteronomy 30:6 states that: "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."

Fifth, God promises to prosper us and what we do. Verse 9 states: "Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land." Simply everything about our lives is blessed by God because He is a God of all blessing and He shares who He is and what He has with His children who love and obey Him.

Sixth, God promises to delight in us. In other words, He will take great pleasure in us and our lives. Also, He is full of joy for us, and is greatly satisfied with who we are. Verses 9b-10 say: "The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as He delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep His commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul".

God desires, with all His heart, to delight in us and to bless our lives. As we delight in Him, He will delight in us. What a beautiful Savior, what a wonderful God! Read and meditate upon these truths in his Word, be blessed and experience His delight!

Have You Received The Obed-Edom Blessing?

Do you remember the story of Obed-Edom in 2 Samuel 6? As you may recall, King David assembled 30,000 men to bring the ark of God (where God's presence resided) by ox cart from Baalah to Jerusalem. As they transported it, David and the whole house of Israel celebrated with all their might before the Lord. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reach out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. Uzzah's act was irreverent and God struck him down because he treated that which was Most Holy in an unholy manner. King David became afraid of the Lord and was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. There it remained for three months. While it was there the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household.

So, Obed-Edom was entrusted with caring for the ark of God. In 2 Chronicles 25:24, he is described as one who had charge of the temple treasures. 1 Chronicles 15:16-21 tells us that Obed-Edom was a singer and worshipper. 1 Chronicles 16: 5, 38 says that he was a minister before the ark. He is also described as a guardian and doorkeeper in 1 Chronicles 26:4-8, 15. This was a good and holy man who had deep reverence for God.

It is obvious that Obed-Edom spent a lot of time on a regular basis, probably daily, worshipping God and ministering to Him when the ark was in his possession. Because of his devotion and service before the ark of presence, God richly blessed him and his household, as mentioned previously. 1 Chronicles 26:4-8, 15 bears this out in stating that his sons were blessed, respected, responsible men, who oversaw important tasks. There is no mystery as to why Obed-Edom was so blessed. It was because of his reverence, ministry, and worship before the ark of God. This was a man who was dutiful and sacrificial in attending to God.

God wants to bless us just like He blessed Obed-Edom. No one can help but be blessed when in the presence of the God of all blessing. Ephesians 1:3 says that we have every spiritual blessing in Christ. But, are we apprehending every blessing? Are we sacrificing our time worshipping Him and honoring His presence? When we do, expect to become an Obed-Edom. When we worship God, His presence is in, over and around our lives. He transforms, strengthens, and anoints us. His presence and blessing is so strong and radiant that it blesses those around us, as it did with Obed-Edom.

Obed-Edom was no novice worshipper. He was a man whose life was devoted to ministering before his God. He knew how to enter the secret place of the Most High. He also knew how to petition and pray because he devoted his life to doing so. We are all called to be Obed-Edoms. Our lives are to be defined as those who worship and minister in the presence of our God. When we do, we receive the Obed-Edom blessing!

The Power of the Names of God

The names of God are beautiful in representing God's character, as well as different aspects of His person. These names have been revealed to us so we can know about the incredible depth of our God and rely upon Him with regard to each of His attributes.

I have often meditated upon the names of God and have prayed calling upon each of these names. There is prophetic revelation that can be received when this is done. I encourage you to read the following list and meditatively consider, as well as call upon God utilizing these names. The names of God are powerful for standing strong in Him, overcoming the enemy in Christ, growing in our knowledge of Who God is, and for making petitions to the Father concerning the blessings that each of His names impart.

El Shaddai - The Lord God Almighty
El Elyon - The Most High God
Adonai - Lord, Master
Yahweh - Lord, Jehovah
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner
Jehovah Raah - The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord That Heals
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Is There
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness
Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies You
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Is Peace
Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts
El Olam - The Everlasting God

Expect the Holy Spirit to minister to you as your pray and meditate upon these names. Reciting and calling forth these names can be an important means through which your worship and praise is energized and to propel you into the Holy of Holies.

His names are powerful and mighty!

The Lord Really Is Our Rear Guard

I've been going through some very real stresses lately that have driven me even deeper and further in prayer. I think I have a pretty good prayer life, but it is getting better.

God spoke to me last night, after a very trying day, and led me to Isaiah 50: 7-8a which says: "Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near".

It is a wonderful truth that God will not let His children, who love and obey His commands (Jn 14:21), to be vanquished. He is the one who upholds us by His righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 gives us this wonderful promise and hope in stating: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". After meditating upon this truth for about an hour, I entered into His presence with thanksgiving and praise. As a result, I truly was not encumbered by the effects of my very trying day. I became victorious because I entered into the presence of the Victorious King.

Isaiah tells us in 50:7b to set our faces like flint. God's presence changes our hearts which, in turn, causes us to change our disposition, which include even our facial expressions. Because the Lord helps us, we must dictate to our natural man/woman (our emotions and will) how it will act, regardless of the outward circumstances and situations. We overcome by entering into God and His Word, confessing His Truths, and then proclaiming it to our circumstances. Either our lives or circumstances (or both) will change because all things come under the authority of the Word, as we surrender those things and our lives to the Father. Watch Him change us and the world around us, when we take our stand on the Word of God.

God is our rear guard, side guard and vanguard. He is the one who preserves, protects, and causes us to live in victory.