Let's take a look at 1 Cor 10:13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: We, sometimes, get under the conviction that bad things happen to us because God is mad at us. Deuteronomy 8:2 says And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. First of all, if you are trying hard to live for Jesus, this applies to you. On the other hand, if you are dabbling around in sin and only living for Jesus in a haphazard manner, you get what's coming to you. You deserve your whippin's. Temptations will come to a Christian for a reason. God is wanting to see what is in your heart. He is trying to prove you through this test. He is also trying to prove Himself to you. Basically, He was fixing to bring His children into a place that was flowing with milk and honey. He wasn't going to leave them in the wilderness for the rest of their lives. He had an abundant blessing in store for them. But, He needed to see whether they really loved Him or not.
But God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; Notice our theme ---GOD IS FAITHFUL. Malachi 3:6-For I am the Lord, I change not; Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. You aughta be shoutin' right about now. God is faithful and He never, never, never, never changes. Luke 22:31-And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: Jesus brings us into the reality of temptations, or times of trial. He said that Satan desires to bring things our way. Satan's desire it to tear us up. God only allows it to sift us, to separate the undesireable things that weigh us down. Here again, He wants to prove our hearts and prove Himself to us. Don't ever think that Satan is just plowing through us at his every whim. That is not the case. Our precious Heavenly Father is faithful to watch over us. Satan can only bring things into a Christian's life with the permission of a loving Heavenly Father. Notice what 1 Cor. 10:13 says--GOD WILL NOT ALLOW A TEMPTATION THAT WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE. Did you get that? When it looks like things are all messed up and way, way, way out of control. My Heavenly Father still, still, yes, He still has it under HIS control. Never, at any time, no way Jose, couldn't do it if he wanted to, can the devil just rip and tear into our lives just any old way he wants to. The God I serve has that mangy dog on one of those electric leashes and He has his finger on the power button. Glory to God. He only operates with God's permission and God is faithful to jerk back on that leash and pop the power button on him if he tries to get to high-handed with any child of God. (Go on and shout for a while, I know you want to. I know that I want to right about now.)
Hebrews 12:1 says that were are surrounded by a 'cloud of witnesses.' Read through Heb. 11 at the heroes of faith. God was faithful to bring them out of their time of temptation into the glory that He had for them. Most of them had worse circumstances than any of us. If He was faithful to bring them out and He never changes, then I can expect and praise Him to bring me out of what I am going through right now. I can say with all of the authority of the Word of God, that whatever you are going through, God will be faithful to bring you out, also.
Rom 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. What is the qualification to have good things come our way---to love God. Can I qualify for that? You bet I can. Can you qualify for that? You bet you can. After all that the Apostle Paul went through, he could stand flat-footed, toe-to-toe, staring eye-to-eye with any devil (and that might include your in-laws, spouse, pastor or deacons) and say, "The God that I serve will work this shipwreck, and this beating and your tongue-wagging into something good for me. But, hey, sport, you'd better step back some because when He comes down to deliver me, he's gonna wipe out everything that looks like sin. And that just might be you."
If you're not shouting the victory right now, wait til you read this. The rest of 1 Cor 10:13 says this-but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. Keep this in mind the next time a trial comes. BEFORE God allows the time of trial to begin, He already has set aside enough power and blessing to bring you out. Read this part of that verse again and again and again until it sinks way down into your spirit. It says that when God releases the temptation to come to you, He also releases more than enough of whatever it takes to bring you out of it. He is faithful to bring you out. His love never fails. If you are in the middle of a trial right now, God released the blessing at the same time He released the trial. Did you see it in the Word? It said, 'With the temptation.'
And it also said, 'That ye may be able to bear it.' That means that God has been bragging on us to the devil. Remember, the devil has to ask permission first. God looks at us and sees something within us that can whip whatever the devil is asking to do. Remember, when Satan asked to sift Peter as wheat, Jesus did not say 'I'm gonna whip the devil for you.' No Jesus said that He would pray for Peter that his faith fail not. Jesus knew that it was necessary for Peter to face this horrible mistake Peter was fixing to make so that it would 'convert' him. Not that Peter was not saved. But the time of his testing converted Peter into the man of God that God always knew existed, the man the he saw in Peter. God was only allowing satan to sift all of the 'fluff and bluff' out of Peter so that all that was left in him was a strong relationship with Jesus Christ. When God got through with the trial, Peter was a powerful leader and soul-winner.
Remember these things as you go through life's trials. God is faithful. He brought many people through times of temptation just to show His mighty hand in their lives. The end result is always that souls are won and revival comes. Let Him reign in your heart and life today.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
What Do You Know About Jesus?
In Luke 18, there is a story about a blind man just outside of Jericho. He was sitting by the roadside begging. That was the only thing that he knew to do. That was his only way of making a living. Life had dealt him a hard blow. He could never, never, never, never be like the majority of mankind who could see. He was condemned by circumstances to be a helpless, blind beggar until the day he died.
Does that sound familiar to you? Do you feel that life is passing you by and you will be no better than you are now? Do the circumstances that surround you dictate your constant failure? Possibly you are in an invironment that does not promote healthy, vibrant Christianity. Maybe that invironment is your home. Or, unfortunately, that invironment could be the church you attend. Sadly, the last statement is far too often the truest statement of all. Most churches, not all, but most churches are the main reason that God cannot move.
One day, this blind man heard a commotion. Being blind, he asked what was going on. Someone told him that Jesus was passing his way. The blind man had heard about Jesus. First of all, let me say that what he did next was not the result of the local church. The local and national church of that day despised Jesus just like they do today. He had heard the testimony of people whose lives Jesus had touched and ministered to. Do you remember that he was sitting by the roadside? Notice he was not in church. That was in his favor. That roadside he was begging at was the main road that led to Jerusalem. The temple was at Jerusalem and it was commanded by God that the men show up three times a year to worship there. A lot of people came through Jericho to Jerusalem and then back through Jericho to go home. Out of all the people that were coming and going at that point in time, Jesus happened to be one of them.
As I said before, every man had to come to the temple in Jerusalem at least three times a year. In the past three years since His baptism and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Jesus made His appearance at least 7 or 8 times. Of course, this was to be His last because He was going to be crucified. As you read the New Testament, every where Jesus went, he blessed and healed people. Crowds followed him all of the time. So, in the past few years, out of all the gossip he heard on the road outside of Jericho, this blind man began to hear something new. That God had sent His Son to the earth. He kept hearing of how this Jesus was more than just a religious man. He carried the message from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God had come down in the form of a human and was performing miracles.
I can see this man, Bartimaeus Mark 10:46, sitting on this same road for years. Business was great during the days of the feasts. There was more traffic. More traffic meant more money. More traffic meant more gossip. That was how he kept up with the news, by listening to what everybody said. However, these surges in traffic three times a year began to take on a different tone. The news was different. Peoples voices got louder. There was more excitement than there used to be. And it all centered around........Jesus. Not the religious leaders. Not what the church was doing. But what Jesus was doing. God sent His Son to bring deliverance and His Son was getting the job done. All the religious leaders were doing was playing around talking about the good stories of the Bible. The news on the street was what God was doing in the lives of people. There was more excitement about God on the street three times a year than there ever was in the church for hundreds of years.
As Bartimaeus kept hearing of Jesus and His miracles, his faith in God began to grow. He began to experience hope for the first time in his life. The more he heard about miracles, the more hope began to spring up in his life. Finally, this one day, Jesus was passing by and he knew that this might be the only opportunity to receive his healing. He made so much noise trying to get Jesus' attention that the two-faced religious people tried to stop him until Jesus commanded for them to bring him to Him. Do you think that Bartimaeus was louder than anyone else? I don't think so. Besides, the crowds that followed Jesus were pretty big. And a pretty big crowd brings a bunch of noise. Well, was it the fact that he was crying out for Jesus to have mercy? Not exactly. Although that would be a great prayer for the whole world to pray.
It wasn't the words Bartimaeus prayed that got Jesus' attention above all the other words that were being spoken at that time. It was Bartimaeus' heart that Jesus heard, not just his words. Bartimaeus had heard testimony after testimony about how Jesus had changed the lives of hundreds of people. People's voices that he had heard for years had begun to ring with the praises of Almighty God instead of the curses and woes that he normally heard. Instead of gossip, jealousy and anger, there was joy, gladness and praise. It wasn't just fleeting words, he heard a change in people's lifestyle. Grouchers had become glad. Sinners had become saints. Instead of cursing they began praising God and encouraging each other. People had been healed and that was exciting. But the daily change of a life turned over to Jesus was what Bartimaeus noticed the most. That was what Bartimaeus wanted more than anything. Not just a miracle but a whole lifestyle change.
The heart of Bartimaeus cried out for a relationship with the Holy One of Israel. He wasn't interested in the bland diet of the local church. He wanted a vibrant life like the ones he was hearing about every day. Healing of the flesh is great. But the healing of a heart broken by sin is the greatest healing that could ever take place. Bartimaeus wanted a relationship with Jesus that would open up the rest of his life to love, joy, and peace and not just the same old, same old. So, it wasn't what he said that Jesus heard. It was Bartimaeus' heart and he faith that Jesus heard above the crowd. Bartimaeus didn't want just the one-time blessing. He wanted the excitement of a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus is not just a one time God. He is the every day presence that makes life worth the living. It is not how much church you have in you that makes people sit up and take notice. It is how much Jesus you are walking around with. Take some time to know Him today. Give Him space to change whatever He needs to change in your life so that others will see Him more than they know which church you belong to.
Does that sound familiar to you? Do you feel that life is passing you by and you will be no better than you are now? Do the circumstances that surround you dictate your constant failure? Possibly you are in an invironment that does not promote healthy, vibrant Christianity. Maybe that invironment is your home. Or, unfortunately, that invironment could be the church you attend. Sadly, the last statement is far too often the truest statement of all. Most churches, not all, but most churches are the main reason that God cannot move.
One day, this blind man heard a commotion. Being blind, he asked what was going on. Someone told him that Jesus was passing his way. The blind man had heard about Jesus. First of all, let me say that what he did next was not the result of the local church. The local and national church of that day despised Jesus just like they do today. He had heard the testimony of people whose lives Jesus had touched and ministered to. Do you remember that he was sitting by the roadside? Notice he was not in church. That was in his favor. That roadside he was begging at was the main road that led to Jerusalem. The temple was at Jerusalem and it was commanded by God that the men show up three times a year to worship there. A lot of people came through Jericho to Jerusalem and then back through Jericho to go home. Out of all the people that were coming and going at that point in time, Jesus happened to be one of them.
As I said before, every man had to come to the temple in Jerusalem at least three times a year. In the past three years since His baptism and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Jesus made His appearance at least 7 or 8 times. Of course, this was to be His last because He was going to be crucified. As you read the New Testament, every where Jesus went, he blessed and healed people. Crowds followed him all of the time. So, in the past few years, out of all the gossip he heard on the road outside of Jericho, this blind man began to hear something new. That God had sent His Son to the earth. He kept hearing of how this Jesus was more than just a religious man. He carried the message from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God had come down in the form of a human and was performing miracles.
I can see this man, Bartimaeus Mark 10:46, sitting on this same road for years. Business was great during the days of the feasts. There was more traffic. More traffic meant more money. More traffic meant more gossip. That was how he kept up with the news, by listening to what everybody said. However, these surges in traffic three times a year began to take on a different tone. The news was different. Peoples voices got louder. There was more excitement than there used to be. And it all centered around........Jesus. Not the religious leaders. Not what the church was doing. But what Jesus was doing. God sent His Son to bring deliverance and His Son was getting the job done. All the religious leaders were doing was playing around talking about the good stories of the Bible. The news on the street was what God was doing in the lives of people. There was more excitement about God on the street three times a year than there ever was in the church for hundreds of years.
As Bartimaeus kept hearing of Jesus and His miracles, his faith in God began to grow. He began to experience hope for the first time in his life. The more he heard about miracles, the more hope began to spring up in his life. Finally, this one day, Jesus was passing by and he knew that this might be the only opportunity to receive his healing. He made so much noise trying to get Jesus' attention that the two-faced religious people tried to stop him until Jesus commanded for them to bring him to Him. Do you think that Bartimaeus was louder than anyone else? I don't think so. Besides, the crowds that followed Jesus were pretty big. And a pretty big crowd brings a bunch of noise. Well, was it the fact that he was crying out for Jesus to have mercy? Not exactly. Although that would be a great prayer for the whole world to pray.
It wasn't the words Bartimaeus prayed that got Jesus' attention above all the other words that were being spoken at that time. It was Bartimaeus' heart that Jesus heard, not just his words. Bartimaeus had heard testimony after testimony about how Jesus had changed the lives of hundreds of people. People's voices that he had heard for years had begun to ring with the praises of Almighty God instead of the curses and woes that he normally heard. Instead of gossip, jealousy and anger, there was joy, gladness and praise. It wasn't just fleeting words, he heard a change in people's lifestyle. Grouchers had become glad. Sinners had become saints. Instead of cursing they began praising God and encouraging each other. People had been healed and that was exciting. But the daily change of a life turned over to Jesus was what Bartimaeus noticed the most. That was what Bartimaeus wanted more than anything. Not just a miracle but a whole lifestyle change.
The heart of Bartimaeus cried out for a relationship with the Holy One of Israel. He wasn't interested in the bland diet of the local church. He wanted a vibrant life like the ones he was hearing about every day. Healing of the flesh is great. But the healing of a heart broken by sin is the greatest healing that could ever take place. Bartimaeus wanted a relationship with Jesus that would open up the rest of his life to love, joy, and peace and not just the same old, same old. So, it wasn't what he said that Jesus heard. It was Bartimaeus' heart and he faith that Jesus heard above the crowd. Bartimaeus didn't want just the one-time blessing. He wanted the excitement of a relationship with Jesus.
Jesus is not just a one time God. He is the every day presence that makes life worth the living. It is not how much church you have in you that makes people sit up and take notice. It is how much Jesus you are walking around with. Take some time to know Him today. Give Him space to change whatever He needs to change in your life so that others will see Him more than they know which church you belong to.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Holy is the Lord.
Isaiah records, in Isaiah 6, a visit to heaven. The first thing he notices is that all of the inhabitants of heaven were singing 'Holy, Holy, Holy' to the Lord. It was not because He was the one who would bash their heads in if they didn't. They sang that because of what they knew He was. If you do a study of that Hebrew word 'Holy,' you will find that it not only means 'sacred one' but it also means 'set apart.' If you go deeper into the meaning, you will find it's greatest attribute of Almighty God, 'devoted.' The angels sang that to God, not because they were afraid of Him, but because they saw His actions towards the man that He had created.
When God created heaven and earth, as recorded in the early chapters of Genesis, they saw Him create a special place for only one thing He created. God created the garden of Eden for his special creation, man. Yes, earth was a beautiful place. In the beginning all of it was beautiful and self-sustaining. I am sure all the animals were well cared for. But only for His man did God build a special garden and put him there. Only with His man did God come down and commune. The angels watched Him go every day down to the same spot on the same earth to commune to the same creation......His man.
Then as His man and man's mate, woman, fell into the trap of Lucifer, the angel that sinned and was cast out of Heaven, they must have seen the look on God's face and sensed the heaviness of His heart. They must have seen the agony as God realised that his man would have to die. But they also sat in on the plans God immediately made to send His only begotten Son to die for them and destroy all of Satan's power.
They saw and sensed His joy as He brought Israel out of bondage and set them on the pathway to the promised land. They also saw and sensed His dismay when they sinned and doubted time and time again. But every time His man stumbled or balked at His Word, they saw the determination in God's eyes to give His man the very best that He had. They saw God work through situations that were un-workable just to bless His man. They saw Him work behind the scenes to prepare blessing after blessing for His man. No problem was too hard for Him to solve, no situation was too rough that He could not smooth out for His man. They saw God carefully watch over every Word of His to perform it (Jer 1:12, Jer 29:10).
God never let man's mistakes keep Him from doing what He said He would do. The angels watched as God overlooked man's sin and plotted another course of action for him. They watched God meticulously plan circumstances and events, sometimes 400 years in advance and longer, because He was determined to bless His man just the way He promised. When some sinner messed up God's plan for His believer, God always put plan B into action. The angels watched God patiently and lovingly put together a plan of action for the man He created.
That's why, in Isaiah 6, the angels sang to each other, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' They were describing His heart, 'Dedicated, Dedicated, Dedicated, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' It should give us ample reason to praise Him in rough situations to know that God is dedicated to us, His man-creation. He is not dedicated to the ungodly that are working against us. He is dedicated to circumvent those ungodly plans and bring us into His covenant.
Between Exodus and Deuteronomy, God spoke over 32 times words to this effect, "When I bring you into the land...." He never talked about anything else but bringing His children into the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was dedicated to His Word. Even though David had to spend some time in a cave and had to constantly run away from King Saul, God was still working on a plan to bring His Word to pass.
Keep this in the forefront of your mind as you go about today's tedious task. God is Holy. God is Devoted to YOU. Not just to preachers and those with lots of money. God is devoted to you, even if you have slipped and missed Him. God is devoted to you whether anyone else believes in you or not. God is working on His plan right now to bless you abundantly. Don't give up on Him. Stay in His presence through prayer. Stay in His Word and let it sink deep into your heart until His Word means more to you that the situation you are in. God is not disappointed in you. God is devoted to you. He did not give up on His children who doubted in the wilderness and He did not give up on Peter when he cussed and lied. God had a plan and was faithful enough to bring His children and Peter into the blessings of His Word. God has a plan devoted especially for you. Make your plans to be devoted to Him and let Him work His plan out for you.
When God created heaven and earth, as recorded in the early chapters of Genesis, they saw Him create a special place for only one thing He created. God created the garden of Eden for his special creation, man. Yes, earth was a beautiful place. In the beginning all of it was beautiful and self-sustaining. I am sure all the animals were well cared for. But only for His man did God build a special garden and put him there. Only with His man did God come down and commune. The angels watched Him go every day down to the same spot on the same earth to commune to the same creation......His man.
Then as His man and man's mate, woman, fell into the trap of Lucifer, the angel that sinned and was cast out of Heaven, they must have seen the look on God's face and sensed the heaviness of His heart. They must have seen the agony as God realised that his man would have to die. But they also sat in on the plans God immediately made to send His only begotten Son to die for them and destroy all of Satan's power.
They saw and sensed His joy as He brought Israel out of bondage and set them on the pathway to the promised land. They also saw and sensed His dismay when they sinned and doubted time and time again. But every time His man stumbled or balked at His Word, they saw the determination in God's eyes to give His man the very best that He had. They saw God work through situations that were un-workable just to bless His man. They saw Him work behind the scenes to prepare blessing after blessing for His man. No problem was too hard for Him to solve, no situation was too rough that He could not smooth out for His man. They saw God carefully watch over every Word of His to perform it (Jer 1:12, Jer 29:10).
God never let man's mistakes keep Him from doing what He said He would do. The angels watched as God overlooked man's sin and plotted another course of action for him. They watched God meticulously plan circumstances and events, sometimes 400 years in advance and longer, because He was determined to bless His man just the way He promised. When some sinner messed up God's plan for His believer, God always put plan B into action. The angels watched God patiently and lovingly put together a plan of action for the man He created.
That's why, in Isaiah 6, the angels sang to each other, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' They were describing His heart, 'Dedicated, Dedicated, Dedicated, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.' It should give us ample reason to praise Him in rough situations to know that God is dedicated to us, His man-creation. He is not dedicated to the ungodly that are working against us. He is dedicated to circumvent those ungodly plans and bring us into His covenant.
Between Exodus and Deuteronomy, God spoke over 32 times words to this effect, "When I bring you into the land...." He never talked about anything else but bringing His children into the land He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was dedicated to His Word. Even though David had to spend some time in a cave and had to constantly run away from King Saul, God was still working on a plan to bring His Word to pass.
Keep this in the forefront of your mind as you go about today's tedious task. God is Holy. God is Devoted to YOU. Not just to preachers and those with lots of money. God is devoted to you, even if you have slipped and missed Him. God is devoted to you whether anyone else believes in you or not. God is working on His plan right now to bless you abundantly. Don't give up on Him. Stay in His presence through prayer. Stay in His Word and let it sink deep into your heart until His Word means more to you that the situation you are in. God is not disappointed in you. God is devoted to you. He did not give up on His children who doubted in the wilderness and He did not give up on Peter when he cussed and lied. God had a plan and was faithful enough to bring His children and Peter into the blessings of His Word. God has a plan devoted especially for you. Make your plans to be devoted to Him and let Him work His plan out for you.
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