Oct 25, 2022
Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32, NKJV). God wants to give me a kingdom? Where is it?
“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is something you possess in your inner man. It is a liberated life!
Scripture also says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).
You may wonder, “What does it mean to enter this promised rest? What should it look like in my life?” I pray that God will remove the scales from our eyes and allow us to grasp this. Simply put, entering into his promised rest means fully trusting that Christ has done all the work of salvation for you. You’re to rest in his saving grace by faith alone.
This is what Jesus means when he urges, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It means the end of all your fleshly striving, all your human efforts to obtain peace. It means relying totally on Jesus’ work for you.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood. It takes place in the spiritual realm. The Old Testament makes this crystal clear. Time after time, Israel made empty, futile promises to God. “We want to serve you, Lord. We’ll do whatever you command us.” History proves they had neither the heart nor the ability to follow through on their word. God had to strip them of all faith in themselves. Everything we need is to come from our precious Lord’s presence.
Paul states, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This speaks of uninterrupted fellowship. Through the victory of the cross, our Lord has made himself available to us every hour of the day or night. We have to make a decision. “I want Christ in my life. I want to be set free from all flesh. I’m going to move forward into his presence and claim my possession. I want Jesus to be my only source of satisfaction.”
Oct 21, 2022
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy. “And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.’ …Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:17-21, NKJV).
Jesus was telling the whole world, “My mission on earth is to liberate every oppressed life.” To liberate means to set free from all bondage, to release from all slavery, to do away with everything that makes desolate. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, “I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free.”
Paul said that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1), and he preached about “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old, miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace, life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression, life in the presence of a loving Savior who cares about all our needs.
This may sound too good to be true, but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it.
Oct 20, 2022
Suppose one of my sons is caught in a bear trap in the woods and lies hurt and bleeding, crying for help. As his father, do I stop to analyze the quality of his faith? Do I ask myself the question, “Does my son have enough faith in me to trust that I’ll come to his rescue?” A thousand times no! I would run to my boy’s side, no questions asked, because I am motivated by a father’s love for a hurting child. His faith doesn’t motivate me. It is not anything he does at all; it is simply my love for him.
What kind of an earthly father would leave a child bleeding and hurt in some forsaken woods simply because the child didn’t voice some kind of faith in him? In the same way, God will never leave one of his children to suffer alone. He will never shut his ear to their cries simply because their faith in him is weak. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
All faith must rest on the lovingkindness and concern of our heavenly Father. We are commanded to glory in the love and everlasting kindness of our Father. “But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight…” (Jeremiah 9:24).
God so loves his children that he hears before they call like a mother who anticipates her baby’s cry. That is why David prayed, “Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, quicken me and give me life according to your [righteous] decrees” (Psalm 119:149 AMPC). He loves me and comes to my rescue when my faith is weak, when I don’t deserve any answer from him, all because of his tenderness and kindness. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).
The greatest peace has flooded my life since I have convinced myself that God loves me. He will come to my rescue and do what is right in every situation of my life. Weak faith or not, he still loves me, and nothing can hinder that love.
Oct 19, 2022
Today, I was impressed to speak to those who are emotionally and intellectually bending beneath a burden too heavy to bear. The promises of God do not seem to be working for you or your family. You have tried to please God; you pray; you truly love him, but you are right now at the end of your strength and endurance. Your trials increase as you hold on to your faith. It seems to you that God is silent toward you.
Beloved, you are not alone. Multitudes of godly people are suffering in like manner, and Satan whispers, “God’s Word is not true!” We know that is the devourer speaking. Don’t fear the powers of hell. Go to Job 19, and read the whole chapter. Job said “He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; and he has set darkness in my paths. He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope he has uprooted like a tree” (Job 19:8-10, NKJV).
In the midst of this satanic attack, though, Job cried out, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)
When you feel weighed down by your trials, remember that God said, “Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). No trials or tests for that tribe, but you are not given to idols. You are still the apple of the Lord’s eye. God sees something in you worth working on, and we know “For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Hebrews 12:6-7).
It is not pleasant, and it hurts, but it is the Father saving you for his own glory to be revealed in years ahead. He has never loved you more than now. Take heart! God is still speaking to you.
Oct 18, 2022
I have known of great Christians who have experienced a trial so dark and deep that life itself seemed almost not worth living. In his very darkest hour, Jeremiah discovered a glorious truth that brought new hope and assurance to his mind. It was something he already knew about God, but it hadn’t touched his soul until he came to the end of himself. He discovered that at the very bottom, God was there! The farther down he went, the more God was to be discovered. God was not to be discovered up there in some blissful soaring into untroubled skies but in the shadows of grief and despair. When Jeremiah hit bottom, he fell hard against the faithfulness of a compassionate God.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV). Jeremiah came to realize great truths. Listen to his discoveries.
“The waters flowed over my head; I said, ‘I am cut off!’ I called on your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit. …You drew near on the day I called on you, and said, ‘Do not fear!’” (Lamentations 3:54-57).
When God seems to have covered himself with a cloud so that my prayers could not pass through, he will still see my oppression and will judge my case (see Lamentations 3:44, 59).
If the Lord allows grief and sorrow, he will at the same time uphold me with abundant compassion and love (see Lamentations 3:32).
God is not trying to sabotage any of my plans; he is not withholding justice from me (see Lamentations 3:35-36).
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25-26).
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40-41).
Being down has spent my strength and hope. I am left empty and humbled, so now I depend totally on his mercies! (see Lamentations 3:18, 20-22).
Oct 15, 2022
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5, ESV).
We all have a shocking level of awareness when it comes to noticing even the tiniest flaws in those around us. You know, that little speck in someone else’s eye that bothers you so much? It’s usually our brother, sister, wife, husband, parents or in-laws. We can gossip about other people’s specks for hours that will turn into months and years, never even thinking about our own problems.
Jesus was politically incorrect and outright confrontational when talking about our responsibility in a dispute. “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly…” In other words, start by acknowledging your wrongs, taking responsibility for your own issues. Unfortunately, the unhealthy, dead-end mentality of “It’s not me; it’s the other person’s problem” continues to destroy friendships, couples and entire families.
In my nearly 50 years of walking in the Lord, I have seen so many families break up simply because one person flatly refuses to acknowledge their part in a conflict. I have even seen this stubbornness, pride and hard-heartedness abort the future of young leaders with extraordinary potential. Don’t get me wrong. I am aware that the roots of a conflict are almost always deeply complicated and that everyone has their share of responsibility. However, we must recognize the danger of getting bogged down in the quicksand of “It’s their fault. It’s the speck in their eye that caused all this.”
Can you imagine the rivers of blessings that could flow into our lives, marriages, families and churches if we put Jesus’ teaching into practice? Imagine the peace revolution that would take place if we all said, “It is my responsibility to move towards reconciliation. It is up to me to examine my heart. I have to ask God to change me. I have to start by acknowledging my faults and sins. I am not solely responsible for the conflict, but I must first remove the beam from my own eye.”
