Have You Learned to See God?

John 12:21 - Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 

2 Chron 7:14 - if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

For the past 2 weeks I have been blessed with a very rare extended vacation, and have taken the opportunity to spend about a week with my parents at their home in rural Tennessee. It is a beautiful place in a beautiful part of the country. Blue skies, lush green grass and trees, abundant wildlife with birds, rabbits, deer, and more.

Also partaking in the blessed homestead is a stray cat and her kittens. Understandably, the kittens are very shy and scatter at the first sight of a human. They have a healthy, well-founded fear of things bigger and stronger than themselves. However, they don't realize that this giant is gentle with no desire to harm them. 

I've been watching one of the bolder kittens and her mother this week, and something very simple happened that spoke of a much deeper meaning. This afternoon, I was sitting on a comfortable porch chair with the mother cat lying in the sun in front of me. The mother has been providing for her young, weaning them off by bringing back mice and attempting to draw them out further and further from underneath the porch area. She is trying to introduce them to the world, so that they can survive on their own. Part of that effort has been trying to get them to accept the presence of humans.

Well today the kitten came right out to its mother, directly in front of me. I was literally watching right over the top of them as the kitten played with its mother less than 2 feet from me...but the kitten was completely unaware of my presence. The kitten even looked directly at my feet, but did not recognize it as a human. The little kitten did not even know to raise her head and look at my face, and even if she had, she would not have recognized me for who/what I am--a human, a fearsome creature to a kitten, at least without having any interaction with me.

It struck me that in this moment, so many of us are living as this little kitten, oblivious to the presence of God, seeing Him only as a fearsome being and one that is certainly not good or for us, but is rather an adversary. Without knowing our Creator, we run at the first sight of Him and we want nothing to do with His presence, feeling threatened by even the mentioning of Jesus name. Have you not noticed this response to the name and character of Jesus being mentioned in a public setting? Nevertheless, just because a person has not learned to recognize God does not mean that He does not exist. In fact, He is right there, literally watching over you. Do you perceive Him just now?

The truth is that if I was as maliciously inclined toward this kitten as it feared, I could have done the worst to it. I was in position and it was oblivious. I am stronger, bigger, and had full opportunity. The only thing saving that kitten from the immediate death that it feared was that I allowed it to live. And of course, my only desire was for it to live, as I enjoyed watching it play. The point is that many of us are so oblivious to God's presence, power, and goodness. God's presence and power mean that at this very moment, He could remove the breath from your lungs and you could perish, physically and eternally...but only in His goodness does He allow us to live...and for all of us who have lived before His eyes sinfully, His grace through Jesus Christ for those who believe is the only thing that allows us to live eternally.

The truth is that even as believers in our supreme God, we will not see Him unless we learn to look up at His face (that is, His character, what distinguishes Him as recognizably different from any other person, being, or god). And furthermore, we often have eyes that look but do not see. Just as the kitten, if we do not know what to look for or how to look, when even our eyes perchance look up toward the heavens, how will we even know to recognize God? But for so many of our fellow-men on this earth, they refuse to even look up. I implore you, do not resign yourself to a life of denying God's existence, never even looking in your mind's eye toward Him. I assure you, you may be as the kitten, claiming your perception to be reality, but how do you know if He isn't right there above you, looking squarely at your every behavior, word, and thought? I will conclude with a few attributes of God's very character...his face, if you will...that distinguish Him from all other persons, beings, or claimed-to-be gods:

 - My God is Creator of all things (Gen 1:1, John 1:1-4)
 - My God knows all things (even the thoughts of all men) (Job 34:21, Psalm, 33:13-15, 94:11, Prov 20:27)
 - My God is the unconquerable sovereign King of all things (Deut 32:39, Prov 19:21, Eph 1:11, 1 Tim 6:15-16, Rev 17:14)
 - My God is unadulterated love (1 John 4:8-10)
 - My God is just and full of grace at the same time (Rom 3:22-26, Col 3:25, Heb 6:10, 1 Pet 5:10)
 - My God is perfectly righteous and good (2 Sam 22:31, Psalm 100:5, 107:1)
 - My God made Himself to walk fully as man and God at the same time (John 1:14, Phil 2:5-11)
 - My God suffered and died to save sinners like me (Rom 5:6-11)
 - My God conquered death, and rose to life in a new body eternally (Acts 2:23-24, 1 Cor 15:20, 23
 - My God offers the same resurrection to eternal life for those who know and abide in Him (John 3:16-18, John 5:24, John 14:2-6, 1 Cor 15:20, 23, 26)
 - In my God is life, and apart from Him is only death, final and eternal (John 3:16-18, Rom 6:23)

Do you have questions about any of these statements? They are all from the Bible (a few references listed). I encourage you to find a Bible or go online to www.biblegateway.com, find someone who claims to know Jesus Christ, or speak with a pastor at a local Christian church and ask them to explain the claims I have made above. For those who already believe in Jesus Christ: We have just as much to learn from the kitten. We must mature. We must learn to look up. We must learn to look for God's face. And we must learn to recognize His face. And even those of us who might consider ourselves mature, we must practice daily discipline to seek His face, lest we find ourselves as the little kitten, walking through life before the presence of God, but missing out on the joy, peace, and rest of not just being in His presence, but abiding in it. As we abide, we begin to see Jesus, and nothing on earth or in Heaven is sweeter than the unity granted to us in the Spirit to abide in the presence of God the Father through the Son Jesus Christ. May such a life be yours this very day. Amen.


Scriptures Referenced:


My God is Creator of all things

Gen 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
John 1:1-4 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

My God knows all things (even the thoughts of all men)

Job 34:21 - "His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step."
Psalm 33:13-15 - "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth, he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do."
Psalm 94:11 - "The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile."
Prov 20:27 - "The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being."

My God is the unconquerable sovereign King of all things

Deut 32:39 - "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand."
Prov 19:21 - "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
Eph 1:11 - "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will"
1 Tim 6:15-16 - "which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."
Rev 17:14 - "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."

My God is unadulterated love

1 John 4:8-10 - "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

My God is just and full of grace at the same time

Rom 3:22-26 - "even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Col 3:25 - "But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality."
Heb 6:10 - "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."
1 Pet 5:10 - "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

My God is perfectly righteous and good

2 Sam 22:31 - "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 100:5 - "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Psalm 107:1 - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

My God made Himself to walk fully as man and God at the same time

John 1:14 - "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Phil 2:5-11 - "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

My God suffered and died to save sinners like you and me

Rom 5:6-11 - "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

My God conquered death, and rose to life in a new body eternally

Acts 2:23-24 - "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it."
1 Cor 15:20, 23, 26 - "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming...The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

My God offers the same resurrection to eternal life for those who know and abide in Him

John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 5:24 - "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."
John 14:2-6 - "n My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know. 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
1 Cor 15:20, 23 - ""But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming."

In my God is life, and apart from Him is only death, final and eternal

John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Rom 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

*All quoted scripture from the Old Testament is the NIV (1984) and from the New Testament, NKJV

Pray It Through: A Loving God’s Response to Our Requests

What are you asking of God today? What is He giving you? Do your requests match His responses? If so, have you noticed that He gives beyond what you asked for? And if they don’t match, have you noticed that He gives you even better things than you asked?

We live in a world of want. Whether it is the homeless man starving on the street or the CEO desiring a larger yacht, we all feel a desire for more than we have. I find this to be true of all humans at all times, independent of social status or upbringing, independent of life experience or education, independent even of character. Though some display and may even feel more want than others, I find this base desire to be present in even the holiest of mortal men. They may conquer it through the Holy Spirit, but it is still an intrinsic part of our flesh.

The root of this want is likely our separation from our holy Creator God. The homeless, starving man does not know he is starving in the pure presence of God (which will only be experienced by men in Heaven), and furthermore, he no longer is homeless or starving in the pure presence of God. Regardless of your perspective, the want is gone. The same is true for the CEO who wants even more, if he is so blessed to be brought to a place in which he turns to Jesus as his Savior. “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven…” (Matt 19:23). There is much to this truth that I will not indulge in tonight, but one aspect of the rich man’s difficulty is that he has distanced himself from his most basic neediness that gets man in touch with his only true need, God Himself.

The same is true in the Church. And in fact, God has beckoned His children to ask things of Him throughout time. One of the greatest examples is Solomon. Solomon had the opportunity to ask of God whatever he wanted and receive it. Let me stop right now, and ask the question of you: If God told you He would grant you one thing, in addition to the salvation that you have already received as a child of God, what one thing would you ask of Him?

1 Kings 3:9-13 – “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

Those who know Solomon’s story might jump into the question above with the idea of answering just as Solomon did. I would caution that although Solomon asked for a great thing, that is not necessarily specifically what God would prefer that you as an individual ask of Him. Treat the question seriously: What one thing will you ask of God? Seek His face, seek to be transformed into righteousness, and ask in sincerity with faith, and He will give you what your heart truly desires.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

I would like to build upon the prayer request that we just formulated by examining the interaction of God and Solomon and seeing its application to us this very day. You see, Solomon did not ask for earthly wealth and riches, but that is what he received. He did not ask for greatness, but that is what he received. And in addition, he received a greater gift, that which he asked for: God’s wisdom. In this I see the generosity of God to give “exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). And in addition, I see the power of a prayer when our hearts are truly set on God and not ourselves, delighting ourselves in the Lord, and therefore receiving the desires of our hearts: God Himself. (For more thoughts on this, see “Delight yourself in the Lord, and…”)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added to you.” – Matt 6:33

I challenge you: whatever physical thing you are asking from God, take the request to the next level, just as Solomon did. Solomon likely desired riches and greatness, but he took his request to the next level, asking for Godly wisdom, and God responded by giving him all of these things. God’s response shows that He knows the heart of men! He knows that Solomon and every other man and woman desires well-being, greatness, and good and pleasant things. And so He poured out His kingdom on Solomon, giving him Godly wisdom as a main course or centerpiece, and adding to it the side dishes or garnishes of earthly riches and greatness.

Do you seek physical healing? I encourage you to take your request to the next level and ask for healing of your sinful heart and unrighteousness. Do you seek relationship with others, whether it be a spouse, friends, or family? I encourage you to take your request to the next level and ask for deeper knowledge and intimate relationship with Christ Himself. Do you seek to excel in your career? In encourage you to seek and request of God the highest position in heaven, which is the lowest of positions on earth as servant (“The last shall be first and the first shall be last,” Matt 19:30). Do you seek wealth? In encourage you to request of God heavenly riches stored up through trial and suffering and perseverance in Christ. I have a rare guarantee for you: God will absolutely answer these prayers with a resounding “Yes!” and you will please your Father in Heaven so abundantly! How then will He hold back the Kingdom of Heaven from you, His sincere servant after His own heart?

A note about sincerity. The above is certainly no formula. Take this as a formulaic approach without sincerity and you will by no means receive the greatest blessings that God wishes for you to ask and receive. However, if you are sincere, these things are yours. Perhaps with that conviction, you and I should start with the same prayer and ask for a heart that would change such that these prayers would actually be sincere. I believe this will please God, as well, and begin us both down the path of His good and pleasing will.

You see, I know something as your Christian brother. When we ask for physical healing or meaningful earthly relationships, when we ask for success and wealth, we attempt to express our deepest needs to God, but we do so inadequately. How great is our God, though?! Because in our meager attempts to dig at the root of our desires, failing to see that what we really want is Him, He sees and knows what we really need and want deepest in our souls…and that is just what He gives.

Luke 11:9-13 - “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

You see, when you ask God for a good thing that pleases Him, He gives it. And I see it one step further, especially as it relates to the rest of this conviction: We know that if we ask for bread (a good thing in God’s sight), He doesn’t give us a stone (a lesser thing in God’s sight). But I submit to you that when we are so blind in our humanness apart from God, such that we ask for a stone, He knows that we really need the bread, and that is what He gives anyway! Now, perhaps we are not ready to receive it just yet and we would actually reject the delicious heavenly bread, in whatever form it appears in our lives. But God continues to work in our hearts until we can receive that bread. His work is ongoing and He never ceases to do good work in you and me. It is simple, yet essential that He has given us the power to reject Him, and in that the power to choose Him. This is the essence of love: to choose someone when you have the power to reject them. After all, this is exactly what God has done for us in His love and grace in the wake of our sin. Without this choice given to us, there is no love to be shared and we are just robots. Though many will call the concept of freewill problematic, we can see clearly that freewill presents both extremes: eternal separation from God, or eternal closeness to God in love…in both cases, the result of our choosing. To eliminate the possibility of Hell is to eliminate the possibility of Heaven as it exists and has been designed as our dwelling place—love with God, of God, from God, and all because of the ability to choose Him and be chosen.

And so I implore you: choose God through His Son Jesus, seek His face in sincerity through the Word and prayer, search the desires of your heart and elevate them to a standard of righteousness. Take your physical needs and examine their parallels with your spiritual needs, then focus on the spiritual, attacking your deficiency in prayer. I know what awaits any man or woman who is in this place: the powerful, sweeping arm of God granting His will in the life of His servants in the most pleasing of ways. I pray that God’s power is so displayed in your life this very year, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). Amen.

Do I Pray With God On My Side?

Have I really realized that God is on my side? Honestly, strangely, too often, no.

I became aware of this during my small group discussion tonight. We started in Zechariah 6, began discussing God’s sovereignty, and ended up engaging in prayer and discussion about hard things we were praying through. Someone made the astute comment that God was angry alongside my brother in Christ, angry at the same thing. Someone else astutely commented that God is interested in character, not comfort, holiness not happiness…but also that He seeks to bless us in the here and now, “in the land of the living.”

Psalm 27:13 – “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Psalm 27:13 has been a special verse to me since I discovered it during the darkest time of my life. I was literally dying of an incurable disease, dealing with a recently broken relationship, and I was in physical and emotional pain on a daily, hourly, minutely basis. The physical pain gripped me and I could not escape it…even in periods of relief, I was gripped with dread of the next minute when it would strike again. In the middle of all this, I could see the fruit of the Holy Spirit being revived in me, for I had accepted Christ at a young age but had since not chosen Him as first in my life. I could see 2 Cor 4:16 coming to life:

2 Cor 4:16 - “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

This was me. The outward man was dying and would soon be dead. And in fact, I beckoned that day. I found myself crying to God as Job did, asking for His mercy in the form of death, so that I could come to Heaven where there is "no more crying or pain" (Rev 21:4).

Even still, as God refused to honor my short sighted, yet sincere request, knowing what was even better for me and His Kingdom, I did not yet know how to go on. And so, when God revealed Psalm 27:13 to me it was encouragement beyond description because I was faced with a life of pain and could not foresee any relief, and He would not let me die. To realize that I can have the same hope as David the psalmist that I would see the goodness of the Lord and His blessing as I live on earth. It and a new, real relationship with Jesus Christ sustained me throughout my trial, and I am excited to report that He has continued to heal and restore me from that day forward. I have no more pain and the disease is well controlled (auto-immune), as he has brought healing to my body, mind, heart, and soul. Praise God!

And so throughout the conversation with my brothers tonight, I was hit with a sound conviction: I often forget that God is actually on my side, He is for me, and “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31) I realized that when praying hard for a loved one, whether it be salvation for a friend, restoration for a family member, or healing for myself, I often feel the burden of convincing God. I almost chuckle at my immaturity, for what man can convince God of anything? God made that man and knows his thoughts before he thinks them! And if I could “convince” God of anything—meaning that He was then inclined to act in a different manner than he would otherwise—I would be doing a terrible thing…for God is perfect without me and tells us that “My ways are higher” and “My ways are not your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Going further, I realize that the root of much of my attitude of combating or convincing God comes from a life of rebellion. I have spent much of my life rebelling against Him, desiring the minimal legalistic belief in God, asking for things that were against His will in my own foolishness, and in a state of confusion for what is good in God’s sight…and as a reborn soul, I have forgotten that He replaces those old desires with the Holy Spirit. That although we once prayed very much against God, He has been patient, and once restored to Him, we can ask in confidence in single mindedness with our God and fellow believers.

And even with this knowledge, I find myself praying with a burden to turn God’s ear when praying for very pure things that are obviously part of His will (any prayer for salvation is in line with His will, for starters). But what resistance am I feeling? It is not God’s resistance. My epiphany is that God is absolutely for you and me in much of our prayers, once we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. If you believe in Christ for your salvation, you have the Holy Spirit, and many of your prayers and desires are the same as God’s! (As a side note, always submit to His will and do not be so arrogant as to think that any and all of your desires are His…but realize that some of your desires as a regenerated soul, and truthfully, more and more of your desires as you are sanctified by Him will be His very will.)

What a comfort that God is looking down and saying “Yes! Yes, I am angry with injustice. Yes, I am jealous for my church. Yes, I am pursuing that lost, loved soul. Yes, I will heal you for my glory. Yes, I will never let go of you and will bring you closer every day.” At this moment, I lose the disposition of praying in a position facing God, sitting opposed to Him. Instead, I pray with Him, alongside Him, looking at the same things and desiring the same righteousness for His glory. He has his arm around you and me as we pray…He needs no convincing…He is for us, so who can be against us?

I pray in agreement with God Himself through Jesus Christ that you would feel how awesome, how powerful, how deep, how wide is the love of God for you, and that you will begin to pray with confidence, assurance, and peace alongside your Savior and Father God, for the building up of His church and for the glory of His name. Amen.

Seeking God's Face - Church in the Park Message

I had the honor of once again providing the sermon for Church in the Park in downtown Houston last Saturday. Church in the Park is an outdoor service for the homeless and is open to all passersby. This message is about seeking God's face, drawing heavily on 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and Zechariah 3:1-4.

The Response - National Prayer Gathering

Have you heard about The Response, a national prayer gathering being held in Houston, TX on Saturday, August 6th? I wasn’t 100% sure about it when I first heard, but with the American Family Association (AFA) and my church publicly behind it, I’m definitely going. If you’re not going to be in Houston on Saturday, Aug 6, you can actually still register and get involved in many ways: streaming live video of the event, pray at home, get together with your local church to pray on this day, signup to fast during the week, or signup for a daily prayer guide for the first week of August. Please check it out here: http://theresponseusa.com/

This might be the largest coordinated prayer effort I’ve ever been aware of. Not only the 62,000 prayer warriors in Reliant Stadium, but nationwide, especially with AFA behind it. In the book of Isaiah, God cited Israel as forsaking Him and failing to call on His name (Isaiah 43:22) and furthermore “wondered that there was no intercessor” (Isaiah 59:16) to plead for mercy and grace for a nation in greatest need of those two things. In this passage, Isaiah points to Jesus as The Intercessor, but we as the body of Christ are also to be intercessors right here, right now. This is an opportunity to be lifted from the same allegations brought against Israel, such that God will not wonder “that there was no intercessor” but will instead be pleased by those who sought Him with their whole heart and therefore He is found by them (Jeremiah 29:13).

Isaiah 59:1-4, 15b-16 –

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.

4 No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity…

…Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

Within the church community, we often hear Jeremiah 29:11 quoted and I love it, but verses 12-13 are just as important:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

When I read the book of Isaiah, I cannot help but see the stark reality that the words do not just describe Israel in the time of Isaiah...they are absolutely a description of the United States of America today. Think about these parallels that we in the U.S. have with Israel: a nation established by God, founded on the Bible and God's principles; a nation that has borne fruit for God's kingdom; a nation that has taken an egregious moral wrong turn, embracing greed, lust, deception, selfishness, and idolatry of all forms; justice and truth have become relative terms instead of absolutes based upon God's holy, righteous standard; a nation that has become prideful and forgotten to give glory to God for our successes. What is chilling is what happens to such a nation, as described by Isaiah: it is torn down and sent into captivity for 70 years. I am going to tell you without any reservation, because this is not far-fetched whatsoever, but is simply the obvious truth as a student of God and his ways with His people and nations that He establishes--if our nation does not repent, cry out to God for mercy and grace, and commit ourselves as individuals and as a people to seeking the Lord first, forsaking and abolishing all of the moral decay that we have embraced as a culture, we as the United States of America will also fall, cease to exist, and become slaves to a foreign nation that hates our God and persecutes us for it.

Isaiah 43:22-28 -

"But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you have been weary of Me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.
25 “ I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted.
27 Your first father sinned,
And your mediators have transgressed against Me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;
I will give Jacob to the curse,
And Israel to reproaches."

I am struck by the contrast displayed in this passage. In the same passage, God proclaims two seemingly opposite things: punishment and salvation. He assures wayward Israel that they will have both. How is this possible? Perhaps punishment by hard earthly circumstances is actually the path to salvation...perhaps that is the only way that a rebellious heart can be humbled and confess the need of a Savior. Verse 25 assures us that in the moment we call upon Jesus, our Savior and Intercessor, our sins are blotted out and we are restored to God. In fact, the preceding 21 verses of this chapter are amazing, offering encouragement and the description and assurance of full redemption for God's people.

The following verses in chapter 1 speak to the future of a nation such as wayward Israel and the U.S.:

Isaiah 1:21-28 -

"21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,

“ Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. "

The message in its entirety is clear then, that the wayward nation will be punished, and just as gold is refined in the fire, so are God's people. Even if only a remnant remains faithful, they come forth as pure gold. Let's repent now, and spare our nation. Let's cry out in intercession now, with all sincerity, such that God's ear is inclined to move in favor of us and re-establish us as His people. Repent now and fulfill His greatest will, or face the fire, being purified by the trial, such that a smaller remnant remains. We the people have the choice, and we must make that choice right now. Will you pray with us? Will you speak truth publicly, such that evil is exposed and the Gospel is proclaimed? Will you intercede for a nation on the brink of utter captivity--spiritual first, and then physical? If the worst happens, will you be the remnant, purified by the fire instead of burned away for eternity? I pray that you can answer confidently affirmative to each of those questions.

As for The Response prayer gathering, our nation needs this. Our families need this. We need this. God desires this. Let’s stand together and do this! My prayer is that this isn't just a one day or one week event, but that instead it is simply the kickoff of a prayer revolution in our nation and world. Let's first commit to focused prayer time in the coming week for our nation. Let's next commit to this being our new lifestyle--one of sincere prayer and intercession. May the God of all grace and comfort, of all holiness and justice, of all righteous wrath and chastening of those whom He loves, of all sovereignty and power, the God of our salvation and our Redeemer, our hope and our strength, our Counselor and Intercessor, be glorified in all that we do from this day forward, forever. Amen.

Pray It Through - Changing God's Mind?

I had a very theologically stimulating conversation with a close friend the other night. We were discussing the purpose of prayer and its results. The concept of “changing God’s mind” was brought forth. Through study of some books by prestigious theologians, he was leaning toward the side that says “prayer can actually change God’s mind and change world events.” At the beginning of the conversation, my reply was that prayer absolutely changes world events—but does that take place because God truly changed His mind or because we took the action that allowed the realization of His greatest will, instead of disobedience? I did not know the answer to these questions, and I still may not, but I feel that my understanding has grown towards the revelation of these answers and I would like to encourage you to engage in your own Spirit-led thoughts as you consider mine below.

“God changed His mind” In the Bible

Consider Moses. We read the following in Exodus 32:19-14, in response to the Israelites' construction of the golden calf, an offense punishable by death:

“'I have seen these people,’ the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” (NIV)

The word “relent” in verse 14 is translated in a minority of English texts as “changed His mind.” The Hebrew word here is “nacham,” in the Niphal tense, which blueletterbible.com defines as follows:

נָחַם (nacham)

1) to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted

a) (Niphal)

1) to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

2) to be sorry, rue, suffer grief, repent

3) to comfort oneself, be comforted

4) to comfort oneself, ease oneself

(Note: When you read “changed His mind” in the NLT, NAS, or other version, “nacham” is likely the original language.)

So we see that God was moved to compassion by Moses’ intercession and it did absolutely change what would have occurred, had the intercession not taken place. But did God’s mind change, or was His preferred will for Moses to step up as an intercessor fulfilled by Moses’ prayer? Perhaps the jury is still out in this discussion, but I find the explanation offered in the previous sentences to line up much more harmoniously with the rest of the Bible than the belief that God actually did any changing of His mind, at least in the way that we experience the changing of our own minds—which is to be persuaded unto different thought or action. Was God persuaded here or had He already willed this and honored a prayer within His will?

Practical Importance of the Matter

As my conversation with my friend continued, we began to realize a few things: that our minds were not entirely made up and were open to further “proof” that may be brought forth, that in this moment we differed in our opinions, and most importantly that we absolutely agreed upon the following things: Regardless of whether God is actually changing His mind, it doesn’t alter the fact that prayer works—things in this world change because of and in response to our prayers. The overarching point became less about why God honors prayer (changing His mind or otherwise) but that the answer to that question does not dictate whether or not I pray—we pray because of the following:

1. It brings me closer to God in a loving relationship, and that would be sufficient enough reason to pray even if it availed no impact on the world.

2. When we pray, it does change things.

Addressing point #2 above: When we pray, it does change things.

However, let me very quickly point out that I don’t believe a correct attitude in prayer is to convince God of anything, or to persuade Him. This is hard to grasp because in our interaction with humans, when we speak passionately about something, we perceive the opportunity to spread our point of view, whether by enlightenment, argument, conviction, or otherwise. Even those of us who are the least logical-minded, when we converse, we understand the necessity of satisfying another individual with our words such that our point of view or our desires are accepted and even chosen. So when we pray to a sovereign, holy, all-powerful God, we tend to approach Him in the same way. He understands that—He made us. Nevertheless, do you really want to project your imperfect thoughts and plans onto a perfect God such that they come to fruition? Any thoughts that we have are either in error, whether completely or just slightly, or they are born of God and are perfect. Therefore, we cannot convince Him or bring a plan to Him that is any better than the one He already prefers. We can only come in agreement, be strengthened in our concurrence, and be empowered to go and live out the purpose that God prefers. In that moment, we have taken part in an important transaction that God allows through free-will…and life events change.

Human Observation and Understanding of Cause and Effect

To illustrate our human view of prayer and events versus God’s perspective, consider a car on the street of a highly populated city. We have the view of the driver of the car. We see the immediate landscape in front of us and have a general sense of where we might like to go and how it might be best to get there. God, however, is above the city in something such as a blimp, seeing your very car, where He desires you to go, and the best way to get there. We often go long periods trying to navigate on our own intuition, following the same mistakes of men before us and around us from whom we have learned worldly wisdom. One day, we realize we have a GPS, or a phone line to the overhead blimp (prayer). We ask the GPS or blimp (God) to help us with the direction or to get to a specific destination. What we observe is that our asking led to a change: turn here, go there, the light turned green or another red light. Even when we recognize His hand guiding us, we might be tempted to say in our limited point of view that our prayer actually changed those things and even changed the mind of God. But in reality, God already saw all and knew all, and He would not have guided you in a way that was not within His will. Therefore, we were right that our prayers changed things—we received the right direction as a result of contacting Him. But we were probably wrong in thinking that our prayer actually changed the mind of God—instead, it merely allowed us to interact with God such that His desires were fulfilled, in a way that they weren’t fulfilled apart from our prayer. How important that prayer was! Even if in the beginning we were asking to go 180 degrees opposite of His will. Because when we began to realize the general direction He was guiding us and we continued to pray for direction and for change, we began to walk within His will. None of this would have happened without the prayer.

So prayer is absolutely necessary and vital to God’s will, but it does not change it. I encourage and implore you: pray any matter on your heart to God continually until your heart has been changed or the thing comes to fruition, being open to either, having faith in God and His perfect love. In either case, through prayer, God’s will has been realized.

The Product of Free-Will

Another amazing part of this discussion is the fact that we get to take part in such things and are given free-will. Free-will allows us to make choices. If we have the ability to choose God, then we have the ability to reject Him. There is not one possibility without the other. The possibility of rejecting God opens the door to the amazing relationship of choosing Him—and this is love (agape)! God is sovereign and ruler of all. And in that sovereignty, He by all means has the right to make the choice to limit His control and allow free-will. Please do not misinterpret my words and call this a heresy. This makes God no less sovereign—in fact, it puts an exclamation point on His sovereignty, coupled with His patience and love—that He would purposefully step back ever so slightly from controlling all decisions and actions at all times, such that we would have the capacity to make choices…and in that, have the capacity to love. Otherwise, we are just robots. But since God is love (1 John 4:8), then God is a choice-maker. And by making us in His image, He has made us choice-makers capable of love. This is His design and He looks at this creation and calls it good (Gen 1:31).

So when the world hangs in the balance—our individual worlds or the entire earth—consider prayer. Pray the matter through to completion, knowing that your prayer does matter. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b). This is because it aligns us with God. This is because it changes our hearts. This is because God willingly gives us this power of Himself to choose and make changes in this world. This is because the angels respond to the word of God and the righteous prayers of His saints. This is because of the power and value God gives an intercessor.

God’s Design: Intercessor

Isaiah 59:15b-16: “Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

God has an almost peculiar affinity to intercession. We read in Isaiah that God “wondered that there was no intercessor” to plead the case of the terribly sinful Israelites, such that they might be spared the punishment and wrath of God. If the presence of an intercessor didn’t matter, the role would not have been mentioned. In the example of Moses and his prayers (discussions with God), he was the sole intercessor and God honored that.

To God and to us, an intercessor means everything. This is because the ultimate prophecy of Isaiah 59 is Jesus Christ as the ultimate intercessor to our Father in Heaven, such that we might be spared His wrath and instead receive eternal life (Rom 8:34, Heb 7:25, 1 John 2:1). The reason that John 3:16 is true—that through the love of God and by belief in Jesus we can be spared eternal death and instead have eternal life—is because when we call on Jesus for who He is, He intercedes to the Father on our behalf. In doing so, we are imparted the Holy Spirit, who cries out “Abba, Father” for us (Gal 4:6-7). If instead in the last day, Jesus says, “Depart from me, I never knew you,” we are damned because of our sin and the lack of righteous intercession (Matt 7:21-23).

So we see that a great component of the power of prayer is God’s value of intercession. In intercession, we agree with Christ for simultaneous grace and justice—a favorable outcome for us through Christ alone—and He responds in a very real way. He responds in eternally saving those interceded for, and He even responds by changing physical circumstances in the lives of those for whom intercession has been made. All within His will, of course. If in my human emotion of anger, I was so zealous to call fire from Heaven down upon the man who just cut me off on the highway, I highly doubt that God would honor that request. If God is pursuing that driver to be His child, then I just prayed outside His will and the Holy Spirit is grieved by that disharmony (Eph 4:30-32). But if instead I pray in sincerity that my co-worker who denies Christ would be saved by faith, and I pray in fervent faith, I know that the Lord will honor that prayer. Simply because God responds to holy intercession, none greater than Christ Jesus.

Conclusions

Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that “God changes His mind,” it becomes a little less relevant and doesn’t change these facts: Prayer does change specific physical things on this earth that are within God’s will. These physical things are changed because of their spiritual impact. Why this is true can likely be summed up by God’s gift of free-will and our capacity to choose and love Him, as well as each other. We should pray to seek God’s face (intimacy, seeking Him for Him alone) and not just His hands, and in a deep relationship, that would be enough. But beyond that, God desires that we are empowered and approach Him with confidence, knowing that He responds to our prayers and changes the world through us for His glory. I challenge you therefore, to approach prayer with the following motives:

1. Seeking God’s face (intimate relationship of knowing Him for the sake of knowing Him alone)

2. As a natural outflow of your love for Him

3. As an intercessor for your fellow man and God’s glory

4. As a subordinate to a sovereign God who has given you this responsibility and privilege

5. To test your desires and be transformed

6. To alter the world forever, making change for God’s preferred will and glory

What would the world look like if we all stepped up with these attitudes in sincere prayer? I don’t know fully, but I do know that it would look differently, for the better, and for God’s glory. I’m making a recommitment to prayer with full confidence of God’s power through it. I’m making a recommitment to prayer to bask in the full loving relationship with a loving God. Will you join me, be changed for good forever, and change this world for good forever? It is my prayer that you do. Amen.

"What do you want the Lord to do for you?"

Well, I’m on lap 2 of “My Utmosts.” This one is a bonus…this isn’t a leap-year, but this is the Feb. 29 devotional. I think it’s pretty awesome.

http://www.myutmost.org/02/0229.html

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE LORD TO DO FOR YOU?

"Lord, that I may receive my sight." Luke 18:41

What is the thing that not only disturbs you but makes you a disturbance? It is always some thing you cannot deal with yourself. "They rebuked him that he should hold his peace . . . but he cried so much the more." Persist in the disturbance until you get face to face with the Lord Himself; do not deify common sense. When Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in common-sense ways, but in supernatural ways.

Watch how we limit the Lord by remembering what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past: I always failed there, and I always shall; consequently we do not ask for what we want. "It is ridiculous to ask God to do this." If it is an impossibility, it is the thing we have to ask. If it is not an impossible thing, it is not a real disturbance. God will do the absolutely impossible.

This man received his sight. The most impossible thing to you is that you should be so identified with the Lord that there is nothing of the old life left. He will do it if you ask Him. But you have to come to the place where you believe Him to be Almighty. Faith is not in what Jesus says but in Himself; if we only look at what He says we shall never believe. When once we see Jesus, He does the impossible thing as naturally as breathing. Our agony comes through the wilful stupidity of our own heart. We won't believe, we won't cut the shore line, we prefer to worry on.

When I considered the question about the thing that disturbs me and also makes me a disturbance, I initially thought that the point was going to be to “grin and bear it.” Quit whining and disturbing others and know instead that “my grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9). Indeed, His grace is sufficient for you and me. And indeed, if we are continually complaining to others about our situations, perhaps we should take stock of our salvation and instead of casting our cares upon humans, “cast your cares upon [Jesus], for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) However, the message here is to persist in our cries to God.

I love the blind man in the passage above: after being told to quiet down, instead “he cried so much the more.” I think this is the response of someone who truly believes in the power of Christ, the Son of God. Or at least someone who was so hopeful of healing, combined with just a mustard seed’s worth of faith, such that he abandoned all sense of himself—other’s perception, dignity, emotional letdown if this was yet another failure, etc—and took the risk in order to get closer to Jesus, to be heard by Him. We can take a lesson there.

Are you in need, either small or great? Is there something that hits your thoughts weekly, or even daily? Cry out to Jesus. If you start to feel a force that beckons you to be quiet about your distress before the Lord, and that you either should not concern Him with it or He will not hear it—cry out so much the more! Cry out to Him and dare to have the hope that does not disappoint:

Rom 5:1-5 –
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I am reminded that this hope is in Jesus Christ, not in the things that we desire from Him. There is a difference. For more thoughts on this passage, click the following link to read a blog post from last April, when I discovered that my hopes were somewhat errant and what true hope that does not disappoint looks like: Hope and Loss.

However, if you find yourself doubting in the midst of your desire to be hoping and believing, you are in good company. In Mark 9:14-29, Jesus encounters a man who’s son is possessed and may be near death:

Mark 9:21-27 –
“And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." 24Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.”

“I believe; help my unbelief.” What honesty, sprinkled with just a little belief in Jesus. What might God do in your life if you had that smallest bit of faith and pure honesty before Him?

Ask Him not only for help with “the thing that disturbs you,” but also for belief in Him in the first place. Tell Him that you desire to believe. Splay your soul out for Him, keeping nothing back. I think you’ll be encouraged at His response as you feel His presence with you. In fact, I can testify to this truth. Sometimes the worst thing that we try to hide from God is our secret doubt and less than 100% faith in Him, whether in specific circumstances or in general. He knows your every doubt. When we confess our desire to believe, acknowledging our yet to be perfected faith, we open to Him to come in and make sure of our faith where it was once unsure. He is the “author and perfector of our faith,” after all (Heb 12:2).

Believe in Him. Ask Him for help with your unbelief—cry to Him all the louder, as the blind man who then received his sight…as the father who’s son was healed. Look with desperate need and with expectancy to receive His help. He is already here with you. He is ready to reveal Himself to you in this very moment. Are you ready to behold Him? Have you asked Him? “Ask…seek…knock…” and “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!” (Luke 11:9-13) Amen.

Spiritual Dejection

Too good not to share:

"My Utmost For His Highest," Feb 7
http://utmost.org/spiritual-dejection/

Spiritual Dejection

"We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened" —Luke 24:21

Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer. It is impossible to be well physically and to be dejected, because dejection is a sign of sickness. This is also true spiritually. Dejection spiritually is wrong, and we are always to blame for it.

We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.

Leaving a Pure Legacy

Have you ever desired to leave a legacy behind? To have an impact that outlasts your time with a group, on a team, in a job, or even in life itself? Many of us seek to “live beyond our years,” by impacting the world around us in a permanent way.

These can be noble goals and are certainly realized by those who serve the Lord their God with all of themselves—it is the natural outcome…it cannot be stopped. The issue that I find within myself and that you may find within yourself, as well, is that of desiring my legacy. We have erred immediately upon that thought.

“My Utmost For His Highest,” Feb 5:

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED?

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to be offered for the work of the faithful - to pour out your life blood as a libation on the sacrifice of the faith of others? Or do you say - "I am not going to be offered up just yet, I do not want God to choose my work. I want to choose the scenery of my own sacrifice; I want to have the right kind of people watching and saying, 'Well done.'

It is one thing to go on the lonely way with dignified heroism, but quite another thing if the line mapped out for you by God means being a door-mat under other people's feet. Suppose God wants to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased" - are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket - to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served? Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work and remain saints because it is beneath their dignity.

Leaving a pure legacy means to leave an impact so centered on God that we are seen as insignificant—that we are seen only long enough for others to then see Christ, and we vanish behind His infinite light and glory. It means impacting the world around us for Christ, such that those who are impacted continue to see Him for eternity, and we are as a speck of dust or “drop in a bucket.” Indeed, that bucket was filled by a great many individual drops and each were chosen by God to play that small part—but me and my little drop have nothing to boast about ourselves. We instead can boast about the One who orchestrated the thousands of little drops like ourselves to fill this metaphorical bucket.

This “bucket” could be leading someone to Christ. Did we do that? Not hardly—we may have been the last drop that filled the bucket, but there were many drops before us paving the way, setting the foundation, filling the bucket. And we as “drops” in this bucket of another Spirit-filled soul merely fell where we were directed. God alone is to be praised for the work of grace for the newfound in Christ!

This “bucket” could be a ministry or volunteer position or opportunity. Again, did we do that? Is it our work that is so amazing? Not at all—it is the Lord’s amazing work that will continue with or without us—we are simply to be overwhelmingly thankful that we have been included! What a truth is this: God will not be deterred—not even by you and I, the stubborn part-time followers, insisting on our own way. Are we so important that if we disobey, the entire world will begin to crumble and all of God’s large and small purposes will not be fulfilled? God is sovereign—He rules all and is not dictated to by His creation. In disobedience, God will go right around you and I, and we will forfeit the glorious opportunity of obedience to His calling this very day. He doesn’t miss out—we do.

I know that you and I will continue to wrestle with the same pride and selfishness that rears its ugly head every time we are given the opportunity to do something for God. We may rightly love the service; but we must stop short of admiring our small little part. Doing so is like being invited to cut the ceremonial ribbon as a mansion’s completion is revealed. We are invited to join the master of the mansion inside, and by cutting the ribbon as he has asked, we have been made a part of all who are brought off the street to enter his mansion. At this point, if we sit and marvel at how well we cut that ribbon, with what skill and smoothness we operated the scissors, we will miss the entire point. This illustration may sound ridiculous—it should. This is how ridiculous we act when we take pride in leaving a legacy of our own, even if it is in doing the Lord’s work. It’s like the ribbon cutter wanting everyone to remember him cutting the ribbon instead of taking part in the celebration of the mansion and those who have been invited, accepting the invitation to live within it. If we don’t cut the ribbon, the master will certainly find another to do it—there would be many eager to take that place, many that would be thankful, and a few that would do it in humility as he desired. It’s not as if our declining to cut the ribbon will stop the mansion from being opened. And it’s not as if we built the mansion or made it possible for those called to enter. We simply did our small little part and can thank the master for allowing us to be even a small part of his purpose for this mansion.

As you may easily see, this mansion is Heaven, the master is God, Jesus is the one who has given the invitations and made a way for us to be there, and we are graciously appointed as ribbon cutters or servants in other parts of this glorious scene. Let’s set our eyes upon the Master, the Mansion, and the Way. Let’s glorify the purpose behind our purpose. Let’s “cut the ribbon” obediently and thankfully, seeking that no one would recognize our cutting—that no one would remember a meager human legacy of our own, but that they would instead immediately look to the Mansion of Heaven and Jesus who welcomes them. If we are successful in leaving a legacy that others see as our own and then exalt us because of it, we are doing them a disservice, for we have distracted them from all that is good…we have traded a glimpse of a perfect, loving God, for that of a self-seeking human.

We cannot go incognito our entire lives and live out the Gospel that we are called to live. Some people will notice us, and we have to realize that. What we do with that focus, and before even that—how we pursue God in service in our hearts, seeking our own legacy or instead seeking to leave His pure legacy—these are the things for which we are accountable.

Many of you may say, “I’m not like that, at least not often. I just don’t think of such things.” Very well, I pray that it is because God has worked within you to refine you daily into such a selfless servant. I speak to the many that say, “That’s me—I am convicted that I am always seeking my own. I desire to be changed.” I desire to be changed, too. Let us look to leave the only Pure Legacy—that of Jesus Christ, our Savior who has rescued the most corrupted hearts, like yours and mine. Let’s finally step up to the plate of humility and actually desire within our hearts in our quite moments of absolute honesty to say sincerely “He must become greater. I must become less” (John 3:30). We can struggle and strive, and still we cannot do even that—ask to become less—on our own. The amazing thing about Jesus and our need of Him is that it is so utterly sweeping that not only can I by no means obtain salvation, only accepting it as freely given from Him, but in addition, once saved, I must continually rely on Him to do any good thing in me. I have to decide to want to be changed, and I have to follow through, but I cannot follow through as a matter of pure self-will. I can ask God to change me, and I can will to ask Him, but I must have Him come in, set up shop, and begin to do the changing. And even the desire to be changed is found in the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. – John 16:8-11

How utterly helpless and condemned we are on our own—for we cannot even repent from our sins without His conviction. We need Him to even know that we need Him. He has made it such that all can see and know that He is God, then we need Him to respond to our conviction and cry for help, then we need Him to refine us into the servants He and we desire to be. Jesus said in John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from Him I can do only evil. Apart from Him I will not even know I am evil and will spiral straight to Hell. But with Him, I am convicted. With Him I am saved. With Him I am transformed. With Him, I have no legacy of my own. With Him I am made a part of His pure legacy. With Him, the same is true for you. Forever. Amen.

Spiritual Exhaustion and Starvation – My Personal Testimony

Have you ever had this thought: “If only I didn’t have to take the time to eat and sleep, I’d have plenty of time to do all of these other things I need to do.” I had that thought today, and looking back, I chuckle at it a bit.

Sometimes I get so busy with work and life that I start to lose sleeping hours and scarcely have time to prepare a proper meal for myself. So I end up sleep deprived and eating way too much fast food or other prepared foods—I just don’t have time to do it all. Example: today I was called into work at 5:30am (on a Sunday). The Lord answered my prayer that I would be able to leave work in time to get to church. After church, I had plans to eat, go for a run (I’m training for a 10k), come back to clean my apartment because I found out this morning that I’ll be hosting our men’s group gathering on Tuesday, then off to a friend’s Superbowl party that will finish off the night. You may say, “wow, that’s a lot!” However, this can often be a typical day, and I know that your life may get so busy from time to time. My conviction came when I was leaving Chipotle with my to-go order (side note: I love Chipotle and it’s worth going when I’m not short on time!). I got my food so lightning quick that I was in a very pleasant frame of mind as I thought the following thoughts: “Wow, that was so quick and I needed it to be quick today. If only I didn’t have to take the time to eat at all, or to sleep. If somehow my body could be nourished and given energy by some other means, I’d have so much more time!”

Now, of course those are just thoughts and don’t make any practical sense. My thoughts weren’t based upon sincerely considering them to be possible—they were simply the natural progression of my mind in time-management mode.

Here is the revelation: do we ever treat our spiritual lives the same way? My thoughts regarding going without food and sleep for any length of time are absurd. Sure, for a short time you can do one or both, but eventually we will need both and need them consistently in order to just stay alive, let alone live a healthy life.

We do the same thing when we consider that we are so busy that we don’t have time to read the Word or pray. Realize that the Word of God is our spiritual bread and water. Jesus speaks many times of himself being the living water and bread of life: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)” To eat and drink of Christ is to believe in Him as the perfect Son of God, coming in the flesh, who bore our sin, setting us free and unto eternal life, and to partake of His Spirit. It is to make Him such a part of our bodies that we are an extension of His very self in this world. We do this by confessing we are a sinner, accepting Him as our Savior and receiving the Holy Spirit to indwell us, having “fellowship in His sufferings” (Phil 3:12-12, Rom 8:17), living obediently as ambassadors for Christ, and going to the Bible often. John writes that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, (John 1:14)” referring to Jesus. So we see that if Jesus is our spiritual food and is the Word of God, that God’s Word in the Bible is a source of nourishment for our souls.

Additionally, we are to rest in our Lord and Savior. Jesus said in Matt 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” How is he to give us rest? When I think of rest, I think of comfort and of relaxation…a place undisturbed, a quiet place…a time where I don’t have to be working hard on anything, and a place of familiarity such as my home. So perhaps going to God in prayer and experiencing rest in Jesus means that He is my comfort and a place of peace and quiet. Perhaps I should get to know Him such that prayer is a place of familiarity and being with Him is like being home. Perhaps resting in Him is where I realize that I do not have to do the hard work—that my salvation is His great gift and He loves me, and I can simply be in His presence, just Him and me.

But what if we lived our physical lives the way that all too many of us live our spiritual lives? How often have you read His Word this week, this month? How often have you prayed and rested in Him? What if I went an entire month on 4 meals and slept only 2 nights? I would likely die or collapse and have to be hospitalized. What if I carried on this way for years? Our bodies would obviously fail us under those conditions. Don’t you think that spiritual lives will be taken to the point of death in the same manner if we are so starved of the Word and of prayer and resting in Him? I think we too often experience these spiritual hunger pains and exhaustion and fail to take action.

Look around—I see frail Christian bodies in the masses of Christians around the world. Spiritual bodies that are gaunt, with skin stretched over ribs, knobby joints, legs that can barely stand, arms that cannot carry their own weight. We are a malnourished culture of Christians in the United States. Take heart, for there are many who stand strong with the full armor of God and spiritual bodies that are growing with the might of Samson. Additionally, many of us are as adolescents with growing bodies and new spiritual muscles all the time. But how long have you merely sat in church, living on that single spiritual “meal” per week? I’ll tell you that I have gone years with that meager nourishment from the Word and perhaps even less rest in His presence. It left me feeble—interestingly, both spiritually and physically, as I was stricken with a disease that nearly took my life. In that time I had lost 40 pounds from a frame that was at my ideal weight. My condition took my entire appetite away and anything that I did actually eat did not strengthen my body as it would a healthy body. This entire experience happened to coincide with the greatest emotional trial I had ever experienced as I worked through the ending of a long-term relationship, making my despair feel complete both physically and emotionally. One day, I got to the point where I was lying on the couch and a pack of crackers was on the table in front of me. I hadn’t eaten in almost two days. I had just slept 14 hours and still barely made it across my apartment from my bed to my couch. I had the slightest desire to eat just 1 or 2 crackers, but I decided that it wasn’t worth the energy to lean forward 12 inches to get them—my body was utterly exhausted, depleted, and failing. Thank the Lord that my mother and I spoke on the phone moments later, and her plea for me to go to the emergency room, combined with what must have been the Lord’s hand on me, gave me the energy to get up and drive down the street to the hospital.

Up to that moment and for months afterward, I experienced the worst pain in my life daily, even hourly. There were things happening in my body that might horrify you—things that unless you are a doctor or someone with medical knowledge, you wouldn’t even think were possible. I remember the night that I prayed the most sincere prayer I have probably ever prayed: “Lord, would you please kill me and let me die?” I knew what would await me upon death: Heaven. I wanted to no longer struggle with this physical body—I so desired to shed it and go to the peace of Heaven. I prayed with sincerity on my bed before falling asleep and truly believed that I would not wake up in the morning, very hopefully expecting to open my eyes in Heaven. But God did not let me die then. I knew in the days that followed that God as my Father desires His children to join Him at home, yet He knows that it is best for both us and His kingdom that we remain here for a time. Similar to a mother or father who’s child has gone overseas to serve the Lord as a missionary—if the parents love their child second to God, they will desire that the child come back home to them, but they would see that it was the Lord’s will for the child to remain at a distance for the time being. And if that child beckoned them to allow a homecoming, the parents would surely agree immediately! So I realized that God heard my cry and desired me to come Home; yet He left me here, and He would only do so if it was best for both Him and me. Additionally, since I could not come “Home,” but He had the means to come to where I am, He would surely do so. So I rested knowing that in my cry for God to let me die, He left me here for a purpose—one that He had in mind for me specifically—and that He would be with me here. Friends, I am not different than any of you—I speak not of some special purpose for me that is unavailable to you and only available to a few. I speak of the fact that we each have a specific purpose for God in this very life and in our everlasting lives in His Kingdom to come.

From the point of going to the emergency room forward, there was a long recovery for my body. I do not know how I made it through, except for the Lord’s presence in my life. Through the experience, I learned what it was to NEED our God. Through the physical and emotional trial, I learned my NEED of a Savior for my sinful soul and of His deep love for me. When no one could comfort me, my God did. When no rest from the pain could be found, rest was found in time with Him. When I could muster no strength of my own, I was sustained by His Word. This was a powerful experience that I will never forget, and I learned the importance of being nourished by God’s Word and the power of resting in Him through prayer. Since that time, my body has been completely restored, perhaps even healthier than before the trial—Praise God alone for this!

I want to encourage you today: feed yourself! Get rest! I should take my own advice and apply it physically. But even more importantly than that, I pray that we would do it for our souls. We are hungry, my friends, and require daily nourishment. We are in need of rest, and require daily re-energizing. Let’s take the initiative to find both nourishment and rest where we know it resides: in God’s Word and in His presence through prayer. Let’s not live starved lives any longer—let’s build our frail frames into strength in Christ. Let’s not live in a state of utter exhaustion any longer—let’s give rest to our weary and heavy laden souls through our comforter, Christ. Let’s make Him our home. In our homes we recharge with food and rest; let’s make Him our home and live in Him daily, inviting Him to live within us perpetually. Times will still get tough and our energy will still wane, but in those times we need even more spiritual “calories” and rest! In my time of physical need, I was spurred onward by another by the Lord’s hand and found help that led to a new healthy body—I pray that today you are spurred onward to seek help where we both know it resides. I knew to go to the emergency room, and I learned to go to the Word and prayer. Whatever your physical needs, I know we are equally needy of the spiritual nourishment and rest that comes only through real relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s never forget what He has done for us, what we’ve been saved from, and where our livelihood truly resides—in Christ alone. Amen.

In encourage you to meditate upon the lyrics of “In Christ Alone,” in light of the thoughts above:

In Christ Alone
by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

IN CHRIST ALONE my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!