You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category.
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13:30
The journey was over. The Israelites stood at the border of the Promised Land. God had brought them out of bondage. He’d provided all of their needs. He’d shown them great and mighty acts of power. Now he’d told Moses that the time had come to enter the land promised them. Moses sent spies into the land to see what kind of cities there were, what the people were like and to bring back some of the fruit of the land.
When the men returned they showed the people some of the great fruit that they’d found in the land. They described the beauty of the valleys and the plains. It was good land. It was profitable land. Then they told the people the bad news. The land would never be theirs. The people were too strong. They’d built huge, walled cities and the men were heavily armed. The men were to give an account of the condition of the land and people, but they offered a commentary on the likelihood of conquest and victory.
Enter Caleb. Caleb saw the same cities, the same warriors, and the same fruit of the land. But he looked at it from a completely different perspective. He didn’t see people; he heard the promises of God. He didn’t see obstacles to conquest; he saw opportunities for God to work in mighty ways. While the men offered commentary, Caleb did exactly what the leader had asked of him. He told the facts based on God’s promises.
Caleb stood alone against all the ‘popular kids’ of the camp. He stood for what he knew to be right. He didn’t talk about conflict, He talked about possession. To him the battle was already won. There was no doubt in his mind.
We can all learn from Caleb. There are too many times when our biggest obstacles are people. It could be the peer pressure that keeps us from doing what we know is right. Peer pressure isn’t just a junior high or high school thing. It follows us all our lives. We are afraid to be different. We don’t want to stand out in a crowd.
Don’t let people stand in the way of the things God wants to accomplish in you. He has given you the power to stand against the giants in your life. He’s made a way to destroy the walls others have built to keep you from pursuing your goals. Move forward with confidence. Look at the ways God has worked in the past in your life and in the lives of others. Regardless of your past or your present situation, He wants to see you have victory. Take possession of that victory.
PRAYER: Holy Father. Today you know what giants are haunting me. There are walls in my life that keep me from experiencing the joy I should be having in you. There are people and events that are keeping me from claiming the things you want me to have. Forgive me for my doubt. Empower me to move forward and not listen to the voices of those who want to bring me down. Like Caleb I claim victory over my giants through your Holy Spirit. Amen.
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT)
Another great promise from the Word of God! We have victory! Everyone likes to win. But the reality is the Bible promises that we have victory over sin, yet we still struggle on a daily basis. For some of us our sins are the quiet, hidden sins of doubt, a critical spirit, worry or the desire for more.
For others of us, our defeats and failures are in the area of addictions, relational struggles, lust, anger and rebellion against God, our parents and anything that even looks like authority.
So where is this victory that the Bible talks about? Why do we still struggle with feelings of failure, shame, guilt and anger? Why do we continue to lose when we are supposed to win?
The fact of the matter is that it’s not about capability, it’s about execution. We are incapable as humans to defeat our sinful human nature. God knew that. That’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross and that’s why 1 Corinthians says that we have ‘victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ’. So it was never intended that we’d win the battle on our own.
Take a sports team for example. We all know stories of highly favored teams that have gone up against an opponent of much lesser talent and ability. They lacked the big play guys, they were slow, and they just didn’t have a chance…on paper. But they came into the contest and soundly defeat the highly favored opponent. Why? In most cases it’s because the underdog did the little things it takes to win better than their highly favored opponent.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. We have all the power we need to soundly defeat the enemy. Jesus won the war, but we still need to fight the battles in order to see victory in our lives. We need to do the little things that will empower us to defeat the enemy.
Victory in life’s battles comes when we, as Christ-followers:
- Read the Bible on a daily basis. The more you read and the deeper you study the more power you will see come into your life. Start small. Even taking one verse with you throughout the day will be beneficial, but don’t stop there. Continue to press yourself to read more.
- Pray daily as well. Don’t look at prayer as some ultra-religious activity. It’s like talking to a loving father. Tell Him your fears, feelings and concerns. Ask Him to reveal himself through the Bible and others in your life.
- Fast regularly. Fasting has gotten out of vogue in recent years and is highly misunderstood by many. Fasting is NOT walking in agony for days on end because you are without food. Fasting is NOT the same as a hunger strike! It’s simply taking time, even one meal, away from food and your normal routine to spend some time with God.
- Fellowship with other believers. Some have stopped fellowshipping with other believers because they’ve been hurt intentionally or otherwise and see christians as nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites. Unfortunately there are many who have used their faith as a battering ram, inflicting great harm on others. Seek out sincere believers, even just one or two that will genuinely help you in your spiritual growth and offer accountability.
When we do the little things in our faith walk we’ll see our faith grow, we’ll be more able to endure the hard times of life and we’ll see patience and love towards others increase. Jesus has done the big things for us. He’s won the war. It’s up to us as individual Christ-followers to do the little things necessary to win the battles.
PRAYER: Father God. I confess to you that many of the struggles I have in life are a result of not doing the little things I need to gain strength and confidence. Please empower me, through your Spirit to read more, pray more, fast and fellowship with other Christ-followers so that I can win the battles in my life. Thank you that in Jesus I have the victory. Amen.
Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today—yes, you—so you will trust in the Lord. Proverbs 22:17-19 (NLT)
In this world of economic and political uncertainty wise decisions are more important than ever. It’s easy to have opinions about how things should be from a distance, just as it’s easy to coach a professional sporting event from your arm chair.
It’s entirely a different story when it’s your job that’s being ‘eliminated due to corporate restructuring’. It’s more crucial to know how to act when it’s your test results or the test results of a loved one that shows a critical health issue. When it’s you sitting at divorce court or in a jail cell, suddenly knowing how to act/react takes on a whole new meaning. The question of the century becomes: “What should I do?”
Wisdom is a combination of life experiences and learning. Experience is a great teacher, but you can’t possibly experience everything you need to in order to make right choices. The need then, is to balance learning through experience with seeking the counsel of those who have either gone through similar situations or know someone who has.
Wisdom can be learned through active listening. “Active Listening” is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, to try and understand the total message being sent. It means you ask questions, confirm facts and take time to ponder the options.
The foundation of wisdom must come from sources that acknowledge the presence of an Almighty, All-knowing and Sovereign God. True wisdom never contradicts God’s law since God is the complete source of wisdom. Wisdom can, and often does, go against religious dogma and tradition. Wisdom regarding life will always, with no exception, turn you towards the cross of Jesus Christ and the empty tomb. Don’t be deceived by clever attempts to show you a different way.
Wisdom is not a natural result of age. Young people can be very wise. Old people can be very foolish. It’s not based on a person’s title, popularity or money The Apostle Paul says “Let no man look down on your youth” (1 Timothy 4:12). It isn’t age, but rather our ability to listen and learn from God’s word and godly men and women that brings wisdom to our lives.
God’s wisdom never fails. We aren’t God. We will fail. Even after doing all the right things there is always a chance that our decision will lead to failure on some sort. That’s when it is important to remember that there is always forgiveness. We can always come to the cross for failing to act wisely but beware of the consequences. The father will forgive and offer second chances but the consequences may follow you the rest of your life. Think and pray wisely before you act.
PRAYER: Father God. There is so much around me that I don’t understand right now. I don’t understand the cruelty and greed of some people. I don’t understand why I can’t get life right. I’m angry about the way things are in my life and see no way out! Please empower me through Your Holy Spirit to listen actively to Godly advice, draw close to you in relationship through The Bible and Prayer, and trust you for the outcome. Amen.
And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:4 (NLT)
Rules. No one really likes them. Even when you are the one making the rules you don’t really like them. Rules can be made for many reasons. Some people make rules to protect themselves, to gain power over others, or to stop some issue that they have a personal problem with.
Nations have fallen and lives have been lost because people revolted against the rule makers or the rule makers enforced the rules harshly. Rules, by nature, carry with them the idea that you can’t have freedom and rules at the same time. Ironically, that is a rule in and of itself.
Rules can also be made with our best interest in mind. “Don’t touch a hot stove.” “Look both ways when crossing a street.” “Don’t do drugs.” Good rules. Made with your best interest in mind. No control issues there.
But we still get burned. We still get hit by cars when we run into the street. We still get addicted to drugs. Why? Because the human nature, the voices of the enemy tell us that we are invincible. We go ahead and have the affair because we’ll be careful and not hurt anyone. Speeding this time won’t hurt. Wearing a seat belt when I drive is being a sissy. We make up all sorts of excuses.
But breaking rules really amounts to one thing that none of us really wants to admit. Sin is fun. That’s another lie the enemy tells us and to be honest, he’s right…sort of. There’s something in our human nature, the adventurous side that tells us it’s exciting to live free of rules and that nothing bad will happen to us or others.
Oftentimes, people who proudly flaunt their lives of ‘freedom’ do so to cover up a gaping wound. They try to fill that wound with all sorts of things. Activities, friends, drugs, sex, multiple partners, even good things like working for charities. But they just can’t fill that wound.
The Apostle Peter shows us how to fill the void. The salve that heals our wound isn’t found in ourselves. It isn’t found in anything we see or do in this world. Healing comes through faith in Jesus Christ. The rules, so to speak, that He gives us for daily living aren’t so He can control us. They are there solely for our benefit.
That wound inside yourself can only be filled through forgiveness and faith in Jesus. The old nature, your human side, will still try to draw you back to the old ways. The ways of so-called freedom, but you know that so-called freedom only leads to more pain.
Allow the promises and new life of Christ to empower you to live in true freedom. Freedom from the guilt, the pain, the fear of being caught, the fear of death itself. He promises to empower you through His Spirit to live a full, refreshing, happy life free from the pain of the wound.
PRAYER: God in Heaven. I’ve known about you for a long time. I’ve even given my life to you at one point. But the pain of this wound was too great. I tried to fill it with things that didn’t satisfy and ended up hurting myself and others. Please forgive me for my weakness. Empower me to live for you in freedom. Thank you for your promises of excellence and power in my life. I accept your forgiveness and resolve to live in your power from this day forward. Amen.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
What a tremendously powerful promise! Paul is telling the Christ-followers in the City of Ephesus that the same God that created the universe and all that is in it, who sent His son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind, who rose Jesus from the dead and placed Him at a place of honor in Heaven’s throne room, who sent His very Spirit to dwell within those who choose to follow Christ. This same God has promised us that He can and will use us to do mighty things. Things that even go beyond our wild imaginations!
There’s an old adage that says “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” But this adage doesn’t speak to the power of God working within us. He has the power to do whatever He wants as is evidenced in history, and the desire to see us prosper for His glory. His promise is sure. He can do amazing things through us.
So why is it then that we don’t see amazing things happen in our lives? You may ask, “If God is able to do those things why isn’t He doing them in me?” There could be several reasons we don’t see God working miracles in us and through us.
- We may not be looking! Some people look at things as being ‘mysterious coincidences’. But in reality there is no such thing as a coincidence. Our Sovereign God works in marvelous ways. Sometimes we need to train our eyes to see His work. Just as we often fail to notice a beautiful sunset, or appreciate the beauty of a flower or the new born baby.
- We may be locked in our past. It is easy for us to look at the mistakes we’ve made in the past and think that those mistakes will keep us from seeing God work in mighty ways. Take a look at the people in the Bible. All of the great ‘leaders of Faith’ stumbled and fell and failed God often. Yet they rose from their past to perform great works for the Kingdom of God.
- We may be imprisoned by sin. Jesus came to forgive us of our sins. Once we accept Christ we follow a new set of rules. A set of rules built on relationship and love, not law and condemnation. While we may be forgiven, if we continue to live according to the patterns of the world we may hinder God’s ability to work through us. His power is becomes greater as we grow closer to Him in a relationship of love.
- We may need to change our focus. Sometimes we have an idea of what we want to do for God rather than seeking what He wants to do through us. Seek His direction through Bible Study, prayer and your accountability group. Make sure you are following HIS vision and not your DESIRES. Even though your desires may be good and valid, they may not be what God wants you to do.
- The hard story of consequences. The story of God’s Grace is found throughout the Bible. In the midst of all those stories of God’s love and forgiveness however there are some hard stories, tough lessons to learn. Take the story of Moses for example. Moses focus in life was to bring God’s people into the promised land. But as he approached the border of the promised land God told him that because he struck the rock to get water rather than speaking to the rock, he wouldn’t enter the promised land. God used Moses mightily before and after the rock incident. But in the end he only got to view the promised land from a distance. Sometimes the consequences of our choices in the past can keep us from attaining all we hoped for. God forgives the sin and cleanses the conscience. But sometimes, for reasons we don’t understand, the consequences remain. Can God still use us? YES! Does He still love us? DEFINITELY. Should we give up and consider ourselves failures? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Regardless of the consequences you may be bearing from past choices, God has a plan for you and wants to do mighty things in your life!
PRAYER: Holy God. I thank you for the many stories in the Bible that show how you work through the lives of imperfect people like me. I confess that too many times I’ve doubted your ability to use me, or failed to clean up my life so I can be used by you. Forgive me for my rebellion and sin. Show me where I need to change so that I can see you work in me. Because of your promise I’m claiming great things for your Kingdom! Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 