Rom 8:5-6
(5) For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Eph 5:18-20
(18) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
(19) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
(20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Col 3:16
(16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We have now learned that we have to walk in the Holy Spirit’s power and inspiration daily and this will empower us to live free from the oppression of sin and its effect. Let us take a step forward and allow the Spirit to release praise, worship and thanksgiving within us. I find that it is easier for me to hear God’s voice and to break through in prayer if I start singing to Him. I would sing in tongues and I would sing in English or Afrikaans and alternate as I go on. As I sing in tongues the Holy Spirit sings through me with words that I do not understand with my natural mind, but my spirit is made alive and becomes fruitful.
This is not a religious set of rules to be followed or to be set us a part of a scoreboard to impress God. No it is a gift that God has given us and Paul was aware of that so he exhorted the believers to do it as well. There is great power in praise, worship and thanksgiving and none of us can truly fathom what happens in the spirit realm when we do this. Paul and Silas were locked in a prison cell with their feet secured in stocks and while they were praising and worshipping God the angels came to deliver them. The power that was displayed there even shook the earth and opened prison doors.
Friends, this is not a Hollywood story I am talking about. Those were real prison doors and real stocks with real Roman soldiers guarding them. This was a physical manifestation of God’s power because His people praised, prayed and called on His Name. What are you waiting for? Stop trying to be a good Christian, accept the completed work of the Cross and start walking with the Holy Spirit and enjoy His presence. Express your love and joy by singing, worshipping and giving thanks. Sing and pray all the time as you drive, while you are waiting in lines and when you are working in the garden. Just sing and praise the Lord and you will find it becomes so easy to hear God and walk in His ways. The prison doors will open for you just as it did for Paul and Silas.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Devotion 109
Joh 14:12-14
(12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
(13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
(14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Mat 17:20
(20) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
The Lord has been speaking to me lately about the position that we have in Christ and I realize that we are walking far below our created destiny. Jesus said that we will do greater works than He did while He was on earth and He went further to say that nothing will be impossible for us. If I look at our lives I still see many things that are seemingly impossible to us and I often wondered what the problem was. There can only be two answers to this question; either Jesus lied or we are not getting it. I know that Jesus never lies so we must be the problem.
We have an inferiority complex as humans because of sin and it hinders us to confidently pray and ask Jesus for something. It is as if there is this shadow in the back of our heads that accuses us and convinces us we are not worthy of receiving this request. Jesus reconciled us to the Father and there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). We can come boldly before the Throne of grace and make our requests known to God because we are righteous through Jesus Christ.
If we pray from a guilt perspective (law, works) then faith cannot operate as it was designed to operate from a position of righteousness. We HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHTEOUS by Jesus Christ. Accept it now. You cannot operate a Windows based computer program from Mac or Linux and in the same way you cannot try to operate in faith from the wrong platform. Jesus died to get us on the right platform, don’t despise His work by allowing guilt and condemnation to separate you from the Father. See yourself today as reconciled and one with the Father through Jesus, not by your own effort and works, but purely because of the finished work of Christ.
We have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had and therefore we can do what Jesus did while on earth. The Word of God on our lips is just as powerful as the Word of God on Jesus’ lips. This might sound presumptuous to you, but I tell you that this is the position we have before God. We are one with the Father and one with Jesus through the Holy Spirit so let the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead empower you to enforce the authority of Jesus over sickness, death and the curse. Show His power and might to those around you and know that nothing is impossible if you believe this.
(12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
(13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
(14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Mat 17:20
(20) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
The Lord has been speaking to me lately about the position that we have in Christ and I realize that we are walking far below our created destiny. Jesus said that we will do greater works than He did while He was on earth and He went further to say that nothing will be impossible for us. If I look at our lives I still see many things that are seemingly impossible to us and I often wondered what the problem was. There can only be two answers to this question; either Jesus lied or we are not getting it. I know that Jesus never lies so we must be the problem.
We have an inferiority complex as humans because of sin and it hinders us to confidently pray and ask Jesus for something. It is as if there is this shadow in the back of our heads that accuses us and convinces us we are not worthy of receiving this request. Jesus reconciled us to the Father and there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). We can come boldly before the Throne of grace and make our requests known to God because we are righteous through Jesus Christ.
If we pray from a guilt perspective (law, works) then faith cannot operate as it was designed to operate from a position of righteousness. We HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHTEOUS by Jesus Christ. Accept it now. You cannot operate a Windows based computer program from Mac or Linux and in the same way you cannot try to operate in faith from the wrong platform. Jesus died to get us on the right platform, don’t despise His work by allowing guilt and condemnation to separate you from the Father. See yourself today as reconciled and one with the Father through Jesus, not by your own effort and works, but purely because of the finished work of Christ.
We have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had and therefore we can do what Jesus did while on earth. The Word of God on our lips is just as powerful as the Word of God on Jesus’ lips. This might sound presumptuous to you, but I tell you that this is the position we have before God. We are one with the Father and one with Jesus through the Holy Spirit so let the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead empower you to enforce the authority of Jesus over sickness, death and the curse. Show His power and might to those around you and know that nothing is impossible if you believe this.
Devotion 108
Mat 12:34-37
(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
(36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Mat 17:20
(20) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
There are 4 ways how we shape the world around us and produce things in our lives. They are:
1. Our Vision (what we see)
2. Our Faith (what we believe as being the truth)
3. Our words (what we speak in our everyday talk)
4. Our actions (what we do)
We believe something or experience something in our hearts, we speak it and we put energy into achieving it. What we believe comes from within us, from the heart. If we believe and think the wrong things we will produce words from those evil things which we think in our hearts. We produce unbelief, sickness and negativity because that is what we have been programmed to do by this world. The more we hear these negative words around us the more they program our hearts because the scriptures say that “faith comes by hearing”. As much as faith in God’s ability comes by hearing the Word of God there is also negative faith that comes by hearing negative reports from people around us or from the media.
God wants us to produce His life in this world and in order for that to happen our hearts need to beat like His so that we can speak like Him and act like Him. The fact is that He already placed that ability in each human being and Jesus redeemed that ability 100%. All of us who are “in Christ” are also partakers of His nature according to Col 2:9-10 and we have full access to His mind and His ability. It is “inside us” and not something we should search for externally. The Spirit in us cries Abba, Father.
Now, in order for us to experience that “nature of God” in us we need to look in the mirror of His Word. We need to make the time to sit with the Father, read His Word and allow His Spirit to reveal this truth to us. As we do that we will see the reality of our redeemed state and sin (lies) will lose its grip on our lives. Our hearts will then produce living water that will flow from our lips and guide our actions. The end result of that will be love-based words, faith that moves mountains, and works of ministry done by the saints. The works of ministry should be the result of the revelation that we are reconciled to God – not because we feel sorry or under pressure by the laws of the scriptures. We are free to serve; we don’t serve to achieve freedom.
Looking into the mirror of religion (the church traditions of man) will place you in bondage under the law. Looking into the mirror of the news media will place you under the burden of fear and anger and looking into the mirror of most TV programs will place you under the burden of lust, greed and all kinds of evil. Looking into the perfect law of freedom (James 1:25) will set you free!!
SUMMARY: Look into the mirror of the Word and see that Christ reconciled you to the Father. Accept this into your being and allow the Spirit to minister that revelation to you. Let the Spirit lead you to reveal His love to your neighbors and use His faith to achieve the impossible. Let the Spirit that designed Eden turn your broken world into an Eden.
(34) O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(35) A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
(36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Mat 17:20
(20) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
There are 4 ways how we shape the world around us and produce things in our lives. They are:
1. Our Vision (what we see)
2. Our Faith (what we believe as being the truth)
3. Our words (what we speak in our everyday talk)
4. Our actions (what we do)
We believe something or experience something in our hearts, we speak it and we put energy into achieving it. What we believe comes from within us, from the heart. If we believe and think the wrong things we will produce words from those evil things which we think in our hearts. We produce unbelief, sickness and negativity because that is what we have been programmed to do by this world. The more we hear these negative words around us the more they program our hearts because the scriptures say that “faith comes by hearing”. As much as faith in God’s ability comes by hearing the Word of God there is also negative faith that comes by hearing negative reports from people around us or from the media.
God wants us to produce His life in this world and in order for that to happen our hearts need to beat like His so that we can speak like Him and act like Him. The fact is that He already placed that ability in each human being and Jesus redeemed that ability 100%. All of us who are “in Christ” are also partakers of His nature according to Col 2:9-10 and we have full access to His mind and His ability. It is “inside us” and not something we should search for externally. The Spirit in us cries Abba, Father.
Now, in order for us to experience that “nature of God” in us we need to look in the mirror of His Word. We need to make the time to sit with the Father, read His Word and allow His Spirit to reveal this truth to us. As we do that we will see the reality of our redeemed state and sin (lies) will lose its grip on our lives. Our hearts will then produce living water that will flow from our lips and guide our actions. The end result of that will be love-based words, faith that moves mountains, and works of ministry done by the saints. The works of ministry should be the result of the revelation that we are reconciled to God – not because we feel sorry or under pressure by the laws of the scriptures. We are free to serve; we don’t serve to achieve freedom.
Looking into the mirror of religion (the church traditions of man) will place you in bondage under the law. Looking into the mirror of the news media will place you under the burden of fear and anger and looking into the mirror of most TV programs will place you under the burden of lust, greed and all kinds of evil. Looking into the perfect law of freedom (James 1:25) will set you free!!
SUMMARY: Look into the mirror of the Word and see that Christ reconciled you to the Father. Accept this into your being and allow the Spirit to minister that revelation to you. Let the Spirit lead you to reveal His love to your neighbors and use His faith to achieve the impossible. Let the Spirit that designed Eden turn your broken world into an Eden.
Devotion 107
Mat 10:40-42
(40) He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
(41) He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
(42) And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
1Ti 5:17-18
(17) Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
(18) For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Jesus said that if we receive the prophet in the name of the prophet we will receive the prophet’s reward and that means we need to recognize the prophets (ministers) in our midst and honor them by supplying their needs. It also means that if we receive or honor the evangelist or mercy worker in the name of the evangelist or mercy worker that we will receive the same rewards as them. God will give us the same rewards that those people were going to get for their labors simply because we work with them to do what God has called them to do. This sounds to me like a good deal, doesn’t it? John can go to the bush and get stung by mozzies to tell people about Jesus and I can share in his reward simply because I partnered with him. I did not get stung but I got the rewards, wow.
Paul said in 1 Tim 5:17-18 that the elders who rule well should receive a double honorarium for their efforts in preaching the Word. There are many missionaries, preachers, relief workers and servants that are reaching out to people who do not have much to contribute to their work, or they are doing ministry work that does not generate an income, but they are working hard and laying down their own careers and ambitions to serve people. These people are doing this work based on a call from God and not based on own desires for wealth and riches. It is the privilege of those with an income to share with those who are laboring for the sake of the Gospel and if everyone is doing this then the Gospel will be preached all over the world in no time. These missionaries and preachers are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet and if you took the time to listen to their stories you will be moved to tears by their sacrifices and their love for others.
I believe that we need to start honoring the men and women who are laboring for the sake of the gospel and we should strengthen them by being generous towards them. There are so many missionaries and Pastors that I know that are incapacitated in their work because they don’t have access to finances. It was and will always be God’s plan to use His body to provide for the preaching of the gospel and when we as a church are not faithful in that then the work of the Lord suffers. We can act as the voices for those in ministry to exhort others to contribute to their needs, just like I am challenging you now.
Friend, I want to exhort you to be generous towards your Pastor, your church, the missionary you know and towards the ministries that care for the poor and needy. These people need you and you need them. Remember the opening scripture that says you will receive the same reward as you support them. Let us act as a real body and carry the food all the way through the body to every part. The arms can’t hold back all the food, it must pass to the hands and the legs must let it pass through to the feet.
Let us see the church equipped and going into all nations with the Good News of Jesus, unhindered by lack and needs. I decided years ago to play an active part in spreading the Gospel to the ends of the world and therefore I put my money where my mouth is by supporting missionaries financially and by contributing to my local church. Will you join me please and do the same?
(40) He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
(41) He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
(42) And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
1Ti 5:17-18
(17) Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
(18) For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
Jesus said that if we receive the prophet in the name of the prophet we will receive the prophet’s reward and that means we need to recognize the prophets (ministers) in our midst and honor them by supplying their needs. It also means that if we receive or honor the evangelist or mercy worker in the name of the evangelist or mercy worker that we will receive the same rewards as them. God will give us the same rewards that those people were going to get for their labors simply because we work with them to do what God has called them to do. This sounds to me like a good deal, doesn’t it? John can go to the bush and get stung by mozzies to tell people about Jesus and I can share in his reward simply because I partnered with him. I did not get stung but I got the rewards, wow.
Paul said in 1 Tim 5:17-18 that the elders who rule well should receive a double honorarium for their efforts in preaching the Word. There are many missionaries, preachers, relief workers and servants that are reaching out to people who do not have much to contribute to their work, or they are doing ministry work that does not generate an income, but they are working hard and laying down their own careers and ambitions to serve people. These people are doing this work based on a call from God and not based on own desires for wealth and riches. It is the privilege of those with an income to share with those who are laboring for the sake of the Gospel and if everyone is doing this then the Gospel will be preached all over the world in no time. These missionaries and preachers are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet and if you took the time to listen to their stories you will be moved to tears by their sacrifices and their love for others.
I believe that we need to start honoring the men and women who are laboring for the sake of the gospel and we should strengthen them by being generous towards them. There are so many missionaries and Pastors that I know that are incapacitated in their work because they don’t have access to finances. It was and will always be God’s plan to use His body to provide for the preaching of the gospel and when we as a church are not faithful in that then the work of the Lord suffers. We can act as the voices for those in ministry to exhort others to contribute to their needs, just like I am challenging you now.
Friend, I want to exhort you to be generous towards your Pastor, your church, the missionary you know and towards the ministries that care for the poor and needy. These people need you and you need them. Remember the opening scripture that says you will receive the same reward as you support them. Let us act as a real body and carry the food all the way through the body to every part. The arms can’t hold back all the food, it must pass to the hands and the legs must let it pass through to the feet.
Let us see the church equipped and going into all nations with the Good News of Jesus, unhindered by lack and needs. I decided years ago to play an active part in spreading the Gospel to the ends of the world and therefore I put my money where my mouth is by supporting missionaries financially and by contributing to my local church. Will you join me please and do the same?
Devotion 106
Eph 4:15-16 “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him, who is the head – Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knitted together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for the building of itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.”
God designed us to be knitted into His family through faith in Jesus and that Jesus would be the head of this Great Family. He also designed it that each individual have a unique, important, role to play in building and caring for the body. Some people in the body are more visible than others, but each one is needed. I realize more and more that The Body of Christ is lying in pieces all over the earth as the individual members refuse to come together. Everyone does his own thing and wants his own glory.
We see it in our city as each group just does their own thing with very little cooperation and cross pollination between groups. Friends, come one now man!! Get out of your little spiritual neighborhood and start working with other to achieve the common goal of building the Body. It is time to start reaching across those church boundaries and see how our groups can work together and show the world that we are indeed one. Jesus said that the world would now we are His disciples by our love. Let the church walls disappear and let us be One Body with one Vision – to make the way for the King to come back.
God designed us to be knitted into His family through faith in Jesus and that Jesus would be the head of this Great Family. He also designed it that each individual have a unique, important, role to play in building and caring for the body. Some people in the body are more visible than others, but each one is needed. I realize more and more that The Body of Christ is lying in pieces all over the earth as the individual members refuse to come together. Everyone does his own thing and wants his own glory.
We see it in our city as each group just does their own thing with very little cooperation and cross pollination between groups. Friends, come one now man!! Get out of your little spiritual neighborhood and start working with other to achieve the common goal of building the Body. It is time to start reaching across those church boundaries and see how our groups can work together and show the world that we are indeed one. Jesus said that the world would now we are His disciples by our love. Let the church walls disappear and let us be One Body with one Vision – to make the way for the King to come back.
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