Everyone loves and crave relevance. Relevance is about getting attention, being connected, being valued, and becoming significant. But attention engineering is not limited to our social media activity discussed last month. For some, their sense of identity may not be strong enough to exist without the constant reassurance of others. We often worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. It’s when the quest for relevance becomes self-centeredness and moves us out of the will of God that it becomes sin.
Everyone has a measure of self-centeredness. We must work daily to minimize how much focus we put on ourselves. Jesus is so opposed to the sin of self-centeredness that He declared, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). To deny oneself is to focus on the interests of God rather than our own earthly, material, personal desires (Matthew 6:33). What are God’s interests? His interest is for us to love and care for our neighbors (John 13:34-35), to bear others’ burdens (Galatians 6:2), to not pass judgment on others (Romans 14:13) and to be kind and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32). So our question today is, how can we balance becoming revenant and seeking to make others relevant?
Some say God’s interest is only in our relationship with Him. Moreover, as long as we have a relationship with Him, “It’s ok for the strong to rule over the weak, justice has no intrinsic worth and moral values are socially constructed and subjective.” Additionally, some argue, “Catering to others is indicative of a lack of self-esteem. And while giving to others is positive, you truly cannot give until you have taken care of yourself.” This type of thinking is rooted in our fleshly desire to supplant God’s authority with our own. Scripture clearly states in Romans 8:8 that, “People who are self-centered aren’t able to please God”.
Being self-centered is juxtaposed to several Biblical commands: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). Romans 12 teaches us to be transformed from the thinking of this secular world and not to focus on raising yourself up. Philippians 2:3-4 leaves no room for self-centeredness, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather, in humility value others above yourself, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of the others.”
When we make others relevant first, our own relevance is a natural result and God will be pleased. In 1 Peter 5:6, Peter advises us to remember, that God’s recognition counts more than human praise. Therefore, seeking relevance or recognition is not wrong; it is seeking it in the wrong source. Seek to please God, not humans.
Father God,
We sometimes get full of ourselves and out of your will. We need to overcome the sin of self-centeredness, but we can’t do it without you. As we live a life pleasing to you, may others come to know you better through our words and actions.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
“There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind, that in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”
John Wooden
Dr. Travis Bradberry writes, “Regardless of the magnitude of the decision, our brains make it hard for us to keep the perspective we need to make good choices”.Problems in life come mostly as a result of bad choices. Look back and think deeply about a bad choice that seemed like the best choice at the time for whatever reason. The reason it seemed like the best choice was because of a lack of knowledge. At the beginning of June, we learned that Jesus provides wisdom and knowledge to those who love Him and keep His commandments. That’s reassuring because bad choices can dress themselves up as the best choices. Then they take you where you didn’t mean to go; cost more than you wanted to pay, and stay longer than you intended for them to stay. Therefore, it’s important that today we unpack this concept a little more so that you can tune out the distractions that give bad choices space in your life.
Every day we make a constant stream of decisions. Most are mundane, such as what to eat or in what order to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, such as choosing between two job offers or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life. Then others, aren’t momentous in themselves, but can lead to tragedies: A person chooses to ride with a friend who has been drinking, resulting in a serious accident. Meeting a co-worker for drinks after work that leads to an affair. The young lady who decides to participate in shots at a party, resulting in her letting down her inhibitions. She ends up pregnant or with a venereal disease. Checkmate!
On our own, we don’t have the power to live Godly lives or make Godly decisions. We have to be willing to obey the wisdom God gives us and God’s wisdom comes to us through Scriptures. When making a decision in faith God provides an opportunity to stop us if we are wrong. He can close or open doors as He leads those who are willing to be led. No, “When God closes one door, He opens another” is not in the Bible, but be encouraged knowing that God is with you, no matter the position of the door of your situation. The Bible says,
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)
He also expects spiritual brothers and sisters to be accountability partners. There’s no shame in getting help. We are the body of Christ. Building each other up is what we’re called to do. When you find yourself in a tight spot, share your situation with trusted friends who also believe in God’s power. But, choose your prayer partners carefully; the influence of friends is powerful enough to trump facts. The opinions of others really matter. The Bible provides examples of trusting friendships. God gave Daniel the wisdom to interpret the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. A wrong interpretation would have led to death. When God granted Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king’s dream, it launched Daniel’s long career as a political leader, trusted advisor, and well-known prophet. However, he first prayed with his friends. He prayed with them that God’s will be done through the decision made. Prayer was more effective than panic. Panic confirms your hopelessness; prayer confirms your hope in God.
On the other hand, Lot ignored his uncle Abram (not yet Abraham) and chooses to settle in Sodom. The Bible says in Genesis 13:8, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, . . . because we are brothers”. Nevertheless, Lot did what Lot wanted to do. He never considered the spiritual implications of moving his family to Sodom. The pull of the world looked too good to him. Ultimately, he lost everything and ended up living in a cave. He and his family paid the consequences for his bad decisions. (Remember the Butterfly Effect). See, no one is immune from the lure of the world’s choices, not even believers. Lot was a man of faith. 2 Peter 2:8 says, “Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day”. Be careful of letting your bad choices seem sexier than they really are. Choices can have eternal implications. Daniel exhibited faith, Lot exhibited self-interest.
Faith in Jesus Christ is based on trust in Jesus Christ. James 2:14-17 teaches that faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away. A life of faith leads to a better knowledge of God, self-control, patient endurance and godliness. These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them are our responsibility and must be a continual part of our growth process. Matthew 6:33 teaches us to, “seek first the kingdom of God”.Seek the Lord and wait for Him until He gives you instructions. Many in the Bible made their decisions without first seeking God’s wisdom and experienced unfavorable outcomes. The scripture continues, “then all things will be added unto you”. Right outcomes are the result of God-centered decisions. The only way we can keep his Word is to grow in His knowledge. That’s why Peter prayed that they would, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
When we ask in faith, God gives us the wisdom we need at that particular moment. We can confidently claim the promise, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5). A doubtful mind is not completely convinced that God’s way is the best way; so the better you know Jesus the better you will be able to discern right from wrong. Even mature believers will have their faith challenged. We will always need to draw closer to him. Pray to make wise, God-centered, not self-centered decisions in difficult circumstances. Then match your persistence in prayer with gratitude when your requests are answered. God gives wisdom freely to all who ask.
Again I ask, who’s informing your decision-making process?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Lord, you are my strength and my shield; in You my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give You thanks. For I know that my decisions will turn out for my deliverance through your Holy Spirit and according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, so Christ will be magnified in my every decision.
The Netflix series What / If demonstrates how one seemingly innocent decision can have a major effect on oneself and those around you. It’s called the Butterfly Effect, first stated in 1963 by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz, a pioneer in chaos theory. In essence, the flap of the butterfly’s wing is part of the initial conditions that can lead to a chain of events leading to a large-scale chain of events. So what does this mean for us? It means that every decision we make matters and effects more than just ourselves. Have you ever thought about what informs your decision-making process? Some say we make decisions based on logic; the research says decisions are based on emotions. The decisions you make are a selection from a series of choices. The real answer to what informs your decision-making process should be based on your “Why”. When you know your why, you establish clear priorities. And making the “right” choices becomes a lot easier. I heard a story from Dale Powell that highlights how understanding your “why” will help you make better choices and decisions:
“Shortly after I was released from the hospital, I met a lady who saw that I was walking with a walker and inquired what was wrong with me. I told her that I had just had my knee replaced. She said she hoped mine did not turn out like hers. Dr. So and So had really messed her up and she had been on a walker for three years. I engaged in the conversation for a while and then said I was off to physical therapy. She replied “Oh, I don’t put any faith in that. I went one time and I thought they were going to kill me. I wouldn’t waste my time.” I thought how can she blame a doctor for botching her knee if she doesn’t follow up with his advice and do therapy? If I don’t follow the doctor’s advice, he cannot control the outcome. One session of physical therapy and expecting to get well is like doing one workout and expecting to be a fitness champion. It isn’t going to happen.”
She clearly didn’t understand that consistently going to physical therapy (the decision) was to restore functionality and prevent disability (the why). Can you relate? We sometimes make bad decisions because we don’t want to make the sacrifice that will lead to a better outcome. Even when we have evaluated our options – Self wants to do what self wants to do. And because we have the free will of choice, we are also the recipients of the free consequences of those choices. I’m glad God is more invested in accomplishing His good works through us. God’s plan is not defeated by our bad decisions. God intervenes to protect the promises He has made to us. Philippians 1:6 gives us the confidence that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”.
As believers, we can put our faith in Jesus Christ and allow Him to guide our every decision. Why? He will help us maneuver the traps, distractions and challenges this life presents. Our savior has promised to provide us wisdom for right living and understanding that informs our decision-making process. It’s been said that our destiny is a compilation of the decisions we make over our lifetime. Webster defines destiny as both a predefined course of events; and as the power or agency that determines the course of events. Our goal throughout our life is to use our agency to make proper choices and decisions that keep us from delaying or derailing our destiny. How we exercise our agency is enhanced by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember last months topic – He will be with you always.
Jesus provides us wisdom and knowledge through the gift of discernment. The gift of discernment is the ability to make the best choice when confronted with a number of options. Moreover, if the researchers are correct in stating that we make decisions based on emotions, then our emotions should be informed by the Holy Spirit. In our relationship with Christ, we have a noise cancellation system. When we study and apply God’s Word to our lives; when we passionately pursue Jesus daily, the noise of the world is quieted and we can hear Him clearly. Sure, we will still know the noise is out there, but the level of the roar is reduced. However, when we ignore these basic disciplines, the noise of the world increases and can become deafening – and our lives (and possibly others) suffer because we no longer hear God’s word. We then make emotion-based decisions rather than faith-based decisions. That’s why scripture teaches us,
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
Jesus didn’t intend to remove us completely from the noise of the world with its temptations, hurts, injustices and evil. Rather He intends to protect us in the midst of these dangers, effectively canceling the world’s noise to a point where we can hear and respond to God’s Word and our lives can be lived joyfully and effectively for Him.
With this knowledge, we can be sure of His promise to give us wisdom and knowledge: to discern; to evaluate what we are thinking against the Word of God; to make good choices and to give us a door of escape. He knows our end before our beginning but in the middle, he gives us free will to make our own choices. Our choices determine the path to our destiny – quick or long, hard or easy.
Let me encourage you to, “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path”.
So, who’s informing your decision-making process?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Decisions are not easy. I make over 3,500 decisions per day; some small some large. I know you leave each decision up to me, even when you show me the path of escape from those choices that may not be best for me. Help me to first evaluate all my decisions through the lens of scripture. You promised wisdom and understanding, but I can be hard headed sometimes. Help me to listen and act on your guidance; to trust that you shall open, and none shall shut, and you shall shut, and none shall open. Let all the glory and credit go to you in everything I do.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your personal application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
In the book, “Where Is God When I Hurt?” Wilson Adams tells the story of an older couple driving along when the wife spots a newly married couple in the vehicle ahead. She exclaims, “Look at them, Harold! Would you just look at them?” She continues, “She’s all scrunched up next to him with her head on his shoulder…” She sighs, “Harold, do you remember when we used to do that? I would sit next to you with my head on your shoulder…” She sighs again. “Look at us, Harold. Just look at us! You’re way over there under the steering wheel and I’m way over here next to the door. What happened to us, Harold?” She sighs even more. Harold was a man of few words. Ten miles later, he cleared his throat and said, “I never moved.” The same is true in our relationship with the savior. God is as near to us as He has always been. It is us that from time to time lose faith and move away from Him. He has promised to never leave us but like the father in Mark 9:24 we cry out “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” In other words, we never reach self-sufficiency. Growing in faith is a constant daily renewing of our trust in Him.
To forsake another person is to leave them entirely, usually in a moment of need. I’m glad our savior has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Over 100 times in the Bible we are told God will never leave us nor forsake us. To repeat it so many times and in so many different ways, He must have known we would struggle with this concept. Scholars call it parallelism, which means to restate something several different ways for emphasis. We assume if we struggle, He must not be with us. When we narrow our focus so all we can see are the challenges along the way and the things that are going wrong, it will keep us from understanding that God is compassionate, loving and faithful to bring forth His promises to us. The lyricist says, “He is moving in your life even when you can’t see it. Maybe you just haven’t seen it yet”.
Trusting He’s With You
The Book of Acts teaches that He sent a comforter to be with us, to encourage us when we’re weak, to guide us and to help us see right from wrong. In this, we can be confident. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.”(Psalms 46:1)
I am reminded of an invitation to golf at a swank Country Club in Boca. As I was parking, the car a caddie came to the car and introduced himself as Josh. Josh took my clubs and directed me to the locker room to change. After changing my shoes and a little stretching, I headed to the driving range. Josh was waiting for me there with my clubs set up. As I worked my clubs from wedges to the driver, Josh watched closely, sometimes asking me how I thought I hit a certain club and then making notes on a card. When it was time to go to the first tee Josh told me to enjoy myself he would be carrying my clubs. Now, this is important because, on the regular courses where I golf, folks carry their own clubs or put them on an electric cart. We make decisions based on our own beliefs, thoughts, and desires. We don’t have someone guiding us. In other words, the caddie knew the course and he had an understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. He knew how far I could hit various clubs. He knew the blind spots on the course and he knew how to read the greens and advise me. When I arrived at the first tee, Josh was there waiting for me. From my car to the first tee, he was developing a relationship with me. All I had to do was to make the decision to trust Josh with my total game.
On a par 5, I had hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway. I asked for my 3-wood for the next shot over the water. Josh said, “You can’t get over, there’s wind down there. Lay up with your 5 iron”. I was going to show him, I was feeling good and swinging well. I could handle the challenge before me. I appreciated his advice but he didn’t really know me. I struck the 3-wood perfectly; the ball starting out low and rose like a plane takes off. As I posed in my finish position waiting for the ball to land in the fairway on the other side of the water – splash! The wind had held it up just as Josh had explained. He winked at me and told me not to worry; he would still guide me for the rest of the round. See Josh knew the dangers in front of me and he knew my swing. After that, I listened to Josh’s instructions for the rest of the round and played one of my best rounds of the year. I was able to accomplish this because Josh was carrying my heavy bag, giving me instructions, warning me of upcoming danger, advising me of my best option given my skill level and the situation. However, I had the free will to follow his lead or not.
It is the same in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Father has sent the Holy Spirit who is standing on the tee box waiting for you to accept Him as your life caddie. Before each shot or decision, talk it over and strategize with Him. Just like golf, life is better when we don’t play it alone. Jesus unconditionally loves you and wants to guide you around the course of life. He has provided us a yardage book, the Bible, which identifies the pitfalls of our course. It instructs us on how to prepare and how to identify for the challenges of life.
Unlike the caddie, Jesus can forgive your bad shots and wipe them off your scorecard. He wants you to reach out to Him in good times and in bad times. In the words of Ken Blanchard, “ you have a chance to have the ultimate Mulligan in your life. Someone who will forgive you for your bad shots, someone who will forgive you for your transgressions, and someone who will stand beside you and never leave you”. He promised in Matthew 28:20, “ . . . and be sure of this: I am with you always, even until the end of the age”. Always literally means all day. The Holy Spirit will never leave you. He has set you on a journey. He has a plan for your destiny. Yet, you have the free will to follow his lead or not.
Last month we celebrated His power over death. This month we celebrate His power in our lives. Now that you understand His presence in your life, you can join Smokie Norful in praising Him for never leaving you nor forsaking you:
My prayer for each of you is that you will make the pivotal choice to tee it up with God and seek to play His course. That you will embrace the plan God has for your life. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for dying on the cross for our sins; yet, we thank you even more for defeating death. Help us to always remember that you are always with us. You sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. Very much is promised to our believing. The enemy desires to deceive or destroy our belief. However, your Word teaches us that faith and belief prove to the mind, the reality of things that cannot be seen by the eye. Help us to always consult you before our every decision. You are a good God, and you only have what’s best for us.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
No one likes to wait. We hate waiting at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office and even in the fast food drive-thru. We simply don’t like to wait! Waiting is also one of the biggest challenges to our faith. “Waiting is actively engaging in the shaping of my mind and spirit into what God desires of me.”Regardless of your situation, God has work for you to do in your waiting. The story of Adam and Eve is a story of rebellion against God. Once they believed that God didn’t have their best interests in mind, they decided to go ahead without God and do what they wanted. They became, in effect, their own god. When we commit our waiting to God, we transfer our burdens onto our Father. He has promised to sustain us. That miserable, uncomfortable, sometimes painful state of silence is one of God’s most powerful tools to set us free. When we choose to wait quietly and trustingly, we not only honor God but encourage others to put their hope in him as well. Whoever you are, and no matter what you’re waiting for, remember that life is about so much more than waiting—it’s about living and believing.
April Devotion
“We can pray until our knees are numb, but if our praying isn’t accompanied by acting, then we won’t get anywhere. We need to put feet to our faith. After kneeling down, we need to stand up and step out in faith. If you want to see God move, make a move.”
Mark Batterson
The Personal Challenge of Waiting
No one likes to wait. We hate waiting at the grocery store, at the doctor’s office and even in the fast food drive-thru. We simply don’t like to wait! And waiting for an answer from God can be an even bigger challenge. We know God only lends His name to those things that are in harmony with His character. We feel our prayers are in alignment with His Word and yet we haven’t heard a word about our specific prayers. We’ve prayed and cried; cried and prayed and nothing seems to change. How do we deal with the faith testing time of “waiting” for the answer? Waiting is one of the biggest challenges to our faith. I understand this challenge oh so well. I myself am currently in a stage of waiting. Asking God for direction, looking for answers, and expecting some upcoming changes. Feeling deep, complex emotions while waiting, especially for significant things, is not necessarily sinful in itself. The problem comes when we decide to allow those emotions to overtake us. The hardest part is that things are completely out of our control. For those who like to be in control, that’s not always an easy pill to swallow.
John Piper in Future Grace The Purifying Power of the Promises of God says, “Waiting on the Lord is the opposite of running ahead of the Lord, and it’s the opposite of bailing out on the Lord. It’s staying at your appointed place while He says stay, or it’s going at his appointed pace while he says go. It’s not impetuous, and it’s not despairing.”
When speaking to my mentor John Adams he says, “Waiting is actively engaging in the shaping of my mind and spirit into what God desires of me.”Initially, that sounded contrary to Webster’s definition of waiting. In addition, in the midst of the wait and pressure, it was hard for me to accept this view of waiting. See, this is not a worldview but a spiritual view. Waiting can actually be a positive that God uses to make us more like Jesus. God works on a very different timetable. In his mind, there is nothing wrong with waiting. When God does not seem to be answering our prayers sometimes we stop praying, stop expecting him to act, while giving way to a spirit of cynicism, rather than thanking God for who he is and all he has done for us. While God may not answer in our timing or in the way we expect, he will accomplish his good purposes in our lives when we persevere in prayer and praise. Remember, He works all things together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
It’s important that we guard our hearts and mind during our time of waiting. As we wait, we should be content in spite of our circumstances. The daily operation of God’s Word involves the mind. I pray you realize it’s an honor and a privilege to actively wait on the Lord. Susannah Spurgeon, the wife of Charles Spurgeon, counseled her own heart with these words:
“The Lord has strewn the pages of God’s Word with promises of blessedness to those who wait for Him. And remember, His slightest Word stands fast and sure; it can never fail you. So, my soul, see that you have a promise underneath thee, for then your waiting will be resting and a firm foothold for your hope will give you confidence in Him who has said, ‘They shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.’”
In Psalms 37, David exhorts us to be patient and guard against cynicism as we actively wait. He realized that in our period of waiting our mind can play tricks on us.
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!”
Psalms 37:1
God knows our minds are tempted to drift while we wait. We can allow our minds to churn with crazy thoughts about others. We live in a world where everyone is always comparing himself or herself to the other person. What they have or what we don’t have. Social media exacerbates this because on Facebook or Instagram it seems everyone has such a great life. We see post of them traveling, doing great things with friends, experiencing only the best of life. As we compare our lives, we can sink into a deeper funk. We might wonder why we have to go through this while someone else seems to be receiving all the blessings of God. I accepted you as my Savior. Why isn’t my life perfect or at least as luxurious?
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.”
Psalms 37:3
Regardless of your situation, God has work for you to do in your waiting. Do not let your waiting keep you from being useful. Instead, take whatever comfort you are receiving from God, and begin searching for others who need it. When we serve others it becomes a distraction to our problems.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalms 37:4
When we continue to praise and worship Him, He will help us endure. In the wilderness, Moses reminded the Israelites where their provision came from.
“He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 8:3
In your wilderness of waiting, remember God has not left you. He is preparing you to receive His best.
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Psalms 37:5
When we commit our waiting to God, we transfer the burdens of our waiting onto our Father. He has promised to sustain us. “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”(Psalms 55:22) Every time you start to feel burdened, anxious or overwhelmed by something in your life, it is because you haven’t given it over to Him in the first place, or if you have, you don’t want to wait and have tried to take back control. This action will always lead to feelings of heaviness because He never designed us to take on what He has promised to care for.
The Bible Teaches Us To Appreciate Waiting
Perhaps the Bible talks so much about waiting because God wants us to know that waiting is far from a passive activity in which we do nothing. In fact, Scripture teaches us that God wants us to actively participate in the work He desires to accomplish. Waiting strategically can cultivate good fruit in our lives such as patience, perseverance, and endurance. It also draws us closer to our Savior and points those who are watching us as their gospel. James 1:2-8 tells us to, “Consider it all joy when trials come . . .”
The Bible is filled with examples of believers, who waited and held on in spite of their situation. Think about Job, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David. All had to wait for many years for God’s promises. They held to their faith, even when it seemed pointless and useless. Romans 8:25 – “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”When they reached their promise, they were blessed beyond measure.
Alternatively, the story of Adam and Eve is a story of rebellion against God. Once they believed that God didn’t have their best interests in mind, they decided to go ahead without God and do what they wanted. They became, in effect, their own god. Too often, this is exactly what we do today. When God tells us to wait, we don’t trust Him, but go ahead and find ways to accomplish what we want to happen. Their decision broke their relationship and fellowship with God. As descendants of Adam, we all now suffer from this separation from God and are considered children of wrath (Eph. 2:1-3).
God wants us to learn how to follow him and put down our demanding, overly anxious, selfish selves. One way He helps us do this is to say, “Wait.” That miserable, uncomfortable, sometimes painful state of silence is one of God’s most powerful tools to set us free. David understood this concept and voiced it in his psalm of praise, Psalm 62:5-8:
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
How To Actively Wait?
Linda Green, in Unlocking the Bible says, “We can be tempted to put our hope in things that may disappoint us in the end. We can hope a doctor will heal us, a teacher will pass us, a spouse will love us, our employer will reward us, or a friend will help us. But it is only when we put our hope in Christ that we can wait with confidence and know we will not be put to shame. It seems that God allows us to experience disappointments in life to teach us that nothing else will truly satisfy or provide us with a firm foundation to stand upon. God’s Word alone is unshakable. We can wait for the Lord knowing that, no matter how dark the night, His light will break through in our lives, bringing abundant joy through a more intimate relationship with Christ.”
Seasons of waiting reveal where we are placing our trust. Can we resist fretting, refrain from anger, be still, and choose patience (Psalm 37:7-8).
It’s easy to say we trust God, but our response to delays, frustrations, and difficult situations exposes where we actually are placing our hope.
Are we convinced God is listening?
Do we believe he’s good?
Do we accept that our circumstances are ordained of God?
Do we doubt he really cares about us?
When we choose to wait quietly and trustingly, we not only honor God but encourage others to put their hope in him as well. Yes, someone is watching how you respond. You may be the only Bible they see.
A friend once said, “Have you ever seen a Desert Flower? It grows in harsh conditions, extreme heat and cold and in parched earth. We’ve all been that Desert Flower at one point at work and in life. I’m talking gut-wrenching toxicity. An environment that perpetually calls on you to sacrifice your joy, sleep, inner peace, even your health, and goes against your very values, for people who don’t deserve it.” Like the Desert Flower, if we apply the right Biblical strategies we too can survive.
The Desert Flower survives because its root system has adapted FROM its environment. It has learned succulence, drought tolerance and drought avoidance. For us, our succulence is the Holy Spirit, which sustains us. And just as the Desert Flower stores water to survive, we are called to allow the Holy Spirit to rain on our lives. The Desert Flower is able to withstand desiccation without dying or drought tolerance because their roots are deep and extensive. So are we to be actively deep in our Word, prayer, fasting and praise. Unlike an annual plant that channels all of their energy into the current season, the Desert Flower practices drought avoidance. It understands struggle, waiting and dry seasons will come. We are not to get caught up in bad theology: the belief that as believers we won’t have troubles; Prosperity Gospel, or that we need someone to intercede to the Father on our behalf. We must also understand as believers we are in this world but not of this world. Avoid the droughts that lead to disappointment. The desert environment may seem hostile, but this is purely an outsider’s viewpoint. Adaptation enables the Desert Flower to not merely survive, but to thrive! I beseech you brothers, to understand your environment and adapt FROM it to thrive in your season of waiting.
I look back at the times of waiting, and I see that God was using the waiting to prepare me, to change me and to use me. I am learning the process of waiting has been just as important as the end result. Rather than doing nothing, I wish I had taken a more active approach during this time. Now, while I wait, I’m learning to deepen my trust in Him and to remind myself of His faithfulness. If I could know what He knows, I would choose His plan every single time. The bottom line is that worry equals a lack of trust in God. Do I really trust Him? I want my mind to say yes, even when my heart says no. If God is God, He can be trusted. I want to move in that direction during my times of waiting in my dry and weary place.
Now that I’m waiting again on something different, I am asking God to reveal to me the areas of my life that need work and prepare me for what’s to come; make me like the Desert Flower. I don’t want to waste this time anymore. Right now, through the struggle, through the pain, through the loneliness, through the chaos, through the wait He has already won, and He’s moving me in that glorious direction. No matter where I am, I want a life that’s marked not by waiting, but by worshiping. He deserves that and so much more. Whoever you are, and no matter what you’re waiting for, remember that life is about so much more than waiting—it’s about living and believing.
I ask you to join with me in an April 30-day challenge. Memorize or focus on one of these scriptures for 3 straight days and then move to the next one. These will encourage you while you wait patiently and while you continue praising Him. After 30 days, you will begin to measure the size of your problems by the size of your God:
Romans 12:12 –“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Exodus 14:14 – “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Isaiah 30:18 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
2 Peter 3:8 – “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”
Nehemiah 8:10 – “This day is holy to our Lord.Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Lamentations 3:25 – “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,to the one who seeks him”
Micah 7:7 – “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,I wait for God my Savior;my God will hear me”
Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight”
With these assurances and understandings of how we actively wait let our good brother Marvin Sapp, a 2009 initiate, encourage you:
Jesus Is The Ultimate Display Of Actively Waiting
Adam and Eve couldn’t wait and separated us from a perfect relationship with the Father. This month as believers prepare to celebrate Easter Sunday; there is no better story of remaining active while waiting than the story of Jesus stepping down from divinity to take on humanity. While He waited He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind. He ministered to those who did not know His father. He lived a life that was an example for all to follow. Yet in His humanity, in the Garden of Gethsemane He became weak and prayed that God would take away what He had to do. But while He waited, He surrendered to the will of God . . . “Not my will but your will be done.”(Luke 22:42) His was for the greatest sacrifice anyone can make. The Bible says, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”(John 15:13) Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He became human, lived, died and rose again to both reconcile us to God and to demonstrate a new humanity saved from sin and broken relationships. It is now only through God’s grace that anyone can restore his or her relationship with Him.
When Jesus was crucified on Good Friday His disciples must have been very discouraged, confused and grief stricken. It is quite amazing that they did not leave Jerusalem to return to their own homes. Even though the Apostles didn’t completely understand how the Scriptures were to be fulfilled their faith, love, and loyalty, despite their fear, kept them in Jerusalem for three days to witness the Resurrection. Like the disciples, we can be active in the things we know to do while we wait – the rhythms of prayer, evangelism, and discipleship that flow from our faith.
What a moment of sanctifying faith for this small band of believers when Jesus rose from the dead. His promise had been fulfilled. But little did they know that the coming of the Holy Spirit, would equip them in a way that would be even better than walking and talking with Him in person. The Holy Spirit would equip them to be his witnesses to “Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8) Next month we will explore the Holy Spirit because Jesus promised He Will Never Leave You Or Forsake You.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to release all our concerns to you. We know that you have promised to take care of us, so we desire to rest in your assurance. We pray for your peace and contentment in spite of our circumstances. Forgive us our sins of impatience, cynicism, anxiousness, doubt, fear or lack of trust. Help us to be like the Desert Flower. We know your Resurrection is our guarantee that justice will triumph over treason, light will overcome darkness, and love will conquer death. So as we wait to hear from you; help us to continue worshiping and praising you because your working things for our good. We praise you in thisEasterseason. Change our lives; change our hearts that we may maximize every second of the day to be salt and light to others. And to be messengers ofEasterjoy and hope.
Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice on the cross. Words can’t fully express our gratitude. So we strive to let our actions be our words.
“True prayer is not the noisy sound that clamorous lips repeat, but the deep silence of a soul that clasps Jehovah’s feet.” God’s promises are a gift to us paid for in full on the cross by Jesus Christ. Although His promises have been paid for, we still have to talk to Him in prayer. Seeking solitude was an important priority for Jesus. He made room in his busy schedule to be alone with the Father. Spending time with God in prayer nurtures a vital relationship with Him and equips us to meet life’s challenges and struggles. You are coming to your heavenly Father who knows you better than anyone else. Come to Him in intimacy not with your hand out. Don’t allow yourself to try and back Jesus into a corner by saying “you promised”. He has a plan for your life and when it’s time and your request aligns with His will, you will receive what you ask. God will pick up the slack when you choose to worship Him instead of chasing stuff. Not asking for the quick fix to make us feel better, but that His will be done.
March Devotion
Pursuing Critical Conversations with God
Why is it that our prayers only become urgent, fervent, passionate, desperate, and unceasing in the midst of great pain or situation. Is it because a lot of us still don’t understand who Jesus is? If we did, we would be talking to Him a lot more regularly. We may have found ourselves in situations so desperate that we have uttered almost a primal cry to God for help or relief. Then again, we may be people who live by prayer, having plumbed the depths of relationship with God, through the communion of prayer. Jesus told the disciples,
“If anyone does not get his life from Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you get your life from Me and My Words live in you, ask whatever you want. It will be done for you”. John 15:6-7 NLV
What does it mean when Jesus says, “If you get your life from me”? Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which, briefly stated, means that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him. Imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying that may follow.
“We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. “No man can come to me,” said our Lord, “except the Father which hath sent me draw him”(John 6:44), and it is by this prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for the act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him. All the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholdeth me.” (Psalms 18:35) Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking. Moses used the fact that he knew God as an argument for knowing Him better. “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight”(Exodus 33:13); and from there he rose to make the daring request, “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory” (33:18). God was frankly pleased by this display of ardor, and the next day called Moses into the mount, and there in solemn procession made all His glory pass before him. Davids life was a torrent of spiritual desire, and his psalms ring with the cry of the seeker and the glad shout of the finder. Paul confessed the mainspring of his life to be his burning desire after Christ. “That I may know him” (Philippians 3:10), was the goal of his heart, and to this, he sacrificed everything. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (3:8).”[1]
These three Heroes of Faith, who you read about last month in your study of Hebrews 11, followed hard after God letting the Lord alone be the object of their prayer. Theologian Charles Spurgeon said, “Prayer when rightly performed, all the faculties of the spiritual man are called into devotional action. Reverently hearing the word exercises our humility, instructs our faith, irradiates us with joy, inflames us with love, inspires us with zeal, and lifts us up towards heaven”.[2] So let the Lord alone be the object of your prayer
Spurgeon further taught, “Prayer is the tool of the great potter by which he molds the vessel. All our libraries and studies are mere emptiness compared with our [prayer] closets. We grow, we wax mighty, we prevail in private-prayer. Your prayers will be your ablest assistants while your discourses are yet upon the anvil. How wonderfully were the books opened to Daniel when he was in supplication! How much Peter learned upon the housetop! The closet is the best study. The commentators are good instructors, but the Author himself is far better, and prayer makes a direct appeal to him and enlists him in our cause. Waiting upon God often turns darkness into light. Persevering inquiry at the sacred oracle uplifts the veil and gives the grace to look into the deep things of God. How much of blessing we may have missed through remissness in supplication we can scarcely guess, and none of us can know how poor we are in comparison with what we might have been if we had lived habitually nearer to God in prayer. Vain regrets and surmises are useless, but an earnest determination to amend will be far more useful. We not only ought to pray more, but we must.”
The Protocol of Connecting To God
From the perspective of God’s prophetic plan for history, we can see that God always fulfills His promises for His people. It may not be in our time or in our way, but God always keeps His promises. This should encourage us to pray. You may wonder, “Why pray if God has promised to do it? Won’t it happen anyway?” God’s purposes will happen, but prayer is the protocol of connecting with the spirit of God. Prayer is how you birth your promise.
Those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells will realize his promises. It’s the same spirit that dwelled in the disciples; the same Holy Spirit that dwelled within the Heroes of Faith. Hebrews 11 should have helped you understand that faith was revealed because they believed, conceived, and then received. The disciples understood the power and purpose of prayer. That it would be how they would communicate with Jesus after he ascended into heaven. So they asked him “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Let’s stroll through the Lord’s Prayer, unpacking the structure, meaning, language, and today’s cultural relevance.
He taught them six purposes filled petitions. Notice it begins with worship:
Praise – “Holy is your name”;
Priorities – “Thy will be done”;
Provision – “Give us this day”;
Pardon – “Forgive us our sins”;
Protection – “Deliver us from evil”;
Proclamation – “Yours is the kingdom”.
You should be struck by the fact that He asks us to put the interest of the kingdom before our own. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Let’s park there for a minute and unpack what Jesus was teaching them. Often we ask God to bless OUR kingdom, i.e. to do OUR will. Well, that is not what God is doing. If all you want is another miracle so you can feel better or have more money, that is not kingdom work. We addressed this bad theology last month. That’s not about the kingdom. God is after His kingdom, not after making you and I rich.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. The will of God in heaven is perfect. This world we live in is failed and filled with trouble. The rebellion and revolt of satan caused he and one-third of the angels to be expelled from heaven. This rebellion has spilled over into humanity. Satan got Adam and Eve to think, “did God really say this was wrong”Satin has gotten people, today, to believe in their own truth and treat the Word of God as a smorgasbord of truths from which to pick and choose. We live in a world where individuals think they can be their own authority. Jesus wants us to pray to God for restoration. We should ask Him to fulfill the promises to save, restore, heal and strengthen His people for His glory. Invite Him to make His agenda your agenda. Submit your kingdom to become His kingdom.
The Lord did instruct us to pray for our personal needs (our daily bread), but only after we pray for His name to be hallowed, His kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. When you have come to this reality, you will ask for your provision, not your stuff. You will pray for your need and not your greed. Matthew 6:33 complements this thought, seek Him first, and everything else will be added. Most of the stuff we worry about has no eternal significance anyway. This petition of the Lord’s Prayer, then, teaches us to come to God in a spirit of humble dependence, asking Him to provide what we need and to sustain us from day to day. We are not given license to ask for great riches, but we are encouraged to make our needs known to Him, trusting that He will provide.[3]Too often, our prayers are more like a shopping list than a conversation.
Communicating Best When It Matters Most
Praying in the name of Jesus is powerful because when we pray in His name, we pray with His authority. God promises to answer whatever we ask in His name according to His will. This is why we must know the will of God in order to pray with the authority of Jesus.
Therefore, do not be unwise, butunderstandwhat the will of the Lordis.
Ephesians 5:17
This truth is wonderful because we have the assurance that He hears our prayers. Through prayer, in His name, we shall make known among the nations what He has done. Develop the discipline of spending time alone with God. It will help you grow spiritually and become more and more like Christ.
But be careful, we cannot use the concept of the “power of faith” as a means of getting what we want. That would be redefining faith from “a trust in a holy and sovereign God despite our circumstances” to “a way of controlling God to give us what we want.” Faith becomes a force whereby we can get what we want rather than an abiding trust in God even during times of trials and suffering. Remember, His answer could be not now. It may be a test of your faith to draw you closer or to change your perspective. Job who suffered tremendously proclaimed, ”Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) Can you trust Him when you can’t trace Him?
Praying In The Holy Spirit
Here’s a personal test for you. If you go day-to-day, week-to-week or month to month without bringing up the name of Jesus to anyone then the Holy Spirit is not with you. How can you ask for something from someone you don’t know? God communicates with us through the Holy Spirit, in the form of good thoughts and ideas or peaceful, comforting feelings. When we feel those things, it means God is encouraging us, showing us the truth, and giving us direction.
Everyone will feel the Holy Spirit in their own way. In the Bible, it’s often described as a “still small voice,” (see 1 Kings 19:11–12) that almost seems to whisper to your mind. If your prayer is relational, intimate and personal then like Peter and the disciples on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will radiate from you.
[14] But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. [15] “For these are not drunk, as you suppose since it is only the third hour of the day. [16] “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:[17] ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; . . .
[21] And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’
[33] “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. [34] “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, [35] Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ [37] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” [38] Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.
Acts 2:14-39 (NKJV)
Have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill and control you today? He will, if that’s your prayer. Next month we will deal with the Holy Spirit to help you understand its role in fulfilling His promise to always be with us.
[1]Excerpts from A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Moody Publisher, Chicago, 1948
[2]Excerpts from Charles Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students, Volume 1,
[3]R.C. Sproul, What Does “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Mean?, Aug 31, 2016
Dear Heavenly Father, This prayer is a little different.
Normally our idea of prayer is doing all the talking, but friends don’t have conversations like that. There’s give and take, speaking and listening. Therefore, we are going to read, one at a time, each of the things you have promised us. Then we will spend a few minutes listening to hear what you have to say to us about it. We may have questions or comments, but we believe that’s ok because this is meant to be a conversation with you. You said,
If you’ll give me your whole life, you’ll find the life you’ve always hungered for.
My purpose in your life is to give you a rich and satisfying life.
I sacrificed my life for you, and I’ll never stop fighting for you, no matter what.
I know you, and I’ve given you the ability to know me.
Wherever I am, I want you to be with me.
I want to fill you and your life with joy.
Father, we thank you for spending this time with us. These are not the normal prayers we send up to you. We are coming to the understanding that the promise is always preceded by the sacrifice. Change our hearts, change our minds and give us the courage to live a life that is pleasing to you. We trust that you will fulfill our every need and whatever you are giving, we’re taking. If our wants are not of you, we don’t want them. Thank you for these promises for us, Jesus. Amen.
Thank you for allowing me to speak into your life. Hey, spend a few moments of quiet time discovering your application of what you just read by clicking this link myTime with God
You can have what is promised, in the Bible, if you are willing to seek out His Word, believe His Word, and do His Word. In other words, live a life pleasing to God. Jesus’ words do not promise prosperity but it does guarantee God’s provision. If we are going to receive God’s promises in our lives, we must make sure what we are asking God agrees with the Word and not with our circumstances. You can’t take carnality into your promise land. It requires consistency in your lifestyle; consecration in your focus; and separation from your past, people and perspectives. Jesus did not come to give us health, wealth and happiness. He came to save us from our sins to fulfill his ultimate promise, an eternity with Him. His promises help us on our journey. Our contentment comes through resting in Him, not in an abundance of stuff.
February Devotion
How are your New Year resolutions coming along so far? Almost half of New Year’s resolutions fail in two weeks. By summer, most will fail. Have you broken yours yet? I am thankful we can consistently depend on the unfailing promises of God. God always keeps His promises—the same today as He did in the days of the Bible. Yet some people become discouraged because they fail to see results after asking for His assurance. We can avoid frustration by understanding how Scripture teaches us to claim His promises. The promises of God should not be taken out of context or the gospel message distorted for our own selfish motives. Alarm at the gate, most of us have been taught bad theology. “Name it and claim it”. “Sow a seed”. “Blab it and grab it”. “Donate a window in the church to have your sins forgiven”. “Give up something for Lent and you’re guaranteed to become a better person.” That’s not how God’s promises work. His promises are reserved for those who are willing to truly believe in Him. Consider how this idea of prosperity plays out in the world. There are countless believers who live in poverty. Jesus’ words do not promise prosperity but God’s provision. Our contentment comes through resting in Him, not in an abundance of stuff. Having all our material desires met won’t make us any happier or more content, even though our sin nature will try to convince us otherwise. God will meet our needs—and He will often do it in unexpected ways. We trust Him to provide in His timing and in the way that is best for us. If we are going to receive God’s promises in our lives, we must make sure what we are asking God agrees with the Word and not with our circumstances. You can’t take carnality into your promise land. It requires consistency in your lifestyle; consecration in your focus; and separation from your past, people and perspectives.
To understand how God’s promises work you have to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises,” (Hebrews 6:12). This month I ask you to study the consistency of the heroes of faith in Hebrew 11 to understand how faith was demonstrated that lead to receiving the promises of God. As you study you will see God doesn’t care about your car, your house, your job, who wins the game, or who you would be able to help if you won the lottery. That line of thinking is antithetical to the true gospel message and the clear teaching of Scripture. He is concerned with is your Destiny – your ability to overcome evil, your peace of mind in the midst of the vicissitudes of life, your ability to help others see Him through you.
This year we must move beyond the spiritual welfare system. The belief that everything you ask of God will be given unto you. To receive his promises you have to understand the “way”. You don’t get to pick the way. He has provided, in His Word, His will and the way. How you live your life will determine when and if you are ready to receive His promises. God will not bless a relationship He is not involved in.
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Luke 6:46-49
Man’s biggest challenge is that they want God’s benefits but don’t want a relationship. There are those who say, “Lord, give me what I need today,” but never get around to, “Lord, make me what you want me to be today.” He’s also not excited about people who say, “Lord, give me recognition on my job even though I’m too ashamed to give You glory among my co-workers”; or, “Lord, give me more money in my pocket even though I can’t make any available to Your kingdom”; or, “Lord, sharpen my skills even though I won’t use them for Your kingdom.” Jesus wants you to learn His sufficiency for your need, His strength in your trials, and His power over your archenemy, satin. Bishop Arthur M. Brazier used to say, “Jesus is not a celestial Santa Clause. He wants you to focus on his message not the goodies. He is not just whom we go to for our petty desires”. A mature faith builds an ever-evolving relationship with Him throughout our earthly lives. In Letters From The Exile, the transactional view of God is summarized this way, “When we, even unintentionally, communicate and internalize the idea that God works merely in transactions, we also communicate the idea that our hearts and attitudes play no part in the whole affair. We lose a sense of God’s unpredictability and mystery – that He works in ways we rarely understand or expect. We lose a sense of His character, because we turn Him into an impersonal force of the universe, dispensing rewards for the right tokens and withholding them for the wrong ones”.
To receive God’s promises requires you to change your perspective. Are you pursuing the things of God with a passion wherein it’s your highest priority? Instead of being consumed with the temporary things of this world, we are called to be consumed with a desire for God and for the things of God. It’s not that the cares of this life are unimportant; even Jesus invited us to pray for these things: “Give us today our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). But as we focus on Christ and pursue Him with obedience, He takes care of everything else.
Now I must ask you who are you spending your time with? To receive God’s promises requires you to evaluate whom you hang with because who you hang with determines who you are. Pay attention to their lives, what they read, topics of their conversations, and what they value. Are they helping you draw closer to God or pulling you further away from Him? Paul called us to strive to be like other believers so that each follower would know more of God’s peace.
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
We can trust and believe that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth or in heaven he will always supply. Brothers, there’s a huge difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalms 23:1
When evaluating a biblical promise, we should ask ourselves:
Am I asking for this promise with a spirit of submission to the will of God?
Might an answer to my petition harm another person or interfere with God’s will for his/her life?
Does the Holy Spirit bear witness to my spirit that God is pleased by my request?
Does it contradict the Word of God?
Will my desire advance my spiritual growth?
If we claim the Lord’s promises with a right spirit and pure motives, we will honor Him, receive what we ask, and grow in intimacy with our loving Father.
My brothers, Jesus did not come to give us health, wealth and happiness. He came to save us from our sins to fulfill his ultimate promise, an eternity with Him. His promises help us on our journey. God’s promises are a gift to us paid for in full on the cross by Jesus Christ. Although His promises have been paid for, we still have to talk to Him in prayer. So next month we will focus on the subject – God has promised to answer your prayers. The second we ask God in faith the petitions of our heart; those petitions become ours at that moment even though we have to wait for them to materialize (Mark 11:24).
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for preparing us to receive your promises in this New Year. For helping us to understand that the promise is always preceded by the sacrifice. Change our hearts, change our minds and give us the courage to live a life that is pleasing to you. We trust that you will fulfill our every need and whatever you are giving, we’re taking. If our wants are not of you, we don’t want them.
Each year brings about fresh new hopes and expectations. In the transition, we stop and take stock of our lives setting out to make the current year better than the last. We make physical, emotional, and intellectual resolutions as a method of restarting ourselves. Mr. Webster defines a resolution as,
“A firm decision to do or not to do something; Finding an answer or solution to a conflict or problem.”
While it’s not a bad idea to take a look at our lives, these resolutions are usually very self-centered and we assume that on our own we can accomplish what we set forth. Year after year, when February rolls around, those resolutions are often left by the wayside or don’t quite turn out as we had planned.
I believe the challenge we face when it comes to keeping New Year’s resolutions is that we chose the wrong definition on which to base these resolutions. I prefer Webster’s alternative definition of a resolution:
“The process or capability of making distinguishable an object or source of light.”
In other words, it’s coming to an understanding of who is our source of light. God is more concerned with who we are becoming than the secular achievements we seek. Throughout the Bible, God has revealed his promises to us. These are his firm decisions to solve the problem or conflict we face daily. Therefore, our resolutions should focus on preparing ourselves to participate in the favor associated with His promises. The favor of God is not about our good plans or ideas. Here are a few of those promises that should transform our resolutions into lifestyle choices. He promised:
To save and protect you
To lead and direct your steps
To fight for you
To make a way for you
To answer your prayers
To give you wisdom and understanding
To fill you with hope
To strengthen you with power
To bless you with good things
To be faithful to the end.
This year we can escape the traps we usually fall into by following the Bible’s instruction to examine our lives regularly and to seek God’s help to become better persons every day. The Bible says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord”(Lamentations 3:40). The Bible also tells us how to examine ourselves by, “Setting your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). Brothers, setting our mind to see through God’s eternal perspective, will help us discern what is most important.
Our resolutions will then be guided by God’s will that we, as 1 Peter 1:12 – 19 instructs, walk in holiness:
13 So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you.14 Now that you are obedient children of God do not live as you did in the past. You did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted.15 But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy.16 It is written in the Scriptures: “You must be holy, because I am holy.”[a] 17 You pray to God and call him Father, and he judges each person’s work equally. So while you are here on earth, you should live with respect for God.18 You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb.
In other words, if we seek first the Kingdom of God everything else will fall into its place. Then your emotional, physical and intellectual resolutions will be grounded in His promises. The Holy Spirit will guide us to “pursue [resolutions of] righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). Paul understood this principle and confidently said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:3). It was because of the goals set and accomplished by the Old Testament witness of Moses, David, Solomon, Esther, Ruth and the New Testament witness of Jesus Christ Himself. They all got after their goals by pursuing holiness with God’s strength and wisdom.
God’s hasn’t promised us victory without a battle, but the promises are true and the trials of the earth will seem light and momentary in comparison to the great glory that is to come. Moses was to guide the Israelites to the promised land. He trusted in God to provide him the confidence and provision to make it happen. David was able to slay the giant and establish Jerusalem as the capital because he was a man after God’s own heart. Solomon was successful because he prayed to God for wisdom in his decision-making. Esther selflessly fulfilled God’s law to bear one another’s burden by giving herself for the sake of her people. Ruth, who chose to become a faithful part of the community of God’s people, demonstrated that Gentiles were a part of God’s redemptive plan. Jesus, who accomplished the ultimate resolution, was crucified for our iniquities and by His stripes we are set free from the bondage of sin.
Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice
Jesus had enjoyed all the splendor of heaven as God (Phili. 2: 7, 8). Jesus set aside his standing with his father to intercede on our behalf. Jesus offered himself as a sin offering for all the sins of man (Heb. 10: 1-10, 12, 14). Jesus said, “For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26: 28, cp. Acts 2: 38). He became the sacrificial “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” (Jn. 1: 29).
Jesus accomplished grace and salvation for humankind
Grace is defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. Grace came by Jesus (Jn. 1: 17). Jesus came “that man might have life and have it more abundantly”(Jn. 10: 10). However, my brothers, this eternal life is not unconditional. If eternal life or salvation were unconditional, as some teach, all men would be saved. Scripture teaches, only a relatively few will be saved (Matt. 7: 13, 14). You must believe, repent, confess Christ’s deity, and be baptized for the remission of sins to appropriate God’s grace (Jn. 8: 24, Acts 17: 30, 31, Rom. 10: 9, 10, Acts 2: 38).
Allow the spirit of God inside of you to realize what really matters, to keep you on track and to bring every area of your life under the control of Jesus Christ with this Year’s resolutions. Very simply, it is coming to the place where you think, judge, and react biblically to every situation. When it is the rule and not the exception for you to apply the Bible to your life; when you place every area of your life under the lordship of Jesus Christ; when you can say in everything, “Here I am, Lord. What do You want me to do?” then you are focusing on resolutions that please Jesus Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father, at times we are unsure of what holiness looks like, so allow your spirit to fall upon us to teach us what holiness is. Our spirits are willing but the flesh is weak, so grant us the strength to walk in holiness. We thank you for your Word, which provides us examples of those you have used to accomplish your will. We invite you into our hearts to purge the former lusts so that we can be the person that you have called us to be, a person that walks in your holiness. We trust you, as your ways are higher than our own. Our resolutions may fail but you are unfailing. As you have been faithful in the past, be faithful again.
A devotional for the brothers of the Iota Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi
My sands, the honorable Judge “JQ” Harmon, asked me if I would create a monthly devotional that provides inspiration to the brothers. I was humbled by this request after realizing he was serious. When I asked what to write about, he and Deacon Holland said to start with New Years Resolutions. I spent time in prayer for guidance on what God would want my uncommon friends to hear, through me. I was led to the umbrella subject “The Promises of God”. Following the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 2019 will be dedicated to unpacking in real and relevant ways the joy and confidence in understanding God’s promises. When we come to understand who He is and the promises made to us, living a life pleasing to him will become less challenging.
Each month I will cover different promises with a goal of encouraging you in your daily walk. so that you may be joyful and confident in this Great Affirmation:
“For ALL the Promises of God in Him [Christ Jesus] are Yes, and in Him [Christ Jesus] Amen, to the Glory of God through us”
2 Corinthians 1:20
Every claim in faith upon every Promise of God results with a “Yes!” answer. God will never provide a negative answer to prayer — IF His Conditions are met. The LORD can answer in a way that results differently than we had expected, but He will never answer with a “No,” if we pray His Way. He can answer with a “wait”, as in, “Therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you” (Isaiah 30:18), or He can answer with “be patient”, as in, “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the Coming of the LORD” (James 5:7). He can give an answer that is better than what you had expected, as in, “Him that is able to do Exceeding Abundantly Above All that we ask or think, according to the Power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
My prayer for you, like Paul’s, is that you gain a spirit of wisdom and revelation:
I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers, asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. I pray also that you will have a greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people.
Ephesians 1:15-18
I walk in expectancy of the promises each of you will receive.
