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All Things Are Possible To You

 

 

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit”
1 Corinthians 6:17

 

No one argues with the Scripture which says, “. . . with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Yet the same New Testament also says, “. . .  all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).

 

Are these Scriptures equally true? Could one be a statement of fact and the other a misconception? A falsehood? No! Both statements are fact.

 

All things are possible to him that believeth. It helps me as I drive down the road to say that. Whatever this year holds, I know You hold me. Nothing is impossible for You! It helps me when I face a seemingly impossible situation to say aloud, “All things are possible to him that believeth. And I believe.”

 

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You Are A New Creature

“. . . but though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day”
(2 Corinthians 4:16)

 

In the New Birth, our spirits are recreated, our bodies are not. It is in our spirit where all things have become new. We still have the same bodies we always had. There is a man who lives inside the body. Paul calls him “the inward man of the heart” (1 Peter 3:4).

 

This man is hidden to the physical eye. No one can see the real you – the inward man. They may think they do but they only see the house you live in. You are on the inside looking out. The same thing is true with the people you know; you’ve never really seen the real man on the inside.

 

When a man’s house is decaying, the real man still lives. The real man never dies. It is this inward man who is born into the family of God, who is in perfect union with the Master.
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Praying With Anger – Part 1

 

 

“Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.”

Attachment is the emotional dependence we put in situations, objects, or people. Strong attachments come in many forms—including overindulgence in or pursuit of food and drink, sex, power, control, fame, even principles or ideas—and can manifest in potentially harmful ways.

In our desire to control the external, we may lose control over the internal. The more we want to control things, others, or situations, the angrier we may become when things don’t turn out the way we expected.

Anger is the defeat of expectations. Handling anger properly is a critical life skill for Christians. Anger can cripple communication between two people, rip apart families, and relationships in churches. God’s Word not only teaches how to deal with anger but also how to overcome sinful anger.

Anger can become sinful when it is motivated by pride (James 1:20), when it is unproductive and thus distorts God’s purposes (1 Corinthians 10:31), or when anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27).

One obvious sign that anger has turned to sin is when, instead of attacking the problem at hand, we attack the “perceived” wrongdoer. Ephesians 4:15-19 says we are to speak the truth in love and use our words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words to pour from our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common characteristic of fallen man (Romans 3:13-14).

The reason there is a war among us is because there is a war inside us. Our desires for what we define as our pleasures, comforts, and rights have been placed above everything else.

Did we forget, when we suffer for righteousness sake we are blessed. We demonstrate who God is to a watching world when we think about others above ourselves and serving rather than being served. I can hear you saying, yea but “they” are trying to take our freedoms. “They” are trying to control us. “They” are . . . but those aren’t my words, 1 Peter 3:14 tells us, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.”

Instead of holding onto anger, pray for the person who angers you. The key is to convert your anger into love for others because of the grace of God. This is one key where we can change our feelings towards another by doing a loving deed.

It’s the influence of the church that will ensures our witness is effective. Remember, people listen to what we do, not what we say. Let’s not give people reason to stop listening.

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We Believe, Help Our Unbelief

 

This prayer is for everyone whose been calling on the name of the Lord for a fresh touch in their homes, and in their cities. The Bible says, before you call I’ll answer. And while you are speaking I’ll yet hear:

 

Lord, We don’t have much to give, but we want to give you all we have. Jesus, you are the reason we live, still we need your grace and mercy, even as we stop to pray. God we were made by You, we were made for You. And we will only be satisfied in You. We welcome you with open hearts. We cry out to you because you are our hope.

 

In this time of America’s brokenness, we ask for a wave of new anointing, a wave of Your glory, for You to send a fresh wind. We are at our Red Sea, but we know you can part the waters and dry the land. So, shake the generations, tear down the walls, heal the broken hearted, bring restoration by the power of your name. Holy Spirit bring us in.

 

Lord we run to You, no one else will do. You said we would face trouble, pain, and tears but to be of good cheer. You said, there are some lessons we must learn, and the test and trials are only to make us strong. Yet you promised to never leave us alone. So, help us to understand you’re not just the God who saves us. You’re also the God who sustains us.

 

Deliver us from looking other places to find satisfaction. Bring us to a place of true love, one to another. We are open to you because we are your beloved.

 

Now unto Him, who is able to keep us from falling, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think. Be merciful to those who doubt. Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen

 

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No Hashtags or Slogans . . .

 

 

In the Bible God told us how to represent Him. And how we demonstrate who He is to a watching world. Yet, the deaths and devastation caused by the pandemic has not softened the hearts of some. The cultural clashes across the country have not softened the hearts of others. The stain on the Church for its divisive actions has not softened hearts.

We know only God can change a heart so let me ask you – Why is it that some hearts have been changed and others remain hardened? The theologian Charles Spurgeon said, “the same sun that melts the wax, hardens the clay.”

We don’t get a pass that lets us abdicate our responsibility for a changed heart. God gives us free will to respond or not. Let’s not be a prisoner of the political drama in the Statehouses and the Capital. We should refuse to let these events limit the importance of Biblical relationships.

It’s important to understand that the nature of Biblical relationships is not arbitrary.  God has designed them to work in a certain way, and humans only flourish when we experience relationships the way God intended.

Our friends and associates can have a profound influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who mock what God considers important, we might sin by becoming indifferent to God’s will. This attitude is the same as ridiculing God.

Happy are those who don’t listen to the wicked,
who don’t go where sinners go,
who don’t do what evil people do.
They love the LORD’s teachings,
and they think about those teachings day and night.
They are strong, like a tree planted by a river.
The tree produces fruit in season,
and its leaves don’t die.
Everything they do will succeed.
But wicked people are not like that.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
So the wicked will not escape God’s punishment.
Sinners will not worship with God’s people.
This is because the LORD takes care of his people,
but the wicked will be destroyed. Psalms 1:1-6

Psalms extolls the joys of obeying God and refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule Him. We must have contact with unbelievers if we are to witness to them, but we must not join in or imitate their sinful behavior. Neither are we to join in or imitate believers who exhibit sinful behavior. The more we allow those who ridicule God to affect our thoughts and attitudes, the more we separate ourselves from our source of nourishment. God is ridiculed through patterns of behavior that are contrary to God’s Word.

When Scripture says, “In all they do, they prosper,” it does not mean immunity to failure or difficulties. Nor is it a guarantee of health, wealth, and happiness. What the Bible means by prosperity is this: When we apply God’s wisdom, the fruit (results or by-products) we bear will be good and receive God’s approval. Just as a tree soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, we also are to soak up God’s Word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. To achieve anything worthwhile, we must have God’s Word in our hearts.

“Chaff” is the outer shell (or husk) that must be removed to get at the valuable kernels of grain inside. After the plants were cut, they were crushed, and then the pieces were thrown into the air. Chaff is very light and is carried away by even the slightest wind, while the good grain falls back to the earth. Chaff is a symbol of a faithless life that drifts along without direction or giving in to the self-interest that is not of God. Good grain is a symbol of a faithful life that God can use. Unlike grain, however, we can choose the path we will take.

We are driven by what our hearts love most. Hence, the way to a person’s heart is to capture their imaginations (minds), move their emotions (affections), and challenge their actions (wills). While we can play a role in shaping people’s hearts, ultimately, such transformation requires the miraculous work of a sovereign God. And the acceptance by that person.

Sadly, sometimes churches or denominations distinguish too sharply between these features, pitting them against one another in problematic ways. For example, one church values the mind, while another highlights the power of emotions, one community concentrates on stimulating the will to action, another emphasizes emotional self-control. One denomination emphasizes material prosperity, while the other acts as though only souls matter. But we should never pretend that only one aspect of the human person is important. On the contrary, the Bible assumes that all aspects of the human being are essential and deeply integrated, and so should we.

The heart is at the center of personhood and drives behaviors. Your heart drives your response to others and is at the center of God’s commandment:

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart” Deuteronomy 6:5-6 (NRSV)

Do you create a narrative about people that belittles them so that you don’t feel obligated to help them? Do you create a story in which your possessions indicate your moral superiority when, in fact, both their story and yours are far more complicated?

What will be key to both is love. And central to this love is discovering the biblical truth that God first loved us, well before we loved Him or deserved His love.

Jesus taught that loving God with all of ourselves is the first and greatest commandment (Mt 22:37-39). This command, combined with the command to love your neighbor (Lev 19:18), encompasses all the other Old Testament laws.

Intimacy in Christ is the relational design to reveal the fullness of His heart in you. Happiness, comfort, prosperity, freewill individualism – these counterfeit forms of intimacy are confusing us to the truth of God’s design. We are called to drop our nets, die daily, take up our cross, crucify our fleshly desires and imitate Jesus’ love.

Is this a place where God is knocking on the door of some closed place in your heart?

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The Journey 2021

PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

 

Your  practical, inspirational resource for supporting your spiritual walk

 

 

After a year of focus on God’s faithfulness to us, we shift to how we remain faithful to Him by dedicating 2021 to accessing our patterns of behavior that don’t always agree with the Word of God. Patterns of behavior that, when not dealt with, spread like cancer. Those that start in private or out of sight of the public. Once they become entrenched into your lifestyle, it’s only a matter of time until they manifest in other areas of your life.

 

For the maturing Christian, sinful patterns of behavior are an agent of decay. Once sin is introduced into a relationship, a community, or an individual, spiritual productivity is diminished. The enemy gains a foothold when these defeating patterns of behavior rob you of your confidence in the power of God to give you victory over it.

 

You must be willing to get involved again in the process of working with God to gain consistent victory over the temptations your patterns of behavior create. To get the truth back the enemy has convinced you are a lie. The fact that David was a man after God’s own heart illustrates that the righteous person is not sinless but is always eager to correct his errors. There is no magic plan, prayer, or practice. There is, however, a loving Father who is ready to provide “the way of escape” if you are prepared to engage and take advantage.

 

All our struggles are spiritual in nature. Our inner turmoil, not  issues with other people. Each one is part of an ongoing struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan to control our patterns of behavior. Paul could not have been more explicit about this when he wrote:

 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”                                                                                              (Eph 6:12)

 

 

My prayer for you this year is that in all you do, how you think about yourself, how you treat others, what you say about yourself and others, and that you will realize there is a war going on; you better fight!

 

“For thought we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”                                                                        (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

 

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Your Calling Is Calling

 

This virus and election season have exposed our innermost thinking, beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Many have looked to those called by God for understanding and support. Yet, some influential Christian leaders are saying to overlook the wrongs of politicians, who support their self-interest, but condemn the wrongs of those considered the “other”. Many people ask me why Christians plant their flags on things not spoken of in the Bible but ignore what is clearly laid out? So rather than giving my opinion, I took to the phone, called ten pastors to hear their answers to the question. The most common responses were “what the scripture meant was” and “God uses flawed people to do his work.”

 

The first answer, I believe, is the foundational basis of the challenge this country faces—interpretation based on self-interest rather than self-sacrifice. We tend to ignore the parts that challenge us or call us to make that great sacrifice. It’s much easier to point the finger at someone else. But as momma used to say, “when you point to what you think is someone else’s issue, there are always three fingers pointing back at you and your issues.” Or to use scripture. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matt. 7:3). From Lucifer’s desire to be like God to the last sin we committed, every sin committed is grounded in self-interest.

 

The second answer, I agree God used flawed people. For instance, the stories of Zacchaeus and Matthew, both tax collectors who cheated people. Jesus spent time with them, and once knowing Jesus, they turned their lives around. Zacchaeus paid back all whom he’d cheated, and even more, than he had taken. (Luke 19: 1-10) Matthew dropped everything and became a disciple. (Matthew 9:9) Just two of the many examples that demonstrate they repented, and because they came to know Jesus, their lives became different. People could see evidence of their faith.

 

 

2021 will provide us an opportunity for a mental and spiritual reset. Love instead of hate; understanding instead of judgment; critical thinking instead of homogeneous bubbles; values instead of violence; dialogue instead of division; sacrifice instead of self-interest; influence instead of control; Imago Dei instead of class systems; living out the Word instead of talking about it.

 

People are walking away from the Church in record numbers. When they can’t hear what you’re saying because of what they see you doing, you have to ask yourself – what are your patterns of behavior saying?

 

Your calling is calling you. Will you answer the call in 2021?
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Writing Our History In The Present

They Called For Change

 

Black thinkers and activists, from the poorest of the poor to those with great power and means, have been critical in challenging America to do the right thing.

 

Their voices mattered. Their words — some reflected here — express deep outrage and suffering but also tremendous love and hope for their community and their country. Some of their calls for justice have been answered through legislation or litigation; other demands remain painfully timely. Together, they offer a powerful opportunity to honor the past while working together to create a better, more just future for all.

 

 

SOURCE: From Harriet Tubman to John Lewis, they called for change by Kim Gallon (research) and Tre’ Seals (portraits), AARP, October 7, 2020
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A Time For Humility

 

Ezekiel 28-29

 

Holiness and humility are inextricably linked. Jesus showed us that at the heart of holiness is humility. On the other hand, pride is at the root of all sin. It was pride that led to Satan’s downfall. According to the biblical world-view, behind the evil in the world there lies the devil. The Greek word for devil, diabolos, translates the Hebrew word satan. We are not told very much about the origins of Satan in the Bible. But this passage is one of the few that might give some hint of the origin of Satan.

 

Although the original context is the fall of the King of Tyre, it seems that Satan, the ruler of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), was behind the ruler of Tyre.
Read alongside Isaiah 14:12–23 and Revelation 12, it appears that both humans and Satan were created good: ‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God’ (Ezekiel 28:12–13).

 

It appears that Satan was an angel: ‘You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God’ (v.14). Satan had access to the throne of grace and to the presence of the Lord. He was blameless in his ways (v.15). Instead of worshipping God on the mountain of God ‘his heart became proud, going around saying, “I’m a god. I sit on God’s divine throne, ruling the sea”’ (v.2, MSG). He was ‘trying to be a god’ (v.3, MSG). ‘By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud’ (v.5). Just as great skills and wealth can lead to pride, so can good looks: ‘Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour’ (v.17).

 

 

This is a description of self-worship, which happens when we put our success down to our own wisdom, skill and abilities (v.4), without realising that these things come from God and that we should worship him alone. Instead of worshipping the Sovereign Lord, the temptation is to worship success, wealth and beauty – the gods of our culture – they are ‘god-pretentions’ (v.7, MSG).

 

God brings down the proud and exalts the humble. As a result of his pride and sin, Satan was expelled from the presence of God: ‘you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you’ (v.16), ‘So I threw you to the earth’ (v.17; see Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18). Satan’s final destruction is assured (Ezekiel 28:18b–19). Jesus defeated Satan by his death and resurrection.

 

The attitude of Jesus is the complete opposite to that of Satan. He took the opposite path: ‘Who, being in very nature God… made himself nothing… he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2:6–11).

 

Worship Jesus today. As you draw close to him throughout your lifetime you will experience these benefits – happiness, holiness and humility.

 

Lord Jesus, today I bow my knee to worship you and confess that you are Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Reprinted with permission, bibleinoneyear.org
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R U Looking 4 A King?

Scripture transcends ideology, identity, party allegiance, and is full of clear specific instructions on how we should treat each other. Today, I’ll let scripture speak for itself and in the words of Ray Charles, “do what it do. . .” Those who are serious about finding and following a king will heed Christ admonition that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
Read them carefully and consider how to apply them in your life:

 

Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.

 

John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

 

John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

 

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

 

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

 

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

 

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

 

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

 

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

 

Romans 15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

 

Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

 

1 Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

 

1 Peter 5:5 Be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

 

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

 

1 John 3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

 

1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

 

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

 

1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

 

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 

James 5:9 Don’t grumble against each other, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Hebrews 13:1 Keep on loving each other.

 

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

 

1 Thessalonians 3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

 

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

 

Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

 

Philippians 4:2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

 

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 12:25 There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

 

Galatians 5:15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

 

1 Corinthians 11:33 When you come together to eat, wait for each other.

 

Romans 1:12 That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

 

Ephesians 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

Philippians 2:3-5 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

 

We change our moral and ethical behavior by letting Christ live within us, so that he can shape us into what we should be. The scriptures call us to love as we have never loved before. This requires radical humility (next issue’s topic).