God Our Refuge - Closet Reflections: 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Verse of the day: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Another year has come and gone. It is that time when most everyone is preparing to make promises to themselves about what they intend to change and do differently in the coming year. May I suggest that this coming year we, rather than making resolutions that we will end up breaking within a short period of time, simply commit to allowing Jesus to mold us and shape us into the new creatures He wants us to be? I have often heard this verse in 2 Corinthians quoted to state the truth that we are new creatures in Christ, but I rarely hear it quoted in its context. The surrounding verses are key to helping us truly understand what it means to be a new creation in Christ. The previous verses clearly state that becoming a new creature, or creation, begins with Jesus. Verses 14 and 15 tell us, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” If you are reading this and have not yet taken the step to trust, and call upon, Jesus for your salvation, then the first step to entering the New Year as a new creation is to accept Jesus as your personal Savior. Simply, in prayer, confess that you are a sinner, ask His forgiveness, and ask Him to give you eternal life, and begin your journey as a new creation in Christ. Verses 16, along with verses 14, 15, and 17, paint a picture for us of what a new creature in Christ looks like. As God’s children, ones who are now in Jesus, we are no longer to live for ourselves, but for Jesus (v. 15). This means that our priorities in life should now be different. It means that as we begin to study the Word of God, we begin to dispel the false beliefs and perceptions we had about God Himself, and people in general. It means that our attitude toward God and men should be changing and it should be reflected in our words, attitudes, and deeds. 2 Corinthians 5:16 clearly states, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” As we enter this New Year, if we have known Jesus for some time, can we honestly say that we have put off the old man and put on the new man? In Ephesians 4:17-24, we are admonished to avoid walking in our old ways, in futility of mind, and a darkened understanding. We are to put off our former conduct and deceitful lusts, and put on the new man who is renewed in the spirit of mind, “created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”. Will we go into the New Year living Christianity the way we have been living it? Will we take the steps to live the New Year demonstrating the power of Jesus in our lives, by living our Christian lives lifting up Christ with our words, actions, and deeds? Will we commit to spending more time in prayer, study of God’s Word, and being doers of the Word and not just hearers (James 1:22-25)? Old things have passed away, and all things have become new; so, let us leave the old habits, old ways, and old attitudes behind with 2018, and look toward 2019, living as new creatures, with a new outlook, new ways, and new attitudes, all for the glory of God.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: The Secret Things

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The Secret Things

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 6:19, Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

Our curiosity will almost always lead us down a path of trouble, when that curiosity causes us to investigate that which is not ours to investigate or when we tamper with that which God strictly prohibits. Many sorrows have come from ventures that started out with the infamous statement, “I was just curious.” Oftentimes, our own pride in wanting to know something we think no one else knows or being in a position to give others information we claim to have exclusive knowledge about puts us in a position cause more pain and heartache to those around us than is necessary. It often leads us down a path of deception and foolish, heretical, and false teaching. Colossians 2:18-19 warns, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” The men of Beth Shemesh had no business looking into the Ark of God. Their curiosity resulted in an unnecessary tragedy. The fact of the matter is that there are things that God does not reveal to us in His Word. There are things that God does, that He chooses not to give explanation for. If He so chooses to do that, who are we to question Him or criticize His ways? Deuteronomy 29:29 clearly tell us, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Rather than chasing new revelations and falling victim to following false teachers who claim to be prophets of God with new revelations from God, we should be investing more time and brain power studying God’s complete revelation to us…His written Word. Outside of our Bibles, we do not need revelations that come from greedy men whose only desire is to exalt themselves and gain personal riches by preaching that they have some secret revelation from God that no one else has heard. Jude had much to say about these apostates. He described them this way in verses 12-13, “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” In other words, they look good and sound good, but their messages and “revelations” are empty and useless. In verse 16 Jude also said, “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.” The bottom line is that we need to make it our business to know God’s Word and avoid dabbling in things that God has chosen to keep to Himself. When God chooses to do something we do not understand, even if it involves a tragic situation (from a human perspective), we must trust, by faith, that God knows exactly what He is doing when He allows what He allows without explanation. The only things we need as God’s children are found in Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways’ says the LORD. 9 ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’”, and in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: It Will Be Joy or Shame

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It Will Be Joy or Shame

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 6:13, Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

There is an interesting observation to be had in reading this verse. The Ark of God had been taken hostage by the Philistines, and had been gone for some time. However, we do not read anything that tells us that the Israelites sought to either inquire about its whereabouts or about whether they had formulated any plans on how to get it back. Here, the Ark reappears to them, as they labor, taking them by surprise. The sudden appearance to them was a joyful event. Will Christ’s sudden reappearing be a joyful event for us who are called by His Name? Will we be able to stand before Him unashamed for what we might be doing when He appears? 2 Peter 3:10-12 reminds us, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” Jesus’ return will be take us by surprise. Not a single person alive knows the exact date and time of His return, and anyone who claims to know is a liar. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” That being said, how are we supposed to be waiting for the Lord? In the verses we already read, particularly 2 Peter 3:11 & 12, we are encouraged to be living holy, meaning set apart, morally blameless, lives. Not only are we to be living in holiness, but we are to be living vigilant and focused lives, looking for His coming. This means that we are supposed to be diligently laboring in the things that will glorify God. It was a good thing that the Israelites were diligently laboring to provide for themselves and their families, as God says this is an honorable thing to do. 1 Timothy 5:8 tells us, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” However, what were they doing to encourage others to believe in the Lord or seek Him? If we are working to provide for our families, it is a good thing. My question to all of us is, “What are we doing, while we work to provide for our families, to encourage others to believe in Jesus and seek an intimate relationship with Him?” What foolish things are we wasting our lives with? What spiritually meaningless things are we preoccupied with that are robbing us of time and opportunities to be a blessing to others? How are we demonstrating our faith in what we are doing, when we are not laboring to provide for our own? Are we wasting time in front of the television or on social media? There is nothing wrong with enjoying things that are entertaining, but are they taking preference over the things of God? I often see Christians who are willing to practically freeze to death at a football game, but make excuses as to why they cannot be at a church service on Sunday morning. Are we wasting our time on useless arguments about things that seem spiritual on the surface, but really matter little in respect to someone’s salvation? My dear brothers and sisters, are we wasting precious time on foolishness, knowing that the Lord could come back at any moment? Ephesians 5:15-17 clearly encourages, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Let us stop right now and consider our lives. What are we accomplishing for the Kingdom? Have we allowed earthy gain and goals to supersede our command to go and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)? Are we so focused on the things of this world that we have stopped living for God? Are we so concerned with our life here on earth, that is like a vapor (James 4:14), that we have abandoned what is really important, life eternal? Have our desires become more important than God’s will and blessings? What will we be found doing when Jesus returns? Will we react with joy or will we bow our heads in shame?

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: Cow Lessons

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Cow Lessons

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 6:12, Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

It is amazing to me that God can use the most unusual circumstances to teach us such great lessons. He will even use our greatest enemy to teach us what obedience looks like and is supposed to be in our life and relationship with Him. Here, we read a portion of Scripture which involves a couple of ordinary cows. However, let us stop and consider what is taking place. We have two cows that have never been yoked together, working together, without a driver, other than God. These two cows are “lowing” as they went, meaning that they were sorrowful, likely because they were separated and forced to leave their calves behind. Nonetheless, we see them staying on the path that God had set before them. These cows demonstrated more dedication and wisdom than most of us as born again believers demonstrate in our relationship with Jesus. Isaiah 1:3 says, “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Animals, that most of us would consider to be nothing more than a source of dairy, or steak dinner, demonstrated a level of obedience and a recognition of who their real Master was than most of us do in our walk with God. In Matthew 10:37-39 Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” As followers of Jesus, we must be willing to serve God on His terms, and this means that there will be times when we have to step outside of our comfort zone. It means that we are going to have to make sacrifices that will seem painful at the time, and even turn from relationships that hinder our ability to effective go and serve wherever and however God lead us to serve Him. The things and relationships we hold onto here on earth will sometimes be the very things that will cause us to forfeit heavenly rewards. We must be willing to sometimes serve with other Christians, and actually do all we can to put aside frivolous differences and serve in love and peace. Jesus told us in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” I said earlier that God will even use our enemy to teach us what obedience to Him looks like. In Job, chapters one and two, God set boundaries for Satan to work within, in testing Job’s dedication to God. Amazingly, Satan never crossed the boundaries that God set. Yet we, who call ourselves Christians and claim to love Jesus, continually cross the boundaries God set for us in His Word, for our good and His glory. We lack the kind of obedience and dedication that honors God in our lives and demonstrates that He is not just Savior of our lives, but also Lord. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This verse is more about love for God than obedience to His commandments; for if we truly love Him, we will live in obedience to His leading and His Word. The bottom line is that God can teach us a very valuable lesson about dedication and obedience, to Him, from a couple of faithful cows.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: A Birth Worth Celebrating

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A Birth Worth Celebrating

Verse of the day: Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

I have been reading a lot of posts, leading up to this day, questioning whether Christians should celebrate Christmas on December 25th, as day of Christ’s birth. I have heard the arguments and had occasion, while in college, to study the events. What I concluded a long time ago was that we, as followers of Christ, should spend less time majoring on the minors and focusing on what is most important about the holiday being observed today. I will begin by first pointing out what the Apostle Paul wrote in respect to celebrating holidays in Romans 14:4-10, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” In short, we have the liberty to celebrate Christmas on this date, if we so choose. What is most important is that we are celebrating the day unto the Lord, as we celebrate God’s love for us, and His willingness to come to us, born of a virgin, fully human and fully God, to lay down His life for us, who are so undeserving of His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness; for without His birth, there would be no death or resurrection, and thereby no gift of eternal life. So, before we begin to criticize those of us who do celebrate this wonderful time of year, let us stop and consider that rather than waste the holiday arguing about whether we should be celebrating it or not, we focus on using this day as an opportunity to tell the world about the Greatest Gift ever given to man…Jesus Christ, whose name is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). May we all have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord, Savior, King of kings and Lord of lords!

Monday, December 24, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: Peace, Peace, God's Peace

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Peace, Peace, God’s Peace

Verse of the day: Luke 2:13-14, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

If we turn on the news or read the newspaper, it does not take long before we hear or read news of some sort of conflict taking place somewhere in the world. Sadly, we see and hear about conflicts in our neighborhoods, and even in our local churches, where we as followers of Jesus are supposed to be the example of what living in peace and being peacemakers looks like. However, what we see, even amongst Christians, is a world where holding a grudge, retaliation, a lack of peace with each other, and a lack of personal peace are commonplace. This is the time of year when we celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The angel and the multitude of heavenly host brought a message of peace. Yet, since that time there has been no peace, as the world defines peace. Why is it that there is so much conflict in the world, both worldwide and personally? Well, because having peace and living in peace is a choice and most are choosing not to have it. The choice to have peace and live in peace first begins with our choice to accept Jesus as our personal Savior. The peace that these angels spoke of was, first and foremost, peace between God and men. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” As born again believers, we have been reconciled to God and are now at peace with Him in Christ Jesus. We are supposed to be the example of what a life of peace looks like. Hebrews 12:14 commands, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord”. Romans 12:17-18 also says, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In order to do this, we must be ready to forgive all offenses, even as God has forgiven us, and as we are told in Ephesians 4:30-32, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Note that when we are not at peace with others, we are not at peace with God, as we are told not to grieve the Holy Spirit, right before we are told to forgive one another. Quite frankly, we cannot control whether someone else is at peace with us. We cannot control the trials that God allows to come our way. However, we can choose to be at peace with others and have inner peace, regardless of the circumstances. Philippians 4:6-7 clearly admonishes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The bottom line is that this is the time of year when we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). If we have a personal relationship with Him, then we really have no excuse for not being the living example of what it means to have personal peace in our lives, and what it looks like to be at peace with others, for the glory of God.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Devotional Audio Track: Nothing By Chance

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Nothing By Chance

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 6:9, And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”

How often have we recounted an unexpected event or something that worked out in a strange way and said, “Wow, what a coincidence”? Maybe something happens in our life and we convince ourselves that it happened by chance. Well, for those of us who know Jesus as our Savior, I want to say this very clearly…with God there are no coincidences or “it happened by chance” moments. We serve a God who not only knows every detail of our lives, but works in every detail of our lives. He is concerned with the most minute occurrence in our everyday living. If you do not believe me, read His Word and pay close attention to how much detail God recorded in His Word. Read the events that took place in people’s live “by chance” and “by coincidence” and note that it was all part of God’s plan for that time and that person. It is no different for us today. When we deny God’s knowledge of what happens in our lives, or deny that He is in the details, we are no better than the wicked. Psalm 73:11-12 read, “And they say, ‘How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?’ Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.” Those who want to deny God’s existence or who want to deny that they are accountable to Him will be like these Philistines, who instead of turning to God upon seeing His wrath, would rather write it off to coincidence and chance. When Joseph went to look for his brothers in Genesis 37:15-17, he encountered a man, “who just happened to be in the field”, who directed Joseph to where his brothers had gone. Was this chance or coincidence? No, it was all part of God’s plan to get Joseph to Egypt. A random stranger in the place where Joseph had been looking for his brothers was not a coincidence or a chance meeting. This was God setting Joseph on the path to being the second most powerful man in Egypt. Psalm 105:16-22 tells us, “Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. 17 He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19 Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. 20 The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. 21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, 22 To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom.” Joseph did not suffer by chance. His suffering had a purpose, and that purpose was the glory of God! Our suffering for Christ is never in vain, regardless of what path God leads us on. When David was running from King Saul, there was an occasion where he had the opportunity, once again, to kill King Saul, the Scriptures tells us that a sleep came upon King Saul. This sleep was from the Lord. In 1 Samuel 26:12 we are told, “So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.” God is a God who know all things and knows every detail. He works every detail in our lives, whether we perceive it as good or bad, for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28-29). So, the next time we are tempted to chalk something up to chance or coincidence, we must remind ourselves that our God is not a God who is lost to the details in our lives. He uses every detail to guide us to where He wants us to go, and uses them to mold us into who He is shaping us to be.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Take Heed

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Take Heed

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 6:6, Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?

I find it rather amusing, and sad, when I am watching a television program or movie and I hear them make a reference to something biblical. I have spoken to unsaved people who know stories found in the Bible, and even met one person who was not a Christian, but practically knew the entire Book of John. Why is this amusing and sad? Well, because it is evidence that all these people know something about God, but choose to harden their hearts rather than turn to the Lord. The Philistines refused to turn to the God of Israel, even though they had suffered severely for taking the Ark of God hostage. In spite of all that God showed them over a seven month period, they refused to repent and turn to Him. The priests of the land, who were obviously familiar with the God of Israel, warned them in the question they asked them in this verse. This is the unfortunate pattern of those who refuse to repent, even though they see the consequences of sin in the lives of others. As God’s children, when we are living with some sin that we refuse to confess or forsake, the Lord graciously begins by convicting us of our sinful ways. The Holy Spirit will first remind us and convict us in order to give us the opportunity to turn from our sinful ways (repent), confess our sins, and turn back to the Lord. John 16:8 reminds us, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth about the sin that was in their midst, when they had eradicated it and got right with God, wrote this in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” God’s desire is that we not just confess the sins we commit, but His desire is that we turn from sin and turn to Him. When we refuse to turn, even after the Lord has so graciously convicted us by way of the prompting of the Spirit, the Lord then presents us with both biblical examples of those who hardened their hearts toward God, and oftentimes even brings us people we know who are now suffering the consequences of refusing to forsake sin in their lives. Far too often, we refuse to heed the warnings and examples to our own hurt and detriment. Why do continue in sin, even after we see the painful consequences in the lives of others who hardened their hearts? Why not learn from the example of others, rather than wait until God has finally said, “Enough”? Would it not be better if we were truly broken over the sin that separates us from God? Our repentance should not be simply for the sake of seeking God’s forgiveness. Our repentance should put us on a path where we have no intent on returning to that sin. It means being open to allowing the Lord to change us from within, so that we no longer seek our pet sins. True repentance puts us on a path to live a life of righteousness, where stumbling in sin becomes the exception and not the rule. If we truly seek repentance and seek to maintain intimacy with the Lord, then we will daily come before the Lord confessing our sins with a heart of repentance, as we are encourage to do in 1 John 1:8-10, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Let us take heed and turn back to God before the painful consequences of our hardened hearts come to visit us, and let us seek to live for the glory of our God.

Friday, December 14, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Do Not Be Surprised

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Do Not Be Surprised

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 5:11, So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

Are any of us really surprised when people respond negatively to the Gospel? Do we act as if something strange has happened when people reject us, when we bring them the message of Christ and what He did for us? Do we not expect to be persecuted? When things go bad for people, are we surprised that rather than go to God they grow bitterer toward Him? This is how hard-hearted and stiff-necked people are, and this is a fact we must not forget when we are proclaiming the Good News. As a matter of fact, when we read about the punishment that is in store for those who reject Christ, we read that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in Luke 13:28 and Matthew 13:42. In both instances, the word “gnashing” not only denotes extreme anguish and despair, but it also means snarling and growling. The indication here is that in the midst of their pain, the lost will still have hatred in their hearts toward God. If that is so, why are we surprised when people react with vehement hatred toward the message we bring? The Philistines, after defeating the Israelites and bringing the Ark of God into the house of Dagon, were ravaged and struck with tumors (v. 6). Rather than turn from their pagan gods and turning toward God, they took the Ark to Gath where God struck them also (v. 9). The Philistines still refused to turn to God and took the Ark to Ekron where it is decided that the Ark must be sent back to its own place (v. 11). God struck them with such severity, that many died (v. 12). Yet, there was no repentance. There was no one who turned to the Lord of lords or the King of kings. This is the hard heart and stiff neck that we deal with when we go out to share Christ with others. My question is not only, “Are we surprised by this?” My question is also, “Should that stop us from proclaiming the Gospel message with boldness?” The short answer is, “No!” Jesus was very clear in His command to go preach the Gospel to every creature in Mark 16:15. Most of us are familiar with the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Jesus also warned us that we would be hated, even as He was hated. In John 15:18-20, Jesus clearly said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” Along with the command to go and the warning that we would be hated and persecuted, Jesus also spoke words of encouragement for those times when people reject us and persecute us for living for Him and sharing His message with them. In Matthew 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Knowing all this, let us be faithful in living our faith and sharing it, with boldness and humility, and with every opportunity God give us.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Religious Waste of Time

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Religious Waste of Time

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 5:1-2, Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

Here we find the Ark of the Covenant, which should be in the Tabernacle, in the midst of a pagan house of worship. Israel failed to see that they were using the Ark as a good luck charm and the consequences were devastating for them as a nation. Their worship of God was no different than the way the pagans worshipped their false gods. Christianity today, in many respects, is no different than other religions or even the world in the way we worship God. We create rituals in our lives and live legalistically and completely miss the mark in having a true personal relationship with God in Christ Jesus. Just as God was not interested in Israel’s “religion” and superstitions, God is not interested in our rituals and religious behavior. The closer we get to the Lord’s return, the more “religious” people will get. The Apostle Paul said it this way in 2 Timothy 3:1-7, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The result of Israel’s vain religion landed the Ark in a place it did not belong, just like our “religion” often lands us right where we do not belong, co-mingled with the world and looking like any other religion. Our relationship with the Lord should look very different from the religions of the world. The way we worship God should stand apart from the way the rest of the world worships their gods. If we are doing all we can to maintain an intimate relationship with the Lord, even in exercising our liberties in Christ we will not look like the world. Galatians 5:13 warns, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” God desires intimacy with us. We sell ourselves short when we turn that intimacy into a ritualistic relationship. He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). God wants our worship of Him to go beyond the walls of the local church building. Rather than living like the devil all week and then gathering together with our hands that are dirty with sin and hearts that are far from Him, we must be actively and purposely walking with the Lord every day of our lives. Galatians 5:16-18 tells us, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Those who do not know Jesus, the religious people, are deceived in thinking that their works will win them favor with God. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly contradicts that mindset, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If this is true, which it is, why do we, the children of God, put on the hypocritical facades, and think that God will honor this “religious waste of time”? Let us not waste our time trying to please God with our superficial behavior that does nothing more than makes us feel more spiritual and look like hypocrites to everyone else. Instead, let us live in a way that is truly pleasing to the Lord, and the only way to truly please Him is recorded for us in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” That means that the way we treat others and the things we do must be done with the motivation that we are doing it, not because we are looking to find favor by our actions, but because our actions reflect our gratitude and dedication to Him for the undeserved salvation He has given us in Christ Jesus. This kind of attitude is not only pleasing to the Lord, but also brings Him honor. Let us stop and ask ourselves, do we have a true intimate relationship with the Lord or are we wasting our time with empty religious behavior?

Monday, December 10, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Our First Love

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Our First Love

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:22, And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

One of the most tragic scenes I have observed are buildings that have been transformed into restaurants or condos, when they were once thriving local churches. There is nothing that can be sadder than having the light of the Gospel extinguished in a city or town. There are local churches that have gone from preaching Christ to being more concerned with church politics and how the building looks on the outside, rather than what is being preached on the inside. Like Israel, when the Lord is no longer our First Love, it will show in the way we wither away. Israel was in a sad and broken condition. They were defeated by the Philistines and the Ark of God was taken. The prophecy concerning Eli’s sons was fulfilled (v. 17), Eli fell back while sitting in his chair and broke his neck (v. 18). Phinehas’ wife, after hearing all this, dies after giving birth to their son. The long and short of it is that Israel is in disarray because they were unrepentant about their sin against the Lord. The God of Israel was no longer their first love and now they are paying the price for walking away from Him. There have been many Christian churches and ministries that have dwindled and died because they have strayed from the truth and compromised the Message for the sake of trying to win the lost. This dwindling and state of disarray can happen up close and personal for each one of us if we forget our First Love. How does this happen you ask? It happens when we lose the excitement of being saved and having eternal life. It happens when we begin to neglect prayer and the study of God’s Word. It happens when we begin to forsake the gathering together with others of like faith (Hebrew 10:24-25). It happens when the things of this world become more important in our lives than the things of God. James 4:4 tells us, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” How do we get back to where we were in making Jesus our First Love once again? The best advice we can follow is Jesus’ own words to the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” We must remember the days when we were so excited that we would tell everyone about our new found faith, and start telling people again. Ask ourselves, “When was the last time I told someone about Jesus?” Ask God to show us what is in our hearts and are we harboring sin that needs to be repented of and confessed. Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; 24 and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Then we must be ready to go before the Lord and do just that, repent and confess. Once we have done that, we need to serve the Lord in the same manner in which we are encouraged to in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The time is long overdue for us to get back to making Jesus the First Love of our lives again.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: God Is Always Present

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God Is Always Present

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:8, So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.

The Philistines, who really did not believe in the God of Israel, made a statement that reminds me of the fact that we often forget, as God’s children, that God is always present. Although they initially reacting with great fear, it was obvious from their choice to fight against Israel, that they did not have a true belief in the Lord. When we read this account, Israel made the same mistake that the Philistines made. Israel called for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to them in the midst of this war, as if God had not already been present. The Philistines reacted in fear upon coming to know that the Ark was in the midst of the Israelites, as if God had not already been present. I would like to remind each and every one of us who already know the Lord that our God is always present, regardless of what the circumstances look like to us. We sometimes feel as if God is not watching or does not care that we are going to difficult times, but that is a lie from the pit of hell. God promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). There may be different reasons why we do not feel His presence, and the reason usually lies with our own tendencies to walk away from Him. The Word of God is very clear that our God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, and there is not one single detail in the entire universe that escapes Him or His knowledge of what is happening every second of every day. Jeremiah 23:23-24 tells us, “‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the LORD, ‘And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD.” I often hear Christians pray, as I used to pray, “Lord be with us as…” or “Lord by with so and so…” Then one day as I reading God’s Word and praying, the Lord reminded me, “I am always with you.” From that point forward I stopped praying, “Lord be with me…” Instead, I start my prayers with, “Lord, thank you for being with me and never forsaking me…” Israel made the grave mistake of thinking that they could summons God’s presence by bringing the Ark into their midst, not realizing that God was already there, He had simply chosen not to help them because of their existing sin against Him. Regardless of where we are in life or what we are walking through, God is always with us. Therefore, when we are walking through turbulent times, we must stop and examine the status of our relationship with Him. Although we can never lose our salvation in Christ (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:38-39), we can certainly hinder the Spirit working in our lives. We can grieve Him (Ephesians 4:25-32) and cause God to allow some heavy consequences for our refusal to live a life that honors Him. The devils do not want us to draw near to God, and they want to convince us that God has forsaken us. King David’s Psalm 139 is one of the best reminders that there is no place we can go to, or hide in, where God is not present. Meditate on Psalm 139:7-12, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Beloved, let us always be mindful of God’s presence in our lives. God has not, and will never, forsake His children.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: False Assumptions and Impressions

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False Assumptions and Impressions

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:5, And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.

When we allow sin to go unconfessed in our lives, it becomes easier for the enemy to deceive us and for us to deceive ourselves. In this verse we see how completely oblivious Israel that they were on a path of destruction due to their unrepentance and complete lack of relationship with the Lord. The have stooped to the level of using the Ark of the Covenant as some good luck charm, and now, under false assumptions, are celebrating a victory that has not yet been won. The ruckus they created gave a false impression to the Philistines, as we read in verses 6-7, “Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, ‘What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?’ Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. 7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, ‘God has come into the camp!’ And they said, ‘Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.’” Let us fast forward to present day, and how some local churches and many believers worship. I will say up front that we all know that there are different preferences as far as methods of worship. Some local churches prefer a quieter time of corporate worship, while others prefer to bring the house down with their approach to worship. I want to caution us, that we do not fall into an emotional trap when it comes to worshipping the Lord. I have seen far too many “worship” services where it was all about putting on a show and where they equated being excited and loud as being more spiritual. Israel was so loud that the Word of God tells us that the earth shook. Yet, they could not have been further from the Lord at that moment. In Isaiah 29:13 it is written, “Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men”. Jesus repeated this verse in Matthew 15:8-9, but put it this way, “‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Note that He said that “in vain they worship Me.” Our noisy worship does not always equal true worship. True worship is not about getting together, singing a few songs, and hollering amen, holding up our hands and putting on a show for everyone else to see. True worship is about having a genuine relationship with God that shows up in the way we treat others, how we live by faith, and how we live when no one else is looking. It is about living a life of gratitude toward God, regardless of what is going on in our lives and worshipping Him by giving Him praise and thanksgiving in the toughest of times (Hebrew 13:15-16). If we are doing all of that and then choose to worship God by raising our hands in praise and hollering amen, then I would say it is acceptable before the Lord. Like Israel, too many born again believers are coming before the Lord raising hands that are dirty with unconfessed sin, and putting on a façade that gives the false impression that we are more spiritual than we really are. In the end, the Philistines chose to challenge the Israelites. Not only was Israel defeated, but God’s holy Ark of the Covenant was captured (v. 11). I will also say this…the people not only brought the Ark of the Covenant into battle like a good luck charm, but it was brought in by two men who, even though they were God’s priests, did not honor God in their life or service. May we be careful to serve God with a pure heart and pure hands, because there will come a time when the Lord will expose our hypocrisy. I will leave you this to consider from James 4:7-10, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: God or Good Luck Charm?

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God or Good Luck Charm?

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:3, And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”

Here is a sad commentary relative to Israel’s relationship with God, or lack thereof. What is even sadder is that I see the same thing happening with Christians today. What I am referring to is our tendency, as Christians, to try and use God as our “good luck charm”. This I fully expect from the world. When major tragedy strikes the world remembers God, “Pray for our country” “God bless our country”, and so on. Israel did something similar in that they did nothing to consult with God before they went out to fight against the Philistines. When things went from bad to worse, they remembered God. How often do we neglect our quiet time with God, our Bible reading and study time, and prayer time? Yet, we get spiritual when we face trials and tribulations. When life pulls the rug out from under us, we pull God out of our pocket like some lucky rabbits foot. When we want Him to provide for us, because we have failed to be good stewards of what God has already provided for us, we treat Him like He’s a genie in a bottle. As born again believers, God should not be an “afterthought” in our lives. He should be front and center and take precedents over all else and everyone else. In Luke 10:27 Jesus said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” In one instances He said this, in Matthew 10:37, Jesus also said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Even when we study, it is not for the purpose of knowing more than the next person, or boosting our own ego. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Note that we are to show ourselves approved, meaning acceptable or pleasing, not to man, but to God. When we make God the priority of our lives, and when we truly seek intimacy with Him, when tragedy strikes, we will not treat Him like He is some good luck charm in our pocket to be taken out only when we need Him. Instead, we will be steadfast, and ready to suffer, if needed, for His glory, realizing that He has not forsaken us at any moment. As a matter of fact, the closer we draw to Him, the more we will realize how wretched we are and how much we need to be repenting, confessing, and getting right with Him. In Luke 5:8 it gives this account when the Apostle Peter realized who Jesus was, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’” Let us stop and consider our relationship with Jesus, and I will ask this, “Is He the Lord of our life or the good luck charm we pull out of our pocket when we get into trouble?”

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: God First

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God First

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:1, And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

This chapter takes us into the journey of Israel’s defeat at the hand of the Philistines. However, before we go there, note that the first part of this verse seems out of place. Samuel is mentioned, but then no mention of him is made until later chapters. The first part of the verse seems to actually be part of the previous chapter, where we read in 3:21, “Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” What stands out in all of this is that God established Samuel as His prophet, and it is known throughout Israel, yet, we see that Israel goes out against the Philistines without first going to God, by way of His prophet, to seek whether or not they should fight this war. One of the most dangerous steps we can take in life, as born again Christians, is to make plans, regardless of how big or small, without going to God first and seeking whether our plans are part of His will and plan for our lives. Far too often we allow our own personal desires, and wants, drive our direction. We spiritualize it by quoting Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The problem with that is that this verse is one of the verses that is most often taken out of context to fit our own plans, and give ourselves permission to do what we want to do. What we fail to consider, or see, is that when we do this, we set ourselves up for failure and often discourage others who fail in their plans, because we foolishly gave them that advice. As Christians, when other believers come to us seeking approval for the plans they share with us, our first question should be, “Have you prayed about this and sought God’s direction in this?” If they have not, then we should offer to pray with them and seek God’s direction with them through His Word. If Israel had taken the time to seek the Lord, they would have realized that there was a greater problem in their lives than the Philistines…their sin against the Lord. This would have taken them in a completely different direction and God may have even interceded on their behalf, fought for them, and given them victory over those who were seeking to oppress them. Proverbs 3:5-7, clearly instructs, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.” Sadly, many Christians have a tendency to seek guidance by ungodly means. I have said this before, and I will say it again, a Christian has no business seeking advice or guidance from ungodly and demonic methods, such as palm readers, fortune tellers, and the like. King Saul’s death was in part because he sought a medium for guidance. 1 Chronicles 10:13 tells us, “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.” In Christ, we have access to God 24/7. There is absolutely no reason why we cannot seek God’s guidance in the decisions we make. Psalm 1 clearly instructs us to stay away from the advice and fellowship of the ungodly. In John 16:13, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. When we set out to do something and do not first turn to God, and then fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Israel failed to seek God; then blamed God for their defeat, instead of looking at themselves and realizing that it was their sin and their failure to stay close to the Lord that led to their defeat. We must take care not to be defeated by our own selfish desires, and our own failure to seek God’s direction in our lives. What we think is a good idea and a good plan, may seem like it, and there may not be anything sinful about what we set out to do, but we must first consider whether what we set out to do is part of God’s will and plan for our lives. Seek God first.

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Be Discerning

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Be Discerning

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:19-21, So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

How do we know that what we hear from a preacher or teacher is God’s truth? I hear too many people today claiming to be God’s messenger, but their message is not lining up with God’s Word. Sadly, I also see far too many Christians following these false teachers and false prophets like dumb, ignorant, sheep. In the days of the prophets, the only way to truly know if the prophet was of God was to wait and see if the prophecy came to pass. God would do something to verify that the man and the message were sent by Him. Here, we clearly see that God Himself established Samuel as a prophet of the Lord. How did He do it? By not allowing any of his words to fail. Man, in his quest to elevate himself, will claim to hear some special revelation from God Himself, when we all have the ability to know what God’s will and plan is for our lives. How, you ask? We can know by simply reading and studying God’s Word. Yes, God’s Word, that is accessible to all of us. With the abundance of Bible study tools available to us today, there will be no excuse when we stand before God for living ignorant of God’s will. He has given us His complete revelation within the covers of our Bibles. All we need to know about Him and life is in the pages of His Word. However, if we take the lazy approach to God’s Word, we will be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14 put it this way, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting”. How many of us have honestly gone back to our Bibles and verified that what we heard the preacher preach was true to the Word of God? God commended the Bereans for being the type of people who checked out the Apostle Paul’s messages. Acts 17:11 says this about them, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” If we are diligent to study the Word of God, as we are told to in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”, we will find that God will reveal Himself to us. That was one of the greatest rewards Samuel could have received while serving the Lord, as it reads in verse 21, “For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel”. The bottom line is that we must be diligent to study God’s Word for ourselves, and always be ready to verify what we have heard taught and preached. Be careful about those who claim to have some exclusive revelation from God that is not found in His Word. God has given us His complete revelation. Rather than looking for some new revelation, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s Word so that we can know how to apply it to our lives for God’s glory. The Apostle Paul said this in his prayer for the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 1:17-18, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”. He also said this about spiritual wisdom in 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” There are many preachers and teachers who are legitimate servants of God, preaching the truth of God’s Word. Nonetheless, this does not excuse any of us from reading, studying, and growing in our knowledge of Christ and His Word. Let us be students of God’s Word who recognize false teaching and who can apply God’s Word to our lives, with godly wisdom and by the leading of the Spirit.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Speak Up

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Speak Up

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:15, 18, So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”

God’s first revelation to Samuel was one that was difficult to speak, especially since it concerned the tragedy that was to befall Eli’s family. As followers of Jesus, we will all come face to face with times when we will have to speak the truth, and it will not be easy. We will struggle with how the other person will feel, and we may hesitate because we know that our stance on certain matters and issues will likely bring us rejection and persecution. There were many times when Jesus was at odds with the religious people of His day because of the words He spoke. There were even times when people turned away from following Him because of what they heard. In John 6, when Jesus spoke, spiritually, of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, many were offended and walked with Him no more (John 6:66). The fact of the matter is that speaking the truth will offend people. 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 23 say, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”, verse 23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. Outside of sharing Christ with others, there will be time when we will be challenged because what we believe, the things we stand for, and our perspective on what is wrong or right, in accordance with God’s Word, is considered not only offensive, but close-minded, narrow, and intolerant, by the world at large. There will be times when it is best to be silent, but in those time when we are called to speak up, we must do so without fear, trusting the Lord for the outcome. In saying this, I would like to stress something about how we share truth. There are many Christians who have offended others, not because they shared the truth, but because of their attitude in sharing the truth. There may be times when we have to be firm in our stance, but there is never an excuse for being mean-spirited, arrogant, or down right offensive, in our tone and speech when sharing God’s truth with others. In Ephesians 4:15, the Apostle Paul encourages the members of the church to speak the truth in love. We should be speaking the truth in a manner that encourages growth in the hearer. It means that we are willing to speak the truth to one another, because we love one another. Will it hurt us to hear the truth at times? Yes, it will. Proverbs 27:6 clearly says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” The bottom line is that there will be times, when regardless of how loving we say something, if it is God’s truth, the likelihood is that someone is going to be offended. However, when it comes to God’s truth, we are called to speak up. We have been called to carry a message to the world that will cause many to walk away, push back, and completely reject us. Nonetheless, it is really Jesus that they are rejecting. When we are rebuked, rejected, and persecuted, for sharing truth, remember what Jesus said in John 3:18-21, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” People who live in darkness do not like having their deeds brought into the light, but we are called to be light in this dark world (Matthew 5:14-16).

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: His Voice

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His Voice

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 3:10, Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

I always find it amazing that we can recognize the voice of our loved ones if we hear them call us in a crowd. Without hesitation, we often recognize the sound of our spouse’s, children’s, or close friend’s voice. Can we say the same thing relative to hearing God’s voice? Today, we have many voices that speak to us. The devils love to speak to us in order to distract us and mislead us. Quite often, they use social media, television, and other venues that are often used for evil and deception. I am not saying that everything that is on the internet or television is evil. We can certainly use these venues to listen to Christian programming and the Word of God. However, even in this, we must know how to discern whether we are hearing God’s Word or someone corrupting it. The bottom line is that we, as God’s children MUST learn to hear God’s voice in our everyday lives. John 10:27-28 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Note that the very first requirement in being able to hear and know God’s voice is that we must belong to Him. Jesus said, “My sheep”. In verse 26 of this same chapter Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.” Unless the foundation of our relationship with God is our trust in Christ and calling upon Him for eternal life, we will not know Him or be able to hear and recognize His voice. As born again believers, we can hear and know God’s voice by continually being in His Word and praying. Just like we take the extra time to get to know our best friend, we must purposely spend time with the Lord, in His Word, if we want to grow to know Him intimately. It is in that intimacy that we will learn to hear and recognize His voice. We must be able to recognize the voices of all the wolves in sheep’s clothing that pretend to preach the truth, but corrupt it for their own benefit and gain. This is where listening to preaching and teaching online and on television can either lead us astray or bring us closer to the Lord. Far too many Christian, who are too lazy to spend time in God’s Word, or who prefer to be spoon-fed, are being led astray with all the false prosperity preaching and “name it, claim it” nonsense. I hear a lot of Christians speak of being discouraged because they do not hear from God. They criticize their pastors because they do not sense God’s voice when they preach or teach, but I will say this, if the preacher is preaching God’s Word for what it is, and we do not hear God’s voice, then it is not that God is not speaking. Most of the time it is because we are not listening. We spend far too much time thinking, “If so and so were here, this would be the perfect message for them.” Funny how we can always hear God’s voice talking to someone else, when in reality the message is for us. We often spend a week with little to no study of God’s Word and prayer, but then blame everyone else, including the preacher, when we do not hear God’s voice. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 clearly states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In other words, God’s Word comes from God Himself. It teaches us God’s truth about who He is and about life. It convicts us, corrects us, and puts us on the right path so that we live in accordance to God’s will and plan for our lives. Have our ears fallen deaf to God’s voice? If so, it is not because God has stopped speaking or moved away from us. It is more likely that we are not listening, because we are not spending enough intimate time with Him in His Word, and it is us who have moved away from Him. If we spend more time with Him, the Holy Spirit will make us sensitive to the small still voice of God that is often drowned out by all the noise and other voices we allow into our lives. Take time every day to shut out the noise and the strange voices and spend some intimate fellowship time with the Lord, in His Word, and in prayer. You will be surprised how quickly you will begin to hear from Him again, and know that it is Him.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: His Heart and His Mind

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His Heart and His Mind

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:35, Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever.

Here we have a prophesy that was partially fulfilled by Zadok (1 Chronicles 6), but was completely fulfilled by our King and Priest, Jesus Christ, the only One who has ever seen God, and who truly knows the heart and mind of our Heavenly Father (John 1:18). With that said, I would like to bring this down to how we can apply this verse to our lives. I will begin by asking, “What was the Lord looking for in His servant?” He was looking for someone who was faithful, and someone who knew the heart and mind of God. In Christ, we are a priesthood of believers. As a priesthood of believers, we were chosen by God in Christ, and we were set apart for His holy purpose (1 Peter 2:5-9). As servants of God, the Lord desires that we be faithful in our service to Him. His desire is that we come apart from the world, and draw near to Him. 2 Corinthians 6:17 clearly states, “Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” As God’s servants, we should seek to be faithful and have a desire to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Far too many of us fall into the category of the sons of Eli, King Saul, and Judas. The sons of Eli did not love or seek to know God’s heart and mind, even though they were priests. King Saul tried to mask his rebellious heart with sacrifices, but God responded to him through Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” Judas outright betrayed Jesus because of his greed. The bottom line is that God desires that we serve Him faithfully, but in order to do that, we must know what is the heart and mind of God. Where do we find that answer? We find that answer in the Word of God. The Word of God is His inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16), and we have the Holy Spirit, who knows the heart and mind of God (Romans 8:27). God promised that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Deuteronomy 4:29 promises, “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If we fail to seek Him and serve Him faithfully, God has no problem replacing us with someone who will faithfully serve Him. When King Saul refused to turn from his rebellion, God chose a man after His own heart, King David. When the sons of Eli refused to repent of their sinfulness, God removed the priesthood from their family and Zadok eventually partially fulfilled the duties of that office, as stated earlier. When Judas betrayed Jesus, and later committed suicide due to his guilt (Matthew 27:3-5), he was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:20-26). Are we doing all we can to be faithful servants who know the heart and mind of our God and Savior? Are we spending the kind of time in Scripture and prayer that will enable us to know the heart, mind, and will of God? Our God is patient, merciful, and forgiving, but will replace those who continue to rebel and remain unfaithful. He will find someone to replace those who are unfaithful in His service, and who want to be the good and faithful servants He seeks. Will we be one of those servants?

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Thanksgiving Everyday

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Thanksgiving Everyday

Verse of the day: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Today, many are celebrating Thanksgiving Day in America. Over the years, I have seen this day of giving thanks being ignored and drowned by a commercialized Christmas. Halloween advertising begins in August in many places, because it is more fun to celebrate evil and demonic things. Before Halloween arrives, stores are already advertizing all things Christmas. As many of us celebrate this day of giving thanks, there are many who do not have family members or friends to celebrate with. Some are living through very difficult circumstances and may even be homeless in an area where temperatures are below freezing. When we stop and think about that, many of us have a tendency to complain about things that far less significant. If we are alive today, know Jesus Christ as our Savior, have clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, and food on our table, we have much to be thankful for. 1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” As a matter of fact, if we only have Jesus and lack the rest of it, we still have far more to be thankful about than those who have all the world has to offer but do not know Jesus as their Savior. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” I used to take great offense by seeing this holiday ignored. However, when I stepped back and thought about it, I had to remind myself that I actually celebrate Thanksgiving everyday of the year. How can that be you ask? Well, every morning when I wake, I consciously and purposely take time to thank God for the blessings in my life. When I start the day that way, it reminds me to be thankful, regardless what happened the day before, regardless of what my current circumstances are, and regardless of what the day may have in store. God’s Word clearly tells us that God’s will is that we rejoice all always and gives thanks in everything. How do we do this? We do this in prayer. So I want to encourage us today to be thankful, not just on a specific day of the year, once a year, but everyday of our lives. Will it always be easy to do that? Realistically, the answer to that is no. Is it possible to do it? Realistically, the answer to that is yes. If we have Jesus in our life, then being thankful every day, in spite of our circumstances, is absolutely possible. When we learn to give thanks during the most difficult of times, that is when our giving thanks become true worship, as expressed in Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: The High Price

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The High Price

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:34, Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die, both of them.

The one thing I believe we all, as Christians, can agree on is that sin can be costly. All of us have been affected by sin in some way, the greatest being our separation from God. Praise be to God that He gave us His only begotten Son who paid the price for our sins, so that we could be redeemed and reconciled to Him (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). Just how much God hates sin is evident by the torture and death that Jesus experienced as payment for our iniquities. Yet, knowing this, far too many of us continue with our sinful ways. Our God is patient, merciful, gracious, and forgiving, but I must warn each of us that there will come a time when God says, “Enough!” When that time comes, many of will find out, if we have not already, that sin comes with a high price, and it is a price that we will not want to pay. Simply put…sin kills. The greatest death that any of us can experience is eternal death. Romans 8:12-13 tells us, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Praise be to Jesus that in Him we will never die (John 11:26). However, let us be warned that as born again believers, sin can still kill. James 1:12-15 says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” We know that as born again believers we will not experience eternal death, but that is not an excuse to continue in sin. The Apostle Paul explained this in Romans 6:1-4, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Hophni’s and Phinehas’ refusal to repent and turn from their wicked ways earned them the sentence God imposed on them…death. Again, I say that even though we are eternally saved in Christ, we can cause death in our life if we refuse to repent and turn from our sins. The death that we will bring will affect our relationships. We will kill the intimacy that Christ desires to have with us. We will kill the intimacy in our marriage, our family relations, and our friendships. We will kill our reputation for Christ. We will kill our joy and our peace. The bottom line is that we cannot continue in sin and not reap the consequences in some way, shape, or form. Sadly, we take God’s grace, mercy, and patience for granted. We must not forget the warning God gave us in Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” As God’s children, we must heed the warnings before it is too late. God is patient, and He will gently beckon us to turn back to Him with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He will continue to prick our hearts, but there will come a time when God will allow us to pay the high price of the consequences of our refusal to give up those sins we think no one will find out about, or the ones that we shamelessly put on display for everyone else to see, such as covetousness, gossip, and the other nasty little sins that we allow to run rampant within the local church. Sin is sin, and someday, when we least expect it, because we begin to think that God is winking at our wickedness, the hammer will fall, the pain will come, and death will take hold of our life and relationships. This need not be so when we have Jesus who is the Giver of life. I will leave you with this from John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Daily Devotional Audio Track: Time for a 180 Turnaround

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Time for a 180 Turnaround

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 2:25, If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.

Here is one of those verses that will cause some controversy amongst God’s people. Some would read this and immediately conclude that God chose, beforehand, not to save these two men. However, before we jump to conclusions, let us first stop and take a closer look at the situation. The sons of Eli, were corrupt and wicked men. They brought dishonor to the priesthood and were vile in their actions toward the people, discouraging many from bringing their offerings to the Lord, because of their behavior. That being said, I want us to be sure of this one thing, God desires that everyone would come to accept His Son and be saved…EVERYONE! 2 Peter 3:9 clearly says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” If this is so, which it is, why did the Lord desire to kill these two men? It had everything to do with what was in their hearts. This is no different than when God chose to use Pharaoh’s hardened heart to show His awesome power (Romans 9:17-18). Pharaoh’s heart was already hard, and God chose to harden it further for His own glory. These men, by their actions clearly demonstrated that there was absolutely no repentance in their hearts. God, knowing their hearts, chose to seek their death rather than give them something they would not seek, God’s forgiveness. Evidence that they had no intention of repenting came in their response to Eli’s weak rebuke in this verse, “Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father”. Quite often, this is the reason we repeat the same sins over and over again. We lament our sin when we are caught, or think we are going to be caught, and we cry out our confession, but there is no real repentance in our hearts. When the heat of what we have done has passed or we realize that we did not get caught this time, we go back to our pet sin. If we are caught and there is some loss, we confess because we desire that whatever we lost be restored, but there is no real repentance. We see a picture of this with Lot. When he was taken captive while living in Sodom, God allows him to be rescued by Abraham, and allows him to recover all that was taken from him. However, we immediately see him return to Sodom, right back to his old life, rather than flee that wretched place and start anew. The aftermath of that decision was that he later lost everything, including his wife, and ended up fathering his own grandchildren because of the incestuous acts by his own daughters (Genesis 14, 19). The bottom line is that God knows our hearts. He knows when we have hardened our hearts and sees through our superficial confessions. He will allow us to continue down the path of unrepentance until it ends in tragedy. However, if we truly come to Him with repentance…true repentance, and confession, the Word tells us that He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). I would like us to consider the areas we struggle with, and I ask, “Are we truly coming before the Lord with repentance in our hearts?” “Are we just confessing without true repentance, and maybe that is why we are returning to our pet sins?” If we are truly saved, and we know Jesus Christ, then we have all we need to overcome the repetitive sins in our lives that cause us, and those around us, pain. Does it mean we will not be tempted? No, but it does mean that we can overcome the temptation and be right with God once again. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Let us not be like the sons of Eli who incurred the wrath of God in their lives because of their hardened hearts and failure to go to Him with true repentance.