GOD DEMANDS OUR HEART RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 03, 2023.

SUBJECT : GOD DEMANDS OUR HEART RELATIONSHIP WITH  HIM!

Memory verse: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God." (Psalm 42 vs  1.)

READ: Exodus 33 vs 8 - 11:

33:8: So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 

33:9: And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

33:10: All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each one in his tent door.

33:11: So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend...

INTIMATION:

A wise person once said, "When God measures you, He puts the tape around your heart, not your head." So how is your heart doing for God? Our memory verse indicates the heart relationship of David, the man God testified thus, "a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will." ( Acts 13 vs 22.) How is your heart relationship with God? In the passage we read today, Moses had such heart relationship with God, that he enjoyed the presence of God most times. God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. 

Throughout our lives, we look for those rare individuals with whom we feel relaxed and comfortable and can share our heart and our secrets and know they will not betray us, who will always be there for us, and in whom we can have confidence. These are individuals we can respect and who in turn admire us and want us to be successful.

God wants to be in the aforesaid type of relationship with us, and He is even better than any earthly companion. For God is a perfect companion: the One who knows the road we are traveling on and all of the problems that lie ahead; the One who can give us dependable advice; the One who wants to share our lives with Him and will not put us down when we stumble; the One who will never desert us if we fail or do not live up to His standards. He accepts us just as we are, wants to be with us forever, is able to help us be all that we can be, and can enable us either to avoid or overcome every obstacle or problem in our lives.

Heart relationship can best be explained through a human illustration. Some children grow up in families where their father is a strong disciplinarian. They obey because they do not want to suffer the wrath of their father. Although they may even respect their father and his accomplishments, but they don’t want to do with him on a personal basis. It is not unusual for such children to dread the return of their father in the evening. As adults they spend as little time with him as possible. There is a physical relationship with obedience, but not the close heart relationship. Fear and mistrust are barriers to their ever being close.

On the other hand, some have fathers who have definite standards and rules to obey, but the relationship is one of love and respect. They are excited when Dad walks through the door at night. They love the weekends because Dad can be with them and they do fun things together. Such children obey because they love and trust their father, not because they fear him or the consequences of their disobedience. 

In our relationship with God we can respond and obey either out of love or out of fear.

When we realize God's desire to be our Faithful Companion in our relationship, we find Him less an authority figure and more a desirable companion Who is no less in charge in our lives. We now realize He is on our side, how much He wants the best for us and how absolutely dependable He is. The inborn unhealthy fear of God that stems from our sin nature, and is often stirred up by the enemy of our souls, is weakening as we are getting a clearer picture of who He really is.

Unfortunately many people never really seek Him with all their hearts. They are content to learn as a child would. That is, learning and following rules in order to avoid big problems, but not as willing to spend any great period of time with the Lord in the free time they have. There is little delight in the relationship, only obedience out of necessity. They have salvation from penalty of sin, but they will enter heaven "through the flames" (First Corinthians 3 vs 15). They have yet to cross that line of spiritual familial relationship into a deep or spiritual heart relationship.

First Corinthians 3 vs 15 states "If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." This means that good work will be rewarded; unfaithful or inferior work will be discounted. Though unfaithful workers will be saved, but like people escaping from a burning building, all their possessions (accomplishments) will be  lost. Those are the people Jesus Christ described as the least in the kingdom of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire You as my companion. Build in my heart Your steadfast Spirit, so as to follow and obey You in every aspect of my life. My utmost heart desire is an intimate relationship with You. But by my strength I can do nothing. Help me to accomplish this, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

God Works Through Good Resolves

 

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

Seeking the power of God to fulfill our good resolves does not mean that we don’t really resolve, or that we don’t really use willpower.

The engagement of God’s power never takes the place of the engagement of our will! The power of God in sanctification never makes us passive! The power of God engages itself beneath or behind and within our will, not in place of our will.

The evidence of God’s power in our lives is not the absence of our willing, but the strength of our willing, the joy of our willing.

Anyone who says, “Well, I believe in the sovereignty of God and so I will just sit back and do nothing” does not really believe in the sovereignty of God. For why would someone who believes in God’s sovereignty so blatantly disobey him?

When you sit back to do nothing, you are not doing nothing. You are actively engaging your will in a decision to sit back. And if that is the way you handle sin or temptation in your life, it is blatant disobedience, because we are commanded to wage a good warfare (1 Timothy 1:18) and resist the devil (James 4:7) and strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and put to death the sinful acts of the body (Romans 8:13).

Second Thessalonians 1:11 says that it is by the power of God that we will fulfill our good resolves and our works of faith. But this does not nullify the meaning of the word “resolve” and the word “work.” Part of the whole process of walking worthy of God’s call is the active engagement of our will in resolving to do righteousness.

If you have lingering sin in your life, or if you keep neglecting some good deed just because you have been waiting around to be saved without a fight, you are compounding your disobedience. God will never appear with power in your will in any other way than through your exercise of that will; that is, through your good resolves — your good intentions and plans and purposes.

So, people who believe in the sovereignty of God must not fear to engage their wills in the struggle for holiness. “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). Only strive in the faith that in and through your striving God is at work to will and to do his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Arm Yourself with Promises

 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

When Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13), I take him to mean that we should use the one weapon in the Spirit’s armor that is used to kill; namely, the sword, “which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

So, when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience, that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise.

For example, when I begin to crave some illicit sexual pleasure, the sword-swing that has often severed the root of this promised pleasure is, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). I recall the pleasures I have tasted of seeing God more clearly from an undefiled conscience; and I recall the brevity and superficiality and oppressive aftertaste of sin’s pleasures, and with that, God has killed the conquering power of sin.

Having promises at hand that suit the temptation of the hour is one key to successful warfare against sin.

But there are times when we don’t have a perfectly suited word from God in our minds. And there is no time to look through the Bible for a tailor-made promise. So, we all need to have a small arsenal of general promises ready to use whenever fear or craving threaten to lead us astray.

Here are four of my most oft-used promises in fighting against sin:

Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

And the promise implicit in Philippians 3:8, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

And, of course, Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Be constantly adding to your arsenal of promises. But never lose sight of the chosen few that God has blessed in your life. Do both. Be ever-ready with the old. And every morning look for a new one to take with you through the day.

DESIRING TO BE RICH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 02, 2023.

SUBJECT : DESIRING TO BE RICH!

Memory verse: "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drawn men in destruction and perdition." (First Timothy 6 vs 9.) 

READ: First Timothy 6 vs 6 - 10:

6:6: Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

6:7: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

6:8: And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

6:9: But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drawn men in destruction and perdition.

6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

INTIMATION:

Having riches is being wealthy, having abundant resources. Desiring riches is having lust, passion or strong wish for it. The person who is seeking to be rich will lose the contentment with the basic necessities of life. In their worldly desires, they will lose sight of that which brings spiritual fulfillment. Such ungodly desire makes many to do all that is possible to obtain riches. In so doing, they fall into various temptations, and snares, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which consequently, draw them into destruction and perdition. 

The snare into which they fall is the fact that they lead themselves into believing that if they surround themselves with possessions and involves themselves in activities, they will be happy. Eventually their test for financial influence will bankrupt them spiritually. However, one should never allow the possessions of this world to possess him or her. We have heard about people involving themselves in all kinds of evil to get rich. Eventually, when the reality of the temporary nature of their sojourn on earth as well as their riches dawn on them, remembering that one day they will die leaving all the riches behind, they are sorrowful.

The apostle James clearly describes their situation: “But the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; it’s flowers falls, and it’s beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” (James 1 vs 10 - 11.) Prophet Jeremiah further describes them thus: “As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.” (Jeremiah 17 vs 11.)

Riches mean nothing to God. Our true wealth is in our development of our spiritual life—our relationship with our Creator and others. And that is the only thing we take with us as we depart this earth. Riches are not evil. What is evil is the materialistic heart that is obsessed with obtaining it. Some of us, in our desire to satisfy our test for wealth, have marginalized our relationships with friends, families, and others. The sorrows that they produced through their striving to be rich manifested the error of the greedy motives of their hearts. 

When one focuses his or her life on behaving after the directions of the word of God, one becomes content with life in that his or her purpose of life is not to consume the things of this world upon his or her own lust. In contrast to those who focus on gaining that which is of this world, the godly person will focus on spiritual things that will result in eternal life. In order to acquire the mentality of focusing on spiritual things, one must come to the realization that our passing through this world is too brief to focus on the things of this world. God ordained that the things of this world are to sustain us on our brief stay here in preparation for that which is to come. 

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I put my absolute trust. Give me the grace to lead a life of steadfast pursuit of Your kingdom and righteousness, trusting You to add to me all other things that I need and also are pleasing to You, in Jesus Name I prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The 

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 01, 2023.

SUBJECT : PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

Memory verse: "Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 1:

18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray, and not to lose heart,

18:2: saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for Me from my adversary.’

18:4: And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 

18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”

18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He bear long with them?

18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

Prayer brings us before God in communing with Him. Humbly being at all times in the presence of God is the secret to continual triumph of the believer, hence the reason to pray at all times. Though we cannot spend all our times on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. Emphasis here is not on a continued action of prayer, but on a continued attitude of prayer. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, and determining to obey Him fully. Then, we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers. In other words, the Christian should be in a state of mind that he can at all times take part in the action of praying to the Father. 

It is the desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. Prayer is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. To persist in prayer does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Jesus’ lesson in the passage we read today is that if an unrighteous and unconcerned judge would act upon the persistent requests of a pleading woman, then certainly the persistent pleas of the righteous to a concerned God would attract His response to the pleas of the righteous. Consistent prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. 

Faith is very essential in prayer. Faith is the recognition of the faithfulness of God, and engenders our committing ourselves and our matters to Him. Sometimes you think that God will not hear you because you have fallen short of His high standards for holy living, but if you have faith, and have trusted Him for salvation, you should know that God has forgiven us and He will listen to us. When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays always have good reasons. Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for delay is not denial, and that may be God's way of working His Will. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.

God not only welcomes us in prayer, He is waiting for us to pray. We, the godly—those who are faithful and devoted to God—should know that God is waiting for us to approach Him in prayer and should be confident that God listens to our prayers and answers at His own time (which is usually the best time for us). Some other times you grow tired of praying because it seems God is not answering you, but a Christian's persistence in prayer is an expression of faith that God answers prayer. Always be confident, and know that God is present, always listening, and always answers in the best ways known to Him. 

A praying attitude is not a substitute to regular times of prayer, but should be an outgrowth of those times. Too often we pray glibly and superficially. Serious prayer, by contrast, requires concentration. It puts us in touch with God’s will and can really change us. Without serious prayer, we reduce God to a quick-service pharmacist with painkillers for your every ailment. However, the Holy Spirit, being the sole interpreter of the needs of the human heart, makes His intercession therein. Inasmuch as prayer is impossible to man apart from His help (Romans 8 vs 26), believers are exhorted to pray at all seasons in the Spirit (Ephesians 6 vs 18; Jude 20). 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace for persistence in prayer, as a demonstration of my absolute faith, and dependence on You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Where Our Comfort Comes From

 

He [Pilate] entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:9–11)

Pilate’s authority to crucify Jesus did not intimidate Jesus. Why not?

Not because Pilate was lying. Not because he didn’t have authority to crucify Jesus. He did.

Rather, this authority did not intimidate Jesus because it was derivative. Jesus said, “It was given to you from above.” Which means it is really authoritative. Not less. But more.

So, how is this not intimidating? Pilate not only has authority to kill Jesus. But he has God-given authority to kill him.

This does not intimidate Jesus because Pilate’s authority over Jesus is subordinate to God’s authority over Pilate. Jesus gets his comfort at this moment not because Pilate’s will is powerless, but because Pilate’s will is guided. Not because Jesus isn’t in the hands of Pilate’s fear, but because Pilate is in the hands of Jesus’s Father.

Which means that our comfort comes not from the powerlessness of our enemies, but from our Father’s sovereign rule over their power.

This is the point of Romans 8:35–37. Tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword cannot separate us from Christ because “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Pilate (and all Jesus’s adversaries — and ours) meant it for evil. But God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20). All Jesus’s enemies gathered together with their God-given authority “to do whatever [God’s] hand and [God’s] plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28). They sinned. But through their sinning God saved.

Therefore, do not be intimidated by your adversaries who can only kill the body (Matthew 10:28). Not only because this is all they can do (Luke 12:4), but also because it is done under the watchful hand of your Father.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6–7)

Pilate has authority. Herod has authority. Soldiers have authority. Satan has authority. But none is independent. All their authority is derivative. All of it is subordinate to God’s will. Fear not. You are precious to your sovereign Father. Far more precious than the unforgotten birds.

THE THIN LINE BETWEEN GRACE AND FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2023.

SUBJECT:  THE THIN LINE BETWEEN GRACE AND FAITH!

Memory verse:  "Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11 vs 40.) 

READ:  Mark 9 verse 23 - 29:

9:23: Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

9:24: Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!”

9:25: When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of Him and enter Him no more!”

9:26: Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”

9:27:But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

9:28: And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?

9:29: So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” 

INTIMATION:

There is a very thin line between grace and faith that is often missed by us. Because these two work together, the line between them is difficult for many to discern. And if we do miss it, our lives become confused. Many trust their faith to meet their needs. When their needs are not met, then they tried to have more faith because they are unable to discern the very fine line between faith and grace. They are not seeing beyond their faith to seek the grace of God (the power of God) to meet their needs.

Most people seemed to base all achievements on their faith, when, in reality, every victory or achievement is based on God's faithfulness bestowed on us by His grace—the power of God. If we frustrate the grace of God, we are going to feel frustrated. This explains why, by the grace of God, we receive our petition even when our faith is near zero.

In our memory verse, Jesus told Mary that it was only her faith (her believe) that would make her see the glory of a God (the power of God) raise the brother Lazarus from the dead. And this was the reason why Jesus said in Matthew 17 vs 21, "...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there," and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." It is not the tiny faith (as tiny as the tiniest seed on earth) that will move the mountain, but the mighty power of God (the grace of God) which came through your tiny faith to bring about the answer to the petition.

For instance, Jesus had faith (great faith I supposed) all the time He was suffering. He had faith while in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had faith before the high priest and Pilate. He had faith when He was being ridiculed, abused and mistreated. He had faith on the way to Golgotha. He had faith while hanging on the cross. He even had faith while His body lay in the tomb; He had absolute faith that God would not leave Him there but would raise Him up, as He had promised. 

At the point of completing His task, when God separated from Jesus, His faith was shaken hence His question, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" That is "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27 vs 46). That was an indication of His shaken faith. Consequently, Jesus called the Father 'My God,” instead of 'My Father' He had all through called Him before then. For all of Jesus’ faith, nothing happened until the power of God came forth to bring about the resurrection. His faith only kept Him stable until the Father's appointed time for His deliverance. We can have all the faith in the world, but it will avail us nothing until it is 'plugged into' the source of power, which is the grace of God. 

In order to get our needs met, in order to receive anything from the Lord, we must have both faith and grace. It is by grace through faith that we are saved. And it is by grace through faith that all our prayers are answered and all of our needs are met. Keep your eyes on God to deliver you, not your faith. In Second Timothy 2 vs 13, the Bible says, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." The Bible is teaching us here to get our eyes off our ability to believe (as the ultimate), but rather on God's willingness to meet our needs even though we do not have perfect faith. 

In the passage we read today, the man asked Jesus for healing of his son. Jesus told him that all things are possible to those who believe. The man replied, "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief" or "Help my weakness of faith!" The man knew his faith was lacking, but he was honest about it, and Jesus healed his son. God's grace (power) came on the scene and gave the man what he did not deserve considering his faith—his believe. Jesus made it clear to His disciples that it’s not the faith or believe, but the power or grace of God, which can only be activated to deliver to us by prayer, or by prayer and fasting, in some cases. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are ever faithful, even in my unfaithfulness, and Your steadfastness never seizes. Endue me with spirit of complete obedience and trust in You, casting all my cares upon You, knowing that there is nothing difficult nor beyond your power, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!