UNCHARTED TERRITORY

 

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

 Uncharted: “not shown or located on a map; unexplored; unknown, as a place or region: the uncharted depths of space.”

            Some people have had the experience of leaving this world’s atmosphere to explore what lies beyond it. But most of us have no idea how that would be. Even those who have been in space have not touched the tip of the iceberg of what is really out there. Although most places in our world have been charted, they remain unknown and unexplored to us personally.

            There is no place that God has not charted or that is beyond His notice. There is no place that God has not created. He knows every nook and cranny of this world and all that lies beyond it. What if God called us to venture out beyond our comfort zone; to explore a place that is unfamiliar, but where His Spirit will lead us? He has called us. This place is not a physical place. It is a spiritual place where Jesus is calling us to venture out in faith. He tells us to come and explore the kingdom of God. Now is the time when God’s people need to be alert to the vision He has for them. This is the time when God’s people need to step out in faith, into the unknown, as He leads them. This is the time when we need to cry out to God to give us His insight to see people and circumstances as He sees them, not as we see them in the natural, but as He sees them in the spirit realm. We need to so solidify our relationship with Jesus that we know what He is saying to us and how He is leading us. Then we need to activate our faith to follow Him into uncharted territory.

            God told Abraham to leave all that was familiar to him and start on a journey, leaving his family behind. God promised Abraham that He would show Him the place. Talk about uncharted territory! We would have asked God to give us the address to this place so we could put it in our GPS and get the shortest route. But sometimes God tells us to follow Him in faith and He will get us to the destination He has planned for us at the right time. We don’t need the details. We need discernment and faith in God. We need to learn how to navigate by following Jesus through this life. It’s not always about the destination. Sometimes it’s about the journey. Or maybe we just need to experience the journey to prepare us for our destination.

            The prophet Ezekiel was shown water coming out from under the door of the temple of God. It began to flow until it was ankle deep, knee deep, hip deep and then it became a river that could not be crossed. It was water to swim in. The waters from the temple of God swept through the area and healed the stagnant streams and rivers, creating new life in them.

            This is the living water Jesus talked about. The water of the Spirit of God that can be living in us and flowing out of us to bring life to others. This water comes straight from His dwelling place and we are invited to have this living water and be led into the depths of God’s Spirit. Our spiritual stagnation can be healed and we can be refreshed in the living water! What’s more, we can refresh others!

            I wrote a song called “Wadin Through Life”. It depicts the life of a Christian who is trying to play it safe instead of surrendering everything to Jesus. Here are the lyrics:

“Wadin’ through life. All I was doing was wadin’ through life. Didn’t know if I’d swim or I’d sink. So I stayed on the river’s brink. Wadin’ through life. All I was doing was wadin’ through life. Deeper water sure gave me a fright ‘til I found the truth. I said all the right things, even went to the meetings. But wadin’ ‘round in the shallow end was not far enough from sin…The ankle-deep waters are refreshing I grant you; But the fullness comes only when you get deep enough to swim.”

            How deep have you gone into the river of God? Can you still feel the safety net of the shore under your feet, or are you swimming in the depths of the Holy Spirit, being held up only by His hand? Are you saved, but not useful? Saved, but not obedient? Saved, but not whole-heartedly committed? Or are you truly born again and growing in the Spirit, watching the shore disappear from sight as you enter the uncharted territory in the depths of God’s Spirit? Jesus is calling you to come deeper. If you will follow Jesus you can rest in His hands knowing that there is no uncharted territory with Him. He doesn’t get lost. He doesn’t make a mistake in calculating the way. Everything is under His control, even our safety. And He knows every inch of the territory. Are we so close to Jesus that we know His will in the circumstances that arise in our lives? Are we so committed to follow His will that we walk out His purposes without a thought of self?

I read three titles in the book “My Utmost for His Highest” and could see that they were three steps toward a life that is totally abandoned to Jesus. So, while I am using the titles from Oswald Chambers, I will share my own comments.

The first title is, “Where the sin and the sorrow cease, and the song and the saint commence.”  Our first experience with Jesus is when we are enlightened to the fact of Who He is, and we make a decision to repent and follow Him. That is when we are born again. Our life in the kingdom of God starts right there. The sin in our lives is washed away by Jesus’ blood and we are made righteous. The sorrow and the emptiness within us ceases as we are made a new creation. This new creation has the power of the Holy Spirit, and we know without doubt that we have been changed.

The second title is, “Where the self-interest sleeps and the real interest awakens.”

This is where we realize there is more to our experience with Jesus than “what’s in it for me?”

We see that being born again is just the beginning of our new life and there is much more ahead of us if we will follow Jesus. This new birth is like our natural birth in that we are babies in Christ and are to grow into maturity. We never stop thanking God for the new life we have, but our vision increases to see the need of others to have the gospel preached to them. We have our hearts opened to the fact that we have a spiritual purpose, a holy calling. And we begin to follow Jesus in that direction. If we are not careful, we can get stuck there, because it’s easy to make our work in the kingdom all about ourselves. We can get a haughty, superior spirit if we are not walking humbly with God. But we can do mighty works when we deny self.

            The third title is, “Where the selective affinity dies and the sanctified abandon lives.” An affinity is a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing or idea. In this step of our lives, we don’t just chose what attracts us about Jesus and His teachings, but follow Him even in the hard things He teaches and calls us to. Here we give ourselves over completely to His will without thought to ourselves. We no longer chose what we will or will not do, but fully surrender to His will. Here we have made the decision to lay down our life for Him and for those who still don’t know Him, and those who need to be discipled. Laying down our lives doesn’t necessarily mean dying. It means that we present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. That we lay aside our will and desires for the cause of Christ. We embrace the cross. Is it a burdensome, wearying, sad thing to do? NO! It is our delight to follow Jesus and to have Him with us every step of the way.

            Are we truly following Jesus or are we still in the same ankle-deep water we started in? Have we progressed in our walk with Jesus and in our commitment to Him? If we have not been growing in Christ, we can start today. Wherever we stopped growing, we can begin there to move into the next step. We can go from ankle-deep to knee-deep to hip-deep and then into the waters to swim in.

            It may be stepping into uncharted territory for us, but it is certainly not uncharted for God. Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. If He is leading us, we have nothing to fear. In Philippians 3:12-14 Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [Amplified Bible]

            Don’t draw back in fear. Don’t freeze in place. Keep moving forward regardless of the uncertainty of the situation. We can trust in the certainty of our God. He will be there to support us, guide us and strengthen us for the journey.

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT MANNER OF PERSONS OUGHT WE TO BE?

 

2 Peter 3 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” Then it asks a question. Since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”

Obviously, Daniel and his friends did not see the day of the Lord mentioned above, but they did see Jerusalem, their city and their temple destroyed and burned. They were taken from their homeland, family and culture and dropped into a very different world. These young men from the elite families in Jerusalem were now slaves in Babylon. This new culture that was now their home was totally different than anything they had ever known. It was a sudden, drastic change from the familiar, and they had to find a way to cope. What manner of persons did they need to be? They knew and served their God well. So they learned to cope, not by working against the system, but working with the Lord God Jehovah even within it. And God used them to give messages and show His glory to kings during the 70 years they were there.

We have also been removed from our culture to a totally different one, not physically, but in thoughts and beliefs. It has happened over the course of years, subtle at first and now more sudden and drastic. In this new culture, we are expected to accept new ideals that are false and contradict the Word of God. Common sense has been abandoned to accept abstract views that not only go against The Word of God, but also defy science. These new ways of thinking about the obvious concepts of life are being accepted by many. Yet Truth will never change. So how do we deal with the deception and godlessness of this new world? We can follow the path Daniel and his peers followed. They went along with what did not go against God’s commandments. Yet they purposed not to break covenant with Him, even when it caused them problems. They didn’t start trouble. They simply stood firmly on God’s Word when trouble came to them. They did not plan a revolution to overthrow the government. Instead of fighting against it, they simply worked at their duties with excellence and kept doing what was right in God’s eyes. It was not always easy, but God was with them through it all. Let’s look at some of the problems they faced in a pagan nation. It was especially difficult for these young men, because they were in the palace to serve the king himself. Yet they purposed in their hearts to stay true to their God even in a hostile environment, and even when facing great peril.

Their names were changed to reflect the gods of Babylon, but they refused to allow it to change who they were. These four young men knew who they were and that they belonged to the Lord God Jehovah whether they were in Jerusalem or in Babylon.

What manner of persons ought we to be? Are we like Daniel and his friends, or are we more like a chameleon that changes with our surroundings? We need to be fully surrendered to Jesus. If we go along with ideals that are in opposition to His teachings we will lose our relationship with Him and our ability to bring light. In our culture today, we need to remember who we are. We are children of God and need to purpose in our hearts to act accordingly. We need to walk in His ways. In a dark culture we can simply be the light Jesus has called us to be. Instead of fighting against the darkness, we can shine a light that will show truth and grace.

When the food that was assigned to them by the king was brought, it was food that God had forbidden the Jews to eat. Daniel didn’t stage a rebellion. He simply spoke with the chief of the eunuchs, telling him this would defile them according to their God. Then he diplomatically worked out a plan with him that they could be given vegetables and water instead of the kings “delicacies and wine”. However, when they were required to go through the Babylonian training they did it without objection. They were taught the Chaldean language and were trained in the ways of Babylon to make them fit to serve the king. There was nothing there that would defy God, so they complied with this training for three years. The ironic part is that after all that training, the wisdom that Daniel used in serving the king never came from it. His wisdom came from the Lord God and caused the king to take notice. Daniel was always quick to let the king know it wasn’t his own wisdom, but that it was revealed to him through God. Daniel 1:17 tells us, “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”

What manner of persons ought we to be? We are to do our best and glorify God where we are. We are to serve others. If it goes against God, we are to turn from it.

When king Nebuchadnezzar had a huge statue of himself made and commanded everyone in the kingdom to worship it, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the idol. They had gone along with all the things that didn’t go against God’s commandments, but to worship an idol was in direct disobedience to God. When they were given another chance to obey the king, they refused and were thrown into a fiery furnace, but God delivered them and they didn’t even smell like smoke when they came out. It was a testimony to the king of God’s power and control over everything and everyone…even the king. It could not have been easy to allow themselves to be thrown in the fire, but they had rather die than turn from Jehovah God.

What manner of persons ought we to be? Is it okay to go along with the crowd on the outside as long as we don’t agree on the inside? No. We should be so committed to Jesus Christ that we will not turn from Him no matter what the consequences. Jesus said that to be His follower, we must forsake all. If He asks us to represent Him in a pagan culture, then let’s do it well.

Daniel’s personal integrity and his excellence in serving the king made him a target of jealousy. King Darius planned to put Daniel over all the other leaders in the nation, so they formed a plot to have Daniel thrown in the lion’s den. They tricked king Darius into signing their law that no one could pray to anyone except the king for a month. If they did, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. They knew Daniel would not stop praying to God. What they didn’t count on was that God would stop the mouths of the lions and keep Daniel safe and that they would be thrown to the lions when Daniel walked out unharmed.

What manner of persons ought we to be? You may say, “How will I know God won’t let me get hurt in the fire or the lion’s den.” You won’t until you plunge ahead in His will trusting Him that He will do what is best. The three Jewish young men said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” That is faith and total surrender. We are not promised the outcome. We are simply told to trust and obey.

How can we be that kind of Christian who stands firm in a pagan land? Only through the Spirit of the Lord God within us. I see clearly the evidence of the Spirit of the Lord resting on these young men. How else could they have such wisdom, strength, understanding, wise counsel, knowledge and a reverential fear of God that caused them to love Him so much that they were more afraid to live outside His presence than they were to enter a lion’s den or fiery furnace?

What manner of persons ought we to be? This same Spirit has been given to those who are born again into the kingdom of God. In Isaiah 11:2 we are given a list of spiritual attributes that would rest on Jesus. It says, “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and of the [reverential and obedient] fear of the Lord.”  He has made His Spirit available to us if we will receive Him, commit totally to Him and follow Him.

When wisdom and understanding are needed, God will give them to us if we are living in His presence and surrendered to His will. When we don’t know the answer to our dilemma, He is our Counselor and will give us Strength to do whatever He shows us to do. His Spirit gives us Knowledge that those without Him do not have. Those who are not born into the kingdom of God cannot understand the things of God. Do you have the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord? Daniel 11:32 says, but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. In these days, we need the Holy Spirit within us.

We cannot make it on our own,

but with the Spirit of the Living God inside us, we can do exploits.

 

YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

 

    Jesus told His followers in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

            We are to be salt for the here and now on this earth that we live in. Salt is an important commodity. It is important now and it was in the past. I started wondering about the offerings in the Old Covenant where God required the sacrifices to be offered with salt. So, I searched them out, and discovered that salt is figurative of God’s eternal covenant. Salting the sacrifices was a type or example of preserving one’s covenant with God. If we lose our saltiness, we are disloyal to our part of the covenant.

            What is our part of the covenant with God? It is total surrender. That’s what Jesus said was required. We are to give our lives to follow Him. And He will keep His covenant with us, which is total redemption. Without His Spirit in us, empowering us, we cannot keep our part of the covenant. Both parts of the covenant are necessary. God has actually invited us to come and work alongside Him. Being the salt of the earth is a tremendous job that can only be accomplished when we are in agreement (covenant) with God.

            But if the salt has lost it flavor, it is void of spiritual life and therefore useless. If meat has no flavor, you can get the salt shaker and give it some. But if the salt has no flavor, there is nothing left to give flavor to the meat, or in our case to season the lives of others. There is nothing that can salt this world but those who are salt. That is why Satan works so hard to make us flavorless, powerless, useless. He tries to make us break our covenant with God.

There are numerous passages in Scripture that speak of salt regarding the Covenant. 2 Chronicles 13:5 says God made a “covenant of salt [a permanent pact, extending to each generation of Israel]”. Numbers 18:19 says “All the offerings of the holy things, which the Israelites offer to the Lord I have given to you [the priests] and to your sons and your daughters with you as a continual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt [that cannot be dissolved or violated] before the Lord to you and to your descendants with you.” Salt was symbolic of the preservation and permanence of God’s covenant”. Salt was also considered as a symbol of loyalty and durability. As long as we are loyal, we can impact this world. If we break our covenant with God, we are of no use. We have lost our purpose in the kingdom of God.

In the Old Testament, they offered the required sacrifices and literal salt offerings, keeping their covenant with God perpetual. Under the New Covenant, we have seen we are to give all to follow Jesus. Romans 12:1-2 says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This is the sacrifice we present to God. Not a dead bull, lamb, dove, or goat. We present ourselves. But we can’t just present part of ourselves to God. It has to be all of us, our bodies included. God is specific in what is required.

There were only certain animals that God would accept from the Israelites as a sacrifice to Him and they had to be perfect – no blemishes. And they all had to be offered a certain way. Our sacrifice has to be holy – not conformed to this world but totally transformed and proving out in our lives what is good, acceptable and the perfect will of God. Everything we offer to God must be offered with total commitment to Him. We are called to be that which is holy and acceptable to Him. This sacrifice of ourselves that we offer up to Him is living. It is ongoing.

            How can our bodies be living sacrifices to Him in this covenant relationship? Jesus once said that “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” So, He knows our weaknesses. But we are to keep our bodies in subjection to our spirit. Paul put it this way, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (outcast). We are to be committed to holiness inside and out. So we have to be careful what our mouths say, where our feet take us, what we allow our eyes to watch, and what we do. Everything we do and say should be reflective of the New Covenant we have through Jesus Christ. This was required in every sacrifice offered by the Israelites. “You shall season every grain offering with salt so that the salt of the covenant of your God will not be missing from your grain offering. You shall offer salt with all your offerings.” (Leviticus 2:13)

This covenant is the basis of our lives. It is our foundation. And that should be evident as it flows from us. If we lose our saltiness, we are untrue to our part of the covenant. This covenant includes our redemption through Jesus blood, our righteousness, our source of Life, our new heart with a new Spirit and our purpose. All of this comes through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. His part of the covenant enables us to keep our part of the covenant.

At the Last Supper, Jesus introduced the New Covenant. He “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:19-20) 1 Corinthians 11:25 says, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” We are to never forget our covenant with Jesus. We are to never forget the price He paid to make this covenant with us. We are to always remember that a covenant has two parts and we are to be faithful, even as He is Faithful and True.

            Let’s look at the properties of salt that can help us see how we are salt in this earth.

Salt Preserves - When there was no refrigeration as we know it today, my mother’s daddy would cure hams with salt. Covering them with salt would preserve them for a long time. If we are salt, then we are the ones who can preserve the Word of God, the work of God, the will of God and the power of God in a world that has rejected Him and is decaying. This world needs salt! We can let other people know about it by living as covenant people - fully surrendered. It’s important to preserve the Word of God by speaking it and living it so this generation can hear it and see it. Then it can be passed down to the next generation. That is our purpose on this earth, to preserve God’s Word. We need to hold on to our purpose.

Salt Makes People Thirsty - If we have a real, vibrant relationship with Jesus, we can bring others to Him, too. Our example as a believer can draw people to Christ when they see love, joy, and peace in action. It can make them thirsty for the Living Water. Most people are thirsty for something in life but don’t know what it is. They can find it in Jesus, and we can be the vessel used to point them to Him. We can make them thirsty for Jesus.

 Salt Can Be Used to Cleanse Newborns – (See Ezekiel 16:4) That was news to me, so I researched and found that they put salt on their skin to protect the infant against foreign agents. Another source said it was to toughen the skin. I’m not sure how it was done, but I do know the New Covenant of salt with God will keep a newborn believer in the faith by teaching them and cleansing them from the wickedness of this world.

Salt Can Melt Ice to Prevent Slipping and Falling. - The ice on frozen hearts can be melted so they can receive Jesus. As we spread salt all around, we can offer them His firm foundation to keep them from losing their footing and from slipping and falling into this world’s traps. Jude 24-25 let us know there is One Who can keep us from falling. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling or falling into sin, and to present you unblemished [blameless and faultless] in the presence of His glory with triumphant joy and unspeakable delight, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

            In Mark 9:50, Jesus said, “Salt is good and useful; but if salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty? Have salt within yourselves continually, and be at peace with one another.”  

After I had taught on being the salt of the earth in Bible study, my mother asked me how salt could lose its flavor. I had no idea, so I looked it up on Google, and this is what I discovered.

Salt never ‘goes bad’. And it has no expiration date, regardless of what is on the package. You can use it indefinitely, perpetually. BUT there are some ways it can lose its flavor. It can lose its flavor if it is infiltrated with chemical impurities. When that happens it becomes a mixture of manmade elements and salt. In other words additives have been mixed with it and it is no longer pure. When we cease to live and share the Word of God as it is, we lose our saltiness. When we begin to add this world’s elements to God’s Word, we lose our saltiness. When we break our covenant with God, we lose our saltiness. Nobody gets thirsty when we spread weakened down, impure salt.

Another way salt can lose its flavor is if it absorbs moisture, evaporates and leaves behind a substance that looks like salt but does not taste like it. Once we absorb this world’s elements, we will only be a shell without the Spirit of God in us. We may look like salt, but we are not the real deal and have nothing of the Spirit of God to offer. We are empty inside. If it’s not pure salt, it has no flavor. Salt can only lose its saltiness when it is infiltrated by a foreign substance. We need to be careful not to be infiltrated by this world or the lies of Satan. If we lose our saltiness, how will this earth be preserved, made thirsty, set on a firm foundation, cleansed from sin? We are the salt of the earth. Are we still flavorful?

 

STRENGTHEN THE THINGS WHICH REMAIN

 

If Jesus wrote a letter to our churches today, what would He say? I wonder if it would be the same message He sent to the church in Sardis. Jesus told John to write: “I know your works, that you have a name [reputation] that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” (Revelation 3:1-3 NKJV)

I have attended church all my life, and I thank God for that opportunity and blessing. I have learned much being in fellowship with other believers. I have learned from the Truth that was taught and the errors that had to be corrected. I praise God for people of integrity who are seeking to know more of Jesus and are following Him more closely every day. There is always a remnant who are faithful to the end. But what I see in so many professing Christians today is disturbing. The presence of God seems to be missing in our gatherings. I have been asking myself why, so I ask the following probing questions sincerely, not as a condemnation but as a hope to get back on the right track spiritually, and to strengthen what remains of Christ in His churches before it dies.

How can we set aside what Jesus taught, replacing it with what is more culture-friendly and expect to make a difference in our world? Are we any different from most people? Are we so far from Jesus’ example that few are finding Him in us or in our meetings? Have we lost our influence because we have lost the power and presence of God among us? Have we settled for “good music”, “good speaking” and good fellowship as a replacement for the Holy Spirit? Have we replaced the real moving of God’s Spirit among us for emotional, sentimental feelings? If so, we have lost the heart of Christianity and are going through a form of religion that offers no hope.

My heart yearns for the presence of God among us and a renewal of His people to a true walk with Him. Do we have a reputation of being alive because we are busy and growing in numbers, yet we are dead spiritually because somewhere down the line we took over and stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to lead? Is there real, prevailing prayer in our altars? Is there prayer in our hearts? What do people find in our churches? What do they find in us? Do they find friendly people who make them feel at home and invite them to join in all their activities? Or do they find Jesus and learn to follow Him with all their hearts? Do they find the presence of God noticeably in our midst? Do they find brokenness of heart that leads to repentance and new birth? Are new Christians being taught to be real disciples of Jesus, following His example and teachings, or are we teaching them “church doctrine” like the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus day? We have begun to think of coming to Jesus as adding a wonderful new concept to our lives. But coming to Jesus means He becomes Lord over every part of our lives - our decisions, our finances, our time, our relationships, our careers, our actions, our thoughts, our possessions, our hearts, our souls and our minds. Isn’t that what Jesus said? He cannot be our Savior if He is not our Lord and Master.

Mark 8:34-35 says, “And when He [Jesus] had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.”

Jesus did not die and rise from the dead so we could have a casual relationship with Him, but so we can be formed into His image. He died and rose again to change our hearts to be able to follow Him now in the kingdom of God. When we are born again, we become a whole new creation on the inside. Can people see the difference?

            When God shows us our sins, He is merciful to also tell us how to reverse our condition, just as He did in His letter to Sardis. Let’s look at the guide He gives us to get back on track.

            Be Watchful. There are many warnings in the Scripture for us to be watchful. It simply means to be vigilant, always awake and alert. Matthew 24:42-44 says “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” We need to be consistent in our walk with Jesus, always watchful not to turn aside in any way. We are not to act like the world part of the time and act spiritual at other times. We are to be who Jesus has called us to be. If we are born-again, committed to Christ believers, then that is how we will act.

            Strengthen What Remains. The Amplified Bible says, “strengthen and reaffirm what remains [of your faithful commitment to Me] which is about to die”. When we are newly born again, we feel like the vibrant new creation that we are. We are released from sin and have the Holy Spirit’s power to keep us growing more and more like Jesus Christ. But sometimes that fervor cools. We stop growing and start assimilating back into the world a little at a time. We stop sharing the gospel with others and spend less time in the Word of God and prayer. The things of this world claim our attention and we turn away from God without even noticing it. Maybe it’s time to strengthen what remains of our relationship with Jesus. Maybe it’s time to turn away from the world and put our focus back on Him, His Word, and His Spirit. What remains of your commitment to Christ? Church attendance? daily devotions? Is there anything that remains? If so, strengthen it and watch the pull of the world weaken.

            Remember How You Have Received and Heard. “So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them”. Looking back to what we once knew and practiced can sometimes help us renew our covenant with God. Paul tells Timothy how to recall the Truth and stick with it. He says, “O Timothy, guard and keep safe the deposit [of godly truth] entrusted to you, turn away from worldly and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge’… If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine and teaching which is in agreement with godliness (personal integrity, upright behavior), he is conceited and woefully ignorant [understanding nothing]…But as for you, O man of God, flee from these things; aim at and pursue righteousness [true goodness, moral conformity to the character of God], godliness [the fear of God], faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:-11-12, 20 Amplified Bible) Maybe it’s time to go back and re-embrace the teachings of Jesus that we used to follow. Remembering what we have been taught will help us understand how to strengthen what remains of our faith.

            Hold Fast. That means to be firmly fixed in place or to stay securely attached. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].” When we are reaching for these things, we have to release our hold on the things of God to gain them. So hold fast to Jesus Christ. We cannot vacillate between this world and the kingdom of God.

            Repent. “[Change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin].” When a person repents, it brings about a profound transformation of the whole person – body, soul and spirit. They have made the decision to turn away from this world to embrace Jesus Christ and Him alone. Are we still embracing Jesus or trying to embrace Him and this world? We cannot do both. Maybe it is time to turn back to fully commit everything to Jesus. When God’s people have turned away from Him and His Word, He will only accept true repentance. He wants us to repent from our casual service to Him. He wants us to give up our rights to do as Jesus did when He walked on this earth in human flesh. Without God’s manifest presence in and among us, we can accomplish nothing.

When our Bible study group started to study the teachings of Jesus, I warned them that we better get ready for a real culture shock. What Jesus taught and what we believe and do are often very different. But truth remains when all the beliefs of man fall away. It stands through eternity supreme, and it is the only thing that will truly make us free. When we are faced with truth, we have a choice to make - follow it or turn away to destruction. What about you? What about me? How far are we willing to go to follow Jesus’ teachings and other Bible passages that call us to go beyond what we can comprehend? Will we adjust our lives to be Jesus’ disciples? Or will we attempt to adjust His words to suit us? Don’t let your commitment to Jesus die.

 

“He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

SPEAK, FOR YOUR SERVANT HEARS

 

            Samuel was a young man who still didn’t understand all the ways of God. He had been given to God’s service when he was a small boy and was raised in the temple in Jerusalem. He was there at the temple to serve Eli, the priest.  Or so he thought. But God was about to bring judgment against Eli and His sons. He was going to end the days of their priesthood in God’s temple because Eli’s sons were anything but holy, and Eli allowed it. It was time for a change. And God was going to use Samuel. He just hadn’t told Samuel yet.

            One night God called out to Samuel and Samuel thought it was Eli’s voice, so he got up and went to Eli. Eli told him he had not called him – go back to bed. The third time it happened, Eli finally realized God was speaking to Samuel and told him if it happened again to say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears”. “Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”  (Samuel 3:10)

            When Samuel acknowledged God’s call, God began to tell him things that would happen in Israel. From that time, Samuel knew God’s voice. He had been listening for the voice of Eli all those years, but now He was hearing from God and God used him in a powerful way as a Judge over Israel.

            As God’s people, we need to learn to recognize Jesus’ voice. If we don’t, we will shut Him out and continue serving other people and listening to their voice instead of the Lord’s voice. We need to hear God’s voice to discern His will in every situation that arises.

            Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27)

He went on to say, “he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” If we are following another voice, we are not following Jesus. (John 10:2-5)  We all need to be led. But we need to be careful who is leading us.

            The sheep know the shepherd’s voice because they are close to Him. Most of the people in Jesus’ day did not recognize God’s voice. If they had, they would have known God was right there with them; that Jesus’ voice was the voice of God. Instead, they followed the voice of the religious rulers who led them astray. We need to listen carefully and learn the voice of God for ourselves. We are to be one with Him and recognize that without Him, “we can do nothing.”

            When we are walking in the will of Jesus, following His voice, we cannot take it personally when someone praises us for doing something well or for doing a good deed. It is not us, but the Spirit of God working in us that accomplishes anything of value. If the Spirit of God was removed from us, we would find out how bereft of any good we really are. It is truly all about Jesus, not us. By the same token, we need to realize the power of evil coming against us is actually coming against Jesus in us. When Jesus stopped Paul on the road to Damascus, He did not ask Paul why he was persecuting His people. Jesus asked, “Why are you persecuting ME?”

            In Matthew 25:37-40, Jesus told a parable about a King who proclaims a blessing on the righteous for all the things they had done for Him personally. “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

In times of turmoil, we need to be still and listen for His voice. Instead of making the situation about us, we need to stop and say, “Speak, for Your servant hears. Lord, I’m listening. What is it you want me to see or hear in this situation?” When we hear Him, then is the time to act and obey Him. Maybe God has allowed something to slow us down for a rest that we have ignored. (I have first-hand experience there.) Maybe He is changing our course. Maybe He is ending one season of our lives because He has a new assignment for us. Maybe we have served Eli long enough and He is raising us up to take his place. We will never walk in the fullness of His will if we don’t stop and listen for His voice.

When king Uzziah died, a godly king was taken from the throne of Judah. He was the king that Isaiah the prophet had served under. The future must have looked dim to Isaiah. But he says in Isaiah 6:1 - “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.”

Uzziah was no longer on his throne, but God was unmoved from His throne and was still in control. His power and glory had not dimmed. It was during this time that Isaiah answered the call to “go” for God. He had already been serving, but God was changing his course. When Isaiah answered God’s call to go for Him, the call was not directly addressed to him by name. Isaiah had found himself in the presence of God, and he realized his sinfulness and uselessness. Then he cried out, “Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts!” His knowledge of God took on a new depth and passion.

 “Then flew one of the seraphim [heavenly beings] to me, having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with tongs from off the altar; And with it he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity and guilt are taken away, and your sin is completely atoned for and forgiven.”

When he acknowledged his sin, God took care of it. When we see ourselves as we really are, God can begin the process of making us into His image. He can begin the process of cleansing and renewing us so we can hear His voice and understand His leading.

Once Isaiah’s sin was dealt with, he began to put his focus on the Lord instead of himself. His ears were opened to hear the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And Isaiah spoke up, “Here am I; send me.” He was right where he was supposed to be, so he heard God’s question. (Isaiah 6:5-8 AMPC)  God was preparing Isaiah and changing his course. He listened, heard and answered.

The Lord sends out the call to come and follow Him. Can we hear the call if we are not in His presence listening? Can we answer the call if we are not purified from sin? The call goes out whether or not we are listening, whether or not we hear Him, whether or not we are prepared to answer. Some will hear. Some will not. If we are not listening, we won’t answer the call.

Jesus sent the call to all that came to Him. Many were called, but few were chosen. Why? Because only a few were really listening. So only a few really heard Jesus’ call. Then only a few out of those who heard Him answered the call. Only a few were cleansed and made ready. Only a few were willing to completely follow Jesus. What was Jesus’ call? “Come and follow Me.” Leave everything behind. Become servants, not superstars. Empty yourself of everything but Jesus and let Him work through you. Don’t follow your own purposes, only what He leads you to do.

Oswald Chambers said, “Our Lord said in effect to Paul - Your whole life is to be overmastered by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine…Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing else…This abandon to the love of Christ is the one thing that bears fruit in the life, and it will always leave the impression of the holiness of God, never of our personal holiness.”

A lot of people are devoted to various causes, but few are devoted to Jesus. You may be devoted to your church, your ministry, your family, your job, but are you devoted first to Jesus? Until we give Jesus everything, we cannot accomplish anything of lasting value. Without Him we are only a small speck in the annals of time. Nothing we do is truly great except the work God does through us. When we get ‘self’ out of the way, the work God will do through us will have everlasting value. It will change hearts for eternity.

In Revelation 3 Jesus said, If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

 

The call has gone out. Who is listening? Who will answer?

 

Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

PREPARING THE WAY FOR GOD’S PRESENCE

 

“Preparation must precede God’s presence.” That is a quote from a book by Henry and Richard Blackaby that caught my attention and led me on a search through God’s Word. I couldn’t help but wonder what prepares us for the presence of God? Psalm 24:3-5 asks that same question and then answers it. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

When the Israelites were to meet God Who would speak to them from Mount Sinai, there were specific instructions given them to follow before that meeting. They were to wash their clothes and keep themselves from anything that would cause them to be defiled according to the Law. They were to set themselves apart from sin and to God, because sin cannot exist in God’s presence. That is why we can have no fellowship with God without righteousness.

Because none of us were righteous, God made a way for us to come into His presence through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But first, the world needed to be prepared. The very presence of God Himself was about to come into this world, and the people needed to be prepared to receive Him. So John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ entrance into the world. And yet many still rejected Him.

            I find it very interesting that Luke 3:1-4 lists all the leaders of the day, both political and religious. “Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] Tiberius Caesar’s reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene - in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin; as it is written and forever remains written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.”

            It’s astonishing that God by-passed all the great rulers of that day and spoke to John. But it isn’t unusual that he by-passed them, because John was prepared for the presence of God and these leaders – both political and religious – were not prepared for His presence. God Himself had chosen John before he was even born and prepared him to do the work of paving the way for the Messiah.

Luke 1:15-17 tells us this about John. “For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John was only six months older than Jesus, so he was probably barely past 30 years old when he started his ministry. He was young and not formally trained in the law, so he was an unlikely candidate in the eyes of all the “important” men of his day to be the bearer of such wonderful news. But he was the only one prepared by God for the honor.

 “In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea [along the western side of the Dead Sea] and saying, “Repent [change your inner self - your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2 AMPLIFIED)

While John faithfully preached repentance from sin and turning to God to prepare the people for the kingdom of heaven, the religious leaders continued teaching their rituals and rules. And the political leaders were busy touting the “party line” so they could be promoted. They were oblivious to the greatness that was coming among them.

            John had no grand illusions of his place in pointing the way to Jesus. He knew he was not the Messiah everyone was looking for, and he told them so. John’s disciples got offended when people stopped coming to John’s meetings and were following Jesus instead. But John told them, “He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease. “He who comes from [heaven] above is above all others;” (John 3:30-31 AMPLIFIED) John pointed his disciples to Jesus.

Many religious leaders today have a tendency to promote themselves, pointing people to them instead of to Jesus. They are the ones who have lost sight of the One Who came from above. They forget that He is above all others. They continue on with their traditions and plans with few results because they have not allowed God to prepare them for His presence.

Many political leaders think they can bring in a utopia or at least set up their own kingdom, but God is still above all. They only do what He allows for His own purposes and only as long as He allows it.

That’s why God often by-passes those considered to be in high positions. They are busy with their own plans and purposes and reject His. He knows that those who make a real difference are the ones who have allowed Him to prepare them and use them as He desires because they have learned that He is all that matters. They have given up their rights, and they don’t try to take them back later.

I was reminded recently of the Biblical meaning of taking off one’s shoes. If someone had a right to buy someone’s property as the kinsman redeemer and he did not want to do so, he would take off his shoe as a sign that he was relinquishing his rights to that property. Remember how God told Moses and later Joshua to remove their shoes in His presence? He was asking them to relinquish their rights to themselves. Then God could use them as He chose. And He did so in a mighty way.

God doesn’t always use the ‘likely’. He uses the prepared, those who know how to enter His presence and hear from Him. He uses those who have “clean hands and pure hearts”. He prepares and uses those who give up their rights to themselves and relinquish them to Him.

Jesus came to prepare us to be able to stand in the presence of God. Ephesians 5:25-27 says, “Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God], so that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy [set apart for God] and blameless.”

Have we allowed Jesus to cleanse us? Have we set ourselves apart for His purposes? Have we given up our rights to do what He calls us to do regardless of the cost? Are our hands clean and our hearts pure? The provision for our preparation is there for the asking. But we must take that next step of submitting to Him and asking to be prepared for His presence.

God doesn’t use the mighty. He uses the meek (those who are submitted to Him) and He makes them mighty through His strength. God doesn’t choose the wise according to this world’s wisdom, but He chooses those who seem inadequate and makes them more than adequate through His wisdom.

“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:24-27)  

Ephesians 2:10 tells us who we really are when we have given our rights over to Christ. “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above - spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” (AMPLIFIED)

Has someone labeled you as inadequate to accomplish much in the kingdom of God? Have you been told you have to follow the pattern laid out by the prevailing religious realm? Have you left the work of Christ in the hands of those who are considered “full-time ministers”? If so, please read Ephesians again and again until you realize you were created to be useful in God’s kingdom. You can do miracles if you relinquish your rights to Him and enter His presence in a life-changing way that will guide you into everything He has created you to be. The power of the Holy Spirit in us will enable us to do what is impossible for us to do!

 

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”