Keep it Real

Articles of high quality are valued by wise shoppers. People educated in the acquiring of quality goods spend a lot of time scrutinizing items before they purchase them to ensure that what they are buying is the genuine article, not some cleverly devised fake. Due to the amount of money people are willing to spend for a quality item, the production of “fakes” has become big business. People involved in this illegal activity spend a lot of time studying high quality items so they can recreate them using inferior, less expensive materials, passing them off to buyers as the “real deal”. The desire is to be good enough at producing “fakes” so that buyers will pay top dollar for items that are not what they appear to be.

How do you know if something is genuine? Anyone can put a “label” on something and call it the “real deal”. To find out if something is genuine, it must be inspected closely. Think about precious metals: they are revealed as genuine by putting them through fire. Gold reacts a certain way when exposed to heat. Metals being passed off as gold will be proved to be a fake when exposed to extreme heat. Every manufacturer of high quality goods puts some type of trademark embedded in the item they have created, so that when inspected, it will be revealed as the genuine article. Producers of fake items usually don’t have the knowledge or equipment to produce these trademarks, therefore making it difficult to pass them off as real. Close inspection reveals the trademark and declares the item genuine.

Guess what reveals a believer in Jesus as the “genuine article” or the “real deal”?

You guessed it: Close inspection and testing. Studying the Bible in an effort to copy the real article; going to church in an effort to pass yourself off as the real thing or wearing the “label” Christian can fool some people. But, before you know it, the testing time comes and then, “copies” of the real thing are revealed as “fakes”.

1 Peter 1:6 in the Amplified Version says:

“You should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, so that the genuineness of your faith may be tested, your faith which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. This proving of your faith is intended to redound to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One is revealed.”

You should be glad when trials come: they are the very process through which you are revealed to be real in your faith. Anyone can make it through easy times. But closer inspection always reveals the presence of the trademark woven into the life of the disciple of Christ. I know, none of us like pain, but pain is the fire that refines what is real and gets rid of what is useless.

Now, don’t be fooled: it’s not only hard times that reveal you as genuine. Good times reveal you as genuine as well. They carry their own type of “fire”; not the fire of pain but the fire of satisfaction. You see, lack tests your commitment and abundance tests your character. When you are in lack of some sort, the test is: will I continue to believe in God’s Word that He will supply my need and that He is good and will cause this to work for good?

When you are in abundance, the test is: will I serve God or my stuff? Will I compromise to keep what I have? Will I hold on to my stuff lightly or tightly? Will I look down on those who don’t have what I have? Will I change the Word of God to fit my desires? Will I believe all the praise others are heaping on me due to my success?

Believe it or not, the test of success is harder than the test of commitment!

I’m reminded of the word of Jesus in John 14:30:

“For I will not talk with you much more, the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. (He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.)” 

That’s the definition of true success! Yet, we will still be tested, just as He was:

“But (Satan is coming and) I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. (I act in full agreement with His orders.)”

You are constantly being tested, not matter the circumstances. Your testing is revealing something about you. So, no matter where you are; in good times or bad, “keep it real”. Your success is defined by saying, like Jesus said, “the enemy has nothing in common with me; there is nothing in me that belongs to him – he has no power over me!

You will pass the test! I’m praying for you!!!!

 

The Spirit of Elijah

I believe that we are living in days that are reminiscent of the days of Elijah.

Political turmoil, spiritual apostasy, national division–all these things are evident in our day just as they were in the day Elijah lived. Elijah was a “nobody”; a complete unknown in the spiritual scene. He appeared on the stage by giving a word from God to Israel’s wicked top level leadership and then vanished for three years. As his words began to be manifest, he became the most wanted and hunted man in Israel. I believe that the spirit of Elijah is rising again within the church of Jesus Christ. Here, let me elaborate:

The confrontation of idolatry and the entry of judgment.

As I said earlier, Elijah just seemed to “appear out of nowhere”. The first word spoken in his ministry involved the entry of judgment. He came before Israel’s representative leaders and declared that there would be an economic disaster of unprecedented proportions. After his departure from the king’s court, I’m sure everyone had a good laugh about this crazy, unknown prophet of doom. Yet, as time went along, his word became reality. I believe, just as in the days of Elijah, we are living in a time of economic judgment. I believe that we could see a short reprieve in which things appear to get better, but it will be an illusion. The people of Israel experienced economic judgment in Elijah’s day due to their turning away from God and His ways. Same thing is happening here in America and around the world–we are turning from God and experiencing judgment in our economy. If the course is not altered, the destination will not be altered. These judgments are not set in motion by God’s anger as much as by our ignorance, false pride, and rebellion. For what we are experiencing, we shouldn’t blame God because we are just eating the fruit of our decisions. God is ready to help if we are ready to repent.

I also believe that we are going to see a confrontation between God and man’s idols. Just as in the showdown on Mount Carmel in the days of Elijah, I believe we are going to see God manifest Himself in ways unprecedented. These confrontations will bring many to say, “The Lord, He is God!” But, the Jezebel spirit of witchcraft and rebellion will not give up easily and the trend toward seeing Christianity as the enemy will continue. Attacks against the church and believers will continue and a divide will occur between the church that is false and that which is truly of God. While persecution continues, so will great manifestations of God’s glory. If the enemy touches the presence of God, we will see a recurrence of what happened when the Philistines took the ark of God.  God will knock over the idols of man and manifest His presence until the unsaved get right or get rid of the Presence.

In the book of Malachi, chapter 4, verse 5, we see another aspect of the rise of the spirit of Elijah.

“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

A breach has occurred in relationships due to our hardness or heart and rejection of God. I believe that God is calling the church to get out of its comfort zone and get involved in “reparenting” those who have been devastated by the consequences of the destruction of the home and the family. If the church doesn’t answer this call, the vacuum created in the younger generation will continue to get worse. It’s time to get up and parent an “unparented” generation. If we don’t, the curse of violence will get worse and worse.

The good news is that Elijah was the prophet of the manifestation of God and His power. The spirit of Elijah is rising in the church. Events in the world will be used by God to make His Presence known. Rise up, “Elijahs” in the church of Jesus Christ! You were created for such a time as this!

These are the days of your destiny!

Forgive as Often as You Want to Be Forgiven

“Lord, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?”

Peter asked the Lord this question. When I read this, I think of how many times I’ve asked the same question of Jesus. How about you? Has someone offended you? Are you wondering just how much a person is supposed to take?

I truly believe that Peter would not have asked this question unless he believed that there was a limit to how far forgiveness was supposed to be extended before it is withdrawn. Just asking the question lets me know that he believed there was a limit to forgiveness for offense. The rabbis of Jesus’ day taught that you were to forgive someone three times for the same offense and after that, you could treat them like they deserve. Peter knew that Jesus was unlike anyone else, so he “jacked up” the amount of times to forgive and said, “Should I forgive up to seven times?”

I mean, I want to be spiritual, but there has got to be a limit to forgiveness for some people!

Jesus’ reply?

“I say not to you, up to seven times: but, seventy times seven!”

In the original language in which the New Testament is written, Jesus was saying that Peter (you and I also!) are to forgive as often as an offense occurs. Why would Jesus say such a thing?

Because there is no limit to His forgiveness toward us so we are to extend the “God type” of forgiveness to those who offend us. In other words, we are to forgive as often as we want to be forgiven!

How often do you need God’s forgiveness? With that in mind, how often do you want Him to forgive you?

If we willingly accept forgiveness for ourselves, yet deem others unworthy of forgiveness then we have become hypocrites and judges. Instead of grateful recipients of God’s mercy, we knock God off of His throne and sit down in His place and begin to be Lord. How worthy of judgment do you think that act is?

I hear someone saying, “You just don’t know what has been done to me.”

Many have been deeply hurt by others. But, another’s sin and offense against us will never rise to the level of our offense against God. You see, it is not just the acts that we perpetrate against God that determines our judgment but who we have sinned against. We have sinned against the Author of Life, King of Kings, Creator of All Existence, the All Knowing, All Seeing God! When we turn to Him and, through our sin call Him a liar and a fraud and tell Him to abdicate His position as God so we can sit as Lord – we are acting in the same spirit as the devil and deserve the same judgment.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:14 that if we do not forgive our debtors then we will not be forgiven. We cannot play God and be  hypocritical judges: we must be willing to give what we deem worthy to receive.

Does a dark cloud enter your soul when you think of a certain person who has offended you? Then, you need to forgive them. This is not for their benefit but for yours. If you give them to God and release their actions against you, you will finally receive the  freedom that has escaped you all this time.

Don’t wait: do it today! Let God be judge; you be joyful recipient of His mercy! Thank God He is willing to forgive you every time you ask Him! Be free by extending the same type of forgiveness to others!

Thou Shalt Not Sweat It

My first pastor, in whose church I came to know the Lord gave us a direction he called the eleventh commandment:

“Thou shalt not sweat it”.

In the book of Ezekiel, the priests of God were given the following command in chapter 44, verses 17-18:

“When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them sweat“.

If you are born again, you are a priest of the Most High God.

Is there anything that you are currently wearing in God’s presence that is making you sweat?

We, as God’s priests who live in His presence are to dress light and not wear heavy garments that cause us to worry, doubt, fear and be anxious. Are you currently wearing some type of garment that doesn’t “breath” in the Spirit but instead, restricts your faith in God and His Word?

If you are wearing such a restrictive garment, change it immediately! We who live so close to God with a view so close should be aware of our freedom in Him. There is no reason to bear heavy “clothing” that causes us to doubt what we see in the inner court. Wearing “heavy” clothing that doesn’t breath in the Spirit in His presence is a sign of double-mindedness. If you have something pressing on you that isn’t light, cast it off and change it for light Spirit garments which breath and move easily in His presence.

Let me ask again, what is causing you to sweat? An ungodly relationship? A fear of death? A fear of lack? Other people’s opinions? You fill in the blank!

You don’t have to pray about what you should do: take off the restrictive, heavy weight which is causing you anxiety and put on garments that breath in the Spirit!

When you see God for who He really is, what compares with Him? Of what should we be afraid? What should we allow to control our lives and make us miserable?

Thou shalt not sweat it!

Dress “light” today and enjoy the presence of the Lord!!!

 

Stepping on the Enemy

The world has experienced hard times over the last couple of years. Municipalities and countries in many different places have been tottering on the brink of collapse.America has not been exempted from these difficulties. The people of the world are suffering from a lack of connection to God. Failure to connect to God causes despair. Many are able to handle that despair through some type of distraction or medication – making life manageable but not fulfilling. A simmering despair bubbles just below the surface of those who have no connection to Christ. When times become difficult, things that were “manageable” through distraction or medication boil over into full fledged anger. Then, people begin to feel “ripped off” and begin a search for the culprit. In America, we are now pointing fingers at each other – the “have nots” accusing the “haves” of stealing from them and not pulling their fair share of the load.

Many leaders in our current government are encouraging this division, while in their hypocrisy they live at the same level of those they condemn as the problem. The Bible clearly tells us that in judging others, we are condemning ourselves (Rom. 2). It is past time for us to wake up from our deception and begin to look at the only thing we truly control and begin to make the necessary changes.

What do we truly control?

Our own behavior and attitudes.

Instead of trying so hard to change others, thinking that will fix us, we should be taking a hard look at ourselves and identifying the destructive forces at work that destroy our own lives.

Does our government need to be changed?

No, our government was set up to run successfully but every system is only as good as those in it. We need to be changed so that we can see clearly the problems outside of our personal lives.

For those who have ears to hear: this is the year of change. The Spirit of God is saying that it is time to go on the offensive and take back what has been stolen. This will not occur through “Occupy” protests staged by unchanged people. This will not occur by changing leaders and electing the unchanged. Yes, violence is needed but not against flesh and blood. We must attack the real problem – our indifference toward God. Our problems have been “simmering” for a long time. They just didn’t “appear”. We’ve sown to the wind and now we are reaping a whirlwind.

We can free ourselves and our possessions if we will attack the real problem.

“But this is what the Lord says: ‘Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.’” Isaiah 49:24-25

God is ready to unleash vengeance upon that which has been stolen from you. The qualifier is your return to Him as first love. Your captives and your plunder and the salvation of your children – our children as a nation depend upon us focusing on what we have control over – our own souls. This year is not like last year or the year before – it is a new time with different outcomes!

Victory is within grasp! Now is the time, this is the place, and we are the people!

“Through our God, we shall do valiantly. It is He who will tread down our enemies.”

Get the Jesus Habit

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:13-15

God did not send along that thing or person in your life which is tempting you to sin. No matter how much it “seems” to be meeting a need; no matter how much you are attached to it emotionally – if it is enticing you to sin, it is not from God.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

But, you say, the thing/person in my life is good, it helps me in some way, so it must be from God. Gifts from God are perfect in character; that is they are gifts given that are intended to lead us closer to Him and not farther away. God does not tell us not to sin and then send something along that entices us to do that exact thing! He does not change like shifting shadows – one day this way, the next, this way.

It you are doing evil, it is because a desire in you has turned to evil for its fulfillment. You have allowed yourself to be dragged away from the truth of the Word and the all sufficiency of God and are depending upon an object/person to meet your desire. Continuing to allow this enticing object/person to be your focus causes evil to conceive and give birth to action – sinful action.

And, if you allow this action to continue – to say, “I will do what I want”, then immediately, spiritual death sets in, a sense of separation from God and soon, it will be followed by emotional death – the slow process of the loss of sensitivity.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” Ephesians 4:17-19

Continuing in behavior that seeks to meet needs/desires through sinful actions causes us to lose sensitivity to God’s voice. Excusing harmful behavior leads to excusing more harmful behavior. You are ruled by what controls you.

My advice – If there is something in your life that looks like it will meet a need/desire but it requires sin as its price, avoid it! That is not a solution sent by God. If you already have a similar situation going on, change it immediately! God will provide for all your needs and desires according to His riches in glory and these solutions will not be laced with poison!

I’m praying for you today. You can do this! As your fellow traveler in this life, I encourage you – don’t allow counterfeit solutions and past or present failures stop you from receiving what is best for you.

Kick the habit of depending upon “counterfeits” and pick up the Jesus habit! You’ll be glad you did!

Who in Hell are You?

The question who are you is an interesting one. It can be asked as part of casual conversation, for instance when two people meet each other for the very first time. It can also be asked in a more provocative way – when one person is questioning another’s authority to say or do a certain thing.

In Luke, chapter four, Jesus appears at the synagogue in Nazareth, his home town, and reads from the book of Isaiah. He finds the place where this is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

He finishes reading and all eyes in the room are up0n Him. Then He rocks their world by saying, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All were amazed at the authority announced and released through this statement. Their response?

“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” In essence, they are saying, “Who are you to make such a statement of power, intention and authority?” It’s very sad to see that the people most familiar with Him did not even recognize who He was, nor were they glad to hear His message.

A few days later, Jesus goes to Capernaum. Just as He did at Nazareth, He enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and begins to speak to the people. In the synagogue, there was a man who was possessed by an evil spirit, who upon hearing Jesus speak, cried out at the top of his voice:

“Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”

How amazing! The people closest to Jesus didn’t recognize His purpose, power, or authority but the demon did! Demons are rogue agents with their own agenda. They don’t respond to anything other than authority. Jesus’ power was apparent to them, yet hidden from His closest friends.

Isn’t that how it often is?

The people around you, those most familiar with you often don’t see you in the Spirit. They simply can’t get past the past and continue to view you as you always were – little brother – kid sister – small child – sinner – incompetent.

The Bible tells us that when spiritual transformation takes place we are to:

“Regard no one from a worldly point of view. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:16

If there are people in your family or friends or co-workers who can’t see your new identity in Christ, don’t be discouraged, Jesus experienced the same thing!

But, rest assured – the devils DO know who you are and must bow their knee to the Name you carry!

So, press ahead!!! Use the Name and follow the Spirit! Man’s opinion and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee at a cheap motel. That’s all the opinions of man are worth! You are a child of the Most High God! You have a covenant with your God!

In the end, all things will be revealed for what they are. Until then, my heart will go on singing!!! And, so will yours! I would rather be known in heaven and hell then here anyway. How about you?