Week 3 (Two-Year Daily Devotion Plan)

This plan provides a good balance between Old Testament readings and New Testament Readings because it guides you through the New Testament twice as you read through the Old Testament once.  To allow time for reflection, it follows a two-year plan.

Every week I will post the devotional readings for that week.  If you wish to print a copy of the plan without the devotions, you can find copies of it in pdf format at the link below.  I like to print and use them as bookmarks in my Bible.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TQs0_oejNJO8HInVlN1JmSClMhWcEbiG?usp=sharing

The daily devotions for this week are included below.

January 15 (Read: Luke Chapters 13 & 14)

“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Lu. 14:13,14 NAS)

I have been guilty in the past to give for the wrong reasons.  Listening to teachings on prosperity, I tried to give as a “seed offering” to receive a monetary harvest.  I understand now that the harvest I receive is not of this world because the seeds sown are seen by the Lord as spiritual in nature, not physical.  When we do acts of kindness, we are sowing seeds of righteousness, and we will be rewarded accordingly by the Lord.  We need to maintain an eternal perspective.  It is not wrong to expect a reward for giving, but we should not expect rewards that perish.  If we raise our expectations above the natural realm, we will see that the blessings of the Lord are eternal, not temporal.  Our greatest reward is to become like God in character.  After the Lord’s return, we are to be His Bride, ruling with Him over all creation.  Our pleasure will not be in ruling, but in being near Him.  When we give, expecting nothing in return, it does not means that we are not expecting God to reward us; we are simply expecting nothing in return from this world.  Our desire is for eternal things, not temporal ones.

Thank You, Lord, that my soul is being transformed into Your image.  I am partaking of Your divine nature.  Help me Lord to give with an eternal perspective.  My greatest desire is to be close to You.  You have made a place for me to sit with You on Your throne as You rule all of creation forever.  I want to be where You are, Lord, for all eternity.

January 16 (Read: Luke Chapters 15 & 16)

“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Lu. 16:9 NAS)

The Lord tells a parable about an unrighteous steward who is wise in the ways of the world.  God is expecting us also to be wise, but not according to the wisdom of this world.  People will use money to gain the things of this world.  We should use money to serve God.  “If you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (vs. 12).   It is not always easy to think of ourselves as stewards when it comes to material things, but that is how God sees us.  What is required of stewards is that they be found trustworthy (1Cor. 4:2).  If we maintain an eternal perspective, we will remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  It is not wrong to receive; God wants to meet our needs.  We should, however, be careful of what captures our heart.  Do we trust God and seek to please Him, or do we seek the things of this world?

Lord, I humbly receive Your instructions.  Forgive me when I put my trust in the things You have given me rather than in You as my provider.  You are Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord Who Provides. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for developing in me the fruit of faithfulness.  I thank You, Father, for Your abundant grace and mercy.

January 17 (Read: Luke Chapters 17 & 18)

“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’  For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Lu. 17:20,21 NAS)

The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would deliver them from earthly rulers.  The appearing of Jesus was not at all what they expected.  The Lord was coming to the hearts of mankind to deliver them from the enemy of their souls.  The coming of His kingdom was more powerful than earthly armies, but they could not see it.  What about His Second Coming?  Are we expecting a Messiah to deliver us from the troubles that are coming upon this world?  He certainly will appear with signs to be observed, but is that the coming of His kingdom?  He told the Jews that the kingdom of God was within them.  His Spirit is in the hearts of His people, and His kingdom is being extended over the earth.  What we have failed to understand is that the Lord must come “to” His temple before He comes to judge the world.  “And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple…But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.” (Mal. 3:1,2).  His manifested presence will increase in greater measures until He is finally revealed to the World, as the Lord of Lords.  Receiving Him in our midst is not just receiving a religion that bears His name, it is allowing Him to build us into a corporate body, a holy city, a temple for our God.

Father, I open my heart to Your Spirit and Your Word.  May Your kingdom come, may Your will be done in my life as it is done in heaven.  Holy Spirit, help me to be sensitive to Your voice, as you teach and guide me.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your government of righteousness and peace over us.

January 18 (Read: Luke Chapter 19)

“‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little…” (Lu. 19:17 NKJV)

If we love the Lord, we want to hear these words when we finally appear before Him.  How can we know if we have been faithful in His eyes?  In my own strength I cannot do it, so I must, by faith, let Christ live through me.  Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit; it manifests in my life as I walk in the Spirit. 

I have learned not to compare myself to others because we all have been assigned different talents.  If I compare myself to someone with less talents, I may think I am doing well when I am not.  If, on the other hand, I compare myself to someone who has more talents, I may condemn myself when I should not.  I always remind myself to let the Lord be my judge.

Another thing I have learned is to be faithful in the little things, so that I can be given greater responsibilities.  The little things are those things pertaining to the natural life; they are temporal in nature.  The greater things are those things that pertain to eternity, like how we help build the Body of Christ.

Father, I thank You for creating me with special gifts and abilities, and for placing me in the Body of Christ with a special function.  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for assigning responsibilities to me in Your kingdom.  Help me, Holy Spirit, to be faithful to my Lord.  I choose to not compare myself to others, but to think with “sound judgment”, since God has given to me my own measure of faith and abilities. (Rom. 12:3,4)

January 19 (Read: Luke Chapters 20 & 21)

“But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Lu. 21:36 NAS)

While speaking of the difficult times to come, Jesus tells the disciples that a way of escape is possible, but it is not as we think.  Rather than hoping to be taken away, they are to pray for strength.  The way of escape is amid the troubles.  “By your endurance you will save your lives.” (Lu. 21:19).  When the Nazarites wanted to throw Jesus off the edge of a cliff, He escaped by passing through their midst. (Lu. 4:30).  In a vision concerning the end-time revival, the evangelist Tommy Hicks saw believers anointed mightily by the Holy Spirit.  He writes, “All over the world these people went, and they came through fire and through pestilence, and through famine.  Neither fire nor persecution, nothing seemed to stop them.  Angry mobs came to them with swords and with guns.  And like Jesus, they passed through the multitudes and they could not find them, but they went forth in the name of the Lord, and everywhere they stretched forth their hands, the sick were healed, the blind eyes were opened.”  Their escape was that the troubles could not stop them.  They had the strength to endure and to pass through.

Lord Jesus, we pray that we may have strength to endure anything that tries to stop us from serving You.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that we may have power to be witnesses.  Work with us, Lord, with miraculous signs as we go forth in Your name. (Acts 1:8; Mk. 16:20)

January 20 (Read: Luke Chapter 22)

“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Lu. 22:40 NAS)

These are the words Jesus spoke to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Not long before this, He had warned Peter that Satan had requested permission to sift him like wheat.  Would Peter’s experience in denying Christ been different had he prayed in the garden instead of slept?  Sometimes we must fail before we succeed.  The enemy demanded permission to sift Peter, so he must have had legal right to.   Instead of refusing, Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail.  Temptations will come, but they only come in areas in which we are weak.  The way to overcome temptations is to be alert, and to stand in grace by faith.  If we fail to pray, we will not recognize the tactics of the enemy, and if we try to stand in our own strength we will not be able to resist.  “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” (1Cor. 11:13).  If we pray before temptation comes, we will be able to endure it, and with the strength we obtain, we will be able to strengthen others.

Father, I pray that You would not lead me into temptation, but that You would deliver me from evil.  Christ is me is greater than the enemy who prowls around looking for someone to devour.  Thank You for grace to help in my time of need.  As I stay in fellowship with You, Holy Spirit, alert me to the schemes of the enemy and show me the way to victory.

January 21 (Read: Luke Chapter 23)

“And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Lu. 23:43 NAS)

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was so complete that even one of the robbers crucified next to Him could be saved.  Our salvation is not based on our works, it is a gift, given freely because of God’s goodness.  There is more to eternal life, however, than just going to heaven.  We will receive rewards according to our labours (1Cor. 3:8).  Yet, even with the promise of rewards, we must be careful how we work.  It must be Christ doing the works through us.  This does not mean that we are not participating in them; otherwise, how could we be rewarded for them?  I like the way Paul explained it: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20).  He lives in me, but I also live in Him, by faith.  I do the works as an extension of Him; I am a member of His body.  I have His life in me, and the way I live in Him is by walking in the Spirit.  “If we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25).

Thank You, Lord, for coming into my life and making me one with You.  I yield to You, Holy Spirit.  Thank You for wisdom and strength.  Father, You have made me a steward of your manifold grace.  Let what I say be inspired by You, and what I do be supplied by Your strength. (1Pe. 4:10.11)

Week 2 (Two-Year Daily Devotion Plan)

This plan provides a good balance between Old Testament readings and New Testament Readings because it guides you through the New Testament twice as you read through the Old Testament once.  To allow time for reflection, it follows a two-year plan.

Every week I will post the devotional readings for that week.  If you wish to print a copy of the plan without the devotions, you can find copies of it in pdf format at the link below.  I like to print and use them as bookmarks in my Bible.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TQs0_oejNJO8HInVlN1JmSClMhWcEbiG?usp=sharing

The daily devotions for this week are included below.

January 8 (Read: Luke Chapters 4 & 5)

“And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…” (Lu. 4:14 NAS)

When Jesus went into the wilderness, He was already “full of the Holy Spirit”, but He came out in the power of the Spirit.  As He was, so were we promised to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but that experience alone does not release through us the power of the Spirit.  After receiving the Spirit, we must be yield to Him. 

Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for forty days.  It is a common interpretation to view the temptation by the devil as covering the entire forty days, but that is not true.  It is not until after He was hungry that the devil came to tempt Him.  I believe the first four weeks were spent in fellowship with the Father in the Spirit.  The baptism in the Holy Spirit was Jesus’ anointing for ministry, but before He could begin His public ministry, He needed to spend some time with the Father in prayer.  Jesus had to strengthen Himself in the Spirit before being tested, and to prepare for His public ministry.  More important than overcoming the devil was developing His ability to hear and see what the Father was doing.  We forget, sometimes, that Jesus put aside His divinity to take on a human form.  He lived on this earth as a man without sin, anointed with the Holy Spirit to fulfill the ministry of the Messiah.  So important, to Jesus, was the need to spend time with the Father, that even after His time in the wilderness, He continued to spend many nights alone in prayer.  His bread was to do the will of the Father.

Jesus, if You had to spend time in communion with the Father, how much more do I need to fellowship with You and our Father.  You demonstrated to us what it means to be full of the Holy Spirit.   You only did what You saw the Father do.  We also want to only do what we see You do.  Help us to live in the fulness of our calling, full of the power of the Holy Spirit.

January 9 (Read: Luke Chapter 6)

“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Lu. 6:40 NAS)

It is encouraging to hear Jesus say that we can be like Him.  He spoke these words while giving instructions that seem too difficult for us to follow.  How can we, in our own strength, bless those who curse us, give to all who ask, love our enemies, etc.  The possibility of being like Jesus is found in the words “and you will be sons of the Most High”.  All who receive Jesua receive the right (the power) to become children of God (Jn. 1:12).  This power is in the fulness of grace that comes to us through Him (Jn. 1:14-16).  We can be partakers of the divine nature, through faith, because “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pe. 1:3,4).  Those promises are not just for this natural life, but also for godliness, which is our devotion to God.  These verses give us hope, but Jesus has made a way, through the heart, for this hope to become our reality.  As we open our hearts to Him and His words by faith, we are transformed into His image.  “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good…” (Lu. 6:45a).

Jesus, I thank You that it is possible to become like You.  Your grace is sufficient for me to obey Your commandment to love.  Your words give me hope.  Help my faith turn this hope into what is seen.  I treasure Your presence and Your words in my heart.

January 10 (Read: Luke Chapter 7)

“I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” (Lu. 7:9 NAS)

Seeing someone with great faith made Jesus marvel (vs. 9).  We have heard of little faith, and strong faith.  What was it about the centurion’s faith that made it great?  First, we find that the Jewish elders had a high regard for him since he loved the Jewish people (vs. 5).  Certainly, Jesus was aware of his generosity, just like that of the centurion in the book of Acts: “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4).  Next, we discover that even if the Jewish elders felt he was worthy of having Jesus come to his house, the centurion did not feel that way.  Besides generosity, he had humility.  These are valuable traits, but they are still not what made his faith great.  The greatness of his faith was in recognizing spiritual authority.  He believed that Jesus could heal his servant by just speaking from a distance (vs. 7).  Too often we need to see or hear something to help our faith.  The centurion did not need for Jesus to lay hands on his servant to heal him.  “For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me” (vs. 8).  In humility and faith, the centurion understood that to be “in authority” you also had to be “under authority”.  He felt he had authority to ask on behalf of his servant, and he recognized that Jesus had authority to heal because He was sent by God.  His faith did not need anything more than for Jesus to “just say the word, and my servant will be healed”.

Heavenly Father, help us to have great faith.  The centurion understood the authority of the One sent by God.  We also want to believe, simply because You say it, not because of any accompanying signs.  Jesus, all authority has been given to You in heaven and on earth, so we can go in the authority of Your Name.  Help us, Lord, to understand that we can be “in authority” because we are “under authority”.

January 11 (Read: Luke Chapter 8)

“Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” (Lu. 8:18 NAS)

Every word the Lord speaks to us carries with it a responsibility to bear fruit.  We must be careful how we receive the spoken word.  Unless we provide it with a good and honest heart, it will not grow to maturity.  A seed that is planted in good soil must also germinate before it grows.  In the same way, we must receive understanding for the words we receive (Matt. 13:23).  This understanding comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit as we meditate on what we hear.   To us has been given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God (vs. 10).  If we are faithful to bear fruit with what He gives us, we will be given more.  God rewards faithfulness.  The goal is not to obtain knowledge; it is to walk in love.  We are often too quick to share the understanding we receive, but that is not its primary purpose.  Yes, we should share with others from the treasure in our heart, but our first responsibility is to live it.

Thank you, Father, for Your Word which is living and active.  Thank you, Holy Spirit, for spiritual wisdom and revelation.  Thank you, Jesus, for Your life in us which is the Word bearing fruit.

January 12 (Read: Luke Chapter 9)

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Lu. 9:23 NAS)

There are Scriptures, like the one above, that are foundational to our walk with the Lord.  If you are new to salvation, it is important to write Scriptures like these on your heart.  Even if you are familiar with them, it is always good to be reminded of them.  There is a cost to discipleship.  The preaching of the gospel is to make us disciples (Matt. 28:19), not merely converts.  We must deny ourselves; being willing to lose our life to save it.  We must also be willing to suffer for the sake of righteousness.  To bear our cross is not blind submission to everything the devil throws at us, like sickness.  As the apostles were learning, the preaching of the gospel included healing the sick.  Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).  He did, however, endure persecutions, and as His followers, we must bear the same cross. 

Help me, Lord Jesus, to deny myself.  I reject every form of selfishness.  I choose to place the needs of others ahead of my own (Phil. 2:4).  I accept also to suffer for the sake of seeing Your kingdom extended on this earth.  You suffered rejection at the hands of men, and as Your follower, I can expect nothing less.  I thank You that You do not leave me to bear this cross alone, but when I am persecuted for Your name, I am comforted by the presence of the Holy Spirit (1Pe. 4:14).

January 13 (Read: Luke Chapters 10 & 11)

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.” (Lu. 10:19 NAS)

This authority was not just given to the twelve apostles, but also to seventy others.  The same authority has been with His followers throughout history, but we have not always been walking in it.  The times I have seen it demonstrated the most is when we have been experiencing a move of the Holy Spirit.  I am not saying that the execution of this authority should only occur when there is an outpouring of the Spirit, only that we are more likely to respond in faith when the Spirit helps us.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is always present to help us, but we are not always sensitive to His voice.  In these last days, we will come into a time where the manifestation of God’s Spirit will be greatly increased upon this earth, as a latter rain before the great and final harvest.  When we see that “even the demons are subject to us”, we need to guard hearts.  It is easy for pride to deceive us into thinking that we are doing the works, rather than God through us.  We should always keep our focus on the Lord, rejoicing that our name is written in heaven.  God loves us, and we have come to know and to believe in His love (1Jn. 4:16).

Thank You, Father, for Your great love.  Lord Jesus, all authority has been given to You, and You have given me authority in Your Name.  Help me Holy Spirit to know how to walk in this authority, with a humble heart.  It is not because I have achieved something great on my own that demons are subject to me, but because my name is written in heaven.  I am know by You, Father, and my life is hidden with Christ in You (Col. 3:3).  

January 14 (Read: Luke Chapter 12)

“Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Lu. 12:7 NAS)

First, the Lord tells the disciples not to fear those who can kill the body, but rather to fear the One who has authority to cast them into hell (vs. 5).  Then, He tells them that they should not be afraid because they are precious to God (vs.7).  Should we, or should we not fear God?  The answer depends on where we stand.  If we are faltering in our faith, He warns us that the consequences of forsaking the Lord are worse than the pain of suffering.  Only judgment remains for someone who forsakes the mercy offered in Christ.  To fear God is better than to fear man, but even better is to not fear at all.  If we walk in the fear of punishment, we will keep away from sin, but we will not mature in love.  Psalm 111:10 tells us that the fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The beginning is not the fullness of it.  If we walk in love, instead of in fear, we will mature in godly character.   There is no need to fear God if we are walking in love because His love for us will cast away any fear of punishment (1Jn.4:18).  There is also no reason to fear what man can do to us because even if they were to kill the body, we would immediately be with the Lord.  To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2Cor. 5:8). 

Thank You, Father, that I am precious to You.  I have passed out of judgment into life.  Your love is rooted in my heart.  I commit to obey Your commandment to love.  I thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your precious blood.  I open my heart to receive Your mercy, Father.  Your grace is sufficient to help in my time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Two-Year Daily Devotion Plan (Week 1)

For some time now, I have made this Bible Reading Plan available for download on my webpage.  This year, with the Lord’s help, I will write a daily devotional that follows the plan.

Many years ago, I tried following a plan to read the Bible in a year and I came across a problem.  Because the Old Testament has more books than the New Testament, I found I was spending too much time in the Old Testament and not enough time in the New.

The plan I developed provides a good balance between Old Testament readings and New Testament Readings because it guides you through the New Testament twice as you read through the Old Testament once.  To allow time for reflection, I made it into a two-year plan.

Here are more features of this plan:

  • The Old Testament books are arranged chronologically.
  • The Minor and Major Prophets are read in parallel with 2Kings, allowing them to be read in their historical settings.
  • The first reading of the New Testament is chronological, beginning with the Gospel of Luke.
  • In the second reading of the New Testament, the Gospels are read in parallel.

Every week I will post the devotional readings for that week.  If you wish to print a copy of the plan without the devotions, you can find copies of it in pdf format at the link below.  I like to print and use them as bookmarks in my Bible.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TQs0_oejNJO8HInVlN1JmSClMhWcEbiG?usp=sharing

The daily devotions for the first week are included below.

January 1 (Read: Prov. 1)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7 NAS)

As we embark on a new year, it is beneficial to consider and recommit to what will ensure our success.  The knowledge we are promised in this verse is the spiritual knowledge that we find contained in wisdom.  “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” (vs. 5).  What is it that we must hear?  There is a beginning to wisdom and knowledge.  It is like a doorway we must go through if we are to “hear and increase in learning”.  Wisdom cries out, “Turn to my reproof, behold I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” (vs. 23).  It is humbling to realize that before wisdom, there is wrong thinking.  We cannot just add wisdom to our wrong thinking; we must turn from it.  The biggest hindrance to spiritual growth is pride.  If we refuse to accept rebuke, we cannot turn to wisdom.  To walk in the Spirit, we must, with humility, receive the implanted word which is able to transform our soul (Jas. 1:21).

Lord, as I begin this new year, I turn to see what you are saying.  In humility I confess that Your thoughts are greater than my thoughts.  I renounce all thoughts that conform to this world, and I receive Your words, planted in my heart, as precious seeds.  Grant me understanding by Your Spirit, that I may bear for You the fruit of righteousness.

January 2 (Read: Prov. 2)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6 NAS)

Wisdom is a gift!  We can ask for it with confidence because God gives generously to all men who ask in faith (Jas. 1:5,6).  He gives us wisdom by His word: “From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”  To receive wisdom, we must be attentive to His voice, treasure His words in our hearts, and pursue an understanding of those words (vs. 1,2).    On the surface, this may appear as an activity of the mind, but it is more than that.  His words are “spirit and life” (Jn. 6:63).  Christ Himself is the Word of God (Jn.1:1).  When we receive wisdom, we receive Christ Himself, Who has been made to us “wisdom from God” (1Cor. 1:30).  In Christ we receive all the grace required to live a life pleasing to God.  We have His mind; we have His Spirit; we have His strength.  The way to walk in wisdom is to identify with Christ, in His death and resurrection.  This is more than just a way of thinking; it is an act of continual surrender and faith.  Since Christ is our life, we must die daily to the spirit of this world and live by faith in Him through His Spirit.

Father, Your Word says that I can ask for wisdom and You will give it generously.  I submit to the process of transformation that I may not be conformed to this world but be renewed in the spirit of my mind.  My desire is that I may walk in the wisdom that is found in Christ.

January 3 (Read: Prov. 3)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5 NAS)

This verse is one of those transformational verses that should be meditated upon often.  When anxieties or fears try to overwhelm you, let your soul hear these words.  The word “meditate” in Joshua 1:8 means to ponder and to mutter.  As you ponder these words, let the Holy Spirit make them personal to you.  Speak to yourself in the name of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit will water the spoken word, as a seed in germination.  Remember, your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41).  See yourself as a spirit being with a soul, living in a body.  Your soul and body will come in line with your spirit when you confess God’s word from your heart.

Lord, Your words are life to me.  My spirit is in communion with Your Spirit.  With Your help, I rule over my body and soul.  You have said that You would never leave me or forsake me, so I will not be afraid.  In You, Lord, I put my trust.

January 4 (Read: Prov. 4)

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23 NAS)

There is so much pressure on us to conform to the expectations of others.  Even if I care little about the opinions of men, and care greatly about what God thinks, I must guard against insincerity.  God desires truth in the inner man.  What matters more than what I think or say are the intents of my heart.  It is imperative that I know the condition of my heart.  If unbelief has lodged there, I will doubt God’s promises.  If selfish desires are hidden there, I will put my own interests above that of others.  If kindness and truth are not written on the tablet of my heart (Prov. 3:3), I will love with words, but not in actions and in truth (1Jn. 3:18).  When I ask God to search my heart, I can trust Him with what He shows me.  He loves me and will help me to be sincere.  From my heart, I want the life of Christ to flow out, not the works of the flesh.

Thank you, Father, that you have placed your desires within me.  You have given me a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.  Help me Holy Spirit to guard my heart.  Give me sensitivity to your promptings.  Thank you for the ability to obey the instructions of my Lord.  I trust you, Father, to complete in me the good work that You have begun.  

January 5 (Read: Prov. 5)

“My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding.” (Prov. 5:1 NAS)

In wisdom we find many things: knowledge, understanding, discernment, discretion, etc.  This verse emphasizes again that even if God gives wisdom freely, we must give attention to it to possess it.  Wisdom is complete.  If we obtain knowledge, we also must obtain understanding.  It is not sufficient to just obtain knowledge; we must also have understanding.  When we ask God for wisdom, He opens to us a door.  We must enter in and sit at His feet.  We must “incline our ear” to understand.  The experience of His manifested presence is wonderful, but we must not be content with the experience alone; we must attend to what He is saying.  His Word must become His life in us, because wisdom has works.  “Who among you is wise and understanding?  Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” (Jas. 3:13). 

Father, I pray that you may give me a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of You.  I pray that I may be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love.  I pray that I may be filled to all the fullness of God.  May Your Word in me cause me to become spiritually mature, to the measure of the fullness of Christ.  (Eph. 1:17; 3:18; 3:19; 4:13).

January 6 (Read: Luke Chapter 1)

“Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.” (Lu. 1:13 NAS)

When the angel appears to Zacharias, he is no longer expecting an answer to his prayers of long ago.  For how many years did he and Elizabeth pray to have a child of their own?  Now, as they have gotten older, he seems to have resigned himself to having no children.  God, however, has not forgotten his prayer.  Sometimes, our prayers are delayed because God has a greater purpose than our own expectations.  Do you have prayers that seem to have long gone unanswered, or promises that have not yet been fulfilled?  When I read this verse, I am reminded of prophetic words I have received concerning ministry which have not yet been fulfilled.  It encourages me to realize that God’s timing is not the same as ours.  The child Zacharias and Elizabeth would have was part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world.  His birth had to coincide with the birth of His Son.  God’s desire to bless Zacharias and Elizabeth was greater than what they could even imagine.  God does not love us any less.  As you meditate on His love, let Him refresh in you those dreams that seem to have passed you by.  It could be that the delay is because God still has preparations to complete in you, or in others involved in their fulfillment.

Father, I thank You that Your love is greater than what I can comprehend.  Refresh in me those dreams I have long ago asked and hoped for.  I believe Your desire to answer my prayers and to fulfill those promises is greater than what I have believed.  Please help me to be strong in faith.  I choose to again place my trust in You concerning these things.

January 7 (Read: Luke Chapter 2 & 3)

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Lu. 2:19 NAS)

People have different responses to what God is doing around them.  The shepherds were at first terribly frightened by the appearance of angels, but they responded in faith and went to see the child Who was Christ the Lord.  Then, after seeing the baby, they went back glorifying and praising God.  All who heard their testimony wondered what these things could mean.  Mary did not wonder, she treasured these things in her heart.  To praise and glorify God is good, but is it a lasting response?  How often have we rejoiced in seeing God work, then when the feelings are gone, we begin to doubt.  When we treasure something, we hold it close so as not to lose it.  We take time to look at it, admiring its beauty.  This is what we must do with what we see and hear from God.  His words must be treasured in our heart.  As we ponder them, the Holy Spirit will help us to understand their full meaning.  When needed, He will bring those treasured promises back to our remembrance (Jn. 14:26).  In due season, those words will comfort and encourage us to hope and believe.

Thank You, Father, for those things You have chosen to reveal to us.  Your words are spirit and life; they accomplish what You have purposed for them.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for helping us to understand and to be reminded of God’s promises.  You, Lord Jesus, are the Living Word.  In You, we have access to all the goodness of God.

Free and Not Deceived!

“If therefore the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Jn. 8:36 NAS)

For anything that God wants to give us, the devil will offer a counterfeit.  How can we avoid deception and walk in true freedom of the soul?  We have all struggled with habits or character flaws that leave us with feelings of guilt and shame.  The writer to the Hebrews calls these “the sin which so easily entangles us”.  Obviously, the goal is to overcome sin, but we must still deal with the feelings as we struggle with these imperfections.  How we do this will determine our experience with the freedom Christ has promised us.

Do you remember the peace and joy that came when you first accepted Christ as your Saviour?  These were the result of the freedom we have in Christ.  Is it not interesting that we experienced this freedom from guilt, even before we were rid of all our imperfections?  We did this by receiving the forgiveness for our sins.  Oh, the precious blood of Jesus!  How could we not fall in love with such a loving and merciful God?

As powerful as our first experience was, however, it only lasted for a while.  The problem was not with God’s gift, but with our response to those recurring weaknesses.  It was natural for us to try to correct our behaviour; and when that failed, we may have suffered discouragement.   Eventually turning to God for forgiveness, we again experienced freedom from guilt; the underlying principle being that we can only stand in true freedom if we stand in grace.  We came to salvation by grace through faith, and that is how we must continue to walk with God (Eph. 2:8-10).  In grace we have mercy and the ability to overcome weaknesses (Heb. 4:16).  It is important that we learn this lesson early in our Christian walk.  If not, we may start looking for a different way.

One of the methods Christians use to compensate for a lack of victory is to adopt religious practices.  This is what Paul rebuked the Galatians for: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2,3).  Religion offers a false sense of spirituality, but it does little to produce true freedom.  The flesh is opposed to the Spirit so if people continue in this path, they will begin to oppose the work of the Spirit.  The religious spirit always tries to kill the prophetic.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her!” (Lu. 13:34).  Not only will they find themselves resisting the Spirit, but they may even become hypocrites, teaching others to do what they fail themselves to do, thinking that this will somehow justify their failures. 

The Scriptures tell us how to walk in true freedom: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16).  Many are forsaking the false security of the religious system and pursuing again a life in the Spirit.  This is where the end-time Church will be found.  What happens, however, if we pursue spiritual things but fail to obtain victory over the enemy?  The religious spirit told believers that it was normal to sin and that we should not expect perfection.  Walking in the Spirit requires that we go past the cross; we must walk in the new life we have in Christ.  The same reasons that led us to replace faith with religion may also lead us to replace truth with lies.  We must recognize and deal with issues or we will continue to be “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming”. (Eph. 4:14).  Or worse, we may become one of those who, in the latter times, “will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons”. (1Tim. 4:1). 

The main reason why we might fail to obtain victory is a lack of faith (Jas. 1:6,7).  The Christian walk is first and foremost a walk of faith.  We must embrace the life of Christ by faith, as we identify with the death and resurrection of our Lord (Ro. 6:1-11).  The second reason why we fail to obtain freedom is wrong motives (Jas. 4:1-3).  It is not that we knowingly pursue selfish desires, but there may still be thought patterns in us that need to be renewed (Ro. 12:2).  The way to effectively exercise our faith for grace is to humble ourselves by renouncing every form of pride and submitting ourselves to God (Jas. 4:6-10).

We can still have problems with pride even if we are not proudful.  I first began to understand this problem in my life when the Lord showed that my fears were routed in the pride of life (1Jn. 2:16).  Yielding to fears was for me a form of self-preservation.  I have shared before how letting go this form of protection was a challenge for me, but the Lord helped me by encouraging me to replace my fears with wisdom.  Rather than withdrawing because of fears, I could move forward in God’s protection with wisdom.

Nearing the end of the Apostle Peter’s journey on earth, he warned believers about false teachers “promising freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2Pe. 2:19).  They preyed upon believers burdened by guilt or condemnation.  The false teaching that tells us to ignore sin because it belongs to death and religion, is a deception.  The way to true freedom is through humility.  Religion is not responsible for guilt or self-condemnation.  God does not condemn us so if we feel condemned, we are most likely passing judgment on ourselves.  This also is pride.  There is a difference between discerning our steps and passing judgment on ourselves because of our actions.  We must learn, as Paul did, to submit to God as our only Judge (1Cor. 4:3-5).  A proper response to the sins that trouble us will allow us to experience true freedom without deception.

The Obedience of Faith

“Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s sake.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS)

I have always been intrigued by the expression “the obedience of faith”.  The Apostle Paul only used this expression twice in his letters, and both times are found in his letter to the Romans.  The central principle of this letter is that the righteous must live by faith.  “Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.  Why?  Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.” (Rom. 9:30-32).  This gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:16,17). 

Note that righteousness is revealed from faith to faith.  It is the righteousness of God “for us” and “in us”.  We come to salvation by faith, but we also live righteously by faith.  So important is the role of faith that Paul calls it our obedience.  It is not our self-effort that pleases God but simply believing Him.  If faith is obedience, then why does doing what is right matter?  Because “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10). 

When James talked about completing our faith with corresponding action, he was not implying that what we begin in the spirit should be completed in the flesh (Jas. 2:22).  Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is completed by letting Christ live through us.  Paul exhorted the Roman believers to put off the deeds of darkness and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ as an armour of light (Rom. 13:12-14).  To the Galatians he said, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27).  To clothe ourselves with Christ is to put on His life; to live in Him as He lives in us by faith (Gal. 2:20).  Another way of explaining this is: “Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16).  This is a spiritual act of worship where we yield our members to the Spirit of God (Rom. 12:1).  As we clothe ourselves with Christ, we are the Bride making herself ready.  We are being clothed with fine linen, which are “the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:7,8). 

Faith is a spiritual substance, like hope and love (1Cor. 13:13).  Without faith we cannot walk in a manner that pleases God (Heb. 11:6), but it is also possible to have faith and not please God.  I like the comparison Paul made of our spiritual life as a ship on the ocean, driven by faith.  Without pure motives and a good conscience, it is possible to go shipwreck with our faith.  (1Tim. 1:19).   If I have all faith but not love, I accomplish nothing (1Cor. 13:2).  “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal. 5:5,6). 

Faith becomes effective when it is relational.  We should know “Whom we have believed” and be convinced that He is able to fulfill His promises to us.  (2Tim. 1:12).  If we look to a loving God, we can obtain “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2Pe. 1:3,4).  When we have a prayer need, we should fellowship with Him in the Spirit, as we meditate on His promises.  The Holy Spirit will then bear witness in our heart concerning God’s will in our situation.  It is much easier to believe when we have an assurance of God’s will.  “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1Jn. 5:14;15).  By meditating on God’s promises we obtain hope, which we must have before we believe.   “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). 

It is very important to talk to God about our need, before we make the request, because once we pray the prayer of faith, we must consider it done (Mk. 11:23,24).  The things we believe for, however, may not immediately become visible.  In the book of Daniel, we read that some prayers are not answered right away; the answer may be delayed by spiritual opposition (Dan. 10:12-14).  Our response is not to continue asking, but to stand in faith as we wage war with praise and thanksgiving. 

There is so much more that can be said about faith.  The important thing is that it pleases God when we believe.  Remember that faith is relational.  It is not enough to know the promises, we need to know how He wants to accomplish them.  Jesus knew the Scriptures, but He only did what He saw the Father do (Jn. 5:19).  It is important that our prayers be motivated by love, but they must nevertheless be made in faith.  Our words and actions should also reflect the faith that is in our heart.  We should never end our prayer with “If it be Thy will” because that is not a statement of faith.  In our time of meditation, we yield before Him in surrender, but once we have His mind on an issue, our response should be to pray in faith.  There is a place for the prayer of surrender, but it is not the same as the prayer of faith.  As we grow in our relationship with Him, we become like Him.  As maturing sons and daughters, we please Him with the obedience of faith.

Understanding Grace

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2Pe. 1:2 NAS)

I like to give special attention to the blessings we find in scripture.  In both of his epistles, the Apostle Peter prays for grace and peace to be multiplied to believers.  The modern-day church has been so strongly entangled with the spirit of religion that it is understandable why believers give ear to the teachings of the hyper-grace movement.  The message of grace is too important for us to ignore, but as we do so, we must be careful to avoid the errors of that doctrine. 

Truth in Scripture is like a finely woven fabric.  Every principle is interwoven with other principles, making up the entire body of truth that we find in Christ.  When we take one of these principles outside of the fabric that God has woven, we risk placing it into another fabric which opposes God’s truth. 

The verse above tells us that grace comes “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”.  To know God is more than knowing facts about Him; it is knowledge at a personal level.  It comes from having walked with Him; having experienced His love in difficult circumstances.  Grace is multiplied to us when we receive God’s help in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).  When we face difficulties, we call upon God, and if we do that in faith, we see His grace manifested because grace is obtained through faith (Rom. 5:2). 

Paul describes God as “the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort” (2Cor. 1:3).  This is the same comfort that Peter talked about when he said, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1Pe. 4:14).  When we cry out to God in a time of trial, He may not answer with immediate deliverance, but He will certainly strengthen us to endure the trial (Jas. 1:3,4).  As the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2Cor. 12:9). 

We know also that grace is multiplied to us through the knowledge of God because it is found “in” Christ (2Tim. 2:1).  Jesus is “full of grace and truth”, and “of His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace”. (Jn. 1:14,16).  His life in us enables us to obey God.  “For it is God who is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13).  Although we are saved from the wrath of God through His mercy, we continue in that relationship through grace.  The mercy of God is very important, but it is only one aspect of His grace (Heb. 4:16).  Grace contains the ability to obey because it is an expression of the life of Christ in us.

If all we did was rely on God’s mercy, we would live this life without bearing fruit.  When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we will receive a reward for the works that survive the testing of fire (1Cor. 2:10-15).   Fruit that endures is the fruit we bear as we abide in Christ.  A simple way to understand abiding in Christ is through Paul’s words to the Galatians: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20 NAS).  I like the way this translation says that I live by faith “in” the Son of God.  Some translations say that I live by “the” faith of the Son of God.  It is true that we live by the faith God gives us, but we also need to know that we live by faith “in” Christ, crucified to this world. 

The Kingdom we have access to is one of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29).  If we walk by faith “in the Spirit”, we walk in grace.  To manifest the Kingdom in our lives, we must release it.  We can experience the grace to walk righteously in the same way that we can experience peace and joy.  We are instructed to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts” (Col. 3:15), and to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).  This requires a response from us.  If we choose to release peace and joy, we will experience them.  Righteousness is manifested the same way; we must choose to let Christ live through us.

The life of Christ in us also provides grace to overcome sinful patterns.   “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Jn. 8:36).  Sin is a problem to man whether he is religious or not.  Religion is man’s effort to deal with sin, but God’s solution is grace.  We do not overcome sin by ignoring it.  We overcome through repentance and faith.  If sinful patterns are ignored, they will hurt others in our lives and will eventually result in judgment.  We cannot think too lightly of God patience and kindness because it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Rom. 5:4).  When Jesus began to preach His message of grace, he said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk. 1:15).  If Christians presume to be in God’s favor while ignoring sin, they are like the Israelites who failed to enter the promised land because they refused to believe God.  Even after their disobedience, they decided to attack the Amalekites and Canaanites, presuming that God would help them, but they were severely defeated.  Presumption does not release God’s grace in our circumstances, it releases death.

The grace of God comes in many forms (1Pe. 4:10).  Function (or motivational) gifts are gifts of grace.  “And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly.” (Rom. 12:6).  Ministry gifts are also gifts of grace (see Eph. 4:7, 11).  Even the gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts of grace, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (1Cor. 12:11).  They are all expressions of the life of Christ through us.  Our responsibility is to be a good steward of the grace of God (1Pe. 4:10,11).  We do that by being clean and yielded vessels (2Tim. 2:20,21), walking in love through faith.  Let love be our goal, as we lift the sails of faith to the Spirit of grace and navigate the sea of life with a pure heart and a good conscience (1Tim. 1:5).

The Small Things

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)

God has a special purpose for every human being.  Not every purpose is “grand” from a human perspective, but to God, each one is important.  Otherwise, why would He prepare these works beforehand, that we should fulfill them in our earthly life?  Walking in your God-given purpose will bring satisfaction to your life.  “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.” (Jn. 4:34).

I think the first thing we should understand about our God-given purpose is that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”.  The fact that we are now “in Christ” changes everything about our life.  We have become an entirely new state of being (2Cor. 5:17).  That means that we no longer live independently from God, but we are members of His Body.  Our function, and thus our purpose, is found in Christ.  This is our new reality.  When we live from an eternal perspective, as members of Christ, our entire approach to life changes.  We no longer do things to please ourselves, or others; we live to please God. 

As the Apostle Paul explained, the Body is made up of many different members, each having a different function (Rom. 12:4).  We do not choose what our function will be.  “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” (1Cor. 12:18).  We must not associate these functions with our value.  Every member is important, not just the ones that are more visible.  When the Lord returns, He will reward each man for his works; not according to our function, but according to our faithfulness (1Cor. 4:2).  In the flesh, we value talents and positions of authority, but this only results in selfish ambition.  “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (Jas. 3:15,16).  What God values is love which is patient and kind, not selfish, jealous, or arrogant (1Cor. 13:4).  Our gifts are our enablement for service.  How we serve is what matters.

When Paul testified before King Agrippa, he recounted the calling he received when the Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus.  “But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you.” (Acts 26:16,17).  The calling came through a vision because of the greatness of the task, not because of Paul’s spirituality.  Too often we compare ourselves because of our experiences, not realizing that these have more to do with gifts and callings than spiritual maturity.  What was Paul’s response to this experience?  “Consequently, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles…” (Acts 26:19,20).  He was faithful to his calling.

Even with such a ministry, Paul still served God in the small things.  While in Ephesus, he experienced such a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that within two years, “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jew and Greek.” (Acts 19:10).  When he met with the elders of Ephesus later, he reminded them that, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.  You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.  In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:33-35).  To Paul, working with his hands was also serving God.  His testimony was not just words and miracles; it was a life lived in doing good. 

A while later, he wrote to the Colossians, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Col. 3:17).  He understood that to speak or act in the name of the Lord Jesus was to release the life of Christ through his own life.  It was living in the spirit of prophecy, as the angel told the Apostle John: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10).  Peter explained it this way: “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.” (1Pe. 4:11).  If our lives are hidden in Christ, and He is our life, then our testimony should be His life living through us (Col. 3:3,4). 

Paul had a deep understanding of the Church.  He understood that God the Father is preparing a Bride for His Son.  When she has been made ready, she will “clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev. 19:8).  A mature Bride will continue the ministry of Jesus, who “went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38).  Her life is light shining in the darkness, just like the life of Jesus was the light of men (Jn. 1:4,5).

It is important to be faithful to our calling, but we must not forget that God expects us to be faithful also in the small things.  The routine tasks of our lives may not seem important, but satisfaction comes when we realize that Christ is with us, working through us.  Brother Lawrence called it “Practicing the Presence of God”. 

Little by Little

 “And the Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.” (Deut. 7:22 NAS)

Spiritual maturity is a process; we take possession of our souls “little by little”.  This is not the way we prefer; we would rather experience immediate transformation.  When we accept Christ by faith, we are immediately justified before God, but our soul is transformed gradually by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:1,2). 

When the Israelites conquered the promised land, they had to populate it or else the wild animals would take it over.  They also had to drive out the inhabitants, or “those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live.” (Nu. 33:55).  The same is true for our souls.  When we destroy the enemy’s hold in any area of our lives, we must fill that area with Christ.  We cannot compromise by allowing known sinful patterns to exist.  This is not a problem when we are living in the experience of our first love with Christ, but what if we become satisfied with the progress we have already made?  Consider what the Lord said through the prophet Hosea, “As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore, they forgot Me.” (Hos. 13:6).  The result of becoming satisfied with our progress, is that pride sets in; we become self-sufficient.

The main reason for spiritual growth is fruitfulness.  God’s blessing for mankind, after He created them in His image, was: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:27-28).  “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…” (Jn. 15:16).  The spiritual fruit He is referring to is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  We are to “become partakers of the divine nature” (2Pe. 1:4).  If we become “satisfied” and allow pride to set in, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will cause us to be unfruitful (Matt. 13:22).

It is God’s will that we become spiritually mature.  He gave ministers to equip and build the Body of Christ “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13).  The maturity He is developing in us is both individual (“until we all attain”) and corporate (“to a mature man”).  Christ is preparing the Church to be His Bride, “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” (Eph. 5:27).  Before the return of Christ, Paul tells us there will be a great falling away of believers (2Thess. 2:3).  For the Body to achieve the maturity required of the Bride, individual believers may fall away as those who remain form a corporate “mature man”.  This “falling away” refers to our position in Christ; it is not necessarily referring to salvation.

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus referred to seed that was lost, and seed that produced a good crop.  There may even be areas that are neither lost, nor very fruitful.  Unless we pursue spiritual maturity, we will remain “children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind and doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).  Jesus warned His disciples that “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt. 24:24).  If we truly love the Lord, we are not likely to be among those who fall away, but at the very least, our fruitfulness will be affected. 

Growing spiritually takes effort.  “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Heb. 5:14).  We learn by practice to distinguish between good and evil.  As we rely on the Holy Spirit, we can discern between true prophets and false prophets; we can discern between good spirits and evil spirits; and we can discern the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Heb. 4:12).  Exercising discernment is different than walking in fear.  Walking with discernment is moving carefully in the right direction; walking in fear is moving away from something, but not in the right direction. To walk with discernment is to walk in wisdom.  “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.” (Prov. 14:16).

Discerning between good and evil requires a few spiritual skills.  First, we need to maintain a clear and sensitive conscience.  The Holy Spirit will convince us regarding what is right and what is wrong. (Jn. 16:8).  Next, we need a strong sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit.  “And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1Jn. 2:27).  Thirdly, we need to pay attention to our thoughts and feelings.  When we walk in the Spirit, we manifest the fruit of the Spirit.  If we find a different fruit expressing itself in us, we must be humble enough to recognize that it is a work of the flesh.  Even with these skills, there may be occasions when we need to accept correction from others. “He who regards reproof will be honored.” (Prov. 13:18b). 

“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” (2Pe. 1:10).

The Mystery of Lawlessness

 “And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many, and because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” (Matt. 24:11,12 NAS)

It is well known that one of the greatest challenges facing believers in the end times is deception, but are you aware of the second one? While deception increases, so will lawlessness.  These two work hand in hand.  Paul tells us about “the mystery of lawlessness that is already at work” (2Thess. 1:7).  This mystery will culminate in the revealing of the anti-Christ, the man of lawlessness (2Thess. 1:3).

In his book, Touching The Heart of God, the author Ernest J. Gruen described a vision the Lord showed him concerning the spirit of lawlessness.  The vision he saw was a hand formed into a fist.  The Lord explained to him that it represented the spirit forces against America.  The Lord was teaching the author how to pray effectively.  The fingers were different spirit forces, but the thumb represented the spirit of lawlessness.  Without the thumb, the grip had no strength.  The thumb was the key to the stronghold of the enemy.  To be effective in prayer for the country, he had to bind the spirit of lawlessness.  That was the case in 1986 when the book was published; is it any less the case today?  Not only for America, but for the entire world?

Understanding the mystery of lawlessness will help us to pray effectively, and to keep us from being deceived by the events around us.  The world is slowly moving towards the revealing of the man of lawlessness.  A conditioning to lawlessness is occurring because the nations are being manipulated towards accepting this leader when he appears.  Multiple times in history, we have seen leaders rise who possessed the character of the anti-Christ.  They were not the one, but they operated in the same spirit.  When the conditions are ripe, the devil himself will give him “his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev. 13:3).  We do not know when all this will occur, but it is important for us to understand that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work in our world. 

When our eyes are open to this mystery, we can discern the activities of lawlessness in the politics and economies of the world.  It may be obvious in countries where the officials are unethical, but the workings of the forces of evil can still be discerned in every nation.  The important thing to keep in mind is that we wrestle against principalities and powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12).  Human officials are continually influenced by these forces because the devil opposes God through humans.  Even the disciples of Jesus were sometimes misled by human thinking.  “But He (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s.’” (Matt. 16:23 NAS).  We must continually lift our leaders up in prayer for God’s will to be done.  Too often, believers neglect prayer and instead try to wage war in the flesh.  We must rise above the natural, and by discerning correctly, believe for the good and resist the evil.  When our prayers are sincere, our faith will also be reflected in our words and action, but it must begin in prayer.

What is of great concern to me is how so many believers in Canada and the United States are not discerning the spirit of lawlessness.  The message I bring is not popular, but regardless, I am under obligation to declare it.  I can easily understand when unbelievers disregard the deceptions of political leaders, but when leaders in the church repeat the same lies, the salt is near losing its saltiness.  How is it that something like the insurrection of January 6 can be ignored by the church?  We have our political agendas, and we reason that if leaders help us achieve our goals, then we can ignore their lawless deeds.  But what are the long-term consequences?  As Shakespeare would say, “Does the end justify the means?”.

You may be thinking that I have no right to speak of the events in the United States because I am a Canadian.  I speak because the church has no national boundaries.  Even so, the problem is not just limited to the United States.  When the Freedom Convoy occurred in Ottawa, I was at first cheering it on.  It seemed like a brilliant peaceful way to protest the overreaches of our government.  But what was supposed to be a weekend event, turned into an occupation of the downtown core of our Capital.  Although I was in favour of the message, I was not in favour of the means taken to deliver it.  What concerned me more at the time was how church leaders were justifying it, as it went on. 

Why does all this matter so much?  If democratic countries yield to lawlessness, it makes way for the man of lawlessness to rise and form a one-world government.  What this will do is bring judgment upon all those who reject Christ, but the Lord delays His return because He is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2Pe. 3:9).  If the church loses its saltiness, “It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” (Matt. 5:13 NAS).  The Lord is sending messengers to warn His people because He does not want this to happen.  The Church has a priestly function on this earth.  We must stand in the gap to intercede for the nations.  How can we do that if we fail to discern correctly?

In the Book of Malachi we read that the Lord will come “to” His people before He comes “for” His people (Mal. 3:1).  This is the promise of a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit which will bring about the great end-time harvest; but it will also bring judgment.  “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.” (Mal. 3:2).  My desire is that you will be ready for the appearing of our Lord, so if you find that you are ignorant of this mystery of lawlessness, I say with the Apostle Paul, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:14 NAS).

Communion With God

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will make Our abode with him.” (Jn. 14:23 NASV)

If you are like me, you hunger for fellowship with God.  This aspect of my Christian walk improved dramatically when I chose to obey the Lord concerning an issue He was dealing with me about.  As Jesus tells us in the verse above, communion begins with obedience.  Not obedience to religious traditions, or the type that results from fear, but that which is based on love.  As a young believer, I was struggling with overcoming the smoking habit.  I wanted to quit but my commitment was weak, and my motive was wrong.  I was trying to meet the expectations of others.  Although it was the Lord that was talking to me about this area of my life, I was not discerning His voice.  It was not until I clearly heard His rebuke that I became committed to overcome this habit. 

Even with the desire to obey, I still needed His help, so I asked for a word to help my faith.  The spiritual understanding that came with the following Scripture supplied what was needed.  “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents.” (Heb. 13:9 RSV).  Of course, the context of this verse was not about smoking, but the message to me was clear.  Rather than fighting the cravings with human willpower, I was to replace it with grace.  To help with this, I decided to fast food for a few days.  Every time a craving came, I asked for grace, and the Holy Spirit would strengthen me in the inner man (Eph. 3:16).  As a result, my sensitivity to His presence increased.  From then on, there was no way I would allow anything but His grace to strengthen my heart.  When you drink the water of life that Jesus gives, you do not want anything else (Jn. 4:14). 

With this increase in spiritual sensitivity came a desire to spend more time in His presence.  This led me to read books on communion with God.  My entire focus in prayer changed.  Every moment I could, I would spend time communing with God.  I learned to first talk to God about the things I wanted help with.  The Spirit would then instruct me on how to pray effectively for those situations.  With the knowledge of His will, I could more easily pray in faith.  And, because of the presence of the Greater One in me, I could more effectively exercise spiritual authority.

Despite these experiences, there are still times when my spiritual passion would wane.  It is easy to get too busy to pursue God.  That is why we must purpose to set our minds on things above, not on things that are on the earth (Col. 3:2,3).  There are many Biblical illustrations we can use to commune with God.  For example, by meditation on our union with God (Jn. 17:21), we can shift our thoughts from the natural to the spiritual.  We can also imagine opening the door of our heart to God so He can dine with us (Rev. 3:20).  I often use my imagination to begin my time of fellowship.  I find that the Holy Spirit uses this to bring me into fellowship with the Father and the Son.  I do not try to create the experience; I merely use a Biblical image in prayerful meditation, to open the conversation.

As every believer’s function is different in the Body of Christ, our experiences will be different as we commune with God in the Spirit.  Our sensitivity to spiritual things depends on our function (or motivation) gift, and the proportion of our faith (Rom. 12:6-8).  Since my gift is teaching, my experience will be different than someone with a prophetic gift.  Spiritual experiences are important, but even more important is how we respond to them.   “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2Cor. 3:18).  This transformation does not occur simply because we are exposed to God’s glory.  It is obedience to His words that bring change.  As we spend time in His presence, however, we receive the motivation and the ability to obey His words.  “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13). 

At first, when I commune with God, I am blanketed by a peace which removes all anxious thoughts (Isa. 26:3).  Then, as the peace of God guards my thoughts, I come into union with the mind of Christ. (Phil. 4:7; 1Cor. 2:16).  The Holy Spirit may bring to my remembrance some things that Christ has previously spoken to me, or He may bring a new message.  While I ponder His words, I receive spiritual understanding which will helps me to bear fruit (Matt. 13:23).  As I continue to experience “times of refreshing” from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19), I am strengthened with grace to be a doer of the word (Jas. 1:22).

In God’s presence, we become “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:17).  We come to know the love of Christ, which causes us to “be filled up to all the fulness of God (Eph. 3:19).  We no longer feel a need to earn God’s approval by our works, because “we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us” (1Jn. 4:16).  As we behold Him, we become like Him.  We become partakers of His divine nature (2Pe. 1:4) and walk in love as He is love.