Author: admin

God wants things to go well with you! It is in His heart to bless you. He loves you infinitely. But God loves you too much to bless you on your terms. It must be on His.

The good news is that God has clearly spelled out what He is looking for from you. He has told us how to treat our spouse. He has instructed us on how to raise our children. He has given guidelines on ways to treat our colleagues and staff. He has stated His expectations on how we are to relate to friends and people we encounter. He has also given ample instruction on how to handle our money and possessions. The Bible is filled with divine wisdom that leads to experiencing the life God intends for us. The question is: how well do we know those guidelines? How prominently do we keep them before us? Obviously we cannot heed something we do not know.

Most significantly, are we relentlessly and wholeheartedly obeying what we know? If God is not currently blessing your efforts, would it not behoove you to review His standards and expectations? Audit those things you know God has said to you and contrast that with what you are doing. Life is too brief and difficult to live it apart from God’s manifest blessing.

It is tragic that God has so much for us yet we settle for so little. God desires to pour out His love and blessing on His people. Yet we are continually distracted by the world’s enticements.

God wants to bless our marriage, yet we refuse to allow Him to make us into the man or woman of God who could be a better spouse. God desires to bless our children, but we are too busy and distracted to detect when God is seeking to guide us to effectively deal with our offspring. God intends to use our life to bless others in our workplace and to extend His kingdom, but we are too preoccupied with pleasing our boss to hear Him. Only heaven knows how much we forfeit because we do not have a heart that fears the Lord.

Fearing God does not carry the negative connotations we associate with fear in human relationships. It means that we take God and His word extremely seriously. It implies that we dread to miss His will or to displease or dishonor Him. It recognizes that He is the Creator and Judge of all humanity. It means we view Him too highly to argue with Him or to ignore what He says.

There are dire consequences for neglecting God’s word. Not only will we suffer, but our children and grandchildren will feel the impact. We simply can’t afford to ignore what God is saying.

How seriously do you treat God? You may have an exalted view of God in your mind but a low view of God in terms of your obedience. Is it not time to take God far more seriously than you have been?

One of the great mysteries people have dealt with through the ages is: does God speak to people today? Some Christian leaders vehemently exert that, since the writing of Scripture, it is no longer necessary for God to communicate directly with people. Others believe God communicates with people but they are unsure how to recognize His voice.

If Scripture is to be our guide (and it is), then it is clear that the Creator of the universe chooses to communicate His will with His people. When we read the Bible we find God speaking to His people in the book of Genesis and He is still speaking to people in the book of Revelation. We have no other guide for how to live the Christian life than the Bible. What is truly remarkable is not that God speaks, but that we can survive the encounter.

Consider for a moment who it is who is speaking to you. It is God. With one word, He launched a universe into existence. With a word He created life. His word will determine the eternal fate of every human being. It ought to make us tremble when God speaks to us! Are you reverently, expectantly, and submissively awaiting God’s next word to you?

Leaders recognize that their actions have far-reaching ramifications. Nowhere is this more evident than in God’s blessing or cursing.

God hates sin because it robs people of His best. Consequently, God punishes it completely and thoroughly. God seeks its consequences thoroughly unattractive. Perhaps sin’s most heinous consequence is its dire effect on our children and grandchildren. The sin of adultery in one generation can lead to grandchildren being faithless in their marriage in the future. Bondage to anger or pride in one generation can be passed down to descendants. How tragic that our unwillingness to let God deal with our stubbornness or anger or unforgiveness can cause immense harm to succeeding generations. That is why we must take our sin seriously. It not only harms us, and those we relate to; but it can also wound many people in succeeding generations that we may never know.

Thankfully, the opposite is also true. When we allow God to radically deal with our sin and to cleanse us and to forgive us, we experience the amazing grace of God actively working in our lives. But more than that, when we allow God to heal us of our anger, or greed, or pettiness, we bring blessing on our children. Not only do they benefit from having a godly parent, they also see how powerful God’s grace is to transform sinful flesh. As they embrace the life-changing God we serve, they are changed. And, as they are transformed, their children receive a blessing, and a model.

What a troubling thought to realize that sin, left unchecked in my life, could ultimately bring heartache to my grandchildren. But, what joy to know, that the same God that I eagerly embrace is fully prepared to one day bless my grandchildren, because of how I walked with Him. There is always far more at stake in the decisions we make with God than we realize.

An infinitely loving God is jealous of anything and anyone who competes with Him for our devotion. How could a loving God stand idly by while we were drawn away from the source of our life? How could He remain indifferent while we walked away from His blessing and foolishly embraced cursing? He simply loves us too much to stand on the sidelines and allow us to squander the only life we have.

So, God jealously guards His relationship with us. He knows if a new job or work assignment will become more important to us than He is. God understands which material possessions or pleasures will influence our behavior more than will His word. He recognizes whose voice carries more weight with us than His does. As a result, God refuses to be pushed to our life’s periphery.

God will adamantly oppose anything that creeps between you and Him. If need be, He may even remove the seductive rival from you. Have you recently lost something you considered important? Perhaps it was a job, or finances, or a relationship, or a possession. Could it be that God allowed it to be lost so He could once again enjoy your undivided devotion?

Encounters with God are amazing. They are life changing. At times they are even breathtaking. Incredibly, they can also be forgettable. When God encounters us, we may assume that we will never “get over” what God just did or said.

Unfortunately, the reality is that our natural, sinful predisposition is to continually drift away from God. The world around us constantly seeks to fill our minds with thoughts, values, and priorities other than those that come from above. Unless we guard our hearts and minds we will soon grow distracted from God’s activity in our life. Even our most spectacular divine encounters can fade from our awareness as we become consumed with what seems like more urgent matters.

When God speaks to us, it is not enough to merely to make a mental note. It is insufficient to write a summary in our journal. If almighty God worked in our life, it is imperative that we meditate upon what He said. We must also take action in obedience to what He told us. In addition, we must share with others what God said. Wise leaders pass on to the next generation what God taught them. It may be our children or grandchildren who ultimately benefit most from what God said to us.

How diligently have you been passing on to others what God did in your life?

Our greatest resource as leaders is not our staff, budget, equipment, facilities, or experience. It is God. How fully and regularly are you utilizing what He has made available to you?

When the Israelites invaded Canaan, they lacked much of what their enemies had in abundance. They possessed no walled cities (and the first one they did gain had its walls fall down!). They lacked chariots and cavalry. Their opponents generally held the high ground and the most advantageous positions. Had victory hinged on who possessed the most military assets, the Israelites would have remained an insignificant Bedouin community lost in the pages of history.

But the reality is that they possessed one advantage that trumped everything in their opponent’s arsenal. They had God. Not only were the resources of heaven fully available to them, God actually urged them to make use of them. Every time the children of Israel called upon God for help and guidance, God always aided them and brought them victory. In fact, God delighted in demonstrating His strength through His people.

What challenges are you presently facing? How might almighty God make a practical difference in your situation? Have you called on Him, lately?

Following God would be so much more palatable if only we could make adjustments to what He tells us! Some of God’s commands can appear to be harsh. In other cases, we wish God had been more explicit, or had clearly approved certain conducts. The temptation will be to treat our interpretation of God’s word with the same authority as the word itself.

Much of the problem with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day was not that they were lax in their zeal but that they treated their opinions about God’s word as highly as they revered what God actually said. The truth is that God’s word is complete as His revelation to humanity. It lacks nothing. We do not need to add anything to it for it to be applicable to our lives.

Conversely, there are those who pick and choose what they find acceptable in God’s word. They might not take scissors and physically cut out offensive passages (as some have done), but they will blithely ignore those verses or minimize them or explain them away as a cultural oddity that no longer applies to them. The result is that only a portion of God’s word actually guides them or speaks into their lives.

God’s word brings us life. It shines light onto our path. It protects us from harm. It reveals God’s heart to us. It proffers heaven’s wisdom to our daily living. We cannot afford to distort or subtract or to confuse in any way the clear message God’s word speaks into our lives.

How powerful were the prayers of Moses? He spoke, and nation-shattering plagues assaulted Egypt. He cried out to God and the Red Sea parted. Moses agonized in intercession and God relented in His intention to destroy the sinful Israelites. He prayed and God sent manna from heaven and water from a rock. Moses’ prayers clearly had clout.

But there was one prayer God did not grant his servant, and that was to rescind the punishment for his own sin. Moses had been angry with the rebellious Hebrews and as a result had publicly dishonored God. In response to Moses’ insolence, God declared that he would no longer be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

As time passed, Moses may have hoped that the consequences of his sin had dissipated. Perhaps God had changed His mind?  Maybe if Moses asked once more, this time the penalty would be lifted. But it was not. In fact, God commanded Moses to never mention it again. God loves us with an infinite love. Yet He is also God. We cannot manipulate Him. We cannot adjust Him to suit our whims or changes of heart. He is God and His will, will be done. That fact ought to cause us to tremble.

At times we like to think that following God’s will entails that we will be shielded from hardship and opposition. Often leaders have expressed confusion when, after doing what God told them to do, people opposed and criticized them. Sometimes such leaders begin to question if they heard from God correctly. “With all of this opposition, maybe I made a mistake?”

The truth is that God does not isolate His people from opposition. In fact, if you follow Christ closely enough, you can be sure you will face the same kinds of enemies who opposed Him. What God does promise is that He will fight those enemies on your behalf. Oh, you may have to strap on your armor and wield a sword, but God will be the One who determines the outcome.

Are you in the midst of a battle? Have you been growing discouraged at the constant onslaughts you have been facing? Have your critics caused you to question the direction you are leading?

Perhaps you need to rest in the Lord’s strength and to trust Him to protect you and your family. Don’t become consumed with thoughts of your enemies. Let God handle them. Don’t weary yourself attempting to do something that God promised to do for you.