Author: admin

There is a spirit of “political correctness” today that argues that we should not “fear” the Lord. Better to translate that word in the Bible as “respect” or “revere” they claim. But the Bible tells us to fear the Lord. The Bible does not need is to tone it down so it is more palatable to modern people. God means what He says!

Why is it important to fear God? It is because only then will we take Him as seriously as He intends for us to. Today we are told that God loves us “just the way we are.” The problem is that we do not dread sinning against someone who loves us just as we are. When we neglect our time with Him in the morning, we comfort ourselves in the knowledge that, whether we ignore Him, disobey Him, or even profane His name by our actions, He will love us anyway. Such an attitude leads to some extremely foolish and God-dishonoring living!

But when we fear God, we take Him and His word extremely seriously. We are like the apostle Paul who said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men . . ” (2 Corinthians 5:11). When we have a proper view of God, we will have an accurate perspective of ourselves, which will lead us to heed God’s commands. In Scripture, whenever people encountered an angel, they had to be reassured not to be terrified. Whenever someone encountered the risen Christ, they would prostrate themselves in worship. The apostle John, who knew Jesus when He walked on earth, fell to the ground as a dead man when he saw Him in His risen form (Revelation 1:17). Those who have accomplished the most for their Lord have been those who had a healthy dose of fear for Him.

It is tempting to be satisfied with only a fraction of the Holy Spirit’s manifest presence in our lives. He will not force Himself upon us. He will not demand His right to control and direct our lives. He will assume the place He is given. If we think, as Samson came to believe, that we can do things in our own strength, then He will allow us to. If we choose to quench or resist or grieve the Holy Spirit, He will step aside and let us live our lives apart from Him. But then we will also miss out on the peace, power, and joy that only comes when we are Spirit filled.

Others make the mistake of assuming they can fill themselves. All they need is a good prayer time or a Spirit-filled worship service, or a visit from their minister, and they will be filled once more. But the truth is, we cannot fill ourselves. Just as the Holy Spirit will not fill us against our will; so neither can we have Him fill us against His will. There are no incantations or rituals or prayers we can pray that compels the Spirit to do our bidding.

The key to being Spirit-filled is surrender. It comes when we recognize our absolute dependence upon Him for our life and well-being. It occurs when we are so desperate for His presence that we are willing to renounce any sin, humble ourselves to any extent, and to plead for Him to restore our relationship with Him. It happens when we are no longer content to live with only a fraction of what God can and wants to do in our lives. Are you ready to allow the Holy Spirit to fill every part of your life? Then lay everything down. Immediately obey what He commands. Then enjoy the experience of having the Holy Spirit permeate every corner of your being.

In an age as complex and fast moving as ours, with as many opportunities and crises surrounding us as we have, it is crucial for leaders to understand what God’s will is. At times in our hectic lives we feel as if there is no time to wait until the Lord reveals His will. “After all” we say, “God gave me a brain. He must want me to use it!” True. God does want you to use the gray matter He gave you. But what does that mean? Does it mean making decisions based solely on what makes the most sense to you and hoping it is the right decision? Does it mean making your best guess and then praying and asking God to bless it? Does using your brain mean trying to speculate how the future will turn out and then “going for it?”

Or, could the smartest thing you do be to take time in God’s presence, reading His word, conversing with Him in prayer, and waiting for His answer, before launching into important undertakings?

For that matter, how important does a decision have to be before you seek God’s input? Does it have to involve a major expense? A new hire? A long range plan? How small of a decision does it have to be before you don’t think God cares to be involved? How much of your life are you willing to “go it alone” without God’s guidance and support? Remember, God is not obligated to bless your plans; only His will. If you want His blessing; you need His directions. As you enter your day today, are you sure you understand God’s will?

The days in which we live are filled with evil. Countless numbers of people are blinded to their spiritual condition. Many have never heard the Gospel clearly presented even one time. Crime, drugs, addictions, domestic violence, broken families, corruption are at epidemic proportions. The world is filled with people suffering from crippling needs. The church desperately requires help in addressing the plethora of challenges it faces today.

In light of so much to be done, how ought spiritual leaders spend their time? Do they have time to waste? If Satan cannot thwart our desire to serve our Lord and to invest in His kingdom work, then he will strive to have us invest in secondary issues that bring the least return on our investment. It is possible to serve the Lord diligently and yet misguidedly. As has oft been said, “The ‘good’ is the enemy of the ‘best’.”

And what about the time we squander so it produces nothing of consequence? How many of our activities are nothing more than an abject waste of time? Over the course of our lifetime, the amount of our precious life that was casually misspent could be appalling.

To “redeem” means to purchase back something that was previously lost. Have you lost control of your time? Do you need to reclaim it? Reclaiming time is like regaining lost ground in battle. You do it step by step. The enemy does not want you to redeem your time. He knows how valuable it is. He understands how much God could do with your time if it was under His control. But you must reclaim your time. It is simply too valuable to treat carelessly.

God delights in strongly supporting those whose hearts are loyal to Him. God wants to demonstrate His strength to a watching world through the lives of His servants. God intends to receive glory from the way His people live their lives. He is constantly alert to the person who is in need of His strength.

However, we tend to want God’s strength without producing the requisite loyal heart. God does not promise to strongly support anyone in need. He does not even promise He will assist those who profess to be Christians. What God does guarantee is His strong support for those whose hearts are loyal to Him.

God is no person’s debtor. He will not allow you to trust fully in Him while He lets you down. That has never happened and it never will. If your heart truly is steadfast, wait patiently for Him and He will prove Himself strong on your behalf. However, if God is not demonstrating His strength toward your cause, take time to evaluate your circumstances and your heart. Perhaps God wants you to wait upon Him. It could be that His perfect timing requires a delay. It may be God wants to develop your character through the trials He allows you to endure. He may have a greater purpose than merely alleviating your distress. Or, it may be that when He views your heart, He does not consider it to be loyal toward Him. Despite our protests to the contrary, if God sees our heart as disloyal, it is. Is God strongly supporting you today? If so, what is the evidence?

Our primary problem is not so much that we sin, as that we do not prepare our hearts to serve the Lord. Sin cannot force us to succumb to it. It cannot compel us to do anything our heart refuses to do. But when we neglect our heart, we become susceptible to any temptation that comes along.

Leaders are often strong-willed people. We are accustomed to facing adversity. We are called upon to be decisive. We make hard decisions. Because of that we can assume that when the time comes, we will make the right decision. But that is not true if our heart is not set toward the Lord. Our hearts do not naturally seek after God (Jeremiah 17:9). If left to its own devices, our heart will deceive us every time.

No one can tend our heart for us. That is a responsibility that cannot be delegated. If we allow thorns and weeds to take root, it will soon be too cluttered to properly respond to God. Attending to our heart is not something that can be postponed. There are no priorities more urgent than keeping our heart healthy, pure, and loyal to God.

When busy leaders make excuses about not having time to properly focus on spiritual matters, they are in danger. Circumstances and temptations will inevitably come that press directly against the spot where we have become vulnerable. We might never have dreamed we would fall in that area, but we will. What have you done today to prepare your heart?

Everyone serves someone. The only question is which master you choose to subjugate yourself to. God’s people have the opportunity to have Christ as their Lord. He is the one who laid His life down for His friends. He washed His disciples’ dirty feet. He promised to never leave them or forsake them. He offers to give each one an abundant life. He is prepared to accomplish in our lives exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever imagine. No wonder the Apostles described themselves as “bondervants” of Christ!

Don’t fool yourself. If you are not actively submitting yourself to Christ’s rule in your life, then you are indentured to someone or some thing else. You may be in bondage to fear, or pride, or insecurity, or doubt. Perhaps love of money has enticed you to forsake those things in life that truly matter. Perhaps you are addicted to something. But no person is truly free.

At times God allows us to choose our master. You would think that when we compared our enslavement to the things of this world with the loving lordship of Christ, we would eagerly run back to Christ. But, as the English poet John Milton wrote, some believe it is “better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven.” What appears to be freedom is merely the sinister bondage of darkness, concealed. People delude themselves in thinking that because they have chosen their particular form of bondage, they are free. But when they begin to compare the servitude imposed on them by their own master with that of the reward of serving the Lord of the universe, the contrast is profound.

People can accomplish an enormous amount if they stay focused. Steady progress in one direction can enable us to achieve great advances. Our problems begin when we become distracted. Rather than keeping our eye on God and the goal He has set before us, we become intrigued by the world and the hollow enticements it brazenly offers. Critics assault us and we begin to heed their voices more than our Lord’s. The world offers cheap pleasures and we begin to be drawn by them rather than the “well done” of our Master. Those around us are constantly talking about the things of this world and soon our own conversation begins to be consumed with the trivial as well.

The problem is that our life will move in the direction we are focusing on. If we keep our Lord constantly before us, then we will be continually moving closer to Him and His purposes. But when we begin to gaze at the distractions about us, we find ourselves moving away from our intimate walk with God and His will.

That is why time with Christ in the morning is crucial. It helps us fix our gaze on Him before we enter the frenetic world in which we live and work. It allows us to make a fresh commitment to stay true to God’s purpose throughout our day. It opens our spiritual eyes so we don’t miss the divine activity around us. It enables us to measure our current state to detect if we have already allowed a drift to creep into our walk with God.

Have you moved, even slightly, to the left or right in your walk with God? Do you need to quickly realign your life so you are dead center where God wants you to be today?

Exactly how much do you want God to do in and through you? For some people, we expect little from God and so that is what we get. Conversely, some people are keenly aware that God has an infinite ability to bless and empower them. They refuse to settle for trinkets from God when He has the capacity to offer treasures.

Why is it that two people can serve the same almighty God and yet one receives much while the other receives little? The difference lies not with God, for He does not play favorites. The variance stems from people. Some are unwilling to leave anything on heaven’s storehouse shelves that are intended for them. Others blithely coast through their lives meekly accepting whatever appears to be their lot. Others do not want to squander even one day of their precious lives living beneath the level of what God intends for them.

We need God to give us an extra dose of holy ambition! We need to be filled with zeal to rise up early so we don’t miss anything God has for us in His word. We need to pray deeply and thoroughly so we have claimed every promise God has for us. We must cry out for God’s full measure of power so our lives exert their maximum impact. We must ask Christ to increase our faith so we are prepared to believe Him for everything He wants to do in and through us. We must dread living our Christian life half-heartedly, at half speed, with minimal impact. Life is too brief and too valuable to live it in any other way but in maximum trust and expectation in God and His provision.

Satan is not the only one who will oppose you and what you are doing. In fact, Satan is a lightweight compared to when God chooses to become your opponent. There is no record in Scripture of Satan ever destroying God’s people. However, there are several instances where God brought devastating judgment on His people. God will not allow us to ignore or dishonor Him with impunity. He has a multitude of ways to discipline us and to get our attention. The raising up of enemies and opposition is one of God’s most effective tools for such a purpose.

God is not obligated to protect His people at all costs. If we reject Him and choose to act independently of His guidance and standards, then He allows us the freedom to also use our own strength and resources to bring our plans to fruition and to defend ourselves from our enemies.

If we will not heed God’s still, small voice, calling us back to Himself, God will raise His voice! He can do that by allowing enemies to assault us. It would be foolish to assume that every time someone opposed us, it was the work of Satan and his evil forces. Enemies have a way of driving us back to God in ways that God’s blessings do not! If God’s favor has caused us to become proud or materialistic, or feeling as if we don’t need God for our success, then God may well allow an enemy to humble us and prove to us how much we need God. Are there presently enemies or opponents in your life and leadership? Do you need to return to a more intimate, dependent, trusting relationship with God? If so, don’t waste time! Return to Him humbly, and quickly.