“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Genesis 3:8-10). After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God asked them where they were. They hid and told God they were afraid. Today, I would like to look at four Bible characters who didn’t hide when God called their name. ABRAHAM After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." Right after Abraham said, “Here I am,” God said to him, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori'ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you" (Genesis 22:1). We know Abraham was obedient and put his son on the altar of sacrifice. We hear Abraham responding again to God’s call in Genesis 22:11-12 – But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” SAMUEL In 1 Samuel 3, God called to Samuel three times. Each time, Samuel said, “Here I am.” Finally, Eli, priest at the tabernacle in Shiloh, and the second-to-last judge of Israel, told Samuel that when God called again, he should tell God to speak and that he was listening. Samuel did so and God said, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle” (1 Samuel 3:11). Samuel was called by God at a very young age, and was faithful to that call throughout his life. ISAIAH Isaiah had a vision of the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne. He heard the voice of the Lord asking a question.“…Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8 NLT). Isaiah took the call of God personally and said he would go. This was the beginning of God’s commission to him. Isaiah’s name, which means “YHWH (the Lord) is salvation”, is widely regarded as one of the greatest prophets of the Bible. ANANIAS “Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord” (Acts 9:10 NRSV). In the New Testament, this is the only occurrence of someone responding to God with “Here I am.” From the account, we know Ananias wasn’t thrilled about going to see Paul, a persecutor of the Body of Christ. But Ananias was obedient because God told him Paul was a chosen instrument to proclaim God’s Name to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. Today, when God calls our name, how will we answer? Will we run and hide like Adam and Eve or answer, “Here I am” like Abraham, Samuel, Isaiah, and Ananias? God has a purpose and a plan for each day of our lives. And we have a choice. Dear Lord Jesus, today, and every day, in the power of Your precious Holy Spirit, may I respond with, “Here I am, send me.”
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In Ezekiel 47, we read about water flowing from the temple of God. “The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east)…” (Ezekiel 47:2 NIV).
In Revelation, the water is called the river of the water of life. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…” (Revelation 22:1 NIV). And back in Ezekiel, it says that “where the river flows everything will live (Ezekiel 47:9 NIV). In John 7:38 (NOG), Jesus said, “As Scripture says, ‘Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.’” When Jesus talked to the woman at the well, in John 4:10 (VOICE), He said to her, “…You don’t know the gift of God or who is asking you for a drink of this water from Jacob’s well. Because if you did, you would have asked Him for something greater; and He would have given you the living water.” Jesus went on to say, “…’Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life’” (John 4:13-14 NLT). Jesus was waiting to give the Samaritan woman the same life-giving water which flows from the throne of God. All she had to do was ask. In the New Covenant, we as believers are the temple of God and His Holy Spirit indwells us. “Don’t you realise that you yourselves are the temple of God, and God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 Phillips). In Jeremiah 2:13 (MSG), God says to the Israelites, “My people have committed a compound sin: they’ve walked out on me, the fountain Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns— cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves.” God, through His precious Holy Spirit is the Source of the river of the water of life. You may say, “I’m born again. I’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit but I don’t see any evidence of the river of life flowing from me – not even a trickle. When that happens, we may have a dam in the way, blocking the flow. What things can dam up the life-giving river? Here are a few:
It’s important to remember that faith works by love. “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love” (Galatians 5:6 AMPC). The message is clear- if we’re not walking in love, our faith isn’t working. 4. Cares of this life. “…but the worries of the world, the deceitful glamor of wealth and all the other kinds of desires push in and choke the message; so that it produces nothing” (Mark 4:19 CJB). 5. Deceitfulness and pleasures of this world. “Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. (1 John 2:16 MSG). As we clear away the debris from our lives which stops God’s life giving water from flowing through us to others, we will have a continual supply for those who are thirsty. And the river will grow in depth from ankle to knee to waist deep, and then it will become a river, bringing life to those around us. Today, the idea of ultimate truth – that something is true all the time in all places and is relevant for our lives, has become extinct. In this present world, the idea of ultimate truth is ranked with fairy tales, judged outdated, or as an insult to human intelligence. When ultimate truth is denied, then you enter the land of “Whatever”.
In the land of Whatever, you do what seems right to you. You search for what gives you pleasure and live for it, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. You are tolerant and never tell anyone their “whatever” is wrong. The standards lived by in the land of Whatever are:
In the Word of God, Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is truth personified. Contrary to walking like the world walks, when we know Jesus as our Saviour and walk according to the Word of God, we walk in truth. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32 NKJV). God's truth makes us free from the consequences and power of sin. The apostle John wrote, “For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth” (3 John 3 NKJV). When we walk in God’s truth, we acknowledge it, hate what is sin, and put sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, Who is the Spirit of truth. Contrary to the world’s way of thinking, the glorious truth of God saves us, liberates us, and transforms us. As born again Christians, we’re not to live in the land of Whatever, but in the Promised Land of the glorious truth of God and His Word. As born-again believers, we have a covenant with God. The word “testament”, as in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, means “covenant”. The Old and New Testaments are binding documents God has given to His covenant people. They reveal His will and what He has provided for us. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (WEB) says, “…seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue, by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.” All the great and precious promises of God in His Word He has provided for us through the covenant blood of Jesus, shed on the cross. What is a blood covenant? In Genesis 15, God made a blood agreement with Abram. God had promised Abram he would inherit the Promised Land and he asked God how he could know he would inherit it. God told him to prepare for a blood covenant. “Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not” (Genesis 15:9-10). A blood covenant in Abram’s day was very important. It signified an unbreakable and absolute guarantee of a man’s word. God cutting a blood covenant with Abram convinced him of God’s desire to bless him. What is involved in cutting a blood covenant? In Abram’s day, when two families made a blood covenant together, the following happened.
Romans 4:21 tells us that after God cut a blood covenant with Abram, Abram got the message and became fully persuaded God was able to perform what He had promised. And God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations”. How does this apply to us as believers in the 21st century? In the Old Covenant, in Deuteronomy 28, you will find the blessings of those who keep the terms of the covenant. You’ll also find the curses for those who break it. In the New Covenant, Jesus NEVER broke the terms of the covenant. But when He went to the cross, He bore the penalty for breaking it so we could go free. “Yet, Christ paid the full price to set us free from the curse of the law. He absorbed the curse completely as he became a curse in our place. For it is written: “Everyone who is hung upon a tree is cursed.” Jesus Christ dissolved the curse from our lives, so that in him all the blessings of Abraham can be poured out upon gentiles…” (Galatians 3:13-14 TPT). What happened at the cross?
We have a covenant with Almighty God, through His Son, Jesus. May we be like Abraham, who became fully persuaded that what God promised, He would perform. And like David, who stood on that covenant and whipped the uncircumcised giant standing in his way. Today, my friend, whatever you’re facing, stand on God’s unshakable covenant, written with the precious blood of Jesus. Acknowlegement - Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries provided many of the insights for this posting. 1 Timothy 6:12 (MEV) says the following, “Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.” In 2 Timothy 2:3 (Phillips), Paul writes, "Put up with your share of hardship as a loyal soldier in Christ’s army."
Faith is a fight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The reason God’s Word tells us not to lean on our own understanding is because if we rely on our own reasonings, thoughts, and feelings, that is where Satan can defeat us. He defeats us in the realm of our reasoning. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV) says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Things will push against us. We can’t control everything that comes across our path. But we can control our response in the power of His Holy Spirit. Is it possible, as 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says, to be pressed, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, and struck down, but not destroyed? Yes! Yes, it is. Faith is what moves God. Without it, it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). God does not respond to our bawling, squalling, and pleading. He responds to our faith. And faith is a choice. When negative or troublesome thoughts come contrary to the Word of God, we do as 2 Corinthians 10:5 (VOICE) tells us. We cast them down. “We are demolishing arguments and ideas, every high-and-mighty philosophy that pits itself against the knowledge of the one true God. We are taking prisoners of every thought, every emotion, and subduing them into obedience to the Anointed One.” Hebrews 4:11 (KJ21) says something interesting. It says, “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall according to the same example of unbelief.” Labour to enter into rest? Sounds a bit counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Why must we labour? Because as soon as we’ve entered into the rest of believing God’s Word, are fully persuaded that what He has promised He will perform (Romans 4:21), Satan will do everything to get us out of that rest. He knows if he can do that, he can steal our victory. How many healings, financial breakthroughs, deliverances have we allowed Satan to steal from us because we haven't held fast to the Word of God, but rather listened to the lies of the evil one? When Satan attacks our thoughts and causes us to look at the contradictions, symptoms, and lack, we must examine our commitment to God and His Word. Are we a tiny bit persuaded, half persuaded, I’m getting there persuaded, I’m sleeping better at night persuaded, or fully persuaded God is faithful to His Word and will bring about what He has promised? When we’re fully persuaded, then we’re at rest. Today, my friend, whatever you’re facing, whether it be poor health, fractured relationships, no money in your bank account, or the recent loss of a loved one, determine in your heart to be fully persuaded what God has promised He will do. Then enter His rest and stay there, unmovable, your feet forged in concrete, until your answer arrives. Paul writes to Timothy, his son in the faith, “Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ…risen from the dead…” (2 Timothy 2:8 AMPC). Paul wrote second Timothy from a dank prison cell shortly before his martyrdom. He knew the resurrection of Jesus was foundational to the faith. Why did he need to tell Timothy to constantly keep it in mind?
When Jesus rose from the dead and conquered the devil, He did it for us. As the Son of God, He wasn’t subject to sin, sickness, or poverty. He was not defeated. But you and I were. Jesus won the victory on our behalf and gave it to us. Just writing this makes my spirit rise. We need to constantly remember what Jesus accomplished when He came out of that tomb. The Scripture tells us when Christ rose from the dead, we were raised up too. “He (God) took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah” (Ephesians 2:6 MSG). We became joint heirs with Jesus. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17 NIVUK). When Jesus rose from the dead, the Father put all things (except Himself) under the feet of His Son. “All this will happen to fulfill the Scripture that says, ‘You placed everything on earth beneath His feet...” (1 Corinthians 15:27 VOICE). That means that all things are under our feet because we are in Christ Jesus. God expects us to rule and reign in life. “If one man’s sin brought a reign of death--that’s Adam’s legacy—how much more will those who receive grace in abundance and the free gift of redeeming justice reign in life by means of one other man—Jesus the Anointed” (Romans 5:17 VOICE). When we remember Jesus, risen from the dead, Satan can’t talk us out of our victory. We won’t believe him when he tells us we’re going to fail, our bills won’t be paid, we’re going to get sick and die. We’ll tell that old liar Jesus rose from the dead and won the victory. Defeat isn’t part of our vocabulary, because when push comes to shove, we remember Jesus, risen from the dead. When John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, as Jesus came out of the water, His heavenly Father spoke these words, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
Jesus received His approval from the divine realm, not from this earth. He knew human beings are a fickle lot - supportive one day and opposing the next. Palm Sunday and the crucifixion the following Friday is a prime example of the changeability of people. Jesus delighted in His Father’s approval. “I have come down from heaven not to pursue My own agenda but to do what He desires. I am here on behalf of the Father who sent Me” (Matthew 6:48 VOICE). If we ask those around us what they think of us, we’ll get different answers, some positive, some negative. But as born-again believers, when we ask God what He thinks of us, these are some of the things He will tell us. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4 NLT). “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows (Luke 12:7 NLT).” “But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted” (1 Peter 2:9 MSG). “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:15-16 NIV). “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are always in my presence” (Isaiah 49:16 NOG). Can you hear the approval of your heavenly Father in these words? Just as the Father spoke His approval over Jesus, He speaks it over you. “If we are God’s children, that means we are His heirs along with the Anointed, set to inherit everything that is His” (Romans 8:17a VOICE). We are one with Jesus. Meditate on the above Scriptures. Let them go down deep into your spirit. So, when Satan tells you you’re no good, your family background is lousy, you’ve done a rotten job of raising your children, you’re not as smart or educated as everyone else, tell him you’ve been approved. A stamp of approval rests on you – the stamp of the Most High God. You can’t get any better than that. The first part of James chapter 3 talks about taming the tongue. He tells us the tongue is small, but it makes great boasts. It can corrupt the whole body, set the course of one’s life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. The small organ in our mouths can do a great deal of damage. In James 3:3-4 NIV, the author wrote, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.” The small bit in the horse's mouth and the compact rudder on the ship have the power to turn these large objects around. The horse and ship are going in one direction, but when employed, the bit and rudder turn them around. James spoke about the tongue in a negative light. But there is a positive aspect of the tongue. We can take that small instrument in our mouths, speak the Word of God into whatever situation we are facing, and no matter how big it is, the Word of God will turn it around. God’s Word turns things around, no matter the size. An interesting example of this is found in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. In 2 Samuel 11, we read of David committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband, Uriah killed in battle. Verse 27 says, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” We don’t know how much time passed between chapters 11 and 12. There is no account of David’s conscience smiting him, or of him repenting of his sin. All is silent. Then God sends the prophet Nathan to speak to David. Nathan tells David of a case that needs to be decided. Two men lived in a certain town, one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man only had one ewe lamb, which he treated as a loved pet. A traveller came to the rich man, who wanted to provide a meal for his guest. But instead of taking a sheep from his own herd, he took the ewe lamb from the poor man. David is incensed at Nathan’s words. His verdict is harsh. The man must pay for the lamb four times over and be killed. Then Nathan speaks the Word of God to David. He says: “…You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes...” (2 Samuel 12:7-9 NIV). In verse 13, David says, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Psalm 32 and 51 record David’s repentance. Psalm 32:5 NIV says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.’” The Word of God from Nathan went into the core of David’s being. Of course, he had a choice – to continue to hide his sin, or to repent. He chose to repent. I used this example to show the power of God’s Word. With it, God turned around a grave situation. Biblical history would have been different if David had not repented. He would not have been a man after God’s heart. Dear friend, whatever you are facing in your life, no matter how big it is, like the rudder of the ship, and the bit in the horse’s mouth, the Word of God has the power to turn it around. Recently I read that when author and theologian Russell Moore visited the Russian orphanage where he adopted his boys, he noticed an eerie silence. He learned the babies had stopped crying because no one responded to their needs. Doesn’t that break your heart? But I wonder, do you sometimes feel like those infants – that God doesn’t hear or respond to your cries, that He doesn’t care? Satan will try to tell you that’s the case. But it couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are some Scriptures which tell us God does hear and answer prayer.
When we pray in the Name of Jesus and for the Father’s glory, He will hear and answer. To pray in the Name of Jesus is to pray in accordance with the will of God. 1 John 5:14 NIV says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." 2. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV). Ask… seek… knock. In these verses, the intensity is increasing, going from asking to seeking to knocking. Jesus wants us to have passion, intensity, and persistence in prayer. 3. “Whenever you cry out to me, I’ll answer. I’ll be with you in troubling times. I’ll save you and glorify you” (Psalm 91:15 CEB). We are to cry out to God in sincerity. He bears us up when we are in trouble and works things for our good. To receive powerful things from God, we must believe He is able to perform them, and know His response will be capable as well as loving. His answer might not be what we were expecting, but we can know it is good, because God is good. Just one more verse before I close. 4. “Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces” (Psalm 34:5 NLT). When we look to the Lord, our faces will be covered with joy, not blushes. So dear friend, as Winston Churchill once said, “Never give up, never give up, never give up…” Don’t stop praying. God does hear and answer our prayers. He is faithful to His promises. He keeps His Word. March is fast approaching, and the days are getting longer. There are more hours of daylight and I feel better. This made me think about light and its application to our lives, both physically and spiritually.
Scientists define light as a form of energy made of photons. It behaves as both a particle and a wave. Light moves at the fastest speed of the universe. In a vacuum, it travels at 186, 282 miles per second. It regulates the cycles of the oceans, the magnetic fields around the planet, warmth, and the weather. The sun’s light initiates the life-sustaining process of photosynthesis. Light regulates our sleep/wake cycles, and it boosts Vitamin D in humans, which is important in the development of bones and teeth and can improve our resistance to certain diseases. Light fights off seasonal depression and helps us to focus. Light was the initial step in the creation of the world. “…and God saith, 'Let light be;' and light is” (YLT). God IS light. “And this is the message which we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him — none!” (1 John 1:5 CJB). God dwells in unapproachable light. “He alone has immortality, living in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen, nor can see. To Him be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:16 MEV). God is marvelous light. “However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 NOG). Jesus is the light that gives light to every person. “The true light, coming into the world, gives light to every man” (John 1:9 TLV). Jesus called Himself the light of the world. “Then Jesus spoke again unto them, saying, I AM the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12 JUB). “…I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46). As the Messiah, Jesus is a light for the Gentiles. “He says…I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6 NLT). Light and life go together. “The Lord is my lightening, and mine health; whom shall I dread? The Lord is defender of my life; for whom shall I tremble [for whom shall I quake]? (Psalm 27:1 WYC). “His breath filled all things with a living, breathing light—” (John 1:4 VOICE). See also John 8:12 above. How does God’s marvelous light apply to us today? Whatever we’re facing, we need to let the light of His word, His presence, and His love shine into our situation. If we walk in God’s light, we won’t stumble and fall. Jesus said, “Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light” (John 11:9-10 NIV). “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV). Dear Lord Jesus, today, help me to look into the light of Your beautiful face. You are the answer for my every need. |
AuthorIn this Blog, I want to share with you some of the things I've learned from many years of following Jesus. Archives
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