When God Withdraws His Blessing...

When God withdraws blessing, then what? Does that mean His love has vanished? Is He punishing or disciplining me? Am I to draw near to Him? When God withdraws His blessing, He is testing our faith. Faith is not faith without testing. Faith says I trust in Him and Him alone. Faith is not contingent on reward or blessing. Faith takes on the mind of God and is able to see things from His point of view. Faith is not circumstantial or emotional. What faith is becomes our single minded conviction in the object of our faith in Christ. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. While to the world they may see my circumstances as bad, God intends for my good.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me accept whatever is in Your hand. Let me understand the nature of the natural man and realize the strength in the Almighty. Let me walk humbly before you and not complain, but in all circumstances find reason for thanksgiving. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

My Faith Is Made Perfect In Jesus Christ

The foundation of the Christian Church is based on faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the object of my faith and for my faith to have truth, it must be made real in Him. Faith works in contrast to common sense. Faith is spiritual where commonsense is the possession of the natural man. In order for faith to become active in my life, I must trust in it entirely without holding back. It must be more real to me than the person to whom I speak with. In faith I find life. Apart from faith there is utter darkness. Some say that I must have a reason for my faith. I say that one who requires reason has contradicted the very nature of faith because it puts God to the test.
Unless I have the faith as a child, I by no way can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are who You say You are which is the Son of God and the Son of Man. Apart from You, I can do nothing. In Your providence and in Your power, reach out to those who hear todays message and grow that large faith in them that is started with faith of a musterd seed. Forgive me my sins and uphold me in Your Spirit. I pray in Your Holy Name Amen.

Jesus Christ Identified With Us So That We Can Identify With Him

It seems that theologians speak of the "identification process." Let us put that in ordinary terms. When we speak of Jesus identifying with us, it means that He became like us and as such could take our sins upon Himself. Jesus Himself did not sin but substituted Himself for us to take on the penalty for our sin which is death. Since Jesus arose from the dead putting an end to death so too are we now able to put an end to death so long as we "identify with Jesus." That is receive and accept His worthiness and our unworthiness. In other words, we must confess our sins and acknowledge Jesus' freedom from sin. When we do this, we are said to be "in Christ" meaning we take on His righteousness and He takes on our sin nature for the purposes of dying to death and living to rightesousnes" Then we are acceptable and justified with the Father and inherit eternal life.

Daily Prayer: Father, we are very prone to our own ways. This perhaps is the greatest sin of all. Let us not lean unto our own understanding, but instead receive that which has been given to us which is a new nature "in Christ." Let us now see things from Your point of view so that we can be more like our Savior who obeyed You, even to the death on the Cross. In Jesus name and for His sake we pray Amen.

It Is Finished!

These are Jesus' final words from the cross: "It is finished." What is finished? The salvation of all who accept Jesus as their Savior. Not only that, in the eyes of the Father we are sanctified "in Christ" which means that the righteousness of Christ is transferred to us. It will take awhile for it to get to our feet, but on the day we were saved we were also justified. This means we can be friends with God. No more separation as in the days of old. Instead, from that day we begin a new relationship with God that was never possible before. It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me.

Daily Prayer: Father, allow the depth of the Cross to be understood by all of those who believe in the Son. Let it wipe away every tear and every fear of the sin that has come into the world. Let not our hearts be troubled and neither let them be afraid. Instead, let us busy our time trying to reach and tell those who don't know. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

THE GREAT COMMISSION

The Great Commission people refer to in the context of evangelism. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," Jesus said. To make a disciple one must be a disciple. Jesus' command was not to make converts to Christianity. It is to make disciples. The second part of the Great Commission is to "be his witnesses." This means you must have a testamony to share. It is this testimony that opens the door to interest in Jesus Christ, but the converting and transforming work is work of the Holy Spirit. We could accomplish much more by way of discipleship and witnessing if we ourselves could know Jesus better.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, our prayer is that we come to know you better. It is our desire to learn to know your word and your ways. Soften our hearts to be less concerned with our self and more concerned about you. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

It Is Not The Needs Of The People, But The Call Of Jesus

If one feels the pull toward ministry, that one should not first evaluate the needs of the people, but the desire of Jesus. No matter how difficult and acute the needs of people are, unless Jesus is behind you, your ministry will falter. Jesus says go and make disciples of all nations and I am with you, even until the end of the age. Jesus did not say go and feed the people. He did not say go and educate the people. He said go and make disciples of them. As a product of Jesus' salvation, we above all should know that Jesus will meet the material needs of people. He wants for us to be salt and light to others so that others can be drawn to Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, all too often we even make ministry something of the flesh and it was never meant to be. Instead of our focus on the world, let us focus on You who is the author and perfector of our faith. Let us be steadfast in faith and have our faith grow and now dwindle. Then, let us see Your marvelous work come into fruition. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Stray Not From The Hand Of God

We must always remember that God chose us and we did not choose Him. Unless a man or a woman is drawn by God, they will not know Him. Once He has revealed Himself to you through the Son, then give Him His way in your life. He will always do with you much more than you can do apart from Him and He will be satisfied. Jesus says: "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." So let us believe that He is the Good Shepherd and those who He has been given, He loses none.

Daily Prayer: Father, thank you for chosing and revealing Yourself to me. Keep me on the alert, because Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But greater is He who is in me, than He who is in the world. Let my strategy be this: The battle is the Lord's. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Triumph Is Christ's Victory & We Are In Christ

What makes us part of Christ's victory is not our contribution to it. Our part is that we were the purpose for His victory. Without our needy souls, the cross was not necessary. Jesus was sent by the Holy One of Heaven to be made sin for us and to be punished for it. This is called substitutionary attonement. By overcoming death, He put an end to death and by not sinning He opened the door for us to live apart from sin. No longer do we have a desire to sin, but instead desire newness of life in Christ Jesus. Our part is being received by Christ as His own and being preserved for that day when His Kingdom comes.

Daily Prayer: Create in me a clean heart O Jesus. Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence. Lead my by the Holy Spirit. Restore to me the joy of your triumph and grant me freedom from sin and death. Amen.

Seek God And Your Old Life Will Dissappear

Have you ever considered praying to God to know Him alone? We often pray for God's blessing, but isn't it better to pray for God? One would think so. Jesus said "seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you." What he was saying is that blessings are secondary at best. It is far better to have the life God can give me than have Him boost up the one that I have. When you were born again, you were made a new creation. People should be able to discern a before and after in your life. Together let us seek God and see what He holds in store for us.

Daily Prayer: Father, just as you spoke to the people of old, speak to us today. Change our hearts and turn us toward repentance. Not so much for our sins, but for our lack of understanding. Lift up the church by the power of Your might and show us through You all things are possible. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Witness Of The Spirit

When we come to God seeking the witness of the Spirit, if we come to Him by reason He will not give you response. God only witnesses to the Spirit and the Spirit only witnesses to His own kind. We must come in the spirit which involves surrender to be answered in the spirit. If we abondon our rights to ourselves, surrender, and obey, God will immediatly give us the witness of redemption from His Spirit to ours.

Daily Prayer: Father, for too long we have been coming to You in the flesh and wondering what is wrong. Let us be awakened to the truth that when we abondon ourselves to you, we are on top of the world. Abondonment is the recognition that we are better off with You in control than ourself. So let us come to You by faith and be led by the Spirit. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Impulsiveness Is A Drawback To A Disciple

The disciple of Jesus Christ must follow in His footsteps. Jesus' demeanor was a calm and steady confidence in the Father. He thought not to His own understanding, but lived in dependance on the Father and of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, the disciple should be less worried about walking on water than he is about walking on dry ground. It is on dry ground through the valleys that the Savior will send you to be salt and light in the world. He make take you to the mountain top, but you will spend your time in the ordinary places of life, seeking to live a holy life in Christ in a fallen world.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us walk according to your ways. You know our frailities, so by Your Spirit, lead us into all truth and strengthen our faith to live a steadfast life. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

Inexpressible Thanks - Deep Humility - This Is Sanctification

If you have been saved, you have also been sanctified. Most Christians recognize the sin that dwells within them even though they are saved. They feel the need to be purified in thought and in deed. But Jesus accomplished all of this on the Cross. The Christian life should be driven by thankfulness, service and prayer. It should manifest itself in profound humility. The saint needs also to take some responsibilty for their attitude. Even though the authhority is Christ's and the One who imparts new life is the Holy Spirit, the saint should cooperate with this transformation by yielding to Christ and committing themselves to devotion. All that Christ promised you He has already given. It is now up to you to sieze it by not either grieving nor quencing the work of the Spirit.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You love us even though we are quite unlovable. Let us live out the new life You have given us on the Cross. Let not the saint win the prize and forget to claim it. Instead, let us put on the new man and walk in newness of life. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Compartmententaized Christian

Many Christians today live like "religion" is part of their life, but not all of their life. Those who observe Christianity ask what good is it for society? To the Christian who is true to Christ, their life is one of a personal relationship with their Savior. This also manifests itself in their activities, their speech, and their other relationships because it is who they are. The true Christian has built the inner man so that the fruits of the Spirit are evident in their life and to their God.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us not worry about those who try to evaluate our spiritual life, because it is foolishness to many of them. Instead, let me focus on You and You focus on me and the world will take care of itself. Amen

The Ordinary, But Not So Ordinary Person

Jesus uses common folk to do His work on earth. What makes these people extraordinary is their full devotion to Him. When I say full devotion, I mean that our inner-man or soul is connected to Christ alone. But our outer man is fully in touch with the world and can do Christ's work in the world because of the out-pouring of love from the Holy Spirit into our very soul. This is the way we can be in the world, but not of it.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, bring my full sanctification to mind. Often times I confuse my human error with the need to be sanctified when in fact I am sanctified by Your work on the cross and the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. Bring this to my mind and by doing so I can work boldly for You name and for Your sake. Amen.

The Battle, The Agony, And The Miracle

As one who has been chosen by God for redemption and forgiveness, our duty now is to abide in prayer. The battle is that it is difficult to pray. Satan discourages our efforts to reach into the heavenlies and our flesh is opposed to surrender to the Almighty. The agony, surpisingly is not our agony that matters most. The agony of Christ's passion is what flew open the doors to the Most High. The miracle is the prayer that we render to Him. It is God who has said whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do. This is the miracle, which is access to the power of God and to be used by Him who are called according to His purposes.

Daily Prayer: Father, thank you once again for sending Your Son so that by His efforts, we can approach you as sons and daughters. Let me not grow faint in my requests. Instead, let me boldly state my case in faith that You will hear me and empower me this side of Heaven. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Labor For The Harvest

The harvest of people who need to know their Savior belongs to God and the Son. It is not hard work that will be sufficient, not common sense, or even wisdom. The key to bringing in the harvest is in the Hand of God and the key to open that hand is prayer. Pray for the laborers to be sent out to bring in the harvest. Whenever you pray into the Will of God, you open up the Power of God. So let us not work with futility, but in companionship with our LORD through prayer.

Father, we defeat ourselves when we try to serve you in the flesh. Let us draw near to you with a sincere heart in spirit and in truth. Guide and teach us to be Your disciples. In Christ's name and for His sake I pray Amen.

The Lamb Of God Who Takes Away The Sins Of The World

The Good News should be on our lips daily. The Good News is that we will not suffer for our sins if we are in Christ, because Jesus took the sins of the world onto Himself and suffered their consequences which is abondonment by God and death. So how does this result in Good News? Jesus rose from the dead, and died to both sin and death so that our sins may be forgiven and we can take on a new nature which is from Christ. The Father forgave once and for all, those who belong to the Son, because the Son was obedient to the Father, even death on the Cross. Now, our new life is by identification with Jesus so that we too may die to sin and take on newness of life.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for my forgiveness and the opportunity to serve You in faith and in truth. Let me never lose focus of the gospel and let it be shown by my conduct that I belong to You. In Your Name I pray Amen.

Jesus Says 'Go Therefore & Make Disciples'

Jesus is the head of all of Creation. When He uses the imperative to "go" He is saying to "live."
He is not sending us as missionaries as much as He is saying to "be my witness." To be His witness we must first know Him. To know Him is to abide in Him and His Word. This is how we can be His witness. We must not care so much whether it is here or there. As Jesus says "The Kingdom of Heaven is not something that you observe. One cannot say here it is or there it is.
Instead the Kingdom of Heaven is in you." By having the kingdom at hand, we can count on the Sovereign of the Universe to be our guide where ever He places us.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, allow me to submit to your will. Not my will be done but thy will be done. In Your Name I pray Amen.

All Good Things Are In God's Time

When I graduated from seminary, it was my desire to serve the Lord. But all good things occur according to God's timing. It is like Moses who grew up in a royal family. He understood his people were oppressed so he killed an Egyptian who was beating a fellow Hebrew. The problem was that took care of one Egyptian, but with a few million more to go! So God sends him into the wilderness for 40 years to be trained to watch with God and not to move before He says so. Do you have similar experiences? A time when you wanted to please God just to have him send you into the wilderness? The problem is that God wants us to be dependant on Him for all things - even in our ability to serve him. Individuality is a reproach, so He must teach us to walk with Him before we can be trusted by Him.

Daily Prayer: Father, teach us to be able to make strides with You. Let us not lean to our own understanding, but develop wisdom by patience and listening to Your Word. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Keeping Step With The Almighty

In Christianity we use the metaphore of walking with God. Keeping stride with God is learning to see things His way. A good way is to accept the invitation of Jesus who says to take My yoke upon yourself, because His way is easy and His burden light. The reason He can say that is because He does all of the work. We are only keeping His company. So it is when you walk with God. He does all the work, and you do all of the listening and learning. We are to imitate Him and by doing so, we will come to a place where He can trust us to make goldy decisions because we have learned from Him.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, allow me to take steps toward you, even though I may be walking on water. Let me not look down to witness what I am doing is impossible. Instead, let me cast my gaze on you who are preparing my way where all things are possible. In Your holy name I pray Amen.

The First Language of the Almighty - Silence

When a person becomes intimate with God and His Son, it is discovered that their first language is silence. Silence is not a failure to respond to you in prayer - it is the answer to your prayer. When your faith is new, one needs an immediate response to prayer. As you grow in your faith, you can be like Job who says "Do we only expect good things from God?" Silence is the way of becoming intimate with God. He is so pleased at your patience in Him that He brings you into a deeper understanding of Him and His purposes.

Daily Prayer: Father, plant in me and grow in me faith that endures. Let me be comforted in Your silence knowing that You are in control and you care for me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

It Is Not For The Wise Or The Learned, But For The Obedient

God will share His hidden secrets with those who trust in Him and obey Him for what He has already revealed. One cannot know truth through philosophy, education, or from others. The only truth to be shared and revealed comes from On High and only those who trust and obey.
Revelation is from the heart and not the mind. Where your heart is, there your mind shall be also. For those who obey God, they can share the mind of God and there is no other way.

Daily Prayer: Father, we say we trust in you, but often times we stray. Let our feet follow our heart and our mind be the mind of God. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Our Holiness Must Be Based On Christ's Atonement

The biggest question you will ever face is not what have I done? The biggest question in our life is what do I believe? Christ is our all in all. He not only offers us a new nature, but holiness must have its foundation in Christ. A personal holiness, like that of the Pharasees, is of no value to God and a nuisance to man. Christ built holiness has Christ at the center of our life and all the rest of our life an out pouring of that. It is a natural obedience, not one with great toil and sacrifice. This kind of obedience is based on choice and the choice being to be a follower of Jesus.
This way, many will be drawn to Christ and to the Father for their glory and honor.

Daily Prayer: Father, let me simply let go and let God. Life was not designed to be complicated. It was designed for us to be the flock of the Good Shepherd. That's it. So let us not bring more into the formula than that. Let us simply follow and believe. Amen.

Jesus Says, "Come Unto Me."

It was pride that condenmed Lucifer. It is pride that prevents the saint from coming to Jesus with all of his life. We say unto Jesus "if you will do this or do that, then I can come." But Jesus says "Whoever sets his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy of Me." Spiritual strongholds are the barrier standing between us and our Savior. Jesus wants for us to come to Him, even with these humiliating problems. You see, everything that we see on the outside has a direct cause from something in the spiritual realm. Once we get our spirit right, the body will take care of itself.

Daily Prayer: Father, let us not go through the School of Hard Knocks. Instead let us turn to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to handle our every affair. Let us set petty self pride aside and turn to to the One who can help us in the time of our dispair. The One being the Son of God and the Son of Man. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Jesus Took Upon Himself Not Our sins But Our Sin Nature

Jesus' redemption on the cross is possible because He didn't fall short of the goal which is the righteousness of God. The true victory on the cross is not that Jesus forgave us of all of our trespasses, but instead took upon Himself our sin nature so that we may live righteously in Him.
If you think about it, this is the way Adam began. When Adam was created, he was without a sin nature. It was through choices he made that led him to sin against God. In our time, we are born with a sin nature, but are offered a righteous nature in Chirst so that unlike the penalty of death, we are offered eternal life.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your sacrifice on the cross is greater than what we realize. It is not a matter of wiping our slate clean, but it is a matter of making a new man and a new creation under You and Your person. It means life without ending for those who take the way of life offered to them. Let us spread the Good News in Your Holy Name Amen.

Deliverance From The Sin Nature Into Holiness In Christ

The Bible teaches us that we are born into sin and cannot free ourselves. While this is true, whenever a person comes to the realization of the depraved state, that one can turn to Jesus and receive a new nature. The only requirement of the believer is to agree with Christ about sin. When this happens, this one is justified which means he has obtained right standing before God and the Holy Spirit energizes our spirit until Christ's nature is formed into the individual (Gal. 4:19). Now, when Christ calls for holy living it is not because God requires saints to be holy, but He has given me the means to pull it off.

Daily Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming into my world not only to forgive my sins, but also to transform me. Let me do my part in cooperating with You and the Spirit of God to live out my life "in Christ" so that it may please the Father and be a testimony to those around me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Wages Of Sin Is Death, But The Gift Of God Is Eternal Life Through Jesus Christ Our Lord

Surprisingly, no man or woman is condenmed because they sin. We learn that sin is the nature of humanity when they are born. But Jesus teaches us that unless a person is born again, they shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says He knows of our sins and what is in humanity. It is because He redeems mankind from their sins that we have the gift of eternal life with Him. There is only one way that the Second Death (Ethernal Separation From God) occurs.
That is by refusing the redemption of Jesus Christ and chosing to be your own savior to be judged by your works. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So All who choose to be judged on their life and not Christ's will surey be condemned and separated from God.

Daily Prayer: Father, let us not be foolish in our choices and let us not think more highly of ourself than we ought to. Instead, give us eyes that see, ears that hear and a heart that understands. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

It Is Up To Me Whether The Call Is Reality

God calls me and gives me vision. That is what God does. I have seen the light and now must decide if it is for me. God will make the call, but it is my duty to step up and say like Isaiah, "send me." Often times where God wants to send us is not a glamorous place or thing to do.
I must remember that so much more was expected of Christ than any other man that ever lived that the things He asks of me will always be small in comparison.

Daily Prayer: Father, keep the fire lit inside my heart. Let me not grow faint at difficulties that may arise. Instead let me give you my upmost for Your highest. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

The Battle Is The Lord's

When you walk through the Valley of Humiliation, remember that the spiritual battle you face is the Lord's. Not by your own strength or resources can you win. Only by allowing God who is stronger than all of the dark forces against you can you become free indeed. Our access to the heavenlies is by prayer. The Bible teaches us to pray without ceasing. It also says that we should take every thought captive to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Friend and Savior, then you have Christ formed in you. The reason is so that when trouble calls, your Lord will respond and rescue you in time of dispair.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we continue to try to face the forces of evil on our own and we cannot. Instead, show me how to access the power that resides in heavenly places and to activate the power of God by haveing Christ formed in me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

If You Can Help Us, Please Do Something For Us

In our world of trials and tribulation, in our hearts we may ask "If you can do something for us, please help us." This is certainly a misguided question. Jesus can do anything He wills. The better question would be "If You are willing, please help us." Here we acknowledge the power and sovereignty of Jesus over His creation. Here it is at the Master's disposal whether or not He will come to our aid. It is far better to plead for His mercy than ask if He is able.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are able to do all that you will to do. Place the confidence in our hearts that You are supreme over creation and the King over the universe. At the same time let us remember you are our brother and friend. This way we can freely come to you in the spirit of grace seeking someone who can help us in our time of need. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.

The Power To Descend

For Peter, James, and John, the high point in their lives was the ascent to the mountain top to see Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah. This was a very special moment for the disciples. It is disappointing to learn that our mountain top experiences are rare and that
it is time to descend from the mountain. What was the purpose in all of this? Was this to be a tool for teaching? No. It is meant to change the character of the disciples and for I and you we have different mountain top events that happen for the same reason. It is God's way of making us and molding us. Our purpose, however, is not a mountain top one. It is to go day after day in the valley with common folk like us. It is to do the Jesus work of binding, healing, reproving, and teaching. This is our call and our labor and how we spend our time. It is our hope that those we serve will be elevated to have their own mountain top experience so that they can join us in our labors.

Daily Prayer: Father, mold us into the person You would have us to be. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Let my yes be yes and my no be no. Let me be Your hands, feet, and eyes until I return to you again. In Jesus name I pray Amen.