1 Peter 5:5-6
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
I am so thankful to God that I was raised in a Christian home. Because of that, I was able to accept the Gospel message at an early age. (See my previous “Testimony” post) That being said, there is a truth that all those in my condition need to learn. Just because I grew up going to church doesn’t mean that I had no use for the life transforming power of God in me.
I need Christ to work on me the same as everybody else – maybe even more so, because my problems were below the surface. Let me explain…
From my earliest memories, I was attending Sunday School at my church. I was also at church whenever the doors were open. That’s how my parents operated. Speaking of my parents, they were the type that always made sure that I had learned my “memory verse” for the week – BEFORE Sunday. There was only one other person in my class who had to do that. The rest just waited for him or me to go first, and then they repeated what we said.
I loved learning the Bible and soaked it in like a sponge. Ultimately, I became very knowledgeable in the Word of God. And that’s where it started to go downhill. When a question was asked by the teacher, I always knew the answer and raised my hand. Sometimes the teacher would call on me and I would receive the satisfaction of being correct.
Of course, teachers didn’t want the same person answering all the questions. So I was the one who jumped around with my hand up going, “Ou – ou – ou. Call on me. I know it.” When I saw that didn’t work, I resorted to yelling out the answer without the teacher calling on me. Needless to say, the teacher’s reaction didn’t boost my ego as I had intended.
Then it struck me. I came up with a new strategy. I never raised my hand again. I let all the other students answer the questions UNTIL there was a question that no one could answer. Only then would I raise my hand and invariably give the right answer. I became the class expert. The one they went to at the last resort.
Without me ever knowing, the sin of pride had taken root in me. The same sin that caused Satan to fall had now taken over my life. That’s where it started, but I have had to battle it ever since. Thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit that gives me victory over it today. It’s the sin that will always pop up when I least expect it. I need the Savior’s power as a constant part of my life. I cannot be who I am without Him.
Just because I grew up in church doesn’t make me invulnerable to sin. I need the power of the Holy Spirit just like anyone else. I can truly say that without His hand on me, I would never have made it to where I am today. Thank You, Jesus, for your life-changing power!
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, disciple, encouragement, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, overcoming, power of God, pride, problems, self-righteous, self-satisfaction, sin of pride, strength, testimony, trust, victory
Mark 13:14
“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Jesus was giving His disciples a prophetic word concerning what they would be facing in the years ahead. He was explaining to them about the fall of Jerusalem and the desecration of the temple. He told them that when they see these things occur it was time to head for the hills, as the city would not be safe any longer.
“Fee to the mountains” is still good advice today. When sin and the “abominations” of life start to weaken you, you must find a refuge for rest and relief. You have to find a place to be alone with God. Your faith and strength need to be restored in His presence.
Throughout Scripture we are exhorted to enter the mountains of God. We need to seek a mountaintop experience with the Lord. This is quality time, not just rattling off a list of needs and wants. It is spending a while just listening to Him. That is probably the hardest thing for any Christian to accomplish – spending time in silence. In some cases it may be just as hard as scaling a tall mountain.
It is in the quiet places that your spirit can be renewed and refreshed. You can put the noise of society behind you and hear the voice of Christ calling you to a higher walk. Spend that quality time before Him today. In His presence is all you need for life and godliness. If you will flee to His side, you will have all the strength you need to continue on and face your battles victoriously.
Tags: alone with God, Bible, Christ, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, faith, God's will, higher, Holy Spirit, intimacy, mountain, mountaintop, mountaintop experience, overcoming, presence of the lord, refresh, relief, renew, rest, restoration, revival, strength, trust, victory
God has given you many precious promises. Some are in the Scripture, while others are more personal – between God and you. How real are they to you?
Deuteronomy 34:1-2
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land – from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea.
Sometimes, when you’re alone with God, He will take you for a mountaintop view of the promise. Maybe it will deal with your calling, career, family, relationships, or some other area of your life. At that point you will see clearly what He has in store for you, even if He doesn’t always show the path by which He will take you there.
It is always God’s will to share His plans with His people, the problem is, we are not always listening. The Lord waits until He has our undivided attention so that He can speak to us clearly and without distraction.
He wants to show you a glimpse of His plan for you. It will encourage you and strengthen you for the road ahead. Always be ready for these moments of clarity. Unfortunately, these times are few and far between in our lives. Missing the chance that the Lord offers will hurt your progress, but responding to His call will affect the rest of your life.
Use your time wisely. Spend quality time in His presence, listening for His voice. Seek to know His will for your life.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, destiny, devotion, distractions, encouragement, God's faithfulness, God's voice, God's will, higher, Holy Spirit, listening, listening heart, mountain, mountaintop, overcoming, path, power, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, promise, promises, strength, trust, undivided attention
Isaiah 44:3-4
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
When I go hiking, I always prepare by reading what the trail guide says about the area. Many times I find these words concerning a campsite. “The spring may not be reliable in dry seasons.” Practically speaking then, what good is it? At the very time you’d need it the most – it’s gone.
Some of our friends are like that. Just when you need them the most they’re not around. Or, along the same lines, they promise to be somewhere to help you and then never show up.
This is not so with the Lord. He is the friend that “sticks closer than a brother.” He is always right there when you need Him. As a matter of fact, the Word says that He even knows what you need before you ask Him.
He is that spring in the wilderness that is always flowing, always reliable. Even in the driest point in your life, you can draw cool, refreshing water from that living well. He promised “never to leave us nor forsake us” and “He is not a man that He should lie.”
Draw life-giving water from that well today. Spend some quality time in His presence being renewed, refreshed and refilled. Avail yourself to the resources only the Lord can provide. You will find your walk with Him to be much more enjoyable.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, dry season, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, Holy Spirit, living water, overcoming, praise, prayer, presence of the lord, refill, refresh, reliable, renew, revival, spring, strength, unreliable, victory, water, wilderness
1 Timothy 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Physical training and exercise is good. We need to be in shape if we want to do our best work for God. I firmly believe that God wants us to take proper care of our physical bodies.
That, however, is only part of the story. We also are to be in shape spiritually. Our inner being requires just as much care and attention as the outer. Unfortunately, most Christians ignore this fact to their own detriment. Of the two of these goals, I believe that keeping our spiritual life in shape is the tougher assignment.
One of the reasons I enjoy hiking so much is that wilderness training can meet both needs – physical and spiritual. On the one hand, I have lost thirty pounds since I started hiking and I can now run up a flight of stairs without breathing heavy. On the other side of the coin, through my time spent with the Lord in the woods I have developed a new depth of insight into the Word of God. In the wilderness, prayer and meditation can be accomplished for hours at a time with little or no interruptions. At the same time you are increasing your physical endurance.
However you choose to work out your spiritual training, this is a good day to deepen your walk with the Lord. Seek Him as you walk before God this day.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, disciple, encouragement, godliness, hiking, Holy Spirit, in shape, meditation, overcoming, physical training, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, spiritual, spiritual life, strength, victory
Luke 4:42-44
At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Very frequently Jesus went off alone into the wilderness. Usually He would go to pray and to meditate on the Word while seeking the Father’s will for the days ahead. Many times He wouldn’t even tell His disciples where He was going. This caused the people and His disciples to become annoyed on more than one occasion.
Most people don’t understand the power of solitude. When you are alone you can see the way ahead more clearly. Walking in the Spirit is a lot more efficient than the trial and error method most Christians use. “I’ll try going forward, if the door closes I’ll try another direction.” You usually only end up with a sore nose.
When you spend quality time with the Lord seeking His will for your life, you don’t have to waste your time on all these dead end paths that lead nowhere. Jesus knew where He was going before He was surrounded by the crowds of people. They couldn’t sway Him from His path by their persuasive arguments. It is that level of guidance you should be seeking from God.
Open your heart up to the Lord in solitary, quiet places. Let Him show you His plan for your life. Then you can walk in confidence before Him.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, God's will, Holy Spirit, intimacy, Jesus Christ, meditation, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, solitary place, solitude, trial and error, walking in the spirit
There is nothing worse than being lost. Confusion, fear and depression can take over. If you are not careful you can end up simply going in circles.
Life is the same way. There are thousands of conflicting paths that all intersect at our feet each morning. Without a guide we’re lost. How can we make sense of it all? Which path will bring us to the place we want to be?
Psalm 25:4-5
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
The Holy Spirit wants to lead us though the tangled network of choices that lay before us. Only He knows the outcome of each path, whether taken or not. He has the wisdom to bring us victoriously into the destiny God has prepared for each of us personally.
There is no better place to start hearing the voice of the Lord than in a quiet place of prayer each morning. Here you can be free of the distractions that are constantly begging for your attention. Use your time in the Lord’s presence to strengthen your relationship with Him. I know that you will find that it is time well spent, as your path grows clearer before you.
Tags: Bible, Christian, destiny, devotion, disciple, distractions, encouragement, God's leading, God's will, God's wisdom, guidance, Holy Spirit, leading, lost, path, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, victory, wisdom
Psalm 72:3
The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
I have always thought this was an interesting verse. It tells us that the mountains will bring God’s people prosperity, the fruit of righteousness.
How can a mountain “bring” anything? It can’t unless we do something first. If it is to be an abundant harvest of crops, then the mountainside or hillside must be cultivated, planted, and harvested. If it is to be a spiritual harvest, then we must climb the mountain by prayer and intimacy with the Lord. Either way it will require an effort on our part.
The mountain cannot do it alone. We are expected to initiate the blessing. People talk about “mountaintop experiences”, but I don’t think they fully understand them. They think it’s just a happy time in their life. That’s not quite it. A spiritual mountaintop is a place of clarity in your walk with God. It is a time when you see that way ahead and have a renewed vision for your destiny. This is the basis of true prosperity.
Seek out these mountaintop times with the Lord. Find a quiet time and place to prepare your soul to hear from the Lord. You can be changed in His life-giving presence. You can receive a new abundance in your life that you have never known before.
Spend time with the Lord today. Have a “mountaintop” experience. Come down from that place refreshed and renewed in your inner man.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, clarity, devotion, distractions, encouragement, glory, God's will, harvest, higher, Holy Spirit, intimacy, intimacy with God, mountain, mountaintop, power, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, prosperity, revival, spiritual mountain, victory, vision
Psalm 65:9-12
You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.
Most people don’t like dark, rainy days. Too many of them in a row tends to bring on depression. In the same way we don’t like trouble and testing. We even call days of trial “dark days.”
No one is exempt from testing, however. We must all face our own particular trials. But remember, as we face resistance, we gain strength.
If I want to have a beautiful lawn or garden, then it must be watered. Rain is a part of the cycle of life. We may not like it, but we need it to survive. There are many drought ravaged parts of the world that would do anything for a rainy weather pattern.
It is the same with our inner life. The only way to strengthen our faith is through difficulties. There is no other course. Testing is the spiritual rain that waters the seed we have planted in our hearts.
The end result of all this is abundance – abundant faith, abundant strength, and abundant victory. Nobody likes problems, but if we face them without complaining and with the realization that they will strengthen us, it will help keep our focus on the Lord and our joy intact.
Tags: abundance, abundant life, Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, God's will, Holy Spirit, joy, problems, rain, rainy days, resistance, spirituality, strength, test, testing, trouble, victory
Mark 16:12-13
Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
After His resurrection, Jesus appears to His disciples at various times and in different ways. In this verse He shows up as a man walking in the country. He wanted to meet with these disciples in a quiet, unhurried setting.
Please realize that as you go through your daily routine, Christ can appear at any time. By His Spirit He speaks, guides, clarifies and corrects. You need to be expecting to hear from Him.
When the disciples returned from their trip, no one believed that they had seen Christ. Even today it is hard for some to think that you can meet with with Christ during the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They think you have to be in a church or in your “prayer closet” for the Holy Spirit to speak to you. The simple fact is, the Lord will show up anyplace there is a listening heart.
Listen for His voice today. We know that He will be found by those who earnestly seek Him. Do what it takes to quiet yourself before Him. That is how you prepare yourself to hear from the Lord.
Spend time in His presence as you walk out your day. Let Him guide you by His hand. Keep your spiritual ears open to His Word for you.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christ, Christian, church, daily routine, devotion, encouragement, fellowship, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, intimacy, Jesus Christ, listening heart, prayer closet, prepare, presence of the lord, resurrection
The Spirit and the Word 