Every Day with Jesus (22 page)

Just like Martha, you may be occupied with things that keep you from hearing the words of Jesus throughout your day. It is easy to recognize and turn from things that are obviously sin, but even good things you are involved in must be prioritized so that nothing takes the place of hearing Jesus’ words to you.

July 25: Are You Hot?

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

I remember when my sixth grade teacher heated a metal gas can. Once it was very hot, he put the lid on securely, making it airtight, and set the can on his desk. The whole class watched as it began cracking and popping. Then, right in front of our eyes, the can was crushed without anyone touching it!

Hot air occupies more space than cold air. When the air inside the can was hot, it equaled the atmospheric pressure. As it cooled, however, the air condensed and formed a partial vacuum inside the can. That’s when the normal atmospheric pressure crushed it. What an awesome illustration of everyday life. We all face pressures from the outside. If our lives are full of the presence of God, these pressures are no problem. It’s only when we have a partial vacuum in our hearts that daily pressures can crush us. Those who seem overwhelmed by everyday life have cooled off in their relationship with the Lord.

Life hasn’t become worse or more stressful in our modern times as some proclaim. Life has always been tough. Think about those who fought in World War II. What about those whose families were slaves just a few generations ago? What about the Great Depression? Most of us have never experienced hardships like these people did. Yet, it seems there is more depression, suicide, and heartache today than then.

The difference isn’t the pressures outside but the vacuum inside. Today don’t get out of your bed without being passionately full of the love, faith, and hope of God. Make sure there is no vacuum in your heart for God, and no pressure you encounter will be a problem.

July 26: Who Do You Think You Are?

Judges 6:11-24

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Judges 6:12

Gideon was a man mightily used of God. He took three hundred men and defeated an army that numbered in the millions. It was one of the greatest military victories of all time. Yet Gideon didn’t start out with any confidence.

The angel of the Lord greeted him with, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour,” but Gideon responded by saying, “Why then can’t I see it?” He didn’t see himself as a mighty man of valor at all. He was threshing his wheat in hiding, afraid the Midianites would steal his meager harvest. Gideon didn’t see himself the way God saw him.

After the angel visited Gideon, he was so insecure that he gave God a series of tests to convince himself that He was really with him and that He would do what He said He would do. The truth is that Gideon was a mighty man of valor the moment God said he was; it just took him awhile to recognize it. God knew who Gideon really was before he did.

Likewise, God knows who we are and what our capabilities are because He created us. Furthermore, this isn’t just limited to our personal talents and abilities. We have the promise that we can do the same works Jesus did. Each one of us has unlimited potential in Christ. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what our potential is if we do not believe we are who God says we are. Who we think we are is the determining factor.

Are you convinced that you are who God says you are in His Word? If not, you can be convinced by reading, studying, and meditating in God’s Word until He alone defines you. When you know what God says about you is true, then you will be used mightily by God too.

July 27: Don’t Bypass the Altar

Judges 6:25-32

And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

Judges 6:26

The same day the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he gave him instructions to tear down the altar his father had built and build a new altar to the Lord. People often skip over this and go straight to Gideon’s great victory over the Midianites, but rebuilding the altar to the Lord was a very important detail.

An altar is where we worship. This symbolized Gideon forsaking all other forms of worship and committing himself to God alone. This was no small deal! The townspeople would kill Gideon for it, which is why he built the altar at night. He knew the risk he was taking, and his actions showed a total commitment to the Lord. Gideon was willing to follow God even unto death.

Our faith and victories come out of relationship with the Lord. Failure to maintain intimacy with Him is the biggest reason for defeat in battle. Before God could really use Gideon, He needed him to be committed and focused on Him.

Notice God didn’t have Gideon tear down the altar before calling him. God’s gifts and callings are independent of our performance. The Lord has never called anyone because they were worthy. But once the call comes, we will never succeed apart from an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

Are you trying to bypass the altar and go straight to the battle? That’s not God’s way. Remove anything that takes away from your devotion to the Lord, and then you will be ready to meet all the challenges of your day.

July 28: Do You Have Too Much?

Judges 6:33-7:8

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Judges 7:2

Gideon had been struggling with unbelief. That’s why he put a fleece before the Lord. Now the Lord was telling him he had too many people in his army. Although they were already grossly outnumbered, the Lord instructed him to thin the ranks. So Gideon told all who were afraid to leave. Twenty-two thousand men went home! That left ten thousand, but the Lord said there were still too many. He directed Gideon to separate the men according to how they drank from the brook, and he chose three hundred because they knelt down on one knee to drink by cupping their hands and bringing the water up to their mouths.

Why did the Lord cut down Gideon’s already-small army? He didn’t want anyone else to take credit for the victory. He wanted the number of men to be so small that there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the victory was a miracle of the Lord. He specifically put them in an impossible situation so His people would come to know just how awesome He was.

The Lord didn’t bring the Midianites against His people or cause the problem, but when the problem appeared, He specifically led Gideon in such a way that only His supernatural power could deliver them. He wants to do the same for you today. He may lead you to do things that look crazy to your natural mind just so He can reveal Himself to you in a miraculous way. He often spurns conventional wisdom so you will know your deliverance is totally from Him.

July 29: Don’t Forget!

Psalm 103:1-22

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103:2

In May, 1991, I was sitting on a church platform just minutes before I was to minister. The final song was “How Great Thou Art.” I suddenly had a flashback to May, 1961, when I was a twelve-year-old boy sitting at my father’s funeral. That auditorium was packed with over five-hundred people singing that same hymn, which was my father’s favorite. I vividly remember what I was thinking then. I wasn’t in tears because I really hadn’t yet comprehended what had happened, but I knew something had taken place that would alter my life forever.

The minister spoke of victory and hope, which seemed to be so contrary to the situation. That song also appeared to be out of place; yet in my heart it struck a chord. I felt faith arise, so I prayed to the Lord, “If You really are so great, then protect me and direct the rest of my life.”

I hadn’t thought about that prayer for thirty years, but that song brought it back to my remembrance in an instant. I was overwhelmed with the faithfulness of the Lord to answer such a simple prayer by a twelve-year-old boy. He did exceedingly, abundantly above anything I had asked or even thought! Remembering His faithfulness has been a vital part of my faith. Good memories stir me up (2 Peter 1:13), and the Lord commanded us not to forget because He knows we will if we don’t make a deliberate effort to remember.

All of us have uttered prayers—whether spoken requests or just desires—that we have forgotten, but God hasn’t. Only eternity will reveal the vastness of His faithfulness, but in the meantime, you can make an effort to remember His goodness toward you. Today, let the Holy Spirit bring back to your remembrance instances of God’s faithfulness to you, and be blessed as I was.

July 30: Prayer Power

Luke 11:1-4

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

When you consider that Jesus was the greatest miracle worker who ever walked the earth and the greatest preacher who ever lived, it is amazing His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Why didn’t they ask Him to teach them how to work miracles or how to preach and amaze the people with their doctrine? They knew His prayer life was even more powerful than His miracles or His doctrine. Indeed, it was His union with the Father that gave Him the power to work miracles and His authority to speak as no man had ever spoken before.

Jesus told them repeatedly that it was His Father who was doing the miracles through Him and that His doctrine was not His own but the Father’s. The same holds true today. Jesus said in John 15:5 that without Him we can do nothing. There are many things we should do in addition to praying, but there is nothing that we can effectively do without prayer. Prayer is one of the main ways of abiding in Him. (John 15:7.)

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He taught them what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Although every believer prays this verbatim, what Jesus gave was actually an outline that covered how to approach the Father and what subjects we could discuss with Him. He doesn’t want to hear the same memorized prayer from all of us. He wants to hear what is on our hearts and minds because He wants a relationship in which He can help us and bless us in any way He can.

Today you can pray and expect to receive answers from your Father. He is ready and willing to answer your prayers. How do you know? Jesus said so! Your prayers are the key to living a powerful Christian life.

July 31: Be Filled

Luke 11:11-13

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:13

The Holy Spirit is a gift (Acts 2:38), and God simply wants you to have Him. You cannot be good enough to earn the gift of the Holy Spirit, but you do have to ask for it. This is speaking of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is subsequent to the born-again experience.

The Holy Spirit resides in our spirits, and once He comes, He doesn’t leave. (John 14:16.) There is an initial filling when the Holy Ghost first comes; however, His control and influence over our souls and bodies does fluctuate proportionally to how well we renew our minds to His will. (Rom. 12:2.) In that sense, we can be more full of the Holy Ghost than at other times, although in our spirits the presence and power of the Holy Spirit does not come and go. Therefore, even after we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, there will be times when our souls and bodies stray from the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and we need, once again, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:18 believers are commanded to “be not drunk with wine…but be filled with the Spirit.” Being filled with the Holy Spirit is in the present tense, making it a continual command for the believer. In the book of Acts, the same people who were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost were filled again. Most people don’t get drunk on just one drink. Likewise, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not just a one-time experience. There is an initial filling of the Holy Spirit but also many subsequent fillings.

You know that drunkenness can change a person’s personality and make them act totally different. Likewise, being filled with the Holy Spirit can make you act just like Jesus. Be filled with the Spirit today and tomorrow and the next day.

August

August 1: Two Different Mindsets

Luke 11:37-41

And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

Luke 11:38

A sure sign of the error of legalism is misplaced priorities, as we see here with these Pharisees. It is not recorded in Scripture that the Pharisees marveled at the wonderful works of Jesus. They were too busy looking for something to criticize. (Mark 3:2.) They did marvel at Jesus not washing his hands. This is a classic example of “straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel” (Matt. 23:24).

Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the law are consumed with “doing,” while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done. This is a simple yet profound difference. If we are still “doing” to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a “law” mentality that is not faith. (Gal. 3:12.) When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, we grow in grace through our faith.

A person who lives under the Law and a person who lives under grace should have similar acts of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. The legalist has their attention on what they must do, while the person living by faith has their attention on what Jesus has already done for them. For instance, the Scriptures teach us to confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts, and we will receive from God. (Mark 11:23.) The legalist thinks, I can get God to heal me by confessing, “By his stripes I am healed.” The person who understands God’s grace will confess, “By his stripes I am healed,” because they really believe Jesus has already obtained their healing on the Cross.

Analyzing your mindset is the simplest way of discerning whether you are operating in faith or legalism today. If your motive is to be accepted by God or to get God to do something for you, that’s legalism. If you live wholly in faith and gratitude for what God has already done in Christ Jesus, that’s grace. Choose to have a mindset of grace because Jesus has supplied everything you need, all things that pertain to living a godly life. (2 Peter 1:3.)

August 2: Holiness Is a Fruit

Luke 11:42-44

But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luke 11:42

When Jesus said, “and not to leave the other undone,” He was not arguing against doing what is right. God’s Word stresses holiness in our actions. The Pharisees’ error that caused Jesus’ rebuke was that they believed their actions could produce a right relationship with God, but right relationship with God only comes by humbling ourselves and putting our faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

God cleanses our hearts by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), and then we have our fruit unto holiness. (Rom. 6:22.) Holiness is the fruit, not the root of salvation. In a similar situation in Matthew 23:26, Jesus said, “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” True Christianity comes from the inside out. A good heart will change a person’s actions, but a person’s actions cannot change their heart.

One of religion’s favorite doctrines is that if you will just act right, you will be right. Nothing could be further from the truth! You must be born again by the Spirit of God, then your actions will be holy because you are holy. You are holy inside, and that holiness manifests more and more on the outside.

This is the heart of the Gospel. Every major religion of the world has a moral standard for salvation except Christianity, which offers salvation through a Savior. Now that you are saved, you have no need to make yourself look holy on the outside.

Today, just allow His holiness inside you to manifest in your thoughts, words, and actions. This will become more and more obvious as you follow the Spirit and renew your mind with God’s Word. (Rom. 12:2.) The fruit of holiness will show up in every area of your life.

August 3: The Fear of the Lord

Luke 12:4-5

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Luke 12:5

Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” These Scriptures may look like they are contradictions to Jesus’ statement here; however, they are not.

There are two kinds of fear. The American Heritage Dictionary defines fear as “a feeling of alarm or disquiet caused by the expectation of danger, pain, disaster, or the like; terror; dread; apprehension.” It also defines fear as “extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.” It is reverence or awe that God’s Word teaches saints to have toward God. Hebrews 12:28 says that there is a godly fear with which we are supposed to serve God, and thereby implies there is an ungodly fear that is not acceptable in serving God.

Satan has always used this ungodly dread or terror to torment godly people. Those who have been born again should have no dread or terror of God unless they are planning to renounce their faith in Jesus as their Savior. We have a covenant that guarantees us acceptance with God (Eph. 1:6), as long as we hold fast to our profession of faith in the atoning blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For an unbeliever, the fear of the Lord is a great deterrent from sin, but for you who have received the grace of God, it is His goodness that causes you to fear (reverence) Him and depart from sin. The fear of the Lord you walk in today is not a dread or terror but a peace and joy that He is all-powerful and yet your loving Father.

August 4: Stewards of God’s Grace

Luke 12:42

And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

Luke 12:42

A steward is a person who has been entrusted with administering someone else’s wealth or affairs. The possessions a steward controls are not their own, and they do not have the freedom to do with them as they wish. They are supposed to carry out the desires of the one who made them a steward.

A banker is a steward. He has been entrusted with other people’s money. He is free to invest that money wisely in a way that will benefit his depositors and stockholders, but he would be sent to jail if he took all that money and simply consumed it himself. A banker is accountable (Luke 16:2) to those who give him their money to steward. The money does not belong to him even though it is in his possession.

This parable and other Scriptures (1 Cor. 4:1; Titus 1:7; 1 Pet. 4:10) describe every believer as a steward of God’s grace. The wealth, talents, and abilities we possess, as well as the revelation of God’s love we have been given, are not our own to do with as we please. We have received these things from God and are therefore accountable to Him for the use or misuse of these gifts. Keeping this in mind is essential for fulfilling our obligation to God as stewards of His “manifold grace.”

Be a faithful and wise steward of God’s grace today. Show other people the love and forgiveness you have received from Him, and point them to Him in everything you say and do.

August 5: No Excuses

Luke 12:45-48

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Luke 12:48

This verse speaks of varying degrees of God’s judgment based upon the knowledge of the person who committed the sin. The whole fourth chapter of Leviticus is written to deal with sins committed in ignorance. Jesus said in John 9:41, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” Also, Romans 5:13 says, “Sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:13 that he obtained mercy because he had sinned “ignorantly in unbelief.” The sin he was speaking of was blasphemy, which Jesus taught was unforgivable if done against the Holy Ghost. Therefore, we see that ignorance in Paul’s case entitled him to a second chance. If he had continued to blaspheme after he saw the truth, he surely would have paid the price.

This is not to say that a person who doesn’t have a complete revelation of God’s will is innocent regardless of their actions. Leviticus 5:17 makes it clear that an individual is still guilty even if they sin in ignorance. Romans 1:18-20 reveals there is an intuitive knowledge of God within all people to recognize and even understand the Godhead. This same chapter goes on to explain that people have rejected and changed this truth, but that God did give it and they are without excuse.

No one will be able to stand before God on Judgment Day and say, “God is not fair.” He has given every person who has ever lived, regardless of how remote or isolated they may have been, the opportunity to know Him.

August 6: Reconciliation

Luke 12:56-59

When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

Luke 12:58

Jesus had just spoken about relationships before He gave this parable of delivering ourselves from the judge. The warning is clear that we should do everything within our power to avoid strife. (Rom. 12:18.) However, the consequences of failing to settle our differences are more than just physical prison or punishment.

Strife can produce spiritual and emotional prisons. James 3:16 says, “Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Depression, fear, loneliness, bitterness, sickness, financial problems, and many other things can become prisons from which we will not be delivered until we reconcile.

The dictionary states that to reconcile means “to re-establish friendship between; to settle or resolve, as a dispute.” The key to reconciliation is effectively dealing with the enmity, ill will, hatred, or hostility that has caused the dispute. There are several approaches to reconciliation that may be applied. For instance, if we’ve offended someone by an unkind word, we can apologize. If we owe money to someone, we can pay the debt. If we have done something to harm someone, we can make the necessary restitution. In every case, reconciliation lies in dealing effectively with the root cause of the strife.

The strife between God and you was sin, but He took the initiative to remove this barrier through the blood of Jesus Christ, thus leaving you as friends once again. You were reconciled to God by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Now you are also a minister of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18.) Today you are anointed by God to reconcile with those you have experienced strife with and to lead others to reconcile with God through Jesus Christ.

August 7: You Must Receive

Luke 13:10-17

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Luke 13:16

This woman’s sickness was the work of Satan—not the work of God. Jesus said it had bound her, not blessed her, for eighteen years. The teaching that says sickness is actually a blessing in disguise because the Lord is working His plan in someone’s life is not found in Scripture. As Acts 10:38 says, Jesus “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.” People are oppressed of the devil, not God.

There are seventeen times in the Gospels when Jesus healed all of the sick that were present. There are forty-seven other times when He healed one or two people at a time. Nowhere do we find Jesus refusing to heal anyone. He said He could do nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father do. His words and actions are proof enough that it is always God’s will to heal!

It is God’s will that no one should perish, but many do because of their unbelief. Likewise, it is God’s will that we all be healed, but not all are healed because of failure to believe. It is a mistake to assume whatever God wills, will automatically come to pass, and that we don’t play a part in receiving from God.

In Hebrews 3:18-19 the children of Israel did not enter into God’s rest (salvation, which includes physical healing) because of their unbelief. This is just after verse twelve says, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” The Holy Spirit was talking to “brethren.” That means you and me.

Today you must believe His Word with regard to healing in order to receive the divine health and healing He wants you to have.

August 8: Are You Chasing Your Tail?

Colossians 2:1-12

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

Colossians 2:10

Most of us have seen a dog chase its tail. It’s amusing and puzzling at the same time. Why chase something you already have? I can’t speak with authority as to what a dog really thinks, but it appears to me that a dog that chases its tail is the only one who can’t see that it’s already his.

Amazingly, Christians tend to do the same thing. We ask for joy, faith, healing, wisdom, and all kinds of necessities and blessings, but according to God’s Word we already have everything that pertains to life and godliness in Christ Jesus.
(2 Peter 1:3.) The Christian life is not a continual process of asking and receiving more from God, it is renewing of our minds to know and appropriate what we already have in Christ. We are complete in Him!