It Wasn't Possible

Jesus had one ultimate mission from the Father to complete while He was on planet earth.  His destiny was to be slaughtered.  And nothing short of that would satisfy the demands of our sin. 

As Jesus’ time on earth draws close to the end, would you watch as He earnestly communicates with His Father about the difficult road He must travel…

Matthew 26:39 GWT - After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”

Matthew 26:42 GWT - Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:44 GWT - So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words.

Jesus prayed to His Father three different times on three different occasions that He might not have to face the terrible things He was about to suffer; which would ultimately end in His death on the cross.  Friends, do you realize that it wasn’t possible that His cup of suffering be removed.  It wasn’t possible!  The payment for our sins required Him to take the beatings, the spit in His face, the thorns shoved in His head, the blows from fists made to His head, the embarrassment of being stripped, made fun of and falsely accused, the strips on his back and the nails in his hand and feet!  And the reality of what He was about to face caused Him such agony that when He prayed to His Father “His sweat became like great drops of blood! (Luke 22:44)  But He was still obedient. 

In obedience to His Father, He allowed the people to inflict horrible abuse upon Him and ultimately crucify Him.  And then John 19:30 says: “After Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died.”

Did you see that?  Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED!”  The mission that His Father gave Him to complete was carried out ALL THE WAY!  And now He is seated at the right hand of the Father and the Father is fully, completely, and totally satisfied with His Son’s obedience.  Nothing else has to be done.  The payment for our sins has been paid! 

We can let go of all our past mistakes, all our failures, the guilt, the shame and unworthiness.  And we can come boldly into His presence based on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Friends, we are in right standing with God because Jesus paid it all!  Every bit of it.  It is finished!!!   

Delight Yourself In The Lord

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”. (Ps. 37:4)  That word delight means: to be soft or pliable; and pliable means: yielding readily to others.  Today I want us to witness the blessings of God that fall right into the lap of a woman who has yielded herself to taking care of things that are important to God.  Let’s pull up a chair and watch the story unfold…

Elisha is a man who has been appointed by God to be His voice, His hands and His feet; he’s kind of a big deal.  While traveling to the town of Shunem, he meets a woman who recognizes that he is a man of God.  She urges him to come to her house so she can fix him up with a nice home-cooked meal.  And he is happy to be her guest.  In fact from that point on, every time he came into town he would stay at her place.

Did you happen to notice that she doesn’t just invite Elisha, but she urges him to come to her house?  She’s obviously discovered something of great significance in this “holy man of God” because she tells her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.  Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”  Wow!  When Elisha comes to visit, she doesn’t just throw a sleeping bag on the floor.  No, she desires his presence so much that she builds a room for him in her house so he will have a place to dwell when he comes by!  Talk about hospitality at its best!

Alright, once again Elisha returns to her house and heads upstairs to his room to rest.  The kindness and concern this woman has shown him is at the forefront of his mind so he decides to express his appreciation to her.  So Elisha has Gehazi, his servant, call her and say “we appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”  A good word to the king or the commander of the army???  Wow, what an opportunity for her to rack up some brownie points!  But she doesn’t.  She simply said “no, my family takes good care of me.” 

Now some time goes by and Elisha still wants to bless her in some kind of way.  So watch what happens next…“Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”  “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”... And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.”

How beautiful!  This is another great example of God fulfilling our hearts desires when our eyes are focused on His Kingdom business. This is Matthew 6:33 at its best: “But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.”  This woman had great care and concern for the things of God and the presence of God.  She wasn’t taking care of Elisha to get something in return.  No, she did it out of the abundance of her heart.  God’s business was important to her!  And because she delighted herself in the Lord and yielded herself to Elisha, God remembered and fulfilled the desires and secret petitions of her heart.  Beautiful, simply beautiful.

You Are Never Too Far Gone

Today, I want to focus our attention on a man who by all natural appearance is a totally hopeless case.  So hopeless in fact, we would probably classify him as insane and needing to be locked up forever.  We do not know his complete story or the events that took place that led him down this dark and troubled road, but we will meet him where he currently resides – in a cemetery.

Yes, he is living in a cemetery.  Now I don’t know about you, but a cemetery is not my first choice of residency – maybe my last, but certainly not my first or second, or third, or forth, or fifth – I think you get my point.  Anyway, he is a man who is controlled by many evil spirits and is living among the dead.  All day and night he walks around the tombs screaming and cutting himself with stones.  No one is able to restrain him.  Whenever chains are wrapped around his wrist and shackles strapped around his feet he would snap them in his rage.

This man is what many of us would deem a hopeless case, mentally ill, an outcast or a menace to society.  As I sit here pondering his story, I can’t help but wonder what in the world brought this man to this rock-bottom place.  Was it rejection, abandonment, fear, insecurity, failure, the loss of a loved one, witchcraft, an addiction, guilt, shame?  I don’t know and God doesn’t give us any indication as to what caused this man to wind up in such a terrible state.  But bless his heart, he is in need of a life-changing miracle and our Father is about to show up bigtime!

According to 1 Samuel 16:7 God does not look on man’s outward appearance, He looks at a man’s heart.  Knowing that, I just wonder if somehow, somewhere, he had the courage to cry out for help from the depths of his heart wanting a fresh start in life.   Or maybe someone that knew him began to pray for his deliverance and God heard their prayers.  Either way, Jesus - who only did what His Father instructed Him to do - makes a special trip across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Gerasenes to set him free.  And set him free He does! 

After this man’s encounter with Jesus he was totally delivered from demonic oppression and clothed and in his right mind!  He was so touched by Jesus’ love and power that he wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went, he never wanted to leave Him.  Obviously Jesus had a much more significant plan for his life because He sent him back to his hometown to tell everyone what great things the Lord had done for him and how He had had compassion him.  Hummm, sounds like He made an evangelist out of him! (You can find this story in Mark 5)

Once again, our Father has given us a beautiful story of His love, redemption, forgiveness, compassion, healing and deliverance. That is what our Father is all about.  Jesus not only came to make this man whole again, but He also gave him a new purpose in life!  Our God is full of compassion on those we consider too far gone and He can do astounding things with those who have been deemed hopeless.  All things are possible with God!  Pray and only believe…

An Intense Renewal of Our Faith

Some friends of ours, Pastor Kevin and Margie Kinchen, are currently over in the Middle East training up young Iranian pastors.  Just this morning they have sent out an update on the progress of their trip.  Would you take just a moment to read what he posted…

Good morning and welcome to The E-quip Devotion...from somewhere in the Middle East. Sorry I cannot tell you where we are, but for the safety of these young Iranian pastors we are training, we must keep it a secret. I do wish every one of you could be here to experience what we are experiencing. The love, the passion, the commitment, and the zeal these people have for Jesus and for people is amazing and most desirable.

Let me be blunt...Christians overall in America are spoiled, especially when it comes to church. When is the last time you were filled with passion, excitement, zeal, and faith...just to go to church on Sunday? People in Iran DREAM about the thought of meeting together publicly to worship God without the fear of being arrested, harmed, or even killed. Sad to say, many of us who live in a country that promotes freedom, we won't go to church unless; our favorite speaker is doing the service, or our friends are going, or we have nothing better to do. In Iran it's a DREAM, in America it's a RE-RUN, and most people don't like re-runs. Harsh but true.

I pray that ALL OF US will get so close to God that we realize what we have IN HIM. I pray we don't take what we have for granted. I pray we find an intense renewal of our faith, our belief, and our commitment to our Lord. I also pray we will commit to taking what God has graciously blessed us with, and share it with the world in any way we can. Renew that "first love" you once had for God. And remember, if you feel distant from God, it's NOT Him that moved away. He is still on the throne...it's US that distance ourselves from HIM. Make the choice to move back home and take your place "seated with Him in heavenly places." 

The Brook Has Dried Up

On Friday we saw how God demonstrated His love and provision to His child Elijah by sending him to the Kerith Brook during a time of famine.  It was there that God provided the water and food that was necessary to sustain him.  Today, however, we will see a new challenge that Elijah is up against. 

After some time goes by, the Kerith Brook – the very place that God had sent him – dries up!  Elijah now finds himself face-to-face with a situation that looks pretty grim.  As far as he can tell, he has run out of water and there is not a single cloud in sight!  And he is getting thirsty…real thirsty!  Probably parched! 

Can we strap on Elijah’s sandals for just a moment?  Alright, we are standing next to a brook.  The very brook that God sent us to and it is now bone dry.  Not a chance of rain in the forecast.  At this point, we could easily be tempted to think that God has forgotten about us, has left us or is mad at us.  Or maybe we begin to question ourselves “Did God really tell me to go to the Kerith Brook in the first place?”  Or while staring at the dried up brook, we decide that God is mean, unfair and is punishing us for something we did wrong.  Or like the children of Israel, we begin to think that God has brought us out to the brook to kill us!  Do you think we would be tempted to think things like that?  I wonder if Elijah had those thoughts.

If we or Elijah were tempted to think any of those negative thoughts, we will soon discover that not one of them would be true.  So let’s give Elijah’s sandals back now and watch as God directs him into a new destination, a destination that has been thoughtfully and lovingly prepared for him.  Our text is taken from 1 Kings 17:8 and it reads: “Then the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.’”  A new direction and fresh provision! 

Ok, we cannot afford to overlook the significance of the town where the Lord is sending Elijah.  This is HUGE!  God has sent him to the village of Zarephath, which means refinement.  It also means to fuse, melt, purge away, try.  Can you see where God is going with this?  Not only has God not forgotten about Elijah, but out of His deep love and affection for Elijah, He is strategically using these challenges to refine him for the most amazing, most incredible encounters with the Giver of Life Himself. 

Friends, I don’t know much, but one thing I do know is that God will use challenges to try our hearts to make sure we are firmly fixed on Him, and nothing else.  He wants us unmovable and unshakable.  And because of that, He will purge and melt away all the things that aren’t beautiful in our life, so that we will look like the One who is Beautiful.  His desire is that we become one with Him, you know, fused together with Him.

We must decide that no matter what kind of situation we are up against, no matter how grim the situation looks we will trust our God.  That is what He is looking for – hearts totally sold out to Him.  We can trust Him when famine hits our land.  We can trust Him when our brook has dried up.  If He brought us to it, He will carry us through it!  He is FAITHFUL!

God's Provision in Difficult Times

Throughout our journey in life, there will be seasons when we will experience difficult times.  It’s not a matter of if we will face “hard times” or experience a “famine” time, but when we will experience these things.  And it’s when we experience these difficult times that our God, our loving Father, has given us His promise that He will take care of us.  Would you make a note of two of His promises of provision below?

Promise #1 - “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 NLT)

Promise #2 - “Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.  They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.” (Ps. 37:18-19 NLT)

Today, we will take a look into the life of a child of God, in which God will demonstrate His love and provision during difficult times.  The man’s name is Elijah and he has been given a word from God that there will be no dew or rain in the land during the next few years, because God is big-time upset with an evil king named Ahab.  So guess what that news means?  It means that not only will this famine affect Israel, but it will also affect Elijah, God's child.

Would you watch with me now and see how God will hold true to His promise and will make sure that Elijah, His child, is taken care of during the difficult times while famine is in the land.

 “Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River.  Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”  So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan.  The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook.” (1 Kings 17:2-7 NLT)

Friends that is a beautiful picture of the heart of God…His protection, His Love and His provision!   Listen, God’s provision may not always look like we think it should look….but the fact-of-the-matter is that He has promised to take care of us during the hard times and He is FAITHFUL!!!  And just like Elijah, we must also listen to His voice obey what He tells us to do.  Because where the Lord guides, He will provide. 

Right now if you are walking through a “hard time” or a “famine” time, please remember that your God has promised to take care of you!  He will not fail you or forsake you!  You are His child!  And in the midst of the battle, pick up your Sword (the Word of God) and begin to fight the good fight of faith.  You can start with the two promises above.  It may sound something like this:

“The Lord has given me a promise that day after day He will take care of me.  Even in the “hard times” and the “famine” times and I will have more than enough!  My God will supply ALL of my needs because He is my Father and He loves me!”  Remember, Faith comes by hearing so say it out loud if you can…over and over again.  Don’t give doubt and unbelief the slightest chance to set in.  Your God is FAITHFUL! 

When God Ran

Do you know that you can never blow it big enough for God to turn His back on you?  He is full of Grace.  His mercies are new every morning.  He is your Father and he loves you so much!  It doesn't matter how bad you've blown it.  It doesn't matter how far you may have gotten from the Lord.  He STILL LOVES YOU!  There is no sin too bad that Jesus' blood can't cover.  Sin is sin and His blood has covered it all.  Today, He waits with His arms wide open for you to come.  Be blessed by this song; then take the first step and watch Him run to you!  

Ask, And I Will Give It To You!

“But first, be concerned about His kingdom and what has His approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.” (Mat. 6:33 GWT)

The other day I was reading about a man named Solomon.  Solomon loved the Lord and the Lord loved Solomon.  Out of his love for the Lord, Solomon goes to a place of worship and offers 1,000 burnt offerings.  That same night the Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and says: “What do you want?  Ask, and I will give it to you!” (1 Kings 3:7-9 NLT)

Ok, let’s stop right there for just a moment and consider something.  Suppose the Lord were to appear to us in a dream and ask “What do you want?  Ask, and I will give it to you!”  Seriously, think about it.  If we could ask God for anything we wanted and knew He was going to give it to us, what would it be?   Ok, hold that thought and let’s continue on…

Alright, here is Solomon’s chance to ask God for ANYTHING!  We are about to witness a perfect example of blessings being provided to a man who is concerned first and foremost with God and His Kingdom.   Would you carefully observe Solomon’s response to God’s question?  

“Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.  And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!  Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.  For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:10-13 NLT)

Isn’t that beautiful?  I see in Solomon a heart of humility.  I also see in him a desire to know God’s heart so that he may govern His people well.  He desires to live a life that pleases His Father.  Above anything that he could have asked for, Solomon asks God for wisdom and seeks to please Him!  And because his heart is in the right condition, listen to what God says to him:

“The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.  So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!  And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!”

Gosh, what a beautiful picture God has painted for us through the heart of Solomon.  When our heart is in the right condition – humble and surrendered to God and His ways - He will give us everything we need and some things we didn’t even ask for!   Talk about provision!  He is the God of more than enough! 

Let’s seek first His Kingdom and what has His approval.  As we do, He will abundantly supply all of our needs in a glorious way through Christ Jesus!  He is faithful!

The Fertile Heart

“Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mat. 13:8 NLT)  “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mat. 13:23 NLT)

The last kind of heart we will discover is the fertile heart.  It is much different from all the other hearts we’ve been studying.  It’s not hanging out by the roadside where the ground is so hard the Seed can’t make penetration.  It doesn’t have hidden rock underneath its soil which causes the little plant to wither away once it springs up.  And it is not found among the thorns where the things of this world could choke the little seed to death.  No, this precious heart is fertile and capable of producing some serious fruit!

Now, because the heart is fertile, it can hear the Word, receive the Word and its roots begin to grow deep into the soil.  The fertile heart loves the Word of God and has a deep understanding that apart from the Master Gardner, it will never produce anything.  It has also come to the realization that it cannot sustain life and growth on its own.  It is totally dependent upon the Master Gardner and acknowledges that all of its nourishment comes from Him.  And as a result of having a fertile heart, the Master Gardner begins to pour out His Life and provide Living Water so that the little seed can begin to grow.  And grow it does!  Its roots grow down deep and it begins to bear some delicious fruit; some thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as the Master Gardner planted!  That’s a lot of fruit!

For a human being to “bear fruit” sounds kind of strange doesn’t it?  To bear fruit means a couple things.  First, there is the fruit of the spirit; which is love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  And another kind of fruit we bear for our Father is the fruit of PEOPLE!  Do you know that the Master Gardner, Our Creator, has created us to lead the people around us to Eternal Life?  He saves us and pours His Life into us so that we can take what we’ve been given and give it out to those around us!  Listen to the words of Jesus: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Mat. 5:13-14 NLT)  

The fertile heart is a city set on a hill!  It is the salt of the earth!  Our lamp has been lit so that we can shine The Way to those around us!  We are the hope of those around us; not because we are so perfect and wonderful - far from it! - but because know the One who is!  Jesus said: “Wake up and look around.  The fields are ALREADY ripe for harvest.”  Did you catch that?  There are people out in the field who are ready to hear the Good News.  They are looking for answers. They are looking for Hope.  They are looking for something that is dependable, unshakeable and solid.  They are looking for Love.  And God will use our fertile hearts to shine His light through us so that others can see and know Him too!

In closing out our study of the four different kinds of hearts, we can see that through the Parable of the Sower, Jesus has made an appeal for us to consider what kind of soil our heart represents.   Is it on the roadside?  Is it a little rocky?  Is it thorn-infested?  If it is, all we have to do is humble ourselves and submit to the Master Gardner.  He is faithful to do the cultivating so we will become fertile and fruitful.

Friends, this is the kind of heart our Father is looking to plant His life in…The fertile heart.     

The Thorn-Infested Heart

“Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out.” (Mat. 13:7)  “As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.” (Mat. 13:22)

The third kind of heart Jesus describes is the thorn-infested heart.  This kind of heart hears the Word and may even accept it with joy.  However, his FIRST real love is for the cares, pleasures and riches of this world.  He lives his life as if they were the answer to all his needs.  It is what drives him.  It’s what gets him out of bed in the morning.  It is what he lives for. 

John tells us: “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” (1 Jn. 2:15-16 NLT)

The danger in having a thorn-infested heart is that it is totally oblivious that the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this world have choked-out and suffocated the Word that was planted.  He is unaware that his relationship with God is unfruitful, because his real interest - his first love - is in the things of this world.  He will eventually discover that his love for the things of the world and his love for Christ cannot coexists.  Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Mat. 6:24 NLT)

You know, there is nothing wrong with us having nice things, a good education, a great career, a darling wardrobe (and all the ladies said “Amen!”) etc.  God wants us to be blessed.  He wants us to have and enjoy life.  But if these things are our FIRST love and have a higher priority than our relationship with the Lord, then we are at risk of wandering from the faith.  God’s Word says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 6:10 NLT)

Maybe we have some thorns growing in the garden of our heart right now.  No worries mate!  Our heavenly Father is a Master Gardener and He is faithful to rid us of those pesky thorns!  All we have to do is ask.

I found an interesting article Online that I think you will find humorous, and applicable.  It is titled “How to Get Rid of Thorn Bushes.” Here is a small part of that article:  “Act quickly!  Start working to eliminate a thorn bush once you see the smallest sign of it growing in your garden. Persistence.  Thorn bushes are extremely persistent. Therefore the only way to defeat them is to be even more persistent than they are. Once you have started working on eliminating the thorn bushes, keep at it until the bushes are completely gone. Otherwise, you risk losing everything you may have already accomplished. Always keep in mind the main rule: never, ever give up on a thorn bush.  Also, remember to start early on your quest to eliminate thorn bushes. The larger the patch in your garden, the harder it is to eliminate the nasty growth. Think twice if you are too lazy to work on killing the bushes. When it comes to thorn bushes, procrastination is an absolute no-no!”  Great advice!

The Rocky Heart

Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; and at once they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.  But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up and withered away. (Mat. 13:5-6 AMP)

Alright, now we’ll skip a few scriptures and find Jesus giving the meaning of is this parable…

As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;  Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away. (Mat. 13:20-21 AMP)

The rocky heart.  This is the kind of heart that looks good on the surface, but underneath the dirt, where the plow could not reach, is solid rock!  And this rock prevents the roots from growing down deep where it can absorb moisture and receive nourishment.  Here is an example of this “rocky” heart:  It hears the Good News and accepts it with joy.  It is excited and can’t wait to tell everyone about his new found purpose in life.  This person may be zealous in church attendance, bibles studies and prayer.  However, when affliction or persecution comes - and it will - they quickly fall away because their spiritual house was built on sand.   The testing and trials exposed the true condition of the heart and the cost of discipleship became too high.  It wasn’t a true conversion and it is evidenced in his falling away.

Can I tell you that was EXACTLY the condition of my heart after I accepted the Good News with joy!  That was totally me!!!  Lordy!  Lord!  I have been down that road, taken that test, and failed it miserably!    I thought I was alive and vibrant, only to discover that I was lifeless and would soon fall away.  Listen, God will use the storms of life so He can expose the true condition of our heart!  Look at what God’s Word says “Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. (1 Pet. 4:12 AMP)

The persecutions and afflictions that take place in our life will test the quality of our heart. We do not want to be deceived in thinking that our relationship with Him is built on solid rock only to discover we weren’t standing on the Rock at all, but on sinking sand.  Here is the Good News…He doesn’t reveal the condition of our heart to condemn us, but rather He wants our hearts to be firmly established and rooted in Him.  Our relationship with Him must have endurance!  That is what He is after.  “But He that endures to the end will be saved!” (Mat. 24:13)

The same affliction and persecution that makes the “rocky” heart wither will make the true believer stronger!  

The Roadside Heart

Many times Jesus taught in parables; stories.  His way of teaching people is profoundly effective because He uses the physical things we are familiar with to teach us a spiritual truth.  It makes the Truth more concrete, easier to remember, and easy to apply to our personal life.  Over the next few days, we will take a journey into another field; this time however, it will be the field of our heart!  Here we go…

“And He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and comparison), saying, A sower went out to sow.   And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate them up.” (Mat. 13:3-4)  Alright, now we’ll skip a few scriptures and find Jesus giving the meaning of is this parable…“While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.” (Mat. 13:19)

Ok, the sower is God (or anyone He uses) and the seed is the Good News of Jesus Christ.  “Roadside” is the word Jesus uses to describe the first kind of heart condition.  Why does Jesus use the word “roadside” to compare it to our heart?  Good question.  The soil beside the road would be untilled and packed down hard by people walking on it, thus preventing the seed (the Word) from talking root.  It represents the person who hears the Word, but does not understand it due to his hardened heart.  This type of heart is unconcerned with the things of God and is completely indifferent to anything spiritual.  Additionally, this type of heart doesn’t give the Good News any consideration and in fact finds it to be total foolishness.  This is the self-sufficient and self-satisfied heart.

Due to the lack of repentance, the “roadside” heart has now been exposed to Satan’s attack.  The “birds” in this story represent Satan who comes and snatches away the seed (the Word of God) because it couldn’t make penetration into the hardened heart.  Listen to what God’s word has to say:  “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4)

Friends, did you catch that???  Satan’s ultimate goal is to blind people of their sinful condition and the need of salvation.  It’s also his desire to blind us from the most beautiful love relationship we could ever have.  A relationship with Jesus Christ, the lover of our soul!

This is the condition of the “roadside” heart:  It is hardhearted, unresponsive, and stiff-necked.  Even as believers in Christ, we can find ourselves unresponsive to the things of God.  And if that’s the condition we find our heart in right now, all we need to do is ask God to forgive us of our wayward heart and ask Him to restore the joy of our salvation!

I can certainly remember a time when my heart was hardhearted, unresponsive, and stiff-necked towards the things of God.  But let me tell you the Good News!  One day, the Sower came and sowed His seed on my “roadside” heart.  And once He did, my life was radically transformed and I have never been the same!!!  Maybe today, you or someone you know has a “roadside” heart.  Take courage!  I have some most excellent news for you!  God’s Word says, “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.  The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].  For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. (Rom 10:9-13)

There is no Fear in Love

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. (1 Jn. 4:18-NKJV)

Fear.  It can be crippling and it involves torment.  It wasn’t long ago that one of those fiery darts of fear tried to take root in the soil of my mind.  After wrestling with many thoughts/scenarios, I gently heard the Holy Spirit whisper that scripture in my ear “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Afterwards, the Lord began to remind me about my relationship with my husband.

My husband and I have been together for 20 years now and married for 13 of them.  I LOVE my husband and thoroughly enjoy our relationship!  The longer that we’re together, the more my love grows for him.  Our relationship makes me feel secure.  I don’t fear that he is going to leave me.  I don’t fear that he is going to cheat on me.  I don’t fear that he is going to spend our mortgage money on something worthless and leave us homeless.  I don’t fear that he might not come home at night.  I don’t fear that he is going to come home angry and put me out on the front porch.  I have a deep trust in our relationship.  I know him and therefore I am in love with him.  He has proven himself faithful.  He has proven himself trustworthy.  He has proven that he loves me.


After I was reminded of how secure I felt in my marriage, He (the Lord) quickly reminded me that He is our Perfect Husband and we have nothing to fear in Him.  We can be completely and soundly secure when we are engaged in a perfect love relationship with Him!  We are not perfect, but He is.  All human relationships are flawed, but He is not!  Isaiah 54:5 says “For your Maker is your Husband, The LORD of hosts is His name…”  He is telling us that He is our Husband.  So if He is our Husband that must make us His Bride!  He is comparing our relationship with Him to that of a husband and wife relationship.  Wow, that is close.  That is intimacy.

God wants us to know that a PERFECT LOVE relationship is found only in Him.  It’s a relationship that we can depend on.  A relationship that is secure.  And as we cultivate our relationship with Him we will KNOW – not with our head, but with our heart - that He will never leave us or forsake us.  We will KNOW that He loves us with an everlasting love.  We will KNOW that He is our Provider, our Healer and Way-Maker.  We will KNOW that He is directing our steps and that He delights in EVERY detail of our lives.  We will KNOW that He says “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps. 34:19)  How many afflictions does He deliver us out of?  ALL of them!

In closing, I would like to say it like this “There is no fear when you are in love with Me, because you know that I love you and you are secure in My love.  Whenever you get into fear, you have failed to see Me as I really am.  I am faithful and I am trustworthy.  I Love you with a PERFECT LOVE!”  

"Let Me Be Your Fishing Guide"

As He (Jesus) was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, throwing a dragnet into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples--letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!  At once they left their nets and became His disciples [sided with His party and followed Him]. (Mt. 4:18-20 AMP)

As we can see from the scripture above, Jesus selects some disciples and tells them that He has the blueprint for their lives and that He wants to be their guide from now on.  He has a plan to teach them how to catch people – the core of His deep affection.  Immediately they leave their nets and follow Him.

Ok, let’s fast forward some.  Jesus has already been crucified and the stone over His grave has been rolled away.  He decides to go and show Himself to His disciples so that they will really believe that what He taught them was the Truth – that He is the Son of God.  And He does just that.  On two different occasions He reveals Himself to them.

After all that takes place, the disciples find themselves standing beside the Sea of Galilee again (the exact place where Jesus originally called them to leave their fishing nets and follow Him).  Perhaps they were reminiscing about old times when they were still catching actual fish???   I don’t know.  But as far as they knew, Jesus was gone and they were left on their own. 

Have you ever felt that way?  Like the Lord has left you on your own?  I know I sure have!  But once again, watch as the Lord demonstrates that He is always with us, even when we’re not aware!  He told us “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Josh. 1:5).  When He says NEVER, He means NEVER.  So check this out.  Jesus was standing on the beach watching them fully aware of everything that was about to take place next.

"Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”  “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night."  WHAT?  What in the world just happened?  Jesus had instructed them to fish for men, but after some time goes by, Peter convinces himself to get back in the boat to fish for fish - and the others follow.  Did you notice that “they caught nothing ALL NIGHT?”

Ok, this part of the scene is hilarious!  Jesus calls out from the beach “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”  (My interpretation: “hey, how’s that workin’ out for ya!”)  “No,” they replied.  Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. (Jn. 21:5-6 NLT)  Oh my goodness!  Guess who is sitting on the RIGHT-HAND side of our Father?  JESUS!  He is telling them to throw their net where HE directs because that’s where HE IS!  

The disciples decided to come up with their own plan instead of following the Lord’s perfect plan.  And it was fishless!  Was fishing for fish a bad thing?  No, of course not.  Was it the RIGHT thing?  No it wasn’t.  And all their efforts were frustrated.  “Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.” (Prov. 19:21 AMP)

Jesus is trying to teach us a very important life-lesson.  First and foremost, He is always with us and He will never leave us!  Second, when we listen to Him and throw our net on the RIGHT-HAND side of the boat where He is, He will make sure that our net is full and overflowing!  Without Him, we catch nothing.  With Him, He gives us more than our beating hearts can handle! 

Lord, help us to throw our net where You are, because that is where abundant Life is found!

Treasure Hidden in a Field

When I was a little girl I loved to eat at Long John Silvers.  Oh, but this wasn’t any ordinary Long John Silvers.  No, this one had a huge, ornately decorated treasure chest inside and it was full of tiny treasures for tiny people like me.  I can remember it just like it was yesterday…we would go through the line, order our food and there it was!  Its mouth was wide open beckoning me to get my prize.

Listen to the words of Jesus as He tells us about His kingdom.  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Ok.  So the kingdom of heaven is like treasure.  It is buried in an open field so that anyone may come to find it.  If Jesus is telling us it is like treasure and where the treasure is located, then we have to decide if we really want the treasure.  If we do – and of course we do, it’s TREASURE - then we have to break out the old shovel and start digging. 

“I love those who love Me, and those who seek me diligently will find Me.  Riches and honor are with Me, enduring riches and righteousness.  My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver…..That I may cause those who love Me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries.” (Prov. 8:17-19, 21)

So we put our hand to the shovel and start digging.  He can see that our heart truly longs find this treasure.  Then all of the sudden He causes our shovel to hit the right spot.  We have finally found it!  He told us the Truth; we believed it and we found it!  We open up the chest and He reveals our magnificent find!  It is just like He said it was.  It is beyond our wildest dreams.  Nothing can be compared to it.  We consider all that we possess and now count it all rubbish compared to what we’ve found.  Oh, it is better than gold, yes, than fine gold.   It is EVERYTHING we could ever hope for.  It is EVERYTHING we could ever dream of.  It is EVERYTHING we could ever want or desire.  It is Jesus Christ.  He is the greatest treasure in all the earth.

   

The Power of the Word of God at Work in our Life

Today I want to turn our attention to a believer’s experience who, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned some profound truths about the power of the Word of God at work in his life.  I may sound a little redundant, but I believe it will help drive the point home on just how powerful the Word of God can be if we speak it, mediate on it, and apply it to our life just like this Psalmist did.  Our text is taken from the 119 Psalm.  Here we go…

Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. (Ps. 119:2)  

Joyful!  Can anyone stand some more joy?  Who does the Word say are the ones who will experience joy?  Those who love His Word and search for Him with all their hearts!  Jeremiah said “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart”. (Jer. 15:16)

Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. (Ps. 119:35)  Happiness!  Where does the Word say our happiness found?  It is found walking in the Truth of His Word, delighting in the path that He has prepared for us.  He is the One who makes us happy!

Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. (Ps. 119:37) 

Life!  How do we experience the abundant life that God has promised us?  How can we keep our eyes focused on the One who really matters?  By meditating on His Word during the day and at night; then He makes our way prosperous and then we will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

 

I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. (Ps. 119:45) 

Freedom!  How do we get free and stay free from the chains that bind us and keep us from moving forward into the beautiful destiny our Father has lovingly prepared for us?  By devoting ourselves to Him and His Word of Truth!  Say it with me loud and proud…“I WILL WALK IN FREEDOM!”

Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. (Ps. 119:49)  Hope!  Where does the Psalmist tell us our only hope is found?  In the promises He has made to us through His Word!

Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. (Ps. 119:50)  How do we get revived and comforted in the midst of all our troubles?   We turn our face towards heaven and focus our wandering eyes on the One who pours out His Living Water to revive our dry and troubled souls.

Jiminy Cricket, this is exciting stuff!  All the attributes expressed by this Psalmist: joy, happiness, life, freedom, hope, revival and comfort are not found in the pursuit of things we can see with our eyes.  These qualities of life originate in our Father and flow out of Him to all those who will come.