Not A Matter Of Theory Only

"These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Write them on your house’s door frames and on your city’s gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

The Bible is the revelation of God that God himself has given to us. It is not a book of theory but an explanation of what we experience with God. It is an explanation of how life works when we belong to him. It explains the condition of the world and what his plan is to reconcile the world to him. If the Bible remains a bunch of stories, explanations and theories, it is useless to us.

It was not just the commandments and instructions we were told to pass on to our children. In Deuteronomy 4 verse 9 we read the directive to pass on to the children everything they had seen and experienced. These are the things that the Bible gives explanation concerning, but they are meant to be experienced.

Faith is not a theory. Faith is a substance that God has given to us and it is applied when we experience moments that go beyond our intelligence. We experience faith when we are beyond our own strength, ability, finances. These are not times to run away from but to grab and experience. We do not strive to obtain faith but surrender to God in the experience so it can be activated. We need these difficult and challenging times so we can gain experience to know how faith works.

Even in our testimonies to our children, it is simply a help for them to understand what they are experiencing when they experience it so that they know to surrender and allow God to do what he does.  

The Fringe

So often I hear people saying that believing in God requires blind faith but this just isn't so. Our God is very visual, loving to do things that reveal who he is and setting reminders to provoke memory. We find this throughout the Old Testament, especially in the various festivals that marked important events in the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. We also find this in the New Testament as Jesus broke the bread and passed the wine telling his disciples to do this in order to remember.

If you care to read the New Testament carefully you may note that Yahweh never asked people to believe blindly. There was always some kind of manifestation of God or his power and then people believed. Even when it comes to the receiving of the Holy Spirit there is a manifestation that often either provokes us to tears or to laughter.

However, there is an every day manifestation that acts as a reminder that we almost always overlook. In the Old Testament, Yahweh gave a daily reminder to his people to help them stick to the narrow way:

"This will be your fringe. You will see it and remember all the Lord's commands and do them. Then you won't go exploring the lusts of your own heart or your eyes. In this way you'll remember to do all my commands. Then you will be holy to your God." (Numbers 15:39-40)

We have been given a fringe of sorts as well; we call it the Bible. It is suppose to be part of our adornment, as we spend time in it daily. Spending our time there will keep us from exploring the lusts of our heart and eyes by reminding us of our first love: Jesus. It constantly points us to Jesus and reminds us that we are holy because we are possessed by him.

Our effort will never keep us from sin but when we are daily renewed in Jesus' love for us and ours for him, we will never want to sin; we will never want to speak against anyone; we will always want the best for everyone; we will always want to honour our Lord with our words, actions and thoughts. It is not because of the threat of hell but because we want to honour him with all our heart that will keep us on the narrow path. And where we are weak and stumble, his grace will carry us home.

Without our "fringe" we will wonder away, because that is our nature. Without our "fringe" we will fall into the many pits of sin because we are that dumb. Without our "fringe" we will fall victim to the many false gods of this world because we are that short sighted. Our God knows us, our unfaithful heart and our imperfect nature. This is why he gave us the visible, tangible Bible as our "fringe" and why he is always with us, never forsaking us.

We can't do this on our own and our Lord is only too happy to visually remind us that he is with us. Open the eyes of our heart Lord and help us overcome our unbelief. You are visible to your children every day.

Just Do It!

How does anyone achieve anything great? One word: Discipline. If you want to achieve anything in this world it is going to require discipline and hard work. I am sure you have been told this countless times but it still remains true. You want good marks? Discipline yourself to take great notes and to study daily. You want to succeed at work? Discipline yourself to show up on time, know your job well, and work hard. You want to mature spiritually? Discipline yourself to ...

Obviously our spiritual walks start by accepting an invitation we did not earn and we certainly don't deserve. Jesus invited us into an all encompassing relationship with him that will change us from the inside out. Although we have done nothing to achieve this relationship, there are steps we need to take to grow and mature in this relationship. The first step is to learn.

Learning is an important step in everything. Whether it is education, driving, parenting, work, your spiritual walk, you need to learn to progress. For Christians that includes the disciplines involving the Bible. The entire revelation Yahweh has given us concerning himself is found in the Scriptures so it is vital that we know and understand them. The instruction given to Joshua still holds true for every Christian today:

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8)

It is great to talk about it but it won't happen by itself. We need to develop reading, meditating, memorizing and studying the Word. That's right, reading it occasionally is not going to help. That's like showing up for class or work once in a while and thinking you are going to understand everything. The only way to know and understand the Word is to be in the Word "day and night".

Like any discipline, it may be difficult to get going, especially the memorizing part, but once it is going you will discover how much it changes you, and you will long for it. Because of the Spirit using what we learn to form us, there is power in the Word of God. Without it you cannot, I say it again, cannot, develop spiritually. Just remember:

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." (John 14:21a)

In our relationship with Jesus, doing is a must. If we do not do then the learning has no value.

So sit down and work out a plan. Decide what you are reading and when. Decide a time to meditate on the Word (yes, it is different from reading and studying). Work out your plan for memorization. There are some excellent apps for your phone. Get involved with a group study and enjoy discussing what you are learning. You need this. Please, trust me on this, you need to do this to see the changes you long for.

Be a disciplined Christian; open your Bible and start today.

What Use Is The Bible?

We live in an age of instant information. You can find out about most things with a few key strokes. But not all information is good. Not all sources are reliable. Along with it being the age of information it is also the age of misinformation. Not only do we have access to more of the truth, we also have access to much fault-filled thinking. So how do we judge the truth?

It will not surprise you if I say the only way to judge the truth in all this noise is the Word of God. Of course there is a huge move to discredit the Christian Scriptures because if it can be removed then there will be nothing to stop human faulty wisdom. But for those who call Jesus Lord the Bible is our only measuring rod. It is fine if science and other sources of knowledge confirm the Scriptures but we don't need such confirmation because the Spirit confirms it in us.

Of course there will be many who will not accept the testimony of the Spirit because they reject him too. So if they reject everything of Yahweh how can they expect to see him? They don't and they don't want to, so I have no interest in their opinion of God's Word. Here is the value of the Scriptures:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Don't read it too quickly. Look at the order. First we use it for teaching. We have to tell people who Jesus is and what he has done for us. They need to discover the wonder of his person and his actions. We don't teach people from our opinion or what we think but according to what Yahweh has revealed of himself through the Word. We teach the Jesus of the Bible not of popular culture.

Then we use it for rebuking false teachings that are based on the self-important wisdom of man. To rebuke something is to sternly disapprove. So we use the Word to understand what is disapproved by Yahweh. It is not based on our opinion or wisdom but on Yahweh's definition of what is not approved. But we don't leave it there.

We also use the Word to correct. We don't just disapprove but we set it right with the truth. We don't just criticize but also show what is right, what is approved, what Yahweh says is his will and desire for us. It is setting aside the old "wineskin" to put in place the new "wineskin". Those who are interested in truth are not trying to defend what they have accepted as truth but instead desire what Yahweh has revealed as truth.

Then there is the training. There are specific trainers in the Body of Christ as taught in Ephesians 4:

"And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints in ministry ..." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

These trainers use the Word to train us how to live in Jesus. We do not live for ourselves but for the will of Father. However, our flesh has not given up and continues to fight for dominance. These trainers help us to learn to keep the flesh in place to allow the Spirit of Christ to have authority over us.

If we are trying to serve Jesus without the Word then we have nothing to measure what we are doing, whether it is right or wrong. approved or disapproved, truth or false. The Christian must understand that the Word is the game plan, the battle orders, the thing that reveals who Father is, who we are, what he has done for us, and how we are to live for him. So don't try to live your day without out it or you may end up in some very wrong places.

A Practical Guide To Living The Word

My wife has finally decided to get her driver's license. Just because we don't have a car doesn't mean a license is not important. In our province in Canada the government requires all drivers to take a year long course which includes theory and practical. My wife must attend classes where they discuss driving techniques along with highway laws, then she gets two hours with a driving instructor where she must put what she learned into practice. It is not unlike the Church.

Imagine how useless it would be if my wife attended class but never had the opportunity to put the theory into practice. Her theory classes would be a waste of time and money. Yet this is exactly what we find in the Church. We have tons of sermons, great teaching and incredible training opportunities in small groups and other avenues but it is all useless unless we put what we are taught into practice.

This is a tricky subject for Christians because we know it is not our actions that save us but the single act of Jesus on the cross that has made salvation available to us. It is not what we do but what he did. Yet there is more to it than just salvation. Consider our Father's heart:

For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. (Romans 2:13)

We also know that the Spirit spoke the Father's heart through James when he wrote that we are not to be mere listeners of the Word but doers. It is great to hear that we are suppose to love each other but when we fail to do it the knowledge is useless to us. When we know we are suppose to be compassionate and merciful to sinners and yet condemn them instead, the knowledge is lost on us.

Jesus has saved us but we must work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit for the transformation process. We are a new creation but we are growing out of what we were into our new heart. We do not have the ability to love as Jesus loved, even though he commanded us to do so. However, when we desire to love in this way we open the door to the Holy Spirit to change us so we can love in this way. The only manner in which the transformation will take hold is as we desire it, letting go of what no longer belongs to our nature and taking hold of the character of Jesus. It is a wonderful work of the Holy Spirit.

As we sit through the sermons, Bible studies, and discipline classes, we need to hear what inspires but we have to say to the Spirit, "That's my desire". He will bring the conviction about the things we need to let go of and he will provoke us to the greater things; the things of love, mercy and grace. The Word is intended for us to live, not simply study, so go live it and see the world change around you.

By What Code Do You Live?

It is amazing some of the ideas and philosophies people live by. When I ask these people what they base these ideas on and where it comes from I discover the foundation is pretty flimsy. Most are things loosely based on eastern teaching or simple philosophies of life they have held on to from their experience. They are interesting philosophies but also changeable; so changeable that people try on new philosophies many times in their lifetime. The Christian cannot be like this.

Christians will grow and mature in their understanding and application but there is no shifting of foundational understanding in our lives. The benefit we have over everyone else is the Word of God, the Bible. People scoff and we get laughed at, looked down on, ridiculed but let them. At least we understand what we believe and our only challenge is to develop our faith to live what we believe. But this is part of the growth and maturity of our faith.

Refresh yourself in the inspiring words that the Spirit directed through Paul the apostle:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

Plain and simple, with no excuses. The Bible reveals Yahweh, his plan, and who we are in him. There is nothing to add to it or take away from it. We need no other books or explanations. We do not base our life on anything else and we are not ashamed of this fact. We may feel ashamed when we start living outside of the Word and people call us out on it, but of the Word itself there is no shame.

Now the question is: Is this true of us? Are we living a life based on the Word of God, expressed in our life in Jesus? Or are we finding excuses to twist things in a certain way to allow us to do what we want? The Word comes against our sinful nature and the Spirit empowers us to overcome that nature because Jesus Christ destroyed its power over us. But that doesn't mean it has given up trying to claim us back. When we use the Word to measure ourselves and are honest about it, we will find good correction there; correction that keeps us on the right path.

The Word is under attack. It always has been. Each Christian must make the decision to testify with Paul that "it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes". Each of us must make that decision that it reveals to us the righteousness of God and he has called us to seek that righteousness. It is good to ask yourself if you have made such decisions or if you have chosen the philosophies of a fallen world. Just be honest with yourself so that Jesus can do something with it.




  

How Do You Hear The Spirit Speaking?

Too many of us Christians don't know what we are talking about. We live by word of mouth, not bothering to go to the source directly. We may read the Scriptures and perhaps attend Bible study where we enjoy great discussion but how much time do we spend in meditating on the Word; allowing it to sink in deep, to shape our perspective, thinking and actions? In such a crowded society, with so much to "do", I don't we do it at all.

To love Jesus is to love his Word and to love his Word is to desire to be shaped by it. I like the progression of Psalm 19:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;"

It is so profound that it changes our soul.

"The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;"

It impacts our thinking,making us wise.

"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;"

It frees us from from the ugliness of self, bringing joy to out heart.

"The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;"

It clears away the fog of the sin of this world and allows us to see.

"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;"

In a world in constant flux, it never changes.

"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

In a world that continues to redefine right and wrong, good and bad, the Word of God remains the correct revelation of Yahweh's holiness.

How can we say that we love Jesus and then ignore our only source of revelation? The Word of God is a book unlike any other and is understood through the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. In other Words, when Jesus possesses you, he teaches you as you meditate on his Word. So as the psalmist indicates, it should be precious to us:

More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)

Let's not forget accountability. The Spirit uses the Word to guide us, speak to us and correct us. If we are not hiding the Word in our heart, what does the Spirit have with which to speak to us?

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward. (v. 11)

If you seriously want to follow and serve Jesus then learn to be in love with his Word. If you want to hear clearly from the Spirit, meditate on it, memorize it, allow it to be hidden in your heart so you can hear him speaking to you.

Believe Or Don't Believe

All I want for people is that they would step into the flow of Yahweh's blessings for their lives. So many people are needlessly suffering from worry, fear, anxiety, sleepless nights, depression, directionlessness, lack of hope and a whole pile of other ailments that do not belong to them. That is not Father's plan for us and it certainly is not the reason Jesus gave his life for us. He gave his life so that we would have life in abundance. We are also making him out to be a liar because he promised us peace.

Obviously all his promises were conditional, based on a relationship of love and obedience. It is a relationship of trust. Jesus promised and we trust that his word is true. But therein lies the problem, people not longer trust the Word. I understand the world but there are far too many Christians that I speak to who say they do not fully believe in the Word of God. How can you not fully believe? It is not something you can divide up into truth, half-truth, lie. Either you believe or you don't. Jesus actually had some words to say about this.

Jesus was explaining his authority, found in John 5:

I do not accept glory from men, but I know you—that you have no love for God within you. (v. 41-42)

Jesus did not care what anyone said about him. It was not a popularity contest. He did not come to seek his own fame or glory but to serve his Father in love. Let's check our own motivation. Are we following the Father's will or are we trying to shape the Word to our own agenda? That's a very good question that most of us fail in answering.

I have come in My Father’s name, yet you don’t accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. (v. 43)

Basic problem here: if a person does not accept Jesus then they can't accept his promises. People will believe the most ridiculous things, such as the stars telling you your future, or that money can really satisfy that deep longing within. Yet, we can't accept that we are all mess ups and our Creator, who created us for himself, would pay the price to bring us back to him. We struggle that the Creator of the entire creation could become part of his creation. It really comes down to this, do we believe Jesus?

How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God. (v. 44)

Yes, that is the crazy part, we worship people who can play a part on television or in a movie; we worship people who can play an instrument or sing a song; we worship people who can kick a ball, shoot a puck, or swish a hoop, but we can't worship the one who gave us life and has offered us eternal life with him. Looking at it from Jesus' perspective, we are crazy.

Then Jesus brings it down to the simple fact of the matter:

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me. But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words? (v. 46-47)

If we don't trust the Word of God; if we don't see each word being inspired by him; if we cannot accept that this is Yahweh's revelation of himself to us, then how will we ever believe? Some would say that they believe but not everything is from Yahweh. Tell me who is going to pick and choose, and if you are going to do that how are you going to decide what to believe? How can you believe in Jesus and how can you decide what to believe about Jesus if you do not accept his written revelation?

It's funny, isn't it, that all the liberal "Christians", the ones that dismiss sin as a cultural thing, all believe that we have to pick and choose from the Word. I find it amazing how these Christians just happen to line up with society's measurement of norms. Yet, those who seem to be at odds with those norms are the Christians who stand by the divinely inspired Word of God. I also find it amazing how Jesus and then the apostles warned us that this day would arrive.

Don't deceive yourself or let yourself be deceived. Believe the Word or don't believe the Word but don't fool yourself that you can have a foot in both worlds because Jesus said you can't. It doesn't work that way.

There Is Something Even More Important Than Reading Your Bible

When I was teaching in school one of the more difficult classes I taught was Algebra. It wasn't that algebra itself is difficult but that there was a lot of resistance from the students. The reason they resisted was because they saw no practical use for it. History is full of interesting stories so most students don't mind learning it. English is very practical. Science is fun but Algebra seemed to them to have no purpose. It only makes sense that we would want to use our time and effort to gain skills that we can apply daily. So why do we fail to do this with the Word of God?

First, let's just repeat : It is the Word of God. It needs to be respected so when we approach it there should be a sense of awe and wonder as we open the words that reveal Father's heart to us. These are his words that he has given to us so that we could understand the history of our situation and his love for us. It is filled with inspiration, direction and instructions. It gives us many sign posts, measuring rods so that we can do self evaluations to know where we are in our relationship with Jesus and how far we are coming along in our growth. This is important stuff.

The Word is not theory but a practical guide for living. We are to hear it, read it, meditate on it, study it, memorize it but especially apply it. When Jesus was told his family was waiting for him his response was important:

My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. (Luke 8:21, NKJV)

Not just hear it but do it. We all know what James had to say about it:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25, NKJV)

But this is not an original thought from James. The Spirit is only reminding us through James what Jesus has already told us. In fact, there is one verse that I find essential for every believer to grasp:

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21, NIV old version))

It is impossible to argue against the words of the one who showed his love to us by going to the cross for us. We have his commands by hearing and reading, but it is the obedience that is essential for the full revelation of Jesus. In our obedience we will know that we are loved and Jesus will show himself to us.

Obviously we can't obey the commands of Yahweh in our flesh. If that had been possible Jesus would not have had to die for us. However, what is impossible for man is possible for Yahweh and is the reason why we have the Holy Spirit. Salvation has been won for us by Jesus but our maturity comes about by our cooperation and obedience to the Spirit. He is with us to empower us to grow in our obedience. I so enjoy Ephesians 4 for its explanation of the process:

His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. (v. 12-13, CEB) 

We are suppose to be growing in order to reach spiritual maturity. Hearing, reading and doing the Word of God is essential to this growth. The doing is possible through the Spirit in us. This maturity is important, especially in these end days for in this same passage we read:

 As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ,  who is the head. (v. 14-16, CEB)

People are confused today because they don't know the Word so they can't obey the Spirit. People are going by their emotions and rational thinking. Because it makes sense in this world they assume it is what Yahweh wants. We don't have to guess or assume at what Yahweh wants, he has already written it down for us. We just need to obey in our relationship with Jesus and by the power of the Spirit in us.

Yes, stop reading this and go read your Bible. Then get up, go out in the Spirit and do what Jesus has commanded. In this way you will demonstrate that you are part of his family and you will receive even greater revelation of him as he reveals himself to you. More importantly, Jesus will be glorified through you.

Why The Promise "Ask and Receive" Is Not Working For Us

It is amazing what the Spirit teaches us when we meditate on God's Word instead of just reading it. Most of us just read and, although we gain a lot of knowledge in our reading, mere facts, we miss the spiritual knowledge. Most of us do not take the time to plumb the depths of verses or passages. If we do anything at all we just read.

Meditating is not a difficult thing. You don't need to enroll in Bible College or have a ton of commentaries hanging around the house. You simply approach the verse or passage in prayer and take it apart. You can write what is on your heart in your own words concerning the verse. Write it out several times, giving the emphasis to a different key word each time. Read it out loud. Read various translations. Do a word search on the main topic words. Ask the Spirit to explain it to you. Make lots of notes.

A verse I was meditating on yesterday is found in John 15:

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (v. 7)

The first thing to note is that there is a promise here. The promise is that we can ask for what we wish and it will be given to us. That is a fantastic promise and one that many Christians lean on but few see fulfilled. But this is a promise. Does that make Jesus a liar? Well, I know he is not a liar so what else does this verse say that we may have missed and caused us to misunderstand the promise? Are there any conditions to it? Reading the entire verse I can see there are two conditions related to each other.

If you abide in me.

Abide means to remain, to dwell, to continue with, but it is also an attitude or relationship. It strikes me that to rest in Jesus, to live in him requires that we are loyal to him, obedient. steadfast. It means not being distracted by shiny things, not allowing anything to disturb us like fear or worry. It is a position of trust and dependency. It means not giving ourselves to anyone or anything else. We belong exclusively to Jesus if we are living in him, or abiding. It means no longer living for ourselves because we have become one with him. We want what he wants, our will is submitted to his.

It conveys a oneness with Jesus. If I let my spirit express itself concerning this relationship I hear and feel such words as, dying to my flesh, pleasures, passions, lusts, appetites. My heart felt cry is "I need a new heart." "Transform me Lord!" "Change me!" Then I read:

And my words abide in you.

Again, abide means to remain, to dwell, to continue with. So his Word takes up residence in us, becoming part of us, taking over, shaping, molding, transforming. We begin to live by this Word. It only makes sense as Jesus rebuked the devil with a common Scripture:

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Luke 4:4)

Jesus had also just taught his disciples:

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)

We are to be controlled and directed by the Word, governed and set right by it. It is not something we carry around with us in a book. It is not a set of laws. It is a living thing within us that brings life. Yahweh promised to write it on our hearts and we are to bury it there like a seed. The Holy Spirit uses it to encourage, comfort, correct and empower us.

My spirit fills we with words that again describe this oneness with Jesus: owned, possessed, governed, controlled, desiring, seeking, longing, hoping, pursuing, surrendering, casting out, giving, dying. The realization that the direction I am moving in is wrong. I pray, "Your ways O Lord. Your paths. Your truth. I run to you!"

The promise that we would receive what we ask for is obviously based on an incredibly intimate relationship, one of dependence and submission. In such a relationship we would never find ourselves as James described those who lacked from not asking, asking with wrong motivations and asking with doubt. Such a loyal and intimate relationship with Jesus would never allow us to be found in such condition.

From our own selfish perspective we consider this promise of asking and receiving to be about us, for our own gain. However, these two conditions describe such a selfless and intimate relationship with Jesus that asking anything outside of his will seems impossible. Some would say that Father loves to pour blessings out on his children but that comes from a selfish perspective. We have to stop and consider Father's perspective, motivation and the purpose of Jesus.

Jesus did not come showering gifts upon everyone. He came with some really great news and a demonstration of Yahweh's power. He was bent on one purpose, to save the lost. He trained disciples to carry on this mission while he returned to the Father to send us the Spirit. After he opened the doors of forgiveness and eternity via the cross and empty tomb, he gave us the commission to continue on with the great mission of making disciples. For two thousand years men and women who have taken this mission seriously have sacrificed everything for it, including their lives. Yet here we are, two thousand years in, thinking that this promise of ask and receive has to do with mansions and cars. Are we kidding?

The conditions of this promise is an incredibly intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, where we have his commands, his words and are walking in obedience to them. Whatever we need, wish, ask for will be given to us, but keep it in the context of these conditions. If we have such an intimate relationship with Jesus then his priorities will be ours, as will his will and his will is the Father's and the Father's will is that everyone would be saved. Ask whatever you need or wish to fulfill the will of Father and it is yours. It has never been about us, it is about the lost and Jesus' mission to save them. Is this what we are living for?

That is where meditating on the Word gets you, a whole lot deeper than just reading.

Hey Dry Bones, What Is The Lack In Your Life?

I think more of us are in love with the idea of loving Jesus then with actually loving him. Love is an easy thing to say. It comes with no commitment because to us it only expresses a vague notion of some idea that we have not quite grasped. We like the thought of it but have never measured the cost of it. To say we love Jesus just means that we recognize some value there but we don't really want to think about it much; we have other things to do.

When I fell in love with my wife I wanted to know everything about her (I still do). I grilled her with a thousand questions about her past, her experiences, her likes and dislikes, her hopes, dreams, aspirations. I wanted to hear her opinion on everything. I wanted to know everything because I loved what made her her. Yet, this is a weak and faulty love coming from a weak and faulty heart. How much more should I be consumed with the One who gave up everything to give me his everything?

The truth is, most of us just pay lip service to our love for Jesus. How do I know? Our actions and our priorities reveal our heart. How much time did you spend in prayer yesterday? No excuses, just an honest answer. Write it down on something so you can see the reality of the figure. Now, how much time did you spend, hearing, reading, studying and meditating on the Scripture yesterday? No excuses; write it down. A number of years ago a survey was taken from Christians attending a conference on prayer. Keep in mind that most of the attendees were pastors and their wives. This survey revealed that these Christians, attending a seminar on prayer, spent less than an average of five minutes a day in prayer.

Everything we know and experience comes from Scripture and prayer. Everything about us as Christians come from the Word and prayer. A lack of time in Scripture and prayer reveals a lack of love for Jesus because if we were actually in love we would be consumed with being with him and knowing him. It means that most of us Christians are nothing but dry bones because we aren't even giving the Spirit the tools to work in and through us. Yahweh spoke to his people and told them why they were in trouble:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)

Let the Spirit convict where he must today. This is in direct contrast to what was said as the people were coming into the Promised Land, before they possessed it:

Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do what is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Are we brave enough to admit the lack in our life? "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." We aren't anywhere near what we should be because we lack two very basic Christian disciplines: Bible hearing, reading, studying, meditating, and prayer. How can we love Yahweh with our entire mind, soul and body when we choose a life of lack? Yet, we are told that prosperity and success belong to those who meditate on and live the Word.

Our prayer should mirror that of the psalmist who prayed:

Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. (Psalm 25:4-5)

It is a simple decision to allow Jesus' love for you to decide your actions and priorities. "Because you love me so much Jesus I want to know all about you; what pleases you and how I can honour you." It is when we make the decision to make the time for the Bible and to make the time for prayer that we grow in the relationship. I said "make" on purpose. It is something we have to carve out of each day. As we know the Word we will begin to live it. In this we will find the blessing of Jesus' prosperity and successful for our lives and we will go from dry bones to being trees planted by streams of living waters, whose leafs never wither. Is this not our great desire?

Standing On The Word Of God, And Nothing Else

The Bible, God's Word is awesome. If you don't know it, you are a radiant being stumbling around in the dark. It is essential for understanding and confirming what has been written on your heart by the Holy Spirit. The sooner you start eating from it the better it will be for you. It is a benefit to consume the Word daily so that all that God intended you to be will become your reality. Without it, we are confused by the false reality of this world that is dominated by a false prince.

I realize it is difficult to balance everything in your day, especially if you do not have a grasp of the Kingdom of God. If Jesus is just something you need to try to fit into your day, you are in a lot of trouble. You will always struggle spiritually and you will never step into the full knowledge of Christ, becoming fully like him. Jesus cannot be a part of your life; he must be your life, the motivation for everything that you do. You must be fully consumed by his love and your love for him, with obedience being your great desire.

Our attitude toward God's Word must be as passionate as the writer of Psalm 119. We must be raised on it as if it is our life source and treat it as if it is the life source for our children. Paul wrote to Timothy:

Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. (2 Timothy 3:15)

Too often we are guilty of trying to fulfill the mission of Jesus using short cuts. We use emotional pleas but the only thing that makes us wise unto salvation is God's Word. We can't bring people into the Kingdom and expect them to stay based on emotions because emotions are unstable unless the Spirit is in charge. Faith is not an emotional reaction, although emotion can be included. Faith is a decision to believe what Jesus said and we only know what Jesus said according to the Word of God.

The Word is constantly under attack from outside and inside the Church. No other holy book in the world is attacked like the Christian Bible but yet the Word says of itself:

Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. (v. 16)

God's Word is his. It was written through many various servants, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The servant's were only instruments and not authors. And what God has given to us is more precious than gold because it is a spiritual instrument, useful for teaching, helping, correcting and showing us how to live. Our problem is we don't want to take the correction; we would rather explain away those parts of the Bible.

We simply forget that we are accountable to our God. We are not radical free agents set loose upon the earth to do what we feel is best. We have a play book to follow, one that confirms what the Spirit has written on our heart. Is it right to steal? The Bible says no and so does your heart. Is it right to have sex with whoever you want? The Bible says no, and so does your heart. Is it right to direct your own life? The Bible says no, and so does your heart. Do we need to be generous because of God's love? The Bible says yes, and so does your heart. If your heart is lying to you, you need to ask who it is you serve. Paul writes:

The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds. (v. 17)

Clearly stated, we need God's Word as our training manual. It needs to be studied, understood, applied and lived every day. We can't go a day without referring to it. And remember, it is not an old book, archaic in teaching. The Word does not stand on its own but is empowered in us through the Holy Spirit. It is a living testament of God's promises and our responsibilities. Yes, responsibilities. Salvation is by grace but as the children of God we have responsibilities to live out every day that we live in this place. If you don't understand at least that much then you are desperate to know, understand and live the Word of God.

A Super Market Of Churches

The Christian Church reminds me a lot of a supermarket these days. You can find a little of everything to suit your taste. If you support women preachers go to that church. If you like believe in speaking in tongues go to this church. If you hold to gay marriage go to that church over there.  It is hard to know what the Church holds on to as beliefs any more because the teaching is as varied as people. We are making God out to be whatever we want or need him to be. But that isn't the Church.

It comes down to interpreting the Word of God, or at least that is what I have been told time and again recently. The problem with interpretation is that it has to go through our own personal set of filters. We tend to ignore the stuff we don't like or excuse it away. Looking at the Word of God this way means it is wide open to abuse and it most certainly has been abused. We can make the Word say whatever we want it to say according to our own personal prejudices.

The problem with all of this is that we have left out the very important part of "deny yourself". Following Jesus has been very aptly explained in a couple of steps in the Word. First we are crucified with Jesus, so we die. We die to ourselves, to sin, to desires, hopes, dreams, opinions and this world. This is the part people tend to overlook or forget. We go right to the second step which is to be made alive in Jesus. Well we can't be made alive in Jesus if we have not died. So we have this fake thing happening.

We conform most of our behaviour to that of Jesus but our heart actually remains the same. There has been no transformation because transformation requires death, a letting go of everything we knew, especially our opinions, and living in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. In a society that prizes individual rights and freedoms, this is hard. What Christians should be understanding is that we are taking orders and directions from the Spirit and not doing what we think is best based on our knowledge.

This is how we read the Word, not through our experience and opinions, but through Jesus. The Word says that we know his mind. We don't know his mind if we have not died. We only know his mind when we have been crucified with him, raised to life in him, possessed of the Spirit and seeking only the Father's will. Anything less than this has the danger of "interpreting" God's Word with our filters. If we use our filters we will always bend God's Word to our desires.

Perhaps this is the reason Paul instructed Timothy:

Worship with people whose hearts are pure. (2 Timothy 2:22)

The only heart that is pure is that which is possessed by Jesus. The only heart that can be possessed by Jesus is the one that has voluntarily died, been crucified with Jesus and has been raised to life in Jesus. I repeat, in Jesus because there is no life found in us, only what is found in Jesus. We can't live for ourselves and Jesus. We can't serve both this world and God. Holiness requires that we find no value in this world or opinion of man but instead we live on every word from God. Anything less and we are lying to ourselves.

So I have a problem when people talk about interpretation. It usually means the person has a personal agenda and is creating God in the image of his own sinful desires. When we have died to self, been made alive in Jesus, the only interpretation we need comes from the Spirit and is always the will of the Father and not our own. Stop looking for a church that meets your own personal beliefs. Repent of your selfish ways and seek believers whose hearts are pure.  

Not Everyone Is A Teacher

The internet is a wonderful thing, making the sharing of information fast and simple. It allows people on opposites sides of the earth to be friends. It opens up a whole new world of support and encouragement. The internet is also a terrible thing, making the sharing of false information fast and simple. It allows people on the opposite sides of the earth to bully each other. It opens up a whole new world of sin and destruction. Like anything else, the internet is only a tool and how it will be used depends on the heart of the person using it.

This is good to keep in mind when speaking with people you have never met. It is good to keep in mind when reading teachings about God's Word from people you don't know, like me. There are a lot of people on the internet teaching a lot of different things. It doesn't mean they are called to that. It doesn't mean they have the anointing. It doesn't mean they have a right relationship with Jesus. It just means they have an opinion. Anyone can have an opinion, it doesn't mean it is supported by the Word of God. More than ever we need to pray for a spirit of discernment, that the Holy Spirit will guide us in all knowledge, truth and wisdom. It always starts by reading the Bible for yourself.

God warns us:

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. (Colossians 2:18)

I have met a lot of "puffed up" people on the internet. One of the tell tale signs is if they go to church or not. Do they belong to a church they have submitted themselves to, to whom they are accountable?  Jesus did not leave us to go it alone. He placed us in a Body because each member has something that the others need. We have been placed in a Body where we depend on each other to grow and mature into the fullness of Jesus. Just read 1 Corinthians 12 and understand that I need you and you need me to function as Jesus intends for us to function. Those who chose to go it alone, saying the church is full of hypocrites and turning their back on God's design and purpose, are a danger to themselves and others. Again we are warned:

He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (Colossians 2:19)

It is amazing how quickly a person loses connection with the Head when he turns his back on the Body. Yet, he is so arrogant and full of self knowledge that he thinks he is the only one with the truth and he needs to "save" everyone from the false teachings. If such a person does not know the importance of the Church then he does not know as he aught to know.

Be careful who you submit to when it comes Bible teaching. Be careful of the popular quotes that float around. Check them against the Word of God. If you have doubts, go ask your pastor or youth pastor. Do not allow a false thought or teaching take root in your mind. And above all else, pray for discernment, that you will correctly understand and live the Word of God.

Why You Understand And Others Don't

Have you ever wondered why you can understand things from the Bible and other people can't? Have you ever wondered why you know things in the Bible are absolutely true while others reject it as false? Have you ever wondered how anyone could ever dispute the truth of the Bible when it is so plain and clear? It's because it isn't plain and clear to them.

Something we keep forgetting is that we read the Bible through the Holy Spirit. These aren't just words to us because the Spirit makes it life to us. He has already written God's law on our heart so when we read the truth our spirit confirms it because it is already in us. The Spirit gives us more than knowledge of the word, he gives us understanding through personal revelation of the Word. This is the reason the world reads and cannot understand, because they do so without the Spirit of God.

It is nothing more than words to them. Just words.

That's why they will not allow us to dispute their claims with the Word of God because they cannot accept it as truth. It is the reason disputing or trying to reason with someone without the Spirit is such a waste of time and energy. The only thing we can do for such people is bless them with kindness, patience and love. Their salvation is not by our argument but by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In saying this, anyone who is under conviction can be swayed by the Word of God.

This is another great blessing we have been given and that we can celebrate today. In fact, God has let us in on this, his great mystery. You may shrug your shoulders at it because to you it is old news but when understood by the Spirit of God it is incredible news:

And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

Most of the world is beating its head against the wall trying to get people to stop killing each other and polluting the planet. They put so much energy into the effort to get people to understand the preciousness of God's creation, although they leave God out. They think a clean environment and world peace is the great goal to work towards. But we know, due to man's sinful nature, these goals will never be attained, and that we are rushing toward a difference conclusion.

We know this because God has revealed the truth of it to us. Yes, we can read the Words of the Bible and have that knowledge, but we also have an understanding of the truth because of the Spirit of God in us. So we warn the world and they mock us. Don't be discouraged.

Look up!

The thing I want to encourage you with is that we have been blessed by the revelation of God's great mystery. It is more than knowledge. It is more than words. It is the conviction of the truth that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Be grateful and encouraged that we have been blessed with such a revelation of God's mystery.

Disqualified For The Prize

There are a lot of spiritual people out there but it doesn't make them right. Just because they mention God or say something about Jesus does not make them a follower of Jesus Christ. Consider somebody like Oprah who teaches universalism, believing that all gods are the same God and that there are many paths that lead to him. I have no idea how she started out but she is heading in the wrong direction now. She's not alone.

You are going to come across a lot of people who will tell you that they have studied the original language of the Bible and that we have interpreted it wrong. In the original language there can be several meanings attached to a word so the context is important to understand. Even more importantly is the guidance of the Spirit in these things. It is his purpose to teach us and without him we can make the Bible say whatever we want. So we get a lot of people doing their own thing, teaching what they think is right. Apostle Paul gave us a warning about that:

Do not let anyone who delights in false humilityand the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. (Colossians 2:18)

He warns us not to let these people disqualify us, to throw into confusion what we have already gained by the Spirit, to interrupted our progress and to cause us to choose a wrong path. Good teachers can convince us of anything but we have to remember that there is only one authority we bend our knee to, only one we worship, only one we follow and trust. Anyone who leads us away from Jesus and his instructions has lost connection with the King:

He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. (v. 19)

So often the enemy is there to plant doubt in our knowledge of God, "Did God really say ... ?" Did God really say to love those who hurt you? Did God really say that homosexuality is an offence to him? Did God really say there is only one path to come to him? Did God really say we have to die to self? Did God really say that the only acceptable place for the gift of sex is inside of marriage? So many things are being questioned and reworked just so we can try to have both Jesus and the world, but it doesn't work that way. Those who are possessed by the Spirit of God know the truth and there is no wiggle room.

If the authority who you are listening too is consistently teaching contrary to the Word of God, the conviction of the Spirit, and the authority of Jesus, you need to run away. Occasionally all us teachers make mistakes. We too get tired or distracted and speak from our flesh. It shouldn't happen but it does. However, when it does the Spirit is quick to correct and we are quick to apologize. We know that we do not own this truth and the revelation of it is not from us but from the Spirit so we must always be attuned to the Spirit. Without the Spirit we are nothing.

So, take caution, not everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus is a follower; not everyone who claims to be a teacher is a teacher; not everyone who claims to know the Word knows by the Spirit. You have been given discernment through the Spirit of God in you to know the difference. Know the Word, stay sensitive to the Spirit, keep Jesus as the only authority you bend your knee to and you will be well protected from the lies of the enemy. Do not let anyone disqualify you for the prize.

The Battleground Called School

School is not an easy place for a Christian. It doesn't matter which level we discuss, it is a hard place for a Christian to grow. Years ago it was mostly behaviour that parents worried about, bad influences and terrible opportunities. Now it is a place where a war is fought over the hearts and minds of our youth.

We have to remember that it is a system completely bathed in the world, having its roots in the knowledge and tradition of man. At one point the Bible was a key element of its foundation but this is no more. Now it is fully what man thinks is right and whatever is popular in society as a whole.

These glorious institutions of learning are a hostile environment for the hearts and minds of young Christians who are still trying to allow faith to get established. Maybe it is to them then that the Spirit intended these words:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

This is why our youth need so much grounding in the Word. We need to stop trying to entertain them and help them realize the war they are thrust into every day. We need to help them develop spiritual discipline, to discuss with mature Christians what they are being taught in school, to question everything and examine it against the Word of God.

It is hard because every day they are being presented with things that appear rock solid according to the knowledge of man. It is presented as fact, black and white. If they want to make it through the system they have to learn man's knowledge and be tested on it. Those seeds are there trying to grow roots in those young minds. Even the most mature of us would find it hard to stand up under such daily assault against our faith.

The most important thing for students to remember is that God's wisdom is far beyond the knowledge and wisdom of man. Man's traditions, thinking and actions are born out a rebellion against God and take man even further from Jesus:

The wise will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed and trapped. 
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,    what kind of wisdom do they have? (Jeremiah 8:9)

Our God is so much more than man could ever imagine thinking and being:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,” 
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
    so are my ways higher than your ways    and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Our students should be seen as young Daniels, facing a system that is foreign to any knowledge of God. Not only foreign to the knowledge of Jesus but hostile toward him. They need all the support, encouragement, teaching, guidance, training and prayer that we can give them. To the students I say:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy."

The Bible Is Under Attack Like Never Before

The Bible is under attack today like it has never been attacked by any generation previous to this. If the attack was only coming from the world it wouldn't be so bad but this precious Word of God is being attacked by those who carry the name Christian. For decades theologians have tried to dismantle the Word, dismissing certain passages, throwing people into confusion over authorship. They have said just enough for the world to grab hold of it, to use as a weapon against us, but not enough that they would feel their own salvation is under threat. Now we are getting more and more perverted "translations" being published and distributed as authentic Bibles.

It was laughable when some people got together and published a version that made God female. However, it is not so laughable when the NIV publishes a version to be more acceptable to the world by removing most of the gender references. It is also not laughable that a group of well meaning but totally distorted people publish an Islam friendly version, nullifying Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. They distribute these Bibles, claim Muslims are converting but these same Muslims are still attending Mosque and worshipping Allah because this new Bible claims that Allah and Yahweh are one and the same. Allah is not the Muslim word for God, it is the name of their God, which originally was the moon god, one of many that the Muslims had worshipped before Mohammed came along. Our God's name is not Allah but Yahweh, the great "I AM".

My point is this, do not let anyone cut in on your journey with Jesus and hijack your faith. Paul wrote to the Galatians:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. (Galatians 1:6-7)

Perhaps it has not been so quick for the Church but great parts of it are now turning to a different gospel, one that is more tolerable to the world and other religions, but these are not the gospel. They are not the Word that brings light to the darkness. The achieve nothing but confusing the darkness even more and offer other ways that are not the one true way that Jesus revealed to us:

Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7)

This is happening on a daily basis and the Internet is a great tool for this. Too many Christians are Biblically illiterate. They do not know the Word well enough to spot the perverted teachings. They have no idea how to refute these other teachings and how to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. They listen to people like Oprah, who claims to be a Christian but who teaches her many fans that there is more than one way to salvation. Read Paul's warning:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:8-9) 

That's all I can say as well, because I have had to deal with too many sincere people who started off well but who ended up being dragged back into the darkness because of perverted teachings. They were sincere but they were also sincerely lost. I have talked to so many Christians who defend homosexuality because they sincerely thought God accepts it. Because of his love he understands, is what I am told. These people are ignorant of the Word of God and because of it God will be ignorant of them. It is a shame that we can fall so easily into these traps of lies. So many lies are developed because people selfishly want to make the Word say what they want it to say so they can do what they want to do. Sin is a terrible distorter of the truth.

The only way to head this off is to know the Word of God, but our knowing must go beyond the simple reading. Knowledge is good but knowledge through the Holy Spirit is better. We need a revelation of the Word of God, the supernatural understanding of what God has written. It was inspired by the Spirit of God so we can only fully understand it through the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. If we try to understand it with our carnal minds we will only confuse ourselves and make the Word say what we want it to say. The world cannot understand the Word of God because they can only read it with words; they are not possessed by the Spirit of God.

Do not let anyone hijack your faith my friends, or your relationship with Jesus Christ. Seek greater understand of the Word through the Holy Spirit. Guidance by preachers and teachers are good but to safe guard the gospel you must know and understand the Word for yourself. The more you understand through the Spirit the more you will be sensitive to the Spirit when he tells you a teaching is wrong.

Why Are We So Spiritually Weak?

I know I harp on this a lot but, on what are you basing your relationship with Jesus? How are you obtaining a growing richness with Jesus? How are you keeping the flame of passion for all things Jesus burning deep in your spirit? How are you sure that you are on the right path? I ask these questions because it is so easy to end up consuming spiritual "junk" food and becoming ill or malnourished. This really is an important subject if you want to remain faithfully serving Jesus until the end of your days.

I am a bit of a health nut. Not a freakishly over the top health nut but a guy who believes that looking after our body is a means of honouring God with good stewardship. This body does not belong to me, it was bought by Jesus and is now a temple of the Holy Spirit. I am also about to have my tenth child, I have a young wife and I have a church to look after. I need to be around as long as God will allow me so I have to do my part to maintain good health. God has designed this body in a marvelous way, with a heart to last well over a hundred years. My skin renews every 21 days, I go through 14 skeletons in my life and every cell is renewed on scheduled except for a few in my eyes and a few in my brain. Looking after this wonderful temple is not difficult but it takes some effort.

To look after the temple of the Spirit of God I need to know what foods are beneficial; which of the great variety of things there are to eat are best to help this body in its constant renewal. The body also needs proper rest. The thought is that the body needs sleep to repair itself. The body also needs exercise because it was designed for activity. There are all kinds of things that go wrong with the body when we do not give it proper exercise.

Now what is true physically is also true spiritually. If looking after our physical body is so important, how much more important is it to look after our soul? Our body will only be with us in this world because it was born to this world and of this world. According to God's Word we will be given a new body for eternity. However, our spirit and soul are eternal, so we need to do everything we can to increase the health of our soul and maintain fellowship with Christ through our spirit. There are some basic things we need to do to have a healthy soul.

As our body needs proper food so does our soul. We need a healthy appetite for God's Word. We need good meals that feed our soul and provides the sustenance that gives strength in our relationship with God. Without the Word we only have second hand comments, some of which are sugary and referred to as "junk food". We need to be enjoying the Word throughout our day, learning and growing closer with Jesus.

In the same way our body needs rest, our soul also needs rest. It is thought that sleep provides the body time to repair itself and prayer provides the same for the soul. It is in prayer that the convictions of the Spirit become obvious, it is the time when we examine ourselves, confess our sins and are renewed in our relationship with Jesus. It is in prayer that the Spirit teaches us and reveals things to us. Just as it is true that while we sleep our body grows, while we pray we grow in Jesus. We need daily periods of rest for our soul.

The body needs exercise to maintain excellent health and the same is true for our soul. We cannot simply consume the Word of God and do nothing. In this way we would become obese and lazy on the Word. When the body is obese it is open to all kinds of disease, the same is true spiritually. We have to exercise our faith by living the promises of Jesus. We have to exercise our faith, putting into action what we have taken in through the Word. Without this exercise we may die in our faith. Just as North Americans know they need exercise but don't do it, many of us Christians know we need to live by faith but don't do it.

The facts are there and are so simple when it comes to maintaining good health for our body. We know what we need to do but we don't do it. I hate to keep repeating myself but, it is a matter of deciding to do it. We decide, make a plan and then do it. The truth is the same for us spiritually. The Word of God makes it plain what we must do to be strong in Jesus, to have excellent spiritual health, but we continue in our spiritual weakness because we don't do what we know we need to do. Again, we need only make the decision, create a plan and do it. We need to study the Word daily, spend time in prayer daily and exercise our faith daily in order to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we don't we will become weak and susceptible to all kinds of "diseases". To borrow the theme from a famous athletic clothing company, "Just Do It!"

Fasting With The Bread Of Life (fasting series)

What is a fast without the Word of God and prayer? The answer, is a diet. We need to fast in the same way we need baptism and communion. None of it has anything to do with our salvation but everything to do with obedience and relationship.

Fasting has no power in of itself but it is a tremendous instrument in changing us so that we are better focused on the lover of our soul. Now who wouldn't want that? But like the psalmist, we have to have a hunger and longing for the Word of God. Instead of filling our bellies with food, we are taking the time to fill our spirit on the Bread of Life.

Reading and studying the Word of God should never be a chore for those who love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, should and strength. It is our sustenance. And we say with the psalmist:

"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Psalm 119:15-16)

As you fast, draw close to God by dwelling in his Word. Listen carefully to what he has to say directly to your heart. Don't allow your fast to be considered a diet but instead allow it to be what it is intended for, an instrument to hear clearly from God.