This week, I have been thinking about the importance of asking God in prayer. Our prayer life cannot only be asking Him for things, of course. We can’t bring Him a daily grocery list and let that be the only conversation we have. We are meant to pray without ceasing! However, when we are in an intimate relationship with our Father, it is His expectation that we ask Him.

We see this truth clearly in the Word of God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and His model prayer included several petitions. He taught us to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness, God’s will to come to earth, guidance, and deliverance, all in one prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Directly before this though, Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8,

“When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Jesus instructed us not to misunderstand the heart of the Father. He was not devaluing the power of asking but teaching how to do it. We can’t think that if we pray louder, better, or with fancier words, God will hear us. Our prayer must be based upon our relationship with Him. God knows everything we need and is more willing to give than we will ever understand—but we still have to ask!

James 4:2 says,
“…You do not have, because you do not ask.”

Mark 11:24 says,
“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Matthew 7:7-15 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

The truth in these scriptures will change our lives if we truly believe it! Simply asking has the power to change the course of our lives. What are you asking Him for? Matthew 14:22-32 is a familiar story, and there are a great many things we can learn from it. It says,

‘Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of Him, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.’

We could talk about so many things in this story, but this week, I was thinking about the fact that Jesus only called Peter out onto the water, because he asked. I believe if any of the disciples had asked to come out onto the water, Jesus would have commanded them to come, but their fear kept them in the boat. So often, we are waiting on a miracle, when God is waiting on us to ask and take a step of faith!

To conclude this week, I want to share three things the Bible teaches about how to ask. First, as we already saw in Mark 11:24, we have to believe when we ask. Faith moves the heart of God, and we have to ask and receive in faith. James 1:5-8 says,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

God gives generously to all without reproach, and that’s not just true for wisdom! We have to ask in faith.

Next, we have to ask rightly. There is a wrong way to ask! James 4:3 says,

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

We can’t expect to receive what we ask for if we ask selfishly, out of alignment with God’s heart. 1 John 5:14-15 says,

“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”

God will never say no to something His Word has already promised. If we are in relationship with Him and allowing His Word to shape our hearts and minds, our requests will align with His will! He promises the desires of our hearts as we delight in Him. Psalm 37:4 says,

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Finally, we can come boldly to our Father’s throne and ask, only when we are living in accordance with His Word. If we are not living in obedience, His promises are not for us. 1 John 3:22 says,

“…whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.”

This week, we encourage you to come boldly to the throne of grace and ask for the good things He has for you. He is a good Father! Salvation, peace, joy, healing, provision, and freedom are His promises. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom, as we ask in accordance with His Word!

This week, a very simple thought has been on my heart: the good news about Jesus—the gospel—cannot be contained. The message of Jesus Christ should always be overflowing from our hearts, through our words and our lives. It’s a choice to do what He’s called us to do, but the light of Jesus is meant to shine out of His church effortlessly by the power of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus ascended to heaven, Christianity spread like wildfire so quickly that it was said of the disciples that they “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). Romans 1:16 says,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

It is not our wisdom or clever presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ that draws people to Him. Our surrender and obedience are necessary, but it is the gospel itself that brings salvation. When the truth about Jesus is declared, men will be drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)

There are three different miracles that captured my heart this week regarding these truths. The first is found in Luke 4:31-37. It says,

‘He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority. And in the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.’

Every encounter with Jesus reveals a facet of His heart and the heart of the Father. In this miracle, we see the authority of Jesus demonstrated powerfully. Prior to the encounter with the demonic, it says they were astonished by His teaching, because of the authority it possessed. How much more did they marvel after they saw His authority over darkness?

The end of the story is what caught my attention this week. It says, “reports about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.”

Jesus didn’t have to send His disciples out to advertise for His meetings. The news spread because people couldn’t stop talking about the One who demons obeyed. The next story I want to look at is found in Luke 5:12-15. It says,

‘While He was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And He charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But now even more the report about Him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities.’

Again, we see God’s heart revealed in Jesus’ encounter with a broken man. This leprous man did not doubt Jesus could heal Him. He’d heard the stories about what Jesus could do. What he wasn’t sure of is whether Jesus would heal him. Jesus responded, “I will” and this is a revelation we all need. In the first story, Jesus’ authority and power were highlighted, but His power is always combined with His willingness to heal. He is more willing to move on our behalf than we are to ask, and it only takes a mustard seed of faith!

Look at the final sentence of this account. Even though Jesus commanded the man to tell no one, the good news could not be contained. It says, “even more, the report about Him went abroad.” Crowds came because they heard there was One who was able and willing to heal and deliver.

The final story I want to look at this week is found in Luke 7:11-17. It says,

“Soon afterward, He went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.”

This story reveals to us the tenderness of God’s heart. Surrounded by a “great crowd,” Jesus saw a woman who would likely have been unseen by anyone else, and He stopped everything for her. With no son or husband in that society, this woman would have undoubtedly been left destitute. He was not moved with compassion for the dead young man, but for the woman left alone. He raised the young man and gave him back to his mother.

Once again, the story ends with the declaration that the news about Jesus could not be contained. The report about Him spread to all the surrounding country!

When Jesus moves in someone’s life, it will always bring Him glory, because every encounter with God magnifies who He is. We see different aspects of who God is in these three stories. We see authority and power as well as willing mercy, but those things do not contradict each other. Jesus is as powerful as He is compassionate. He is as much a King as He is a friend. As followers of Jesus, we are called to spread the report of Him everywhere we go. What news are we spreading? Are our hearts bursting with the good news of Jesus? That’s how He intends us to live. If the only thing that comes out of our mouths is negativity, then it’s time for another encounter with Him. Whatever it is we have need of, there is very good news! Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation. He is still drawing all men unto Himself. He will meet you right where you are, today!

Last weekend, we celebrated the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s a time we focus on resurrection life, but that life is something we should be walking in every day! Jesus tasted death so we could live, and that’s not just for Easter Sunday.

There are people who live in spiritual death, completely unaware of the life we have access to in Jesus. His blood was shed for our salvation, and so much more.

In the Old Testament, God strictly prohibited people from eating meat with blood in it, including animals they sacrificed. Deuteronomy 12:23 says,

“Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh.”

This is very interesting because Jesus was the spotless lamb sacrificed for us, and we are specifically told to partake of the body and blood of Jesus. I believe it’s for the exact same reason they were told not to consume the blood of animals.

“The blood is the life.”

Jesus said in John 6:53-56,

“So, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

During the last supper, Jesus took the cup and said,

“Drink all of it, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27)

Naturally speaking, an animal’s blood contains all bacteria, viruses, and parasites an animal carries. The symbolism of drinking Jesus’ blood may have been foreign to them, but they understood that blood carried life. When we partake of His blood, we partake of His life. Jesus’ blood was pure, completely uncontaminated by sin. Hebrews 9:13-14 says,

“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Jesus was the spotless lamb, sacrificed for our forgiveness, and His blood carries nothing but life! The message of the cross, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a call to come to Him and receive life. John 1:1-4 says of Jesus,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

The life in Jesus is still the light of all mankind. We don’t need to look up the Greek word for life to try to figure out what it means. Every human being was created to recognize the life He carries. You know if you’re not living! Life apart from Him is difficult, dry, and joyless. Life apart from Him is a journey with an unknown destination, a wandering in darkness. His life is our only light!

John 6:63 says,

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Many accept Jesus with a simple prayer, but then go on attempting to live their own lives, sustaining themselves. However, when we come to Jesus, He must become our daily bread. We have to partake of His life continually. His Word is Spirit and life, and as it says above, our flesh is no help at all. There is no life apart from Him!

This should be a relief. We don’t have to strive. We simply have to learn to partake of the One who tasted death for us. We get to rest in the power of His sacrifice and abide in the reality of His presence.

Jesus sealed the promise of our eternity with His own blood when He died on the cross. However, we have to choose to walk in that life every day. He will fill every dry place in your heart, as you surrender to Him. His life will resurrect what you thought couldn’t live again. There is healing, joy, peace, strength, and grace in just one taste of His life, but we have to choose to come!

In John 5:39-40, Jesus rebuked the religious people of His day saying,

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.”

They refused to come. They were experts on the scriptures, but most of them missed the One that carried life itself. The only thing that can keep us from receiving all that Jesus has for us is our own refusal. He poured out His own blood, withholding nothing. He will never turn you away if you will just come!

He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life (John 14:6). You can’t search the Word in purity and truth and not find Him, because He is the Word of God made flesh. Today, we encourage you to receive and partake of the only One who carries life. His Word is Spirit and life. His flesh is true food, and His blood is true drink. That symbolism carries the truth that He is our all-in-all. He is the only sustenance we need for life, freedom, hope, and healing. All we have to do is come to Him. Whatever you have need of today, there is life in Him, and it is simpler than you’ve ever believed. Just come!

This week, I’ve been thinking differently about a verse of Scripture I’ve known for as long as I can remember. 119:11 says,

“I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

That’s the version of this verse I’ve known as long as I can remember. Other popular versions say, “hidden your Word” rather than “stored up your Word.”

However, the best translation of that particular Hebrew word is not either of those things. The word actually means to treasure. That may seem like a minute difference, but it is significant in the way that we relate to God’s Word.

I went to a Christian elementary school, and we would make a declaration every morning regarding the Bible. It went,

“I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.”

For years of my life, I declared daily that I would store His Word in my heart. I have no doubt the power of that declaration, repeated so often, positively affected my life, but it wasn’t until I truly learned to treasure His Word that it changed my life.

See, there are a lot of things we can say and store that we don’t treasure. There are things in bins in my garage that I haven’t seen in years. I tossed them in there in case I need them someday, or until I do some decluttering and donate them. They’re stored, but they aren’t treasured.

We have to be careful not to treat God’s Word that way. We can’t treat the written Word, or the things He speaks to us specifically, as things to be stored. We can’t tuck them away and all but forget about them. What value do you place on the Word of God?

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was given great insight into who Jesus was while He was still a baby. Luke 2:19 says,

“Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

Later, when Jesus was twelve years old and had been in the temple teaching the scholars, it says,

“His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

Mary wasn’t throwing those words and experiences regarding Jesus into storage to be forgotten. She was treasuring them, carefully pondering them, as she saw the miraculous purpose of God unfold in Jesus’ life.

The value we place on God’s Word will directly affect the course of our lives.

Proverbs 2:1-5 says,

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”

I encourage you to read all of Proverbs 2. It goes on to say that the wisdom of God will be like a shield, guarding and delivering you. It’s a beautiful passage of Scripture and the truth is that when we seek His Word, we will inevitably find Him. Jesus is the Word made flesh and the written Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit. We should regard every Scripture and every Word that He speaks as unspeakably valuable. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Jesus said in Matthew 4:4,

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

His Word is our very life, necessary for training, completion, and equipping. It’s not optional for our well-being. It’s the foundation!

If we regard His Word as treasure, we will treat it differently than if we see it as helpful, optional, or even if we regard it as just a tool. God’s Word is a tool He’s given us. It’s the Sword of the Spirit—the weapon we use to combat the enemy. Jesus used the Word of God when confronted by the devil in the wilderness (Luke 4). However, the tool of His Word only works when you learn to wield it as something to be treasured, not something to be used.

There are Christians alive today with such limited access to the Word of God that they treasure even one page. Many of us have Bibles in every room, but does that mean we treasure it as the gift that it is? Do we search His Word for insight by the Holy Spirit, as we would for hidden treasures?

To conclude, let’s look at just a few more verses regarding the value of God’s Word. Psalm 119:2 says,

“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart.” Psalm 119:14-16 says,

“In the way of your testimonies, I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your Word.”

Psalm 119:161-162 says,

“…my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice at your Word like one who finds great spoil.”

Proverbs 4:20-22 says,

“My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.”

Joshua 1:8 says,

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

None of these verses speak of a casual handling of God’s Word. We are not meant to store His Word like clutter in our house to be found when we need it. We’re meant to treasure it, hiding it carefully in our hearts, the way we keep valuable items in secure places. We’re meant to treasure His Word in our hearts, keeping it always on our lips, and in our minds. As we do, we will see every promise of His Word unfold for us. It’s His promise!

This week, I’ve been thinking about the importance of being appropriately clothed as a Christian. In our part of the country, we have weather that fluctuates wildly in the spring. For example, yesterday was 86°F (and felt hotter) while the high today was only 50°F and felt cooler in the wind. I couldn’t go out today in the same clothes I wore yesterday, or I’d have been pretty uncomfortable.

We likely don’t think about being spiritually “clothed” as often as we should, but it’s something the Bible teaches on a great deal. Many Christians walk around wearing the same things they wore before they were believers, even though the environment you should live in is completely different.

I want to share with you a few Scriptures on what you should and should not be wearing as a believer in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 6:10-16 teaches us about the armor of God and is perhaps what comes to your mind when you think of what a Christian should wear. However, there are many more Scriptures in the Word of God that teach us how to be clothed!

Isaiah 61:10-11 says,

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness.”

When we are first saved, the Lord clothes us with a garment of salvation—the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It’s a robe we could never deserve, but it’s a free gift and something we must wear with boldness. So many believers walk around wearing shame and guilt—with their backs bent and eyes downcast. The weight of condemnation is something you can wear as easily as you put on a heavy coat, but the robe of salvation is weightless. Romans 8:1 says,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We see this displayed clearly in the parable of the “prodigal son.” The story is about a son who asked for his inheritance and wasted it on sinful, frivolous things. He spent until there was nothing left and found himself living and eating with pigs. It was in that place he came to his senses and returned home, intent on begging to be allowed to be a servant in his father’s house. We see the father’s response in Luke 15:20-22. It says, ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.”’

The father’s first response was to clothe his son with the ring, robe, and shoes that would once again identify the young man as a son of the house. It demonstrated that the father accepted him as a son, not a servant. The son had to allow the old, filthy robes to be removed. He had to take off the ones that would have looked and smelled of his past—the dusty road, the pigs, and the world.

When we’re saved by the blood of Jesus, we’re made new and given new garments that carry no remnant of our old life!

Salvation is the garment we are to wear, first and foremost. We cannot wear shame, guilt, sin, and brokenness if we are continually clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Romans 13:14 says,

“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

In addition to being clothed in salvation, we can put on praise as a garment. Did you know you can be saved and still be burdened and weary? It’s not how it should be, but it’s possible! Isaiah 61:3 says to “put on the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” That word can also be translated “spirit of heaviness” or a “faint spirit.” You can choose to put on the garment of praise to replace those things. Heaviness, despair, and faintness of spirit cannot remain where there is praise. As you praise Him for who He is and thank Him for what He’s done—as you rejoice (sometimes in spite of every aspect of your circumstances), you will be clothed in a garment of praise that will displace every ounce of darkness.

Psalm 30:11 is another Scripture that teaches on the believer being clothed. It says,

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.”

The word for gladness is also joy. God Himself will clothe us in joy. Can you imagine being wrapped in joy like a garment? It’s a promise of God’s Word!

There are so many more Scriptures about how we’re to be clothed.

David wrote of being clothed with strength. Psalm 18:32 (CSB) says,

“God—He clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Paul taught the believers to be clothed with “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

Ephesians 4:24 says to put on the “new self.”

Galatians 3:24 says we have been “clothed with Christ.”

One of my favorites is Romans 13:12 which says to “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

We get to choose not to wear all the destructive and painful things that will hold us back, as we continually turn to Jesus.

There is a story in Mark 10:46-52 about a man who chose to throw off what he’d always worn. It says,

‘Next, they came to Jericho. And as Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many people admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up! He is calling for you.” Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus. “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.’

The cloak was a symbol of Bartimaeus’ identity as a blind beggar. When he threw it off, it demonstrated faith. His healing meant a different identity and by necessity, a different garment. The cloak was for beggars and that was no longer who he was. Bartimaeus didn’t go back to where he’d been sitting or what he’d been doing. He followed Jesus!

As a believer in Jesus Christ, there are some very specific things you’re to be wearing. Sin, shame, grief, depression, and sickness will attempt to cloak and cover you. However, the garments God gives us are lighter, freer, and more powerful than anything else you could wear. Salvation, praise, joy, and strength are what He has for us. His armor of salvation, righteousness, peace, and truth are stronger than anything that could come against us. His Word and His Spirit will surround and protect us. We are to be clothed with Jesus Christ Himself! Today, we encourage you to do what Bartimaeus did when Jesus passed by. If you’ve been wearing shame, fear, sickness, or anything that contradicts the truth of His Word, throw it off with faith and run to Him. He will clothe you in something much better!

This week, I’ve been thinking about a verse of Scripture I’d never taken note of before, and I want to share it with you. Isaiah 29:19 (ESV) says,

“The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.”

Another version of this verse (NLT) says,

“The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the LORD. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”

The idea of humility or meekness in this verse is unique and has more to do with those who are righteously undergoing trials than the usual understanding of humility. God always refreshes His people, regardless of what they’re going through.

However, this week, the part of this verse that has been on my heart is the idea of fresh joy. So often, as Christians, we try to find joy that we knew in the past. It is important to remember the things God has done, but those things are to motivate us and fill us with faith to move forward. They are never meant to be our fuel. God doesn’t take old joy, repackage it, and give it back to us. We have to expect new things from God’s Word and His presence every day!

The Israelites were given fresh manna in the middle of the wilderness every day. It was a place fresh food should have been impossible. Exodus 16:14-18 says,

“When the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank.”

God very intentionally didn’t let the manna last. Only on the Sabbath did the manna stay fresh for two days so they didn’t have to gather on the day of rest. The people were to gather as much as they needed every, single day. There was always enough fresh food for life, and if they left any, it would rot. We know this is a picture of the spiritual life God gives us, because Jesus called Himself the manna of heaven in John 6:31-35. It says, ‘”Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”’

Jesus also taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

This can be applied to daily provision, but the spiritual application is even more powerful. The life God has for you is something to be received every day. The life, joy, and provision of Jesus is as fresh every morning as the manna was in the wilderness. However, so many Christians try to eat manna from days, weeks, or years ago. An encounter with God will strengthen you and change you, but it’s not meant to sustain you forever. You have to keep eating and drinking to keep living! In the same way you have to continually receive from God to stay sustained. You aren’t meant to eat stale bread. How many of you would choose leftovers rather than a fresh meal? The answer is obvious.

You aren’t meant to have only the memory of joy. You aren’t meant to live on what God gave you yesterday. He’s generous. He has more for you today!

Jesus said, “out of your bellies will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Rivers never stop moving, so the water is always fresh. It’s only moving water that keeps from being stagnant. Still water breeds algae, mosquitoes, and bacteria. It breeds death and not life. However, moving water brings life everywhere it goes. Since ancient times, life has been centered around moving water, because it is only there that life can be sustained. The living water is the presence of God, and Psalm 16:11 says, “In His presence is fullness of joy.”

He has fresh joy for us today in the rivers of His life. He has fresh bread for us today. It doesn’t mean we should run around to different meetings or churches looking for someone to give us a word or the newest theological idea. It’s not that we need something new or different to keep us entertained. We are to run to Him continually to refresh us, fill us, and give us life. Psalm 92:10 says,

“…you have poured over me fresh oil.”

Isaiah 43:19 says,

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

He is doing a new thing! Rivers in the desert means a consistent supply of that which is fresh, no matter where you are. It doesn’t matter what you’re walking through. He has fresh joy for you today! He won’t just restore joy you used to have. He will give you something completely new. The joy of the Lord is always fresh, new, and full of life, and it comes only from Him. His joy, alone, is our strength. Today, we encourage you to drink of the rivers of life that come only from His presence. He has fresh life—fresh joy— for you, even now.

This week, I’ve been thinking about the significance of being led by the voice of God. As believers, we must be careful not to disregard or take for granted the value of God’s voice. It’s a privilege to speak to the King of kings, and His voice is the most important sound we’ll ever hear. The God of the universe not only will speak to us, but He wants to. We see this truth clearly in the story of the Israelite people in the wilderness after God brought them out of Egypt.

God led His people into the wilderness so they would discover who He is. The wilderness was supposed to be a very quick detour. God’s purpose was to take them into the promised land, but He needed them to trust Him, and in order to trust Him, they had to know Him. It was in the wilderness they should have learned how to be led. Deuteronomy 4:33-36 (NLT) says,

“Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other. He let you hear His voice from heaven so He could instruct you. He let you see His great fire here on earth so He could speak to you from it.”

The purpose of all the powerful demonstrations in the wilderness is summarized in these verses. He wanted them to understand that He alone was God. He did everything so they would hear His voice and heed His instruction. His purpose is always that His people would know Him!

There is blessing in heeding the voice of God. Exodus 15:26 (ESV) says,

“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

God’s instructions bring alignment and blessing. Deuteronomy 28 is a powerful chapter in the Bible that lists all the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says,

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

The blessings of God “overtake” those who faithfully obey the sound of His voice.

In the wilderness, God’s intention was to teach them His voice and give them instructions that would demonstrate His character, so they would trust Him to walk into the promised land. Unfortunately, the older generation failed. 1 Corinthians 10:5 says,

“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

They did not heed God’s voice, and they died in the wilderness. That passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians goes on to say that their plight was written down for our instruction. We’re meant to learn from their hardness of heart, so doubt and sin don’t rob us of our own promised lands.

The only way we will walk in the way He has for us is to learn to heed His voice. In the wilderness, they walked in the miraculous every day. They were led by His presence, and it was meant to teach them how to follow Him.

Numbers 9:15-18 says,

“On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So, it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped.”

They moved when He moved and they stopped when He stopped. God will lead us just as clearly, but now that presence is in our very hearts. We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Many Christians live as if God has placed them into a maze, blindfolded, with nothing more than “good luck.” They walk around, mostly aimlessly, only turning when they walk into a wall and realize the direction they were going is blocked. Truly, so many people only pray and ask God which way to go when they’ve already walked into a wall—something impassable. However, God’s intention is to lead you by the sound of His voice, so you never walk into walls, uncertain which way to go. God wants to teach us to hear Him so clearly that we trust Him at every turn, understanding He knows what’s ahead!

Jesus said in John 10:27,

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit in John 16:13-15:

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

God has not left us without guidance. He’s a good Shepherd. He doesn’t teach us and lead us by difficulties and blockades. He leads us and instructs us by His Word and the clear sound of His voice. The Lord doesn’t want us trying to figure out which way to go by the process of elimination, as He tries to stop us from going down all the wrong paths. He will speak clearly, so you can confidently walk the way He intends for you to go. His voice always agrees with the written Word and His Word is a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). This doesn’t mean we will always know what’s coming, but He will always tell us the next right step to take. We can trust Him with our future, our promised land, and every step in between. Just as the Israelites followed His presence in the wilderness, we are meant to be led in peace and trust by the power of His Holy Spirit! This week, be encouraged that you are not meant to walk blindly hoping you don’t walk into a wall. He wants to lead you. He waits to speak to you. He is a good Shepherd and the best Father, and He will instruct us and lead us in the plans He has for us, even now!

In the Western world, and especially in the United States, idolatry is not an idea we dwell on even in the church. The blatant practice of idol worship is not part of our culture, but the truth of idolatry goes deeper than that. This week, I’ve been thinking about a somber story in the Bible that has a lot to teach us.

If you are familiar with the story of the Israelites in the wilderness, you know the theme of their journey was grumbling and complaining. When Moses came to Egypt to announce that God would deliver them from their harsh slavery, Pharaoh refused to relent and made their lives harder. They cried out that God had just come to kill them. Finally, Pharaoh sent them away after ten miraculous plagues, grieving the death of his firstborn. The Israelites rejoiced until they arrived at the Red Sea and heard the sound of Egyptian armies. Their response? They mockingly asked if God brought them out to die because there were no graves in Egypt. God miraculously parted the Red Sea, allowed them to walk through on dry ground, and triumphed over the Egyptian army. It still wasn’t enough for them. Sadly, most of the people never trusted Him. They rejoiced at the victories but rebelled at every other point.

When they thirsted, they grumbled and complained (Exodus 15:23, Exodus 17:3).

When they hungered, they cried out that God should have killed them in Egypt rather than bringing them out to starve (Exodus 16:3).

When they got weary of the miraculous bread from heaven, they complained about missing the food in Egypt (Numbers 11:4-6).

However, these are not the stories I want to focus on today. The Israelites’ hearts toward God were not on display any more than when Moses was on Mount Sinai, receiving God’s instruction for His people. Exodus 32:1-6 says,

“When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So, Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So, all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

Now, we have to understand Moses was gone for a few weeks. Forty days and nights in the wilderness may have seemed long as they waited for their leader to return, but during that time, God was still providing for them. They had a pillar of fire by night for light and warmth and a pillar of cloud by day for refuge from the desert sun. Their food was still being miraculously provided. Water still flowed. Their shoes and clothing never wore out and grew with them in the wilderness. The mountain was still burning with the glory of God. Even though Moses was delayed in coming down, they were living right in the middle of a nationwide miracle. However, their hearts were too corrupt to see it. The Israelites consistently referred to the familiarity of Egypt, because it was all that they’d known. They talked of their homes, meat, and vegetables. Idolatry was also an Egyptian practice they were familiar with, and in the uncertainty of Moses’ extended time on the mountain, they reverted back to what they knew.

They complained until Aaron, weak and fearful, fashioned an idol for them to worship. Aaron tried to justify it. He said: “these are your gods who brought you up out of Egypt,” as if it was the same God with a different image. They made offerings and worshipped the idol until Moses came down the mountain.

It’s easy to shake our heads at the Israelites. How could they do it, surrounded by the miracles and just having been delivered from slavery? However, the reality is, we can all be guilty of this sin more easily than we realize. Have we not all been delivered from the slavery of sin? In spite of all God has done, have you ever doubted Him in the uncertainty? The sin of idolatry was obvious when they created the calf, but it was alive and well in their hearts before they had the golden image. They had already made an idol out of Moses and when they couldn’t see him, they made a different image to fulfill their view of God. Their hearts were already corrupted. They were corrupted by slavery and the bitterness and brokenness that comes with it. This is not an excuse, but it is an explanation. They had lived in brokenness, being treated as less than human for their entire lives. They were victims. However, their refusal to stop seeing themselves as victims after their rescue ultimately destroyed them. It wasn’t slavery or the wilderness that killed them. It was their refusal to change – and it was a choice.

The sin of idolatry thrives in an atmosphere of grumbling and complaining, because grumbling and complaining cannot coexist with pure worship. We can only enter His presence with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Gratitude will magnify God and lead us into His presence. Grumbling will make an idol out of you, your situation, and whatever you run to in an attempt to rectify it. A.W. Tozer said,

“Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”

We will not be dancing around a golden calf in moments of uncertainty, but grumbling and complaining will separate us from the presence of God and open the door for “idols” of comfort, convenience, and familiarity. Kenneth Hagin said, “Anything that takes the place of God in your life is an idol.” God is our Provider, our Healer, our closest confidant, our Savior, our Creator, our Shepherd, and so much more. If we look to anyone or anything else (including ourselves) for provision, comfort, safety, or guidance before God, we’ve created an idol. The first of the ten commandments is, “you shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3) and the greatest commandment according to Jesus is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). These are interconnected. If we love God with everything we have, there will be nothing before Him in any area!

This week, we encourage you not to dwell on the grumbling of the Israelites but to understand how easily thanksgiving, trust, and relationship with the LORD could have changed their hearts. We are living in a greater miracle now than they were. The glory that shone from Moses’ face when he came down off of the mountain now dwells in you. It’s Christ in you, the hope of glory! We have even greater reason to rejoice now than they did, surrounded by miracles. We encourage you to center your heart on the One who is worthy of our trust and our undivided worship. He is not delayed in returning, just as Moses was not actually delayed in coming back down off the mountain. Jesus will be back for His church and He’s coming back for a bride robed in purity and righteousness, fully devoted to Him!

This week, I want to share with you what has been on my heart about the love of God. The Bible has a lot to say about God’s love, and there are many foundational verses that will be familiar to a Christian.

John 3:16 is the most well-known. It says,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

1 John 4:8-9 says,

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says,

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.”

The only Biblical motivation for living or working for God is a response to His love. The Bible goes as far as to say that God is love. We know that He is also fully just and the entirety of truth, so we have to conclude that there is even love in His judgment.

If we have any ambition besides His love, then our path will not be straight. Paul said it was the love of Christ that controlled him. We cannot allow ourselves to be motivated by anything other than the purity of the gospel. We cannot allow ourselves to be led by anyone that is not aligned with the purity of His presence. Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5,

“When I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

It is enough to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In the revelation of His sacrifice are wrapped up every promise of the word of God. The Gospel carries the power of salvation. It carries the power to completely set you free from sin and its demands. His blood carries the power to make you physically whole, and it provides absolutely.

It is so important to hear truth preached from a pulpit. It is so important to be a part of a church body and to have people you are accountable to. However, the most important thing is to have intimacy with the One you were created for. Only His love will genuinely motivate you to live for Him. Holiness born out of love brings purity and life and creates a place for the joy of His presence. However, religious attempts to please God disguised as holiness will only breed death. The Pharisees did all the right things in public, but they were missing the only thing that mattered, which was intimacy with the Father in secret.

It is possible to look like you’re doing everything right and be completely missing it. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day kept the law better than everyone else but completely missed His heart. They weren’t motivated by love to live for Him. They weren’t motivated by love for His people. The only way we will have genuine love for the people God loves is to spend time with Him until we carry the compassion of His heart. Compassion without truth is compromise disguised as kindness. However, truth without compassion is just religious arrogance that won’t lead anyone to the heart of God. People who are far from God need to hear truth wrapped in love. We all need to daily hear God’s truth in our hearts, wrapped in love. We never outgrow the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Conviction of sin always carries a call to repent with a call to be loved and restored. God’s correction is always wrapped in His love for His children.

Samson was a man called and anointed of God. He was given supernatural strength and a call to deliver God’s people. However, the call came with a price of consecration. Samson failed to be motivated by relationship with God and holiness, and allowed pride, lust, and all kinds of sin to contaminate his calling. It’s a tragic story in the word of God and has one of the most sobering verses in the Bible. Judges 16:20 says,

‘Samson awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.’

Samson didn’t know the presence of God had left him. It’s possible to think you’re walking in alignment with God and completely miss it. We see this in the lives of Samson, Saul, the Pharisees, and many others. We can be guarded from this danger very easily by abiding in the love of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is a gift, and it’s always a work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). We have to live in sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit who always agrees with the written word of God. If we think we’ve outgrown accountability and conviction, then our spiritual pride will kill us. We will eventually walk right out of the will of God for our lives.

This week, allow God to point out anything in your heart that would keep you from the life and freedom He has for you. Lay down any motivation but the love of God and the power of the gospel. Kathryn Kuhlman said, “The anointing has only one environment and it’s a clean heart.” Psalm 24:3-6 says,

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.”

Let us be a generation who seeks God’s face for no other motivation than the love of knowing Him! There is so much freedom in laying down every other ambition to seek the One who is worth it all. Let His love compel you this week. Let His love and conviction breathe life and peace into the areas of your heart that have felt heavy. There is so much freedom in surrendering in love!

Have you ever had a problem in your life with no natural solution? Issues can arise in life, whether they are financial, physical, or otherwise, that have no answer without God’s intervention. This week, I’ve had one particular story from the Bible on my heart with just such a situation.

Luke 13:10-17 tells the story of a woman with a “disabling” spirit. It says,

‘Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.’

This is a beautiful story on the surface alone. A woman who had suffered for almost two decades was healed in front of the whole community who had likely treated her as an outcast. She is the only woman in the Bible Jesus called a “daughter of Abraham,” which would have affirmed her identity in their society.

I have been thinking this week about how easy it was for Jesus to heal this woman. He caused great controversy with the religious leader because He healed on the Sabbath and His response is fascinating. He asks the leader of the synagogue if he would “untie” his ox or donkey on the Sabbath, which is the same Greek word He used for “loosing” or “untying” the woman who was disabled. It was as easy for Jesus to untie this woman from bondage as it would have been for the man to untie his animal and give it a drink of water. Jesus challenged the religious theology that healing was “work” that broke the Sabbath law. However, healing wasn’t work for Jesus and it still isn’t! Just the power of His touch brought healing. His presence alone caused darkness to tremble. The sound of His voice drove out demons.

We will struggle in our faith if we believe healing is as difficult for God as it would be for us. That may sound obvious, but how often do we allow things to hinder our faith that have nothing to do with God and everything to do with us? The things that hinder you don’t hinder God. Time is a good example. This woman had been bound for eighteen long years. There are countless miracles in the Word of God where a long-lasting infirmity was healed. The woman with the issue of blood had spent every penny she had for twelve years trying to be healed (Luke 8). Jesus healed a man born blind (John 9). The man healed at the Gate Beautiful had been a cripple for forty years (Acts 3). It is not easier for God to heal you if you’ve been sick for a year rather than fifty. God can set you free from fear and anxiety even if you’ve had it for a lifetime. God can heal a marriage that’s been broken for decades. He’s not bound by time, and we can’t allow our faith to be shaken by it.

Matthew 8:16-17 says,

‘That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”’

The word for illnesses there is the same Greek word for the disabling spirit that afflicted the woman for eighteen years.

Jesus bore every disabling thing, and that isn’t just physical.

Luke 11:20 says,

“But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus didn’t come to struggle and fight against darkness. You never see any point in the Bible that God had a hard time healing or delivering someone. It’s so easy for God to heal, to deliver, and to provide. He has more than enough provision in heaven for every need on this earth.

When Sarah doubted that she could have a child in her old age, God didn’t explain to her how He would do it. He responded, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

The answer is no.

If you have a situation of any kind that seems impossible, you’re perfectly positioned for a miracle. God is not bound by time and it’s not harder for Him to move in more difficult situations. The answer is not in knowing how God can fix it but understanding that He can and it is His good pleasure to do it (Luke 12:32)! He is the God of all flesh and Jesus came to destroy darkness by the finger of God. Your faith must rest on the Word of God! Don’t look at your situation through the lens of your ability but through the truth of His Word. Remember that your trust does not rest in your understanding but in the character of God. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, completely good, altogether faithful, and full of love and mercy! Let your hope arise for breakthrough in every area of your life, whether it’s something you’ve dealt with for two days or twenty years. God is not limited and He is waiting for us to believe Him for the impossible!

This week, I want to share with you what’s been on my heart about the value of the Kingdom of God. If you’re a Christian, your initial reaction will likely be (and should be): Of course, I value the kingdom of God. However, it’s possible to think and say we value His kingdom with actions that don’t agree. We will know how much we value something by how much we invest in it. How much do you truly value God’s presence? How much do you truly value His Word? The church? The sound of His voice? Our investment first must be with our time. We can’t say we value the Bible and spend only a few seconds a day reading a “verse of the day” on a Bible app. We can’t say we value the body of Christ and spend one Sunday morning a month at church. We can’t say we value God’s presence and spend no time in prayer and worship. We will invest in what we value.

This isn’t meant to be a judgment, but there are seasons we all need to be reminded of the importance of investing in that which carries life. There is nothing more valuable than the Kingdom of God. Jesus told two parables demonstrating this truth.

Matthew 13:44-46 says,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.”

In the parables, it wasn’t a hard decision for the man who found the treasure and the pearl. It was the only reasonable response! He’d found something worth more than anything he had, and the only way to get it was to give up everything else. Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When Jesus said not to “store up” treasure on earth, He was using an analogy they understood, but “storing up treasures” does not deal only with financial wealth. Mary, the mother of Jesus, “stored up in her heart” the truths revealed to her about Jesus (Luke 2:51). You can store up things of this world in your heart and mind. You can store up the things of this world in the friends you keep and the things you choose to invest your time in.

Alternatively, you can choose to give God your best – financially, and with your mental, physical, and spiritual energy.

However, the choice is only easy when you’ve encountered the truth of His worth. The man in the parables sold everything in joy because he knew what he’d found was better.

We see this contrasted in the story of a man who encountered Jesus.

Matthew 19:16-22 says,
‘Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” the man asked.

Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.’

This man was given the greatest invitation that has ever been extended, and he went away in sorrow, because he misunderstood the value of what he had been offered. He went away in sorrow because he was blind. Do you see the difference? The man in the parable saw the treasure for what it was. This young ruler devalued the gift of God and the invitation Jesus issued. He was not the first or the last to disregard the greatest invitation ever given. Luke 17:33 says,

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

This week, we encourage you to ask God for an encounter with Him that will reveal the value of the Kingdom in your heart. If you try to give or do more in religious zeal or your own human effort, it won’t change you, but if you truly experience the Kingdom, you will be able to give your life to Him in joy. Psalm 119:130 says “the unfolding of His Word gives light.” If you truly experience the power of His Word, you won’t devalue it. You will hunger to be in His Word because you will understand that in His Word is life, healing, light, and the power to deliver. If you truly see Him, high and lifted up, robed in majesty, with love in His eyes, it won’t be an effort to pray or read or go to church. Pouring out our lives for Him is easy when we understand that He poured out His life for us. Life, love, hope, joy, peace, and healing are found only in His presence. Nothing and no one compares to Him. He is worthy of it all!

Paul said in Philippians 3:8,
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

This week, I’ve been thinking about the power of God’s Word as a weapon against every enemy that rises against us. As believers in Jesus Christ, we must understand we are in a war.

Ephesians 6:11-12 says,
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Paul urged Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

This doesn’t mean we look for fights with darkness or assume everything is an attack of a “cosmic power over this present darkness.” We have to fight from the understanding that Jesus already won!

Colossians 2:15 says,
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.”

1 John 3:8 says,
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Hebrews 2:14 says,
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

Jesus has already been victorious over the devil, and in doing so, He has already been victorious over sin, sickness, and every other “work of the devil.” So, what fight are we to engage in? It’s not to defeat darkness or the enemy, because he’s already lost. Our purpose as believers is to expand the kingdom of heaven by revealing, declaring, and demonstrating the truth of Jesus’ victory. Our commission is to announce the good news, reminding darkness what Jesus has done in every place we go!

Philippians 2:9-11 says,
“Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

How do we fight the good fight of faith?

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says,
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

Many people try to fight the enemy of their soul with the wrong weapon and end up defeated. The weapon we should always fight with, first and foremost, is the one we see Jesus demonstrate when He came face to face with the devil. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days. At the end of His fast, the devil came to tempt him (Luke 4:1-13). The Greek word for tempt there can also mean test. At Jesus’ weakest point physically, the enemy came to test him and try to get Jesus to abort His mission. First, the enemy said, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Now, Jesus was hungry, but He answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”’ (Luke 4:3). Then, the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, saying, “If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours” (Luke 4:7). Jesus responded, ‘It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve”’ (Luke 4:8). In both of those temptations, Jesus responded with Scripture, saying “it is written.” For the final temptation, the devil used a Scripture from Psalm 91, manipulatively and out of context, to try to defeat Jesus.

Luke 4:9-11 says,
‘…he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,” and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
Jesus responded, ‘It is written, “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

In all those instances, Jesus didn’t go to prayer or have any drawn-out argument with the enemy. He diffused the attack with the power of the written Word. His Word is our weapon.

Almost the entire armor of God is defensive. The helmet, the breastplate, the shield, the shoes, and the belt are all meant to protect you. However, one weapon is listed. Ephesians 6:17 says to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Hebrews 4:12 says,
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.”

Just as Jesus was victorious in the wilderness, we are meant to be victorious by going into any battle armed with His Word! The devil is called the father of lies, and any dominion he maintains is through the power of deception. The Word of God is the truth, and Jesus is the living Word. When we combat the enemy with the truth, we remind ourselves and all of hell that he’s already lost.

This week, we encourage you to take up the sword of His Word in any area you’ve needed victory. Jesus appeared to destroy all the works of darkness. He healed the sick, loved the outcast, cast out devils, and defeated sin and all its power. We will see that victory every time we take up His Word and declare it over our lives. His Word is the most powerful weapon we have, but so many fight their battles with their sword safely sheathed at their side. They fight with their flesh to defend themselves and the Word of God. Don’t defend the very thing God meant to defend you. So many fight until they are weary and exhausted without ever picking up the very weapon God gave us to see victory! When a situation comes up in your life that is contrary to the Word, don’t try to reconcile your situation to the Word of God by making excuses for the problems. As you declare the Word, the authority of heaven will be released into the situation and God will demonstrate the power of His Word by His Spirit. You can’t hide God’s Word in your heart without allowing it to take up residence in your mind and become the standard of your speech. Hide His Word in your heart. Allow it to renew your mind. Let it shape every word you say. Take up the sword He has given and watch it defend you. Take up the sword of His Word and watch it release the authority of heaven everywhere you go. Jesus is the Word and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

This week, I’ve been thinking about hunger. This is likely (definitely) related to finishing a 21-day corporate fast with the church but it’s more than that. Whether you fasted or not, you know what it is to hunger. When you’re really hungry, even things you wouldn’t normally want sound delicious. A regular turkey sandwich tastes gourmet after you’ve hiked a few miles up a mountain. There is a spiritual principle here, and I want to share some thoughts with you.

Proverbs 27:4 says,
“One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.”

We’ve all experienced the natural application of this proverb. Don’t tell me you’ve never stuffed yourself with so much you couldn’t take another bite. We’ve all done it! However, there’s a hunger (during a 21-day fast, for example) that will make anything sound delicious. You can be hungry enough that a little communion wafer and a teaspoon of warm, fermented, preservative-laden grape juice, tastes like a gourmet dessert.

What you consume matters, naturally and spiritually. If you are spiritually full of “junk food”, even good things won’t sound good. What are you hungry for? If we know we need to read our Bible and be in the presence of God, but it doesn’t “sound good” to us, it’s an indicator we’ve been eating the wrong things. If you consistently feed your Spirit the things you actually need to live, you will hunger consistently for those things.

Just as there is life for your body in food and water, there is only life for your Spirit in His Word and His presence.

Deuteronomy 8:3 says,
“…man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Matthew 5:6 says,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Jesus said in John 6:35,
““I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”

He also said in John 6:63,
“The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Hunger is a gift. It continually draws us to Him to be filled with that which carries life, healing, freedom, and peace.

It’s a gift to hunger for the things of the Lord and it’s something we get to choose to cultivate. No one can eat for you. Parents know they can put the most beautiful, delicious plate of food in front of their children, but they can’t eat it for them. How often do you think God places a plate of food before us and we pick at it, leaving the best parts, because we’ve eaten too much candy? Fasting is a time to cultivate this spiritual hunger, but it’s something we should live in all year long.

Just because you’re around the food doesn’t mean you’re eating it. Just because you’re at the dinner party doesn’t mean you’re eating your fill. Proximity to the church, being near the things of God, does not inherently mean you’re full of the things of God.

Think about Judas. He had the same proximity to Jesus as John, Peter, James, and all the other disciples. He heard the same teaching, saw the same miracles, walked with the very King of kings, but for some reason, he consumed deception instead of life. That was a choice. John 13 tells us that Jesus already knew Judas would betray Him when He washed His disciples’ feet. Afterward, He said in John 13:18,

‘I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.”’

Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. He was consumed with greed, having made a habit of stealing from the moneybag (John 12:6). His proximity to Jesus was not an indicator of his spiritual state. Can you imagine how it must have broken Jesus’ heart? He could place life before him, but He couldn’t make him eat.

We read a story that demonstrates the converse of this truth. Matthew 15:21-28 tells the story of a woman who seemed far from Jesus, but her hunger allowed her to taste of the life He carried. It says,

‘Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.'

Knowing what we know about Jesus, I believe His response to this woman was to test her heart. We have to understand Jesus was sent to the Jewish people. It was to fulfill the purpose of God to unite Jew and Gentile, but He was still sent to His people. Her response to His apparent dismissal demonstrated her humility, her hunger, and her faith. She knew a crumb from the King’s table would be enough. How many of us come to Jesus with indignant expectation instead of this kind of humble hunger? Her response was correct. She is one of only two people in the gospels who He commended for their faith.

Judas was one of His own disciples, with every opportunity to eat from His table, and he despised the meal. This Canaanite woman who had no proximity to Jesus was hungry enough to receive. We have to learn to hunger like this woman, not just for the crumbs, but with an understanding that everything on His table carries power. We have to learn to thirst for Him like we never have before, replacing the things in our lives that don’t give us life. As we eat of that which truly fills us, we will continue to hunger and be strengthened as He intends. You can be in church out of habit, for appearances, or for others, but that doesn’t mean you’re eating of the life in His hand. He has placed a feast before us. There is life in Him, alone. Let’s draw near to Him in truth, hungering for every taste of life in His presence. He loves us and in Him is life and strength for our souls! As it says in Psalm 107:9,

“He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.”

“Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving.”

In two sentences, Elisabeth Elliott captures the heart of what I’ve been thinking about this week. Every human being is born with purpose and destiny designed by God Himself, and everyone has the opportunity to follow God into that destiny. If we understand that He wants us to fulfill His plan for our lives more than we want to fulfill it, our lives will be infinitely better!

This may seem like a simple truth but many of us think and live contrary to it without intending to. Some pray, begging God for things as if He doesn’t want to give them. Some fast, as though trying to change the mind of an apathetic God. Some give, as though their gift will open the hand of a stingy father. Some live as though trying to win the favor of an indifferent king. We may not say that’s what we believe, but our actions demonstrate our belief about God. As A.W. Tozer said, “What we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

When you pray, do you pray with the confidence of a child coming before their father? Do you pray with the faith that He will answer? Do you pray with the boldness that Jesus paid for? I encourage you to read and meditate on these truths:

Isaiah 30:18 says,
“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Isaiah 65:24 says,
“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

Mark 11:24 says,
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Hebrews 4:16 says,
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

1 John 5:14-15 says,
“This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”

Prayer is the key to living in God’s will for your life, as you walk in obedience according to His Word. However, you cannot pray in faith if you believe you’re asking God for things He doesn’t want to give you, or if you pray out of alignment with His will. If you pray in humility and ask God to align your heart with His, He always will. God wants to hear and answer our prayers more than we want to pray them!

The book of Matthew records Jesus addressing the way His disciples prayed, along with the way they gave and fasted (Matthew 6:1-18). He told them to pray in secret, to give without seeking the praise of men, and to fast not desiring to be seen by others. Each of the instructions He gave ended with the statement: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Hebrews 11:6 says,
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”

God rewards those who love Him and seek Him with all their hearts.

Matthew 7:7-8 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

We must be persistent and diligent in our asking, our seeking, and our knocking. We must be devoted to praying, fasting, and giving, as Jesus commanded. However, in everything, just as we talked about earlier, we must understand that God wants to answer more than we want to ask.

Everything we do for God must be from the revelation that we are not working to change His heart or force His hand. We are aligning our own hearts with what He already desires.

We cannot love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27) without understanding that we only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and when we were still sinners, Jesus loved us enough to die for us (Romans 5:8).

You cannot seek the Lord with the faith that He will reward us without understanding that His arms are already wide open, waiting to be found. In Isaiah 65:1 He said to His
wayward people,

‘I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.’

He is still calling out “here I am” to every human being on the earth. He is still waiting to hear, to be found, to reward those who will align themselves with His heart. If you’ve been fasting this month, as many believers are, it is likely the last week of your fast. Let’s push forward with everything we have, seeking the One who waits to be found. Let’s cry out to the One who longs to answer. He is a good Father and a righteous King. His arms are wide open. He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. As you fast, pray, give, and seek Him with all your heart, understand that you are not trying to change His heart – He’s trying to change yours. He’s the Good Shepherd and He wants to lead you into the good things He has for you more than you could ever want to be there. As you align your heart and mind with the King of kings, you will walk in the life and freedom He has for you even now!

This week, as many of us have been fasting to begin this year, I’ve been thinking about God’s faithfulness. This may seem like an elementary subject for believers, but it’s essential that we have unshakable conviction in the truth that God will do what He says He will do. It’s that truth that allows us to stand on His promises.

If you don’t live in revelation of God’s faithfulness, even His promises will become a burden to you. That may sound strange but think about the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham, who was childless, that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars when he was seventy-five years old (Genesis 12). If Isaac had been born then, it would have been a miracle, but he wasn’t. It was another twenty-five years before God fulfilled His promise. Look at what the Bible says of their faith in the process!

Romans 4:18-22 says of Abraham:

‘In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”’

Hebrews 11:11-12 says of Sarah:

“By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

Abraham grew strong in his faith when he became “fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.” Sarah received power to conceive because she “considered Him faithful who had promised.” It was not their understanding of the promise that gave them faith. It was their eventual rest in the truth that God would be faithful to His Word. The Bible records their faith, because God will remember our victories by grace when we repent, but they weren’t perfect. About ten years after the promise was first given, they took matters into their own hands. Genesis 16:1-4 says,

‘Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.’

Abraham had a son, Ishmael, with Sarah’s servant Hagar and the consequences of that decision were weightier than we could ever know. However, I don’t want to talk about the consequences but the root of the decision itself. Do you see Sarah’s reasoning? She believed a lie about God Himself and came up with her own plan to produce an heir for Abraham. He agreed. This may seem unimaginable, but have you never tried to make something happen your own way instead of waiting on the Lord’s timing? I’m sure we all have.

We’ll never know, but I wonder if this would have happened if God had never given the promise to Abraham. They allowed God’s promise to become a burden when they didn’t trust His timing and tried to make it happen themselves.

Every promise of God is an opportunity to trust Him. Every promise is a test of our faith to believe that God will keep His Word. He is always faithful!

David is an example of someone who didn’t try to make God’s promise come to pass in his own timing. He was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel somewhere between ten and fifteen years before he took the throne. In that time, he served King Saul and did not try to take matters into his own hands, trusting that God would fulfill His Word.

God gives promises to fuel our faith with vision and hope. You can be confident about every promise He’s given you because He’s faithful. However, you can never take steps according to your own plans to try to make His promises come to pass. God will lead and guide you according to His Word even now. He will give you the necessary steps to take in every season, even if you don’t understand how they will lead you to the promise.

This is not to relegate God’s promises for you now to some future time. For example, Jesus already bore your sickness on the cross, so His desire is for you to be healed now. Some of God’s promises, though, have timing attached to them. There are seasons we will have to wait on the Lord and allow Him to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).

Paul told Timothy to “wage good warfare in accordance with the promises he’d been given” (1 Timothy 1:18).

In the same letter, he told him to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Our responsibility is to wage war by allowing His promises to strengthen our faith, not by trying to make them come to pass. His promises are a strength to us as we walk in obedience to His Word and confidence in His faithfulness. God will keep His promises as we keep His Word with the passion and zeal of His Spirit!

Deuteronomy 7:9:

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations…”

Lamentations 3:22-23:

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

1 Thessalonians 5:24:

“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

2 Timothy 2:13:

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.”

1 Corinthians 1:9:

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Philippians 1:6:

“I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

This week, I have been thinking about the power of laws—not the laws established by man to facilitate order, but laws that govern the natural and spiritual world. We all live in accordance with laws, whether we realize it or not. Physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and every other scientific discipline have fundamental laws that have been outlined (not created) through the study of what consistently happens. The law of gravity didn’t create gravity, but it helps us understand why our feet stay on the ground. The laws of motion and energy help us understand how objects interact in the world. These laws were not created by man but were defined in man’s attempt to understand the world. Similarly, there are spiritual laws that operate in every human being’s life, whether they realize it or not.

I am not talking about the Old Testament laws given by God through Moses. I don’t want to cause confusion here because in English, we use the same word, law, for a few different things. However, there is a difference between commanded laws and governing spiritual laws. The commanded laws were instructions given to God’s people so they would know what God expected of His people. Think about the Ten Commandments. These laws taught them how to live and revealed God’s character, but mankind has a choice to obey or disobey. However, there are spiritual laws that govern the consequences of man’s choices, whether a person acknowledges them or not. Think about the difference between a speed limit and the law of gravity. We call both “laws,” but they operate very differently.

God’s commanded laws, or instructions, carry a great deal more weight than going over the speed limit, but the point is you can choose to keep them or not. I want to talk about the governing spiritual laws that cannot be broken. Let’s look at a few:

Romans 6:23 says,

“For the wages of sin is death”

This is an inescapable law. It’s not one that needs to be enforced by man and it’s not one you can choose to keep or not. Sin will always produce death, as it has since the moment the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden. Romans 5:12 says,

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”

Thankfully, that’s not the only governing spiritual law in the Word of God! There are laws, fulfilled in Jesus, full of enough hope and redemption for us to live in joy and victory every day of our lives. Romans 8:2 says,

“For the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

The Scripture goes on to explain the law of the spirit of life in Romans 8:3-4 saying,

“By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The law of the spirit of life is essentially the truth that we are robed in Jesus’ righteousness, not just as an idea, but as a spiritual law. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Romans 10:9 says,

“…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Hebrews 2:14-15 says,

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

Jesus did not break the law that “the wages of sin is death.” He instead broke its power in our lives by giving Himself in our place. He was the only one who could be an offering for our sin, because He was completely sinless. Jesus chose an undeserved death, so we could live an undeserved life.

To conclude this week, I want to bring to your attention what has actually been on my heart. I said all of this to say one thing. These spiritual laws, the laws of the kingdom of heaven, carry greater power and authority than any natural law. See, many of us believe enough to live with the hope of heaven, but we don’t comprehend the spiritual laws that govern a believer’s life on earth. The governing laws of the kingdom of God are higher than every natural law, even though the natural laws may be easier to see with your eyes in a given moment. Sickness contradicts the spiritual laws that are meant to operate in the life of a Christian and it has no authority to remain. Matthew 8:16-17 says,

‘That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”’

Jesus already bore our sicknesses. If we live under the authority of the kingdom of heaven, it has no right to stay. There is a law of sowing and reaping that operates both naturally and spiritually (meaning it governs natural things, like finances, as well as spiritual things). Galatians 6:7-8 says,

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

In accordance with the spiritual laws, we get to sow naturally and spiritually and reap a harvest! We can’t sow into the world and our flesh and expect to reap all the promises of the Word. We have to sow the truth of His Word into our hearts to reap spiritual victory! These are the spiritual laws that govern our lives, but we can live with the confidence that every natural law will obey His Word.

When Jesus wanted to walk on water, even the law of gravity obeyed Him. When Jesus commanded the wind to cease, the weather obeyed Him. When Jesus wanted a tree to die, He simply spoke and biology bowed to His command. When Jesus spoke to demons, they obeyed Him. When Jesus spoke to sickness, it obeyed Him. When Jesus spoke to Lazarus, death itself obeyed Him. Your faith should be built on the truth that these laws are unbreakable. They are true, and more powerful than anything else. This week, be encouraged with the truth that the Word of God is unbreakable. Abide in the truth that He has only good things for you. John 10:10 says,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

As you center your heart on His Word, the most powerful governing law in existence, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you completely free (John 8:32).

For many of us, the past week has been a blur. The days following Christmas blend together as the adrenaline and sugar leave our systems and suddenly New Year’s Day arrives. For many, the New Year simply means trying to remember to stop writing 2025. However, others will start the year off with resolutions—plans to change and grow in 2026. Statistics indicate that about 30% of Americans will have at least one New Year’s resolution. However, 88% of those individuals will give up on said resolution within the first two weeks. This is what has been called the “Fresh Start Effect.” A new year feels like a clean slate, so attempts are made to start new things. This is the same reason you so often hear (or maybe say yourself), “I’ll start _______ on Monday.” It could be a diet, a reading plan, or a new workout routine, but the human brain is wired to feel motivated by a fresh start.

However, these annual (or weekly) resolutions so often fail because calendar divisions, while appearing to be a fresh start, actually have no effect on changing your habits or mindsets. You can create vague goals, but without an actual change at the root, these external efforts will fizzle out—usually quickly. Willpower alone will rarely be enough. This is true for New Year’s resolutions, and even more so for spiritual efforts. It’s easy enough to make a list of things you want to do on January 1, but it’s not as easy to choose to do those things when the adrenaline has worn off a couple of weeks later.

I believe this is why so many people throughout the Word of God failed to keep His Word. They created their own rules in some cases, adding to what God had already said, in an attempt to have control. For example, God commanded people to keep the Sabbath, but they created countless rules regarding how to keep the Sabbath that God never gave. They thought that if they created enough structure to control people’s choices it would help them to keep the law. However, that’s not how change comes. If the heart is not transformed, then outward actions are meaningless to Him. Isaiah 1:12-18 says this:

“When you come to appear before Me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

See, the commands God had given became a burden to Him when people were doing what He said without their hearts mirroring their actions. They came on the feast days, bringing offerings and acting religious, while they sinned the rest of the year. God said He didn’t require their “trampling His courts” and that He didn’t hear their prayers! So what does He require? Micah 6:6-8 says,

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The prophet Micah addressed this very issue, saying “He’s already told you.” God’s requirements are not a mystery, and it won’t be satisfied by any religious activity, however good, or self-motivated life changes. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says,

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”

Jesus called this the greatest commandment. Loving God must be the root of any work we do in the kingdom of God. Even our resolutions, however good they may be, will only have lasting impact if they are grounded in genuine love for God. It’s easy for us to fall into religious patterns, trying to do things for God, but if we try to do things for God in our own strength, it will be no more effective than a New Year’s resolution. Our motivation will only last so long if it’s not grounded in His Spirit and love. James 1:27 says,

“ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

What does He require but that we love Him with all we are and all we have? (Deuteronomy 10:12)

What does He require but that we walk with Him, loving justice and kindness? (Micah 6:8)

There is work to be done in the kingdom of God, but it must be done motivated by the wind of the Holy Spirit and not by our own efforts. Titus 3:4-7 says,

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

This same chapter also lists many things a believer’s life is supposed to be marked by. We are responsible to grow and reflect the character of God in our thoughts, words, and actions. We are responsible to be good stewards of our bodies, our households, our churches, and our communities. We are called to carry the Kingdom of God every place He calls us. However, we can never do that in our own strength. There is no resolution that will change our hearts—only God can do that! The new year is not a clean slate, unless you have been washed and renewed by the blood of Jesus. The new year is only a fresh start if you’ve laid every burden at the cross. If you choose to walk with God, you’ll go further than you could have ever dreamed of going! This year, we encourage you to go after Him with everything you have. Only in Him are all things made new!

Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the incredible gift that He is to the world. In the midst of all the Christmas festivities, I’ve been thinking about all the promises Jesus fulfilled. From His humble birth in a manger to the day He breathed His last on the cross, and every moment in between, He fulfilled promises God had already given. See, Jesus was not a Band-Aid on a broken world. He was not a final effort to save humanity. Jesus was God’s plan of redemption from the moment Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit. Glimpses of God’s plan for Jesus’ life, even down to Bethlehem, the city of His birth, were written hundreds of years before He came (Micah 5:2). I want to share with you just a few of the countless promises He fulfilled in His birth, life, death, and resurrection.

Promises pointing to Jesus can be found throughout the Old Testament. After His resurrection, Jesus interpreted these promises to two disciples as they walked along the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27 says,

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

It would be wonderful if that conversation were recorded in its entirety, but thankfully it was not the first time Jesus interpreted the Old Testament in regard to Himself. In the book of Matthew alone, the word “fulfill” is used fifteen times connecting Jesus’ life to an Old Testament promise and there are many more throughout the rest of the New Testament.

Matthew 1:22-23 is the first one we’re going to look at. It says,

‘All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, (which means God with us)”’

Matthew quoted Isaiah 7:14 here, which was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Everything surrounding Jesus’ birth took place to miraculously fulfill what was already in the heart of the Father. God would visit His people in such measure through Jesus that they would call Him Immanuel—God with us.

God is still with us just as He was then. Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of this promise, but He is still fulfilling that promise today. God’s word is living and active, so that promise still has the capacity to come alive in every human being on earth (Hebrews 4:12). Romans 8:38-39 says,

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Does anything declare more clearly that God is with us? Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy written by Isaiah, but He is still fulfilling that promise today, in the heart of every believer. God is with us!

Another promise Jesus fulfilled is found in Matthew 4:13-16 which says,

“He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“ The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

This prophecy, once again quoted from the book of Isaiah, was about the specific region Jesus would live in, demonstrating how carefully God planned every detail of His life. However, the promise here wasn’t just for that region. Jesus was the light that dawned for all humanity—in a humble stable, in the seemingly insignificant town of Bethlehem. His life is a demonstration of what it looks like when the light of heaven shines in the darkness. Everywhere He went, the darkness receded. Just as was true for the other promise we looked at, this promise is still alive today. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says,

‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.’

John 1:4 says,

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus is still the light of the world. He is still the sunrise in the heart of every human being who believes in Him. He is still shining, and the darkness has not and never will overcome Him!

There are countless more promises the Bible specifically references that were fulfilled in Jesus.

To name just a few:

Hosea 11:1 is quoted in Matthew 2:15 referencing Jesus being taken to hide in Egypt to escape Herod’s massacre of the male children under two years old. Jeremiah 31:15 is quoted in Matthew 2:17-18 regarding the grief of that tragedy. Matthew 12:17 cites Isaiah 42:1-3 and speaks of the Gentiles hoping in the Messiah. Matthew 13:14 cites Isaiah 6:9-10 in regard to the Pharisees rejecting Jesus. Matthew 21:4-5 cites Zechariah 9:9, which tells of a King that would come, humble, riding on a donkey.

Nothing about Jesus’ birth, life, or death was random. He was the perfect plan of God, known before the foundation of the world. There are dozens of these citations throughout the gospels alone, but I want to look at one final verse in detail, to conclude. Matthew 8:16-17 says,

‘When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

Now this verse cites the first half of Isaiah 53:4, which says in the ESV,

“Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering.”

However, the words “pain” and “suffering,” or even “infirmities” and “diseases,” do not capture the breadth of these words that Isaiah prophesied and Matthew cited.

The first word, translated “pain,” is translated “grief” in the KJV but that also doesn’t tell the full story. The word means grief, illness, or affliction. It speaks of all bodily sickness and disease.

The next word translated “suffering” or “diseases” could also be translated “anguish” or “affliction,” but none of those capture its fullness either. The word conveys physical or mental pain of any kind. One scholar said it is “a single word to portray the entire spectrum of human suffering.” That’s what Jesus carried for us. See, just one verse later in Isaiah 53:5, it says “by His wounds we are healed.” When Jesus died, it wasn’t just to save us from sin. It was to save us from everything that would keep us from life. He said He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). He fulfilled this promise not just by dying, but by living. He fulfilled this promise through His humble birth and an obedient life of intimacy and power, laid down in love.

Even before He went to Calvary and shed His blood, He evicted every ounce of physical pain and demonic affliction wherever He went. He set free every human being who was brought to Him, fulfilling the promise given hundreds of years before. That promise is as true today as it was the day Isaiah wrote it and the day Matthew cited it. Jesus still removes every ounce of pain and affliction because He has already borne it and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born in a manger to a young woman who simply trusted God to keep His Word. His coming was announced to shepherds using a passage from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born.” That promise too is alive today for every human being on the earth. Unto us, a child was born. He fulfilled countless promises and He’s still fulfilling them today!

There are, however, promises yet to be completely fulfilled. Acts 1:11 says He will return in the same way they saw Him go, which means He’s coming back on the clouds, in power and glory! 2 Peter 3:9 says God isn’t slow to fulfill His promises, but He's waiting so as many as can be saved will be saved. Every single promise God has written in His Word will be fulfilled!

Jesus is all the promises of the Father, the greatest gift the world has ever been given, wrapped in one humble package. He was given for us over 2,000 years ago, but He’s as close to you as your next breath. He’s still Immanuel—God with us! He’s still the light of the world. He’s still the One who bore every possible human affliction—mental, physical, emotional or spiritual – for you. He was rejected so you would always be loved. He was broken so you wouldn’t be. He was given so you could receive! We can’t celebrate His birth without celebrating every promise He fulfilled. Today, let’s be thankful for all that He is – the baby in the manger and soon-coming King! Merry Christmas!

Christmas is right around the corner and in the midst of the holiday bustle, the birth of Jesus Christ is being celebrated. Even people who won’t step foot in a church this year will see imagery of an infant Jesus in a manger and hear songs about His birth. At the center of it all, this season is about Him!

We must remember that we are celebrating the greatest gift ever given. God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus (John 3:16)!

Romans 6:23 says,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  
He was a gift rejected by many because He didn’t come the way they expected.

John 1:11 says,
“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.”

They expected a military leader and a king who would deliver them from Roman oppression, but Jesus came in a surprising package.

Isaiah 53:2 says of the Messiah,
“For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.”

He came as a baby, not at all the way they thought He would, but He carried the hope and power of heaven to deliver them from death itself. From the moment He was born, there was life, hope, and peace for those who did come to Him—for those who recognized the beauty of His gift.

Jesus’ birth was announced by angels to the most unexpected group—shepherds keeping watch over their sheep.

Luke 2:10-20 says,
‘The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.’

When the shepherds heard the news, they had to see. From the moment Jesus was born, there was a call to come to Him. The shepherds were the first to hear it, but the same call echoed throughout His life and can still be heard today. Come and see.

Anyone who came to Jesus found life. In John 1:37-39, two disciples heard the call. It says,

‘The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.”’

In John 1:44-46, just a few verses later, one of those disciples issued the same call to Nathanael. It says,

‘Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”’

When Philip realized they had found the Christ, His response was immediately to share the news, just like the shepherds.

There is still a cry from heaven to every human being on earth to come and see. Look at some of the words of Jesus Himself.

John 6:35 says,
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 7:37 says,
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

John 12:32 says,
“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Matthew 11:28-30 says,
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Everywhere we go, people are heavy laden, carrying the burden of sin and their own lives – desperate for the same news the shepherds heard from the mouths of angels a little over two thousand years ago. The angels brought the gospel to those shepherds – good news of great joy. The news was in the form of a baby, gentle and lowly in heart, come to earth to seek and save that which was lost.

The only requirement for us to receive the most beautiful gift that has ever been given is to come. The sharing of the gospel is not a burden on us to demonstrate the power of God or to prove the gift that is Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus came and was lifted up on the cross. He died, was buried, and then rose from that grave with the roar of a lion, and He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is still saying “Come and see.” Our job, as believers, is simply to invite people to come and see. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is as beautiful now as He was the day He was born in Bethlehem and the day He rose in the power and authority of heaven, carrying the keys of death and hell.

If you’ve never known the gift of Jesus – life, salvation, hope, joy, peace, and strength, we encourage you to come and see. He’s the greatest gift the world has ever known, and He is for you!
 

The Christmas season is in full swing, and the grace of God has been on my heart, as it is the heart of Christmas. 2 Timothy 1:9 says that God “saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

Jesus Christ coming to earth as a baby, living as a man, and dying on the cross in our place is the completion of God’s salvation, but the Father’s heart has always been redemption. Many doctrines teach that Jesus brought grace to counteract the anger of the Father, but that’s not true. To misunderstand God’s grace is to misunderstand the heart of God Himself.

The Greek word most often translated “grace” in the New Testament is used roughly 155 times, and means “grace, unearned favor, kindness, goodwill, blessing.” One particular word study says this about grace: “xáris (grace) answers directly to the Hebrew (Old Testament) word chanan (grace, extension-toward). Both refer to God freely extending Himself, reaching (inclining) to people because He is disposed to bless (be near) them. Put simply, grace, in both the Old and New Testament, is God extending Himself to us because He wants to. It’s His undeserved goodness in our lives! This week, I have seen some things about grace I had never seen before, and I want to share them with you through Scripture:

1. Our salvation and inheritance are received by grace alone. There is nothing we could ever accomplish that would make us worthy of what God has freely given. There is no work we could ever do that could earn His goodness or favor. Every work that we accomplish must come from grace.

Romans 4:16 says,
“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring…”

Romans 5:2 says,
“Through [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:17 says,
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 2:4-9 says,
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

I know that is a lot of Scripture, but I encourage you to read each verse, slowly. Don’t exhaust yourself doing things God never asked you to do or working to receive something He’s already given. He’s waiting for you to come live in the abundance of His goodness, to stand in His grace, through faith alone.

2. We can grow in the grace of God.

Luke 2:52 says,
“Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor (or grace) with God and man.”

Jesus was full of grace and truth (John 1:14), but He still grew in that grace when He walked the earth. It doesn’t mean God’s love or favor toward Jesus ever wavered, but the measure of the Father’s grace operating in and through Jesus grew throughout His life! If Jesus can grow in grace, so can we.

3. Earthly wisdom contradicts the grace of God.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:12:
“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God…”

You cannot live according to earthly wisdom and God’s grace at the same time. God’s undeserved grace contradicts the world’s logic, wisdom, and systems. It doesn’t make sense that Jesus would give His life for the unworthy, but He did.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says,
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.”

Ephesians 1:7 says,
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…”

Hebrews 2:9 says,
“But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

4. God’s grace can be wasted in our lives. This is a sad and sobering truth, but the Word of God makes it clear.

2 Corinthians 6:1 says,
“Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

Galatians 2:21 says,
“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

We have to choose to lay down our selfish efforts, our ideas, and our control, and surrender to the grace of God. We have to learn to stand, live, and grow in the favor He’s given us! It’s only in that place that we will find victory!

5. God’s grace gives us strength. It’s His goodness operating in our lives, because of His character and love, not because of anything we’ve done to deserve it.

2 Timothy 2:1 says to “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus…”
 
6. God’s grace is intended to touch every area of our lives.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says,
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

7. The final thought I want to share is the one that captured my heart most profoundly, this week: God’s grace trains us to be like Jesus.

Titus 2:11-12 says,
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…”

I have read this verse many times and never seen this truth. The grace of God isn’t just His gift of salvation, but His gift of constant training in righteousness. Read the verse again. Grace teaches us how not to live and how to live—how to “renounce ungodliness,” and how to “live godly lives.” It’s grace that does that! When you are saved, you are washed completely clean by the blood of Jesus, but you are not immediately mature. There is a renewing, training, and growing that must take place in all of our lives, for all of our lives. Grace is often taught as though it contradicts God’s law, but the word train in the Scripture above means “to instruct, to discipline, to correct and to punish.” It is God’s grace—through His law, His Word, Jesus Christ Himself, and every word of Scripture He’s written down for us—that allows us to walk and grow in holiness and righteousness. The same word used for “train” in Titus 2:12 is also translated “discipline” in Hebrews 12:6 which says,

“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives.”

God’s grace is not separate from His discipline, because His discipline and His instruction are His love. As we said earlier, God’s grace, in both the Old and New Testament, refers to God extending Himself to us because He wants to. It’s His extended love in choosing to forgive us; adopt us into His family; cleanse us by His own Son’s blood; robe us in His own righteousness; teach us how to live; and allow us to share in what we could never earn. To misunderstand God’s grace is to misunderstand His heart. He’s a good, good Father and He has extended His grace to you today. Will you receive it? Will you walk in favor you don’t deserve because the God of heaven loves you more than you’ll ever know? Will you receive His love and instruction and discipline, when necessary, because He’s made you His own child? Will you learn to stand and be strengthened in His undeserved goodness? How He loves us!

As A. W. Tozer said,
“From God’s being and nature, love flows out unceasingly in an infinite number of ways, and grace is one of the ways in which His love has been manifested to us.”

How close do you want to be to God?

This question may seem odd to those whose view of God is more of an ideology than a person. For many, God is nothing more than a nice thought or a nostalgic sentiment. False religion will limit your view of God to a benevolent being who once created worlds and now waits contentedly in heaven to receive everyone when they die. Lukewarm Christianity will limit your view of God to a far-off ruler that requires weekly worship but doesn’t care much about your day-to-day life.

Anything less than an encounter with the God who created the universe will leave you with an emptiness you will never be able to fill. God is not a far-off being and He cares to be intimately involved with every aspect of our lives. He knows even the hairs on our head! He knows when one sparrow falls out of the sky (Matthew 10:29-31). How much more does He care about you!

James 4:8 says,
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

We are made to draw near to the One who gave us life. Many are waiting for God to prove Himself to them. However, God has already traversed eternity, sparing absolutely nothing to bridge every gap between His heart and yours. He sent Jesus, His only Son, in the most radical act of love the world has ever known. Jesus chose obedience unto death on the cross, for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). The joy set before Him was the promise of you.

How close do you want to be to God?

You may not realize how much of a choice you have, but the very throne room of heaven is wide open for every blood washed child of God.

Hebrews 4:16 says,
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.”

This is not an opportunity to be taken lightly. We can walk confidently into God’s presence, not because we are worthy, but because Jesus shed His blood so we can share in His righteousness!

Hebrews 10:14, 19-22 says,
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy…Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

In this scripture, we again see the verbiage urging us to draw near. If God feels distant, it’s not because He’s far away. He is waiting for you to take a step toward Him. He waits to pour His love into your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He waits to speak to you as a friend speaks to a friend!

We see this clearly in the book of Exodus. After the Israelite nation had been liberated from Egyptian enslavement by the mighty hand of God through Moses and Aaron, they were led through the Red Sea into the wilderness. They saw miracle after miracle and one of these was the very presence of God that led them on their journey.

Exodus 13:21-22 says,
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

It doesn’t say that God sent an angel before them or that it was a cloud of dust. It says that the Lord Himself went before them, as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Every Israelite knew their God was with them. They physically saw His glory in the form of a cloud and fire, resting on the tabernacle and leading them forward. The pillar did not depart from before the people. However, just because their God was ever-present, it did not mean they chose to draw near to Him. The vast majority of them did not draw near to Him, and at every turn grumbled against God and Moses. They grumbled about food, water, crying that He had brought them out to die in the wilderness. In the face of such miraculous demonstrations of God’s power, how could they still doubt Him?

It is because faith is a product of intimacy, not miracles. Miracles may build faith for a moment or a season, but faithfulness in character and devotion to God is only established in relationship with Him. Exodus 33:9-11 shows us a piece of this truth. It says:

“When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.”

See, Joshua wasn’t satisfied with knowing God was among them. He wasn’t satisfied with seeing Moses speak to God face to face. He wanted to know God himself. We see Joshua’s character demonstrated in his desperation to be in God’s presence. When his leader, Moses, returned to the camp after speaking with God, Joshua stayed. We already read that God’s presence, the pillar of cloud and fire, would not depart from the people, but that did not produce a people of faithfulness. However, Joshua chose not to depart from God’s presence, and that did produce faithfulness. Joshua was one of only two men out of thousands who would see the Promised Land while the rest of their generation died in the wilderness. Joshua would then follow in Moses’ footsteps, leading the Israelite people into God’s promises.

I believe what made Joshua different—his character, bravery, faith, and unwavering devotion to God—are all rooted in that one, small verse. Joshua would not depart from the tent. See, God is everywhere and knows everything, just as He was with all of the Israelite people in the wilderness, His presence is over all that He has made. However, there is an intimate, relational, glorious, heavy presence, reserved for those who accept the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ and choose to draw near. He is not a far-off being, but a warm, loving, gracious, and merciful Father. He sent Jesus to destroy all the works of the enemy—every oppressive yoke and destructive sickness (1 John 3:8). He waits for you. So I ask again, as I have been asking myself this week:

How close do you want to be to God?

This week, we celebrate Thanksgiving, a tradition that has been kept in this nation since 1621, when the Pilgrims held a multi-day harvest feast with the Wampanoag people. There are far less beautiful aspects of this time in our young nation, but the holiday itself is rooted in acknowledging God’s goodness and provision. Thanksgiving was officially established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, when many might have found it difficult to be thankful. Here is a short excerpt from his Thanksgiving proclamation, modernized slightly for readability:

“This year, now drawing to a close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthy skies. These gifts are so constant that we often forget the One from whom they come. Yet God has added even more—extraordinary blessings that are so remarkable they can’t help but reach and soften even the heart that is usually unaware of His ever- watchful providence…I invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States… to set aside and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our gracious Father who dwells in heaven. I also recommend that, while offering the praise that is rightly due Him for His extraordinary blessings and deliverance, we approach Him with humble repentance for our national sin and disobedience. Let us commend to His tender care all who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in this tragic civil conflict in which we are engaged, and earnestly ask for the Almighty to intervene, to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore us—according to His divine purposes—to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and unity.”

The history of Thanksgiving is not rooted in overindulgence. It was established as a day to genuinely remember, as one people, the provision and protection of God. It was a day they were called to repentance for the past and prayer for the nation’s future. We are still gathering and celebrating today because God hears the prayers of His people. Every good thing we enjoy is because of His goodness!

However, the idea of offering thanksgiving to God has much deeper roots than our nation. Long before the first Pilgrims stepped foot in the New World, God’s people practiced thanksgiving as an act of worship. In the Old Testament, we read of multiple festivals God’s people were called to celebrate annually, as a reminder of various aspects of God’s goodness and faithfulness to them. There were sacrifices of thanksgiving that could be offered throughout the year as acts of gratitude and worship. Through everything, God reminded His people to remember and be thankful. When God brought His people into the promised land—after forty years of wandering in the wilderness—He warned them saying:

‘When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your
herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery… You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth”’ (Deuteronomy 8:10-14; 17-18).

We can never forget that every good thing we have to enjoy is because of His goodness, His faithfulness, His provision, and His love. James 1:17 says,

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

In the Word of God, we see that gratitude has different expressions, but it is always expressed! Our thanksgiving could be praise. Hebrews 13:15 says,

“Through [Jesus] then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.”

In Luke 17:11-19 we read of one leper out of ten who returned to Jesus to “offer praise” after he had been healed.

Our thanksgiving may be a gift to the Lord, above and beyond a tithe, like the thanksgiving offerings in the Word of God.

Our thanksgiving could also be an extravagant expression of worship, as in Luke 7:37-45, which says,

‘Behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that [Jesus] was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”’

This woman didn’t care what people would think of her as she entered a home in which she didn’t belong. Her extravagant act of worship—washing Jesus’ feet with a flask of ointment and her own tears—was an act of love and gratitude. She cared only about Jesus, and He recognized her act of gratitude for what it was. In the verses that follow, Jesus rebuked the Pharisee who judged her (in his thoughts, by the way) and tied her extravagant love to the great forgiveness she received. He said, “he who is forgiven much, loves much.” We have to understand that we have all been forgiven much. That Pharisee had just as much to be forgiven for, because all sin separates us from God, but this woman was aware of her sinfulness and aware of the great mercy of God! Our love and gratitude will grow as we magnify the goodness and mercy of God.

So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving this week in many different ways, we encourage you to magnify Him! We encourage you to remember why we celebrate and the many reasons we have to be thankful. Psalm 107:1 says,

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” The expression may vary, but thanksgiving should always be rooted in the goodness of God, and our gratitude will usher us into God’s presence. Psalm 100:4 says,

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!”

It has been 162 years since Abraham Lincoln made his Thanksgiving proclamation, but we still gather around tables in a nation blessed by God. It has been thousands of years since God commanded the Israelite people not to forget His goodness in their abundance, but He is the same God who blesses His people with healing, provision, and abundance in the places He’s called them to. He is still the God who hears and answers prayer, in covenant with His people by the blood of Jesus, and we have so much to be thankful for!

Have you ever been asked what you believe?

If I asked you now, what would you say? What do you believe about God, His Word, and His plans for you? As Christians, our belief precedes our faith, and it must be grounded in truth. In John 11:25-26, Jesus asked Martha what she believed:

‘Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”’

Truth is truth, regardless of whether you know it, believe it, and act upon it. However, your life will only be impacted by the truth of God’s Word when it is revealed to you, and you put your faith in Him. A.W. Tozer, one of the greatest theologians of modern times, said,

“The most important part of a man is not what he is outwardly, but what he most deeply believes about God.”

When Jesus walked the earth, many believed in Him, but a great many were blind to the One walking among them. In Matthew 16, we have a recorded conversation between Jesus and His disciples about the speculations surrounding His identity. It says,

‘Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”’

This passage of Scripture is significant for many different reasons, but this week, I have been thinking about Jesus’ declaration that, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” The power of this revelation in Peter’s life was the fact that it came from heaven—from the Father Himself. Peter didn’t believe this because he heard someone else say it and it sounded good. His belief in Jesus’ identity—in Jesus’ deity—was because he had a revelation from heaven.

There is a desperate need in the church today for truth revealed, not by flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven. Revelation from God will always align with the Word. His Word is living and active and as sharp as a sword (Hebrews 4:12). He will take truth in Scripture that has been written for thousands of years and ignite it in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it will feel as if He wrote it just for you, today. That’s when His written Word will become life in you!

What do you believe?

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day believed so strongly in their traditions that they missed their visitation. Matthew 15:3;7-8 says,

‘Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?... You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”’

This verse is sobering. How many beliefs are there in the church today that are “commandments of men” being taught as the Word of God? The Bible teaches there will be great deception in the end times as people with itching ears look for doctrines that make them comfortable (2 Timothy 4:3). Everything you hear must be tested and measured according to the Word of God. Acts 17:11-12 tells us of the Berean Jews, who received the Gospel readily and then “[examined] the Scriptures daily” to see if the teachings of Paul were so. They heard the Word and then determined to find out for themselves if it was true! That’s the attitude that builds a foundation of truth that cannot be shaken.

In the church today, there are unfortunately many who parrot ideas they know they should believe. It’s not enough to know what you should believe! It’s not enough to be able to repeat what you’ve heard other people say, regardless of how good it sounds.

What do you believe?

If it’s not grounded in the Word of God, you have to allow God to change your belief by His Word. Personal encounters with His Word are absolutely necessary to build a foundation to stand on. If you don’t know His Word; if you don’t know why you believe what you believe, your faith will not stand. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), but it only works in you when that Word is revealed to you by heaven.

Belief precedes faith and faith is the only thing that pleases God! Faith is always accompanied by an act. Hebrews 11, often called the Hall of Faith, is not a list of doctrines that men believed. It is a record of exploits—heroic moments in Biblical history, carried out by men and women who acted on a right belief. However, many people try to have faith before they even have a correct foundation of Biblical beliefs. In order to build your faith, you have to start in the Word of God. You have to know Him and know what He says about you. If you need healing in your body, ask Him for revelation and read the Word of God until you have an unshakeable resolve that God is a healer and that He will heal you. Many people’s beliefs are based not in their own study or encounters with God, but in their family’s beliefs or their denominational doctrines. For example, someone may not believe in healing only because they’ve been taught miracles stopped after the first-century apostles died. They don’t believe because of anything the Word of God says, or their own study and revelation. You cannot allow your heart to be shaped only by the beliefs and experiences of other men and women. We will not stand before God for anyone else and no one can stand before Him for us. We will stand before God to give an account for our own hearts. We absolutely must learn from men and women who have walked longer and farther than we have, but our faith must be our own.

What do you believe?

You’ll always know the answer to that question in the face of an opportunity. When Jesus passed through her city, the woman with the issue of blood acted in faith on her belief that if she only touched Jesus, she would be made well (Matthew 9:21). She could not have acted in faith if she didn’t first believe. This week, we encourage you to seek His Word in truth. His Word is life, but it will not be life to you until it becomes yours. We pray as Paul did in Ephesians 1:17-19:

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

This week, I want to share some thoughts with you on the blood of Jesus, although we will never understand its full significance. Jesus’ blood is the foundation of our covenant with God and there are over 40 direct references to Jesus’ blood in the New Testament alone. This doesn’t include indirect references and Old Testament scriptures. There are countless verses foreshadowing His sacrifice in the Old Testament, beginning in the Garden of Eden, when blood was first shed so Adam and Eve could be clothed. With the fall of Adam and Eve, sin, death, and destruction were brought into the world and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Adam and Eve saw the consequences of their sin in every possible way. They were removed from the Garden. Their intimacy with their Creator was corrupted. Perhaps the most painful result of their sin was when their firstborn son killed his brother. Genesis 4:8-11 tells the story:

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”

God told Cain his brother’s blood, “cried to Him from the ground.” Abel was righteous before God. Cain killed him, not because he did anything wrong, but because God had accepted him. Throughout the Word of God, men and women were martyred, not for their sins, but because they were hated for righteousness’ sake (Matthew 5:10-11). Abel was the first whose righteous blood cried to God from the ground. Cain suffered for his sin. This passage goes on to say he was driven from the face, or presence of God (Genesis 4:14). He “went away from the presence of the Lord” (Genesis 4:16). What a punishment!

Hebrews 11:4 tells us that through Abel’s faith, he still speaks, just as every righteous man in the Word of God does! However, his blood seeped into the ground, dried, was washed by the rain, and eventually was gone. His murder tore his family apart and the result of his shed blood was separation and grief.

However, there was another righteous man, a few thousand years later, who was also killed because His brothers were angry at His acceptance. Jesus Christ gave His life into the hands of an angry mob of His own people who hated Him—not for doing wrong, but for doing right. He was killed by His own people—His brothers—those He came to save. As Jesus suffered and died, His blood streamed out of His hands, His feet, His head, His side, and poured onto the ground. His blood also cried out to God from the ground. However, it carried something different than the blood of Abel and cried out something else entirely. Hebrews 12:23-24 says,

“You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Jesus’ blood cries for your redemption. As He died on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). When He died, the veil separating the people from the Most Holy Place—the place symbolizing the manifest presence of God—was torn in two. His blood did not cry for justice, vengeance, or separation. His blood cried for forgiveness—and His blood is for you! John 6:53 says,

‘So, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”’

Could you imagine hearing this prior to Jesus’ death—not understanding Jesus would lay down His life as the Passover lamb? The Jewish people were commanded to celebrate Passover every year, sacrificing a lamb, symbolically covering their sins. They were not unaccustomed to the power of blood as a sacrifice for sins, but there had never been a man’s blood that carried the power to atone. When John the Baptist laid eyes on Jesus, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Paul said, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). When Jesus ate the last Supper, Passover, with His disciples, He unmistakably connected His sacrifice with the fulfillment of Passover. Luke 22:17-20 says,

‘He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”’

Communion today speaks of this moment in history—when Jesus prophetically broke the bread and the wine with His disciples, knowing He was about to give His body and His blood for them. He was the final Passover Lamb.

Jesus’ blood is the foundation of our covenant. It carries the power to bring us into right relationship with God. It also brings healing, deliverance, and freedom, because when His blood flows in our veins through our spiritual redemption, we are not subject to the consequences of whatever genetic code is in our own blood. We get to inherit all that His blood carries—the DNA of heaven. However, just as the Passover lamb had to be eaten by everyone in the house, His blood must be received. They couldn’t just put the blood on the doorpost—they had to personally take the lamb (Exodus 12:3-4). We have to come to Him ready to partake of everything He has for us—and to forsake all else.

His blood cries out for your freedom, deliverance, healing, and wholeness. Drink of that life today! It’s for you. To conclude today, I encourage you to take time to read and think about just a few more verses about His blood:

Hebrews 9:13-14 says,

“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

1 Peter 1:18-19 says,

“…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

1 John 1:7 says,

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Revelation 1:5-6 says,

“and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

This week, I’ve been thinking about fellowship in the Word of God. This is a word used primarily in church circles. However, the secular definition of fellowship is “a community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience” or “friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.” I think that’s how many of us in the church would think about fellowship. It’s the idea of having a community of people outside of a church meeting. However, that’s only part of the Biblical idea of fellowship.

First and foremost, fellowship in the Bible is used to describe our relationship with God Himself, and it’s important for us to understand what it means! Look at a few verses regarding fellowship:

1 John 1:3 says,
“…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

1 John 1:6-7 says,
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 says,
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 says,
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The word used for fellowship in all four of those verses means something distinctly different from the secular definition we looked at above. There’s more to this word than just “being together.” It means:

1. partnership

2. (literally) participation

3. (social) intercourse

4. (financial) benefaction

The word for fellowship in those verses is translated elsewhere as participation, contribution, or communion. It is used in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 which says,

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”

Biblical fellowship doesn’t just mean “a community of people with common beliefs and interests” as in the definition above. We lose the purpose of fellowship if we see only that one aspect of it. If that is the deepest our understanding of fellowship goes, we will have a club instead of a body—a group instead of a true Biblical community. Fellowship is intimacy, participation, and unity that comes only through intimacy with the head of the body—Jesus Christ. Look again at 1 John 1:3. Our fellowship, first and most importantly, is with Him.

A few verses later, John addressed fellowship with the body that comes naturally out of walking in fellowship with God. If we try to make fellowship the purpose of church, we will lose it completely, because our focus will be on ourselves instead of Him. If our focus is completely on Him, fellowship with each other and the community He intends will be birthed naturally. Fellowship is not just having shared interests. Fellowship is not just about being together. Fellowship is about being one.

Romans 12:4-5 says,
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

The only way that is accomplished, as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, is communion in the one bread—Jesus Christ—as His body. Life will be birthed in our church communities as we unify with one single focus: Him.

Psalm 16:11 says,
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

In His presence (or in His face) is joy. It’s only in Him that we will find life and purpose. From His presence, we can love one another purely and selflessly. We will be able to participate with one another, commune, bear one another’s burdens, and live as the body God intends. It’s only in Him that we will find life!

John 1:4-5 says,
“In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

God’s purpose for mankind was always intimacy. In the Garden of Eden, God would walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. Sin corrupted that intimacy, but in Jesus we are reconciled to the One we were created to know.

Romans 5:18 says,
“Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”

We aren’t meant to know about Him and be part of a community that talks about Him. We are meant to know Him and intimately commune with Him. Jesus died so that we could be one with Him and the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. From that fellowship, we will find unity, participation, and community with the body of Christ He connects us to. This week, we encourage you to find life and joy in the face of the One you were made for. You’ll never find fulfillment in people if you haven’t first found it in His presence.

Kenneth Hagin said this of fellowship:
“Fellowship is the very mother of faith. It is the parent of joy. It is the source of victory.”