The Lord is on my side, I am not afraid! What can people do to me? (Psalm 118:6 NET)
What a simple promise, and yet so deep. These two phrases reveal an intelligent thought pattern that is indispensable to faith. The psalmist reasons, since the Lord is on his side, he doesn’t need to be afraid… what could people possibly do to Him? This is the reasoning of someone who will receive a miracle, who will conquer enemies, who will see the impossible come true in his life.
George Patton, an controversial army general in World War Two said: “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” An interesting statement from a man considered to be fearless and tough as nails. But even he admitted that fear was something he had to deal with. There was a time that he advanced against the enemy in Europe faster than any other general, conquered more land, and took on the toughest enemies. His secret was deciding what needed to be done and doing it no matter what. Many hated him, and many more loved him, but without a doubt confidence in his own abilities made him what he was.
Fear is a killer. It kills faith, it kills miracles, and it handcuffs God. Though we all feel fear, we cannot allow it to master us. We have to reason it away with the Word of God. Only those who believe in the Word of God more than they believe in their fears will see God’s promises coming true in their lives. Though fear does not protect or bless, it has many worshippers, many slaves. Fear has never pulled people out of their problems, and yet, if we’re not careful we will find ourselves being suspicious of faith and trusting fear. This can only be the logic and reasoning of hell… an emotion-based reasoning.
What if you decided to repeat today’s verse at least once every day for the next month? Do you think it might make a difference? I have no doubt that it would give you perspective and help you to see the power of God in your life.
…whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24 NET)
“I have faith,” is a common statement I hear every week, and people say it sincerely believing that what they’re saying is true. But what many people refer to as faith is not faith at all according to the Bible. Real faith is not at all fragile; it’s tough and determined; real faith refuses to give up no matter what’s happening around it. Real faith is not based on circumstances or abilities or even a person’s merits; real faith is based on God’s promises and takes a bold, adamant stand on them believing that they have to come true. Because faith is based on GOD’S promises, it’s the most powerful, enduring, persistent thing in the world.
When people say “I have faith,” most of the time they do not mean that they are already believing that what they have asked for is theirs, what they mean is that they hope that they’re lucky enough to get what they’ve asked for, but know that the chances of that happening are slim and unlikely. Sadly, most people who say “I have faith” do not have a track record of overcoming the impossible and seeing extraordinary miracles in their lives, and because of this they give God a bad name. Though they say they have faith, their type of faith is not genuine, godly faith at all, it’s their own version of faith.
When we decide to have real faith in God we do exactly what Jesus explained, we believe that what we’ve asked for is already ours, even though it’s not in our hands yet. It sounds crazy to the world — a foolish exercise in false hope — but this is what transformed the lives of Abraham and Sarah, Hannah, Ester, David, Noah, Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene and so many others, in the past and today. In Hebrews eleven is says: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So faith is anything but false hope… it gives substance to what we’re asking for, it’s our evidence. Faith gives us access to the spiritual world, to God, and just like we cannot see God but know that He exists, we cannot see what we’ve asked for but know it exists and is already ours.
The simple truth is that we cannot please God without faith. If we say we know God but have not see His miracles in our life, something is seriously wrong because the God of the Bible has always done miracles for His children when they believed. So let’s rise to the challenge and start having genuine faith like never before!
That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. (Romans 8:18,19 MSG)
Human nature tells us that we can grit our teeth and hold on a little bit longer as long as we know something better is just over the horizon. People handle difficult customers and high-pressure bosses simply because they know they’re going on a vacation next week, or because they’ve been promised a raise. Looking forward to a reward or to good times is a powerful incentive to bulldozing our way through hard times.
But for those of us who have faith in God the present hardships are so small compared to the amazing blessings that we have been promised, here on earth and in heaven. There is simply no comparison. In another passage Paul labels all our present suffering as momentary and light, no matter how severe it may seem to us, and Jesus promises that we will receive back one hundred times whatever we give up for Him. So whenever we go through hard times it’s crucial for us to step back and get some perspective on the situation. Things are not as bad as they seem… and even if things are very bad, we believe in a God who walks on the water and raises the dead, and so we have to lift up our heads and determine that everything is going to turn out alright.
The last part of today’s verse says that creation can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Other versions say that it eagerly waits the revelation of the sons of God. In the original Greek the meaning is closer to creation “watching with outstretched neck.” At times the mountains, forests, and oceans are smarter than we are. All of God’s creation knows that great things are coming. It knows that the children of God will be revealed one day, that their earthly shroud will be lifted, and that glory and blessings beyond measure are awaiting them. Creation is so convinced of this that it’s waiting with outstretched neck.
Surely, as the pinnacle of God’s creation we could be smarter than we are many times. We should be eagerly expecting the blessings of God here on earth, and in heaven. If creation knows what’s coming, how can people baptized in the Holy Spirit not know this in an even clearer way?
Don’t give in to the way of the world. Grab a hold of what God has promised and eagerly expect great things, both here on earth and in heaven.
Dear friend, do not imitate what is bad but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does what is bad has not seen God. (3 John 1:11 NET)
No one would admit to being a person who does what is “bad.” Even criminals have ways to justify all that they do, to put a positive spin on why they have no choice but to commit these crimes. We all think we are good in our own eyes, but that’s the problem. It’s God’s eyes that matter. What is “good” and “bad” to Him can be totally different from what we tell ourselves. God is urging us to learn what is good and bad, right and wrong, through the process of imitation. Because of sin, human nature is selfish, egotistical, and corrupt, so God wants us to learn by copying Him and His people.
“Doing good,” can sound so simple and easy to identify, like a boy scout helping an elderly woman across the street. But it really means, doing whatever God asks of us at all times. Doing good requires the combination of humility to accept what God asks, and the courage to execute it. It’s more than an act of charity, but a lifestyle of constant communion with Him. You can’t know the will of God at all times, unless you’re eagerly trying to listen to what He says. These people are of God – they are born of His Spirit. They are truly His children, and that is saying a lot.
But those who do what is bad, have not seen God. This doesn’t mean seeing God in heaven, but they don’t see Him in their everyday lives. They don’t see the opportunities He holds out to them, they don’t see the blessings He wants to shower them with. They don’t see through the lies of the devil to know that God’s power is greater, they see nothing but their own dull fleshly thoughts. These are the people who argue with us in church when we encourage them to believe in God’s power, and say that they already know what to do and that their faith hasn’t worked. When you are doing what is good, your eyes are opened and you see Him even in the hardest times.
Don’t take this simple verse as nothing more than an encouragement to be a “good person.” Look deeper and ask yourself if you are imitating those who you admire as spiritual leaders, or are you trying to do it all on your own?
The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:7,8 NET)
Moses was in the desert when he saw the burning bush on Mount Sinai, far away from the noise and distractions of the big city. He had probably been raised in what is now Cairo, in Pharaoh’s palace, with the best teachers and the best food. He had the best of everything. But God did not appear to him there. God appeared to him when he was in the desert.
The same thing happened to Jesus. At 30 years of age, right after He was baptized by John, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Judean wilderness for forty days and forty nights when He did not eat, and was far from the distractions of the world. There He was tempted by the devil, but He must also have experienced powerful moments of communion with the Father. Though He was in the desert, a harsh place lacking all the comforts of life, He felt the rich presence of God.
What God did for the Hebrews in Egypt, He wants to do for us today. He wants to free us from slavery and oppression, and lead us to physical and spiritual abundance, but He can only do that when we cut ourselves off from the worries and distractions of this world… when we’re in the desert and can hear His voice and understand His leading. If Moses had seen a burning bush in Cairo it wouldn’t have impressed him — there would have been too many other things going on. But in the desert it stuck out like a sore thumb and he realized it lead to something important… and the conversation he then had with God was life-changing. And so, if we want to see changes and to hear God’s voice, we need to enter a self-imposed desert… cutting ourselves off from the normal distractions of this world. We need to be still so that we can hear His voice.
One of the curses of modern life, and big cities in particular, is the distractions we face. We’re surrounded by man-made things (cars, parking decks, office buildings, air-conditioners), cellphones are ringing, radios blaring, TVs show images of the latest bad news of the day, billboards, the Internet… and on and on. Though technology has made our lives easier, it has also cursed us. If we want more of God, we need to have less of this world and its busyness.
We’re starting the 40-Day Fast of Jesus today, which means that we’re voluntarily cutting ourselves off from all secular entertainment and information, and focusing on God, His Word, silence, and meditation. Like Moses, Jesus, and many others, we believe this self imposed desert will prepare us for a new phase of our lives.
For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NET)
“But how do I know it’s the will of God?” I’m asked constantly when I encourage people to believe in a miracle or an answered prayer. The prevailing idea is that God is extremely picky with who He chooses to bless, and that not all promises are meant for everyone. He is a mystery that must be solved, a judge who is quick to condemn, or even a bureaucrat who requires so many clauses and conditions to be fulfilled, you can never get what you want from Him. The reason that we’ve come up with these distorted images of God, is that we have tried to pray in the past, and have known plenty of others who have as well, and received no answer. We foolishly assumed that God didn’t want to come to our aid, even in desperate and painful times. For every soul that makes this assumption, the devil celebrates with glee because he has succeeded in creating a barrier between us and God.
God wants us to know that as far as His promises are concerned, it’s a “Yes.” HIs conditions? Trust. Obedience. Perseverance. We are to assume His promises are for us to use – all of them! We are expected to be so audacious that we hold onto them and demand that they come true in a personal and real way. Whatever conditions He places on His promises (just look through all the ones we have listed so far this past month) we should set our minds to fulfilling. They are simple and straightforward with no mystery, hidden clauses or red tape. And equally as important, we are to persevere in believing in them, even when we don’t see our answered prayer on the horizon. It’s in perseverance, that we prove how much we believe in Him, and it’s in perseverance where most people fizzle out.
Giving up on God’s promises is a false type of humility. Believing for a while and then losing hope when the answer takes too long for our comfort, is a harsh insult to God’s character. He is saying in this verse, “Of course, I want to bless you! It’s Yes and Amen, as long as the glory goes to Me.”
Begin to see God with new eyes, eager to bless you, and knowing that through the process of you trusting and persevering in His promises, you will be strengthened and purified in your faith. You are meant to be blessed, so go for it.
Those who look to him for help are happy; their faces are not ashamed. (Psalm 34:5 NET)
It’s not God’s will for us to be miserable. He wants us to be happy, to be unashamed, to be filled with His presence, and to be victorious against our problems and enemies. Todays psalm (and Psalm 56) were written after King David was captured in Gath — what is now the Gaza Strip — a Philistine territory where Goliath had been born. In order to avoid being killed or imprisoned he pretended to have lost his mind, started speaking incoherently, scribbled on walls, and drooled on his beard. The officers of the King of Gath wanted to kill him because they recognized who he was, a powerful commander in Saul’s army. But the king dismissed him, thinking that he had lost his mind and was no longer useful to anyone.
This was a humiliating time for David. He must have been tempted to feel weak and alone. His own king and father-in-law (Saul) wanted to kill him out of jealousy, and at that moment he had resorted to hiding among the enemy to survive. But right after this experience David formed an army of warriors that eventually swelled to 600 men — a small army that no one could defeat. Most probably many of his trusted officials and commanders in the future came from this initial group of men that gathered at the cave were David started hiding out.
David declares that those who look to God for help are happy, that their faces are not ashamed. This doesn’t mean that we will not go through unhappy, shameful times, but it does mean that those times will be temporary stops on our way to ultimate victory in heaven and here on earth. When we look to God for help, realizing that we do not have what it takes to overcome, we are manifesting humility. David felt this in the enemy’s camp… all alone, surrounded by enemies whose brothers and fathers he had killed. Only God could save him from that situation. And when we reach that same point in life, when we realize that we are bankrupt, physically and spiritually, and need God’s power and character to continue, that is when our situation can be flipped and our victory come rushing in.
At those times when things look darkest, if we look to God for help in spite of how everything looks, God will be obligated to come through for us and provide a way out. Determine that you are going to be happy, that your face will be unashamed.
