Will He

Most people accept the fact that God can do anything.  There should be no questioning the matter.  How can the creator of all things ever have an element of His own creation that boggles Him?  The truest statement is this,

“It remains to be seen what God can not do...”

This is established in even a child’s psyche; that nothing is too hard for the Almighty God who made everything!

Acceptance of this fact... that God can do all things, is unanimous; however, there is in the minds of many Christians one lingering issue which must be addressed in order to walk confidently with God. In order to have a fulfilling prayer life, we must finally settle this question, “Will He?”  

We are confident that God “Can”, but “Will He?”  In other words, is it His will?  Does He “will” to do it?  It seems that believing God “Can” do a particular thing for us doesn’t hold much benefit if we are not yet convinced that He “Will”. 

This question finds its roots in one of the promises made to us that should actually provide confidence in prayer. 1 John 5:14-15 says,

“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know He hears us, we know that what ever we ask according to His will, we know we have the petitions we desired of him...” 

We see in this passage that God clearly promises to oblige any petition we desire of Him, but we find the promise hinged on the phrase “according to his will”.  Immediately, the root of the doubt presents itself.  What is His “Will”?  Again... God “Can”, but WILL He?  The answer is apparent if we dig just a little deeper.

The fact is, the majority of what we ask of God has been seen in the lives of others.  In fact, knowing that God has done what you need from Him for someone else in the past should add to your confidence about asking.  And, since we have seen Him preform miracles for others, in actuality, we are well aware that God “Will” do this particular thing that we are asking of Him... purely by example. Thus, you the question is not necessarily “Will He do it...?”, but rather “WILL HE DO IT FOR ME?”. 

Put in those terms, the obvious answer to the question which alludes so many Christians is a great big YES!  He WILL do it for you... He WILL do it for them... He WILL do it for me...  He WILL do it for US!  It IS His WILL to answer our petition!

How do we know?

The reason we know He WILL give us what we desire is because of a small passage of scripture found in the book of Psalms which says,

“Take delight in the Lord, and HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and HE WILL DO THIS..." Psalms 37:4-5

According to verse 4 of this passage, God is fully prepared to be petitioned concerning the desires of every heart; which means by proxy that He must already KNOW the desires of our hearts.  He must know how we worry about sick relatives.  He must know our turmoil over relationships.  He must know the stress which ways heavy on our hearts due to our job.  And God says He will answer by GIVING US the desires that are in heart; which He CLEARLY knows all about.   Verse 5 gives the final assurance that "HE WILL DO THIS..." . The King James verbiage  says He will "...bring it to  pass".

However, there is a caveat...  The bible specifically states that we must give God our trust AND THEN He will give us the desires of our heart.  This is found in verse 3.  Just before the statement about the desires of our hearts, the bible introduces the preliminary instruction to, “Trust in the Lord and do good" followed by a charge to, "dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture"  (KJV uses the phrase "...Be Fed"). 

  

In addition, in this passage, it says to "Commit your way to the Lord".  The word Commit in this context is a form of submission.  We are to submit to God's ways... or submit our attention to His ways. The concept of submitting to God appears numerous times in the bible; often mentioned within the marriage language.  For example, in the book of Ephesians, Paul says to husbands and wives of that century,

"Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ..." Ephesians 5:21

The bible instructs that we not only trust Him, but SUBMIT to Him and He will GIVE US the desires of our submitted hearts.

Now... here's a new issue. 

Lets say you are confident that you've learned to trust God and, as far as you're concerned, you have committed your "Way" to the Lord; meaning you submit to His "Way" on a daily basis to the best of your ability...  But you haven't seen the desires of your heart come to fruition in your life.  May I offer you some insight as to why that might be...

If you're sure you  trust God to provide the desires of your heart (meaning, you aren't going outside of the will of God to get your desires met....) and you as committed to His way as you know how to be in every area of your life (understanding that no one but Jesus is perfect... there will occasionally be failures in your commitment),  the only issue remaining may simply be this: TIMING. 

In this passage where God promises to give us the desires of our heart, there is one more statement to notice.  The very next verse after the passage in Psalms which we have already discussed says this,

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." Psalms 37:7

You say you trust God... but how long will you trust Him?  You are committed to His "way"... how long will you stay committed?  You believe He will GIVE you the desires of your heart.... how long will you believe  "HE WILL DO THIS" before you go and get the desires of your heart some other way?  A week?  A month?  6 months?  6 years?  A decade? How long before you  decide that God's promise to "...bring it to pass" just isn't for you? 

The truth is, you should expect to spend years waiting for what you believe God has promised you.  So many people over decades and centuries of human history have that testimony. So many people prayed to God and then waited patiently for Him... and they saw results!  Some individuals have seen God move instantly... but for the vast majority of us, years pass before what we've asked God to do in  our life is done.  

However, when it does come to pass, it will be done in a remarkable way which will make it obvious to the world that the Mighty Power of our Almighty God did it... and when He does it, He will do it according to HIS Will!

So, concerning the things that are on your heart today, these are your instructions: Trust in the Lord and continue to do the good things that God prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).  Next,  enjoy the safe pasture provided in the Will of God.  Delight yourself in God... commit to His way.... place His will and His way above your will and your way.  AND THEN,   HE WILL GIVE YOU the desires of your heart. Make your commitment to God today; trust Him and "HE WILL DO THIS..."
 

Amen

Lost and Found: Peace

If you happen to look at any broadcast news report (TV or Radio), or if you just simply glance across your feed on Facebook, it should become obvious to you that something is missing. This generation of Christians have somehow lost something important... in fact, not just something important... something CRITICALLY important! It's so important that it can be considered even life threatening to lose; yet we've lost it! We've lost something so vital that we must find and reclaim it immediately or continue to suffer the consequences of it being gone!

This generation of Christians have lost "true" peace! We barely even know what it means anymore because we've become so accustomed to the world's counterfeited definition.
To the world, peace is defined as the absence of conflict. This is the only peace the world understands, thus the only peace we were taught and come to pursue. Christians have learned to only be at peace when our life flows undisturbed... when things are going our way... when we have all the things we want... when we're not faced with any type of conflict or struggle. To us, that's what peace means... and unbeknownst to us, its real meaning is gone.

How did we lose it?

Well, by the time most of us were teens, we had already begun our pursuit of this world's definition of peace; which is to gain peer approval, to seek worldly position and to be free from conflict. But in this world, our ability to provide these things is based solely on the access we have to the things we desire. Those who have what they desire have the ability to gain peer approval, ease the struggle of social and financial conflicts and provide this world's type of peace for themselves. Those who do not have access to what they desire do not have access to this world's version of peace or any possessions thereof. In this world, there is no peace without possessing your heart’s desire; even if your heart’s desire IS peace.

Differing levels of education lie at the root of this world's definition of peace. Education largely determines if and how often we face conflict. Thus, a person with a higher-level education will often generate a large income and, therefore will not feel conflicted by things such as minor fluctuations in gas prices, the rising expense of quality child care or absurdly high college tuitions. However, a person without higher education will generally have a lower income and will therefore see the same dilemmas as major, life-threatening conflicts attacking their well-being and that of their spouse and children as well. 

Education (specifically in the United States and China) is the key factor in every person's ability to provide peace as this world defines it for themselves and all those connected to them.

This world's version of peace creates two categories of people, the "have's" and the "have not's". The former category has access to the only peace this world knows; while the latter is trapped in a prison with little-to-no peace (often literally)... only more situations involving conflicts similar to those mentioned above. It's no mystery that many of the "have not's" become desperate to be free of conflict, even if for just a little while. And it's no mystery that many of the "have not's" are struggling to somehow move from their world as a "have not" to the other side of the fence where the evenly manicured, perfectly edged, well-watered grass is much, much greener (often literally).

The sad part is both worlds are temporary because they're both based on "present condition" and circumstances of life will rarely permit this world's concept of peace to exist for very long. "Present condition", whether positive or negative, will always be completely temporary and this world's version of peace, and always a complete facade! The facade was designed by a spirit who is the enemy of God.... he designed it with one intention in mind: To force you to utter the most terrible phrase a Christian can ever say:

"I'll do anything to be free... "

Once you have reached this point, nothing is beyond consideration to achieve what would supposedly bring peace. It's at this point that a young black teenager will kill another young black teenager in his own pursuit of this world's version of peace. It's at this point that a husband will divorce his spouse and marry his work (or his co-worker) with the diluted intention of making life "better" searching for what this world has defined as peace. It's at this point that people will drink alcohol or inhale chemical substances if for nothing else, to artificially acquire a taste of this world's version of peace. And it is at this point that Christians will falsify tax statements, make purchases they can't afford, embezzle company funds... even embezzle church funds for a grasp of this world's version of peace.

All of this because we have lost the true meaning of peace... That's why a family of 5 will spend their last dollars on Lotto; why men and women sacrifice irreplaceable family time at work doing overtime; why people will sell their souls (often literally) dying to get their hands on some of what the world has as a substitute for peace.

But it's time to reject this faulty substitute and get OUR peace back! The fact is "true" peace is not gone... it's only misplaced; meaning, it still exists and can easily be found. To find it, you must really understand what Jesus is saying in this verse:

"PEACE I leave with you...  MY PEACE I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.... 

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Where is true peace?  TRUE PEACE IS IN CHRIST! Jesus said, "MY peace I give to you". Notice Jesus made no mention of conflict or circumstances. He made no mention of peer approval or position. Nothing about financial security. Nothing about higher education. Yet, Jesus said I'm leaving MY Peace with you. 

Then, Jesus explained that His peace is real... it's not the facade that the world offers. It's not artificial, it’s not superficial, it's not circumstantial and it's definitely not temporary.   The peace Jesus gives is UNCONDITIONAL and EVERLASTING; just as his love is unconditional and everlasting. Jesus said that with His peace, your heart will never again NEED to be troubled or afraid.

The peace that Jesus gave us is referred to again in John 16:33:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have PEACE.... 

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart (KJV - cheer up)! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus said in this world any sense of peace we achieve on our own is temporary and will ultimately turn to tribulation. But in HIM, we have a source of peace that will overcome the tribulation of this world! In other words, the world's method of seeking an absence of conflict is a faulty pacifier for the peace in Jesus that exists even in the midst of conflict.
So... Here's how to have "true" peace.  Follow these instructions concerning Jesus given by his disciple Peter years after Jesus' death and resurrection: 

"Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you..." 1 Peter 5:7

Abandon this world's version of peace which you have come to understand! Searching for peace through "no opposition" is faulty. There will not be a complete absence of conflict in this world until Jesus comes back to reign as King! Instead, seek to obtain the peace that Christ gave which surpasses understanding.  Just cast your worries on Christ the way a fisherman casts a net into deep water!  Throw your anxieties on him... because he cares about you enough to catch them!

Don't allow your circumstances and your desires to determine your definition of peace. Regain the peace that you've lost! Find peace in Christ and then you've found peace that will last!

The "Blessed" Attitudes

The book of Matthew describes a particular day in Jesus' life when he was walking near a hillside with his disciples (Matthew 5). The 13 of them (Jesus and the 12) were being followed by a GREAT multitude (thousands of FAMILIES) who had come from surrounding communities to see this great healer/prophet/teacher as he moved from town to town. Many had brought their sick... many had been following for days... many would continue to follow for 3-years (the extent of Jesus earthly ministry) and beyond.

Not only had they seen miracles such as healing and blinded eyes opened, but they had also been fed by food (on more than one occasion) which miraculously appeared from no where at the hands of Jesus. Most would have even heard about Jesus raising a man from the dead... and some would likely have even met that man.

According to Matthews account, as they were traveling, Jesus suddenly stopped... seemingly "in his tracks", walked up on to the hillside, and began to speak almost as if in a trance. He said things that were controversial. He said things that were counter-cultural. He said things that were contradictory. He said things that were the opposite of the status quo... the opposite of everything those people would have heard up to that period... and definitely the opposite of what the pharisees were teaching. He said to his disciples and the listening crowd,

The Poor in Spirit are Blessed!

Those who Mourn are Blessed!

The Meek are Blessed!

Those who Hunger for Righteousness are Blessed!

The Merciful are Blessed!

The Pure in Heart are Blessed!

The Peacemakers are Blessed!

Those who are Persecuted because of Me are Blessed!

We refer to these as the "Beatitudes"; the human characteristics that God values and desires to see in all of us. "Beatitude" comes from a Latin noun which means "happiness". These are eight blessings which Jesus declared in his proclamation from the side of the hill (called the "Sermon on the Mount"). Each that Jesus spoke was a "proverb-like" proclamation. Each was "cryptic" in it's narrative. Each was precise and full of meaning. And they all became a major theme to the followers of Christ from the moment Jesus spoke them to this day, nearly 21 centuries later.

The beatitudes contain subjects such as mercy and spirituality; which would have been familiar to this Jewish crowd from the Old Testament scriptures. Only, Jesus taught these values with a fresh interpretation. On this day, there was suddenly a new set of ideas surrounding these centuries-old concepts. The focus now was on a spirit of love, compassion and humility; as opposed to the focus being law and justice which this group would have been taught as children. These are the new attitudes that Jesus reiterated everywhere he went and highlighted with his life. Jesus calls us to be meek and merciful; pure in heart and hungry for righteousness; peacemakers and even persecuted!

When preaching this sermon, Jesus followed each trait with a promise which these new attitudes will cause us to obtain. The morn will be comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. The merciful will obtain mercy. Those who hunger for righteousness will be filled with it; etc.

And then, after the beatitudes, Jesus taught two more concepts that are extremely important...

So often we close our bibles at verse 12 as if that was the end of the sermon. However, verse 13 and 14 contain statements that are just as critical as the beatitudes and deserve just as much focus as the rest. These two verses are vital enough to be highlighted in your bible study along with all of the other critical passages of "red writing" that you've highlighted.

First, Jesus said you are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

Salt is an essential mineral, a commodity in that day. It is a natural mineral; meaning it can not be manufactured or duplicated... it must be "mined"; or in other words, FOUND and refined. Salt had many uses in that day. For example, it was used to preserve foods that would otherwise rot. This would have been vitally important for those keeping live-stock such as sheep. It was also important for farmers of that day who could not grow their crops year-round. Salt was also used in medicines.

Jesus said YOU are a precious commodity; as precious and unique to this earth as salt. You are vial in this world, yet you can not be manufactured or duplicated... you must be FOUND; which Jesus has set his mission to do.

Jesus emphasized that, as valuable as salt is, salt without savor is equivalent to dirt. Salt without its precious quality ceases to be useful to anybody and is only fit to be tossed under the feet of men.

Then, secondly, Jesus went further and stated that you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

Isn't that amazing! This cold, dark, seemingly hopeless world has light hidden in it; it's YOU! Believers are the light of this world! We are God's light in dark places; which means that in your world, in your community, in your family, your actions make you similar to a burning torch. Your community, your family, your surroundings might seem so dark, but I tell you your world would be in such worse shape had it not been for God sending His precious light into it through YOUR behavior! You are God's lamp to light your soundings!

Jesus said, a person wouldn't take a lamp burning brightly which was meant to give light and cover it with a bowl. In other words, who would choose to continue to dwell in darkness even though they have access to light? A person possessing light should put it on display; put it high on a lamp stand unobstructed where it can give light to everyone!

When you hide the fact that you believe in Christ, or when you behave like the rest of the world behaves, you hide that beautiful light that God has given you and instead put on the cold, dark, hard masquerade that the rest of the world is wearing. Jesus said your light belongs high on a candlestick for all to see!

We must take the beatitudes with the right attitude: By portraying meekness, mercy, peace and the others, we will receive the things promised to us by God and light up this world! But, without the "savor" of these traits, though precious to God nonetheless, we are useless to Him in this world.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14).

Our Warfare

Weapons of all types threaten to come against us all the time. Knives and guns on occasion, but most commonly the weapons threatening us are merely the people we interact with daily.

By a show of hands, how many have identified a coworker, a neighbor or a relative as an enemy? If you've ever had someone almost run you over as you tried to cross the street, you know that even a brief, unpleasant encounter with a complete stranger can create an enemy and instigate a desire to use one of those weapons of warfare to fight back!

People around us do things that are so foul, it feels like a war. In retaliation, our instincts want us to use the same weapons that we despise to discourage our enemy from further attack. We don't like to feel that any one has gotten the best of us. Even in cases where we may never see the person again, we still want to make sure they know that "we aint havin it!".

Is this the right road? Should we react to conflict the same way the world does? Should we have weapons of warfare locked in cabinets and tucked away in nightstand drawers for an enemy we fear may invade? Should we fight the way everyone else is fighting when faced with a confrontation? If there really is a war going on, does it have to involve us?

Paul answers these questions in II Corinthians 10:4. He confirms that we are indeed at war; our enemy is very real and is attacking. However, the weapons we should utilize are not earthly weapons,

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds"

Carnal weapons have no affect against the real enemy. In this verse Paul explains that we have in our possession weapons that are mighty and they will defeat the "stronghold" that the enemy presents in our lives.

We are most accustomed to weapons that are carnal or "of this world structure". These weapons are not always physical. Manipulation is a carnal weapon. Spitefulness and animosity are carnal weapons. Antagonism and resentment are carnal weapons. All of these have no place in our lives but we use these weapons and often find them directed toward us in an emotional battle. When a Christian uses these weapons, however, he or she is presented with a problem the ungodly people do not face: These weapons are more damaging to us then to the person we inflict them upon.

How so?

When a Christian is in a carnal fight, it's like a head-butt to a brick wall, we injure ourselves more than we do the wall. Why? Because God has a standard for Christians. When we hurt each other emotionally or physically, we fail to meet that standard. God's intention is not to damage a person that you view as an enemy, but instead for you to live an abundant life in spite of that person you view as an enemy; and maybe even win that person over to Christ.

The truth is, it's easy to believe that an individual attacking you is evil and therefore your enemy. But, in actuality, the person opposing you isn't the enemy. You must understand that your real warfare is against Satan. The person opposing you is just a pawn spiritually blind and foolishly allowing him or herself to be used by the evil principalities that dwell on this earth. Jesus understood this; which led him to cry out while he was being crucified and plead for the forgiveness of the ones who were crucifying him,

"Father forgive them, they know not what they do!" Luke 23:34

Jesus showed that the weapons used against us are often carnal, but carnal warfare is not how we should respond. We have weapons to respond to the enemy with in this warfare. And, according to Paul, though they are not carnal, they are mighty; in other words they will be effective in defeating the enemy.

So, if our weapons are not carnal, what weapons are they? How should we fight back? How should we respond to an adversary? How should we respond to the real enemy?

Paul teaches in II Corinthians 10:5 that we are to fight by,

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God".

Your real weapon is not physical, it's in your mind! You can fight evil principalities with the knowledge you have of God's Word! When a person opposes you, it's because that person has lost the battle against evil principalities in their mind and now you are seeing the effects. They are suffering from a lack of knowledge; in other words, they don't know any better. In order for you to be successful in an area where others are not, you can't do what they are doing. Your weapon is to make a better decision in your mind than those around you are making.

Paul says cast down wrong thoughts or wrong "imagination" that exalts itself against the knowledge you have of God. He goes on to say in verse 5 of the passage that you should capture every thought and bring that thought into the obedience of Christ. Any thought... every thought that is not Christ-like should be arrested and detained without bail. Paul expands a little further in Romans 12:1-3. He says.

"do not conform your thinking to this worlds ideas, but instead be transformed by the total renewing of your mind... "

The things that you believe in your mind will determine your effectiveness against the real enemy. If you believe everything Jesus has said about who you are and what you can do, then you will not be detoured by the enemy. But, if you believe what the world is teaching; that you are powerless and just as vulnerable as everyone else around you, then you've lost the battle in your mind and therefore will lose against the real enemy. To win, you must rid yourself of old negative ways of thinking and embrace new ideas. You must completely renew your mind.

One critical step in the process of renewing your mind is to receive the FULL gospel. If you don't habitually receive the WHOLE word of God, you will have no new ideas to renew your mind to! This is another place where many Christians go wrong. Some of the ideas that are taught at churches today are not biblical and are honestly just as damaging as those being purged. The most damaging ideas, in my opinion, are those that reject the Anointing Power of God. Worst also are those erroneous ideas that separate and isolate us from each other. These concepts are exactly the warfare that Paul is pleading we recognize.

To fight the real enemy, we must turn to our real weapon. We have to capture the new ideas that we are transforming our minds to understand. We have to digest these ideas to combat the wrong imagination that will come against the Word that we are trying to devour. And confidence in this weapon will increase with more knowledge of the Word over time. When we develop in this area and allow God to strengthen us, no weapon that the devil forms against us will concur us!

Marvelous Faith

“And Jesus said unto the Centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour” Matthew 8:13

Centurions were a symbol of power to the Jewish community in the first century. These powerful Roman soldiers were mighty men of war who served the empire for twenty or more years on average. Most Centurions in authority rose to their positions from within the ranks over a period of many years. After decades of service, Centurions became well-respected members of the equestrian class (similar to knighthood) upon retirement.  Because of this ranking structure, Centurions had a great deal of reverence for individuals in authority; they themselves not able to become high officials easily or immediately.   

When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, this mighty warrior, a high ranking Centurion came to him asking for help. This was odd, as Centurions traditionally participated in pagan religious oaths to the emperor of Rome thus would likely be a skeptic of “the Christ”.  There was great urgency with the Centurions request.  We know this because a Centurion of higher social status, such as this man, would rarely utter a direct request to a profound rabbi such as Jesus unless, of course, he was desperate. The Centurion spoke of a servant who was at his home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.  Roman soldiers were not permitted to have legal families during their decades of military service. Therefore, this slave was probably the Centurion’s only "family". The slave was likely all he had.  

After hearing his earnest request, Jesus said to the centurion, "I will come and heal him." Jesus offered this man what every individual in need of help desires; a house call.  Jesus agreed to travel to this mans home where he would no doubt lay hands on the ailing slave and the slave would surely recover.  Now, here is the amazing part of the story. The Centurion did something which astounded even Jesus; he turned down the once-in-a-lifetime offer for Jesus to come to his home. 

Why? 

The Centurion explained to Jesus that he understood the implication of a person in authority. He, himself had great authority and could attest to how people were made to respond to his every wish.  The Centurion knew that Jesus, being the son of the God of Abraham, had even greater authority than he.  Jesus had authority over all things.  The Centurion was convinced that Jesus could command sickness to leave his home from anywhere on earth and that sickness would obey.  So, by faith, the Centurion told Jesus, “Just speak the Word”.  In other words, he told Jesus, “Work a miracle for me from right where you stand, I know it will be done”. 

The bible says that Jesus “marveled” at what the Centurion said.  Jesus said, "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith”. To find a gentile with absolute faith in him was astonishing. In verses 11 and 12 Jesus took the time to point out that many gentiles like this man who at that time would have thought to be lost will be included in the kingdom of heaven.  

Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And the bible says his servant was healed at that very hour. Isn’t that incredible! While the Centurion stood there, Jesus sent healing to his home miles away.  Because of the Centurion’s faith, a miracle arrived at his house.   

Would you, standing in front of Jesus, ask him to just send his Word or would you demand that Jesus travel to your home just to “be sure”? Would you believe that his Word is enough and it will not return to him void or would you want to see the miracle before you let Jesus out of your site?  How about right now? Do you believe the Word of God is enough in your situation today or are you looking for other answers to address what is wrong in your life?  Do you have enough faith to declare the Blood of Jesus over sickness; over insufficiency; over your future and then walk around confident that your miracle is done?  

It will take that kind of faith in the power of Jesus Christ to receive what you’ve been praying for all this time.  It will take absolute faith in Christ for healing to arrive at your home. It takes unwavering faith for the deliverance that you need. Put all of your faith in Christ right now and Jesus himself will “marvel” in your decision to believe in Him rather than search for a Pagan source for answers.  He will “marvel” that you have heard him in your spirit calling you to trust in him from now on.  And because of your great faith, he will send peace from right where you are into your home today.  Joy will settle in your life in this same hour. Faith comes by hearing; and hearing by the Word of God.  So get the Word, find “marvelous” faith in the Word, and then just speak the Word.  Order up a miracle to have sent to your house right away. 

The Desires Of Your Heart

Think about that long list of both material and spiritual possessions that you are depending on God to bring to pass which have not materialized in your life. Dwell on them too long and I guarantee you will be tempted with ideas of how to get these things some other way... 

Most likely, you already know how easy it is to obtain things quickly by participating in activities that many would consider wrong, even illegal. You already know things that are dishonest to do, but would no doubt result in you acquiring what you desire. You have seen the possessions that would somehow make your life complete lay at your finger tips waiting for you to take the bait and do just a few things that are questionable in your best judgment.

The argument you may subject yourself to might be that these things are in God's will for your life, therefore you are within your right to acquire them by any means. I mean, you've been waiting for these things a long time, so maybe God wants you to be just a little aggressive, even a little dishonest to acquire them. Some of these things may be helpful to your family or to your church work therefore you feel the ends justify the means. It's a tough dispute when it's not just your hearts desires that's in question... but your means of acquiring them as well.

You must remember that what you are feeling is the way Satan operates. The devil will always suggest an easy way to get whatever you are waiting on God to provide. That's the definition of temptation: to lure you away from God with another attractive option. Satan is trying to interrupt Gods program by tempting you to take an easy way out instead of depending on God to provide.

When Jesus was tempted in Matthew 4:1-10, Satan's method was to present alternatives, seemingly easier ways to accomplish what Jesus was there to accomplish. When Jesus fasted, the devil's temptation was "turn the stone to bread". A carnal man would have argued in his mind "well,... it is my fathers will that I do miracles so forget the fast, lets eat..." Instead, Jesus recognized Satan for the tempter, the cheater and the liar that he is.

In the last of the three temptations, the devil offered to turn over all the kingdoms of the world, which at that very moment Jesus was in line for torture and suffering to redeem mankind and return these Kingdoms of the world to God the Father. He tempted our savior to avoid the beating, avoid the suffering, skip the crucifixion, just bow down and Satan would supposedly "hand over" the world. He offered the ultimate "easy way" in exchange for the ultimate submission. Jesus knew, and we must know that the devil is a liar; he's the father of lies. Bowing down to him may look like an easy way to get what you want, but it is destruction in disguise and will cost you everything! There is no profit to gain the whole world but lose your soul!

Like Jesus, you must understand the difference between permanent and temporary riches. Permanent riches are lasting here on earth and in heaven. Temporary riches exist just for a while, and then will self-destruct.

Psalms 37:1-2 explains the two:

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb"

This passage lists the fate of people operating dishonestly, "... they shall SOON be cut down like grass". 

Grass is allowed to grow for a period of time. But, once it reaches a certain length, it becomes obvious to everyone who sees it that it will soon be cut down to a smaller size. The same is true with people operating in evil. Evil will bring along an increase for a while, but the increase is temporary. If you ever see a person operating illegally or dishonestly who has climbed to high heights; i.e. money, cars, houses; the moment you see them you should know that the time is near when they will be cut down to nothing... or God is a liar and satan's word is true. Just check on them in five years... in fact, maybe just one year. They will cry and wonder why it is happening, but the bible predicted it would. God proves His Word is TRUE over and over again. Eventually, their increase will be taken away.

Not only that, the cutting of grass is a very violent action. If you've ever cut grass you know it takes a lot of energy, but any tool you use is usually effective and it is always a very unpleasant experience for the grass. There is loud, disturbing noises whether it's the high-pitched slicing sound of shears or the loud pounding sound of a motor. The long severed strands of grass left behind, once green and impressive now dead and shriveled, will lie on the ground uselessly ready to be collected and burned.

But, as the passage goes on to say, those that continue to wait on the Lord and do good shall be "fed".

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart... Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass"

In other words, those trusting God will not have to do questionable things striving to acquire things they want. God will feed them and give them the desires of their heart. The 23rd Psalms says everyone who makes the Lord their Shepard shall not want because their wants will be satisfied.

There is only one road to permanent riches, only one way that is right. It's referred to as the "narrow way" 

"...Straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life... and few are they who find it"  Matthew 7:14 

Commit yourself to God's ways. Make God's method of operation your only method. Make God's process your only option to acquire all that you ever hoped for. Make the Lord your only source for the desires of your heart and have no other alternative! And God's promise is that He shall bring it to pass!

What Is This Among So Many?

The books of Matthew, Mark and John all describe in their writings a situation where a crowd of people found themselves faced with a life-threatening situation. They had been listening to Jesus teach as he passed through their town and (possibly inadvertently) followed him far away from their city to land which was considered desert. Matthew and John's telling of the story shares that the crowd followed Jesus specifically because of a particular miracle they had seen; namely, he healed their sick. Having also followed Jesus, the disciples became aware of an arising condition where there would not be enough food to feed all the people... not nearly enough.

According to the book of John, Jesus addressed the issue by asking his disciple Phillip,

"Where can we buy bread for all of these people?" John 6:5

Phillip's response was that, even if there were a place to buy the amount of bread they would need, it would take 6-months’ salary to buy enough for everyone in the crowd to get even a little bite (John 6:7).

The bible makes it clear that this situation caused somewhat of a panic among the disciples; as it would have fallen on their shoulders to figure out what to do. Meaning, this crowd was now their responsibility. However, no resources could be seen which might resolve the issue that was quickly developing.

At this point, Jesus' disciple Andrew joined the conversation with his discovery,

"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves, and two small fish: but what are they among so many?" John 6:9.

Many Christians, when faced with this situation, respond this way. We look into our hands and find that what we have is not enough... not nearly enough to do what we need to do. The word which describes this situation best is the word "lack"; we "lack" what we need. Seeing the insufficient amount, we often ask the same question that Andrew asked Jesus, "What is this among so many?"

What is $100 when the debt is thousands? What is an individual's effort when the job takes dozens? What is a handful of mission workers among a large city's population of non-believers? Your answer will be determined by your realization of what Jesus teaches in this bible story.

Christians claim to have faith in God but fail far too often in this situation. We've become so afraid of "lack" that we choose to limit our efforts or retreat from our mission altogether rather than face it. Our alternative is usually to scale-down the scope. Meaning, we send people away; which is what the disciples urged Jesus to do in this story,

"This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food..."  Matthew 14:15

There are ministries today in every city that refuse to move forward in work which God has called them to do. Why? Because they saw a situation developing where they would not have enough resources to do what they had planned. And so there they sit; at a standstill. The ministry is stalled; the mission now on a back-burner because the person whose shoulders bear the responsibility for the vision is afraid of "lack".

Too many Christians are afraid to make a single move until ALL the resources are sufficient and ALL the support they will EVER need is securely in place. Instead of following their calling, they allow resources (or lack thereof) to dictate what they are willing and are not willing to try. Instead of drawing confidence from the Mighty God of Abraham, they're clearly looking to draw confidence from a large amount of money, a large number contributors or a lot of materials at their disposal.

Unfortunately, the only way that confidence in resources can be sustained is to have UNLIMITED resources. And it's been proven generation after generation all over the world to be a fact that no one on Earth has unlimited resources. This fact is the basic rule in the study of Economics; and individuals "wants" and desires are potentially unlimited but resources will always be limited. This has been taught from High School up to University campuses for decades.

Every living creature will face "lack". At some point in your life, there will not be enough of what you need to do what you want or need. The thing that should separate Christians from the rest of the world, however, is knowing how to respond to "lack".

The bible records that Jesus knew this situation would arise and was merely interested in his disciple's response before he revealed his own. Naturally, the disciples were judging the situation according to sight; it LOOKED like this crowd would starve so they immediately abandoned all hope. But here is how Jesus responded to "lack":

#1. He did not send any one away. Instead he instructed the disciples to bring him what they had.

#2. He offered what little they had to God.

"Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down'... (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and (miraculously) distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish" John 6:10-11

That is the correct response to the situation of "lack". If you look into your hands and what you see does not appear to be enough, you must offer God whatever He has given you, no matter how insufficient it appears to be. When you don't have enough, it is critically important that you offer God what you have with all your heart. Why? Because what's in your hand is not your harvest, it's your SEED!

The seed always comes before the harvest; but the harvest will always be larger and greater than the seed. So many people make the mistake of disposing of the seed because it is so small; but an entire forest can be birthed out of the smallest of seeds. Your job is to plant your seed into anointed ground in order to receive your harvest.

In this story, the disciples obeyed the instructions Jesus gave. They took the little bit of food they were provided and put it into the anointed hands of Jesus Christ. Suddenly their worries and fear was laid to rest as food miraculously appeared; enough to feed every man, woman and child which was estimated at more than 5,000 families. They ended up with more than they could have hoped for on that day.

We must learn how to recognize this situation and respond the way Jesus responded. If what you have is not enough, then offer that little bit to God. If you only have $100 but have debt in thousands, then that $100 is the seed from which your debt freedom will be birthed. If you only have 10 people to help you do a job which calls for two dozen, then you 10 are the seed from which the dozens will come to complete the work that the few of you have begun. If you have only five people, then the five of you are the seed. And if all you have is YOU, offer God YOU! By offering God a seed of faith, you've obligated Him to keep his word and multiply your seed into an abundant harvest of more than you could have asked for.

Learn to embrace the situation of "lack" as an opportunity to trust God and wait for Him to provide a blessing. Don't retreat ever again when you recognize that you won't have enough to go on; because God arranges those situations on purpose and has also already arranged a miracle to resolve the issue and lay your worries and fears to rest.

I'll admit... proceeding without resources is indeed frightening. You face the risk failure; you face the risk of embarrassment; you face the risk of letting down people who believe in the vision... But there is no other way that God can show Himself strong to you. There is no other way that He can prove His faithfulness to you and to the vision He gave. God IS faithful and His mercies WILL endure forever. Facing "lack" head-on is the only way you will build confidence in the Great and Almighty Jehovah God.


When there is not enough, offer God what you have and stand on His word that there will soon be more than enough! Defy the frightening situation "lack" and come out victorious and abundantly blessed with more than you could have hoped for today!