The Finger of God

But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.

Luke 11:20

Demons. The most feared situation in the hearts of people would be to be possessed by an evil spirit. The finger of God removes them easily. It’s no strain on Him.

Is there anything that God cannot do? He spoke and the universe was created. He has no pressure to perform because He can do all things. The Lord is God Almighty.

Father, holy is Your Name above all others… Your Kingdom come on earth and through me today. Please provide for us what we need for this day and forgive us of our sins. We will follow You and forgive others their sin. And protect us from the evil one today. I want to walk with You…

Stirred Up

So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God…

Haggai 1:14

These people were stirred up. Their hearts were emboldened and encouraged. They were moved to action where there was previously inaction! And what was the message of the Lord given through Haggai? FOUR WORDS: “I am with you.” These are small words with immense meaning.

The proof that God has stirred their spirits was their move to action. They began to work. Whenever people are stirred, action is the result. To be stirred and not move is inconceivable. When stirred we must express it through activity or change. It would be like a teapot filled with water set to boil, arriving to that point but failing to expend itself in steam… not blowing the whistle! That’s impossible. The stirring up needs to be vented. And when God stirs His people the venting is good, Kingdom-building activity.

When the Lord stirs my spirit, I feel blessed. It brings meaning and purpose and focus to my life. I believe that being stirred is something I can pursue. I need to get within earshot of the prophet who is delivering the message from God: “I am with you.” With that I am encouraged to act! I am given courage! If God is with me who can be against me?

Father, You want to stir my spirit everyday, I’m convinced. Draw me to Your Word and deliver Your message to my life everyday, that I might courageously act in Your Name, extending Your Kingdom and bring You glory.

Steering A Parked Car

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Luke 9:1-2

It is remarkable to me that Jesus gave power and authority to these 12 men. He knew who they were, that even one of them would betray Him! Yet He still gives them power and authority. This is so strange! These guys would:
• Have little faith, being very short-sighted
• Put their foot in their mouths (mostly Peter)
• Fail to exercise this power and authority very well
• Argue about which one would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
• Be vengeful, considering the use of their power and authority to ‘call down fire’ on people
And all of this in Luke chapter 9…

Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:61-62

It seems that Jesus values whole-hearted commitment over blundering. You can make all kinds of mistakes and have skewed attitudes as long as you’re 100% committed. You could be perfect in your speech and thinking, but if your heart is divided, you’re not fit for service in the Kingdom.

Does Jesus have my whole heart? If so, I will be moving forward in service to Him, making mistakes along the way, but that is better than making no mistakes and having no movement! Jesus is more than able to correct my course in life if I am moving. That cannot happen if I’m half hearted and not in motion.

Yesterday I had the power steering flushed out on my Suburban. As I sat in the bay I was instructed to turn the steering wheel all the way to the left, and then all the way to the right, and back again and again and again. It was the most steering I have ever done in one setting (at least it felt that way!), but I didn’t move an inch one way or the other! Jesus can’t drive my parked life either. He’ll take the blunders and the bad attitudes along the way as long as I’m in movement… pursuing Him.

Lord, I want to be fit for service in Your Kingdom. Help me not to look back at the good things or the bad (especially the bad!), but inspire me to passionately look forward to how You are leading so that I can follow closely and represent You and Your Kingdom well. Thank You for Your grace that covers my blunders and babbles… You are awesome and Your Name is worthy to be praised (Psalm 113).

Perseverance Required

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

Luke 8:11, 15

The seed in this parable falls on four types of soil:
1. Path – the evil one plucks it away from their hearts.
2. Rock – the seed is planted, but there is no root. They believe for a while but in the time of testing they fall away.
3. Thorns – the seed grows, but is choked out by life. There is no maturity.
4. Good Soil – the seed is planted, grows and by perseverance produces a crop.

These three things are all needed to reach maturity: Having the Word of God; retaining it (keeping it as the ‘active ingredient’ in your life); and perseverance. Life does not become easy when you hear the Word. It will gain more clarity as you understand your purpose in life, but life does not become easier. Life may become more challenging as you go against the flow of culture and your own natural tendencies to live out the life of Christ. There is need for perseverance! When you have these three elements present, there is a crop! There is maturity. How do you know when a seed matures? When it has grown to the point of harvest. At harvest it has reproduced itself and more seeds are the result.

The Path never hears the Word. It’s been taken away. The Rock hears it, but doesn’t retain it. Without roots, the seed as no chance. In the Thorns the seed has taken root and grow quite a bit, but it never comes to maturity because the Thorns choke it out and growth cannot happen. The seed that falls on Good Soil has head the Word, retained it and after some time and perseverance becomes mature. This maturity is not immediate, but there is growth.

PERSEVERANCE REQUIRED! I think I want things to happen too quickly. I like overnight results! I like instant potatoes, instant coffee (not really) and the microwave. I want to see the results immediately!

The Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t work like that. God is eternal… He is in no hurry. What’s taking ‘forever’ in my mind is a blink of an eye to Him. It seems to me that God doesn’t measure success in terms of expediency but in quality. He takes the time to grow me up slowly, but strongly. There is no ‘instant character!’ We do not produce a crop having been planted yesterday. But through perseverance and an allegiance to His purposes in my life, we do mature, becoming more like Jesus.

Father, thank You for Your plan and Your patience. Thank You for wanting me and not what I can do for You. Help me God to return the same to You. I want You, not what You can do for me. Thank You for loving me in Christ.

Out The Other Gate

'When the people of the land come before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the north gate to worship is to go out the south gate; and whoever enters by the south gate is to go out the north gate. No one is to return through the gate by which he entered, but each is to go out the opposite gate.

Ezekiel 46:9

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says” (46:1). God is zealous and jealous for the worship of His people. When the Israelites came to the sanctuary on the days of worship, they were to exit using, not the closest door, but the one furthest away. Actually, there are only two gates mentioned, but they are on opposite ends of the temple area: North and South. What’s going on here? When the people came for worship, they were to leave in a different place than when they came. Worship was not to be a passive event, but something that changed them. This instruction to physically move out through a different door emphasized the spiritual reality. They were moving forward. They were different after worshipping the Lord. They were not going back to the way they had been. They were exiting through a different gate.

God has me on this journey of faith. I am in movement. I am growing and changing and (hopefully) becoming more like Jesus. I won’t go back to the way I was. After spending time with Jesus, I am different.

Lord, I want to honor You by moving forward. I will exit by the opposite gate after time in worship to emphasize this truth in my heart and mind. I am different! I am different because of You. Thank You for allowing the past to be the past. Thank You for the ability to forget the former things… and thank You for doing a new thing in my life.

Through The Gates

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:12-14

Having the right to go through the gates comes by washing your robes in the blood of the Lamb. So many intense images here… what do they mean? Eternity (seen in the Tree of Life) is with God. Entrance into eternity is through Jesus. As we place our faith in Him, we are made right with God; free from sin. We enter the gates of the city.

Outside the gate are those who live life apart from God. One day that will be an eternal decision. They will not have the right to enter through the gates into the city where the Tree of Life is. Outside the gates is death.

I am also encouraged by verse 12! Jesus is coming soon and His reward is with Him. He will give to everyone according to what they have done. He is the Alpha and Omega… He can do whatever He wants.

Thank you, Father, for these encouraging words. I look forward to that day when I will see You face to face – on my face – and You will make everything right. These words are trustworthy and true (22:6) and they add strength to my life.

“The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”