Don’t Go Until You Get It
“David inquired again of God.” 1Ch 14:14 NKJV
The Bible says: “David asked God what to do. The Lord replied…‘When you hear a sound like marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that is your signal to attack, for God will go before you and destroy the enemy.’ So David did as the Lord commanded…and he cut down…the Philistines” (vv. 14-16 TLB). Observe three things in this story: (1) David refused to make a move until he first talked it over with the Lord. Notice the words, “David inquired again of God.” It wasn’t just something he did occasionally or in times of crisis, it was something he did on a regular basis. (2) David waited until he heard a certain sound: “A sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees.” Do you know God well enough to recognize the sound of His voice? With time and testing you can. “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1Jn 2:20 NKJV). Not only will you know what God wants you to do, He will actually create within you the desire to do it. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Php 2:13 NKJV). (3) David went, knowing God had gone before him to deal with every obstacle that stood in his way. The Bible says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (Jas 1:5). Wisdom is “the ability to use knowledge so as to successfully meet the challenges of life.” You may acquire knowledge from books and schools, but this wisdom is a gift from God. Don’t go until you get it!
Published on Friday, May 18, 2012 @ 11:20 AM CDT
Doing the Right Thing (2)
“Be it known…that we will not.” Dan 3:18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had achieved career success, so they had nothing to gain by challenging the king of Babylon. So, why did they? Because he ordered them to disobey God and violate their convictions by bowing down in worship before a pagan image. No doubt they could have reasoned, “Better a live dog than a dead lion. If we stay alive, maybe we can do good for God and for others.” That philosophy would have convinced many of us, so why not them? Because they realized that Nebuchadnezzar was not the reason for their success. He may have been an instrument God used to promote them, but he was not the source of either their significance or their security. Those two things came from God—and they understood that you can’t abandon the principles of God and walk in the blessings of God. You don’t grieve the One who controls everything, just to get along with those who think they control everything. There will always be those who think they know what you should do. But these three Hebrew boys knew better: “Our God whom we serve is able” (v. 17). Able to do what? “Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20 NKJV). By refusing to bow, when bowing seemed like the expedient thing to do, they turned the hearts of a nation to God. Now, your influence may not be that widespread, but one thing you can count on: others are watching who will be influenced by the stand you take. So ask God to strengthen you, and do the right thing!
Published on Thursday, May 17, 2012 @ 11:56 AM CDT
Doing the Right Thing (1)
“Be it known…that we will not.” Da 3:18
The higher you climb in life, the more certain people will try to assert control over you. Their threats can sound real, and the consequences of ignoring them, intimidating. Look at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their commitment to God landed them in a fiery furnace heated seven times over. But it also promoted them to a place of great blessing and influence. Their story teaches us that for something to be an authentic test of character, it must be a situation in which the outcome is not in your hands. You simply make the choice to do what is right before God and leave the consequences to Him. It’s a trial by fire, but it’s a fire of refinement, and on the other side of it you come out stronger. Each time you do the right thing, choosing to embrace rather than escape the path God has called you to walk, you enter a new level of freedom. And as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego discovered, three things happen: (1) You are set free from the “Nebuchadnezzars” who claim to have control over the outcomes of your life. (2) You are set free to say no to those who would try to use and manipulate you. (3) You are set free to serve your all-powerful King and say no to all the other pretenders who really have no power over you at all. In that moment you not only gain insight into who you are, but more importantly, Whose you are. And God will do one of two things: develop you in the fiery furnace, or deliver you from it. Indeed, He may do both!
Published on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 11:27 AM CDT
Know Your Enemy (2)
“There is another power within me that is at war with my mind.” Ro 7:23 NLT
Today let’s talk about the enemy within. Your old nature is like a fifth column, always looking for ways to sabotage you. It’s the door through which Satan enters. You have two natures, an old one and a new one. They are opposite, and they are always on a collision course. A great illustration of this can be found in the birth of Jacob and Esau. “Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. ‘Why is this happening to me?’ she asked. And the Lord told her, ‘The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son’” (Ge 25:21-23 NLT). Paul talks about his “Dr. Jekyll” nature and his “Mr. Hyde” nature. “I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to sin that is still within me” (Ro 7:22-23 NLT). What’s the answer? Starve your old nature and feed your new one! Again Paul writes: “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2Ti 2:4). That means you must: (1) regularly communicate with headquarters through prayer; (2) read God’s Word to be sure you’re obeying your Commanding Officer; (3) keep your spiritual morale high; (4) not get entangled with the wrong people or things.
Published on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 @ 10:20 AM CDT
Know Your Enemy (1)
“Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2Ti 2:3
The new birth creates a battle between your old nature and your new one. When you were redeemed, you were recruited into this battle. And it begins the moment your eyes open each morning. The big question is, will you hold up or fold up? Victory depends on knowing your enemy’s strategy and having a plan to deal with it. As a follower of Christ the attack you face each day is twofold. First, there is the attack that comes from without. “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jas 4:4). Now that doesn’t mean distancing yourself from your unchurched friends and denouncing all their activities. Nor does it mean adopting a holier-than-thou attitude toward them. It means that instead of the culture affecting you negatively, you engage and influence it positively, like light in darkness. Susanna Wesley defined “worldliness” as four things: (1) ”Whatever dulls the sensitivities of my spirit toward God, or takes the fine edge off my thought of Him—must be ruled out for He is my Lord. (2) Whatever injures and weakens my body, or affects the mastery of it—must be ruled out for it is the temple of the Lord. (3) Whatever adversely affects the clearness of my witness to Jesus Christ before others—must be ruled out for it was His parting wish that I should be a witness of Him. (4) Whatever may cause my brother to stumble in his Christian life—must be ruled out for that would grieve Jesus.”
Published on Monday, May 14, 2012 @ 11:16 PM CDT
