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Word for Today:  August 19

An Unfailing Anchor.

God’s Word is an Anchor that holds (Heb 6:19).   It is as reliable as God is.  It is as strong as God is.  It is as enduring as God is.  It is as changeless as God is.

The Word proved to be an unfailing Anchor in the lives and experiences of many of the Heroes we read about in the Bible.  It held steady in times of trials and impossibilities.  It gave them security in the times of storms and conflicts.  The Word was an anchor in them that held them secure in the Hand of God.

• The Word in Moses produced Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
• The Word in Joshua drove out the enemy and produced victory in the Promised Land.
• The Word in David gave him strength in the time of temptation and victory in the time of attack. The result was and is the matchless beauty of Worship and Praise in the Book of Psalms.
• The Word in Elijah produced water in the season of drought.
• The Word in Joseph sustained him in prison, delivered him from lies and brought him great favor and promotion as the Prime Minister of Egypt.
• The Word in Job kept him faithful to God in his loss of everything he loved and treasured.
• The Word in Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son from the dead, caused the axe head to swim and cleansed numerous lepers.
• The Word in Daniel stopped the mouths of hungry lions.
• The Word in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, cooled the fiery furnace and brought the Son of God from heaven to comfort them.
• The Word in John the Baptist caused him to launch Jesus into His public ministry.
• The Word in Paul saw him through ship wrecks, stonings, scourgings, imprisonments, rejections and betrayals and produced most of the New Testament.
• The Word in John gave him a glimpse of the Rapture, the Return of Jesus and the Eternal Perfect State of those who are washed in the Blood.

The Word held them steady in the face of every impossibility.

It is our Anchor and It never fails

Word for Today:  19

Checkers.

Even though our Christianity is not a game, some of the same rules tend to apply.

For Example, our spiritual growth is kind of like playing checkers.  Remember, the object is to get yourself to the King Line and get a crown. You take your turn.  And you get there one square at a time.  But it had better be The Right Square.  The wrong square will get you jumped, captured, defeated, taken off the board and put into the enemy’s hand.

Once you get “crowned” you have more mobility.  You have more authority.  More power.  More effectiveness.  More freedom.  More opportunities.  But you still must move with wisdom.  Even a king in the game of checkers can be jumped if he is careless.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1Pe 5:8

Be sure you make the Right Move today

Word for Today:  August 17

Emotions, feelings or the Word

Religion has taught us that we can experience the power of God only occasionally.  We have been taught that sometimes God just lets bit a little of heaven come down and bless us.  We have prayed and stayed and fasted and repented and preached and prophesied in order to get the power to come down… the fire to fall… revival to happen.

We have been led to believe that every once in a while God will give us a little dab of glory just to keep us going.  We have been taught that the Christian experience is a series of peaks and valleys… ups and downs… drought and abundance…. times when we are hot and times when we are cold.

Where did this come from?  It came from our emotions and our feelings.  It came from our soulish man.  It is not the way it is in the Spirit!

God is the same.  Jesus is the same.  The Holy Ghost is the same.  The Word is the same.  His Eternal Purpose is the same.  When we walk in agreement with His Purpose, we are the same!  There is no “variableness” in Him or in us when we fulfill our part in His plan.

The Word is stronger than our emotions….

Word for Today:  August 16

The approaching Renaissance.

I believe we are on a collision course for a Moral and Spiritual Renaissance.  And this is good.  There is a deadly sickness among us.  An infectious disease that will ultimately bring about the destruction of our nation…. if it is not treated and cured. And it’s not a pandemic. It’s deeper than that. And more disastrous.

Many are ready to do something.  Many are coming to the conclusion that our ONLY hope is a Spiritual Awakening.  I believe that this is you and me.  Us.  The Church.  The believers in our city.  In our Nation.

However, we must never be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem.  This sickness is “not unto death” but I believe an excellent opportunity for God to be Glorified.  This was the case when Lazarus died (John 11).  He did die, but Jesus turned the tragedy into triumph.  I am confident the same Jesus can and will turn our moral downward spiral into a great Triumph.

Never underestimate the power of the minority.  Martin Luther King, Jr. proved this point.  (“I have a dream…”)   Gideon and his 300 proved this.  The Nation of Israel continues to prove this.

We may be in the minority, but we have God.  And God has us.

That turns the table and changes the equation

Several years ago, we were returning to Mobile from our vacation, an extended road trip in our motorhome.   While cruising down Interstate ten hundreds of miles away from Mobile in the middle of nowhere, I hit a rough spot in the highway and suddenly the air suspension system on the motorhome failed.  The rear end bottomed out and we had an emergency. 

About a half-mile away I spotted an exit from the busy highway, so I headed for it.  Carefully slowing down, I pulled off on the exit and was overjoyed to see a lone service station at this intersection.  My joy turned to despair when I saw the station was abandoned.  And had been for a long time.  The windows were boarded up, the gas pumps were gone, and nothing was on the site but an old disabled automobile sitting off in the back of the parking lot.  There was no one there.  There were no other buildings or businesses anywhere in sight.  We were stuck.  With no hope of any immediate assistance and possibly an expensive tow home.  If I could even get one.

While we were wondering what to do next, a pick-up repair truck suddenly appeared and drove right up to where we stopped.  A guy jumped out and said, “Hey, buddy, you need some help?”  I was stunned.  I told him what happened. He crawled under the bus to see what was broken.  “No problem,” he said, “I can fix this for you in a jiffy…”   I felt as if I were surrounded by an invisible company of protectors and providers. 

He fixed it.  Would not let me pay him.  Said he was glad to help.  Got back in his truck and drove off.  We cranked up the bus, got back on the Interstate and continued our trip home…

Feeling as if God had special Repairmen Angels

Word for Today:  August 15

The Word demands a response.

You will respond one way or another.  You cannot ignore and remain unresponsive to the Word.  Each of you will respond.  And you will respond in one of only four ways.

Christianity hates neutrality just as atmosphere hates a vacuum.  You can measure your response to the Word and determine your future.  Your future is absolutely predictable by the way you respond to the Word of God.  There are no “unknowns” in the life of a believer.

Your response to the Word will determine what happens to you today as well as in the future… Therefore, it is extremely important that you respond in the right way.

Paul commands us to “Work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling…”  (Phil 2:12).  He knew the extreme importance of a correct response to the Word.  The Word is in us.  We are to “work out” what God has “worked in.”  There is Life in the Word.  There is Power in the Word. There is Light in the Word.    There is deliverance in the Word.   There is Healing in the Word.   There is Strength in the Word.  There is Peace in the Word.  There is Salvation in the Word.   These elements are to be “worked out” through our response to the Word.

First, you need to understand that the Word is a Seed.

There is Life in the Seed.  There is potential in the Seed.  There is power in the seed.  There is an image in the seed.  The seed is the secret.  The seed is the source.  The Bible declares that the Word of God is the “incorruptible Seed…”  (I Peter 1:23)  “Incorruptible” means “undecaying” in essence or continuance.  Simply, it means “immortal” and “eternal”

Second, you need to understand that the Seed must be planted.  It must be sown and it must be sown in the right kind of soil.

Third, Seed must have Ground in order to grow.

Without ground, seed is no good.  The seed must have a response from the ground if it is to produce fruit.  There are cases of seeds remaining dormant and useless for hundreds of years because there was no ground for it to be sown in.  When the ground makes a proper response to the Seed, Growth develops and in due season, fruit is produced.    A correct response to the Word will make us fruitful and productive.  A wrong response to the Word will cause us not to bear fruit. (See John 15)

Fourth, YOU are the ground.  Your heart-ground will determine if the seed will germinate and grow.  Your heart-ground will determine what the seed will produce.   Your heart-ground will determine the measure of your spiritual harvest of success.

You set your own boundaries and fix your own limits.

What you grow is what you sow.

What you reap is what you plant.

In the early days (late 60’s and early 70’s) of the Charismatic Movement, which had such a powerful influence on our small Baptist church in Mobile, it became evident that we would need a very special visitation from God to lead our congregation into the Grand Plan He had for us.  So many things were happening in such a powerful way and so quickly, it would be necessary for us to really know how to hear from God, believe Him and have some sort of special revelation regarding leading our Baptist Church into that of a full Gospel ministry. 

There would be times of testing, scrutiny and examination by our Baptist peers so we needed to be able to lead our flock in the Truth of God’s Word in a way that it would dispel all arguments and all accusations.  So it was imperative that we learn How to Believe God.

We began to study and research the subject of New Testament Faith because we knew that “without faith” it would be “impossible to please God.”  (Heb 11:6)  And if we were to please God we would have to know everything we could find out about faith.  It was going to require supernatural faith to get us through the quagmire of denominational doctrine, embedded traditions and common practices that were going to oppose our neo-Pentecostal objective.   In this early stage of the Charismatic Movement, the Biblical truth regarding the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit was under scrutiny.  Especially the practice of speaking in tongues.  We were in desperate need of having faith to see us through.

Our limited knowledge and experiences of operating in faith and living by faith were going to have to change.  We needed someone or some book or some teacher to lead us in our quest to understand and move in faith.  So we prayed for help.

One evening, late, as we were preparing for the night, someone knocked on the front door of the parsonage, our home situated next to the church.  When I answered, a man dressed in a suit and carrying a small brief-case was standing on the steps.  He told me that he was a minister and teacher of the Gospel passing through Mobile, and needed a place to stay for the night.  He was very apologetic and stressed that he only needed a place to sleep… he asked if would we be able to accommodate him even though he was a complete stranger and was very clear stating that he would not, in any way, want to inconvenience us.   Needless to say, we were sort of “put on the spot.”  My wife and I exchanged glances and I could tell by her expression she thought it would be ok.   So, we moved our daughter out of her bedroom and gave it to him. 

If I remember correctly, there was very little visiting time spent with him before we retired for the night.  We had an understanding with him that we would have breakfast together the next morning before he continued on his way.

The next day, when we got up to prepare breakfast, our friend was nowhere to be found.  He had gotten up early, made the bed up and left without so much as a “thank you.”   Then we noticed something strange.  On the table near the front door was a small package.  When we examined it, we discovered it was a group of cassette teaching tapes all bound together with a rubber band.  And the subject of the series of in-depth teachings was…. FAITH.  And it was this revelation that God used to navigate us through a difficult time that resulted in unbelievable miraculous results. 

We had “entertained an angel…. unaware”

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  Heb 13:2 

Word for Today: August 14

Attitude.

Notice the attitude of those gathered in the Upper Room in Acts chapter 2:

FIRST:  They were serious about God.  They were serious about Church.  They were serious about Spiritual Things.  They were not playing games or pretending.  They were committed.

SECOND:  They were praying.  They were believing.  They were expecting.

THIRD:  They loved each other, forgave one another and were together in unity.  Petty differences were forgotten.  The playing field was level.

FOURTH:  They wanted IT.  They wanted fire from heaven.  They wanted revival.  They wanted God and all that God had for them.

FIFTH:  They were “In one accord…”   They were not arguing doctrine or comparing spiritual gifts.  They were not competing for attention or envious of others.

SIXTH:  They were filled with praise and thanksgiving to God.  They were unashamed and bold.  They were not intimidated and they were not shy.  They were not embarrassed about the Holy Ghost.

FINALLY:  They were not going to quit until they got it and until the whole world was touched.

What we are content  with determines what God can do in us.

Dissatisfaction leads to greater possibilities

Word for Today:  August 12

Be a healer

I’m not talking about laying hands on the sick.  I’m talking about healing relationships.  Healing divisions.  Healing differences.    Building bridges and not walls.  Taking down fences and opening gates.

Our past religious traditions have built too many walls.  We are called and purposed to tear them down and build bridges in their place.

According to the Word, believers are living stones.  We are to be collectively built up into a Spiritual House (not houses, plural) but a House (singular).

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house…   1Pe 2:5

In the past we have been divided, and put separate piles…. Different piles.  Diverse piles. Cultural piles.  Racial piles.  Economic piles.  And “church” piles.  God wants us to be One Pile not many piles.

• We have had Baptist piles
• Methodist piles
• Catholic piles
• Presbyterian piles
• Pentecostal piles
• Episcopalian piles
• White piles
• Black piles
• Hispanic piles
• Asian piles
• Nationality piles
• Rich piles
• Poor piles
• Educated piles
• Uneducated piles

God is calling us to One Pile so that He can build a Spiritual House… and that is what happens when we make a determined effort to heal broken and bruised relationships.

Be a healer today

Heaven is a Place where we all want to go, but most do not know what we will find when we get there.  We have been exposed to some really weird ideas about Heaven.  (Puffy white clouds and robed individuals sitting on them and plucking harps.)  However, the Word is very plain in describing heaven.  It tells us what Heaven is like.  It tells us who is there.  It tells us what it is.  And It tells us how to get there. 

There are three heavens.  The First heaven is the sky where the clouds are.  The Second heaven is outer space where the planets and galaxies are.  The Third Heaven is where God’s Throne is and where God presently dwells.

The part of Heaven Believers will inhabit forever is a city (Rev 21).   It is a city located in the Larger Place called Heaven.  This City is filled with the glory of God and has an outward appearance of beauty, precision, and wealth that has never been witnessed by humanity.  It has walls and gates.  And foundations comprised of precious jewels. It is the largest (1500 miles wide) and most elaborate city ever imagined by man.  It has a surrounding wall two hundred feet high made of indescribable material that resembles precious stones.  The twelve gates in this great wall are made of solid pearl. The streets in this city are pure transparent gold… nothing like this has ever been seen by human eyes.  The glory of God is of such brilliance that the city has no need of the sun for light. 

There are pure, crystal clear rivers flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1).   There are great Broadways proceeding from each of the four sides of God’s Throne.  On either side of these great golden broadways there are rows of Trees of Life which bear fruit each month.  There is no sickness, no disease, and no death in Heaven…  Every inhabitant will enjoy Eternal Life. 

Conditions will exist eternally as they did before the curse caused by the rebellion of Lucifer and Adam.  The inhabitants of Heaven are the redeemed, the faithful angels and all of earth’s original creatures.  The lamb will lie down with the lion.  Death is abolished.  All animals will be herbivorous.   Those there will be allowed to see the Face of God.  His Name will be written on their foreheads, and they will rule and assist God in the administration and affairs of all Creation.  They will live with God FOREVER. 

That’s where I’m headed