Our Faith Walk

Never Alone

“And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” Genesis 2:18a (KJV)

We are never alone because God has promised always to be with us (Heb. 13:5).  This seemingly simple affirmation concerning God’s presence reflects our assurance that in spite of present circumstances or situations, we are never in it by ourselves—we are never alone.

In the Old Testament, God’s presence was associated with specific places.  After witnessing God’s messengers ascent and descent upon heaven’s ladder, Jacob humbly responded, “Surely the LORD was in this place and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16).   Jacob then erected an altar to acknowledge God’s presence and named that place, Bethel, which literally means “House of God”.  Jacob realized he was never alone.

During Israel’s journey to the Land of Canaan, God revealed His presence in “smoke and fire”—first at Mt. Sinai (Exod. 19:18).  Later when the Tabernacle was erected, the Israelites would observe (from afar) the Presence of the Lord descend as a pillar of cloud and stand at the door of the Tabernacle as the LORD talked with Moses (Exod. 33:9).  Even in the wilderness, the Israelites discovered they were never alone.

The Temple in Jerusalem would ultimately be the place where the Nation of Israel would worship Jehovah.  It was there that “God dwelled’ and where His people would journey to observe the three Hebrew feasts—Passover (Lev. 23:5-8), Pentecost (Exod. 23:16) and Tabernacle (Lev. 23:34-44). The Temple and the city of Jerusalem were often referred to as Zion (fortress).  Zion was used figuratively of God’s spiritual kingdom where He dwelled (Ps. 125:1).   Those who worshipped God had to go where God dwelled.

“God with us” (Immanuel) was fully realized through the incarnation of Jesus (Matt. 1:23). This was the first time since the Garden of Eden that man would again experience fellowship with God.  This time it would be through His Son.  Imagine then, after three years of unbroken fellowship, the sense of abandonment Jesus’ disciples must have felt as they prepared for His departure.  But Jesus promised that He would not leave them comfortless or alone (John 14:17).  After His ascension into Heaven, Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter, Guide and Teacher (John 14:8; 15:26; 16:13).  On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) they received the full measure of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit and with it the power and boldness to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul wrote of his unwavering confidence in God’s presence even in the midst of persecution for his faith (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.   But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…”

The Apostles knew they would never be alone.  Believers must echo that same confidence knowing that Deity resides within each of them.  Today we can experience the fullness and power of God’s Presence through His Holy Spirit.  God is with us in unbroken fellowship and joyful intimacy (John 17:22-23).  During this time of transient relationships, it is reassuring to know that God is and will always be with us.  In spite of trials and tribulations, we are never in it by ourselves—we are never alone.

Good to the Last Byte…

With each new dispensation, God revealed His presence in different ways that reinforced the fact that His chosen people are never alone.  Throughout the writings of the Psalmists, God’s presence was recognized to extend beyond the spatial limitations of tabernacles and temples.  In Psalm 139:7-10, God’s immensity is featured:

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?   If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.   If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.”

God's Word

“Dats what God’s Word do!”

Baseball and the WordKansas City is alive with excitement as the Kansas City Royals approach a World Series that has eluded them for twenty-eight (28) years.   The team has been blessed with young and exciting players that have added personality and flair to Kansas City baseball.  One of its newer players is Gerrod Dyson, who is noted for his extraordinary speed.  When asked by sportscasters as to the secret of his ability to steal so many bases during a game, he humbly and laughably replied, “Dats what speed do!”  After reading Gerrod’s response, I felt humorously inspired to write this week’s teaching on the extraordinary power of God’s Word.

God’s creative WORD was evidenced throughout Genesis.  God would speak and it was done.  Darkness separated from light and the result He called night and day (Gen. 1:4-5).  God said “let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven” and the sun and the moon came into existence (Gen. 1:15-16).  Greater still was God’s Word of salvation in which He sent His only begotten Son to save us from sin’s death grip. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me” (Heb. 10:5).

God’s transformative WORD can be found in both the New and Old Testament with the clearest benefits being outlined in Psalm 19.  Ps. 19:7-8 uses several descriptors to convey the power of God’s Word in the life of the believer.  “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.   The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”   God’s Word transforms by reviving the sorrowful soul, making wise the ignorant, and giving joy and light to its reader.

God’s prophetic WORD bears witness to His claim as the only all-wise Sovereign of both heaven and earth.  His spoken Word becomes reality (Num. 23:19).  Throughout the history of Israel, God’s WORD guaranteed deliverance, protection, and provision (Is. 7:7) resulting in confidence and trust in Him alone (Dan. 10:19).  “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught” (Is. 50:4).

God’s effectual WORD is “living and active” (Heb. 4:12).  His Word, whether read or spoken, will “not return empty but will accomplish the desire and the purpose for which it was sent” (Is. 55:11).  God’s Word accurately hits its target—the broken heart, the wayward soul, or the spirit of disobedience.  Because of its effectiveness and accuracy, it can be trusted to bring the unredeemed to salvation (2 Tim. 3:16; 4:2).

God’s WORD is the source for all we need in navigating life on this side and in preparing for life on the other.  How can believers live victoriously in a world that is anti-Christ and dangerously fallen?  We can faithfully embrace what God has taught us in His Word (Col. 3:6-7).  We can maintain joy in the midst of life challenges (1 John 1:4).  We can experience peace rather than fear (Phil. 4:6-7).  Why?  Because “Dat’s what God’s Word do!”

Spiritual Maturity

Spiritual Identity Essentials

In this final teaching on spiritual identity, I’d like to focus on three (3) essentials that will assist us in our journey toward spiritual maturity and wholeness.  These principles will help believers to remain true to their identity in Christ when confronted by the negative influences of the world, Satan, and our flesh (Gal. 2:20).  Jesus’ ministry and personal relationship with His Father provides us solid principles that will help us guard our true identity in Christ and keep the “main thing the main thing”.  These essentials include knowing:  (1) where you came from, (2) why you are here, and (3) where you will ultimately return.   Jesus knew the essentials.

Jesus knew where He came from.  At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, people continually inquired as to His origin.  Questions came from the scribes, the Pharisees, and the priests—any and all who questioned His works (Matt. 13:54) and His authority (Mark 11:28).  There was even a moment of doubt by John the Baptist (Luke 7:20).  However, Jesus was never hesitant to proclaim His origin.  He came from God, His Father.   “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5)

Jesus knew why He was there.  Jesus was never dissuaded or confused as to His purpose.  Early in his life, the boy Jesus reminded his earthly parents of the need to be “about His Father’s work” (Luke 2:49).  Even when Jesus was burdened by His imminent death and separation from His Father, He quickly refocused His attention to God’s purpose for His life—salvation for mankind through the Cross.  “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27)

Jesus knew where He was ultimately returning to.   Jesus’ return to heaven would not mark the end of His life but the fulfillment of His destiny. In heaven, as a result of His obedience, He would be exalted and glorified as Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,   and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:9-11)

So how do these three principles affect our spiritual identity?  The knowledge of our origin (in Christ) gives the believer confidence knowing that Jesus is the Source and Sustainer of our life.  We have divine access to God who is all powerful, all knowing, and ever present (Ps. 145:13).  Our purpose becomes the channel through which God’s purpose is fulfilled.  Our life has eternal value and consequence.  We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us (2 Cor. 5:15).  Our destiny is inexplicably connected to heaven where Christ now resides (Ep. 1:10).  Knowing our true destiny redirects our efforts “to store up treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20) while teaching us to wisely “number our days” here on earth (Ps. 90:12).

Our spiritual identity is found in Christ.  This union with Christ connects our origin, our purpose, and our destiny with Him.  What Jesus has, we have!  We who were once dead in our sins are now “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).  This “sameness” guarantees us a common spiritual life with the Father and Son (1 Cor. 6:17), eternal security from all spiritual enemies (Heb. 7:25), and access to all God’s blessings (1 Pet. 1:4).  Such knowledge of our true spiritual identity is too wonderful for words yet let us boldly proclaim our identity in Christ!

Spiritual Maturity

Spiritual Identity Theft

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26 (KJV)

The recent security breaches at Target, Home Depot, and other million dollar merchants, have left many of us extremely nervous concerning identity theft.   It has become a lucrative business as personal information is illegally accessed and sold to the highest bidder whose intent is to defraud and swindle.  It is an event we pray never happen to us. Similarly, theft of our spiritual identity can be a costly event.  Why is protection of our spiritual identity important?

First, our spiritual identity connects us to our source of life, God the Father. In Christ Jesus” we are reconciled to God. Now we are “children of God” and His “son” (John 1:12; Rom. 8:14). Understanding our spiritual identity, we can access those rights and privileges that are rightfully our “birthright”. Our identity, which was loss in the garden, was restored at the Cross.

Secondarily, our spiritual identity replaces the distorted view we have of ourselves communicated by Satan and the world, and through unhealthy attachments and relationships. It is here that we develop “false identities” of who we are. These false identities leave us brokenhearted and emotionally damaged. God’s truth, our identity in Christ Jesus, is needed to replace the lies we believe (John 8:32; 10:13).

The key perpetrator of spiritual identity thief is Satan. Our true identity was established in the Garden of Eden. There man was created in the image of God and shared unbroken fellowship with the Father. He was given authority over all creation and total access to limitless resources (Gen. 1:28). That was God’s identity for man–beloved creature and ruler–until his identity was “stolen” through deceit and deception. Satan took man’s glorious identity, given by God the Creator, and robbed him of his “good name”, leaving him “spiritual bankrupt.”

God, in His mercy and love, sent Jesus to retrieve and strengthen our true identity that was stolen in the Garden. “In Christ Jesus” we have been given a new name and new blessings to be enjoyed now through eternity. Our true identity is now safe and secure, “theft resistant” because of that which Christ accomplished on the Cross.
Spiritual Maturity

Identification with Christ

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20  (KJV)

While “identity” denotes that set of characteristics that constitute our essential self or personal uniqueness, it also describes our sameness with groups.  We identify with groups based on their characteristics, values, and/or belief system.  For example, we may identify with a particular area (Midwesterner, New Yorker), a certain demographic (Baby Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials), or even a certain cause (MADD—Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Save the Whales).    Our identity with certain groups may be intentional in hopes of elevating our status or gaining influence.  Identification with Christ is, however, what really matters both now and for eternity.

“Identification”, for purposes of our teaching today, denotes association in name, feeling, interest, or action.  When identification is used in this manner, it is usually followed by the preposition with, such as, “He preferred not to identify himself with that group.”  How do we identify with Christ and what does it look like in our lives?  Mark Hankins, in his book, The Power of Identification in Christ, gives us great insight as to where identification with Christ begins:

“Your identification with Christ or who you are in Christ begins with the grace of God.  God puts you in a place where you can see His glory, get in His presence, know and experience Him.”

This grace of God was demonstrated to us through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

 “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:4-6

So how do we begin this journey of identifying with Christ?  We begin identification with Christ by identify with…

His death.  Before Christ came into our lives we were dead in our trespasses (Col. 2:13).  We were bound by our human tendencies to follow the impulses and temptations generated by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).   Now with Christ, our old nature has been put to death ((Ep. 4:22; Mark 8:35).  This dying to sin and self is possible as a result of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

His burial.   What do you do with dead things? You bury them!  Sin is no longer “operative” (effective) in the believer’s life.  We do not have to respond to sin’s demands (Col. 2:12) and we are released from Satan’s control over our lives (Romans 6:11-12).    To return to a lifestyle of sin is as unthinkable for a Christian as for one to dig up a dead corpse!

His resurrection.  We have been “quickened” (made alive) by the Spirit (Ep. 2:1,5 ; 1 Pet. 3:18) and are raised by the power of God into “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).  This power (dynamis) is the same power that God used when He raised Jesus from the grave (Ep. 1:19-20).   It is now the believer’s privilege and responsibility to “appropriate” that power in our Christian walk. 

His glorification.  Since we died and were raised with Christ, we will also be glorified with Him (Ep. 2:6).  The believer’s greatest hope is to partake in the future glory with Christ (Rom. 8:17).  This hope outweighs any trials we may experience now and becomes the goal of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).  Through identification with Christ’s glorification we see the culmination of God’s plan of salvation (Rom. 8:30).

Why is identification with Christ important?  By identifying in Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and glorification, we begin to shed ourselves of the earthly entrapments that compete for God’s love and affection.  Christ becomes the standard as to what true love and obedience looks like—love for our Father and love for one another.  During this process of identification, transformation begins.  Our spirit man no longer must be coaxed to do what is right but finds joy in fulfilling God’s purpose, as willing bondservants to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Pet.1:1).

Our identification with Christ is our personal witness and commitment to the values and beliefs that are associated with Him.  Our life is now hidden in Christ and our attention is focused on a heavenly agendas and kingdom building (Col. 3: 1-3).   In the identification process, we become conformed to the image of Christ, which has always been the desire of the Father (Rom. 8:29).  It is through our identification with our Savior that we achieve our true identity of “Christ-likeness”.

Our Faith Walk

Sure Facts, Overwhelming Odds, and God

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  Genesis 50:19-20 (KJV)

What do sure facts, overwhelming odds, and God have in common?  These are factors which often determine a person’s chance of success in the world.  While these may be actual considerations, they are not the final word.  We must always factor in the sovereignty and providence of God to not only level the playing field, but also to become the obvious advantage.

Sure facts take into consideration those elements we are born with or born into.  They include our “family factors”—our race, our gender, family structure (i.e., parental influence, number of siblings, birth order) and socio-economic position.  We had little control over their selection.  In the case of Joseph, he was born into the family of Jacob as the second youngest of thirteen children.  Jacob had two wives (Leah and Rachel) and two handmaidens (Bilhah and Zilpah) who bore his children (Genesis 30) but Joseph was Jacob’s favorite (Gen. 37:3).  This created an unhealthy and toxic environment for child rearing marked with sibling rivalry and jealousy.

Overwhelming odds are circumstances that minimize the possibilities of success in life and relationships.  They sometimes affect one’s ability to earn a living, care adequately for one’s family, or to live safely and confidently.   Joseph was sold by his jealous brothers to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and was brought to Egypt.  Being a Hebrew slave, the odds of Joseph rising above his new found station in life was slim to none.  The odds became even smaller when he was thrown into prison as a result of the lies of Potiphar’s wife.  When it appeared release from prison was nigh, Joseph became the victim of the baker’s forgetfulness further obstructing any hope of freedom (Gen. 40:23).  But God was about to do exceedingly above all that Joseph could ask or think (Eph. 3:20).

God was on the scene for Joseph as the Holy Equalizer and Change Master.  What appeared to be sure facts and overwhelming odds for Joseph soon became “biblical history.”   God, the Holy Enabler and Way Maker, reversed the circumstances for Joseph whose journey began as a slave from Canaan but ended as a powerful ruler in Egypt.  He went from servant to savior for his people who would have perished from the famine in their land.  Joseph could have used the 16th Psalm as his personal testimony:  “O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

Succumbing to what we believe are “sure facts and overwhelming odds” in our life can only result in despair and hopelessness.  Belief and trust in our God becomes the refreshing promise of rescue and provision regardless of the circumstances we face.  God’s plan and purpose for our life supersedes indisputable facts and devastating odds (Habakkuk 3:17-19).  Our future is not dependent on our family history or our personal past, but on Who we serve.  So the next time you’re weighing your options based on “facts and odds”, remember to factor in God.  God always has the final word.

 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Psalm 20:7

Knowing God

Do As I Say!

“Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Ephesians 5:1,2 (NKJ)

 While shopping last week, I observed a frustrated parent attempting to convince their strong-willed child to follow their instruction.  After several failed attempts, the parent sternly issued this directive, “Do as I say!”  The child, discovering new wisdom (or fear) complied.  Paul instructs the new believers in Ephesus on how they are to walk out their new life of faith.  His directive to them is a blueprint for spiritual success—“Be imitators of God.”

The word imitator (mimetes) is translated “mimic”.  If we are God’s children we ought to mimic or imitate the attributes we see in our Heavenly Father.  This should not be as difficult as it sounds since we have become new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and partakers of God’s nature (2 Pet. 1:4).  We have within us, the spiritual makeup (Holy DNA) to reproduce God’s character in our lives.  If successful, the result is a mindset and life style that reflects “God in us” (John 17:21, 23).

In examining God’s attributes, the one from which all other attributes find their origin is love. God is love (1John 4:16) and His love was manifested to us through His only begotten Son (John 3:16).  It is through Jesus Christ, that God revealed His love for mankind.  It is this divine love, agape love that the children of God are to imitate.

Jesus modeled for mankind what the love of the Father looked like in a fallen world through His willingness to leave the splendor of heaven for the squalor of earth.  He “became poor that we might become rich in salvation and life” (2 Cor. 8:9) and was “made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).  He “humbled Himself and was obedient to death on the cross” (Phil. 2:7, 8).  Jesus’ walk of love was viewed by God as a “sweet smelling sacrifice” (Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 2:9).  The idea behind the sweet smelling sacrifice is it was pleasing to God.

I’m sure God is often challenged by His strong-willed children.  It is His desire that we also walk in love.  With Jesus as our model, God’s Holy Word, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to divest ourselves of childish immaturity and self-centeredness.  In humbleness of spirit and with an obedient heart, we can walk in a manner that imitates God.  Then our lives, like Jesus’, will become a sweet smelling sacrifice that pleases our heavenly Father.

Good to the Last Byte…

One of the greatest revelations we can receive is an understanding of the enormity of God’s love.  His love is not a result of anything we deserve or can earn, but is evidence of inherent goodness.  Read  1 John 4:7-21 in your quiet time and ask the Lord to show His love for you in new ways.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Knowing God

Who Needs More?

“(I am) Asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.” Ephesians 1:17, 19a (NLT)

I try to be authentic in my faith walk but often time find myself guilty of behavior that resembles the world.  Although I daily pray and meditate on His Word, I am often beset by the desire for “more’—specifically more of the spiritual things that I read about or hear about from other Christian believers.  So what’s my problem?  Jesus answered me but not in the way I expected.

I asked the Lord for more faith to believe what He had for me.  I failed to realize that more faith was not to come.  Jesus told His disciples that if they had “faith the size of a small mustard seed” they could move mountains (Matt. 17:20).  Jesus refused my request for more and replaced it with the directive to do more with what He had given me.  My assignment was to step out on the faith I currently had.   I was to focus on being a “faithful steward” (Luke 12:42) and increase His investment in building the Kingdom of God.

I asked the Lord for more spirit to accomplish the tasks He had given me.  I again failed to realize that, like faith, more spirit was not to come.  When I first received the Lord, He placed a full measure of His Spirit within me (Rom. 12:3).  It would be the Spirit of God that would remind me of my new identity in Christ including all the power and privileges that accompanied my new life.  This is the understanding that Paul desired for the church at Ephesus—“that they would be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ep. 3:16).

Today I don’t need to ask God for “more”.  While I think it is God’s desire that I seek more of Him, the spiritual shortfall comes when I fail to recognize that what I desire is already mine.  I now prayer to quickly recognize the great and precious gifts He has entrusted to me (2 Pet. 1:4) and move boldly lay hold that which God has already revealed in His Word and through His Spirit.    I now know that “more” was given to me the moment I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  And that is more than enough.

 Good to the Last Byte…

The New Testament often uses the word “know” to describe how we understanding “spiritual things”—with our heart (experiential) or with our head (intellectual).  Both levels of knowledge are needful, but Jesus is calling us to experience Him through a personal relationship with Him.  It is here that we gain “more”—not in quantity but in the quality of intimacy.

Spiritual Maturity

The Power of Proclamation

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”  Colossians 2:6-7 (NKJ)

“And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Rev. 12:11a (NKJ)

As I was finishing my evening devotions, I asked the Lord why we, as believers, have such a difficult time receiving the power He has given us to live out His purpose.  As I finished my reading, this thought came to mind, “You cannot claim what you do not proclaim!”  In other words, there is an apparent disconnect between what we mentally believe and how we personally walk out that truth in our lives.   We fail to make a personal proclamation.

Our failure to boldly proclaim and claim God’s power in our life may be as a result of choosing to operate independently, outside of God’s direction.  We may opt to follow the path of “diys”—do it yourself.  This may be a good approach in doing home projects but not in the advancement of one’s spiritual maturity.  Failed efforts are reflective of our failure to accept our own human imperfection.  In reality, what seemed to be the “best way” results  in failure to proclaim God’s sufficiency and failure to claim His desired outcome for our lives.  “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”       (Ep. 2:10, NLT).

Lack of success in our personal proclamation often stems from a lack of understanding and acceptance of our identity in Christ.  “In Christ, in Him, of Him” was used most often by Paul in his letters to the Early Church.  It describes our special union with Christ and the benefits we can “proclaim and claim” as a result of that union.  We are one with Christ, therefore what Christ has we also possess.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ep. 1:3).

Satan desires that we remain “spiritually ambivalent.”  If he can silence our proclamation of the freedom and goodness to be found in Christ, he can continue his campaign of deception, disbelief, and disobedience in the believer’s life.  It is the proclamation of believers in Christ that will ultimately lead to Satan’s defeat (Rev. 12:11a).   In Christ, we have “redemption, righteousness and access”, just to name a few.  Once we better know who we are in Christ, we can boldly proclaim and claim His power and presence in our lives.

 Good to the Last Byte…

Using your Bible concordance, find scriptures that include “in Christ”.  Begin to see all the things we have and are becoming as a result of our special union with Christ.

Prayer

A Call to Authentic Prayer

Power in Prayer“Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:  So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”  Joel 2:1, 13 (NKJ)

On July 1st, Anne Graham Lotz launched a worldwide initiative entitled, “777:  An Urgent Call to Prayer.”   Followers of Jesus Christ are asked to “return to God, rend our hearts, repent of our sin, and cry out to God for mercy on behalf of our nation.”  Pray is the battle cry and weapon!   So during the 7th month (July) and on the first 7 days of July special prayers are lifted to God as we examine our hearts and the heart of this nation through the lens of prayer.

“Calling upon the Lord” in united prayer was frequently done in the Old Testament.  Israel’s kings often sought Jehovah’s favor when faced with threats from without and within (2 Chron. 14:11-12; 20:4-15).  Their prayers included fasting, confession of sin and immediate repentance.  Old Testament prophets not only spoke on behalf of God but also “cried out” (Daniel 9:1-19) on behalf of their countrymen.  Whether experiencing good times, threats of war, or even during times of exile, there was always someone who would pray for the restoration of God’s people.

It’s not unusual for the people of God to unite in prayer in response to national needs. Every year on the first Thursday in May, Christians join together for the National Day of Prayer.  In Kansas City, there are numerous ecumenical groups that lay aside their denominational differences to pray for the city (down to specific zip codes), the state, the nation, and the world.  These groups understand the power and purpose of prayer.  They “come boldly to the throne of God” consistently and expectantly (Heb. 11:6).  During both World Wars, leaders around the world would call upon their constituents to pray for the success of their military efforts.  America, during those times, gladly professed to be “one nation under God.”

Now, this July, believers are asked to respond to this “urgent call to prayer.”  There can be no greater calling!  My concern with Ms. Lotz’s initiative, however, is whether we, individually or collectively as a nation, will genuinely “return, rend, and repent”?  Will we rise from our knees truly repentant and committed to an obedient relationship with the Father or will we return to business as usual?  Are our prayers merely urgent but not authentic?

It is time for believers to undertake the gauntlet of prayer especially as we enter into these final days before the return of Christ (1 Thess. 5:17).  Prayer should not be seen as a last resort but instead the “indispensable necessity” for both spiritual transformation and social reformation.  As we enter into serious prayer we must prepare our hearts through true confession and earnest repentance “for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).   If we are to be fruitful in our prayer life, we must enter into it “soberly, humbly, and confidently” (1 John 5:14).   To begin this prayer journey, WordBytes invites you to join us as we focus this month’s teachings on the prayer-filled life.

Good to the Last Drop…

Learn more about 777:  An Urgent Call to Pray at the AnGel Ministries website.  It’s not too late to engage in the daily readings which will truly transform your thinking about prayer.