The Prophetic Word- Day 83 thru 88: God will Show Up

The Prophetic Word

Day 83: There may be a “showdown” before there’s a “show up.”

In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on the following scriptures:

“When they went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people, He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him Lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom.”

Psalms 105:13-22 NKJV

“And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my Lord Elijah?” And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ” Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.” So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.”

I Kings 18:1, 7-8, 17-19, 21, 24, 28-31, 36-40 NKJV

The word of God is true and He will fulfill every promise He has made. However, before we see that breakthrough, or before His word comes to pass, we may have to fight the good fight of faith in the face of the enemy.

Tomorrow we will begin our investigation into the showdown before the show up.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 84: God’s word will come to pass.

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Hebrews 6:10-18 ESV

Let’s face the facts, the word of many people can’t be trusted. But, it is a huge mistake to paint God’s word with the same brush as the word of people.

Not only is God faithful to His word, faith REQUIRES that we believe in His faithfulness.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

Now, what kind of faith would we have if we didn’t believe that God is faithful to His promises?

Yes, God is faithful to His promises and backs them with His holy name!

“I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”

Psalms 138:2 NLT

When Balak tried to get Balaam to curse God’s people, Balaam gave this answer:

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!”

Numbers 23:19-20 NLT

Given, we do not always understand how the process God puts our lives through is fulfilling His promises.

Several years ago I asked the Lord why I couldn’t know more about what He had planned for me. Basically, I wanted details.

The Lord spoke very clearly back to me explaining that He, knowing that I tend toward being analytical, knew it was best that I not be given details too far in advance. He said that I would immediately begin trying to fit together all the pieces in my mind as to how what He shared with me would be possible. He basically told me that I would get in my own way.

In our opening scripture we see the writer of Hebrews encouraging the people to remain faithful in their obedience to God by reminding them of God’s faithfulness to His promises. God fulfilled His promise to Abraham because he continued to believe through extraordinary circumstances.

Of course, we want to understand how our circumstances are working toward the fulfilling of God’s promises to us. But understand, the journey God has planned for us (His will), rarely follows a straight line. And, be warned, it is during these “detours” (as we see it), that we may be tempted to question God’s promises to us. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 85: Our Lord had to endure great hostilities to obtain His promise.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

When thinking of the things Jesus suffered, we may forget that He had the option to opt out of the mission He was on.

Indeed, He chose to humble Himself, taking on our form, and therefore, our struggles.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

God used the process of Jesus’ humanity and human frailty to hone Him into the perfect obtainer, sustainer, and leader of our salvation.

“God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”

Hebrews 2:10 NLT

Yes, God took on flesh, and as a human being, set aside the human will, making it subservient to the will of the Father.

“saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Luke 22:42-44 NKJV

This setting aside of the desires of the flesh and continuing on His mission is referenced as Jesus learning obedience through the things He suffered.

“While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:7-10 NLT

In our opening scripture we see that our Lord had a promise to which He clung, a word which sustained Him during His suffering.

And, as the writer of Hebrews notes, we do well to follow the example our Lord provided as to how we obtain the promises of God.

Now, not only do we have the promise of salvation, we have been given many great and precious promises that come along with salvation!

“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

2 Peter 1:4 NLT

But make no mistake, these promises must be held to tenaciously no matter what comes our way. Jesus did this and became highly exalted because of His obedience.

Let’s look at a little more of a passage we considered above:

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:5-11 NLT

Jesus obtained a name above all other names by being obedient to the will of the Father. We must do the same in order to obtain our promises, to see the fulfilling of our word from the Lord. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 86: The word becomes the tester.

“Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.”

Psalms 105:16-19 NKJV

We hear about Abraham being very old when he finally received the promised son, Isaac. But, I believe the even bigger miracle is that Sarah conceived after having completely gone through what we call the change of life (menopause). Indeed, Isaac would be Sarah‘s only child, whereas Abraham had other sons.

The writer of Hebrews expresses the reason for Sarah’s steadfastness in this way:

“By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive [a child], even [when she was long] past the normal age for it, because she considered Him who had given her the promise to be reliable and true [to His word].”

Hebrews 11:11 AMP

On Day 84 we discussed the faithfulness of God concerning His word. Simply put, Sarah was able to receive her promised child by believing that God would do what He had said!

The word of God—such as the word given to Sarah concerning a child of promise—works in our lives like a lathe. If you are unfamiliar with a lathe, it is a type of tool which rotates a workpiece against a fixed cutting tool. This process removes material until the desired shape is achieved. The word of God is that “fixed cutting tool.” And, as we hold to the word (counting God as faithful), it will remove from our character all those things which are not of faith.

As an example, the promise that Jesus will come again is one that many Christians have given up on. They no longer hold fast to the promise of His coming and are no longer subject to its honing. The result of fleeing the cutting edge of that promise is a Church full of very carnal Christians who look just like the world’s children.

It was this very issue that James addresses here:

“So wait patiently, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits [expectantly] for the precious harvest from the land, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged [for it]. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers and representatives]. You know we call those blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] who were steadfast and endured [difficult circumstances]. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord’s outcome [how He richly blessed Job]. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

James 5:7-11 AMP

Whereas the promise of the Lord’s coming is probably the promise most abandoned in modern churches, James’ call to patient endurance applies to waiting for any of the things God has promised.

In our opening scripture we see the psalmist giving the example of how God used Joseph to preserve the children of Israel during a terrible famine. We see in this passage that until the promise of Joseph becoming ruler over his people was realized, the word itself, the promise, tested him.

Because Joseph remained steadfast under all kinds of pressure to abandon the promise, he became a savior for God’s chosen family.

“The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him Lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom.”

Psalms 105:20-22 NKJV

Dear friend, many times it may look as though what God has said could not possibly be fulfilled. But make no mistake, if God has promised it, it is His job to fulfill it. Our job is to stay committed to the process of allowing the promise to form us into what God has called us to be.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 87: There might be a showdown in your future.

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”

James 5:16b-18 NLT

Let’s take a little journey with the prophet Elijah today.

Elijah was a prophet of God during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. We are told that Ahab was an evil king.

“Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal.”

1 Kings 16:29-31 NLT

Because of Ahab’s evil deeds, God would pronounce a drought on the land through the prophet Elijah.

“Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!””

1 Kings 17:1 NLT

Indeed, the pronouncement Elijah gave concerning the drought, is actually our introduction to him.

Immediately after having given the word concerning the drought, the Lord sends Elijah to one place and another where he will be preserved during the drought. During this time Elijah performs many miracles.

But then the time comes for the drought to be over, and God again speaks to Elijah giving him his orders.

“Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.”

1 Kings 18:1-2 NLT

Meanwhile, King Ahab sends out his servant, Obadiah, to look for water. And this happens:

“As Obadiah was walking along, he suddenly saw Elijah coming toward him. Obadiah recognized him at once and bowed low to the ground before him. “Is it really you, my Lord Elijah?” he asked. “Yes, it is,” Elijah replied. “Now go and tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’””

1 Kings 18:7-8 NLT

When Elijah meets up with King Ahab, Elijah calls for an “O. K. Corral” scenario.

“Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.”

1 Kings 18:19-20 NLT

Yes, there is about to be a showdown.

Now consider this, when God spoke through Elijah concerning the drought, it happened immediately with no further action needed by Elijah. As well, he was preserved during that time.

But now—when it is time to pronounce that the drought will be over—the Lord has Elijah call for a showdown.

You see, we make a mistake to think that God must adhere to some “formula” in terms of the way He brings about His judgments and His promises.

Now, we know that God is true to His word; if He has spoken something, it will happen. However, the way He worked at one point in time, may not be the way He works at another.

In my own life, I have seen immediate action concerning some words the Lord has given me. In other cases, it took a longer time to see fulfillment, time in which there were some unusual twists and turns. Some of the words I still hold to, not having yet seen the fulfillment. But I know that just as God has been true to His word in the past, He will remain true to His word, now, and always.

In our opening scripture we see the writer of Hebrews—in stressing the power of fervent prayer—employs the story of Elijah.

Now, in this rendering of the drought scenario one could imagine that the drought happened immediately after having been spoken, and that would be true. But, as we will see, to assume that nothing of any magnitude happened between the pronouncement of the drought being over and rain falling, would be a mistake.

Before rain will again fall, there must be a showdown.

Tomorrow we will look more into the showdown at Mount Carmel.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 88: God shows up to fulfill His word.

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.”

I Kings 18:41, 45 NKJV

Yesterday we left the prophet Elijah as he was issuing a challenge to evil King Ahab.

“Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.”

1 Kings 18:19-20 NLT

As we begin today we see that Ahab takes Elijah up on his challenge.

“So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.”

I Kings 18:20 NKJV

Elijah begins the contest on Mount Carmel by confronting the children of Israel concerning their idolatry.

“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.”

I Kings 18:21 NKJV

The plan for the contest is that Elijah and the prophets of Baal will each offer up a sacrifice. And, the God Who answers by fire, will be worshipped.

As the story goes, the prophets of Baal cried out before their sacrifice all day long and received no answer by fire.

Following their desperate displays, Elijah begins his turn by repairing the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

“Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord…”

I Kings 18:30-32a NKJV

You see, Elijah built an altar of covenant on which to offer his sacrifice. (God had declared Israel to be His own and given them terms of the covenant.)

A good point to take from what Elijah did concerning the altar is that our prayers—in order to be effective—must be based on our covenant with God in Jesus Christ. As well, we must be true to that covenant relationship to receive its benefits.

To try to get a response from the Lord based on our covenant with Him in Jesus Christ, while not being obedient to the terms of that same covenant, is ridiculous.

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you?”

Psalms 50:15-17 NKJV

[Jesus speaking:] “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

Luke 6:46 NKJV

Elijah offered his sacrifice on the altar of God’s covenant to His people. And, Elijah was in good standing in terms of that covenant; He was walking in obedience to the Lord.

Elijah then drenches the altar, the sacrifice, and a trench around the altar, with water and prays a short—but powerful—prayer.

“And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.””

I Kings 18:36-37 NKJV

In this prayer Elijah acknowledges that He is acting on the word of the Lord and asks the Lord to vindicate him and glorify Himself before the people.

With that, fire falls down from the Lord, consuming the sacrifice, the altar, and the water!

But, the showdown isn’t over. The false prophets must be destroyed!

“And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.”

I Kings 18:40 NKJV

Now that there has been a showdown, now that the false prophets have been destroyed, God shows up and brings the rain!

This week we have examined things we must know in order to be successful in the showdown that might come before the show up (the word of the Lord coming to pass).

Let us not fall short of what God has promised by shrinking from a showdown.

Don’t be afraid! Stand on God’s word! Our God is the One Who answers by fire!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming. Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word - Days 77 thru 82: Examine Yourself

The Prophetic Word

Day 77: Examine yourself.

In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on the following scriptures:

“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 NLT

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.”

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NLT

“The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:8-11 NLT

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 NLT

“That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”

Romans 8:8-9 NLT

“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

Galatians 6:4-5 NLT

Christians who never examine themselves will never mature into the likeness of our Lord.

As well, Christians who do become aware of where their ways of being and doing differ from the Lord’s instruction, yet do nothing to adjust their ways, are in for big trouble.

Tomorrow we will begin our investigation into the most important self-exam.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming. Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 78: Ignorance is neither bliss nor innocence.

“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-31 NLT

My father used to tell (with great glee) a true story about a man with whom he was trying to share the gospel. As he had begun to speak, the man objected, saying, “Stop preacher, don’t say anything more. The Bible says that to whom much is given, much is required.” To which my father responded, “Friend, you already know too much!” At this point in the telling of the story my father would always laugh and remark about the fact that we make ourselves foolish in the ways we try to get out of doing what is right.

Now, the scripture that man was referencing is this:

““And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”

Luke 12:47-48 NLT

Indeed, in the telling of this parable, Jesus is confirming that our punishment for doing the wrong thing will be based according to what we knew.

But notice, even the one who didn’t know what was required, was punished; just not as severely. So clearly, ignorance is not freedom from responsibility OR penalty.

In this experience my father was sharing, we see a person who is already aware that they are responsible to know what the Lord requires. Therefore, his willful ignorance, had already put him in a bad spot.

Certainly, some question why people would be punished if they hadn’t known about God or His ways. But—as we see in the word of God—no one can use ignorance to excuse their disobedience, as God has put who He is in the creation for all to see.

“They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Romans 1:19-21 NLT

The fact is, EVERYONE will give an account for what has been done in this life. Therefore, it would behoove us to take stock of ourselves to see if we are lining up with what God requires.

We see time and again throughout the Old Testament God’s people being judged because they refused to adhere to what He required. As well, their ignorance of what their sin was doing to them, put them in an even worse position.

In one place, the Lord references the fact that the mixing of His people with the ungodly has sapped their strength; yet they were ignorant of their pitiful state!

“The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake! Worshiping foreign gods has sapped their strength, but they don’t even know it. Their hair is gray, but they don’t realize they’re old and weak. Their arrogance testifies against them, yet they don’t return to the Lord their God or even try to find him.”

Hosea 7:8-10 NLT

In the book of Revelation the Lord scolds Laodicea (the lukewarm church) for being totally oblivious of their compromised condition.

“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

Revelation 3:17 NLT

In both of these examples (the Jews and the Laodicean church) we find warnings that failure to change will result in punishment.

In our opening scripture we see Paul instructing the church at Corinth concerning their conduct when they come together for the Lord’s supper.

The context of this instruction is that there were many who were disrespecting the holy meal by putting themselves before others, treating each other badly, and partaking of the Lord’s supper as if it were just another opportunity to eat.

Paul gives them some very valuable advice by instructing that they should examine themselves before partaking in this holy meal.

Now, as noted, this was in the context of the need to remember what the Lord’s Table represented: the death of Jesus Christ. But make no mistake, the imperative to be conscious of where we stand by examining ourselves, must be heeded in terms of the whole spectrum of our lives and our living. We will discuss this more tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 79: Diagnosis without treatment does not bring health.

“The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:8-11 NLT

Imagine this scenario: You get up after a long night’s sleep and walk to your mirror. You see your hair disheveled, your eyes matted, your mouth crusted, and any number of other things rendering you not ready for primetime, including your ragged sleep shirt. Then, you turn from the mirror and go get in your car to go to church.

Now, you are ready, aren’t you? Didn’t you see what was wrong with your appearance? Oh, wait, the problem is that you didn’t do anything about what you saw!

“For if anyone only listens to the word without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like.”

James 1:23-24 AMP

This is exactly the point James was making in the above scripture. Not doing what the word says, makes you like the person who sees how they looked, but walks away, forgetting what they needed to do about their appearance.

You see, some people will hear a discussion such as we are having about the need for self-examination and assume that knowing what the word says, or knowing where we’re lacking, somehow fills the obligation of self-examination.

Let’s look at Jesus’ parable about two builders:

““So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.””

Luke 6:46-49 NLT

We see in this parable two men who both apparently built decent houses. The issue was not the structure of the house, but on what it was built. You see, a storm came to each house, with only one standing the test: the one built on the firm foundation.

The reference to a foundation of sand in the parable indicates basing our lives on worldly things, things given to change.

On the other hand, every time we become aware of an area in our lives not lining up with the word of God and we correct it, we are building a firmer and firmer foundation for our lives.

In our opening scripture see Peter warning Christians who have “forgotten” that they were cleansed from their sins.

He began this discourse by talking about all the wonderful promises we have been given through which we may be partakers of the divine nature. He then gives a reminder that we must add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love.

He then shares that the person with these characteristics will not be unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, it won’t just be “head knowledge,” it will be manifested in the person’s being and doing.

Then, we come to what Peter says in our opening scripture about making sure our lives are reflecting that we have answered the call of Christ (our salvation and the resulting obedience to Christ as Lord).

Let’s look at 2 Peter 1:10 in another translation:

“Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin];”

2 Peter 1:10 AMP

Yes, what makes the self-examination beneficial is the application. That is, whatever we come to see in our self-examination that does not line up with what God has said, must be corrected. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 80: Other people are not the standard for our self-examination.

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.”

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NLT

If you choose one child out of a group of children to correct concerning their behavior, there is a very good chance that the child will immediately point to someone else in the group, accusing them of wrong doing. Now, that’s what children do…right? Well, sadly, it’s also what many adults do in terms of estimating their own faults.

Paul, in instructing the churches of Galatia, tells them basically what I said to my sons often as they were growing up. You see, when they would take note of someone else’s indiscretions, I would remind them that, “It won’t look any better on you.” My point to them was that it’s easy to see and condemn the faults in others, yet allow those same things in oneself.

Now, if you put together the “what about-ism” we referenced in terms of “children’s” behavior, with the fact that we tend to subject others’ behavior to greater scrutiny than our own, you come up with the perfect formula for self-righteousness judgmentalism.

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

Galatians 6:1-5 NLT

In addressing some of his self-righteous critics, Paul offers this bit of sarcastic truth:

“Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”

2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT

There it is: Using other people as your standard of measure is foolish!

Indeed, Jesus warned that we not magnify others’ faults while minimizing our own.

“Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:3-5 AMP

As well, Jesus told this parable to illustrate the same point:

“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””

Luke 18:9-14 NLT

In our opening scripture we see Paul addressing some obstinate sinners who were questioning his authority to correct them. He basically tells them to take a good look at their own behavior and then they would be in a better position to challenge him.

As we have been discussing, self-examination is crucial to living lives that reflect Christ.

Let’s leave the, “What about Susie/Sammy?” attitude to children. Let’s let the light of the Lord illuminate our lives so that we can better assess our own obedience to Christ.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 81: If the fruit isn’t there, He isn’t there.

“But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Romans 8:9, 12-14 NLT

The ability to rightly see ourselves is dependent upon the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As well, the ability to be conformed into the image of Christ is impossible without the Holy Spirit’s guidance and empowerment.

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

Galatians 5:16, 19-25 NLT

Also, we would not be warned against quenching or offending the Holy Spirit if that weren’t possible.

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin].”

Ephesians 4:30 AMP

“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT

We stifle the Holy Spirit by repeatedly rejecting His correction and walking in obstinate disobedience.

The point here is this: Yes, it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be conformed into the image of our Lord (sanctification: separation unto God). But, if we do not cooperate by listening to His voice and doing the things that are pleasing to Him, that will never happen; and indeed, we could end up deaf to Him.

So, how can you know if the Holy Spirit is active in your life? Let’s look back at part of the passage in Galatians 5:

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

“Fruit of the Spirit” is just that: the fruit that grows from the Holy Spirit! So, if the characteristics of the Spirit’s fruit are not manifesting in someone’s life, we must assume that the Holy Spirit is not present; or, He is being ignored, which won’t last long.

Our opening scripture is at once a very sobering word and a very empowering word. Whereas, Paul makes clear that if the Holy Spirit is not operating in us, then we don’t belong to the Lord, he also makes clear that if we will follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we will become just like our Lord, we will be His children!

Again, our process of genuine self-examination is only made possible by the Holy Spirit. As well, He gives us the power to change. Change comes through obedience to Him. But, if there is no change, there is no Spirit. If we do not have His Spirit, we are not His.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 82: Are you salty and bright?

““You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Matthew 5:13-16 NLT

David prayed a prayer we should all pray:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Psalms 139:23-24 NLT

The fact is, without actively seeking to become aware of unsanctified areas in our lives, we will become spiritually stunted; and, in some cases, going without self-examination leads to falling away from faith. It’s not a chance we should take.

Over the last several days we have been discussing the need for self-examination to know whether our lives confirm our confession.

As well, self-examination will help us to see whether or not we are living in such a way that our lives are a source of evangelism, drawing others to the knowledge of the truth.

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”

1 Peter 2:11-12 NLT

In our opening scripture we see Jesus saying that we are salt and light to the world. And, as He said, if salt isn’t salty, it’s not good for anything. We certainly won’t make anyone thirsty for living water. As well, if the light (the life of Christ) in us doesn’t show, the darkness is uninterrupted by our presence, and the way to safety stays unilluminated.

Friend, let’s not be blind to our shortcomings. By the help of the Holy Spirit, let’s know how we’re doing and leave no place for the devil (to use) in our lives. Conversely, let’s make sure all areas in our lives are usable to our Lord.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word- Days 71 Thru 76: There is More

The Prophetic Word

Day 71: There is MORE.

In preparation for our discussion over the next five days, please carefully read and meditate on the following scriptures:

“And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.”

1 Corinthians 15:16-23 NLT

“But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.”

1 Corinthians 15:35-38 NLT

“Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”

1 Corinthians 15:47-49 NLT

“What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NLT

“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT

“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””

“Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”

2 Corinthians 6:17- 7:1 NLT

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

2 Peter 1:2-4 NLT

Through the work of Jesus Christ we will live on past our sojourn here. We truly are more than meets the eye. And, our life is about more than what we are experiencing here.

But what about NOW? Is there MORE to be obtained in this life?

Next time we will begin our investigation into the “more” available to those who are in Christ.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Days 72 & 73: We are on the path of MORE.

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

2 Peter 1:2-4 NLT

I think we have all probably—

at one time or another—eaten what is known as “s’mores.” As you might have guessed, the name for that gooey deliciousness came from the phrase “I want some more.”

Now, whereas wanting more of some awesome treat may stand to only hurt your waistline, an attitude of always wanting more of what the world has to offer, can lead to disaster.

Indeed, the s’mores mentality is a product of the world system. That is to say, the spirit of the world cries out continually for more pleasure, wealth, power, any number of things, associated with satisfaction by the world’s standards. The irony is, people who are living their lives according to the dictates (desires) of the flesh, never seem to be satisfied. So s’more is never enough!

We have recently discussed the fact that by worldly standards the Christian walk is one of less and less. But, the truth (which can only be seen through the transformed mind) is that—to the contrary—we are walking a path of more and more.

“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.”

Proverbs 4:18-19 NLT

Given, we are not ignorant of the fact that we will face struggle in this life; but our inward person, is being renewed and improved (becoming more!), as we are faithful through our affliction.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV

Additionally, Jesus promised that there is great reward (more!) in Heaven awaiting those who suffer because of their allegiance to Christ.

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

Matthew 5:11-12 NLT

However, if our affection and our hope still rests in the things this world can offer, even if we were to try to remain faithful, we are living with the toxic mindset of less and less. As such, it is only a matter of time before our steadfastness is compromised.

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

1 John 2:15-17 NLT

In our opening scripture we see Peter referencing the more and more grace and peace we will receive as we grow in the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. Yes, we can share in the divine nature now.

Far from living a life of less and less, we are living a life of more and more NOW. And, we will look into this MORE tomorrow.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 74: We will be/are being transformed into MORE.

“What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 NLT

Paul stressed to the church at Ephesus the importance of the five-fold ministry (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) in terms of building the body of Christ (the Church) into the full stature of our Lord.

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

Ephesians 4:13-15 NLT

As we began discussing yesterday the Christian walk should be characterized as a path—or process—of more and more. Whereas the Church is to grow into the full stature of our Lord (that is, directly reflecting Him and walking in steadfast obedience), the individual believer is also being transformed. Indeed, it is the transformation of the individuals that makes possible the transformation of the Church.

“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT

The Law ironically served to illustrate the impossibility of Fallen man attaining righteousness. Our Sin stain separated us from our Righteous Father and there was nothing we could do about it!

Then Jesus—the perfect Sacrifice—atoned for our Sin. And, through identification with His death (recognizing He paid the debt we could not pay), His righteousness is imputed to us.

Now, being righteous, we can have access to the Dynamo (Holy Spirit) of God and be transformed into our Lord’s image and have His righteous mind (His way of being and doing).

Whereas connection, or access, to His mind is complete with our coming to Faith and being filled with His Spirit, the transformation of our person, is a PROCESS of conforming to Him. This happens by “putting off” (renouncing) the things of sin and shame while allowing the Holy Spirit to direct the “putting on” of Christ (righteousness and peace through obedience to His will).

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Romans 13:11-14 NLT

In our opening scripture we see a glorious description revealing the mystery of our transformation at the coming of our Lord.

But dear child of God—make no mistake—the MORE of our transformation has already begun in us NOW as we follow HIM!

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”

1 John 3:1-3 NLT

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 75: We are a new creation.

“It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-45 NLT

You may have heard people make the comment, “That’s putting lipstick on a pig.” Now, this is generally used to reference a bad situation being shown in a positive light. In terms of politics, this lipstick on a pig thing is referenced as “spin.”

With “spin,” a situation that is bad for your cause or candidate, is “reframed” in a way to make it either neutral or good for your cause.

Sadly, in terms of the condition of our inner person before the work of Jesus Christ, any of our attempts to improve or hide our actual fallen state, were just a basic cosmetic application and did not change our sin-sick souls. Truly, a lipstick-on-a-pig scenario, as no “frame” could hide the ugliness in the portrait of our soul.

Through the work of Jesus Christ our inner person did not receive a “makeover,” but rather, a radical transformation brought through being transferred into the rule of Christ.

“always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

Colossians 1:12-14 NLT

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NLT

Although we still live in a fallen vehicle, our inner self is now alive to God and capable of saying no to sin!

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”

Romans 6:1-6 NLT

Truly, through the work of Jesus Christ, we are transformed and are capable of living a new life. We don’t have to settle for some Cinderella-like transformation that disappears at midnight. We have become MORE than we were. We have become heirs, God’s children, through Jesus Christ!

In our opening scripture Paul is explaining what the resurrection of the dead will look like. He explains that we will have a glorious new body. But—the additional good news is—newness of life, the MORE of sonship, has begun NOW! Indeed, our new and eternal life has already started!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

The Prophetic Word

Day 76: More now and more later.

“For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”

Philippians 3:18-21 NLT

Jesus and His disciples were traveling and came to Samaria (where the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman happened with which you’re probably familiar). The disciples left for a while to get supplies. Upon returning, they were encouraging the Lord to eat something:

“But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”

John 4:32-34 NLT

Truly, the Lord lived His earthly life being energized by doing the will of His Father. Indeed, He was able to endure the suffering of the cross by continuing to see His reward as doing what He was sent to do.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

These last several days we have been discussing the fact that the life of a Christian is a life of more and more. But—as we discussed earlier—you will perceive your life as being anything other than more and more if you still look for fulfillment and satisfaction in the things of this world.

As well, we must remember that those who live according to fleshly lusts will never understand that we are living a life of more and more.

“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.”

1 Peter 4:2-4 NLT

Think about some of the philosophies the world embraces as reflected in saying things like, “you just need to let your hair down,” or, “you need to sow your wild oats,” or even, “you’ve earned this,” and the “this” is some sort of debauchery.

Yes, our life is one of more and more, but the world will never understand how that is the case.

Paul, speaking to the church at Corinth, as part of his assertion that they have proven that they are true ministers of the gospel, offers this:

“Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”

2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT

Indeed, though by worldly standards, we may lack, we actually have everything!

In our opening scripture we see Paul contrasting those who live according to sinful lusts with those who regard their citizenship or allegiance to be in Heaven.

In his description of those who are looking to Heaven for their more, we see that there is an eagerness for the coming of the Lord and to experience the more that is yet to come when we are given our glorified bodies.

Yes, my friend, the world may see us as having less and less; but the eternal truth is, life in Christ, is one of MORE NOW and MORE LATER!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!