GOD WILL NOT WALK OUT ON YOU
FEBRUARY 22
Psalm 107 has been called “the Old Testament love feast.” One of the most encouraging passages in all of God’s Word, it is for those needing forgiveness, deliverance or restoration. The final verse promises the reader an understanding of who God truly is: “Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Psalm 107:43).
"O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them" (Psalm 107:1-5).
Here is a classification of people who once knew the fullness of the Lord and at some time in their life discovered glorious deliverance. Now, however, they are in a solitary wilderness, wandering alone, and they cannot find the city.
"The city" in the Old Testament is always Zion, which represents God's true church. Today, of course, it signifies the true body of Christ, those who worship in spirit and in truth but cannot seem to find “the city.” They no longer attend church, refusing to worship with any body of believers—because there is little or no spiritual reality to be found.
Indeed, there are multitudes of starving Christians who go from church to church today trying to find their place. In the end, they give up even seeking a good church because they are determined that there are none. Perhaps you say, "Brother Dave, I can't find a Christ-centered, holiness-seeking church in my area. I can't find the city."
Beloved, God has provided a solution. "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation" (Psalm 107:6-7).
God says, "I will show you the body—I will lead you right to them." Rest assured, Jesus has His body of believers all over the world and if you cry out to Him, He will miraculously bring like-minded Christians to you.
MARY MAGDALENE
FEBRUARY 21
Mary Magdalene epitomizes the bride whose heart is wholly given to Christ. This woman's life was marked by her love and affection for Jesus.
As far as the world was concerned, Mary Magdalene was not a great theologian. When the disciples got together to discuss the deeper things of the cross, she was probably silent, since women of that day rarely spoke openly of spiritual matters in the presence of men. Yet she had something they did not have—she had a revelation!
"The first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (John 20:1). Mary came to the tomb while the others still slept. When she found the stone rolled away and Jesus' body missing, she ran to find Peter and John.
When the disciples arrived at the tomb, they went in and saw the linen clothes neatly folded—but no body. They understood clearly that Jesus was not there. Then, the Bible says, the two disciples "...saw and believed" (verse 8). They remembered Jesus' words to them about His resurrection on the third day. Two verses later we read, "Then the disciples went away again to their own home" (verse 10). They were satisfied with the knowledge that Jesus was no longer there, so they went back to business as usual.
Isn't that just like the church today? Many Christians say, "I've seen the power of the gospel so, of course, I believe." They identify their present relationship with Jesus by mere head knowledge. Not so with Mary! Knowledge was not enough for her. She wanted Jesus Himself and she was not going to move: "But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping" (verse 11).
Mary’s spirit was crying, "This world is intolerable without Him. I can't go home." She simply loved the Lord and she was determined to stand gazing into that tomb until her breaking heart found answers. Sure enough, Mary's heart of devotion brought her a visitation of the divine.
"And as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting . . . where the body of Jesus had lain" (verses 11-12).
While the other disciples were back home, Mary was seeing things nobody else could see—because her heart was given to Jesus.LOOKING FOR HIS COMING
FEBRUARY 20
Jesus says in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
A characteristic of the bride of Christ is an expectancy of His soon return. Jesus’ bride is to live in continual, joyful expectation of His imminent return—because He may come at any moment.
Jesus warned, however, that in the last days evil ministers will infiltrate the church in an effort to put the bride to sleep. They will attempt to take away her heart of love for the Bridegroom by claiming, “My master is delaying his coming” (verse 48). This gospel is preached by those who do not want to pay the price of obeying Christ’s commands. They really do not want Jesus to come back because they have sinful habits and lead double lives; in fact, they have concocted a doctrine to justify their continuing in sin. What is the result of this false teaching? First, it ends in worldliness because those who believe it want to enjoy worldly success and prosperity.
Beloved, do not give in to this doctrine of delay! If you are a part of Jesus’ bride, you will be so lovesick for your Lord you will not be able to buy into it. Instead, you will cry out, “My Lord said I am to be ready at any moment for His return. I know He is near—I can sense it. My heart cries out within me, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom is coming!’”
The early church was wide awake, heeding Jesus’ words. Their lamps were trimmed and burning, and they had a good supply of oil. Peter summed up the spirit of the early church this way: “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God . . . nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth” (2 Peter 3:12-13). Likewise, Paul said: “[We are] eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7).PRECIOUS JEWELS
FEBRUARY 15
Listen to this prophesy from Isaiah:
“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you”
(Isaiah 54:11-14).
What an amazing prophecy! The “colorful gems” mentioned in verse 11 are jewels. If you know much about jewels, you know that a diamond was once a piece of coal that has been worked on for years by the elements. God’s Word is telling us: “Your afflictions are meant to change you into something beautiful—something precious to Me!”
The “pinnacles [windows] of rubies [agates]” mentioned here are a type of quartz, made transparent by fire. The “windows” aspect has to do with eyes or vision. God is saying that trusting Him through your afflictions will give you clear vision and discernment. It will allow you to see into the unseen with crystal clarity.
Many scholars believe the phrase “gates of crystal” reads more accurately as “gates of pearl.” Pearls are formed from a grain of sand in the belly of an oyster. The grain is injected with fluid, then grated and irritated until it becomes a pearl.
Think of all the grating, irritating friction in your life. What is God doing? He is making a pearl! Every pearl is a memento of suffering, pain, friction.
I believe Isaiah is talking about the beauty of Jesus Christ in this passage. In other words, affliction, when allowed to accomplish its work, brings about a people who shine forth the beauty of Christ’s character. It makes us more and more like Jesus.YOUR DELIVERANCE IS AT HAND
FEBRUARY 14
God had given Moses and Israel ironclad promises of deliverance, so Moses went to the people with the good news. He performed signs for them and Scripture says they believed: “Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped” (Exodus 4:29-31).
It was a time of hope and rejoicing. Everyone cried, “Hallelujah! We are finally free! God has heard our cry and our bondage is over. Praise to Him!”
Yet, what happened next? Things only got worse. Israel’s bondage became absolutely unbearable. They were given no straw for making bricks and they endured heavy beatings from their taskmasters. Pharaoh raged at Israel’s leaders, “Get out of my sight. Back to work!”
Moses could not believe this terrible turn of events. He cried out, “God, why are You treating Your people this way? You haven’t delivered us at all; in fact, things are worse than ever. You haven’t kept Your Word and nothing You promised is happening.”
You must understand, the devil knew Israel’s deliverance was right at the door, so do you think he was going to sit by and not make one last attempt to wear out God’s people? The worsening of Israel’s condition wasn’t God’s doing. Rather, it was Satan rushing about madly—hurrying his work before the hour of deliverance came. Likewise, whenever the devil sees you driven to your knees, he knows your deliverance is at hand and he is not going to sit by in those final moments before victory comes! Instead, he will intensify your temptations. He will enflame people against you and send lying spirits to falsely accuse you. He will lie to you that God has taken His Holy Spirit from you, that you are paying for past sins. He will try to flood you with all kinds of guilt and condemnation.
If you are praying, but things are only getting worse, start rejoicing because your deliverance is at hand!
GOD HEARS OUR CRY
FEBRUARY 13
Afflictions teach us to bend our knees, to cry out to the Lord in all our problems and troubles.
"I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me" (Psalm 119:75). David is saying, "Lord, I know why You afflicted me. You saw that when all was going well, I went astray, becoming careless, so you allowed trouble to come upon me. You knew it would drive me to my knees and bring me back to brokenness. My affliction was evidence of Your faithfulness to me!"
I know many people who have had to battle awful bondages in their lives—drugs, alcohol, cigarettes—and temptation rages every day. Yet I say to all such people: God cares. He knows the misery you go through and He alone has the power to deliver you.
The Lord does not constantly hover over you, saying, "You're miserable because of what you did. You failed Me and now you're paying the price." No! You do not serve such a God, you serve a loving Father who feels your grief the moment you first feel it. No matter how you got into your affliction, God hurts with you and He wants to deliver you.
You may think God is not helping you at all, but the very moment He heard your cry, He went into action. Let me prove it to you:
"So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them" (Exodus 2:24-25). The word acknowledged here means, "He began to act." God heard their cry and began taking action on their behalf.
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." (Psalm 34:17). Whenever you fall on your knees, God immediately goes to work on your behalf.
THE LORD'S BATTLE
FEBRUARY 10
No matter what kind of trouble you are in, you simply cannot extricate yourself from it in your own power.
In order to understand how God delivers us from afflictions, we must study how He delivered Israel from their bondage. The Bible says: "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they are written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
Everything that happened to Israel—their bondage, trials, and deliverance out of Egypt—are testimonies and examples to us today.
The Lord told Moses, "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them . . .” (Exodus 3:7-8).
God’s Word clearly says here, "I know their sorrows." Beloved, if that does not give you comfort in your affliction, nothing will. The Lord is saying, "I know what you're going through, but this is not your battle. The devil, is too much for you, so I have come down to deliver you!"
"I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore" (Exodus 6:6-8).
Try all you want to deliver yourself—dream, scheme and manipulate—but in the end, God says, "This is My work!"
When David came against the giant, he said: "Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).
David did not take matters into his own hands and say, "I’m going to bite the bullet and do this in my own strength." No! He knew this was the Lord’s battle.
LEARNING THROUGH AFFLICTION
FEBRUARY 9
The psalmist writes, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71). You may wonder, as I have, “What kind of theology is this? Is it actually good to be afflicted?”
The Hebrew word for affliction here means "abased, chastened, defiled, hurt, humbled, weakened, depressed." When you put this meaning into the verse, suddenly it reads: "It is good for me to have been chastened, humbled, weakened, depressed—so that I could learn the Lord’s statutes." The word statute means "engraved law." The psalmist is saying, "It is good that I went through these troubles because in the process, God was engraving His laws and ways in my heart."
The Lord allows trials to come our way to test us, but that is not His primary purpose. Rather, our afflictions are to teach us to walk rightly before Him. The Bible says: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous . . ." (Psalm 34:19). According to the psalmist, the point of all our afflictions is for us to learn from them.
One of our missionary couples wrote about the situation in the African nation where they are working. One of the poorest on earth, its situation has been worsened by the long, bloody civil war there. The missionaries recently drove to this desperate country in a truck with a group of Christians from a neighboring country. They were delivering a load of supplies and were scheduled to attend a meeting that night across the border. About five miles from the border, their truck started slowing down. The driver floored the pedal, but the truck’s speed kept dropping. The team was dejected as they watched the car in front of them pull away into the distance.
Finally, the team arrived at the border and instantly the truck’s engine died and simply would not move. Everyone on the team wondered, "Lord, what is going on?" Suddenly, the border guards started racing about, shouting excitedly, "There was an explosion across the border not far from here! One of the warring factions blew up a car that had just driven in." The missions team realized the car that had been attacked was the one directly in front of them. If the missions truck had been running properly, they also would have been attacked.
The next morning, the driver from the missions team turned the key in the ignition—and the truck started right up. In fact, it ran fine all the rest of the trip. They recognized that God’s purposes had been accomplished through this seemingly troublesome circumstance.
THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST
FEBRUARY 8
Our Savior exists as a man right now in glory. He is a living person—with flesh, bone, hair, eyes—even though He is God. Although we are here on earth, His Spirit dwells within us: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Galatians 4:6).
Yet, there is another spirit at work in the world—the antichrist spirit. Just as surely as Christ has given us His Spirit, there is an antichrist spirit in the world, preparing hearts for the coming of the Man of Sin!
"And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world" (1 John 4:3). John is saying, "You have heard about the coming of the Antichrist. It has been preached and taught, and you expect his arrival. But, beloved, wake up, because the spirit of antichrist is already at work!"
Understand, the Antichrist will not suddenly appear on the scene and overwhelm humankind. Rather, his spirit is mysteriously at work now, setting up his kingdom in cold, compromising hearts. When he finally appears, he will be publicly revealed to a world already prepared for him, to hearts his spirit already possesses!
Right now we see a growing antichrist sentiment, but soon this will turn into a flowing stream and, eventually, a vast ocean. The antichrist spirit is invading the hearts of many apostate Christians even now. "But how?" you ask. "Why would certain Christians ever turn to the Antichrist?" It is because they are like-minded with him.
John writes: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. . . . Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (1 John 2:15-18).
John is warning us that those who still love the things of this world have opened themselves to the spirit of antichrist. He is saying, "You know these are the last days because so many are full of the covetous, antichrist spirit!"
HE DELIGHTS IN MERCY
FEBRUARY 7
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it “(Hebrews 12:11).
God is talking about His own heart here, as well as ours. His chastenings are not joyous to Him, but grievous and painful. Yet when God moves in to judge, He hovers over His children as He chastens them. He looks for even the slightest sign of sorrow or repentance and He lets up at the first inkling of one. He longs to say, "Enough—no more. It pains Me too much to punish you."
Beloved, you must come to grips with this matter of God's pain. When others are trying to hurt you, you have to bring your thoughts into captivity, and say, "Oh, Lord, let me pray for my enemies, for those who are trying to wound me."
God loves the most wicked, vile sinner on the street and if He loves that person, how much more does He love the Christian who hurts you and has made himself your enemy?
Perhaps you have an idea by now of how far we are from the heart of God. We have so much yet to learn of His heart. No, He does not delight in judgment. He takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked, nor in His chastening of His children. On the contrary, it pains Him awfully.
Let me tell you what the Lord delights in:
"Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18-19).
Thank God for His great compassion, available to all. He delights in mercy!LOVING THE TRUTH
FEBRUARY 6
Paul gives thanks to God for a people who remain steadfast in perilous times. This holy remnant will rise up against the spirit of antichrist and stand strong. They will never be overcome. On the contrary, they will overcome the world, the flesh and the wicked one!
"But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you . . . because God from the beginning chose you for salvation. . . . Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught. . . . Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work" (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17).
This holy remnant loves the truth and are not afraid to be reproved. They examine themselves in light of God's Word, letting it pierce them to the very marrow. Beloved, if you keep your heart open to the truth—if you continue to love God's Word—the Lord will establish you.
"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity” (Psalm 125:1-3).
The antichrist spirit has a rod, signifying authority. But his power and reign will not be over you because you are part of God’s holy remnant.
"I have written to you . . . because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one" (1 John 2:14).
"And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4).
A DOUBLE PAIN
FEBRUARY 3
The first part of God's "double pain" is when we sin in His presence, against His light and love. The sin itself is not what grieves God, however, but the fact that He knows the consequences of our sin. God knows our sin is going to drive us to grief and misery.
The second part of God's "double pain" is that our sin compels Him to keep His Word in judging us. He has to stand by like a loving father and listen to our cries of anguish as He chastens us—all for the purpose of producing godly character in us.
At one time I came to a crisis—to the end of my rope. Slanderous things were being said about me and after this had gone on for some time, I began to remind God of His Word:
- "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who speaks lies shall perish" (Proverbs 19:9).
- "A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful (destructive) tongue" (17:4).
After some time, I cried out in despair: "Oh, God, how long will You let this go on? The lies keep changing so much, I don't even know what they are from day to day. You are my defender, Lord, and You say You will avenge Your people. But I don't see You working any justice.”
As I thought of all the slander coming against me, I began to think of other beleaguered pastors and servants. There are many righteous people today who are enduring awful trials because evil words are being spoken against them.
"Why, Lord?" I prayed. "Why do You continue allowing Your people to be hurt?”
The Lord answered, "David, I am merciful, longsuffering and slow to anger because it pains Me to mete out My justice. If you could feel My pain, you would never, ever, desire to see My judgment fall. You would understand why I wait so long to bring it down. You know how painful it is to discipline your children. It is the same for Me. It pains Me to chasten those I love!"A GLIMPSE OF GOD'S PAIN
FEBRUARY 2
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. . . . They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it. . . . I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them’” (Exodus 32:7-10).
“Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: ‘Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? . . . Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. . . .’ So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people” (verses 11-14).
In reading this passage, many Christians mistakenly attribute more grace and mercy to Moses than to God. They think, "Moses is pleading for great mercy upon Israel, while God is ready to destroy them." Nothing could be further from the truth. The only reason Moses could pray as he did was because He knew God's heart of mercy.
God’s justice demanded that the people be consumed but Moses knew it would pain God too much to destroy His children, so he lifted this plea to God, "I know that Your justice is crying out and these stiff-necked people should be wiped out, but I know You would not be able to stand the pain if You did that. I know Your heart, God, and I know You cannot destroy Israel—because You love her."
The Bible says God "repented," which means He changed His mind about how He would judge Israel. He was not going to destroy them; instead, the people would waste away in the wilderness. Although the people would continue to pain His heart for 38 more years with their unbelief, the Lord would still protect them, lead them, feed them and clothe them to their dying day.SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN?
FEBRUARY 1
When Paul first taught the truth of justification by faith, it shook the church. It was incredible news at that time. In fact, some theologians responded, "If I'm pardoned, if God is so merciful to forgive me freely by faith alone, then let me sin even more, so God can enjoy giving me more grace!" Those theologians did not understand the gospel.
Because of the cross, God considered everything about our old flesh-man done away with. Paul asked, "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1) and he continued quickly, “Certainly not!" I believe Paul was saying, "Why would any Christian, having been set free from such death, go back and resurrect the corpse? Why go back to a life of sin when God wants to take away all guilt and condemnation and give you security and peace? Now, because of the cross, you can serve the Lord with joy and gladness and obey Him in a new obligation called love."
"So," you ask, "are we simply to take by faith the righteousness of Jesus?" Yes, absolutely! That is what the Christian walk is all about—resting by faith in what Jesus accomplished.
Our old man is dead, and the new Man is Jesus. When we put our faith in Him, God fully accepts us. He considers us righteous, hidden in the bosom of His dear Son. So whenever you sin or fail, run quickly to your Lawyer, your Advocate. Confess your failures to Him, and rest in His righteousness.
You may ask, "Don't good works have any place in this doctrine?" Of course they do, but on this condition: Good works cannot save you, justify you or make you righteous or acceptable to God. The only thing that saves you is your faith in what Jesus did!
What did Jesus do? He saved you, pardoned you and accepted you in the beloved—sins, failures and all. God sees you now only in Jesus Christ and that is why we must come to our Savior every time we fall. The blood that forgave and cleansed us the first time we came to Jesus is the same blood continues to keep us until He returns.
Along with this security comes a higher obligation of doing all our works in His strength and power rather than trying to do them on our own. "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8:13).
SAVED BY FAITH ALONE
JANUARY 31
When we first came to faith in Christ, we trusted that our sins were forgiven. We believed we were accepted, that we could lay down all guilt and fear and say, “I am saved by faith alone in what Jesus did for me at the cross.”
Then, as we proceeded in our walk with Jesus, we committed fresh acts of disobedience. We were crushed by our sins and quickly lost our vision of the cross. We tried to work out our own righteousness, to win back God’s favor by trying harder, but life then became a nightmarish merry-go-round of sin and confession, sin and confession.
We sometimes act as if trying harder on our own can save us. We think if we could just reform this flesh of ours, God would be pleased. Soon we are constantly working on our old man, to shape him up for a victorious Christian walk.
Some Christians may say, “I paid a high price for the victory I’ve achieved. I went through a lot of pain and suffering. I fasted, prayed, and successfully put down all my lusts and sinful desires. Is my struggle to obey worth nothing to God? Does He consider all my righteousness, all my hard work, as filthy rags?” Yes! It is all the flesh and none of it will stand before Him. There is only one righteousness and that is the righteousness of Jesus Christ!
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).
The only way to get into God’s good grace is to admit the truth: “There is no good thing in my flesh, nothing in my good works to merit my salvation. I cannot become righteous through anything I do in my own strength. My righteousness is in Christ alone.” Paul says of the gift of righteousness: “Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17).NO INHERITANCE
JANUARY 30
Paul gives us a list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God:
"Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, not adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
But then the apostle adds: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (verse 11).
How did these people who were saved out of such horrible sin become righteous before God? What happened to them that they no longer were evil but, rather, were accepted by God?
First of all, God is no respecter of persons. He is not at all impressed by a person’s title or earthly honor—whether a king, a queen, a president or a prime minister. And second, God is not charmed by any goodness in us. Long prayers, fasting, tithing, Bible study, benevolent acts—none of these makes us righteous or acceptable to God. Even our "good" flesh—good character, speech, thoughts and deeds—are a stench in His nostrils if used as a plea for our own righteousness.
When Jesus went to the cross, He crucified our "old man" of the flesh. There is only one Man left, only One whom God will deal with—and that is His Son. When Jesus finished His work on earth and sat down at the right hand of the Father, God said, “From now on I recognize only one Man, only one righteousness. Anyone who comes to Me must come through Him—My Son. All who would be righteous must accept His righteousness and no other!"
We are accepted in God's eyes only by faith in Christ and His work: "He made us accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6).
Do you see how important it is to abide in Jesus, to come to Him quickly whenever you fail? You must learn to run to Him, crying, "Jesus, I have failed You! I cannot work this out. No matter what I do, I can never be recognised before the Father, except as I come to Him in You!"FINDING HIS REST
JANUARY 27
“You will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30).
I know of only one way to enter into this rest that Jesus is talking about. If understood and appropriated, this truth will usher you into the most glorious peace possible on this side of heaven and end all feelings of insecurity.
This foundational truth upon which all others are built is the doctrine of justification by faith. It is the one doctrine you must understand if you hope to enter into the rest that Jesus offers.
I can only touch on the highlights of the magnificent truth of being justified by faith. Yet I believe God desires to lead His church further into this divine truth—to give us a foundational strength that will hold us in the days to come.
Sadly, when you mention the subject of doctrine, many Christians turn up their noses. They say, “I don’t want to hear all that deep, heavy stuff. Just give me Jesus!” Yet what they really mean is, “I don’t want to discipline myself or spend the time to learn what Jesus did at the cross.”
Too many Christians become emotionally involved with the cross but never really study it. I have heard many preachers deliver emotional appeals about Jesus and the cross—about His beatings, the crown of thorns on His head, the spikes driven into His hands. The preaching of the cross is about much more than that, however. It is about the victory of the cross and what Jesus did for all of humankind.
For those who desire to “learn of Him,” who want to understand Jesus’ wonderful work at Calvary, let me try to explain this concept of justification by faith.
Two things are involved in our justification by the cross of Jesus Christ:
- First, we have pardon for all our sins. When Jesus went to the cross, His blood pardoned us from all guilt.
- Second, we are accepted by God as righteous in Christ, through faith. This means God accepts us on the merits of what Jesus did on the cross and not because of our works or any good deeds.
HOW TO BECOME A JEW, A CHRISTIAN AND A COMMUNIST
JANUARY 26
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit,
not in the letter; whose praise is not from men
but from God” (Romans 2:29).
He is not a Jew who is one only outwardly.
He is not a Jew who denies the spirit,
The tradition, the calling, of a Jew;
Yet he is a Jew who is one inwardly
By faith becoming so in the heart.
This is the way of all life.
A Christian is one who receives the spirit of Christ,
By faith becoming so in the heart.
A Communist need not carry a card
To be one.
He can deny to the world he is a Communist,
Yet if inwardly he embraces the spirit,
The tradition, the calling, of a Communist—
He is one inwardly.
What a man is cannot be determined
By the words and praises of men,
But by what God sees in the heart.
As a man thinketh in his heart,
So is he!
JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD
JANUARY 25
Picture yourself standing before God's throne with no excuse, no alibi. Satan, your legal adversary, is reading off the list of charges, with times, places, every shameful detail. He makes accusations of pride, prayerlessness, covetousness, unfaithfulness, and your heart smites you because you have to admit, "Yes, that's me. I did it all."
It looks hopeless for you. You know God's eyes are too holy to look upon sin, and His justice demands that you pay for your crimes against His holiness. You are helpless.
But suddenly, here comes your Lawyer, your Advocate. He stretches forth His nail-scarred hands and you know something is about to happen. He smiles and whispers, "Don't be afraid; none of these charges will stand. You're going to walk out of this courtroom free and fully pardoned. When I'm finished, your accuser won't have one charge left against you!"
Best of all, your Lawyer tells you He has adopted you as His brother. Then He tells you He is the Son of the Judge so you now belong to the Judge's family, as well!
But there is still the matter of justice. What about the charges against you? You listen in absolute wonder as your Advocate pleads your case:
"Judge, You know that I fulfilled the law, living a sinless life. And then I took this person's place, taking on all the punishment for his crimes. Through these nail-scarred hands and My pierced side, blood came forth to blot out all of his transgressions. All these charges were put on My back and I paid the penalty for every one of them.”
Your Advocate then looks at your accuser and says, "Satan, you have no grounds to accuse My child. Each of his sins was placed on Me and I have fully pardoned them all. He is not guilty because his faith in the victory of My sacrifice gives him full pardon. You have no case!"
As the devil slinks out of God's court, you can hear the Lord cry out: "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies" (Romans 8:33).LEARN OF ME
JANUARY 24
Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me” (Matthew 11:28-29, KJV). Christ tells us very plainly: "Do not attempt to take on a walk with Me until you are at rest in your soul!"
If you do not have this wonderful confidence in what the Word of God says Jesus did for you, His yoke will not be easy or light. On the contrary, you will spend your time striving in the flesh to please God. You will go from hot to cold, living with unnecessary guilt and shame.
I believe the key to this verse lies in the words “learn of me.” Jesus is speaking here of the discipline of learning who He is and what He accomplished on the cross. He is saying, "You must have a knowledge of what I have done for you. Then, once your soul is at rest, you can take on My yoke. So, learn of Me!"
We do not want this kind of discipline. We want to take the easy way! We are like schoolchildren on the playground at recess who do not want to go back into the classroom.
Perhaps today you say, "I'm reading my Bible now and praying a little each day. I'm trying hard to do better!" This is all good, but I assure you that these things will not keep you through the coming storm. It is not enough to try hard, to make promises to God, to strive to be better. Nor is it enough to say, "I'm more diligent than before." No, it is all about going after a revelation of what Jesus did for you at the cross!
Something should cry out in all of us: "Jesus, Your Word says I can live in total rest, peace and security. I don't have to strive in my flesh or be tossed about by guilt or fear. You have set before me the promise of a life at rest, but I don't have that rest. Oh, Lord, I want Your rest with everything that's in me. Teach me by Your Spirit—I want to learn of You."I WILL GIVE YOU REST
JANUARY 23
God has promised His people a glorious rest, a rest that includes peace and security for the soul. The Lord offered this wonderful rest to the children of Israel, which meant a life full of joy and victory, without fear, guilt or condemnation. Up to the time of Christ, no generation of believers ever walked fully in this blessed promise. Why was this? The Bible makes very clear that it was because of their unbelief. “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19).
Because of their unbelief, God's people—during the period of the kings and prophets through David’s generation—went through life full of misery, doubt, fear and restlessness. In every generation the rest was promised but it was refused—never appropriated, never understood.
That is why, when we read Hebrews 4, we find this glorious life of faith still unclaimed: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (verse 9). Yet we also read: "Since therefore it remains that some must enter it . . ." (verse 6). The Bible admonishes present-day believers with a warning: "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have come short of it" (verse 1).
Thousands upon thousands of believers claim to be filled with the Spirit of God, yet few have entered into this promised rest. Many are tossed about by winds and waves of doctrines, restless and guilt-ridden, with no security in Christ. Jesus said, “I will give you rest, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (see Matthew 11:28-30).
My prayer is that today you will enter into the rest God has for you. Reach up by faith and receive because it is His free gift!VIOLENT FAITH
JANUARY 20
Genesis tells us that the more man multiplied on the earth, the more violent he became.
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Genesis 6:11-12).
There is another, different kind of violence taking place in this last day. Indeed, I see a godly people with an aggressive faith being raised up. This holy remnant is full of Jesus, loving Him with all their hearts. These believers see a mad devil coming at them with everything in his power and they know they have more of hell to face than any other generation before them.
Jesus said: "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). This remnant is going to rise up and say, "I'm not going to let the devil steal my joy and peace. I will not let him plant seeds of grudges, murder, hatred or violence in me. No! I'm going to rise up in Jesus' power and live victoriously above this demonic filth."
Dear saint, God wants to put a fight in you! If you have been guilty of any of these forms of violence, quickly repent before the Lord and obey His Word. That's all He asks. May God put a holy zeal and faith in you beyond anything you have ever known. He wants you to be able to stand against Satan's wicked devices.
The only spirit of violence we are going to have is a violent faith. It will be a strong, holy violence that comes full force against the gates of hell and the strongholds of the enemy. And, by the power of God, we will bring them all down in Jesus' name!
NEW EVERY MORNING
JANUARY 19
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Because of our wickedness,
Had it not been for God’s mercies.
They are fresh and new every morning.
God is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger,
And of great kindness.
Soft in heart to those who repent,
He retaineth not His anger
Because He delighteth in mercy,
Pardoning iniquity.
He delights not in the death of the wicked,
But offers universal mercy
To every transgressor;
But let him who receives mercy
Be merciful.
Blessed are the merciful:
For they shall obtain mercy.
A RESERVOIR OF LIVING WATER
JANUARY 18
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Consider the one who trusts God in the hard places: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord" (v. 7).
This Christian is "planted." He has roots, stability, a reservoir of living water. He is always "spreading out," fruitful and green with fresh life. Scripture says, "[He] will not be anxious [fearful] in the year of drought . . ." (v. 8). When things get intense and bothersome, he will not be afraid!
This person says, "Jesus, I give up looking to any person to bring me out of my trial. You are my only hope. I look to You to bring me out of this!" The Lord desires this kind of faith from us in everyday matters. You may object, "But, Brother Dave, I'm still unemployed, still having trouble." I still must believe God's Word: "Trust Me, and you'll be blessed!"
You may answer, "But I don't know what I'm going to do. It looks so hopeless. I don't see any sign of help or deliverance!" To all these things God still says, "Trust Me, My child, and you'll be blessed!"
It does not matter whether your trial is with your family, with your business, or provision. If you put your total trust in His Word and His faithfulness, God has promised to bless you—and He cannot lie! When the heat comes, you won't even be bothered. When the wind comes, you'll stand strong, because you will have learned to trust Him. You'll be a green tree bearing the abundant fruit of confidence—and everyone around you will be given hope and encouragement as they behold your quiet trust.
THE LIMITATIONS OF THE MIRACULOUS
JANUARY 17
Nobody had ever seen as many supernatural works as Israel. God provided miracle after miracle for them—and yet each work left the people as faithless and unbelieving as before! You would think that the ten plagues on Egypt would have produced faith in the Israelites. When Egypt was afflicted with flies, none were found in Israel's camp. When Egypt fell under total darkness, there was no darkness in Israel. Yet none of these plagues produced faith of any kind!
Even after God opened the Red Sea, Israel's faith lasted only three days. Scripture says: “They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea" (Psalm 106:7).
The psalmist is saying here: "They even doubted God at the Red Sea—the place where He performed His greatest miracle!"
We are so like Israel. We want God to speak a word, grant us a miraculous deliverance, quickly meet our needs, remove all our pain and suffering. In fact, you may be saying right now, "If God would just get me out of this mess—if He'd give me this one miracle—I would never doubt Him again!" Yet, what about all the miracles He has performed for you? They haven't produced in you any faith to help you in your present trouble!
Two precious men of God from the Zulu tribe in Africa visited Times Square Church. An incredible revival was taking place among the eight million Zulus, and God was doing miraculous things among them.
Yet that is not what these men wanted to talk about. Rather, what impressed them most about the revival were the "overcomer Zulus"—those who stood for Christ, burning witchcraft books and witnessing boldly, even though they were being tested and tried severely. These people were once evil, with murderous spirits, and they were being transformed into the image of Jesus!
I believe the greatest sign or wonder to the world in these last days is not a person who has been raised from the dead. No, what truly makes an impact on the mind and spirit of the ungodly is the Christian who endures all trials, storms, pain and suffering with a confident faith. Such a believer emerges from his troubles stronger in character, stronger in faith, stronger in Christ.NO WATER TO DRINK
JANUARY 16
"Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. . . . And the people murmured against Moses, and said, ‘Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me’” (Exodus 17:1-4).
God had led Israel to the driest place in the whole wilderness. It was a testing place with no stream, no well, not even a trickle of water. Most baffling of all, Israel was led there "according to the commandment of the Lord" (v. 1).
God Himself had allowed His people to grow thirsty: "And the people thirsted there for water" (v. 3). Babies were crying, children wailing, grandparents suffering parched throats. Parents looked at their families and thought, "In a few days we'll all be dead." So they turned in anger to Moses, crying, "Give us water to drink!" They were still depending on man—on the flesh!
I want to stop here to point out something. First, God took Israel to Migdol by the sea to test them—and they failed to trust Him. Next, He took them to Marah, where He had another plan of deliverance—and they failed again. Now He brought them to Rephidim for more testing.
Do you see the pattern? If you don't learn to trust the Lord in simple, childlike faith when you're being tested, He will bring you back to yet another testing ground.
Israel was in just such a place once again. They were hot, thirsty, angry. But God already had a plan! He was not going to let them die. He had chosen beforehand to have them walk up Mount Horeb to a reservoir of water that He had prepared long before. And that source would last not just a day, a week or a month—but thirty-eight years!
Yet God was waiting for a response of faith from Israel. He was saying, “I have taken you through all these things, but you've refused to learn. Will you trust Me now? How many more problems do I have to allow in your life before you trust Me?"
Our loving, heavenly Father would never lead His children into a dry desert only to let them die of thirst, especially when He had a reservoir stored in a nearby rock! God has always had a plan for His people. And He has a plan for you right now, to deliver you from your present trouble.
AT WITS' END
JANUARY 13
"Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end” (Psalm 107:23-27).
In this psalm, the place referred to as "wits’ end" is a ship's deck in a storm-tossed sea. Giant waves carry the ship up to the heavens and then drop it down to the depths. Powerful winds toss it back and forth so that none of the sailors can find their "sea legs." They stagger across the deck like drunken men.
The ship's sails are tattered and ripped, and wave after powerful wave crashes onto the deck. The sailors have to struggle just to hold on. It appears to be all over for them, and they are in total despair. They are helpless—vulnerable to the power of the elements, unable to stop the storm, powerless to save themselves.
These sailors have come to a place called "wits’ end." This condition afflicts all Christians at one time or another. It simply means, "Having lost or exhausted any possibility of perceiving or thinking of a way out." In short, there is no escape—no help, no deliverance—other than in God Himself!
“Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:28-30).
When did the storm stop for the sailors in Psalm 107? When did God bring them into their desired safe haven?
First, the sailors came to their wits’ end, giving up on all human hope or help. They said, “There is no way we can save ourselves. Nobody on earth can get us out of this!”
Second, they cried to the Lord in the midst of their trouble—turning to Him alone for help!THE CRUCIFIED MILITANT
JANUARY 12
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
Christ was a true militant—
Fighting for other men’s rights,
Driving money changers from God’s church
And letting the oppressed go free;
Yet He Himself was oppressed . . .
And afflicted,
Misunderstood and rejected.
His own rights were denied Him:
A jury perjured Him.
Priests aroused the silent majority
With lies and half truths.
He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter.
They plucked His beard
And spit on His face.
The highest court in the land
Was prejudiced against Him;
Yet this mighty militant
Opened not His mouth
And in his sorrow claimed no rights.
He poured out His life
As an offering
To justify the rights of all men.
THE NO-NAME INFIRMITY
JANUARY 11
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? . . . O my God, my soul is cast down within me” (Psalm 42:5-6).
Scholars aren’t certain who the writer of this psalm is. But we do know for sure that something is bothering him. His soul is deeply disturbed and he can’t explain why!
This psalmist is on fire for God. He pants after the Lord the way a deer pants for water (see verse 1)—thirsting after Him, yearning for intimacy. He asks, “When shall I come and appear before God?” (v. 2).
We never do learn what the psalmist’s infirmity is. Have you ever experienced this kind of unexplainable melancholy—unexpected, unnamed spiritual blues? You’re doing just fine, with no known sin in your life. But one day you wake up with a disturbance deep in your soul. Some kind of depression has come over you and you can’t put your finger on it.
I have good news for you: This is an infirmity of the righteous! It strikes only those who hunger after Jesus. We are not to be afraid of such an infirmity because the Holy Spirit has a part in it.
I have experienced enough of life to know that a time comes when this happens to every Christian. But we mustn’t try to figure it out—because we can’t! The psalmist never did get his “why” answers. And there isn’t a book, counselor or psychologist on earth who can tell you why an unnamed infirmity has come upon you.
I believe this strange infirmity is “the sighing of the Holy Spirit” within us. He is letting us know what it feels like to be without God—to be on our own, without comfort, hope or guidance. He allows us to experience just a taste of such an awful, horrible condition!
Our bodies are His temple and He has been sent to prepare us a chaste bride to Christ. He knows what it takes to keep us unspotted for the Bridegroom. And He knows how important it is for us to cry out to God for daily strength and power. We simply cannot stand in this time unless we are intimate with the Lord—trusting in Him fully, and constantly fleeing into His presence.
A RELIGION OF THE FACE
JANUARY 10
When we allow Jesus to be lord of all—when we cast all our cares upon Him, fully trusting in His Word and resting in His love—our appearance should undergo a deep change. A quiet calm should begin to radiate from our countenance.
Scripture gives us many examples of this: When Hannah laid down her burden, “. . . her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18).
When Stephen stood before hostile, angry men in the Sanhedrin, [they] “. . . saw his face as the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). Stephen stood among unbelievers with the shine of Jesus Christ and the difference was clear to all!
I am convinced that we have a duty to let our countenance speak of God’s faithfulness in our lives. But the problem is, our facial features and body language often say just the opposite! Many believers’ faces say, “My God has failed me! He doesn’t care for me anymore. I have to carry all my burdens and problems alone because God doesn’t come through for me!”
You may not consciously say such things to yourself but they will show on your face. I want to show you from God’s Word that what you are going through is not new. Someone else has been exactly where you are:
“My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. . . . I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. . . . I am so troubled that I cannot speak. . . . Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed? . . . And I said, ‘This is my anguish’” (Psalm 77:2-10).
Yet the psalmist eventually comes out of his trouble with his happy countenance restored. Why? It is because, he says, “I cried out to God with my voice . . . in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord” (Psalm 77:1-2).
If this describes you, I beg you: Today, this very day, get alone somewhere with the Lord and cry out to Him! Tell Him you are at the end of your rope, that you can’t take it anymore, that you’re ready to lay it all on His shoulders. Have it out with God!
A HOLY GHOST FACELIFT
JANUARY 9
David boldly declared, “For I shall yet praise Him, the help [health] of my countenance” (Psalm 42:11). And he repeats the same statement in Psalm 43:5. In the original Hebrew, the proper rendering of both these verses is, “God is the salvation of my face!”
I believe David is saying something important here. You see, your face is a billboard that advertises what’s going on in your heart. All the joy or turmoil that’s inside you is reflected in your countenance. When I speak of countenance, I am talking about facial expression, body language, tone of voice.
For example, when my mind is loaded down with the cares of our church—sermons, finances, relationships—I have a tendency to slouch. I look preoccupied. My brow is furrowed. Some people even tell me I look sad.
One day I was walking along 52nd Street near Hannah House, totally absorbed with church business and probably slouched over. I came upon a crack house where a woman sat on the stoop, smiling from ear to ear. I could see she was high on crack. She watched me approaching and as I got nearer she spoke up, “Mister, it can’t be that bad.”
I was flabbergasted! I thought, “Here is this woman, high on crack, and here I am, a man of God. She’s smiling and looking good and I’m slouched over, as if all hope is gone.” What a rebuke it was to me!
I thank God for His great salvation—for redeeming our soul, our spirit, even our body. But many of us need to get our faces saved! We need a Holy Ghost face-lift—because our faces are giving the wrong message to the world!
One young woman came into Hannah House with lines of sin etched deeply in her face. Her countenance was extremely hard. Yet, two weeks after she was saved, no one could believe the change. I didn’t even recognize her.
Why such a change of countenance? “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed” (Ecclesiastes 8:1).
I take “wisdom” in this verse to mean Jesus Christ. Indeed, the very presence of Christ in your heart has a direct impact on your face! It affects your walk, your talk, the very tone of your voice.LIBERTY IS A LICENCE
JANUARY 6
"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not us liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
The rebel cries liberty
For the oppressed black,
The neglected Indian tribes,
Mexican illegals and West Coast grape pickers.
They call for liberty on campus—
For colonies and emerging nations.
They behave as though liberty
Were their discovery and brainchild,
But God says
Man is called unto liberty—
Divinely destined and called.
Only liberty must not be used as a license
To appease the flesh,
To indulge in wreckless pleasure and sensuality—
As a badge of liberty.
But man is called to liberty
Only to free himself for service to others,
By love, serving one another
Peaceably and nonviolently;
For if the rebels continue to bite and devour
In the guise of liberty,
They will only consume one another.
SATISFIED WITH JESUS
JANUARY 5
It is not enough for Jesus to win your heart. He has to be the satisfaction of your heart! Yet, there are many believers who have never been satisfied with Jesus. They're always up or down according to their circumstances.
That is not a suitable bride for this Bridegroom. No, a certain beauty must adorn His bride in order to attract Him: "So the King will greatly desire your beauty" (Psalm 45:11). But what is this beauty?
You probably have sung of the beauty of holiness: "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2). This beauty is beheld in God's eyes; it is what Jesus sees in us that attracts Him.
The Holy Spirit says to the bride of Christ, "If you will lay aside everything, forget all others and adorn yourself for Him alone, then He will desire your beauty!" This means no job, no person, no relationship can come between you!
I heard a godly wife say, "The more godly my husband becomes, the more attractive he is to me." Indeed, that is what a godly marriage is all about. And, likewise, the more you give yourself in entire devotion to the Lord, the more attractive and beautiful you become to Him.
"So the King will greatly desire your beauty . . ." (Psalm 45:11). What an incredible thought: Jesus will not be able to stay away from you! In fact, the Hebrew meaning of beauty here signifies a strong yearning and desire. In other words, Jesus will draw close to you—overflowing with desire for you!
I have performed many weddings in my lifetime. And there was never a groom who didn't smile with delight at his bride, thinking, "She's all mine!" Beloved, that is the beauty I'm talking about. Our Bridegroom rejoices, saying of His bride, "I'm the apple of her eye. She'd rather spend time with Me than with anyone else. And that makes her beautiful to Me!"
Indeed, the bride of Christ has an inner beauty that makes her outwardly beautiful. She is ". . . all glorious within. . ." (Psalm 45:13) because she is devoted to her Bridegroom. He knows beyond any shadow of a doubt, "She is all Mine—devoted only to Me! She worships Me and is submissive to Me. I am the only One in her life, the sole focus of her attention. She makes time for Me, is overjoyed in My presence, and desires to be with Me continually.” What beautiful devotion.THE CHURCH'S MISSION: TO LIVE WITH OTHERS
DECEMBER 22
By Gary Wilkerson
One simple way to measure whether you love well is to examine how you look out for the interests of others.
As a pastor, I have to forge an unwavering vision to do this. I am charged by God with a call to stir my people to action and to relentlessly pursue the mission he has given us. The truth is, I can go about this in one of two ways: through my own ambition, pushing to achieve my individual goals; or to adopt the heart of Christ and make my mission to love.
If my church grows to ten thousand and I don’t have love as my vision...if our church sends out 1,000 missionaries but doesn’t have love…then we are failing in our calling as a believing body. We are raising up false ambassadors and exporting a weak brand of watered-down Christianity empowered by something other than love.
How about you? Are your prayers or spiritual ambitions locked in a world of your own wants, needs and desires? Are you bothered or irritated when others’ genuine needs interrupt your goals?
What is the remedy for selfish ambition? Paul wrote to the Philippians, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3b). Paul doesn’t say not to esteem yourself, your vision or your life mission. But he does say others also have vision, purpose and a mission. If you will esteem them, you will not just be helping them but also strengthening them in their calling—and perhaps affecting many lives.
Think about the power of Paul’s statement. Imagine what might happen if every Christian radically obeyed this truth. We would all have deep, world-impacting interests in others—and none of us would be immersed in our individual goals. The whole body of Christ would be so other-centered we would empower one another in our many varied callings.
If each of us is looking only to interests of our own making, our testimony will be limited at best. But if we all are looking in love to build up others, every God-ordained mission will have more than ample support to be accomplished.
That is what I call a way to live. It is a campaign I want to start today—living for, being in and serving those around me for the glory of God.
POWER BELONGS
DECEMBER 21
By Gary Wilkerson
“Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power” (Luke 9:1).
Jesus gave his disciples power not because they were ambitious but because they were his. Belonging to Christ is a non-negotiable to receiving his power. Power is birthed out of belonging. Belonging brings real power.
So many Christians lead powerless lives—having habitual sin practices, a poor testimony, a weak spiritual life; lacking a fervent, radical prayer life and any answers to their prayers.
Do you feel powerless? This one short verse is loaded with words of power:
“Called”—meaning, in essence, not our own agenda, direction, self-will or resource of power.
“Disciples”—those who abandon all to follow the life, teaching and direction of the teacher.
“Together”—that power is not to be contained in singular vessels but expressed in community, in work toward kingdom purposes.
“Gave”—showing we can do nothing unless Jesus gives us power to do it.
“Power”—it is not what we desire, work for or strive after, but comes only and exclusively through His giving it. We never outgrow this part of our history as Christians. Every follower of Jesus is commanded to wait until we are endued with (given) power from on high.
Are you lacking power? There is no other way to obtain it than to have it given to you by the One you belong to. Jesus has power to give to those who are totally and fully His.
Don’t strive for power. Desire to belong—fully, passionately, humbly, ambitiously, to the One your heart yearns for. Then power will come to you beyond what you can imagination.
WHO AM I?
DECEMBER 20
“I am blameless, yet I do not know myself;
I despise my life” (Job 9:21).
I seem so small and imperfect.
He commands the sun and it rises;
I break to pieces in a tempest.
He spreads out the heavens and walks on waves,
But He goes by me and I see Him not.
He rules the chamber of stars.
If I call to Him in the heavens
And He answered,
Yet I would not believe He heard my voice.
I feel like God has wounded me
Without cause.
He is the Judge,
But who will plead for me?
When I try to justify myself,
My own mouth condemns me.
The feeling grows
That even if I were perfect,
I would not know myself.
I would still despise life
Because
We are really of yesterday
And know nothing,
For life is a shadow.
A HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH
DECEMBER 19
You should never go to church without praying, “God, give me Holy Spirit ears to hear. Help me to hear, understand and apply Your Word to my life!” Just as the Holy Spirit anoints a pastor’s tongue to speak, so must He anoint your ears to hear.
In a Holy Spirit church you will always hear a gut-wrenching cry of repentance. In fact, you cannot be a Holy Spirit person until you “cry out from your guts” yourself. And that is something that Solomon never did!
King David’s church was not perfect; in fact, it was a type of a Corinthians church. David committed adultery; he killed an innocent man; he walked for a season in horrible deception. Yet, after David sinned, he uttered this agonizing cry from his innermost being: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight. . . . Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:2-4, 11).
A heartrending cry is the mark of a Holy Spirit church! Of course, there are people in this church who fail and live in deception. But like David, they have become so sensitive to the work and moving of the Holy Spirit, they do not always need a prophet to tell them they have sinned. They repent even before a prophet comes to them—because they feel wounded by their sin!
David said of his sin: “The sorrows of Sheol [hell] surrounded me, the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God. . . . He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me” (2 Samuel 22:6-7, 17-18).
God is going to bring the Solomon church to ruin and resurrect David’s church from out of those ruins! This remnant church will have a godly sorrow for sin. It will cry out in anguish and repentance and be wholly dependent upon the Holy Spirit!
“After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up” (Acts 15:16).
