Category: November 2017

John 9:7

And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

When Adam sinned and fell, everything about creation fell. Yet, people today are still putting their trust in creation. For example, they try to become healthy by eating what is called the “Eden diet” – vegetables and no meat. They are acting as if creation did not fall. They also forget that there are people who eat well and exercise regularly, and still drop dead in the prime of their lives!

Thank God that what creation cannot do, redemption can and did. Jesus demonstrated this when He spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and put it on a blind man’s eyes. (John 9:6-7) Now, it is certainly unusual to put clay on a blind man’s eyes because he would become doubly blind!

So why did Jesus do that? He was demonstrating to us that all our body parts come from the ground and that because creation is fallen, the work of creation cannot open a blind man’s eyes. But the work of redemption can! That is why He sent the blind man to the pool of Siloam. The word “Siloam” means “Sent”, referring to the sent one, Jesus. When the blind man washed his eyes in the pool of the sent one, he received supernatural healing for his eyes.

When we go to Jesus, the sent one who came to redeem us with the price of His blood, and we rest in His finished work, we will receive the miracle we need. If we believe that by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5), we will have greater health than those who trust in creation.

Jesus was sent to redeem us from every curse that came upon creation with the fall of Adam. (Galatians 3:13) He has redeemed us from sickness, pain, sorrow, depression, poverty and even death. The world may know Him as the Creator. But today, we know Him as our Redeemer. Where the work of creation cannot save us, His work of redemption can and has!

Luke 15:22

But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”

If you are a believer, you are probably familiar with the story of the prodigal son that Jesus shared. Who do you think the father in the story represents? Jesus’ Father in heaven, of course.

Jesus was giving us a picture of His Father, who is also our Father. In the story, the father was seen running toward his son, who was returning home. (Luke 15:20) Do you realize that God is never described as being in a hurry in the Bible? He is always cool and composed. The only time He is portrayed as being in a hurry is in this story. Though improper in Jewish culture, the father held up his robe and ran.

Where was he running to? Why was he in such a hurry? The father was in a hurry because he had seen his son, who was still a long way from home. He was running toward his son as he could not wait to embrace and kiss his child again. The father was in a hurry to clothe his son with the best robe. Our Father has put the best robe – the robe of righteousness – on us. In doing so, He has reinstated us as sons of the Most High God, a position which we had lost when Adam fell. The father was in a hurry to put a ring on his son’s hand. Like the authority that is invested in the signet ring of a rich man’s son, our Father is eager to put back into our hands the authority to invoke His name, so that we can walk in dominion every day. The father was in a hurry to put sandals on his son’s feet to assure him that he was still his son – only servants went about barefoot. Our Father never wants us to feel like hired servants or outcasts. We are always His sons.

If you take one step towards God, He will run the remaining 999 steps to you!

1 Corinthians 15:58

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Paul is saying that because of the resurrection, nothing we do is in vain. Sometimes we tend to hesitate in doing good because we don’t see any immediate results. But if we can maintain a heavenly perspective, we understand that we will often not see the good that results from our efforts.

If we truly believe that Christ has won the ultimate victory, that fact must affect the way we live right now. Don’t ever let discouragement over the lack of results keep you from working for the Lord. The good you do will have eternal results. I personally experience this first hand all the time. I have witnessed to people, and they shake their heads in agreement, and then off they go back into their own world. But I rest in knowing that the seeds I am planting will eventually take root and there will be a harvest in God’s determined time.

Luke 5:4

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

God wants to bless you – big-time! It was for this reason that He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” The deep is where you will find a whole lot of fish. You won’t find them near the shore in shallow waters. But to launch out into the deep is to move away from the comfort of the shoreline.

God wants you to break away from your comfort zone and step out in faith to do what He has put in your heart. It may be something simple, something that you have never done before or only dreamed about.

Now, our Lord Jesus who said, “Launch out into the deep…” also said, “…let down your nets for a catch.” Notice that He used the plural “nets” and not the singular “net”. God wants to give you more than what you need. His dream for you is bigger than anything you can ever dream of. Dream big and God will exceed your dream because He delights in giving you exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)

God wants to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. He did it for Simon who was astonished at the size of the catch of fish. (Luke 5:9) But it was not until Simon launched out into the deep that he ended up with the net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish. (Luke 5:6-7) You, too, will be astonished at your catch when you step out of your comfort zone and launch out into the deep with the Lord!

John 11:41-42

“…And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me.”

Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus raised him to life. This is one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed. Wouldn’t you agree that death is indeed an extreme problem? Having no money in the bank, being sick and losing your job, bad as they are, are not as bad as being dead!

But what you need to see is this: If Jesus, in the most extreme of problems, shows us that the solution is still, “Father, I thank You,” then how much more should we thank God in the midst of the less serious problems we face. If thanksgiving can raise the dead, then let us give thanks in spite of the negative circumstances and we will see victory. Unfortunately, we tend to do the opposite – murmur and complain. But murmuring and complaining only magnify the problem. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is the language of faith which pleases God. I am not saying that we give thanks for the problems we have. No, we thank God that He is our answer and that He has already given every blessing to us. (Ephesians 1:3)

Even the little we may have we need to be thankful for, because it will multiply. Jesus thanked His Father for the five barley loaves and two small fish, a little boy’s lunch, and they were multiplied to feed more than 5,000 people with 12 baskets full of leftovers! (John 6:8-13) And notice that when the Holy Spirit talked about this event again, He specifically mentioned the Lord giving thanks, “the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks”. (John 6:23) The Holy Spirit seemed to be more pleased with the act of giving thanks than the miracle of multiplication or the 12 baskets full of leftovers.

The more you thank God, the more you please Him. What little you have will be multiplied and whatever is dead in your life will be raised to life!

Joshua 1:8

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night… For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Have you ever wondered why the Torah (the first five books of Moses) is read out loud by the Jews. It is said that they read God’s Word out loud because of Joshua 1:8 – “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night…”

The word “meditate” in English means to ponder. But in Hebrew, it is the word hagah, which means to utter or mutter under your breath. In other words, when you meditate on God’s Word, you speak forth or confess His Word instead of just giving it mental assent. Hagah God’s Word by confessing verses in the areas that you are believing God for breakthroughs. If you are waiting for God to make your way prosperous, you will have a long wait. The Bible says that you will make your way prosperous when you hagah God’s Word.

So speak forth verses in the areas which you want to see breakthroughs and you will have good success. Some people have success that destroys them – you don’t see them in church anymore and their family members don’t get to see them either. That is bad success. But when you hagah God’s Word, you will have good success that does not destroy you.

Now, confessing God’s Word does not move God to do things for you. It is not a formula. God had already moved when He gave up Jesus to die for you. However, when you confess His Word, it moves you from a position of doubt to faith. It moves your heart from a position of “Is it true?” to “I believe it!” When that happens, “you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”!

Luke 5:9

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken.

Have you ever heard a preacher say that God only supplies our needs, not our wants. Yet, in the Bible, God clearly shows us that He wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants. For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalm 23:1) Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:9-10)

One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing One”. He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets (plural) for a catch,” (Luke 5:4) and not “let down your net (singular)”. And what a catch it turned out to be – a boat-sinking, net-breaking catch! It was such a big and unexpected blessing that Peter and all who were with him were “astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken”.

See God’s heart for you today. He wants to prosper you. Don’t settle for anything less, thinking that He only supplies your needs and not your wants. If you need a job, know that He wants you to pray not just for a job, but for a position. When you have a position, you have influence and you are able to impact lives.

You may start out poor when you follow God. But you cannot remain in lack when you follow the God of more-than-enough. In fact, like Peter, you too will be astonished that God supplies more than what you need and beyond what you have asked!

Acts 3:20-21

…that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things…

As a believer, you have a right to expect restoration of the things that the devil has stolen from you. It may be your health, marriage or finances, but payback time is definitely coming!

Acts 3:20-21 tells us that before Jesus comes back for His church, we will experience “the times of restoration of all things”. What a hope that gives us, knowing that God will restore to us all things before Jesus returns!

If the devil is attacking you in any area, say, “Father, I will not allow the devil to rob me of my health, marriage, children or finances. These blessings are blood-bought and paid for by Your Son!” Claim your restoration in Christ and heaven will hear you.

There will be such times of restoration of all things to the body of Christ that His people will only get better, stronger, healthier, and more successful and glorious! When God restores, even under the old covenant, His people always received much more than what they had originally lost, in terms of quality and/or quantity. How much more will our restoration be under the new covenant because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God!

I can personal attest to the restoration in my own life. Just over 12 years ago, after losing everything that I owned, all my possessions would fit in the trunk of my car. God led me out of California to Connecticut. Over the next 11 years, He restored to me 100 fold. Now I have a beautiful home in South Carolina, fully furnished, and a new truck. My finances are no longer day to day struggle, scraping at the end of the month to make ends meet. My bills are all paid and I am no longer in debt and have regained a credit score in the high 700s.

God will do the same for you, as He works in the background of all who believe. Your part is to simply believe, God will take care of the rest.

John 8:32

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The SCREWTAPE letters are a fictional account written by C.S. Lewis about senior demon (Screwtape) training a younger tempter (Wormwood). Lewis concluded chapter 23 with a reflection on politics that says much to our contemporary situation.

“About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate. Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything – even to social justice. The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice. For the Enemy will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of Heaven as a short cut to the nearest chemist’s shop. Fortunately it is quite easy to coax humans round this little corner. Only today I have found a passage in a Christian writer where he recommends his own version of Christianity on the ground that “only such a faith can outlast the death of old cultures and the birth of new civilizations”. You see the little rift ? “Believe this, not because it is true, but for some other reason.” That’s the game,
Your affectionate uncle
SCREWTAPE

You notice that Screwtape tells us clearly that if Christianity were to flow over in political life there would be a just society, which according to him would be a major disaster. He states that he wants Christianity to become a means to anything but what it actually is, which is Jesus Christ, God and our salvation!

The Screwtape quote is relevant to today’s political scene. Lewis, offers a subtler and more important point on the dangers of manipulating faith for our own personal and ideological ends.  Many, if not most, forms of popular Christianity (read: Protestantism) are proffered either a) as a means of personal advancement or b) as a means of societal advancement.  Both fit demonic desires. Screwtape tells Wormwood they want their victims to “treat Christianity as a means,” preferably to selfish ends but also to more noble ends if necessary. This is a subtle but crucial point – a “little rift” as Screwtape calls it. Christianity turned into a means is thus embraced not because it is true, not because, say, Jesus really is the Messiah of Israel and the world’s true Lord (N.T. Wright’s lovely formulation), but because Christian faith gets you from point A to point B.  Even if point B is something desirable like “social justice,” we (Screwtape’s victims) have successfully reduced Christianity from an end to a means, from the truth on which the world turns to just another way of achieving some desired outcome.

On e thing that we must keep in focus is that no matter who is in office, no matter how much money is made, no matter what the outcome of a physical condition, God is and always will be in control, and that all these thing combined have nothing to do with our salvation.

Galatians 1:15

…God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

You are not an accident with no destiny. God has called you from your mother’s womb. You have a special calling and a destiny in Christ, and it is all by His grace!

There are Christians who are called by God to be doctors. But among them are those separated from their mothers’ wombs for the healing ministry. They are passionate about seeking cures to alleviate the sufferings of humanity.

Likewise, there are Christians who are called by God to be teachers in secular schools. But among them are those separated from their mothers’ wombs to be Bible teachers. What gives them tremendous fulfillment is seeing lives saved and transformed under their teaching.

The apostle Paul knew that he was called from his mother’s womb. He had a misguided passion for God though, as he was persecuting the church, until he had his encounter with Jesus. (Acts 8:3, 9:1-6)

Now, don’t think that your calling has to do with your qualifications, abilities, achievements or even your walk with God. You were called from your mother’s womb by His grace. As a fetus in your mother’s womb, there was not much you could do – good or bad. That is why your calling is all by His grace. And since He has given you a calling, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern the desires that He has placed in your heart, the passions that drive you in life, and fulfill your calling and destiny in Christ!