Author: Hal Hollister Ministry

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
on those who hope in His mercy” Psalm 33:18

Hope is the essence of the desires of your heart. This might be for good health, prosperity, healing in a relationship, protection for your children, or success in your work. Or, your hope might be in the promises of God.

We all hope for different things. God’s eyes are on those who fear Him and hope in His mercy. You fear God by attempting to live a life pleasing to Him and walking by faith.

The promise from God is He will deliver your soul and keep you alive in times of deprivation and scarcity.

God speaks so simply but we don’t get it! Wait on Me and I will be your help and your shield. Waiting is not the way of the world. When things are upside down, the natural course of action is to take things into your own hands.

God calls you to wait on Him and trust in His holy name. Very few people do this in times of distress. Faith gives way to reacting out of fear and desperation.

Your only hope in this world is in God. Every time you look for hope in things other than God you disappoint and fail Christ.

The gospel is about trusting in the mercy of God whether you are facing destruction, misery, or death. Your unyielding faith in Christ will fill you with gladness and you will see the fulfillment of His promises in the land of the living.

The purposes of God are eternal. He is your only hope for life today!

 

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

God wants your abandoned devotion to Him. He does not want sacrifices. Jesus made the final sacrifice for all. There will never be another sacrifice for God.

God does not want your works. Do you really think you can do something for the Creator of the heavens and earth?

God wants you to have unyielding faith built on the reality of who He is. God’s mission is to get you to trust Him implicitly. You can’t play hide and seek with God. He wants all of you.

God wants you to live for Him. This cannot happen until your individuality and compulsions are crucified with Christ.

God has to break your heart through the trials of life to cause you to give up your ego and self determination and to live for Him.

Your loyalty to God cannot be built on an intellectual concept or an emotional experience. It has to be built on the sufferings of Christ.

Faith does not come from reading the Bible or going to church. Faith comes from a personal encounter with the Living Christ. Until you get to this point, you are just going through the motions.

God wants you to worship Him for who He is and not for His blessings. Find your purpose in the work of the Cross and the promise of salvation.

Come to know the Living Christ and you will have the faith to overcome any obstacle in life. The Cross will demonstrate the reality of the greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty of God.

At this point, your life will not be about self. It will be about pleasing God.

 

 

 

 

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing you will see and not perceive” Matthew 13:14

Jesus spoke these words in explaining why He speaks in parables. Most people can’t grasp the straight forward truths of God so Jesus simplifies His words using real life illustrations.

The challenge is learning how you can get the ability or spiritual discernment to understand the mysteries of God.

God is looking for people with an open heart and with ears that hear His voice and eyes that see His truths.

How does this happen? It is simply a matter of opening yourself up to God without any pretensions. It is a desire to know the Living Christ and live for Him.

Forget about religion! It will lead you astray. Jesus spent His lifetime confronting religion with the truths of God.

Come directly to God without any expectations or preconceived ideas. There is no one like Him and He does not think or act like you.

God will justify you solely through your faith in Him. You won’t find the transfigured Christ through works or religious activities. You will find Jesus when you abandon yourself unconditionally to Him.

God wants you to breath His promises into your heart and soul and make His words the bedrock of your life. You live by faith and reject the ways of the world.

Jesus was hungry and hadn’t eaten any food in forty days. He had a choice to turn stones into bread but He opted to obey the word of God and the angels came and attended to His needs.

You will please God living by faith and following in His footsteps; “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

This is understanding your entitlement to the blessings of God will come living by faith in His Word. The words of God become your bread winner and fulfill your every need. Like David, this is a statement from your heart reaffirming your help comes from the Lord and rejecting the ways of the world.

The words of God are perfect and cannot be compromised or edited by anyone. You have to accept the Word wholeheartedly under the illumination of the Spirit of God.

The words of the Lord are pure words. They have been refined like silver in a hot furnace. The Lord keeps His Words. They are preserved forever!

 

“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11

The foundation of ministry begins with the life and death of Christ Jesus.

The Cross is the essence of life for a believer. You have to be willing to die to self and live for Christ. Until you reach this point your ministry will be of little or no value to Christ.

Your ministry has to be created by Christ and have pure and selfless motives in accord with the teachings of Jesus.

Your ego has to disappear along with the need for notoriety, money making, and success. You are working for Christ not for self. He establishes the boundaries and goals of your ministry.

The foundation of ministry is not built on religion or works. It comes from living in oneness with Christ Jesus and learning how to walk with Him by faith.

The priority is knowing Christ and living with Him. You cannot leapfrog into a ministry until you understand the ways of Christ and have a living relationship with Him.

Faith is the cornerstone in a ministry. You have to prove to God you live by faith and your help comes from the Lord who created the heavens and earth. Faith is living in the promises of God and not the ways of the world.

Your ministry has to be sanctified by God. This is accomplished through severe testing, experiencing suffering, and facing humiliation at times. Remember, you have been baptized into the death of Christ.

God has to get you to the point where you will obey Him without question regardless of your circumstances. This can even be at a great loss to you.

There is a lifestyle ministry for all believers that begins with your decision for Christ. Jesus said “He who believes in Me out of his heart will flow rivers of Living Water.”

This is the life of Jesus and is expressed in love, joy, kindness, and meekness. People around you see the personality of Jesus in your demeanor, words, and actions.

You and I have been created in the workmanship of Christ Jesus to do His works. The works will be different for each disciple as God determines your ministry and equips you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to excel in your calling.

God may have no intention in giving you a specific ministry for many years. Moses tended sheep for forty years before He was ready to do the work of God.

Ministry becomes easily corrupted when the motives are self serving. Christianity tends to focus on goals like building bigger or new churches, recruiting members, and raising money. Christ Crucified gets demoted and the attention turns to personalities, religion, and fund raising.

Jesus was not about success. He was about doing the will of His Father. The result was persecution, humiliation, and a suffering death.

The test of a Christ driven ministry is the fruit of the harvest. Are you helping God build His kingdom with believers wholly devoted to Christ and willing to die for Him?

 

“No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.” Numbers 14:24

God made a promise! He avowed to give the Israelites Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.

God kept His promise!

The Israelites rebelled against God, treated Him with contempt, tested Him ten times in the wilderness and failed to listen to His voice.

The definition of contempt is a feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. This what caused the downfall of the Israelites.

God told Moses to send twelve men, one from each tribe, along with Joshua and Caleb to spy out the Promised Land. They returned to report the land is abundant with fruit and is very fertile. They also described the strength of the enemy tribes and were terrified with fear. They said we can never conquer these giant men.

All of the Israelites complained bitterly and wanted to chose a new leader to help them to return to Egypt.

The twelve spies were afflicted by God with a plague and died.

Every Israelite over twenty years of age died in the wilderness.

God imposed a sentence of 40 years to wander in the wilderness due to their contempt.

There was a splinter group of Israelites who recognized their sin and decided to go up to the mountain of the enemy tribe. Moses warned against this action. Moses and the Ark of the Covenant stayed in the camp. All of the Israelites were defeated and most died.

At times, we all have feelings of anger and discontent with our circumstances. We tend to blame God for His lack of action.

There is a big difference between your human feelings and taking action to turn away from God. You cross the line when you choose to defy God and make decisions to live on your own. This is an attitude of contempt about God.

The point is God keeps His promises. It may take many years, lots of disappointment, and long suffering.

Keep uppermost in your heart and mind God is faithful to His Word. The promises God has personally made to you will come true in His perfect timing.

This attitude of faith will stir the heart of God; “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

 

 

“I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.” Joel 2:27

God devastated the nation of Israel because of their sins. The judgment was horrific and no one was spared.

However, the nature of God is to punish and then restore His people. This cycle is repeated over and again in the Bible.

This promise in Joel reflects the heart of God and His position of sovereignty in the universe. God has dominion over the heavens and earth and there is no other god. And, He will never allow His people to be put to shame.

God will severely test you to determine if you are loyal to Him and walking by faith. He will punish you for your sins but He will never allow you end up in shame.

This can’t happen because God keeps His Word. If you are a believer yielding to God and living by faith in His promises you will be delivered by the hand of God.

As human beings, we continue to fall into sin and misjudge the ways of the Lord. It is unavoidable because of our genetic engineering. You and I live for self and God lives to help others.

Time and again, we have to pick ourselves up from the floor and return to God with a heart of repentance. The good news is God will always be there willing to forgive and restore you to Himself.

Your only hope is Christ who lives in you. He will keep you on track when you understand and appropriate this oracle of God into your life each day; “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Which law of God are you submitting to today?

 

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Moses experienced more time with God than any human being since the existence of the world. The insights of Moses in Psalm 90 are priceless truths describing how God thinks and acts towards His people.

Moses understood the eternal nature of God. He existed before He formed the world. There is no power greater than God and His sovereignty will last forever.

Moses saw how God can destroy His people over their sins and then bring them back to Him. You and I are accountable to God for all our actions. You cannot escape the retribution of God.

Time is of no consequence to God. For a thousand years is like one day to God. He has no life span but our days are limited.

God is like a watchman at night and Moses uses the metaphor of sleep to explain our cycle of life. In the morning we are awake like the grass and are nourished and grow. God flourishes us during the day and in the evening we wither and are cut down.

Moses has witnessed the anger of the Lord and has been terrified by the fear of the Lord. He knows that God operates with retribution and blesses and curses. There is no one like Him! Who are you and I to question God?

Moses explains God sees all of our sins. Nothing is hidden from Him. The upmost purpose in life is to be right with God.

Moses speaks about life ranging between seventy and eighty years and when the end comes you can only boast of labor and sorrow. This is understanding the insignificance and frailty of man and the greatness of God. We are called to live for God not for self. This is where you will discover the transfigured Christ!

Moses didn’t try to figure out God. He was just obedient to the voice of God!

Moses challenges the Israelites; “Do you really understand the power of the wrath of God and where you will end up after your life comes to an end?” Your destiny is in the hands of God!

The admonition from Moses is to number (or treasure) each day in the sight of God and gain a heart of wisdom from Him.

Moses pleads with God to return to His people and have compassion on them even though they continually defy His ways.

Learning how to pray like Moses, the man of God!

Moses asks for the mercy of God so the Israelites can rejoice and be glad all of their days. Notice there is no mention of material blessings.

Moses asks God to give back to the Israelites the length of time He has afflicted them with an equal amount of time with gladness. Moses asks that God’s servants have the ability see His work and that their children can share in His glory.

Finally, Moses asks for the beauty of the Lord to fall upon His people and establish the work of their hands. You can gain an appreciation of the beauty of the Lord when you abandon yourself completely to Him and walk by faith trusting in His promises.

God will establish the work of your hands when you commit your life each day to Him and seek the wisdom and strength of your Maker.

He lives so you can live!

 

“There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12

This is about the means you employ to justify your ends. We all set goals and implement plans to be successful.

The difficulty is human thinking can easily lead you astray of God. You may have a very logical and well thought out plan but if this plan is not in accord with God you are headed for trouble. Or, you might achieve your goal and then your life turns into shambles.

First of all, make your plans and share them with God. Seek His wisdom and guidance for your life.

Secondly, be flexible and willing to change your goals depending upon the leading of God. Remember, God does not like the predictable because it draws you away from the principle of faith.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He understands the depth of your personality and all your strengths and weaknesses. Do you think you can second guess your Creator?

God is omniscient and knows every detail of your life-past, present, and future. What a great reason to live under the canopy of His protection!

God has to be invested in all your plans or the outcome will be a disaster. God ways are contrary to the ways of the world. In fact, He tells you the wisdom of the world is foolishness to God.

Let’s get back to the means utilized to justify your ends. This begins with the gift of salvation. Without this, you have no hope for life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

As a believer, the means (or tactics) are vital to your success. The most important priority is to come into a personal and vibrant relationship with the Living God. This will happen when you make a wholehearted decision to live for Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life.

The means of a spiritual person will keep you tuned into God and and on track with His path for your life. This will not always relate to your goals.

Pray each day to God. Commit your works to God and ask Him to establish His thoughts in your mind. Remember, you have the mind of Christ.

Ask God to convict you of any thoughts or actions that are not pleasing to Him.

Pray for strength, wisdom, and protection. Ask the Lord to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your pathway.

Pray for your family, friends, and those who God brings to your mind.

Learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and open to hear His voice.

Spend some time each day reading the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to appropriate the values of Jesus into your life.

Find a comfortable church and/or support group that teaches the truths of God.

Finally, it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. He lives so you can live!

 

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

Today, you live in an invisible war between Satan and God. You are a target of Satan.

This war launched by Satan is to draw you away from God and cause you conform to the ways of the world. Satan wants to diminish the influence of Jesus in your life. He works using deception and lies.

Satan wants to tempt you into taking actions that are contrary to God. Most of the time this will start with thoughts in your mind and then leads to sin. Or, Satan can work through others to attack you or tempt you into evil.

Satan wants to change your belief system to liberalize scripture to make it fit into the changing culture of our society.

This is where you need to strongly resist any teaching of the antichrist. Remember, God never changes and His Word will endure forever. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy. He knows all your weaknesses and wants to exploit them to draw you into a web of sin.

Satan has infiltrated television and the movies, fashion, your mobile devices, and social media. You cannot avoid exposure to Satan living in this world.

The challenge is to stay strong in the Lord. This can only be accomplished by yielding to the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. The Spirit is your guardian against the tactics of Satan and will provide you with wisdom and protection. The Spirit will give you discernment to understand what is God and what are the lies of Satan.

Seek out God for protection from Satan and wisdom in dealing with His tactics. Put on the full armor of God and stand firmly living in the promises of God.

Don’t be afraid to confront Satan directly with the Word of God. Satan has been defeated by the blood of Christ and has no authority over you. He has to flee when you speak the name of Jesus.

 

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31

Jesus spoke the words of the Golden Rule during the Sermon on the Mount. This truth is about expressing respect for all those who are in your life. The instruction from Jesus is to esteem others higher than yourself.

The ability to do this comes from the humility of God. You meet the Living Christ and see His greatness and glory and you become humbled over your sinful condition and insignificance compared to almighty God.

The spiritual man understands God is His helper and has no need to boast about self or attempt to build up His reputation among others. He knows his inner worth comes from God and this allows him to walk with meekness and kindness towards others.

The spiritual man does not try to get revenge when injured by others. He forgives and asks God for healing and restoration.

The spiritual man sees others through the eyes of Jesus. He takes a genuine interest in their life and his words and actions are guided by the Holy Spirit.

The love of God has a powerful effect on others. The Living Water pouring out of your heart has a tremendous influence on those around you. This is the life of Jesus and is expressed with motives of concern and caring for others.

The Cross causes you to die to self and live for Christ. This is the only way you can treat others like you want to be treated. Pride disappears and is replaced by humility.

The calling from God is to be a light touching those living in darkness!