“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11

This deals with the relationship of rest to disobedience looking through the eyes of Christ Jesus and affects every believer in the kingdom of God.

What is disobedience to God? The best definition is you hear the voice of God but you harden your heart. You fall into rebellion against God and doubt the veracity of His Word.

The primary example used throughout the Bible is the Israelites rebellion against God. They heard the voice of God but they fell into unbelief. They complained bitterly about their circumstances and chose to worship other gods.

God has provided a rest for His people so you can cease from your works as God did from His and live by faith in the promises of God. You can enter into this rest by accepting Christ Jesus and walking with Him by faith.

This rest is acknowledging the greatness of God who created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. You rest in the works of your Creator!

It is accepting the work of the Cross and living by faith and not by sight. This where the struggle begins.

What happens to most believers is they hear the voice of God with excitement and fervor but then the trials of life bring hardships and suffering. And, they fall into unbelief! They don’t believe Jesus is who He claims to be.

This usually begins with feelings of anger, fear, and doubt. Then you speak disparaging words about the lack of God’s sustenance in your life.

The unbelief changes to action when you substitute something to replace God like self sufficiency, fleshly indulgences, worship of idols, or the pursuit of worldly living.

The penalty of unbelief is usually associated with some form of punishment. God afflicted the Israelites with poisonous snakes and several thousand died.

The action of disobedience makes God angry and raises the concern He might disallow you from entering into His rest. He did this with most of the Israelites who died in the desert.

The rest of God is simply walking by faith and judging God by His Word and never by the circumstances in your life.

The most important question you can ask God today is “Am I in obedience to your voice?”

 

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9

This is about questioning your motives in dealing with God looking through the life of Elijah.

Elijah was fleeing for his life and finally fell down in the wilderness and prayed to God to take him to Heaven. Elijah was scared, felt defeated, and lacked any strength to go on with life. He believed he had failed God like his ancestors.

Then the Angel of the Lord appeared twice and fed Elijah food and water and told Him to travel to the mountain of God. Elijah traveled 40 days and arrived to hide in a cave.

The next morning God said “What are you doing here, Elijah?” This question seems ambiguous because God knew why Elijah had come to the mountain. Was He asking Elijah why he was hiding in a cave? Or, doubting His faith in God?

Elijah replied “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Elijah’s response did not answer God’s question. Why didn’t Elijah tell God why he came to the mountain? He was evasive and gave God a circumspect response. Was Elijah looking for protection or assurance from God?

God knew all the circumstances of Elijah’s life and was testing Elijah to find out what he was really looking to receive from Him.

Evidently, Elijah needed to see the power of God even though He had performed mighty signs and wonders in his ministry. As a matter of fact, Elijah was the first human being appointed by God to bring someone back from death to life.

God told Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord. Then God demonstrated His greatness and created an earthquake, a powerful wind, and a fire. God was not in these cosmic disturbances but He made them.

Then Elijah heard the still small voice of God and hid his face from God.

Then the sequence happened again with the same question from God and the same response from Elijah.

It sounds like God didn’t get the response He was looking for from Elijah.

After this, God instructed Elijah on the actions for him to take as he prepared to depart alive from the earth and go to Heaven.

The truth in this story is to come before God with honesty and be straightforward with Him. God knows all the circumstances in your life. In fact, He knows future challenges that are hidden from you.

So think about your motives before you approach the throne of God! Remember, you are coming before your Creator who has power and dominion over all things in heaven and earth.

Speak openly to God sharing your feelings and needs. Is your faith wavering in the challenges of life? Does God seem illusive or failing to respond to your prayers?

Ask the Living God to meet you today at your point of need and share His life with you. He died so you can live!

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

King Jehoshaphat was the ruler of Judah. He was a man of God steeped in Jewish laws and culture. He created reforms in his country causing people to turn away from the worship of idols and return to the Lord. He also appointed judges to rule over the people with honesty and the fear of the Lord.

What happened is three warning nations came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

The King heard this news and immediately inquired of the Lord and proclaimed a fast among the people. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord.

In the assembly of the Lord, the Spirit came upon the prophet Jahaziel. God spoke “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you”

The King positioned his army according to the instructions of God and then stood still and watched the enemies destroyed by the hand of God.

The lesson in this story deals with the battles of life. Jehoshaphat was a human being just like you and me. He was a god fearing man but was far from perfect.

When trouble was looming, the first thing he did was inquire of the Lord and seek Him out through worship. The King fasted and called out for his people to join him.

The King praised God for His mighty works and then became still and waited for the Lord. God spoke and the king was obedient to the instructions of the Lord.

The victory came from God and He received all the glory.

Jesus wants to fight your battles while you stand still and see the greatness and the glory of God. Just follow the example of Jehoshaphat!

God is with you! It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God.

But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Numbers 21:4-5

The Israelites are a microcosm of your life today. They became impatient and complained to the Lord. They spoke disparaging words about their journey with God, the lack of a homeland, and the absence of water and food.

They were unable to accept the provisions of God because they did not meet their expectations. The lesson to learn is to accept your life as it is today. It is God’s perfect plan.

God became very angry with the Israelites and sent poisonous snakes among the people. Many died and the Israelites realized they had sinned against God and repented.

The reality is sin manifested in the form of anger or bitterness will bring troubles into your life. God will get your attention and cause you to repent from your words and actions. How can you and I rebel against the Creator of the heavens and earth?

The unrest with God usually begins with impatience. You get tired of waiting for God and complain and turn bitter towards the lack of sustenance in your life. You fall into unbelief.

The Israelites asked Moses to pray to God for relief from the snakes. So when the afflictions from God fall upon you pray for patience, renewed faith, and help from God to overcome your troubles. Nothing is impossible with God!

God told Moses to make a staff with a bronze snake mounted on the top. Moses complied with God and anyone bitten by a snake who looked at the staff lived. How great is our God!

You and I have to accept God on His terms and live with thanksgiving in our hearts regardless of how dire or hopeless life might seem to you.

God is merciful and forgiving. He is a God of eternal life and His purposes are perfect!

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life!

“I live, you also will live.” John 14:19

The challenge is understanding how Jesus can change from a figure in the Bible to become alive in your life.

The starting point is to evaluate your commitment to Christ Jesus. Is He your God on Sunday or have you invited Him to live with you every moment of your life?

Have you opened up your heart to God without reservations or limitations? God wants all of you and will not share you with other gods or idols.

Jesus will become alive when you agree to live for Him and give up your independence and self sufficiency.

This commitment is not about religion or works. It is making a decision to know Christ Jesus and live by faith believing in His Word.

The Cross is not something illusive. It is the reality of life for a believer. You live in the Cross everyday of your life and experience conviction of sin, forgiveness, and the filling of the resurrected power of God.

The kingdom of God is not in word but in power. And, the power of God comes from the Holy Spirit.

You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit so you have to make a decision to live through your flesh or yield to the Spirit of God. You will find the Living Christ through His Spirit. He will fill you with the life of Jesus and empower you to do the works of God.

This won’t happen until you take the initiative and invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over every aspect of your life.

This will transform Jesus from a storybook God to your best friend. He will come alive in your life and you will experience His greatness and glory.

He lives so you can live!

“A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:8

The Highway of Holiness was created by God. It is an eternal pathway to the kingdom of God.

The eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him and walk down this highway.

The entry to this highway comes by confessing your faith in Christ Jesus. There is no other way. The Cross entitles you to the treasures of Jesus. You are ransomed by the blood of Jesus and will live with Him forever.

No one can enter this highway by offering sacrifices or offerings. And, your works are of no value.

You enter this highway by the grace of God. It is Christ Jesus who chose you to live with Him before you were born. You have nothing to do with this decision.

The highway of holiness transforms you into a new creature in Christ Jesus. You die to self and live for Christ. Your life is no longer yours. It belongs to Christ.

All those who walk down this highway will experience the reality of the Living Christ. You will walk by faith praising God for His work of Creation.

Your eyes shall be opened to see the greatness and glory of God and your ears shall hear the life changing power of the Word of God.

There will be healing for those with physical afflictions.

The strength of God will overcome your fears and all will live in the promises of God.

The desert and wilderness will come alive with bubbling waters filled with the glory and splendor of God.

The efficacy of Christ will surround you with His beauty and prosperity.

The unclean will not journey on this road and no evil creatures will be found here.

You cannot go astray from God on this road. The hand of the Lord is over you. He is your Keeper and will preserve your going out and coming in.

There will be singing, the presence of joy and gladness, and sorrow shall fade away.

Come by faith and enter the Highway of Holiness. Christ is all and in all!

 

 

 

 

 

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9

Last night God spoke to me about the transparency of Christ Jesus. He is not an intangible God. Jesus is alive and wants to share Himself with you.

Think about living with God through this example of transparency. If you live in a house with the windows shuttered you are surrounded by darkness and not open to the light. However, if you unshutter the windows the light shines into your house.

You have to take the initiative and reach out to God. Jesus is standing outside your front door and asking you to invite Him into your life. There is no hesitancy on His part.

There was also a warning from God last night. The Holy Spirit told me that He will uncover the secret parts in the Body of Christ and expose the deceit and treachery against the Word of God.

If you are a believer, you have to take your commitment to Jesus seriously and seek Him first above all other things. There is no stopping point (or time out) with God!

God made Jesus a little lower than angels because He wanted Him to live on the earth in a human form.

Jesus can relate to you because He experienced life on your terms. He lived in the world and faced all the same temptations from Satan that you have to deal with every day of your life.

Jesus knows your personality better than you know yourself and can identify with all your feelings. He also grasps the challenges of trying to live in the world but not conform to the ways of the world.

God orchestrated for Jesus to come to the earth in a human form and die on a Cross. This is the only way you and I can inherit the gift of eternal life. Jesus died so you can have an abundant life and live in oneness with Him.

Jesus was destined to experience a suffering death and was crowned with glory and honor by God. He tasted the agony of death so you can live with Him forever.

God has placed all things in heaven and earth under the subjection of Christ. There is nothing left that is not under His authority.

The miracle of salvation is you can meet the Living Christ and live in communion with Him. He lives so you can live.

You can share anything with Jesus without shame or embarrassment. Your deep secrets and failures in life are not hidden from God. He died to forgive all your transgressions. They are no longer a hindrance to living with Him.

Jesus desires to be your best friend and confidant. He wants to have conversations with you and pour out His wisdom, strength, and joy into your life.

If you are a believer, Jesus is alive in you through the function and power of the Holy Spirit. He desires to walk closely with you and help you meet all the challenges of life.

Commit your works each day to God and yield to the Holy Spirit. This is like turning on your navigation system and allowing God to steer you through life. It is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God.

Jesus is a transparent God and wants to share His resurrected life with you!

There is no one like Him!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2

The example of perfect obedience was displayed by Jesus who gave up His life on the Cross. This was an extreme act of obedience and is unlikely to be a calling in your life.

The challenge is to understand how to be obedient to God? You probably failed God several times today even though your intentions are to please Him.

You were created to be in relation with God but your inner being is evasive to the authority of God. So you live in conflict every day of your life choosing to obey God or live for self.

The first step is to recognize it is impossible to live the perfect life of Jesus so don’t even try. You will fail God because you are a self driven person and cannot think or act like God.

Jesus knows you will never live up to His standards. The journey of a disciple is to come to know Jesus and walk by faith believing in His promises.

The transformation of the inner person is the work of the Holy Spirit and mostly takes place below your consciousness. This is a lifelong process and you will not be complete until you meet Jesus in Heaven.

Christianity promotes the importance of obedience to God and doing good works but fails to explain the methodology of walking by the Spirit of God and how your faith leads to righteousness and doing the works of God.

Your faith in God will fill you with the righteousness of God. There is no other way. Abraham believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness.

Your works are born out of the Holy Spirit. You hear the voice of God and are obedient to God following the example of Abraham who was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his son, to the Lord.

Your faith and your actions have to work together and they originate with the Holy Spirit.

You can live obedient to God by yielding to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

This is an act of voluntarily choosing to yield (or live through) the Holy Spirit dwelling within you and rejecting the urges of the flesh. This is the only way you can live in obedience to Christ Jesus.

Invite the Holy Spirit to have authority over your life and you will be able to lead a life pleasing to God. You won’t be perfect but you be free from the bondage of sin.

The Holy Spirit will guide you into the truths of God and show you how to appropriate the values of Jesus into your life.

For in Him, we live and move and have our being!

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

The walk of a disciple is not easy. Who wants to suffer and die to self? The world worships success not martyrdom.

Christianity is filled with both lukewarm believers and disciples of Christ. The difference is a disciple knows Christ and lives out His life. He participates in the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ and dies to self to live for Christ.

The disciple lives through the resurrected power of Christ and understands there is no sufficiency within himself.

The disciple is grounded in Jesus through prayer, praise, and His Word. He is sustained by the breath of Christ.

The disciple is like minded with Christ and consistently hears His voice.

You come to know Christ when you make a decision to give up the things of the world to follow Him.

The most important priority for a disciple is to live by faith and please your Savior through your thoughts, words, and actions.

The disciple realizes in the depth of his heart “Christ is all and in all.”

He is the essence of life for a disciple of Christ!

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

The definition of oblique implies something indirect or obscure. You see an object without clarity or understanding.

The challenge is how can you see the reality of the Living Christ and increase in His wisdom and knowledge.

As a believer, you have received Christ Jesus so the command is to walk in Him. This is a statement of action and commitment! It is not about apathy or disillusion.

You make a decision to live rooted and grounded in Jesus and established in faith believing in His promises. You become alive to God and dead to sin. Your substance of life is Christ.

The life of a believer is participating in the baptism of the death of Christ and becoming raised with Him through faith in the work of the Cross.

You are transformed into a new creature in Christ Jesus and are complete in Him. Your sins have been forgiven, you are restored to God, and Christ lives in you.

The goal is to live in Christ through the Holy Spirit and walk in oneness with your Creator. This is the only way you can defeat the indulgences of the flesh.

In Christ, you are free from regulations and religion. You will fail God attempting to live by self imposed restrictions or religious practices. They have no life changing power.

Come to the Living Christ and walk in Him! You will see His greatness and glory and Jesus will become your best friend.

He lives so you can live!