Opening your home is like opening your heart. Some of my most significant conversations have happened around the table. A simple meal becomes life changing. That’s what happened to Abraham and Sarah when they welcomed three visitors into their home. (Gen. 18) Sometimes all it takes is creating space for change to take place.
Connection with others is a basic human need. Being seen and known makes us feel validated and valued, like we exist. When we’re ignored or neglected, we wonder what’s wrong with us and question whether we’re good enough. The feeling of shame experienced in an individual or group can be devastating. It strikes at our self-worth, our dignity — the very part of us made in God’s image that was blessed and pronounced as “very good” at creation. (Gen. 1:31)
It’s said ‘if we don’t use it, we lose it’ in physical fitness. I say the same is true spiritually. Active faith builds a healthier, stronger Body. Flexing our ‘spiritual muscles’ through daily exercises of loving, listening, obeying, and following God purifies and matures us. It makes us better fit in times of heavy lifting. When circumstances displace us, or decisions become too weighty, our spiritual discipline helps us bear down, to press into God and push back the evil one.
When God puts His finger on something, we should take note. No doubt, the Holy Spirit has come to point the way. To mark the spot. When we can’t put our finger on it — that thing that keeps us in bondage — the finger of God can! He knows why something is the way it is and can set us free and heal us.
On the path of life, a crossroad or a fork in the road many times is a sign of spiritual warfare or crisis. A decision must be made which activates our faith. Like a door or a gate of opportunity, our choice will either add to our faith or to an element of fear in our lives. Thankfully, Jesus said He is our “Gate” –- our Way through. (John 10:7) So, we proceed ahead, following Him and trusting Him with the opening or closing of opportunities for us.
Imagine driving without road signs or symbols. Not only would getting lost be easy, but traffic jams and wrecks would be everywhere. Road rage, too. Signs and symbols help keep us on track. Their meanings help guide us along the way. The same can be true spiritually. God often uses symbols to speak to us and give direction for our journey through life.
When it comes to the blame game, we’ve all played and lost. Our attempts to avoid responsibility and accountability have only caused greater harm and destruction. No one wins, except Satan, when we’re pointing fingers at others, deflecting, denying, and defending ourselves.
There’s a difference between a house and a home. One is a structure built by human hands; the other is a dwelling place made by human hearts. It’s from the heartbeat of home that family is made. This was God’s idea: He destined the human heart to be His home (Acts 7:48) and offered His gift of salvation to the world through a family (Luke 2:11-12). God’s wisdom confounded those inspired by the evil one. While they expected a king in a palace, Jesus came as an ordinary person in a home.
If entering a new year or realm feels daunting, take heart! God has already gone before you. There is no better foundation for going somewhere new than this truth: God is behind you, God is before you. Just as Abram was met by the high priest Melechizedek in the Promised Land, so Jesus awaits you in yours. But, expect opposition, as you move forward into the new, engaging people and territories that are rightfully the Lord’s.
To bloom where you are planted brings together worship and geography, just as God intended. Indeed, He has determined the specific times and places where we live and is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:24-28) We worship God everywhere, but specifically in the place He has put us. There, our roots grow deep and in time we produce fruit. This is also where we are the greatest threat to the kingdom of darkness.
Out with the old, in with the new. Thankfully, that was not God’s idea for humanity, or the baby might have been thrown out with the bath water! The Good News does not throw out the Old but transforms it through a personal, passionate relationship with God’s Son. “I came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it,” Jesus said. (Matt. 5:17) So, we must discern and proceed carefully. How we help others transition from Old Testament (OT) living to New Testament (NT) living can have long-lasting implications.
What “pot of gold” at the end of a rainbow would you treasure, if there were such a thing? Most likely it would be different from mine. Treasure to me might not be the same to you. And that’s okay. God designed us that way. Satan detests God’s creativity and keeps stirring his black pot with much intention to strip us of our uniqueness.
Throughout the ages, mankind has been fascinated by God’s glory. We’ve meditated upon it. Marveled at it. Sought after it. Prophesied about it. Moses even saw it. (Well, only part of it.) God’s glory is powerful and transformative. This is why Satan is so determined to keep our minds blinded from it. (2 Cor. 4:4)
With so many ways of communicating today, filtering through all the noise can be challenging. And exhausting. We can easily miss God’s signals to us. The ruler of the kingdom of the air, Satan, seeks to block, confuse and scramble communication in order to hinder us from hearing and following God well. (Eph. 2:2) So, we must tune in and sharpen our listening and discerning skills.
When things are not as they seem, it’s easy to jump to the wrong conclusions and make mistakes. Believe me, I’ve made my fair share of them! At first glance, our discernment of a situation may not be the most accurate. We need to give it time. To dig deeper into the meaning of things.
Nothing deepens our walk with Christ like suffering does. That’s not a comforting thought, I know, but it’s true for all of us. Even Christ. We gain spiritual substance through suffering. Our tests and trials purify us. The Apostle Paul described it as ‘gold being refined by fire.” (I Pet. 1:6-7) Depending on how we respond to trials, our faith will either blaze or smolder.
Do you know that you are God’s treasure, and He comes searching for you? If not, it’s time you do. This is what makes Christianity different from any other religion. E. Stanley Jones said it this way: “Religion is man’s search upward for God, and the Gospel is God’s search downward for man.” Please grasp this: we don’t find God, He finds us. If our enemy can convince you otherwise, then you’re already defeated spiritually, striving throughout life in your own strength.
One thing we know about God: He is not boring! From rainbows and flowers to landscapes and thumbprints, God’s heart for creativity is undeniable. Open wide your eyes. Look around you. His glory is displayed everywhere. Just imagine on that Day when all the nations march into the New Jerusalem. It will be a much grander parade than we’ve seen at the Olympics. Kings and nations will shine in their own splendor, revealing Jesus as their Messiah. (Rev. 21:22-26) There is no wonder, then, why the enemy seeks to strip us and our cultures of all God-given uniqueness and beauty.
Let’s face it. Yes and no answers might be hard to swallow at times, but at least they’re answers. What’s worse is when there’s no answer, no explanation, no reasoning, and you’re left with seemingly nothing. Would you agree? Mystery can leave us wondering and wandering. This is when spiritual warfare can come into play.
Maybe you’re surrounded by contradictory messages and feel like throwing your hands up. I know the feeling. Oftentimes spiritual battles are over wisdom. In James 3, this type of battlefront is revealed. There are two kinds of wisdom — one that’s heavenly, the other that’s worldly — and each comes from a different source. While heavenly wisdom produces the Kingdom of God in our midst, earthly, unspiritual and demonic wisdom opposes it. It’s important that we can discern between the two.
Ever gathered with others thinking it was for one reason, only to discover it was really for another? I have. One quick way to discern the origin of a spiritual battle is to ask, “Who is receiving the glory or praise?” God or mankind? It’s good to assess the motive behind our gatherings.
If humility is what keeps us from missing God, then pride is what keeps us from seeing Him. Are you seeing God? If not, look deep inside. Sin itself is a part of our spiritual battle, as God ‘opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.’ (James 4:6) Knowingly or unknowingly, through pride we give the devil access and hinder the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“Mr. Frodo, I wonder what kind of tale we have fallen into?” Frodo’s traveling companion, young Sam, in The Lord of the Rings Series asked an important question. Can you relate? I’ve walked into rooms or cities and instantly felt a shift – a darkness and heaviness and knew something was taking place spiritually that wasn’t good.
The Last will be first is one of those many counterintuitive statements about the Kingdom of God, just like the greatest leader among you is the servant. God’s invitation to His end-time Kingdom Feast is secured for all nations through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. A place at the table has been prepared for everyone who understands this Good News and chooses to come to His great banquet. (Luke 14:16-24)
In God’s Kingdom, there is only one King but many followers. These followers are both Jew and Gentile from all the nations. Perhaps one of the best definitions of the church is given to us by Howard A. Synder from his book The Community of the King. He said we are most rightly identified as followers of Christ.
When we enter another’s story, we begin to understand each other’s way of life. It is at this level that the Apostle Paul focused his efforts among the non-Jewish nations. Paul said it was not only his privilege to share the Gospel but also his life with others. (I Thess. 2:8) Too often we tend to emphasize teaching and training over serving and learning. Yet, it is in serving and learning that breakthroughs will come.
How is our witness for Christ? It’s important we know because this is why we were created. The passage in Acts 1:8 gives us our marching orders to be witnesses for Christ wherever we are in the world. It is this very area that the most intense spiritual warfare will take place. In the end, either we will be a witness for Jesus, another spirit or our own beliefs.
To walk in the favor of God and man is to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus is the original apostle or ‘sent one’ from God. (Heb. 3:1) God’s favor for ‘sent ones’ is multiplied by the ‘spirit of adoption.’ It says of Jesus that He grew in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52) Finding favor with people is being approved by them. This positions us with acceptance and influence at spiritual and heart levels.
Apostles are those who are sent by God. It’s important, then, to consider the ‘spirit in which we go and are sent.’ Are we bearing witness to the life and presence of Christ wherever we go? Our lives will be a witness; the question is a ‘witness for whom?’ We want people to receive and be impacted by the spirit of Christ in all that we do.
There is power in friendships. So much so that kings and kingdoms rise and fall because of them. What starts as a casual acquaintance can turn into a divine connection that changes a nation. Imagine Israel’s fate without Naomi and Ruth, Elijah and Elisha, David and Jonathan, Paul and Timothy, to name a few. Of course, they weren’t thinking of their friendship in those terms at the time. And neither do we. Perhaps this is in part what Jesus meant when He said the Kingdom of God comes without observation. (Luke 17:20) We would do well to take account of the company we keep. The enemy does.