In The World But Not Of The World

You may have heard that believers are to be "in the world but not of the world." Have you wondered about the difference between those two options?

John 17:11-16 says Christians have to participate in their culture's systems, which includes commerce, politics, law, religion, art, education, and science. Believers keep homes, go to church, make and spend money, create things, etc. But no matter how fulfilling these are, God's children are to value the heavenly Father above all earthly pursuits (Matt. 6:33).

Interaction with nonbelievers is a primary way that we model and spread the gospel. If we were to withdraw from society, how would the lost learn about Jesus?

While associating with non-Christians is very appropriate, we should be aware of what's driving the world system. The Devil corrupted God's perfect order, diverting devotion away from the Lord. God intended that we receive peace and contentment from obeying Him, while Satan promotes the delusion of self-fulfillment. No pleasure offered by the world system is permanent or truly rewarding. However, until Christ establishes a new heaven and earth, believers must take part in this world

Test Your Relationship with God

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in our life—when He has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do we worship God then? What do we do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting Him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving Him when He seems distant.

Friendships are often tested by separation and silence; you are divided by physical distance or you are unable to talk. In our relationship with God, we won’t always feel close to Him. Yet He is worthy to be trusted.

“The Lord has hidden Himself from His people, but I trust Him and place my hope in Him” (Isaiah 8:17 TEV).

Faith, not feelings, pleases God

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you’ll know He exists. But as you grow in faith, He will wean you of these dependencies.

Faith, not feelings, pleases God. Be strong in your faith.

Step Up the Ladder

Today I would like to attempt to answer a question which is often asked but goes either unanswered or unsatisfactorily answered.

Why do most adult water-baptized believers not exhibit any significant character changes?

Sadly the question is relevant today as ever. The Word of God says that if anyone is in Christ then the old man is dead and he is a new creation. (2 Cor 5.17) Surely the Word of God cannot lie, so then, what is the reason for this anomaly?

Let us first look at what Jesus had to say about being ‘born-again’. In John 3.5 Jesus said for a man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, he must be born again of water and of the Spirit.

In the Bible, the Word of God is compared to water. The Word of God is said to have the same cleansing property water has. Ref. John 15.3; Eph 5.26 So, for a person to have the new birth experience, according to Jesus, he must be first born of the Word of God.

To be born of the Word, one should hear the Word of God. Faith is generated through the hearing of this Word of God (Rom 10.17) The Word cleanses us from all worldly prejudices and impurities.

The Bible reminds us that we are all spiritually dead. Nevertheless, when the cleansing action of the Word takes place within a person, the Holy Spirit simultaneously brings life to the human spirit and the person becomes a new creation. Thus when a man is born anew of the Word and of the Spirit, he is said to have had a rebirth or new birth experience.

Such a person will exhibit noticeable character changes in line with his spiritual transformation. Such a born-again believer submits to water baptism, as an outward act of obedience to his Lord and Master. Mat 28.19 However, most often, people come to a non-denominational church and are urged to take water baptism as their first sign of accepting the Lord Jesus. So the church may have a great number of baptized members, but the world sees no difference between themselves and the churchgoer. This defeats the whole purpose of water baptism which is the first step to a life of discipleship to Christ Jesus. In such cases, baptism often acts as a hindrance to the further growth of the Christian, instead of being a step up.

For some, the born-again experience is a gradual process while many others come to the realization and acknowledgment of Jesus as their Lord and savior at a specific moment. What is important is that you are born of the water and of the Spirit. If you are already born anew in Christ Jesus, I encourage you to continue to read the Word of God daily and forsake not the gathering of fellow believers. However, if you are still wondering, remember the Word of God says ‘Today is the day of Salvation’ (Heb 3.7, 13, 15; 4.7) for you cannot be certain you may be given another day (Lk 12.20).

I will leave you with this verse from Psalm 2

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Hagah the Word Day and Night

We are told to mediate on the word of God at all the times lead a successful life to. Joshua 1.8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

So today let us consider the word mediate as used in the Word of God.

The Hebrew word translated meditate in Joshua 1.8 is hagah which means to muse, mutter, roar etc. (The word hagah occurs 25 times in 24 verses in the OT.) Thus we see here that there are three levels to meditating the Word.

At the first level, after reading we are to ponder it in our mind. It is at this stage that the Holy Spirit drives the Word deep into our spirit (take root). At the second stage, the Word that was in your spirit is now on your lips. The Word has become personal, Rhema to you. The Word is no longer the writings but a message spoken directly to you for a specific purpose at a specific time.

Now it is time to say it aloud. You speak the Word aloud that has become Rhema to you, thereby not only drowning your own doubts, but every other worldly voice that speak contrary to the Word of God.

No Beakthroughs.... then what?

When we experience sickness without seeing a breakthrough, we can only seek Jesus for our healing and leave the outcome to Him. We need to trust that He knows the answer to our need and the timing for its solution. There are times when we experience supernatural healing and other times that we simply do not know why Jesus chooses not to heal. In either case, our devotion to Jesus must not change. God-delays are always pre-ordained for a greater purpose.

Its the same if you are experiencing various other trials in you life or in that of your loved ones. Continue to seek Jesus and leave the outcome to him. But let not your devotion to Jesus decrease an iota. A day will come when Jesus will reveal His purposes in your situation. Till then faint not. Be of good cheer. Jesus loves you yesterday, today and forever.

Precious Bundle!

No one has ever seen God (1 JOHN 4:12); true. But John1.1 says 'the Word was God'. If the Word is God then when we carry the Word of God in our hand, we carry God in our hands. When we read, learn and memorise the Word of God, we carry God in our hearts. God tells us to keep His word always before our eyes. When we do that we see God through His Word. (read Deut 6.8; 11.18; Pro 3.3; 6.3; 7.3 etc)

Extraordinary Weapons

“I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding Him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God, and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ 2 Cor10:4,5

What are these weapons? A holy life, the Holy Spirit, prayer, the Word of God, faith, truth - these are the weapons of God for supernatural warfare. We must Learn how to use them for His glory.

Whenever Satan attacks us, or we observe conflicts in the Body of Christ due to his influence, we must seek to defeat him by using these mighty weapons of God.

Do Whatever He Tells You

In John 2.5 we see Mary, mother of Jesus, saying to some servants to, “do whatever He (Jesus) tells you”. The key to the miracle in the wedding of Cana was in doing whatever Jesus commanded, no matter how foolish or inappropriate it sounded.

They were short of wine. This would be a major loss of face in this culture.

In verse 6 we read, “Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing”. The stone water jars were nearby, ie, they were available.

The servants obeyed Jesus’ command to fill the jars with water. (Verse 7) They again obeyed Him when he asked them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. (Verse 8)

Jesus used the obedient, lowly servants to perform his first recorded miracle. The vessels used for performing the miracle were insignificant stone water jars used for ceremonial washing of dirty feet.

Conclusion: You may be insignificant but are you available? You may be asked to do 'foolish, insignificant stuff' but are you willing to obey Jesus? No matter what you are, if you are available and willingly obedient, then God has use of you.

We read in the Gospel of Luke how Jesus had need of Peter’s boat. Carpenter Jesus used Peter’s fishing boat to preach the Word of God and later asked fisherman Peter to put out into the deep sea to fish. Here also we see how Peter’s availability and obedience blessed him in more ways than one. Peter’s disappointing fishing business prospered (material blessing) and his dead spirit was awakened (spiritual blessing).

The servants in the first miracle never questioned Jesus words, though it may have sounded inappropriate. Jesus’ command to put out to the deep also may have sounded foolish or inappropriate to Peter. Yet we see obedience to Jesus words in both these incidents and the resultant blessings.

Waiting.... Waiting

• Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain.

• Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was 99.

• God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of 400 years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert 40 years.

• Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be.

• God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king.

• Even Jesus waited for 30 years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry.

We all have to go through these waiting periods.

Why do we wait?

It teaches us to trust in God.

We learn that His timing is perfect.

We learn that God's delay never destroys His purpose.

A delay is not a denial. As Children we must learn the difference between "no" and "not yet,". Many times we think God is saying, "No," but He is saying, "Not yet."

{Aside: If you have learned any secrets to decern God's "Not yet" from His "No," drop in a line. :-) }

Why Work When God Is Your Source?

The Lord expects us to trust in Him and His Word, for His Word is our sustenance. Your salary, income or profit from your in business was never intended to sustain you; rather, it’s to provide you with seed for sowing. How do I know? Well, let see what the scripture has to say. In the book of Genesis we read that God created and placed Adam in a world where he lacked nothing. Then God gave Adam the responsibility to tend and keep the Garden (Gen 2.15) not so Adam would have a job as a means of livelihood, but to make him responsible. That is why, our jobs are not our source, it is an avenue for learning responsibility, discipline and contribution.

Besides giving our tithes and offering, we should consciously sow quality seeds from the money God blesses us with. This will move us into higher realms of financial freedom. The extent of your financial freedom or harvest will depend on the quality of seed sown. We must be like the farmer who keeps the best seeds for sowing.

Whenever, you receive money, always remember to put some aside as seed offering to the Lord. And then mix faith with your seed and sow it with great expectation. Then the Lord will cause all grace to abound towards you, so that you will always have everything you need and more so that there will be enough for your needs, and plenty left over to give joyfully to others. 2 Cor 9.8

Wait for the Lord

We are all familiar with the verses that exhort us to 'wait upon the Lord'. “Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14

Definition of wait: to defer action or departure for a specified time or until some expected event occurs; to be expectant or on the watch.

In this culture of our hurried and harried lifestyles, of deadlines, timelines and fierce competition, the Lord speaks into our lives and says, “Wait for me.”

We become angry with people who drive too slow and become impatient with little children who want us to take time to look at bugs and leaves. God tells us to be still and wait.

We have drive-throughs, instant meals, instant banking and wireless communication, and yet God keeps telling us to be patient and wait on Him and for Him.
His Commands:
- “Wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

- “Be still before Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7).

- “Maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (Hosea 12:6).
Benefits of Waiting for the Lord:
- “Blessed are all who wait for Him! He rises to show you compassion” (Isaiah 30:18).

- “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

- “Surely, this is our God; we trust (waited) in him, and he saved us”(Isaiah 25:9).
Our Declaration to Him:
- “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our heart” (Isaiah 26:8).

- “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning” (Psalm 130:5-6).

Father God, the next time we find ourselves harried, impatient and worried, help us to take a moment to stop and mentally focus on You and Your sufficiency. You are waiting to show compassion on us. Holy Spirit, remind us to increasingly rest in Christ. You can do beyond everything we can ever dream of or imagine. Amen.

Be Adaptable: Be Relevant

Gospel spoken in the most simple and adaptable manner penetrates even the most hardened and worldly heart. Apostle Paul continuously adapted his gospel message presentation to suit the culture of his audience.

When Paul was first in Lystra, he started by saying, “I have come to tell you about the God who makes the rain fall and the grass to grow”. This manner of introducing the gospel was relevant here. Later when speaking to a Jewish congregation he said, “I have come to tell you about what the prophets in our history has told us, the coming of the Messiah”. The gospel explained in this context made sense to his listeners here. When later still he talked to Greeks he began by saying, “I have come to tell you about the unknown God that you have erected an altar to”.

Our gospel message needs to be presented in everyday language using familiar objects and symbols that our listeners can relate to.

Our motto should be:
One message: different presentation: relevant to the time and place.

I shall lack nothing (psalm 23 - day 2)

Jehovah-Jireh: the Lord my Provider
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The Lord is my Shepherd.

Jehovah-Rohi: God my Shepherd
Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd who knows my own sheep by name (John 10:11).” The Lord of the universe knows you personally! Thank Him for your relationship with Him.

Jesus is the great Shepherd of all His sheep. Pray for someone you know who is discouraged and thinks God has forgotten them. Pray for them to know God as their Shepherd.

Willing to Touch

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease.” Matthew 8:1-3

The incident quoted above happened when a leprous man approached Jesus for healing. If you read the above verse carefully, you will observe that it is not Jesus' touch that healed the man but his words. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!’ And immediately the man was healed from his disease”.

Wonderwhy Jesus bothered to touch the man if it is His words that healed the man?

Leprosy renders the body a mass of ulcers and decay. Fingers would curl and gnarl. Blotches of skin would discolor and stink. It would numb nerve endings, leading to a loss of fingers, toes, even a whole foot or hand. Leprosy was death by inches. The social consequences were as severe as the physical one. A leper was an outcast in the Jewish society.

Jesus healed the disease with a word. However, he healed the man’s loneliness by his touch. Are we willing to touch the untouchables of the world like Jesus?

Decision Making for Couples

God's principles for making decisions require input from both spouses, regardless of their level of expertise. Many have learned this lesson the hard way after making many independent decisions outside the counsel of their spouse. Husbands bring a totally different angle that may give an alternative side to a situation ... Your wife may not know all the details, nor have the expertise, but......... read more

In The Waiting Room

Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them. Finally, after two days, he said to his disciples, "Let's go to Judea again."
John 11:5-7 NLT

Just like Mary and Martha struggled we too get frustrated when the Lord delays in coming to us and answering our prayers. The waiting can seem like an eternity to us. But in the midst of the "delay," God is not inactive. He is teaching us patience, perseverance, and faith and is planning to glorify himself in our circumstances. While we are waiting, he wants to cleanse our hearts and refocus us on Jesus. The Spirit always knows what will glorify God, and we can trust him when we're in the waiting room.

God often delays His response out of love, as He works all things together for good.

Chrsitian Maturity

Hebrew 5.12-13 AMP For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.

13For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!

Gal 4.1 NLT - Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

Eph 4.14 NLT - Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

There is an important characteristic of the babe in Christ: he is ‘unskillful’ in the doctrine of righteousness. That means he does not understand righteousness – the nature of God that has been imparted into him – which separates him from sin, evil guilt, condemnation, fear, sickness and poverty.

Without an understanding of righteousness, we can’t live victoriously. So we need to grow in Christ. How? By learning and putting God’s word to work in your life. Thus you will grow spiritually mature. Then you will walk in the consciousness of your righteousness in Christ and you will no longer be helpless infants.

Grieve Not

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh 8:10). We are commanded not to grieve like people who have no hope, for the Lord assures us the joy of the LORD will become unto us, our strength. If we place our complete trust in Him, and allow Him to quieten our troubled spirit, we will gather strength.

The Lord is thinking about you constantly (Psalm 139:17). God loves you so much that He is thinking about you all the time! He loves you more than you love your daughter, spouse, or granddaughter. Can anything be more wonderful than having the King of Kings love you that much? So, rejoice in the Lord and He will fullfil all your desires.