Two cities, Jerusalem and Babylon, are frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. These two cities are in contradistinction to each other. This is not a conincidence, for the Holy Spirit has taken these two cities to symbolize two diametrically opposed principles:
1. Jerusalem is eternal and heavenly. It represents man in all his sin and weakness, saved by the grace of God, and brought back to God's origainal purpose, God becoming his life and all.
2. Babylon represents fallen man who is hoplessly and helplessly self-centered, even in his noblest aspirations and ideals, is in bondage to the corrupting influence of his self-seeking.
Bible history of these two cities reveals the antipathy between them - the flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These two principles of life cannot co-exist. Someone had said, the Bible is - "A tale of two cities".
The beginning of Babylon
Genesis 11 tells how fallen men sought to build a city:
They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Gen. 11:4, NKJV, emphasis added).
That this was much more than an innocent attempt to build a new city can be seen from the fact that the Lord Himself was grieved and cut the work short. This city is the expression of fallen men's pride. This city became known as "Babel", and was the beginning of Babylon. Throughout the Old Testament the name for Babylon in the Hebrew language is always "Babel".
The beginning of Jerusalem
Genesis 12 tells how God called Abram (later Abraham) out of the city, Ur of the Chaldeans, which was one of the neighboring cities of Babel.
The Lord said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1, emphasis added).
The writer of Hebrews gave us some insight of the "land that I (God) will show you":
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he as called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going ...; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:8, 10, emphasis added).
Bible history tells us that Ur was a city with a high level of civilization. Even before leaving Ur Abraham was a man of culture and sophistication, belonging to one of the aristocratic families of Ur. It was while Abraham was living in such a city that the God of glory appeared to him, and in that revelation, Abraham saw the City of God - "The city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God".
Ur, in comparison with the City of God, had no true foundations. It was built on the sands of human genius, human resourcefulness and human ability, and that it must therefore, pass away. The "City of God" which Abraham sought was the heavenly Jerusalem, of which the earthly Jerusalem is but the symbol. Notice that although Abraham visited the earthly Jerusalem, he never lived in it. His life had become centered in the eternal.
There are only two cities to which men can belong
From that point onwards in the Bible, there are only two cities to which a man can belong: Babylon or Jerusalem. If he does not belong to Jerusalem then he belongs to Babylon.
Babylon
At the time when the Book of Revelation is written, the earthly city of Babylon no longer existed. Yet the judgment of the spiritual Babylon is revealed in Revelation Chapter 18:
"And he (an angel) cried migheily with a loud voice saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have commited fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury'" (Rev. 18:2, 3, NKJV).
"Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come" (Rev. 18:10).
"Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore'" (Rev. 18:21).
I believe this fallen spiritual Babylon represents the fallen world. The 'great' cities of the world, whether the cities of Bible time, such as Rome, Athens, or Alexandra, or those of our time, express the glory, philosophy and power of the fallen world. They are all "Babylon". It is the sum of human genius and human glory. It symbolizes the ingenuity, abilities and aspirations of the fallen man. Babylon is his creation. It is created by his restless desire for self-expression and self-fulfillment. Babylon is a city without spiritual foundation even though it appears to have great and solid foundations. In fact, she is built on sand and upon the top-soil of human resourcefulness and not upon the bed-rock of divine grace, righteousness and salvation.
Jerusalem
The writer of Hebrews described Jerusalem as "the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
Jerusalem has none of the natural advantages of Babylon, yet the Lord selected it as the capital for His people. He Himself chose Jerusalem as His dwelling place - His throne:
"This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it" (Ps. 132:14).
"At that time Jerusalem shall be call The Throne of the Lord, and all nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem" (Jer. 3:17, NKJV).
Jerusalm (Mount Zion) is called the City of our God:
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, in Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge" (Ps. 48:1 - 3).
I believe the purpose of redemption and salvation is God's means to His end and not the end itself. God's plan of salvation was designed by Him to bring us back to His original purpose for mankind. The means are obviously essential and vital, but are not greater than the end. God's purpose is that man, saved and joined to Him in Christ, should become His eternal dwelling place and home:
"... in whom (Christ) the whole building, being fitted together, growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21, 22, NKJV, emphasis added).
This "dwelling place of God" is looked at in many different ways in Scripture - the "Temple of God", the "House of God", the "body of Christ", "bride" and the "Holy City, New Jerusalem".
"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, God Himself will be with them and be their God'" (Rev. 21:2, 3, emphasis added).
This city is called, on the one hand, the "bride", and on the other hand, the "holy city, New Jerusalem", a combination of two quite different ideas which are not normally associated. The bride represents the most intimate union known to man; the most direct, loving relationship, in which two people share one name, one life, one home and one future. A city, however, represents a center of administration and government. Thus we have two vital matters. We have the desire of God to bring us into an eternal union, with Himself, in which we become partakers of eternal union with Himself, in which we become partakers of eternal life, and at the same time, we should reign with Him in Jerusalem, the Holy City,
Contrast between Babylon and Jerusalem
If Babylon is the product of man from beginning to end, the sum of man's glory, Jerusalem is totally concerned with God. She begins with God, with God's election and choice. She continues by the grace of God: her life, her survival and preservation, her development - all are of God. Time and again God has allowed this city to face total destruction. Then, when all was most dark and impossible, God has stepped in and delivered her. This has been the history of Jerusalem, whether the earthly or the spiritual city. Jerusalem also ends with God. She is brought at last to the glory of God, and becomes the eternal home of God, the place of His throne.
If Babylon is the symbol of man, Jerusalem is the symbol of God. Jerusalem represents the rule of heaven, as opposed to man's rebellion against divine authority; she represents the eternal as opposed to the transient and the corruptible. She represents the spirit as opposed to the flesh; the way of God as opposed to the way of this world. This is why even the Jerusalem of this earth has stood like a rock throughout the ages. Babylon, with all its pomp, its world-wide empire, its great system of government, its high-sounding philosophy and strength of human will and character, finally passes away. Jerusalem, however, abides forever.
The earthly Jerusalem is the shadow of the eternal heavenly or New Jerusalem. She will never pass way until the New Jerusalem takes her place.
The psalmist declared: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of host is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (Ps. 46:1 - 7, NKJV).
In the midst of all the struggle the city of God stands firm. It makes no difference on what level the conflict rages: whether it is the spiritual conflict which has raged through the ages over the purpose of God and its realization, or whether it is earthly battles which have raged over earthly city of Jerusalem. In the midst of all the shaking, all the change, the city of God stands firm. God is in her and therefore she will not be moved. Because God is in her she will finally triumph.
The fact that in Jerusalem God is everything is beautifully expressed by the psalmist:
"His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me: Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: 'This one was born there'. And of Zion it will be said, 'This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.' The Lord will record, when He registers the people: 'This one was born there'" (Ps. 67:1 - 6).
Those who were born in Zion (born again by the Spirit of God) belong not to this world, but to God and His Kingdom. They do not belong to Babylon, the city of this world, but belong to the "City of God" - The "City which has foundations".
Notice the three matters that are vitally related - true foundations, things of glory, and a new birth. The glory of God can never be given anything which does not have the foundations of God.
To the born again believers, Paul said: "... but he Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. for it is written: 'Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.' Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise" (Gal. 4:26 - 28, NKJV).
Those who have been born again have been born in Zion - the Jerusalem above or the spiritual Jerusalem.
The writer of Hebrews said, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels" (Hebres 12:22).
A little later he added: "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come" (Hebrews 13:14).
On the one hand, we are born in Jerusalem, and on the other hand, we are coming to it, by the grace of God and His overcoming power. This was the city for which Abraham sought (Hebrews 11:10). And not only Abraham but also the rest of his family and all the Old Testament saints mentioned in Hebrews 11.
"Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He had prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:16).
Conclusion
All who are redeemed by God are, in some wonderful way, bound up with this "Jerusalem which is above". This city is the calling of all true believers in Christ - this is our "goal".
Paul said, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14, NKJV).
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Knowledge of God's Will
The Scripture clearly reveals that God give His people a good deal of freedom in life within the boundary of His moral will (please refer to my previous message - "Divine Guidance"). Let us now move on to consider the question: How can we make sure that our freewill decisions are the right ones?
Paul said, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9, NIV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. It is God, and God alone, who reveals the knowledge of His will.
2. The knowledge of God's will is revealed through spiritual wisdom and understanding. Spiritual wisdom is also known as divine wisdom or the wisdom of God. Please refer to my earlier message - "Walking in the Light and Wisdom of God", where we realized that there are only two kinds of wisdom. These are the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world. There are no other sources of information besides God and the world.
3. Spiritual understanding - In understanding those things that pertain to the "Spirit", that is, those things taught by the Holy Spirit.
Paul said, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. 2:12, NKJV).
"Things that have been freely given to us by God" include "the knowledge of His will".
4. If you have spiritual wisdom and understanding you will have the knowledge of God's will.
Spiritual wisdom - Seeing things from God's point of view
Someone defined spiritual wisdom as, the ability to see things from God's point of view. More precisely, wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means to attaining it. In other words, quite simply, wisdom is the ability to figure out what is the best thing to do in any given situation.
The key to acquiring wisdom
Chapter 8 of the Book of Proverbs reveals to us where wisdom comes from.
"I (wisdom) love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (Prov. 8:17, NKJV).
Notice that it was wisdom speaking. Solomon let "wisdom" speak for itself - in the first person. Believers will find wisdom by "seeking wisdom diligently".
The Scripture reveals wisdom
Paul said, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, NKJV).
The Scripture reveals Christ and that Christ is the Wisdom from God. Christ is our source of wisdom and it is by Him that we are made wise. Therefore we must seek to know Him through the Scripture. The measure we know the Scripture is the measure we know Christ. We need to:
Immersed in the Scripture
The major source of spiritual wisdom lies in immersing yourself in the Scripture where you can find Christ diligently.
Notice that spiritual wisdom is not the result of good training or the learning of techniques in Bible Schools or Seminaries; it comes from exposing yourself to the wisdom that flows through every page of the Bible. I have known believers, hightly trained in the skills of decision-making, who made huge blunders in their Christian lives. They had plenty of knowledge (also head-knowlege of Christ) but they lacked spiritual wisdom. At this point, let me offer another definition of spiritual wisdom - "The ability to put knowledge to its best effect."
The importance of studying the Word of God cannot be over emphasized. Study requires effort, but the effort, in turn, produces spiritual wisdom. Many Christians prefer to make do with devotional aid instead of diligent study of the Word of God. In my opinion, devotional aid, at its best, are someone's interpretation of the Word of God. You don't find spiritual wisdom by this method. The following are some requirments:
It requires diligence:
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Be diligent to present youself approved to God, a worker who dies not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:7; 15, NKJV).
It requires search and enquiry:
"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" (1 Peter 1:10, 11, NKJV).
It requires meditation:
"But his delight is in the law of God, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:2).
It requires memorization:
"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11).
It requires learning from gifted Bible teachers:
"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you" (Phil. 4:9).
"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; ... (1 Cor. 12:28).
"Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches" (Gal. 6:6).
Obey the Scripture
Spiritual wisdom does not flow from a mere study of the Scripture, it comes only as translate the Scripture into action i.e. to obey the Scripture.
Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17, NIV).
In the early Church, there was a big discussion over whether a Gentile believer should become circumcised or remain uncircumcised. Many regarded it as a tremendously important issue, but Paul put it right:
"Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters" (1 Cor. 7:19, NKJV).
From the beginning of time, God has stressed the importance of obeying God's Law as being the key to spiritual development and wisdom.
The Lord said to Joshua: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from you 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" (Joshua 1:8, NIV).
Develop a hunger for wisdom
We need to develop the attitude that wisdom is so valuable we will do everything humanly possible to obtain it. This means we will need to reflect on the value and importance of spiritual wisdom. Reflect on the fact that, as far as spiritual things are concerned, no man is wise in himself.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:7, NKJV).
The attitude of the one who receives wisdom is that of reverence, humility, teachableness, diligence, uprightness and faith.
Pray and see what God has built wisdom into nature
Pray that Lord will open your eyes to see what God has built wisdom into nature. We would do well to reflect on the things which animals do by instinct.
"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in summer; the rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags; the locust have no king, yet they all advance in raks; the spider skillfully graps with its hands, and it is in kings' palaces" (Prov. 30:24 - 28, NKJV).
"But as the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you" (Job 12:7 - 8, NKJV).
Seek wise spiritual counselor for advice
It is good to discuss important issues with a wise spiritual counselor. The Book of Proverbs stress the importance and value of wise counselors to the decision-maker:
"For the lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure" (Prov. 11:14, NIV).
"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice" (Prov. 12:15, NIV).
"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice" (Prov. 13:10, NIV).
The kind of counselor you shoul look for is one who has the reputation of possessing deep spiritual insight, and who has gone through a good many relevant experiences.
How God's will revealed
Paul said, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
God works in the hearts of believers to lead them to "will and to do" that which is in accordance with His own will. The phrase, "For His good pleasure" means, "which is in accordance with His will". God can work in us, in mnay ways, so as to guide us to do His will when we come to a crossroad and don't know which way to go.
Through circumstances
We know that God is sovereign over all things, and that He can work in and through circumstances to bring about His will. At times, therefore, God will bring about unexpected, unlikely circumstances together, with precise timing, to reveal His will.
Circumstances by themselves, however, should not be accepted as clear indications of God's will, for some circumstances can mislead us, rather than lead us. Jonah was misled by circumstances which seemed right for his escape from the call of God to preach in Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). He found a ship going to Tarshish (the opposite direction) and circumstances seem to favor him because he had the right fare.
Through an inner voice
Guidance also comes through the witness of the Holy Spirit speaking directly to our hearts. We need to cultivate the "listening" side of our prayer so that our spirits are sensitized to hearing God's voice, otherwise we can be deceived by our own imagination - and not the impression of God's will.
Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I now them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, NIV).
We need to know how to disentangle the voices of the subsconscious from the voice of God.
Through reasoning
Sometimes God guides us through our mental processes, through hard thinking and reasoning. Our mind-set needs to be developed through consistent exposure to the principles of God's Word by daily study the Scripture and prayer. We need to heed Paul's advice:
"And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind - having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude; ..." (Eph. 4:23, The Amplified Bible).
Through Godly Counsel
Sometimes guidance comes through a small fellowship group (or home-cell group) whose members are committed to one another's spiritual growth. We can learn from one another to discern God's will for us.
"Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge" (Prov. 24:12, NKJV).
Every human eye, we are told, has a "blind spot". It is insensitive to light or color. It is not uncommon for our spiritual eyes to have "blind spot" too, and it is a benefit for us if the members of this small group can point out and put right the things that we can't see ourselves.
Through personal desires
The thing we long to do is often (though not always) the thing God wants us to do.
"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desire of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:4, 5, NKJV).
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Prov. 3:5, 6, NKJV).
Notice the conditions attached to the above promises of God.
Conclusion
God uses many forms of guidance, but the one authority by which all guidance is to be evaluated is God's eternal and infallible Word.
Paul said, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9, NIV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. It is God, and God alone, who reveals the knowledge of His will.
2. The knowledge of God's will is revealed through spiritual wisdom and understanding. Spiritual wisdom is also known as divine wisdom or the wisdom of God. Please refer to my earlier message - "Walking in the Light and Wisdom of God", where we realized that there are only two kinds of wisdom. These are the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world. There are no other sources of information besides God and the world.
3. Spiritual understanding - In understanding those things that pertain to the "Spirit", that is, those things taught by the Holy Spirit.
Paul said, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. 2:12, NKJV).
"Things that have been freely given to us by God" include "the knowledge of His will".
4. If you have spiritual wisdom and understanding you will have the knowledge of God's will.
Spiritual wisdom - Seeing things from God's point of view
Someone defined spiritual wisdom as, the ability to see things from God's point of view. More precisely, wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means to attaining it. In other words, quite simply, wisdom is the ability to figure out what is the best thing to do in any given situation.
The key to acquiring wisdom
Chapter 8 of the Book of Proverbs reveals to us where wisdom comes from.
"I (wisdom) love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (Prov. 8:17, NKJV).
Notice that it was wisdom speaking. Solomon let "wisdom" speak for itself - in the first person. Believers will find wisdom by "seeking wisdom diligently".
The Scripture reveals wisdom
Paul said, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, NKJV).
The Scripture reveals Christ and that Christ is the Wisdom from God. Christ is our source of wisdom and it is by Him that we are made wise. Therefore we must seek to know Him through the Scripture. The measure we know the Scripture is the measure we know Christ. We need to:
Immersed in the Scripture
The major source of spiritual wisdom lies in immersing yourself in the Scripture where you can find Christ diligently.
Notice that spiritual wisdom is not the result of good training or the learning of techniques in Bible Schools or Seminaries; it comes from exposing yourself to the wisdom that flows through every page of the Bible. I have known believers, hightly trained in the skills of decision-making, who made huge blunders in their Christian lives. They had plenty of knowledge (also head-knowlege of Christ) but they lacked spiritual wisdom. At this point, let me offer another definition of spiritual wisdom - "The ability to put knowledge to its best effect."
The importance of studying the Word of God cannot be over emphasized. Study requires effort, but the effort, in turn, produces spiritual wisdom. Many Christians prefer to make do with devotional aid instead of diligent study of the Word of God. In my opinion, devotional aid, at its best, are someone's interpretation of the Word of God. You don't find spiritual wisdom by this method. The following are some requirments:
It requires diligence:
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Be diligent to present youself approved to God, a worker who dies not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:7; 15, NKJV).
It requires search and enquiry:
"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" (1 Peter 1:10, 11, NKJV).
It requires meditation:
"But his delight is in the law of God, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:2).
It requires memorization:
"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11).
It requires learning from gifted Bible teachers:
"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you" (Phil. 4:9).
"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; ... (1 Cor. 12:28).
"Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches" (Gal. 6:6).
Obey the Scripture
Spiritual wisdom does not flow from a mere study of the Scripture, it comes only as translate the Scripture into action i.e. to obey the Scripture.
Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17, NIV).
In the early Church, there was a big discussion over whether a Gentile believer should become circumcised or remain uncircumcised. Many regarded it as a tremendously important issue, but Paul put it right:
"Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters" (1 Cor. 7:19, NKJV).
From the beginning of time, God has stressed the importance of obeying God's Law as being the key to spiritual development and wisdom.
The Lord said to Joshua: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from you 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" (Joshua 1:8, NIV).
Develop a hunger for wisdom
We need to develop the attitude that wisdom is so valuable we will do everything humanly possible to obtain it. This means we will need to reflect on the value and importance of spiritual wisdom. Reflect on the fact that, as far as spiritual things are concerned, no man is wise in himself.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:7, NKJV).
The attitude of the one who receives wisdom is that of reverence, humility, teachableness, diligence, uprightness and faith.
Pray and see what God has built wisdom into nature
Pray that Lord will open your eyes to see what God has built wisdom into nature. We would do well to reflect on the things which animals do by instinct.
"There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in summer; the rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags; the locust have no king, yet they all advance in raks; the spider skillfully graps with its hands, and it is in kings' palaces" (Prov. 30:24 - 28, NKJV).
"But as the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you" (Job 12:7 - 8, NKJV).
Seek wise spiritual counselor for advice
It is good to discuss important issues with a wise spiritual counselor. The Book of Proverbs stress the importance and value of wise counselors to the decision-maker:
"For the lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure" (Prov. 11:14, NIV).
"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice" (Prov. 12:15, NIV).
"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice" (Prov. 13:10, NIV).
The kind of counselor you shoul look for is one who has the reputation of possessing deep spiritual insight, and who has gone through a good many relevant experiences.
How God's will revealed
Paul said, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13, NKJV, emphasis added).
God works in the hearts of believers to lead them to "will and to do" that which is in accordance with His own will. The phrase, "For His good pleasure" means, "which is in accordance with His will". God can work in us, in mnay ways, so as to guide us to do His will when we come to a crossroad and don't know which way to go.
Through circumstances
We know that God is sovereign over all things, and that He can work in and through circumstances to bring about His will. At times, therefore, God will bring about unexpected, unlikely circumstances together, with precise timing, to reveal His will.
Circumstances by themselves, however, should not be accepted as clear indications of God's will, for some circumstances can mislead us, rather than lead us. Jonah was misled by circumstances which seemed right for his escape from the call of God to preach in Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). He found a ship going to Tarshish (the opposite direction) and circumstances seem to favor him because he had the right fare.
Through an inner voice
Guidance also comes through the witness of the Holy Spirit speaking directly to our hearts. We need to cultivate the "listening" side of our prayer so that our spirits are sensitized to hearing God's voice, otherwise we can be deceived by our own imagination - and not the impression of God's will.
Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I now them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, NIV).
We need to know how to disentangle the voices of the subsconscious from the voice of God.
Through reasoning
Sometimes God guides us through our mental processes, through hard thinking and reasoning. Our mind-set needs to be developed through consistent exposure to the principles of God's Word by daily study the Scripture and prayer. We need to heed Paul's advice:
"And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind - having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude; ..." (Eph. 4:23, The Amplified Bible).
Through Godly Counsel
Sometimes guidance comes through a small fellowship group (or home-cell group) whose members are committed to one another's spiritual growth. We can learn from one another to discern God's will for us.
"Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge" (Prov. 24:12, NKJV).
Every human eye, we are told, has a "blind spot". It is insensitive to light or color. It is not uncommon for our spiritual eyes to have "blind spot" too, and it is a benefit for us if the members of this small group can point out and put right the things that we can't see ourselves.
Through personal desires
The thing we long to do is often (though not always) the thing God wants us to do.
"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desire of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:4, 5, NKJV).
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Prov. 3:5, 6, NKJV).
Notice the conditions attached to the above promises of God.
Conclusion
God uses many forms of guidance, but the one authority by which all guidance is to be evaluated is God's eternal and infallible Word.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Divine Guidance
It is totally inconceivable that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe will not take a personal interest in guiding and directing the lives of His children. Listen to what the Scripture says about guidance:
The psalmist said, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Ps. 32:8, NKJV).
"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 58:11, NKJV).
"I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths" (Proverbs 4:11, NIV).
"Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14, NIV).
In other word, - No leadership, no sonship!
Believers need to have a sense of being led. Otherwise we become victims of our circumstances; we are circumstance-directed instead of Christ-directed.
Main categories of divine guidance
There are three main categories of divine guidance - God's direct voice, God's Angel and the Holy Spirit.
God's direct voice
God spoke to Moses directly before the golden calf incidance at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Lord spoke and guided Moses directly (Exodus 3 to Exodus 32). From the time the Lord appeared to Moses at the Burning Bush God had never cease to speak to Moses directly. He spoke to him, guided him to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; He gave him the Ten Commandments, as well as the laws of worship, sacrifice and everyday life. He also gave him detailed instructions in making the Tabernacle with its furnishings, the altars and the priestly garments.
God's Angel
When the children of Israel sinned against God by making and worshipping a golden calf, He told them that He would not go before them, but that He would send His angel to be their guide.
"And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people" (Exodus 33:2, 3, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Holy Spirit
In my previous message (posting) - "The Candle of the Lord", I mentioned briefly the guidance provided by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. he will glorify Me, for he will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul said, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
Consequences of not being guided
Turing to astrology
When God's people lose the sense of being guided, they turn to anything for guidance. Of all the things men and women turn to for guidance, astrology is one of most devastating, for it means that moral considerations have been abandoned and one's destiny is decided by the position of the stars.
In my opinion, this is a form of idolatry. There is little difference between an ancient pagan bowing before a stone idol, asking for its blessing, and pagan studying charts that depict the movements of lumps of matter in the sky which he thinks guide his life. Some Christians are turning to horoscopes for their daily guidance. The stars which God has made can separate us from Him if we make the stars our guide rather than letting God reveal Himself to us through Christ and His Word.
Failed to enter God's rest
Lack of clear divine guidance often leads to worry. The secret of emancipation from worry is to live the guided life. There is always the fear of making the wrong decisions even they have the opportunity to call on God's help. Because of this, many believers will not enter God's rest.
The psalmist said: "For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice; do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.' So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" (Ps. 95:7 - 11, NKJV)
Believers fail to enter God's rest because of their stubbornness and unbelief. Even God gives them guidance and direction they refuse to act and follow Him.
Failure in getting divine guidance
Turning to formulas and techniques
One reason why some Bible-believing Christians find it difficulty to discover divine guidance is because there are many areas of legitimate concern that are not specifically addressed in the Bible, and so they are at a loss to know what to do. Consequently they mistakenly view guidance as something that can only be obtained by the use of formulas and techniques.
There is a story about a British young woman who felt that the Lord had called her to be a missionary, but was not sure about the country or the people to whom she should go. She got the "guidance" she needed when, driving in the streets of London one day, her car ran out of petrol outside the Philippine Embassy. This, she decided, was the Lord's way of showing her that she should become a missionary to the Philippines. Unbelievable?
Just as there are no "short cuts" on a straight road, so there are no magic formulas for knowing the will of God, but there are patterns of sound teaching in the Bible to follow.
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us" (2 Tim. 1:13, 14, NKJV).
Focusing on our wants
Another reason why guidance fails to come is because, although we may ask God to guide us, what we really want deep down in our hearts is God's stamp of approval on our own selfish desires.
A Pastor said to a young man in his congregation that if he wants to get married he must seek God for a Christian wife. This man then prayed: "Lord, choose me a wife, but let it be Rachel."
Many of the desires that spring into our minds are tainted with self-centeredness and self-interest, and it is perilously easy to bring them to God, not for His examination, but for His unqualified approval. If we want God's guidance for our lives, we must be willing to be guided, not to our ends, but to God's end.
Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).
The fact is that God wouldn't will anything for us except our highest good - and still be God. God's will is in our highest interest at all times, in all places and in all circumstances.
Seeking guidance only in a crisis
Many Christians fail to see that guidance is not something that happens only in a crisis, but something that happens in the continuous. We must be willing to be guided by God, not merely now and then, but as a life proposition. It is difficult to get light in a crisis if you are not willing to get light in the continuous. If you don't speak to God unless you are in a crisis, God might not hear you in a crisis when you do speak to Him. The plan of your life might be unfolded in a moment of sudden insight, or it might be a gradual unfolding. Yet the gradual unfolding might be the highest form of guidance.
David, the psalmis said: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Ps. 37:23, NKJV).
Notice that one step is about two and a half feet - and not ten feet. Divine guidance is a moment-by-moment happening.
The psalmist also said: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105).
Notice that a lamp is not a spotlight, but just produces enough light by which to let us see the next step.
Categories of God's will
Briefly, God's will can be divided into three categories:
1. His sovereign will - God's predetermined plan which He has for the ages, and is always fulfilled. It will not be frustrated by men, angels, or by anything else. We can only know as much of God's sovereign will as he permits us to see. For example, in Bible prophecy, usually we recognize it only after it has happened.
2. His moral will - God's plan revealed in the Scripture, the moral commands which teach us how we ought to live and what we ought to believe. The entire Bible reveals one hundred per cent of God's moral will. You don't need to ask for guidance on the moral will of God, because God has given it in the Scripture.
3. His individual will - We cannot understand divine guidance fully unless we understand that God has an "individual" will for each of our lives. God's individual will is the ideal, detailed life-plan which God has uniquely designed for every believer. This plan encompasses the decisions we make and is the basis of God's daily guidance. The Bible gives general instructions but it does not give specific instruction for any individual believer. For instance, the Bible forbids a Chrsitian to marry a non-Christian, but it does not indicate which particular person one should marry, or for that matter, whether a specific believer ought to marry at all. These personal decisions are influenced by God's moral will, but have to be determined by finding God's individual will.
God's guidance is both general and personal
The Bible claims that God does have a personal will for His people. Many witnesses, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, spoke to confirm this. For centuries, men and women have ventured on this concept, sought the promised guidance and testified that God was as good as His Word. The Bible is full of such stories.
In the Old Testament, we read of Abraham's servant finding Rebekah; of Moses, Samuel and the prophets, all witnessing to the fact that God's guidance is personal as well as general - willingly given to the limit of man's capacity to receive and understand.
The same can be seen in the New Testament also. We read of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch; of Ananias and Saul; of Peter and Cornelius. In particular our Lord Jesus - He got His guidance, not only from Scripture, but from direct contact with God, the Father, in prayer. Jesus was divinely guided to be in the right place at the right time. He taught His disciples to pray, "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:5 - 15), a prayer, called the Lord's Prayer, which presupposes the possibility of knowing God's will.
All through the ages, men and women have believed that God has condescended to guide them. In each generation, godly people have claimed that the discipline of Bible studying and prayer have let them to know God's guidance in their lives.
Guided by God's Word
We are given the Word and the Word is God's primary means of guiding us toward His perfect will and purpose for our lives. Scripture provides the single most important guide and checkpoint for our lives (2 Tim. 3:16). The better we know His Word, the more clearly we will know His will.
There are three steps we must take to profit from God's Word:
1. Hear the truth of God's Word. This means you have to study the Scripture until your inner man hears what God says. Just reading the Bible will not do.
2. Believe the truth of God's Word. This means accepting the entire Bible Message as from God.
3. Practice the truth of God's Word. This means doing whatever God asks you to do, whether you feel like it or not.
Someone had said: "What you have read is leading you to Jesus' feet. Upon Him all the Old Testament truths converge; from Him all the New Testament truths emerge. He can be found in the pages of the Bible!
The psalmist said, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Ps. 32:8, NKJV).
"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail" (Isaiah 58:11, NKJV).
"I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths" (Proverbs 4:11, NIV).
"Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14, NIV).
In other word, - No leadership, no sonship!
Believers need to have a sense of being led. Otherwise we become victims of our circumstances; we are circumstance-directed instead of Christ-directed.
Main categories of divine guidance
There are three main categories of divine guidance - God's direct voice, God's Angel and the Holy Spirit.
God's direct voice
God spoke to Moses directly before the golden calf incidance at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Lord spoke and guided Moses directly (Exodus 3 to Exodus 32). From the time the Lord appeared to Moses at the Burning Bush God had never cease to speak to Moses directly. He spoke to him, guided him to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; He gave him the Ten Commandments, as well as the laws of worship, sacrifice and everyday life. He also gave him detailed instructions in making the Tabernacle with its furnishings, the altars and the priestly garments.
God's Angel
When the children of Israel sinned against God by making and worshipping a golden calf, He told them that He would not go before them, but that He would send His angel to be their guide.
"And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people" (Exodus 33:2, 3, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Holy Spirit
In my previous message (posting) - "The Candle of the Lord", I mentioned briefly the guidance provided by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. he will glorify Me, for he will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul said, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
Consequences of not being guided
Turing to astrology
When God's people lose the sense of being guided, they turn to anything for guidance. Of all the things men and women turn to for guidance, astrology is one of most devastating, for it means that moral considerations have been abandoned and one's destiny is decided by the position of the stars.
In my opinion, this is a form of idolatry. There is little difference between an ancient pagan bowing before a stone idol, asking for its blessing, and pagan studying charts that depict the movements of lumps of matter in the sky which he thinks guide his life. Some Christians are turning to horoscopes for their daily guidance. The stars which God has made can separate us from Him if we make the stars our guide rather than letting God reveal Himself to us through Christ and His Word.
Failed to enter God's rest
Lack of clear divine guidance often leads to worry. The secret of emancipation from worry is to live the guided life. There is always the fear of making the wrong decisions even they have the opportunity to call on God's help. Because of this, many believers will not enter God's rest.
The psalmist said: "For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice; do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.' So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" (Ps. 95:7 - 11, NKJV)
Believers fail to enter God's rest because of their stubbornness and unbelief. Even God gives them guidance and direction they refuse to act and follow Him.
Failure in getting divine guidance
Turning to formulas and techniques
One reason why some Bible-believing Christians find it difficulty to discover divine guidance is because there are many areas of legitimate concern that are not specifically addressed in the Bible, and so they are at a loss to know what to do. Consequently they mistakenly view guidance as something that can only be obtained by the use of formulas and techniques.
There is a story about a British young woman who felt that the Lord had called her to be a missionary, but was not sure about the country or the people to whom she should go. She got the "guidance" she needed when, driving in the streets of London one day, her car ran out of petrol outside the Philippine Embassy. This, she decided, was the Lord's way of showing her that she should become a missionary to the Philippines. Unbelievable?
Just as there are no "short cuts" on a straight road, so there are no magic formulas for knowing the will of God, but there are patterns of sound teaching in the Bible to follow.
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us" (2 Tim. 1:13, 14, NKJV).
Focusing on our wants
Another reason why guidance fails to come is because, although we may ask God to guide us, what we really want deep down in our hearts is God's stamp of approval on our own selfish desires.
A Pastor said to a young man in his congregation that if he wants to get married he must seek God for a Christian wife. This man then prayed: "Lord, choose me a wife, but let it be Rachel."
Many of the desires that spring into our minds are tainted with self-centeredness and self-interest, and it is perilously easy to bring them to God, not for His examination, but for His unqualified approval. If we want God's guidance for our lives, we must be willing to be guided, not to our ends, but to God's end.
Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).
The fact is that God wouldn't will anything for us except our highest good - and still be God. God's will is in our highest interest at all times, in all places and in all circumstances.
Seeking guidance only in a crisis
Many Christians fail to see that guidance is not something that happens only in a crisis, but something that happens in the continuous. We must be willing to be guided by God, not merely now and then, but as a life proposition. It is difficult to get light in a crisis if you are not willing to get light in the continuous. If you don't speak to God unless you are in a crisis, God might not hear you in a crisis when you do speak to Him. The plan of your life might be unfolded in a moment of sudden insight, or it might be a gradual unfolding. Yet the gradual unfolding might be the highest form of guidance.
David, the psalmis said: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Ps. 37:23, NKJV).
Notice that one step is about two and a half feet - and not ten feet. Divine guidance is a moment-by-moment happening.
The psalmist also said: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105).
Notice that a lamp is not a spotlight, but just produces enough light by which to let us see the next step.
Categories of God's will
Briefly, God's will can be divided into three categories:
1. His sovereign will - God's predetermined plan which He has for the ages, and is always fulfilled. It will not be frustrated by men, angels, or by anything else. We can only know as much of God's sovereign will as he permits us to see. For example, in Bible prophecy, usually we recognize it only after it has happened.
2. His moral will - God's plan revealed in the Scripture, the moral commands which teach us how we ought to live and what we ought to believe. The entire Bible reveals one hundred per cent of God's moral will. You don't need to ask for guidance on the moral will of God, because God has given it in the Scripture.
3. His individual will - We cannot understand divine guidance fully unless we understand that God has an "individual" will for each of our lives. God's individual will is the ideal, detailed life-plan which God has uniquely designed for every believer. This plan encompasses the decisions we make and is the basis of God's daily guidance. The Bible gives general instructions but it does not give specific instruction for any individual believer. For instance, the Bible forbids a Chrsitian to marry a non-Christian, but it does not indicate which particular person one should marry, or for that matter, whether a specific believer ought to marry at all. These personal decisions are influenced by God's moral will, but have to be determined by finding God's individual will.
God's guidance is both general and personal
The Bible claims that God does have a personal will for His people. Many witnesses, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, spoke to confirm this. For centuries, men and women have ventured on this concept, sought the promised guidance and testified that God was as good as His Word. The Bible is full of such stories.
In the Old Testament, we read of Abraham's servant finding Rebekah; of Moses, Samuel and the prophets, all witnessing to the fact that God's guidance is personal as well as general - willingly given to the limit of man's capacity to receive and understand.
The same can be seen in the New Testament also. We read of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch; of Ananias and Saul; of Peter and Cornelius. In particular our Lord Jesus - He got His guidance, not only from Scripture, but from direct contact with God, the Father, in prayer. Jesus was divinely guided to be in the right place at the right time. He taught His disciples to pray, "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:5 - 15), a prayer, called the Lord's Prayer, which presupposes the possibility of knowing God's will.
All through the ages, men and women have believed that God has condescended to guide them. In each generation, godly people have claimed that the discipline of Bible studying and prayer have let them to know God's guidance in their lives.
Guided by God's Word
We are given the Word and the Word is God's primary means of guiding us toward His perfect will and purpose for our lives. Scripture provides the single most important guide and checkpoint for our lives (2 Tim. 3:16). The better we know His Word, the more clearly we will know His will.
There are three steps we must take to profit from God's Word:
1. Hear the truth of God's Word. This means you have to study the Scripture until your inner man hears what God says. Just reading the Bible will not do.
2. Believe the truth of God's Word. This means accepting the entire Bible Message as from God.
3. Practice the truth of God's Word. This means doing whatever God asks you to do, whether you feel like it or not.
Someone had said: "What you have read is leading you to Jesus' feet. Upon Him all the Old Testament truths converge; from Him all the New Testament truths emerge. He can be found in the pages of the Bible!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
The Candle of the Lord
This message concerns the role of the spirit of man. Please refer to my earlier message - "The Spirit, Soul, and Body of Man."
Solomon said, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly" (Prov. 20:27, KJV, emphasis added).
The human spirit is the "inner man." Its role, restored by the new birth and empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to exercise rule and direction over the soul and, through the soul, over the body. The spirit and soul are immaterial aspects of man: that is, we do not see either of them. We know them only as we experience their functions.
What Solomon said is - you spirit (your inner man) is the candle of the Lord. A question comes to mind is - What is a candle made for? A candle was made to be a container of light - a holder of light. But candles do not produce light by themselves. They will hold light when it is given to them and placed upon them. In Bible days, candles were used for one reason - to produce, or to cantain, or to hold or to shed abroad, light.
The word "belly" does not refer to your stomach, but rather the hidden man (the inner man) of your heart.
Spirit of man and the candle
Now Solomon said that your spirit is the candle of the Lord. Just like a candle, your spirit does not produce light. Furthermore, even as the candle and and light belong to the Lord, your spirit belongs to Him as well.
Paul said, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:20, NKJV).
You are bought and paid in full, by God. You now belong to Him. He has the title deed on you. Every one of us needs to realize that someday we will stand before God and answer to Him for what we have done with our bodies, our spirits, and our souls. You must never forget that your body, your spirit, and your soul belong to God. You are only a caretaker.
Your spirit is God's candle
Candles are great, but you can have a whole lot of candles and still be sitting in the dark. Just because you have a candle does not mean you have light. The fact is that you have the potential for light. Light comes from God and therefore only God can light your candle.
David, the psalmist said: "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful: with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright: with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure: and will the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people: but wilt bring down high looks. For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness" (Ps. 18:25 - 28, KJV, emphasis added).
Deliverance of God is here clearly regarded as a reward for righteousness, cleanness of hands, faithfulness, uprightness and humility. He will light your candle, deliver you from darkness and let you know what He wants you to do in a particular situation. You may have an area of darkness in your life where you do not know what God wants you to do. It is good to know that God will light your candle and deliver you from darkness.
God lights your candle by sending His Word into your life. His Word is light, His Word brings light, because God's Word is light.
The psalmist said: "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple" (Ps. 119:129, 130, NKJV, emphasis added).
In other words, God's Word enlightens us. And as we keep His Word, it delivers us and makes even the simple wise. Therefore when God's Word comes into your heart, it will give you light. It will light your candle.
The Word abides in you
Peter said: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abide forever" (1 Peter 1:23, NKJV, emphasis added).
Your spirit or your inner man is the part of you that is born again - the part of you which made Jesus the Lord of your life. Before you were born again, your spirit was dark - you have no light because your spirit was dead. When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, the Word came into you, and you were born again by the incorruptible Seed - the incorruptible Word.
When the Word is in you, His light is in you - in your spirit, which is the candle of the Lord. The candle searches all the hidden things of your life. It searches them out. Your spirit man searches out things you do not know, things you do not know in your mind. Your spirit man will be illuminated by having God's Word coming into your life. And that is the reason you must get into the Word - the entrance of His Word that give light. Therefore if you desire to know what God's will is in your life, you must get into His Word and search the Scripture. You must avoid becoming so wrapped up in your problems that you quit getting into the Word. Light is the instrument that drives out the darkness. The more light you have, the better you can see. The more Word you have coming into your life, the better you will be able to see.
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Till I come, give attention to reading (the Scripture), to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:13, NKJV).
Paul wanted Timothy to get into the Word and teach others the Word so that their "candles" will transfer light to many people.
Divine guidance
Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Holy Spirit guides. He does not push, He does not shove, He does not compel and He does not threaten you. But we must be willing and obedient to let Him guide us. The Devil does the opposite and he is delighted to guide you too - to the wrong way.
2. Paul said the Holy Spirit leads: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:14, 16, NKJV). The Holy Spirit reveals to you and bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God.
3. guiding is for the future. You need guidance in the future. You do not need guidance to go back where you come from. Many believers have a problem in guidance because they have never left the past.
4. The Holy Spirit will not speak of Himself. He listens to the voice of the Father or the voice of the Son (Jesus). Whatever He hears them say, is what He will say. He is completely sold out to do the will of God. It follows that if you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit you will do the will of the Father.
5. Your heart (your inner man) filled with the Holy Spirit is the candle of the Lord. And the light of the candle searches all the hidden parts of you. His light helps you to look toward things you do not know.
6. The Holy Spirit comes to show you what Jesus has - the things belong to Jesus. Everything that is His, everything that was given to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will show it to you.
7. The Holy Spirit comes to glorify Jesus.
The renewed mind
Paul said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of god, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. You need a renewed mind in order to know the will of God in your life. The word "renew" literally mens, "to restore to an original state of freshness, vigor, life, or beauty".
2. We are to renew our minds and restore them to their original condition - a condition before the Fall. Adam's mind before the Fall was sharp, clear, productive, efficient, and non-polluted. We are all born after the Fall. From the day you were born, your mind has been receiving information - some good and some bad. Your mind is like a computer with the ability to store what you learn. The mind not only has the ability to store information, it also has the ability to reason. This ability to reason can present you with a conflict when you begin to renew it.
3. A renewed mind will not let you conform to the world and you will not think as the world thinks. A mind that is not renewed is a carnal mind. A mind that is renewed is spiritual. A renewed mind thinks what God thinks but the natural mind or the carnal mind (the mind you are born with) thinks what the world thinks. That is the reason the natural mind can never discern the will of God.
Paul said, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:5 - 7, NKJV).
Before you got turned on to the Lord and to the Word of God and the things of God, the vast majority of information you received into your mind came through your five senses - sense knowledge. Sense knowledge is knowledge you gained through your senses. Sense knowledge can be very useful and we need it in our everyday life. The things we study in schools and universities are sense knowledge. A carnal mind has no difficulty in receiving sense knowledge.
The number one thing that works in the carnal mind is religion. Region works in the mind. It has nothing to do with your spirit. Simply put it, religion is nothing more than trying to achieve righeousness by following a set of religious rules or laws - conceived in the human mind.
After you are born again by the Spirit of God you have to renew you mind. You have to renew your mind to the confession of faith. You have to renew your mind to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues. You have to renew your mind to many other things of God.
The conflect between your spirit and your mind
When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you became a child of God through the process which is called the New Birth. You are born again by the Spirit of God. The spirit man is what changed. Practically nothing happened to your mind. You can get born again and gloriously filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues for hours, and get excited about the things of God. Oftentimes when you get up the next morning you will still think the same way you thought the day before. You will still have the same thought patterns, the same reasoning patterns, the same beliefs in you mind. This can present a conflict in you life, and Paul addressed that area in Romans 8 and Romans 12.
That is when you need the renewing of your mind. Your spirit, the candle of the Lord, begins to search out the hidden things of your mind, and gets everything out that is contrary to God's Word. This process takes time. The more Word you have in your spirit the quicker the process. The way you cause your mind to be renewed is by meditating in God's Word. That is the only way you can renew your mind. The renewed mind does not happen through prayer, or fasting, or by seeing miracles. It comes by meditating in God's Word. God and His Word are inseparable - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). As you receive light of God's Word you must meditate upon it, believe it and use it by faith. Yes, by faith only - no reasoning and no questioning and no doubting.
Paul said, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
"Faith" is of the Spirit - things that are unseen. "Sight" is of the mind (sense knowledge).
Paul said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17, NKJV).
With a renewed mind you can live by faith and Bible says it three times - "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). So, this must be something very important.
The writer of Hebrews said: "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)" (Hebrews 11:6, The Amplified Bible, emphasis added).
"Without faith" means, "without confidence in God - in His fidelity, His truth, His wisdom and His promises. If you are without faith, you are darkness and you need God to light your candle!
Solomon said, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly" (Prov. 20:27, KJV, emphasis added).
The human spirit is the "inner man." Its role, restored by the new birth and empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to exercise rule and direction over the soul and, through the soul, over the body. The spirit and soul are immaterial aspects of man: that is, we do not see either of them. We know them only as we experience their functions.
What Solomon said is - you spirit (your inner man) is the candle of the Lord. A question comes to mind is - What is a candle made for? A candle was made to be a container of light - a holder of light. But candles do not produce light by themselves. They will hold light when it is given to them and placed upon them. In Bible days, candles were used for one reason - to produce, or to cantain, or to hold or to shed abroad, light.
The word "belly" does not refer to your stomach, but rather the hidden man (the inner man) of your heart.
Spirit of man and the candle
Now Solomon said that your spirit is the candle of the Lord. Just like a candle, your spirit does not produce light. Furthermore, even as the candle and and light belong to the Lord, your spirit belongs to Him as well.
Paul said, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:20, NKJV).
You are bought and paid in full, by God. You now belong to Him. He has the title deed on you. Every one of us needs to realize that someday we will stand before God and answer to Him for what we have done with our bodies, our spirits, and our souls. You must never forget that your body, your spirit, and your soul belong to God. You are only a caretaker.
Your spirit is God's candle
Candles are great, but you can have a whole lot of candles and still be sitting in the dark. Just because you have a candle does not mean you have light. The fact is that you have the potential for light. Light comes from God and therefore only God can light your candle.
David, the psalmist said: "With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful: with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright: with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure: and will the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people: but wilt bring down high looks. For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness" (Ps. 18:25 - 28, KJV, emphasis added).
Deliverance of God is here clearly regarded as a reward for righteousness, cleanness of hands, faithfulness, uprightness and humility. He will light your candle, deliver you from darkness and let you know what He wants you to do in a particular situation. You may have an area of darkness in your life where you do not know what God wants you to do. It is good to know that God will light your candle and deliver you from darkness.
God lights your candle by sending His Word into your life. His Word is light, His Word brings light, because God's Word is light.
The psalmist said: "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple" (Ps. 119:129, 130, NKJV, emphasis added).
In other words, God's Word enlightens us. And as we keep His Word, it delivers us and makes even the simple wise. Therefore when God's Word comes into your heart, it will give you light. It will light your candle.
The Word abides in you
Peter said: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abide forever" (1 Peter 1:23, NKJV, emphasis added).
Your spirit or your inner man is the part of you that is born again - the part of you which made Jesus the Lord of your life. Before you were born again, your spirit was dark - you have no light because your spirit was dead. When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, the Word came into you, and you were born again by the incorruptible Seed - the incorruptible Word.
When the Word is in you, His light is in you - in your spirit, which is the candle of the Lord. The candle searches all the hidden things of your life. It searches them out. Your spirit man searches out things you do not know, things you do not know in your mind. Your spirit man will be illuminated by having God's Word coming into your life. And that is the reason you must get into the Word - the entrance of His Word that give light. Therefore if you desire to know what God's will is in your life, you must get into His Word and search the Scripture. You must avoid becoming so wrapped up in your problems that you quit getting into the Word. Light is the instrument that drives out the darkness. The more light you have, the better you can see. The more Word you have coming into your life, the better you will be able to see.
Paul wrote to Timothy: "Till I come, give attention to reading (the Scripture), to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:13, NKJV).
Paul wanted Timothy to get into the Word and teach others the Word so that their "candles" will transfer light to many people.
Divine guidance
Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Holy Spirit guides. He does not push, He does not shove, He does not compel and He does not threaten you. But we must be willing and obedient to let Him guide us. The Devil does the opposite and he is delighted to guide you too - to the wrong way.
2. Paul said the Holy Spirit leads: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:14, 16, NKJV). The Holy Spirit reveals to you and bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God.
3. guiding is for the future. You need guidance in the future. You do not need guidance to go back where you come from. Many believers have a problem in guidance because they have never left the past.
4. The Holy Spirit will not speak of Himself. He listens to the voice of the Father or the voice of the Son (Jesus). Whatever He hears them say, is what He will say. He is completely sold out to do the will of God. It follows that if you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit you will do the will of the Father.
5. Your heart (your inner man) filled with the Holy Spirit is the candle of the Lord. And the light of the candle searches all the hidden parts of you. His light helps you to look toward things you do not know.
6. The Holy Spirit comes to show you what Jesus has - the things belong to Jesus. Everything that is His, everything that was given to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will show it to you.
7. The Holy Spirit comes to glorify Jesus.
The renewed mind
Paul said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of god, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. You need a renewed mind in order to know the will of God in your life. The word "renew" literally mens, "to restore to an original state of freshness, vigor, life, or beauty".
2. We are to renew our minds and restore them to their original condition - a condition before the Fall. Adam's mind before the Fall was sharp, clear, productive, efficient, and non-polluted. We are all born after the Fall. From the day you were born, your mind has been receiving information - some good and some bad. Your mind is like a computer with the ability to store what you learn. The mind not only has the ability to store information, it also has the ability to reason. This ability to reason can present you with a conflict when you begin to renew it.
3. A renewed mind will not let you conform to the world and you will not think as the world thinks. A mind that is not renewed is a carnal mind. A mind that is renewed is spiritual. A renewed mind thinks what God thinks but the natural mind or the carnal mind (the mind you are born with) thinks what the world thinks. That is the reason the natural mind can never discern the will of God.
Paul said, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:5 - 7, NKJV).
Before you got turned on to the Lord and to the Word of God and the things of God, the vast majority of information you received into your mind came through your five senses - sense knowledge. Sense knowledge is knowledge you gained through your senses. Sense knowledge can be very useful and we need it in our everyday life. The things we study in schools and universities are sense knowledge. A carnal mind has no difficulty in receiving sense knowledge.
The number one thing that works in the carnal mind is religion. Region works in the mind. It has nothing to do with your spirit. Simply put it, religion is nothing more than trying to achieve righeousness by following a set of religious rules or laws - conceived in the human mind.
After you are born again by the Spirit of God you have to renew you mind. You have to renew your mind to the confession of faith. You have to renew your mind to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues. You have to renew your mind to many other things of God.
The conflect between your spirit and your mind
When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you became a child of God through the process which is called the New Birth. You are born again by the Spirit of God. The spirit man is what changed. Practically nothing happened to your mind. You can get born again and gloriously filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues for hours, and get excited about the things of God. Oftentimes when you get up the next morning you will still think the same way you thought the day before. You will still have the same thought patterns, the same reasoning patterns, the same beliefs in you mind. This can present a conflict in you life, and Paul addressed that area in Romans 8 and Romans 12.
That is when you need the renewing of your mind. Your spirit, the candle of the Lord, begins to search out the hidden things of your mind, and gets everything out that is contrary to God's Word. This process takes time. The more Word you have in your spirit the quicker the process. The way you cause your mind to be renewed is by meditating in God's Word. That is the only way you can renew your mind. The renewed mind does not happen through prayer, or fasting, or by seeing miracles. It comes by meditating in God's Word. God and His Word are inseparable - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). As you receive light of God's Word you must meditate upon it, believe it and use it by faith. Yes, by faith only - no reasoning and no questioning and no doubting.
Paul said, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7).
"Faith" is of the Spirit - things that are unseen. "Sight" is of the mind (sense knowledge).
Paul said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17, NKJV).
With a renewed mind you can live by faith and Bible says it three times - "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). So, this must be something very important.
The writer of Hebrews said: "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)" (Hebrews 11:6, The Amplified Bible, emphasis added).
"Without faith" means, "without confidence in God - in His fidelity, His truth, His wisdom and His promises. If you are without faith, you are darkness and you need God to light your candle!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Walking in the Light and the Wisdom of God
Every true believer is the light of the world and he needs the wisdom of God to walk in the light of the world.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12, NKJV, emphasis added).
Every true believer is a follower of Jesus and because of this fact every true believer has the light of life. We actually have the light (spiritual light) in us. What a difference that makes! If we have the light in us, then we will not depend upon light from an outside source. We can go any where, in any kind of darkness, and have light within us.
Jesus also said, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matt. 5:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
In John 8 Jesus said He was the light of the world, but in Matthew 5, He said you are the light of the world. How can you be the light of the world and He be the light of the world? The answer is that you and He are one. As He was, you now are in this world (1 John 4:17).
Relation between light and good works
In Matthew 5 Jesus said further: "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it give light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:15, 16).
In other words, God did not send you into the earth as light of the world, and then hide you or cover you up. You are not supposed to hide your light. you are supposed to take your light out into the world. It should not just stay in the Church building. We should go out and let our light shine before men so that they might see our good works. As we testify to the good works of God in our lives, God is glorified.
Believers can be alive and dead at the same time
Paul said, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.'" (Eph. 5:8 - 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Church (a congregation of believers) is the light. Outside (unbelievers) is darkness. One of the functions of the Church is to expose the unfruitful works of darkness.
2. The Church, as well as individual believers, are persecuted because unbelievers love darkness and they do not want their deeds exposed or manifested. It makes them uncomfortable.
3. All believers can be alive and dead at the same time. All of us were dead when we were still living. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). We were walking around breathing, talking, joking, and having a great time, but spiritually we were dead. Then we were awakened by the light of the "gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4) - Satan had blinded our eyes, but the light of Christ's Gospel woke us up.
Believers are called to walk in Wisdom
Paul said, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:15 - 17, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The word "circumspectly" comes from the Greek word "akribos" which means - carefully, accurately, diligently and perfectly.
2. God wants us to be careful and accurate so that we will not "miss the mark" - which is sin. If we walk accurately we will not walk in sin. We will walk in the light instead of in darkness. A careful walk depends upon wisdom, which can come only from knowing God's will.
3. "Redeeming the time" means, "making the best of the time". We need to make the best use of time because we are living in the evil days (age) - full of temptations and allurements.
Christ is our Wisdom from God
Paul said, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteouness and sactification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, emphasis added).
Many believers, without ever reading this verse, would not think of Christ as our wisdom from God. They would say Christ is our redemption and righteousness. Others would say our sanctification. But very few would say wisdom.
Wisdom of God and the Wisdom of the world
Paul continued to say: "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:6 - 8, KJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Paul was drawing a distinction between two wisdoms. He was talking about the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God. There are only two kinds of wisdom - the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. There is no middle ground. There are no other sources of information besides God and the world.
2. The wisdom of God had was hidden before the foundation of the world to bring us glory.
3. You and I can know the things the devil does not know. God has hidden it. That is why not everyone can read the Bible and understand it - it is written in mystery. You need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.
Practical application of God's Wisdom
Solomon said, "Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her" (Prov. 4:5 - 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. You get wisdom from the Word of God. You are not going to get wisdom anywhere else. God's wisdom comes from God's Word because His Word is His Wisdom.
2. When you begin to walk in wisdom, instead of walking in foolishness, you will be preserved by the wisdom of God. The word "preserve" literally defined means, "to keep alive or in existence, to make lasting, to keep safe from harm or injury". The reason being, you are walking in the light as you are walking in wisdom. When you are walking in the light, you can see what the Devil is trying to do to you, and you can walk around it, over it, or knock it out of the way. The only time you get hurt is when you are walking in darkness. You can't see what is in front of you so you stumble. That is the reason why Satan will try to get you into darkness (sin) to trap you.
3. The word "principal" means, "first or hightest as in rank, importance or value". God tells you to make wisdom the first thing in your life - the highest and most importnat thing in your life.
4. The word "exalt" means, "elevate in rank, honor, power, character and quality". If God's wisdom is not first in your life, then elevate it. If you do that, His wisdom will promote you. The word "promote" means, "to advance in rank".
5. The word "embrace" means, "to take or clasp in the arms, to press to the bosom, to take or receive gladly or eagerly".
We have seen, from the above, through the wisdom of God, your life will be elevated (lifted up), made better, increased and lifted up in dignity. This is the reason why wisdom is the principal thing - the thing that ranks first in your life.
God's Word and God's Wisdom
God's Word is God's wisdom. You cannot have God's wisdom apart from His Word. You must therefore give full attention to His Word in order for you to have the wisdom of God.
Jesus revealed this principle to Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38 - 42). When Jesus came to their house, Mary chose to sit at His feet and hear His Word, while Martha went into the kitchen to fix Him something to eat. Jesus was in the room teaching, speaking the words of life. While He was teaching, Martha was in the kitchen trying to cook. In fact she wanted Mary to help her. Obviously the first place in Martha's life was food, whereas the first in Mary's life was the Word - spiritual food.
Jesus said to Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42, NKJV, emphasis added).
The "good part" Mary had chosen was the Word of God and the wisdom of God - which will be hers eternally.
That tells us something about God's Word. When the Word comes into your heart, it lodges in your spirit. It takes root in you. If you believe it and hold onto it, the Devil cannot take it away from you. It will be yours forever.
The ways of foolishness
Oftentimes we can gain knowledge about a subject by studying its opposite. Therefore if we want to know more about wisdom we need to study foolishness - the opposite of wisdom. The Bible says a lot about foolishness, particularly in the Book of Proverbs.
Jesus said that a wise man is a man who hears His Words and does them. He said a foolish man hears the Word and does not act upon it (Matt. 7:24 - 26).
Acting foolishly or being a fool is not something to be taken lightly because Jesus said nothing good about a fool. He said that a man who calls his brother a fool is in danger of "hell fire" (Matt. 5:22). God does not take these things lightly, and neither should we. We must make every effort to remove all traces of foolishness from our lives. In Scripture, a "fool" means a "simpleton" or "the simple one".
The psalmist said, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good" (Ps. 14:1 or Ps 53:1).
A fool does four unacceptable things - he says there is no God; he is corrupt, he does abominable works and he does not do anything good.
Here are some of the ways and characteristics of a fool:
1. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7, NKJV, emphasis added).
Note that the word "fear" means "reverence fear". The word "knowledge" is the principal part of "wisdom". Fools despise wisdom and knowledge - they make light of it. They make light of opportunities to be instructed. They do not see the importance of it. They despise the opportunity to obtain wisdom and instruction.
2. "How long, you simple one (simpleton), will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge" (Prov. 1:22).
A fool is a fool because he hates knowledge. If you hate knowledge, you will be a fool.
3. "For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them" (Prov. 1:32).
The fools will be destroyed by their backsliding and complacency.
4. "The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools (Prov. 3:35, KJV)
Proverbs 4 says that if you will exalt wisdom, wisdom will promote you. Here we are told that fools will be promoted by shame. Shame is a very poor promoter. If the things which make a person well known in his community are shame, then it is nothing to become excited about!
5. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise. A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man cover shame" (Prov. 12:15, 16, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word "prudent" means "discretion". Wisdom and prudence dwell together. The wise man covers shame, which is the exact opposite of what a fool does. A fool finds fault, get angry about it, and lets everybody know. A wise man covers it.
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12, NKJV, emphasis added).
Every true believer is a follower of Jesus and because of this fact every true believer has the light of life. We actually have the light (spiritual light) in us. What a difference that makes! If we have the light in us, then we will not depend upon light from an outside source. We can go any where, in any kind of darkness, and have light within us.
Jesus also said, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matt. 5:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
In John 8 Jesus said He was the light of the world, but in Matthew 5, He said you are the light of the world. How can you be the light of the world and He be the light of the world? The answer is that you and He are one. As He was, you now are in this world (1 John 4:17).
Relation between light and good works
In Matthew 5 Jesus said further: "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it give light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:15, 16).
In other words, God did not send you into the earth as light of the world, and then hide you or cover you up. You are not supposed to hide your light. you are supposed to take your light out into the world. It should not just stay in the Church building. We should go out and let our light shine before men so that they might see our good works. As we testify to the good works of God in our lives, God is glorified.
Believers can be alive and dead at the same time
Paul said, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.'" (Eph. 5:8 - 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The Church (a congregation of believers) is the light. Outside (unbelievers) is darkness. One of the functions of the Church is to expose the unfruitful works of darkness.
2. The Church, as well as individual believers, are persecuted because unbelievers love darkness and they do not want their deeds exposed or manifested. It makes them uncomfortable.
3. All believers can be alive and dead at the same time. All of us were dead when we were still living. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). We were walking around breathing, talking, joking, and having a great time, but spiritually we were dead. Then we were awakened by the light of the "gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4) - Satan had blinded our eyes, but the light of Christ's Gospel woke us up.
Believers are called to walk in Wisdom
Paul said, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:15 - 17, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. The word "circumspectly" comes from the Greek word "akribos" which means - carefully, accurately, diligently and perfectly.
2. God wants us to be careful and accurate so that we will not "miss the mark" - which is sin. If we walk accurately we will not walk in sin. We will walk in the light instead of in darkness. A careful walk depends upon wisdom, which can come only from knowing God's will.
3. "Redeeming the time" means, "making the best of the time". We need to make the best use of time because we are living in the evil days (age) - full of temptations and allurements.
Christ is our Wisdom from God
Paul said, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteouness and sactification and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30, emphasis added).
Many believers, without ever reading this verse, would not think of Christ as our wisdom from God. They would say Christ is our redemption and righteousness. Others would say our sanctification. But very few would say wisdom.
Wisdom of God and the Wisdom of the world
Paul continued to say: "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:6 - 8, KJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Paul was drawing a distinction between two wisdoms. He was talking about the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God. There are only two kinds of wisdom - the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world. There is no middle ground. There are no other sources of information besides God and the world.
2. The wisdom of God had was hidden before the foundation of the world to bring us glory.
3. You and I can know the things the devil does not know. God has hidden it. That is why not everyone can read the Bible and understand it - it is written in mystery. You need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.
Practical application of God's Wisdom
Solomon said, "Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her" (Prov. 4:5 - 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. You get wisdom from the Word of God. You are not going to get wisdom anywhere else. God's wisdom comes from God's Word because His Word is His Wisdom.
2. When you begin to walk in wisdom, instead of walking in foolishness, you will be preserved by the wisdom of God. The word "preserve" literally defined means, "to keep alive or in existence, to make lasting, to keep safe from harm or injury". The reason being, you are walking in the light as you are walking in wisdom. When you are walking in the light, you can see what the Devil is trying to do to you, and you can walk around it, over it, or knock it out of the way. The only time you get hurt is when you are walking in darkness. You can't see what is in front of you so you stumble. That is the reason why Satan will try to get you into darkness (sin) to trap you.
3. The word "principal" means, "first or hightest as in rank, importance or value". God tells you to make wisdom the first thing in your life - the highest and most importnat thing in your life.
4. The word "exalt" means, "elevate in rank, honor, power, character and quality". If God's wisdom is not first in your life, then elevate it. If you do that, His wisdom will promote you. The word "promote" means, "to advance in rank".
5. The word "embrace" means, "to take or clasp in the arms, to press to the bosom, to take or receive gladly or eagerly".
We have seen, from the above, through the wisdom of God, your life will be elevated (lifted up), made better, increased and lifted up in dignity. This is the reason why wisdom is the principal thing - the thing that ranks first in your life.
God's Word and God's Wisdom
God's Word is God's wisdom. You cannot have God's wisdom apart from His Word. You must therefore give full attention to His Word in order for you to have the wisdom of God.
Jesus revealed this principle to Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38 - 42). When Jesus came to their house, Mary chose to sit at His feet and hear His Word, while Martha went into the kitchen to fix Him something to eat. Jesus was in the room teaching, speaking the words of life. While He was teaching, Martha was in the kitchen trying to cook. In fact she wanted Mary to help her. Obviously the first place in Martha's life was food, whereas the first in Mary's life was the Word - spiritual food.
Jesus said to Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42, NKJV, emphasis added).
The "good part" Mary had chosen was the Word of God and the wisdom of God - which will be hers eternally.
That tells us something about God's Word. When the Word comes into your heart, it lodges in your spirit. It takes root in you. If you believe it and hold onto it, the Devil cannot take it away from you. It will be yours forever.
The ways of foolishness
Oftentimes we can gain knowledge about a subject by studying its opposite. Therefore if we want to know more about wisdom we need to study foolishness - the opposite of wisdom. The Bible says a lot about foolishness, particularly in the Book of Proverbs.
Jesus said that a wise man is a man who hears His Words and does them. He said a foolish man hears the Word and does not act upon it (Matt. 7:24 - 26).
Acting foolishly or being a fool is not something to be taken lightly because Jesus said nothing good about a fool. He said that a man who calls his brother a fool is in danger of "hell fire" (Matt. 5:22). God does not take these things lightly, and neither should we. We must make every effort to remove all traces of foolishness from our lives. In Scripture, a "fool" means a "simpleton" or "the simple one".
The psalmist said, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good" (Ps. 14:1 or Ps 53:1).
A fool does four unacceptable things - he says there is no God; he is corrupt, he does abominable works and he does not do anything good.
Here are some of the ways and characteristics of a fool:
1. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Prov. 1:7, NKJV, emphasis added).
Note that the word "fear" means "reverence fear". The word "knowledge" is the principal part of "wisdom". Fools despise wisdom and knowledge - they make light of it. They make light of opportunities to be instructed. They do not see the importance of it. They despise the opportunity to obtain wisdom and instruction.
2. "How long, you simple one (simpleton), will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge" (Prov. 1:22).
A fool is a fool because he hates knowledge. If you hate knowledge, you will be a fool.
3. "For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them" (Prov. 1:32).
The fools will be destroyed by their backsliding and complacency.
4. "The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools (Prov. 3:35, KJV)
Proverbs 4 says that if you will exalt wisdom, wisdom will promote you. Here we are told that fools will be promoted by shame. Shame is a very poor promoter. If the things which make a person well known in his community are shame, then it is nothing to become excited about!
5. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise. A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man cover shame" (Prov. 12:15, 16, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word "prudent" means "discretion". Wisdom and prudence dwell together. The wise man covers shame, which is the exact opposite of what a fool does. A fool finds fault, get angry about it, and lets everybody know. A wise man covers it.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Understanding the Power of your Tongue
If you take a Bible concordance and look up all the words related to the tongue - mouth, lips, speech, words and so on, you will be amazed how much the Bible has to say about this subject. In fact the total well-being of our personalities is directly related to our mouths and to our tongues. Let us search the Bible for passages of Scripture that emphasize the vital importance of the right use of our mouths and our tongues.
Relation between life and the fear of the Lord
David, the psalmist said, "Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies" (Ps. 34:11 - 13, NIV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. David implied that "life" and "many good days" go with the fear of the Lord. In other words, life in its fullness and the fear of the Lord are always associated together. The measure in which we have the fear of the Lord is the measure in which we enjoy true life.
2. The first area of our lives in which the fear of the Lord will be practically manifested is our tongues and our lips. If we can keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking lies, then we can move on into the fullness of the fear of the Lord.
3. We will not have good lives if we do not control our tongues and our lips.
The importance of guarding the tongue and mouth
Solomon said, "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Prov. 13:3, NIV).
If you want to guard your life, you must guard your lips. But if you speak rashly, you will come to ruin. In other words, if you control your tongue, then you have protection, but if your tongue gets out of control then the end is destruction.
Solomon also said, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity" (Prov. 21:23, NIV).
If you guard your mouth and tongue, then you guard your life - you are safe. But if you fail to do that, the alternative is "calamity" - a very strong word. The failure to guard our lips and our tongues will ultimately bring us calamity.
There are two more passages from Solomon that are of particularly significant in the book of Proverbs:
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (Prov. 15:4, NKJV).
Notice again the close connection between life and the correct use of the tongue. Perverseness means "the wrong use of the tongue". And this will break the spirit - quenching the Holy Spirit.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Prov. 18:21, NKJV).
The alternatives are very clear; it is either death or life. They are both in the power of the tongue. If we use our tongues properly, they will be trees of life. But if we use our tongues improperly, then the result will be death.
If you read the entire book of Proverb, you will find that it is full of the principles of the right use of our tongues.
The connection between the heart and the mouth
The Scripture establishes the principle that there is a direct connection between a person's heart and his mouth.
Jesus said to Pharisees, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:33 - 27, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Jesus used parabolic language to establish the direct connection between the heart and the mouth.
2. He referred to the heart as the tree and to the words that come out of the mouth as the fruit. And the kind of words that come out of your mouth will indicate the condition of your heart. If the heart is good, then out of the mouth will come words that are good. But if the heart is evil, then out of the mouth will come words that are evil.
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed the following in similar language:
"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (Matt. 7:17, 18, NKJV).
There is an absolute, inescapable connection between the state of the heart and the state of the mouth.
Biblical pictures of the tongue
The Epistle of James presents many pictures of the tongue. To begin with, James said that if you don't control your tongue, your religion is worthless (James 1:26). God is going to judge from your tongue whether your religion is valid and acceptable or not.
James said, "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body" (James 3:2, NKJV, emphasis added).
If you can control your tongue (does not stumble in word), you can control your whole life. In other words, you are perfect man if you can control your tongue.
Then he went on in the remainder of the passage (James 3:3 - 8) to give some illustrations (or pictures) of the untamable tongue from the natural world. He was bringing out the unique significance and influence of the tongue for the entire course of our lives.
The tongue is like the bit in the horse's mouth
"Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body" (Verse 3, NKJV).
The horse, in the Bible, is usually a type of physical strength. No matter how strong a horse is, if you can get control of its mouth with the bit, you can control the whole animal. The horse's strength is brought into subjection through the control of its mouth. The same is true with us. What controls our mouths controls the entire course of our lives.
The tongue is like the rudder of a ship
"Look also at the ships; although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires" (Verse 4).
A ship, though a big structure, is carried to and fro by the tremendously powerful forces of the winds and the waves. Yet, it is the use of a small rudder that determines the whole course of the ship. If the rudder is uses properly, the ship will arrive sagely in the harbor. If the rudder is not used properly, the ship is likely to be shipwrecked.
It is the same in our lives. The tongue is the rudder. Our tongue control the course of our lives. If the rudder of the tongue is used properly, we will make it safely to our appointed destinations. But if our tongues are not used properly, we will be shipwrecked.
The tongue is like a small spark
"Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire (a spark) kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell" (Verses 5, 6).
Like a small spark that can cause a forest fire of vast proportions, the tongue can also cause vast damages in the spiritual realm. Many Churches no longer exist because one tongue sets a spark (a slanderous gossip) that burned up the whole thing, which could never be restored!
The tongue is a source of deadly poison
"For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (Verses 7, 8).
The tongue is like a deadly element that can poison us by spreading infection through the entire system of our lives.
James' conclusion is that no man can tame the tongue. And since we can't control and tame our tongues we can't be perfect (Verse 2).
Diseases of the tongue
Let us now consider certain specific diseases that affect our tongue. These diseases that commonly infect our lives through the misuse of our tongues can, in some cases, be fatal if left unchecked.
Excessive talking
Solomon said, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (Prov. 10:19, NIV).
In other words, if you say too much, you are bound to say something wrong. There is no alternative.
We are also warned in the Bible not to use too many words toward God Himself:
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let you words be few (Eccl. 5:1, 2, NIV).
Idle or careless words
Jesus said, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36, NKJV).
One day, we are going to have to answer for every word we have spoken. We are going to have to answer for words that were idle, insincere, that we did not really mean and that we were not prepared to stand behind on what we said.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No'. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matt. 5:37).
If we say more than we mean, then the exaggeration (unnecessary emphasis or overdoing) in our speech comes from the Evil One!
Gossip
"Do not go about spreading slander among your people" (Lev. 19:16, NIV).
Going about spreading slander - idle, untrue, exaggerated, malicious talk - is gossip. The very title of Satan - "Devil" means "a slanderer" in Greek. If you gossip or tell tales, you are actually doing the Devil's work for him!
Not only must we be careful not to give out gossip, we have a responsibility not to receive gossip, also:
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Prov. 18:8, NIV).
Lying
Solomon said, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight" (Prov. 12:22, NKJV).
The writer of Proverbs also said that a "lying tongue" is one of the seven things that the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16 - 19).
Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44, NKJV).
Jesus essentially said that every lie comes from the Devil and every time a lie passes through our lips, it comes form the Devil!
Flattery
Solomon said, "A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin" (Prov. 26:28, NKJV).
If we listen to and receive flattery, or if we become flatterers, the end is ruin. A flatterer is actually a person who traps you:
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet" (Prov. 29:5).
Hastiness of speech
Solomon said, "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Prov. 29:20, NKJV).
If we are hasty in our words, our condition is worse than that of a fool. That is a solemn statement because the Bible has nothing good to say about the fool!
Conclusion
The Bible clearly declares that - "No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8, NKJV). But Jesus said that - "With men it is impossible, but not with God" (Mark 10:27). In other words, with God's help we can tame our tongues.
And so the right thing to do is to accept our weakness, confess our sins, yield to God and ask Him to heal our powerful resttless tongues. Only one power can control our tongues for good - the power of God through the Holy Spirit!
Relation between life and the fear of the Lord
David, the psalmist said, "Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies" (Ps. 34:11 - 13, NIV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. David implied that "life" and "many good days" go with the fear of the Lord. In other words, life in its fullness and the fear of the Lord are always associated together. The measure in which we have the fear of the Lord is the measure in which we enjoy true life.
2. The first area of our lives in which the fear of the Lord will be practically manifested is our tongues and our lips. If we can keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking lies, then we can move on into the fullness of the fear of the Lord.
3. We will not have good lives if we do not control our tongues and our lips.
The importance of guarding the tongue and mouth
Solomon said, "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Prov. 13:3, NIV).
If you want to guard your life, you must guard your lips. But if you speak rashly, you will come to ruin. In other words, if you control your tongue, then you have protection, but if your tongue gets out of control then the end is destruction.
Solomon also said, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity" (Prov. 21:23, NIV).
If you guard your mouth and tongue, then you guard your life - you are safe. But if you fail to do that, the alternative is "calamity" - a very strong word. The failure to guard our lips and our tongues will ultimately bring us calamity.
There are two more passages from Solomon that are of particularly significant in the book of Proverbs:
"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit" (Prov. 15:4, NKJV).
Notice again the close connection between life and the correct use of the tongue. Perverseness means "the wrong use of the tongue". And this will break the spirit - quenching the Holy Spirit.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Prov. 18:21, NKJV).
The alternatives are very clear; it is either death or life. They are both in the power of the tongue. If we use our tongues properly, they will be trees of life. But if we use our tongues improperly, then the result will be death.
If you read the entire book of Proverb, you will find that it is full of the principles of the right use of our tongues.
The connection between the heart and the mouth
The Scripture establishes the principle that there is a direct connection between a person's heart and his mouth.
Jesus said to Pharisees, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12:33 - 27, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Jesus used parabolic language to establish the direct connection between the heart and the mouth.
2. He referred to the heart as the tree and to the words that come out of the mouth as the fruit. And the kind of words that come out of your mouth will indicate the condition of your heart. If the heart is good, then out of the mouth will come words that are good. But if the heart is evil, then out of the mouth will come words that are evil.
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expressed the following in similar language:
"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (Matt. 7:17, 18, NKJV).
There is an absolute, inescapable connection between the state of the heart and the state of the mouth.
Biblical pictures of the tongue
The Epistle of James presents many pictures of the tongue. To begin with, James said that if you don't control your tongue, your religion is worthless (James 1:26). God is going to judge from your tongue whether your religion is valid and acceptable or not.
James said, "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body" (James 3:2, NKJV, emphasis added).
If you can control your tongue (does not stumble in word), you can control your whole life. In other words, you are perfect man if you can control your tongue.
Then he went on in the remainder of the passage (James 3:3 - 8) to give some illustrations (or pictures) of the untamable tongue from the natural world. He was bringing out the unique significance and influence of the tongue for the entire course of our lives.
The tongue is like the bit in the horse's mouth
"Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body" (Verse 3, NKJV).
The horse, in the Bible, is usually a type of physical strength. No matter how strong a horse is, if you can get control of its mouth with the bit, you can control the whole animal. The horse's strength is brought into subjection through the control of its mouth. The same is true with us. What controls our mouths controls the entire course of our lives.
The tongue is like the rudder of a ship
"Look also at the ships; although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires" (Verse 4).
A ship, though a big structure, is carried to and fro by the tremendously powerful forces of the winds and the waves. Yet, it is the use of a small rudder that determines the whole course of the ship. If the rudder is uses properly, the ship will arrive sagely in the harbor. If the rudder is not used properly, the ship is likely to be shipwrecked.
It is the same in our lives. The tongue is the rudder. Our tongue control the course of our lives. If the rudder of the tongue is used properly, we will make it safely to our appointed destinations. But if our tongues are not used properly, we will be shipwrecked.
The tongue is like a small spark
"Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire (a spark) kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell" (Verses 5, 6).
Like a small spark that can cause a forest fire of vast proportions, the tongue can also cause vast damages in the spiritual realm. Many Churches no longer exist because one tongue sets a spark (a slanderous gossip) that burned up the whole thing, which could never be restored!
The tongue is a source of deadly poison
"For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (Verses 7, 8).
The tongue is like a deadly element that can poison us by spreading infection through the entire system of our lives.
James' conclusion is that no man can tame the tongue. And since we can't control and tame our tongues we can't be perfect (Verse 2).
Diseases of the tongue
Let us now consider certain specific diseases that affect our tongue. These diseases that commonly infect our lives through the misuse of our tongues can, in some cases, be fatal if left unchecked.
Excessive talking
Solomon said, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (Prov. 10:19, NIV).
In other words, if you say too much, you are bound to say something wrong. There is no alternative.
We are also warned in the Bible not to use too many words toward God Himself:
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let you words be few (Eccl. 5:1, 2, NIV).
Idle or careless words
Jesus said, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36, NKJV).
One day, we are going to have to answer for every word we have spoken. We are going to have to answer for words that were idle, insincere, that we did not really mean and that we were not prepared to stand behind on what we said.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No'. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matt. 5:37).
If we say more than we mean, then the exaggeration (unnecessary emphasis or overdoing) in our speech comes from the Evil One!
Gossip
"Do not go about spreading slander among your people" (Lev. 19:16, NIV).
Going about spreading slander - idle, untrue, exaggerated, malicious talk - is gossip. The very title of Satan - "Devil" means "a slanderer" in Greek. If you gossip or tell tales, you are actually doing the Devil's work for him!
Not only must we be careful not to give out gossip, we have a responsibility not to receive gossip, also:
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Prov. 18:8, NIV).
Lying
Solomon said, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight" (Prov. 12:22, NKJV).
The writer of Proverbs also said that a "lying tongue" is one of the seven things that the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16 - 19).
Jesus said, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44, NKJV).
Jesus essentially said that every lie comes from the Devil and every time a lie passes through our lips, it comes form the Devil!
Flattery
Solomon said, "A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin" (Prov. 26:28, NKJV).
If we listen to and receive flattery, or if we become flatterers, the end is ruin. A flatterer is actually a person who traps you:
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet" (Prov. 29:5).
Hastiness of speech
Solomon said, "Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Prov. 29:20, NKJV).
If we are hasty in our words, our condition is worse than that of a fool. That is a solemn statement because the Bible has nothing good to say about the fool!
Conclusion
The Bible clearly declares that - "No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8, NKJV). But Jesus said that - "With men it is impossible, but not with God" (Mark 10:27). In other words, with God's help we can tame our tongues.
And so the right thing to do is to accept our weakness, confess our sins, yield to God and ask Him to heal our powerful resttless tongues. Only one power can control our tongues for good - the power of God through the Holy Spirit!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Believer's Calling as a Priest
The theological and foundational basis for the New Testament believer's ministry of prayer and intercession is his calling as a priest unto God. The Bible clearly declares that believers are:
A holy priesthood:
"You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices accptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5, NKJV, emphasis added).
A royal priesthood:
"But you are a chosen generatio, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His Marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added).
A kingdom of priests:
"And (Jesus) has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:6).
"And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10).
The nature of the priest's ministry is essentially intercessory - a ministry on behalf of others.
The background of believers' calling
The background of believers' call to priestly intercession is found in the Old Testament example of the Levitical priesthood. Among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Levites were called to function as priests. They were the designated priestly tribe. However, the will of God was for the entire nation, whom God had chosen in Abraham and redeemed through Moses, to function as priests. The Lord said to Moses and to the Israelites:
"And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6).
It is therefore God's will that all Israelites in the Old Testament and all Christians (the redeemed people) in the New Testament should be serving as priests
The simplest terms possible to describe the priestly function is to say that the priest's responsibility was two-fold- to stand before and to stand between.
The priest stood before God
He was to stand before God to minister to Him with sacrifices and offerings. This was aptly illustrated when the high priest (Aaron) went beyond the Inner Veil of the Tabernacle of Moses to make atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the people.
The priest stood between God and the people
The priest stood between the Lord God and the rest of the people so as to bring together a Holy God and sinful men at the place of the blood sacrifice.
The Melchizedek priesthood
In the New Testament the Levitical priesthood is changed to the Melchizedek priesthood (please read Hebrews 7:11 - 19). The Levitical priesthood was passed on from generation to generation through the descendants of Levi was based upon a physical requirement and lineage. But the Melchizedek priesthood, in which the Lord Jesus is the High Priest, is based upon the power of an endless, indestructible life. It is a "Resurrection Priesthood"! The Lord Jesus, then, is the High Priest (from the tribe of Judah, not Levi) and the Church is the priesthood that functions under His direction. We, the Church, as New Testament believers, are to stand before the Lord, as a holy priesthood and minister to Him. At the same time we are to stand between the Lord and others (believers or non-believers), as royal priesthood, in the ministry of intercession.
A picture of the Inner Veil
In the tabernacle of Moses, the Inner Veil is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ before His crucifixion. There would be no access into God's Presence, beyond the Veil, until sin had been dealt with.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary, shedding His Blood, as both Sin Sacrifice and High Priest, as both Offering and Offerer, God, by a miraculous act, rent the Veil in twain (Matt. 27:51; Luke 23:45). This was a Divine act of God, for the Veil was rent from top to bottom. This signifies the grace of God - God approaching man and not man approaching God. The rent Veil symbolizes the broken Body of the Son of God at Calvary. The Veil must be rent and Christ must die. The rent Veil points to His rent flesh through which the Way to the Father is restored. It was lost since Adam and Eve sinned.
Jesus said to Thomas, one of His disciples: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
So, as New Testament believers we have the privilege to come to the Throne of grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and stand in the presence of God in our ministry of prayer and intercession.
Believers' priority in prayer and intercession
Here are some areas of concern we need to focus in on, as a royal priesthood exercising our God-given ministry of prayer and intercession.
Intercede for all men
Paul sid, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1 - 4, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Paul mentioned "first of all" which suggests that the first duty of Christians meeting together in a prayer meeting is to pray for all men.
2. The phrase, "Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks" covers all forms of prayer.
3. We are to pray and intercede for all men. it is the will of God for all men to come to salvation through Jesus Christ. While Scripture teaches elsewhere that not all men will be saved; it is nevertheless the will of God that all come to the knowledge of the truth. Praying for all men would include, of course, all the nations of the world. We need to pray for the fear of the Lord and a consciousness of God to become more evident and manifest among men.
4. The Chuch is to pray and intercede for rulers (kings, if any) and all those who ar in authority. This includes political, judicial, legislative, and local leaders. Good government is the will of God because good government provides a conducive environment for the spread of the Gospel. When the Church fulfills its priestly function of praying for the government, then we will see the release of righteousness in our land and the availability of divine wisdom for the problems we are facing now.
Intercede for spiritual leaders
Paul asked the Churches (Ephesians, Thessalonians) to pray for him:
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:18, 19, emphasis added).
Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him so that he would have a mouth of utterance to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel.
"Finally, brethren, pray for us (Paul, Silvanus and Timothy), that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and they we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith" (2 Thess. 3:1, 2, emphasis added).
Paul beseeched the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of the Lord through him would have a free course.
The writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) was deterred from visiting the Jewish believers by some adverse circumstances over which he had no control. This might be either imprisonment, sickness or the want of a convenient opportunity of visiting them.
One of the greatest areas of neglect in the Church today has been intercession for spiritual leaders. As a result of our prayerlessness, we havs seen a number of God's servants become morally and/or doctrinally disqualified to serve as leaders. it is imperative we pray for our leaders. They must function in their God-appointed ministries if the Church is to come to unity and maturity.
Paul said, "And He (Jesus) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:11 - 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
The ministries concerned are those of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher - the so-called five-fold ministries of the Church.
Christians who are called to these ministries are constantly on the battlefront lines where the enemy's attacks are the most severe and damaging. They must be lifted up in intercession so that the Word of the Lord may come forth with power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. One of the common tactics the enemy uses to make a person's ministry ineffective is tho attack him, directly, physically, mentally, spiritually or through the members of his family. We need to cover our spiritual leaders with prayer and intercession - especially to intercede for their ministries, their families, and for their vision.
Pray for unity in the Body of Christ
In John 17, the Lord Jesus interceded for His disciples and prayed that they would be one as He and the Father are one. In our praying, we need to do likewise. As royal priests, believers at all times must continue to pray that the prayer of Jesus would soon be fulfilled. We must understand that the brokenness and fragmentation of the Church, the Body of Christ, being divided by denomination differences, not only grieves the heart of the Father but also seriously hinders our appeal and outreach to a lost world!
Pray for the suffering and persecuted Church
We need to intercede for our brothers and sisters who are living and serving the Lord in countries that are hostile to the Gospel. We must pray that they will be strengthened and encouraged to stand for their faith in the midst of persecution.
The writer of Hebrews said, "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also" (Heb. 13:3).
We are admonished to remember, in prayer, those who are imprisoned because of their faith. They are our fellow believers in the same Body of Christ.
In the Book of Acts, when Herod imprisoned Peter, the Church prayed for him:
"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the Church" (Acts 12:5).
The verses following describe how Peter was set free by an angel.
Intercede for the cause of world missions
Jesus said, "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2, KJV).
Not all of us are called to world missions but all of us are called by Jesus Himself to pray to the "Lord of the harvest" to send forth laborers into the harvest. The laborers are so few that some of the harvest is spoiling! In harvest time you do not sow seed, you thrust in the sickle! While there is, of course, a continual need to sow the seed of God's Word, the great need of this end time hour is to teach, train, equip, and inspire the laborers to reap the harvest. Pray especially for missionaries and workers and leaders as they lead the way in harvesting. Pray for the release of more funds to finance the Great Commission in every nation.
Jesus said that the field is the world and the havest is the end of the age (Matt. 13:38, 39)
Conclusion
Let us praise God for calling us to salvation and for calling us to participate in the redemptive process of those around us by serving as New Testament priests.
A holy priesthood:
"You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices accptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5, NKJV, emphasis added).
A royal priesthood:
"But you are a chosen generatio, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His Marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added).
A kingdom of priests:
"And (Jesus) has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:6).
"And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10).
The nature of the priest's ministry is essentially intercessory - a ministry on behalf of others.
The background of believers' calling
The background of believers' call to priestly intercession is found in the Old Testament example of the Levitical priesthood. Among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Levites were called to function as priests. They were the designated priestly tribe. However, the will of God was for the entire nation, whom God had chosen in Abraham and redeemed through Moses, to function as priests. The Lord said to Moses and to the Israelites:
"And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6).
It is therefore God's will that all Israelites in the Old Testament and all Christians (the redeemed people) in the New Testament should be serving as priests
The simplest terms possible to describe the priestly function is to say that the priest's responsibility was two-fold- to stand before and to stand between.
The priest stood before God
He was to stand before God to minister to Him with sacrifices and offerings. This was aptly illustrated when the high priest (Aaron) went beyond the Inner Veil of the Tabernacle of Moses to make atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the people.
The priest stood between God and the people
The priest stood between the Lord God and the rest of the people so as to bring together a Holy God and sinful men at the place of the blood sacrifice.
The Melchizedek priesthood
In the New Testament the Levitical priesthood is changed to the Melchizedek priesthood (please read Hebrews 7:11 - 19). The Levitical priesthood was passed on from generation to generation through the descendants of Levi was based upon a physical requirement and lineage. But the Melchizedek priesthood, in which the Lord Jesus is the High Priest, is based upon the power of an endless, indestructible life. It is a "Resurrection Priesthood"! The Lord Jesus, then, is the High Priest (from the tribe of Judah, not Levi) and the Church is the priesthood that functions under His direction. We, the Church, as New Testament believers, are to stand before the Lord, as a holy priesthood and minister to Him. At the same time we are to stand between the Lord and others (believers or non-believers), as royal priesthood, in the ministry of intercession.
A picture of the Inner Veil
In the tabernacle of Moses, the Inner Veil is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ before His crucifixion. There would be no access into God's Presence, beyond the Veil, until sin had been dealt with.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary, shedding His Blood, as both Sin Sacrifice and High Priest, as both Offering and Offerer, God, by a miraculous act, rent the Veil in twain (Matt. 27:51; Luke 23:45). This was a Divine act of God, for the Veil was rent from top to bottom. This signifies the grace of God - God approaching man and not man approaching God. The rent Veil symbolizes the broken Body of the Son of God at Calvary. The Veil must be rent and Christ must die. The rent Veil points to His rent flesh through which the Way to the Father is restored. It was lost since Adam and Eve sinned.
Jesus said to Thomas, one of His disciples: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
So, as New Testament believers we have the privilege to come to the Throne of grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and stand in the presence of God in our ministry of prayer and intercession.
Believers' priority in prayer and intercession
Here are some areas of concern we need to focus in on, as a royal priesthood exercising our God-given ministry of prayer and intercession.
Intercede for all men
Paul sid, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1 - 4, NKJV).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Paul mentioned "first of all" which suggests that the first duty of Christians meeting together in a prayer meeting is to pray for all men.
2. The phrase, "Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks" covers all forms of prayer.
3. We are to pray and intercede for all men. it is the will of God for all men to come to salvation through Jesus Christ. While Scripture teaches elsewhere that not all men will be saved; it is nevertheless the will of God that all come to the knowledge of the truth. Praying for all men would include, of course, all the nations of the world. We need to pray for the fear of the Lord and a consciousness of God to become more evident and manifest among men.
4. The Chuch is to pray and intercede for rulers (kings, if any) and all those who ar in authority. This includes political, judicial, legislative, and local leaders. Good government is the will of God because good government provides a conducive environment for the spread of the Gospel. When the Church fulfills its priestly function of praying for the government, then we will see the release of righteousness in our land and the availability of divine wisdom for the problems we are facing now.
Intercede for spiritual leaders
Paul asked the Churches (Ephesians, Thessalonians) to pray for him:
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:18, 19, emphasis added).
Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him so that he would have a mouth of utterance to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel.
"Finally, brethren, pray for us (Paul, Silvanus and Timothy), that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and they we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith" (2 Thess. 3:1, 2, emphasis added).
Paul beseeched the Thessalonians to pray that the Word of the Lord through him would have a free course.
The writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) was deterred from visiting the Jewish believers by some adverse circumstances over which he had no control. This might be either imprisonment, sickness or the want of a convenient opportunity of visiting them.
One of the greatest areas of neglect in the Church today has been intercession for spiritual leaders. As a result of our prayerlessness, we havs seen a number of God's servants become morally and/or doctrinally disqualified to serve as leaders. it is imperative we pray for our leaders. They must function in their God-appointed ministries if the Church is to come to unity and maturity.
Paul said, "And He (Jesus) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:11 - 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
The ministries concerned are those of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher - the so-called five-fold ministries of the Church.
Christians who are called to these ministries are constantly on the battlefront lines where the enemy's attacks are the most severe and damaging. They must be lifted up in intercession so that the Word of the Lord may come forth with power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. One of the common tactics the enemy uses to make a person's ministry ineffective is tho attack him, directly, physically, mentally, spiritually or through the members of his family. We need to cover our spiritual leaders with prayer and intercession - especially to intercede for their ministries, their families, and for their vision.
Pray for unity in the Body of Christ
In John 17, the Lord Jesus interceded for His disciples and prayed that they would be one as He and the Father are one. In our praying, we need to do likewise. As royal priests, believers at all times must continue to pray that the prayer of Jesus would soon be fulfilled. We must understand that the brokenness and fragmentation of the Church, the Body of Christ, being divided by denomination differences, not only grieves the heart of the Father but also seriously hinders our appeal and outreach to a lost world!
Pray for the suffering and persecuted Church
We need to intercede for our brothers and sisters who are living and serving the Lord in countries that are hostile to the Gospel. We must pray that they will be strengthened and encouraged to stand for their faith in the midst of persecution.
The writer of Hebrews said, "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also" (Heb. 13:3).
We are admonished to remember, in prayer, those who are imprisoned because of their faith. They are our fellow believers in the same Body of Christ.
In the Book of Acts, when Herod imprisoned Peter, the Church prayed for him:
"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the Church" (Acts 12:5).
The verses following describe how Peter was set free by an angel.
Intercede for the cause of world missions
Jesus said, "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2, KJV).
Not all of us are called to world missions but all of us are called by Jesus Himself to pray to the "Lord of the harvest" to send forth laborers into the harvest. The laborers are so few that some of the harvest is spoiling! In harvest time you do not sow seed, you thrust in the sickle! While there is, of course, a continual need to sow the seed of God's Word, the great need of this end time hour is to teach, train, equip, and inspire the laborers to reap the harvest. Pray especially for missionaries and workers and leaders as they lead the way in harvesting. Pray for the release of more funds to finance the Great Commission in every nation.
Jesus said that the field is the world and the havest is the end of the age (Matt. 13:38, 39)
Conclusion
Let us praise God for calling us to salvation and for calling us to participate in the redemptive process of those around us by serving as New Testament priests.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Prayer, Meditation and Waiting
Since the beginning of creation, men have sought to find a solution, through various forms of meditation (transcendental meditation, yoga practices, New Age involvement and the like), to find answers for their human dilemmas - worry, lack of mental peace, strife, war and ill health. But they will not find lasting answers or solutions through these secular forms of meditation. Only those who know God, take time to come before Him in prayer and meditation and waiting upon Him, can find and know these answers.
In God's heart nothing supersedes His longing to restore fellowship with the human race and to have actual communication with them. Thus it ought to also be the deepest longing of those who know God to likewise want communication, dialogue, and times of being in His presence, and meditation on the many attributes of God. All the prominant Old Testament saints (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and especially David) sought the face of God, walked and communed with Him.
Jesus Christ makes it all possible
The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in all full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19 - 22, NKJV).
We can boldly come to God and have communion with Him through the blood of Jesus. In other words, the blood of Jesus opens the door for us to draw near to God to praise Him, worship Him, pray to Him, to appreciate Him, meditate on His attributes, wait upon Him, and thank Him and to develop an intimate relationship with Him.
The meditations of David
David was a person who truly knew His God and therefore he was a great man of prayer, meditation and waiting upon the Lord. Here are some examples of his meditation:
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him" (Ps. 8:3, 4, NKJV).
"My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue" (Ps. 39:3, KJV, emphasis added).
Notice that "musing" is a state of deep thought or dreaming abstraction, to become absorbed in thought; to turn something over in the mind meditatively; to wonder of marvel. In short, it is the same as "meditation".
"When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, because thou hast been my help, ..." (Ps. 63:6, 7, KJV).
You can see clearly that David spent night watches (or nighttimes) in giving place to meditating; his mind and spirit swelling, or musing, with great contrmplation upon the Lord.
"I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings" (Ps. 77:12, KJV).
David, in his meditation, dwelt upon all God's work. He also said, "My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord" (Ps. 104:34, NKJV). In other words, to David it was a time of sweetness, a time of preciousness when he would shut himself away, or while alone in the fields give time to meditate upon the Lord.
Meditation is certainly sweetness to the heart and gentleness to the soul; and affects nearly every aspect of us, both spiritually and physiologically. David further said, "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways" (Ps. 119:15, KJV).
I believe more of us would have greater respect of God if we spent more time, as David did, in meditating upon His laws, upon His precepts, on His judgments, and the many aspects of God's divine order.
David also said, "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation" (Ps. 119:99, KJV).
David said that he had more understanding than all of his teachers simply because he had meditated (given deep thought) upon God's testimonies. Therefore by meditating upon the testimonies of God, he was able to have an increased knowledge and wisdom that supperseded all of his instructors. We can do likewise. For all God's people, meditation and musing upon God's great works leads to increased knowledge and wisdom.
Meditation and thought life
Meditation and the thought life of a believer are closely related - in fact almost synonymous. I believe the thought life plays a very important part in successful Christian living. A mind cut loose to run every direction, undisciplined, will cause continued unrest and leave one unstable, insecure, and actually void of receiving anything much from God. This is precisely what James said:
"... he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8, NKJV).
So it is imperative that we understand something about the thought life of the Christain.
Peter offered a suggestion: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, ..." (1 Peter 1:13, NKJV).
In other words, we need to tuck in the loose ends of our minds (thoughts). Don't let thoughts run wild; gird them up; concentrate on proper, essential, productive, eternal, heavenly things.
Paul also said something about our thoughts: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praisworthy - meditate on these things" (Phil. 4:8, emphasis added).
In given us these guidelines for our thought life, he mentioned 8 categories of things we should meditate on.
Paul also taught us how to control our thoughts:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought (including wild thoughts and imaginations) into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4, 5).
We control our thoughts by being obedient to Christ, and by bringing every wild thought and wild imagination under captivity. The evil one wants us to think wild thoughts, but the Holy Spirit in us keeps them under captivity.
Meditation and thoughts of a believer is so important that Paul admonished Timothy: "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all" (1 Tim. 4:15, emphasis added).
The things that Timothy should meditate upon can be found in Timothy 1 - 4. In general these are the things of God.
I believe that discipline of the whole life begins first with the control of the thought life. Whatever you license in your mind, whether evil or good, you will perform when the opportunity affords itself. In other words, if you license in your secret thoughts, lust or evil desires, when the opportunity comes Satan will see to it that you will perform those acts. Satan knows that he can only attack you mind (part of your soul), but not your spirit. And through your mind he attacks your body.
James said, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:14, 15).
Only through prayer and meditation, the mind is trained and exercised into discipline and control by the Spirit of God.
Musing and meditation
How shall I spend my time of musing and meditation? The psalmists showed us many ways:
Musing on the Word of God
"Blessing is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:1, NKJV).
Musing upon God
"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches" (Ps. 63:5, 6).
Musing and meditating upon past blessings
"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of your hands" (Ps. 143:5).
Waiting
Through Isaiah, God said, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount upon with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV, emphasis added).
The statement: "Wait on the Lord" means to wait upon Him like a waitress or a servant. But the Scripture says that believers are sons and not servants (John 15:15; Gal. 4:7).
So, upon this premise, this waiting upon the Lord reminds me of a loving son who sits at the table with his father to cummunicate, listen, and learn; he refuses to run off to other sources for wisdom and knowledge, but waits to learn from his father. Waiting is sweet tarrying before the Lord, in quiet times, often to learn and be strengthened from this tremendous fellowship and communication with God, the Father.
The word, "waiting" implies a time of conquering, controlling, disciplining the restless spirit, quieting ourselves, being silent with a holy, spiritual silence and just being in His presence.
Here, Isaiah was told that to wait upon the Lord was the source of strngth, with the ability to rise above this present world of conflct and problems, like an eagle taking flight.
The benefits of waiting upon the Lord
The psalmist said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
I believe, "being still" simply means, "Stop, be quiet, wait in His presence and upon God, not mere daydreaming, but in total concentration and quietness".
Jeremiah said, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:25, 26, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word "salvation", in this context, comes from the Hebrew word "teshuwah" which means, "Rescue, deliverance or help".
David, the psalmist said, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Ps. 62:5).
David's expectation was of the Lord. By waiting upon God, we can expect many miracles wrought by Him, both for our own emotional and spiritual life inwardly and outwardly, and also for His leading and provision.
The result of failing to wait upon the Lord
David said, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass" (Ps. 37:7).
What David is literally saying is, don't do anything until you have heard from God; be patient and wait upon the Lord; don't be motivated by others. We could have saved ourselves many a heartbreaking moment and difficult trial if we had not moved ahead of the Lord, doing our own things instead of waiting for our Heavenly Father to give us direction. This is an important truth that needs to be learned by all Christians. It is part of the meditating and waiting process that, when learned and when practiced, can make for a better and more successful Christian life of faith.
Conclusion
God spoke to Joshua when He commisioned him to take over the duties of Moses:
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous. and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8, emphasis added).
God made it clear that if Joshua (or any man) would constantly meditating upon the Word of God then he would have prosperity and good success.
The same thought pattern is reiterated in Psalm 1 where the psalmist said that any man who delights himself in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night, shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. In other words, the blessings of the Lord, the fruitfulness, the productiveness and the prosperous way rest upon the man who will take time to meditate, muse, contemplate, and wait upon the Lord!
In God's heart nothing supersedes His longing to restore fellowship with the human race and to have actual communication with them. Thus it ought to also be the deepest longing of those who know God to likewise want communication, dialogue, and times of being in His presence, and meditation on the many attributes of God. All the prominant Old Testament saints (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and especially David) sought the face of God, walked and communed with Him.
Jesus Christ makes it all possible
The writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in all full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:19 - 22, NKJV).
We can boldly come to God and have communion with Him through the blood of Jesus. In other words, the blood of Jesus opens the door for us to draw near to God to praise Him, worship Him, pray to Him, to appreciate Him, meditate on His attributes, wait upon Him, and thank Him and to develop an intimate relationship with Him.
The meditations of David
David was a person who truly knew His God and therefore he was a great man of prayer, meditation and waiting upon the Lord. Here are some examples of his meditation:
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him" (Ps. 8:3, 4, NKJV).
"My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue" (Ps. 39:3, KJV, emphasis added).
Notice that "musing" is a state of deep thought or dreaming abstraction, to become absorbed in thought; to turn something over in the mind meditatively; to wonder of marvel. In short, it is the same as "meditation".
"When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, because thou hast been my help, ..." (Ps. 63:6, 7, KJV).
You can see clearly that David spent night watches (or nighttimes) in giving place to meditating; his mind and spirit swelling, or musing, with great contrmplation upon the Lord.
"I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings" (Ps. 77:12, KJV).
David, in his meditation, dwelt upon all God's work. He also said, "My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord" (Ps. 104:34, NKJV). In other words, to David it was a time of sweetness, a time of preciousness when he would shut himself away, or while alone in the fields give time to meditate upon the Lord.
Meditation is certainly sweetness to the heart and gentleness to the soul; and affects nearly every aspect of us, both spiritually and physiologically. David further said, "I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways" (Ps. 119:15, KJV).
I believe more of us would have greater respect of God if we spent more time, as David did, in meditating upon His laws, upon His precepts, on His judgments, and the many aspects of God's divine order.
David also said, "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation" (Ps. 119:99, KJV).
David said that he had more understanding than all of his teachers simply because he had meditated (given deep thought) upon God's testimonies. Therefore by meditating upon the testimonies of God, he was able to have an increased knowledge and wisdom that supperseded all of his instructors. We can do likewise. For all God's people, meditation and musing upon God's great works leads to increased knowledge and wisdom.
Meditation and thought life
Meditation and the thought life of a believer are closely related - in fact almost synonymous. I believe the thought life plays a very important part in successful Christian living. A mind cut loose to run every direction, undisciplined, will cause continued unrest and leave one unstable, insecure, and actually void of receiving anything much from God. This is precisely what James said:
"... he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8, NKJV).
So it is imperative that we understand something about the thought life of the Christain.
Peter offered a suggestion: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, ..." (1 Peter 1:13, NKJV).
In other words, we need to tuck in the loose ends of our minds (thoughts). Don't let thoughts run wild; gird them up; concentrate on proper, essential, productive, eternal, heavenly things.
Paul also said something about our thoughts: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praisworthy - meditate on these things" (Phil. 4:8, emphasis added).
In given us these guidelines for our thought life, he mentioned 8 categories of things we should meditate on.
Paul also taught us how to control our thoughts:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought (including wild thoughts and imaginations) into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4, 5).
We control our thoughts by being obedient to Christ, and by bringing every wild thought and wild imagination under captivity. The evil one wants us to think wild thoughts, but the Holy Spirit in us keeps them under captivity.
Meditation and thoughts of a believer is so important that Paul admonished Timothy: "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all" (1 Tim. 4:15, emphasis added).
The things that Timothy should meditate upon can be found in Timothy 1 - 4. In general these are the things of God.
I believe that discipline of the whole life begins first with the control of the thought life. Whatever you license in your mind, whether evil or good, you will perform when the opportunity affords itself. In other words, if you license in your secret thoughts, lust or evil desires, when the opportunity comes Satan will see to it that you will perform those acts. Satan knows that he can only attack you mind (part of your soul), but not your spirit. And through your mind he attacks your body.
James said, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:14, 15).
Only through prayer and meditation, the mind is trained and exercised into discipline and control by the Spirit of God.
Musing and meditation
How shall I spend my time of musing and meditation? The psalmists showed us many ways:
Musing on the Word of God
"Blessing is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:1, NKJV).
Musing upon God
"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches" (Ps. 63:5, 6).
Musing and meditating upon past blessings
"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of your hands" (Ps. 143:5).
Waiting
Through Isaiah, God said, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount upon with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV, emphasis added).
The statement: "Wait on the Lord" means to wait upon Him like a waitress or a servant. But the Scripture says that believers are sons and not servants (John 15:15; Gal. 4:7).
So, upon this premise, this waiting upon the Lord reminds me of a loving son who sits at the table with his father to cummunicate, listen, and learn; he refuses to run off to other sources for wisdom and knowledge, but waits to learn from his father. Waiting is sweet tarrying before the Lord, in quiet times, often to learn and be strengthened from this tremendous fellowship and communication with God, the Father.
The word, "waiting" implies a time of conquering, controlling, disciplining the restless spirit, quieting ourselves, being silent with a holy, spiritual silence and just being in His presence.
Here, Isaiah was told that to wait upon the Lord was the source of strngth, with the ability to rise above this present world of conflct and problems, like an eagle taking flight.
The benefits of waiting upon the Lord
The psalmist said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
I believe, "being still" simply means, "Stop, be quiet, wait in His presence and upon God, not mere daydreaming, but in total concentration and quietness".
Jeremiah said, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:25, 26, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word "salvation", in this context, comes from the Hebrew word "teshuwah" which means, "Rescue, deliverance or help".
David, the psalmist said, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Ps. 62:5).
David's expectation was of the Lord. By waiting upon God, we can expect many miracles wrought by Him, both for our own emotional and spiritual life inwardly and outwardly, and also for His leading and provision.
The result of failing to wait upon the Lord
David said, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass" (Ps. 37:7).
What David is literally saying is, don't do anything until you have heard from God; be patient and wait upon the Lord; don't be motivated by others. We could have saved ourselves many a heartbreaking moment and difficult trial if we had not moved ahead of the Lord, doing our own things instead of waiting for our Heavenly Father to give us direction. This is an important truth that needs to be learned by all Christians. It is part of the meditating and waiting process that, when learned and when practiced, can make for a better and more successful Christian life of faith.
Conclusion
God spoke to Joshua when He commisioned him to take over the duties of Moses:
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous. and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8, emphasis added).
God made it clear that if Joshua (or any man) would constantly meditating upon the Word of God then he would have prosperity and good success.
The same thought pattern is reiterated in Psalm 1 where the psalmist said that any man who delights himself in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night, shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. In other words, the blessings of the Lord, the fruitfulness, the productiveness and the prosperous way rest upon the man who will take time to meditate, muse, contemplate, and wait upon the Lord!
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