God the Rewarder

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Notice that faith does not just require that we believe that God exists but also that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We are to seek Him, believing that it is in our best interest to do so, that as we diligently seek Him, we receive something in return. However we might describe the nature of this reward, it is, after all, still reward. So, in this relationship of faith that we have with God, there is God-interest, but that is also self-interest. And this self-interest is not merely incidental, it is required — those who come to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

God has often promised blessings and benefits to those who seek Him, trust in Him, listen to His voice and walk in His ways. See, for example, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, where God promises wonderful blessing for those who “diligently obey” His voice and “observe carefully” His commandments (v. 1). In Psalm 103:2-5, David reminds himself of the many benefits of the LORD:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

In Malachi 3:10-12, God invites His people to test Him concerning the tithe and promises great reward for doing so:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of hosts;
“And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the LORD of hosts.

In the New Testament, Jesus promises the reward of hundredfold return to those who leave all for Him:

Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30)

Paul, encouraging the believers at Corinth to be diligent in the grace of giving, gives this promise:

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

There are many other examples we could look at, but I didn’t mean to post a long article today, and this one has already gone on longer than I intended.

Now, some will insist that we should not seek reward from God, that it somehow makes our faith and our motives impure. “Seek His face, not His hand,” they say. But, to follow that analogy, if you are like me, your hand is not far from your face, and the same is true of God. And the author of Hebrews teaches us something different: We must diligently seek God for who He is, but we must also believe that He rewards those who do so, that His hand is not far from His face. Without that kind of faith, it is impossible to please God.

Faith and Doubt

There is an idea that circulates among Christians concerning doubt, that doubt is somehow necessary to faith, that it is a companion to faith and not its opposite. But when I read the Bible, I don't get that impression. For example, I think of Jesus' words in Mark 11:22-23.

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

That does not sound to me like faith and doubt are to be companions. Rather, it sounds like doubt hinders faith. Or consider James 1:5-8:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Again, faith and doubt are not presented as companions meant to co-exist, but as opposites in such a way that faith is hindered by doubt.

The Greek word for “doubt,” diakrino, comes from two words: dia, through, and krino, to judge. It means to be of two minds, caught between two judgments, divided. It is what James calls a “double-minded man.” It does not lead to stability but to instability in all one’s ways. Imagine an automobile with two steering wheels manned by two drivers who want to go in two different directions.

The father of the young demon-possessed man that the disciples could not set free asked Jesus for help. Jesus answered, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” The man said, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). This man was in a state of doubt. He had two things going on inside him: He had faith but he also recognized that he had some unbelief going on inside himself, and he was divided between them. But notice that he did not say, “Lord, help me learn to live with this doubt, this divided state between belief and unbelief. Help me to see that they are not opposites after all but actually companions.”

While it may be a popular answer, and one I used to promote myself, I do not think that acquiescing to a companionship between faith and doubt is an effective way to receive the benefits of faith that God intends for us. It does not square up with what the Word says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith pleases God and God rewards it. On the other hand, James says of the man who doubts, “Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” Faith and doubt are incompatible.

We should never condemn anyone for having doubts about God or the Bible or the Christian faith, or else we would be doing the work of the “accuser of the brethren” instead of the work of the Good Shepherd. Though doubt indicates the presence of unbelief, by the same token, it is also evidence that there is faith at work as well as unbelief. Everyone goes through seasons of doubt, but that does not mean we have to stay there.

Nor should we deny the existence of doubt — as if that will make it go away — or that it is a problem that needs divine assistance. Remember, the father of the demon-possessed boy said, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.”

Ultimately, doubt is more a matter of the heart than of the mind — “and does not doubt in his heart,” Jesus said. There is an emotional and a volitional component to doubt as well as an intellectual one.

Faith does not come to us by reasoning but by revelation, through hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). And it comes as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8), not because we have reached an intelligent conclusion that is intellectually unassailable. Our ability to reason for or against faith is not greater than the gift graciously imparted by the Spirit of God.

A community of faith, love and acceptance for the one who needs help with their unbelief creates an atmosphere that encourages and allows one to grow beyond his doubt without feeling pressured.

Now, there is an important distinction to be made. My faith is in God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and my commitment is to the veracity of Scripture. But I make no claim of infallibility in my understanding of Scripture. My interpretations may be in error at some points. My theology has changed often and in many ways over the many years I have been a Christian, and I expect it will change some more. So, I will doubt my eyes and my ears, my feelings and my fears, my intellect and even my doubts — but then, I do not profess to have faith in myself. My faith is in God.

Against Hope, with Hope He Believed

Against hope, with hope he believed. (Romans 4:18 HCSB)

Abraham received a promise from God. Not only that he would have a son, but also that he would father a nation that would bless all the families and nations of the world. By the world’s thinking, there was no reason to believe that this could ever be so. After all, Abraham was an old man and Sarah was well beyond child-bearing years. No matter. God had spoken and that was enough to settle it in his heart.

So, against hope, with hope Abraham believed. The Greek word for “hope” does not speak of what is tentative, as we often think of it today, but of what is sure and certain. It is a positive expectation, a joyful anticipation. That is what Abraham had.

Understand, though, that hope was not the object of Abraham’s faith. For some people who believe in the maybe-so-maybe-not variety of hope, hope seems to operate as a kind of faith all by itself. “Oh, there is always hope,” they say. No, hope is not the object of faith. Rather, faith is the basis for hope. The author of Hebrews says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

The Greek word for “substance” speaks of the underlying reality of a thing. It was sometimes used to refer to the title deed for a piece of property. If you possessed the title deed for a piece of land, you possessed that land itself. The title was the underlying reality of ownership for the property. In the same way, faith is the underlying reality of things hoped for. That is, it is the basis for having a positive expectation about a thing.

Understand also that faith is not the object of itself. It is not enough to say, “Have faith,” as if the desire to believe a certain thing is sufficient reason to expect to see that thing. No, faith must have a basis. Elsewhere in Romans, Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Indeed, faith is about believing what God has promised. When God speaks a word, that is sufficient reason for believing whatever God has said.

That’s how it was with Abraham. God made a promise; Abraham believed it. Even though all the circumstances in the world appeared to be against it ever coming true, Abraham received the word of promise and had faith that it would come to pass. Against hope, with hope he believed. The joyful anticipation of hope came by faith, and faith came by the Word of God.

It does not matter what in the world is going on in your life right now. It does not matter how you feel or what others may think. God has spoken a promise about it. Find that promise in His Word and let it fill your heart with faith. Then you will have a solid basis and a joyful reason for expecting a positive outcome.

Walking with God

Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

The author of Hebrews comments on this unusual primeval event:

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found because God had taken him”; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)

The Greek word for “taken,” used in all three instances in this verse, means to transfer, transport, or translate. In other words, Enoch walked with God and ended up very differently than when He began. He was not just changed as to his spiritual condition, he even experienced a change in his physical state. God, who is Spirit, created the material universe, so physical reality is essentially a manifestation of the spiritual realm.

The Septuagint, an early translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, uses in Genesis 5:24 the Greek verb for “pleased” in place of the Hebrew word for “walked.” It signifies that Enoch did not merely happen to be accompanying God in this journey, but he actually pleased God in doing so — he was a delight to Him.

God had wanted to walk with Adam in this way. He came walking in the Garden in the “cool of the day,” looking for him (Genesis 3:8-9). But of course, Adam had already disconnected from God by his rebellion. It is significant that the “hall of fame of faith” in Hebrews 11 does not begin with, “By faith Adam …” Adam acted as he did precisely because he did not believe God.

But that is what pleases God — faith! As Hebrews goes on to say, “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is believing that God is, and that He rewards those who seek Him out. That pleases God, which is exactly what Enoch did. He walked with God in faith — and it changed his entire existence.

There is a way of walking in this world that can transport you into a higher reality, a new realm of living, a delightful fellowship with God. It is the way of faith — believing God.

The Bold Confidence of Faith

Who through faith … quenched the violence of fire. (Hebrews 11:33-34)

Hebrews 11 has often been called the “Hall of Fame” of faith. It begins with this definition: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (v. 1). It describes a solid confidence that is rooted, not in what is seen but in what is unseen.

The ones who by faith quenched the violence of fire are, of course, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, the three young Hebrews who refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar. Consider the deep confidence of their faith as Nebuchadnezzar confronts them:

Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego boldly answer:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-18)

Notice the elements of their answer:

1. “We have no need to answer you in this matter.” It was immediate and direct. They needed no time to reconsider. They had taken their stand and they were sticking with it. “We’ve already done what we’re going to do. Now you go ahead and do what you are going to do.”
2. “If that is the case.” This is a conditional statement. Not about their action but about the action of the king. They had already made their decision. Now they were laying out, in logical fashion, the king’s choices and what would happen with them.
3. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace.” They had no doubt that God was quite capable of protecting them from the fire.
4. “And He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” Here is where the confidence of their faith is fully seen. It is one thing to speak theoretically about what God is able to do, quite another to declare what He will do.
5. “But if not.” This is another conditional statement. It is important to understand that this if not statement corresponds to the earlier if statement.
6. “Let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Whatever Nebuchadnezzar decided would make no difference at all to these young men. Either way, they were not going to bow down and serve his gods.

Here is where a lot of preachers and Bible interpreters get it wrong. They think the answer of the young Hebrews runs like this: “If you throw us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us. But if He does not, we still won’t serve your gods or bow down.” It sounds like a very valiant faith, trusting in God even if He does not come through and deliver them.

The problem, however, is that the text does not say, “But if He does not.” Some translations will render it that way (the NASB and the NIV, for instance) but in the Hebrew text, it is simply, “But if not.” That is why it is important to notice points 2 and 5 above. They are both conditional statements. One says if, the other says if not. They correspond to each other. The if statement means, “If you cast us into the fiery furnace ...” The corresponding if not statement means, then, “If you do not cast us into the fiery furnace …” In other words, the if not statement is not about whether or not God would deliver them but about whether or not Nebuchadnezzar would toss them into the furnace.

Besides the corresponding nature of the if and if not statements, there is another simple reason why the if not statement refers to the king’s actions, not God’s. It would be completely unnecessary for them to point out that, if God did not deliver them from the fiery furnace, they would not serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. It would be exceedingly obvious. If God did not deliver them, they would be instantly killed by the flames — and dead men don’t bow to anything, not even to the king and his gods.

But hear the boldness of their answer and the confidence of their faith. In context, it runs like this: “O Nebuchadnezzar, if you cast us into the fiery furnace, our God is able to deliver is — and He will deliver us! But if you do not cast us into the fiery furnace, know this: We still will not serve your gods or bow down to your image.”

As we know from Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar did throw them into the furnace — and God did indeed deliver them, just as they had declared. Their response was not based on that which was seen, Nebuchadnezzar’s threats or the reality of the fire, but on that which was unseen, the faithfulness of God. They trusted not just in the ability of God, but just as important, in the faithfulness of God to deliver His people. They may have been uncertain about what the king was going to do, but they had no doubt what God was going to do.

Bold and confident faith in the faithfulness of God is able to work miracles. It goes beyond saying, “God can deliver me,” to declaring, “God will deliver me!”

Expectation is the Soul of Patience

In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.

(Psalm 5:3 HCSB)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Psalms, and has been very helpful to me in the past. When we lift our prayer to the Lord in faith, there is an expectation. Though there is usually a period of waiting in between “Amen” and “There it is,” expectation is the soul of patience. “Faith is the substance [underlying reality] of things hoped for [expected]” (Hebrews 11:1).

Why does David have such expectation when he prays? It is the confidence of knowing this:

For surely, O LORD, You bless the righteous;
You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.

(Psalm 5:12 HCSB)

The favor of God belongs to those who are His and is seen by those who walk in His ways. Being assured of His favor creates expectation. Confident expectation causes us to endure. It is the soul of patience. (See also, Praying With Expectation.)

What Will You Call It?

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19)

Here’s an amazing thing: God created man in His own image — to be like Him — and gave him dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). He formed Adam from the dust, then puffed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a “living being” (Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew is nephesh chayah. The Targum Onkelos, an ancient Jewish commentary, says that man became a “speaking spirit.” Just as God had the ability to speak — and by it called the heavens and earth into existence — man, created in the likeness of God, had the same ability to use word.

We see this in the first thing God had Adam do: He brought the animals to him to see what Adam would call them. Notice, God did not tell Adam what to call them. He simply observed what Adam named them — that is, how Adam exercised his dominion and the power of his words, and whatever Adam called each animal, that was its name. The decision was Adam’s. God did not change it in any way, for He had given dominion of the planet over to Adam.

This often forgotten little episode is quite significant today because the names you give things determine how you see and relate to them, and what they will be in your life. Your words have a creative ability. This is a vitally important truth to remember as you consider the current economic climate and the challenges it presents: Whatever you call it, that will be its name!

What will you call this present situation you find yourself in? Because you will name it something. Will you name it out of fear, or out of faith? Because it will be one way or the other.

Remember what Job went through. We know that satan wanted to have a go at him, and God allowed it to happen (see Job 1-2). But what a lot of people do not see is that Job himself was also a participant in what happened to him. He left an opening for satan to exploit. It was not a matter of sin, as Job’s three friends had wrongfully supposed, for God had already declared that Job was “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). No, this was about something Job spoke out of his own mouth. When satan’s calamities began to come upon him, Job revealed what had been going on in his heart: “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me” (Job 3:25).

Great fear and dread had gripped Job long before his physical situation started to fall apart. It filled his heart in abundance, for it was not just a little anxiety and worry he possessed but great fear and dread. Because it was in his heart in abundance, it is very likely that he often spoke it out, calling it with his words. And whatever he called it, that was its name, and was exactly what happened to him. In the end, we see that Job had to “repent in dust and ashes” for wrongfully accusing God for his troubles (John 42:1-6).

Or remember what happened with the twelve men Moses sent to spy out the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give to Israel. Ten came back with a sorry and fearful report. They recognized that it was indeed a marvelous land, flowing with “milk and honey,” but then they called forth their fear: “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large … We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we … There we saw the giants … and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13).

However, the other two spies, Joshua and Caleb gave a very different assessment.

Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30)

The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, “a land which flows with milk and honey.” Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them. (Numbers 14:7-9)

The ten and the two each called the situation by very different names:

• The ten said, “We saw the giants.” The two said, “They are our bread.”
• The ten said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” The two said, “We are well able to overcome.”
• The ten said, “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” The two said, “The LORD is with us … He will bring us into this land and give it to us.”

Whatever each called it, that was its name and how it operated in their lives. The ten never went up against the “giants,” never possessed the Promised Land, but died in the wilderness. On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb eventually went in, overcame and possessed the land, for God was with them and gave it to them.

Some people say, “Well, I call it like I see it.” Okay, then maybe you need to change the way you see it. The ten spies saw themselves as grasshoppers and then assumed that that was how the Canaanites saw them. Joshua and Caleb saw something different. They saw that God was with them and that He had given them a promise. The ten spies spoke out of their fear. Joshua and Caleb spoke out of faith in God and what He said — and that made all the difference, for whatever they called it, that was its name.

God has given promises to those who know, love and serve Him. Here are a few that are pertinent to the current economic situation:

• God has given us the ability to create wealth, because He is establishing His covenant in the earth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
• God commands the blessing on us in our storehouses and in all to which we set our hands (Deuteronomy 28:8).
• God enables us to prosper in whatever we do (Psalm 1:3).
• God does not hold back any good thing from those who do what is right (Psalm 84:11).
• Wealth and riches will be in our houses (Psalm 112:3).
• The blessing of the Lord makes us rich, and there is no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
• God makes His grace abound to us so that we, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians (9:8). Paul made this statement in a financial context.
  
• God supplies all our needs according to glorious riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19). In other words, it is not about our own resources but His.
• God’s desire is for us to prosper in all things and be in health, even as our souls prosper (3 John 2).

Don’t over-spiritualize these promises to the exclusion of material prosperity, for true and lasting material prosperity is based upon the reality of spiritual prosperity. God wants you to prosper in all things (finances are not excluded) according to the prosperity of your inner being.

What will you call your financial circumstance at this time? Will you name it out of fear or out of faith? Will you look at it in the panicky way the world sees it, or will you let the promises of God change the way you see it, and therefore, what you will call it? For whatever you call it, that will be its name in your life.

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

In the LORD I put my trust (Psalm 11:1)

David is cool in the face of turmoil. While those around him are in a panic, David asserts his faith:

In the LORD I put my trust;
How can you say to my soul,

“Flee as a bird to your mountain?
For look! The wicked bend their bow,
They make ready their arrow on the string,
That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

(Psalm 11:1-3)

It is a wonder to him that anyone would even think of speaking to him this way. Why? Doesn’t he know what is happening all around him? Is he unaware of all those out to get him, the wicked who want to do violence to him? Yes, he understands that, but he also knows something more important and far greater than that:

The LORD is in His holy temple,
The LORD’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men.
The LORD tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

(Psalm 11:4-5)

The fearful ones around him think that the foundations of the righteous have been destroyed. But David understands that this is impossible because the Lord is in His temple, and His throne is in heaven. The Lord still rules and reigns; His throne has not been shifted by calamity. Or as my wife likes to remind the worriers, “My God hasn’t gone anywhere.”

God has not been shaken, and He is the foundation of the righteous. The events of earth have not taken Him by surprise. He is well aware of what is going on, and He knows exactly what the wicked are up to, but it does not find Him wringing His hands.

This is David’s confidence and the reason he refuses to be full of anxiety and dread.

Many today are in a panic about the state of national and world economies. Even a lot of Christians are running scared. And that is exactly where the enemy wants you — full of worry and fear, thinking that your foundation has been, or is about to be, destroyed. But if you know the Lord Jesus, if your trust is in Him, your foundation can never be destroyed but will stand forever.

God is in His temple and His throne remains in heaven where it has always been. Jesus our King is seated there at His right hand, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21). And that is where everyone who puts their trust in Him is as well, for God has “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18) and He is with us always, “even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He will take care of us, now and forever.

Let not your heart be troubled. If your trust is in the Lord, your foundation is secure.

The Ark of Your Testimony

And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. (Exodus 25:16)

The Ark of the Covenant is also known as the Ark of the Testimony. The Hebrew word for “testimony” is edut, which means “witness” or “record.” It comes from the primitive root ud, which means to duplicate or repeat. Literally, it refers to something that is spoken again and again. Its purpose is to remind, to bring up again in your mind, and bring to prominence in your thinking.

Testimony is a powerful thing. It can not only bring something back to your mind but also back to your heart. It can recreate the emotions, the sense of the experience of that to which it testifies. For example, have you ever heard an old song on the radio that reminded you of the days when you first heard that song. It can make you think of old friends and places and the way you felt back then. It is amazing how a song can bring them again to you in such an emotionally powerful way. When a song triggers a memory like that, people even say, “Oh, that takes me back.” And in a way, it really does take them back to that time and place, and those old friends. That song has become a testimony to them, a witness of things past but which still have great meaning.

That is what the Ark of the Testimony did. It was a witness that spoke of the covenant God made with Israel. Everything about it testified to something in their experience with Him. It represented — re-presented — His presence among them. On top was the mercy-seat, the place of atonement, of divine forgiveness. The Testimony that was placed inside was threefold: The Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded (Hebrews 9:4).

• The tables of the commandments spoke of God’s instruction, wisdom and promises — the covenant He made with Israel.
• The jar of manna spoke of the miraculous provision God made for them in the wilderness, a provision that sustained them throughout their wilderness wanderings.
• The rod of Aaron spoke of high priestly authority. For when the people tested God and rebelled against Aaron, God caused his rod to bud as a sign that He had indeed chosen Aaron.

The testimony of these things was always before them to remind them, not only of who God had been to them in the past, but also who He would continue to be to them in the future. For a testimony is not just about what God has done, it also reveals what He is going to do.

David understood this. He kept an ark of testimony in his heart so that He would not forget the benefits of God in his life, to give God glory and continue to trust in Him. He specifically instructed and reminded himself. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2). Look at what he kept in the ark of his testimony:

• Who forgives all your iniquities (v. 3)
• Who heals all your diseases (v. 3)
• Who redeems your life from destruction (v. 4)
• Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies (v. 4)
• Who satisfies your mouth with good things (v. 5)
• So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (v. 5)
• The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed (v. 6)
• He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel (v. 7)
• The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy (v. 8)

This is not just about the way God used to be, but about the way He is now and always will be. He is the same yesterday, today and forever — He does not change. The testimony of what He has done in the past is a seed of faith about what we can also expect Him to do in the future. When someone stands up and gives a testimony that God forgave them, saved them, rescued them, healed them, changed their life, it is a witness that He will do the same for whoever will trust Him. That is why it is important to remember the testimony of what God has done for you and share it with others. It is also why it is important to pay attention to the testimonies of others. They remind you of who God is and what He can do. The most important testimony, of course, is that of God Himself — what He was done for us in Jesus Christ, and the promises we have through faith in Him.

What is in the ark of your testimony? What are the promises of God’s Word that you are claiming? What are the times you have experienced God’s guidance? What are the provisions you have received from Him, the daily providences and the unusual supply that has shown up in your life? What are the ways that He has made His presence known to you? What are the ways He has revealed the life of Jesus to you? What are the ways He has revealed the life of Jesus through you to others? These are seeds of expectation that He will continue to be and do what He has always been and done, and that He will see you through any crisis.

Greetings to our friends in Telemark, Norway; Waterloo, Ontario; Baden-Wurttemburg; Tel Aviv; Glasgow; Yakima, WA; Walterboro, SC; Eugene, OR; Sunnyside, NY and Polway, CA.

How Jesus Did the Impossible

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (John 14:10)

How did Jesus do the many impossible things He did—healing the sick, loosing people from demonic oppression, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead—the many signs and wonders He performed? Jesus tells us: It was the Father who dwelt in Him who did it.

Jesus was in the Father, and the Father was in Jesus. There was a dwelling, an abiding. Just a few verses earlier, Jesus told the disciples about an abode.

In My Father’s house are many mansions;” if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

The Greek word for “mansions” is monay and means “abode.” There are many abodes in the Father’s House, many dwelling places. A lot Christians think Jesus was talking about little houses in heaven, some big, some small, according to how well we have lived here. Actually, though, He was speaking of many abodes in the one house, that of the Father.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.” Again, Christians think He was talking about how He is now busy preparing a place for us, and that when He returns, He will take us there. But I think He had something different in mind; I think He was speaking of what He was about to do on the cross. It was on the cross that He prepared a place for us in the Father, removing the sin that separated us from God. The return He speaks of is not the Second Coming at the end of this present age, but His return from the dead. He went and prepared the place for us, and then He came back and received us to Himself. Paul speaks about the reality of the abiding place we have in the Father’s house:

God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6)

• Notice where we are seated: In the heavenlies, in Christ, at the right hand of the Father.
• Notice when we are seated there: Now! It is not a future hope but a present reality. It is something God has already done, not something we are waiting for Him to do.

Jesus has prepared a place for us in the Father’s house and God has seated us there. It is now our abode.

Jesus said, “Believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.” Jesus was in the Father, but He has now prepared a place for us in the Father, too, and has received us to Himself.

Now consider the second part: “The Father is in Me.” Through faith in Jesus Christ, we now belong in the Father—He is our dwelling place, our abode. But does He also dwell in us? Jesus answers that:

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (John 14:23)

The Greek word for “home” here the same word used earlier for “mansion.” In fact, it is the only other time we find this word in the New Testament. When we love Jesus and obey His commands, He and the Father make their abode in us—they are at home in us.

Jesus did the impossible because He abided in the Father and the Father abided in Him. The same is also now true of all who receive the Lord Jesus—we abide in the Father and the Father abides in us.

Now think about what else Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” Jesus did not act out of His own authority, even though He is the eternal Son of God, fully divine as well as fully human. He did not speak His own words, but those of the Father. Therefore the Father was able to do all those impossible works through Him. Jesus says something similar in John 5, where He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda:

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner … I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent me. (vv. 19, 30)

By Himself, Jesus could do nothing! Even though He was the fully divine Son of God. It was only as He saw what the Father was doing and said what the Father was saying, and doing and saying those same things, that He could do anything. If that was true of Him, how much more must it be true of us?

And now, Jesus calls us to do impossible things, too. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). The same works He did, we will do—and even greater works. Why? Because He was going to the Father. A little while later, He explained that He would be sending the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26) Indeed, He had to go so that He could send the Spirit: “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

Jesus sent us the Helper—the Holy Spirit. This is important because it was by the Spirit, as well as the Father, that Jesus was able to do all those wonderful, impossible works. That is what Peter preached to Cornelius:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus promised us the same Spirit and the same power: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, an in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Our witness is not only by words but also by works—the evidence of who Jesus is and what He is doing in the world. By this power, the disciples were able to heal the sick, expel demons, perform signs and wonders, and even raise the day, just as Jesus did. We see this in the rest of the book of Acts and throughout Church history (see Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church for a multitude ofexamples).

Jesus did the impossible because He was in the Father and the Father was in Him; because He did what He saw the Father doing and said what He heard the Father saying; because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. All these belong to us today. Through faith, God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—abides in us and will do the same works through us that were done through Jesus.

Calling Forth Your Divine Destiny

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Romans 4:16-17)

God renamed Abram, calling him Abraham. He added a divine “ha” to his name — think of it as the life-giving breath, even the laughter of God — and that changed everything. The name Abram meant “exalted father,” but what a joke that turned out to be. Abram was seventy-five years old when God first came to him, and he and his wife, Sarai, had been barren all their years. No children, therefore no fatherhood for Abram, and by natural reckoning, it was now too late. But God made him a promise anyway: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great” (Genesis 12:2).

Abram began to cast about for how that might happen. Would it be through his nephew Lot? Or perhaps through his servant Eliezer? Sarai came up with a plan they both thought was pretty clever (not!): Why not go and have a child with Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid — maybe that’s what God had in mind. Nope, none of the above.

God came to him again when Abram was about eighty-seven and renewed the word of promise. He directed Abram’s attention to the stars, numberless in the sky: “So shall your descendents be” (Genesis 15:5). Abram believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness (v. 6). Of course, it was just after that that Sarai came up with her brilliant idea, and Abram, still trying to manufacture the fulfillment for himself, thought it was worth a try. That didn’t work out, though, and Abram was back where he started.

Finally, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, God came to him again. And that’s when it happened. God breathed life into his name (God’s word is creative; that’s how He made the heavens and the earth). “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). Abraham means “father of multitudes.” God, who calls things that are not as though they were, was now calling the promise into existence.

Father of Multitudes! That was now Abram’s new name. Whenever he introduced himself to others, he would be speaking his destiny, “Hi, I’m Father of Multitudes.” Whenever Sarah, whose name God changed from Sarai, would call him it would be, “Father of Multitudes.” Now the promise would be in his ears and upon his lips. It would continually stir in his heart. In agreement with God, he would be calling those things that are not as though they were. He would be calling forth his divine destiny. And so it came to pass.

That is how faith works. We receive the promise of God, we believe it in our hearts and we speak it forth with our lips. The heart believes and the mouth confesses, that is, speaks in agreement with it (Romans 10:10). Jesus put it this way:

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

Gather up the promises God has given you in His Word, the dreams He has dreamed you in the night, the destiny He has whispered in your ears. Believe them with all your heart and confess them with your mouth. Speak them aloud, even if only to yourself. Call them forth in agreement with God. Let Him breathe life into your spirit and put the divine ha! in your heart. He is giving life to what you thought was dead and speaking forth your divine destiny — all of faith and according to His grace.

Discerning a Heart of Faith

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrew 4:12)

This verse is often quoted out of the blue, as if it were not related to a context. But the word “for” at the beginning of this verse alerts us to the fact that it is connected to the idea of the previous verse: “Be diligent to enter that rest.” The “rest” in view is the rest God has for His people. In the larger context, the author illustrates his point by reminding us that the children of Israel died in the wilderness instead of enjoying the Promised Land, the rest God had prepared for them.

What does this have to do with the Word of God being living and powerful and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart? Everything. Because it has to do with faith. The children of Israel did not enter God’s rest because of their unbelief, even though God had promised He was giving the land to them.

It is not that they were unable to believe. No, they were unwilling to believe. Had they been willing, they would have been able because faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Every promise of God carries with it the faith to believe that promise. The children of Israel heard the promise but they did not give any room for faith to arise in them to believe it. The word of promise tested them and found they had rejected faith.

The Word of God offers us many wonderful promises and gives us the faith to believe. But it also probes us with surgical precision to see whether we will lay hold of that faith. There is no fooling God. He discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts to see whether we are willing to believe Him.

In the wilderness, God promised the children of Israel that He was giving them the land of Canaan, and that promise tested them: Were they willing to believe God above all else? Would they believe the truth of His Word more than the facts of their current circumstances? More than the giants in the land? More than their own eyes?

As we know, out of all that generation, only Joshua and Caleb choose to believe God. They were not unaware of the circumstances, and they had certainly seen the giants in the land, just as the other spies had. But they understood that the truth of God’s promise was far greater than what they experienced with their senses. As the author of Hebrews tells us, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3). The greater reality is not that which can be seen or felt but is apprehended by faith. That is why Paul teaches us, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

The same Word of God by which faith comes also discerns our hearts. It cuts through all our rationalizations to reveal whether we are willing to believe the promise of God. Those who are willing enter into His rest.

Faith is Reality

Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

(Hebrews 11:1 HCSB)

Last week a bought a new little pocket Bible (it was on sale). I got it, not only because it was a handy size and with a comfortable font, but also because it was a version I did not have, the Holman Christian Standard Bible. I flipped through it a bit, checking out how it rendered some of the passages I am very familiar with, and I was impressed with how it translated Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”

Faith is the reality. Other versions have it as

• Faith is the substance. (KJV)
• Faith is being sure. (NIV)
• Faith is the assurance. (NASB, ESV)
• Faith is a well-grounded assurance. (Weymouth)
• Faith is … a confidence. (Young’s Literal Translation)
• Faith is … the firm foundation. (The Message)
• Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed). (AMP)
• Faith gives substance. (Revised English Bible)

The Greek word is hypostasis, a compound of hypo (“under”) and stasis (“state”). The English word “substance” captures this well: sub (under) and stance (position); what is positioned underneath. Hypostasis, substance, is the underlying stance or state of a thing, or as I have called it elsewhere, the underlying reality of a thing.

The HCSB picks up on “reality,” and I think captures the Greek word very well. “Assurance” and “confidence” and “being sure” are all pretty good, but they seem to have more of a subjective element to them. But “substance” and “reality” speak of something more objective. Faith is not just about how I think about something or the sense of confidence I might have toward it. Faith is about that which is substantively real quite apart from what I might think or feel.

In biblical terms, faith is about the Word of God. As Paul said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Faith is believing what God has said. The Word is true, not because I believe, but because God has spoken it.

Faith is based on reality, and reality is based on the Word of God. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not seen” (Hebrews 11:3). Everything that exists exists because God has spoken it into existence.

Reality is not based on what can be seen or experienced with the senses, but on what cannot be seen or felt. With out natural senses, we can see the manifestation of reality, but the reality itself lies beneath the manifestation we experience in the natural realm, in the Word of God. It is because God says it is, and faith is believing what God says.

Faith taps into the reality of what God has said. Because it is real, we can expect it to manifest. Faith is the proof, or evidence, of what cannot be seen. That is, faith is not about what can be seen, but about what God has said. Faith is the reality, and that brings great assurance.

Ask, Receive, Seek, Find and Knock

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Many people are familiar with this passage, and much has been written about what it promises. But I would like focus, for a moment, on what it does not say. It says, “Ask, seek and knock,” not, “Ask, sit and wait.” In other words, it is an active process, not a passive one, and our responsibility does not begin and end with asking. There is also seeking and knocking.

Ask. Asking is not just realizing that you have a need. It requires that you articulate that need, and more especially, what is the solution you desire. And you must take the request to the appropriate source. Many people fail to receive what they need because they do not ask. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Or they ask with the wrong motive. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Or they do not ask with the appropriate specificity. For example, you may have a lot of money in your bank account, but you cannot simply walk in and say, “I need money” and expect to receive. They will first need to know how much of your money you want to withdraw and then, upon your signature, they will get it for you.

Receive. With asking comes receiving. The promise is that when you ask, whatever you ask will be given to you. But that is not enough. You must also receive it. The Greek word for “receive” here is lambano, and means to take, to lay hold, to procure and make it your own (Thayer’s Greek Definitions). It is not passive, but active. It is the same word we find in Mark 11:24, where Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” The NASB says, “Believe that you have received them.” We lay hold by actively believing that it has been granted.

Seek. Having asked, and confident that we have received, it is time to actively watch for it, to search diligently for it and actively seek it out. It may call for research, and will certainly require discernment. Many may ask, believe that they have received it, but then miss it when it comes because they do not watch for it or recognize it, so it passes them by. Bummer. When we ask, we must then be certain to watch for it and expect to see it.

Find. When we diligently watch for and seek out the answer, confident that we have already receive it, we will find it. The Greek word for “find” is huerisko and means to come upon, hit upon, meet up with “to find by enquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation, to find out by practice and experience,” to “see, learn, discover, understand” (Thayer’s).

Knock. Many times when we ask and then seek, what we will find is a door, and it will be closed. Do not stop there and go away or you will miss your answer. You must knock. When you do, you will discover that it will be opened for you—God will see to it. Now, you may find some doors, when they are opened up to you, do not hold your answer. In that case, you keep seeking until you find the door that does. That door does exist, and your answer will surely be there.

Some people ask God for things, but do not lay hold of them by faith. Then they sit and wait, and wait, and wait, and wonder why the answer never showed up. But faith not only waits for the answer, it puts on it shoes and diligently searches for the answer, patiently knocking on all the doors it finds until it gets to the right one.

Agreement in Jesus’ Name is a Threefold Cord

Someone asked if it is necessary to get in agreement with another in order for our faith confession of the Word to come to pass.

If we have faith in the Word of God, even if nobody else is believing it with us, it is still more than enough to get the job done, because the promises of God are sure. The thing about coming into agreement with others concerning matters we are believing God for is that it is a very great encouragement to our faith; we know that we are not alone in it, but there is someone else who is standing in faith with us. It helps us stay focused and not give up. It also helps us to check our heart so that we are not believing with the wrong motive, or for something that does not belong to us. And when the thing we are believing God for comes to pass, we know there is someone with whom we can rejoice. So getting into agreement with another is a very powerful thing. God honors it.

Think about Leviticus 26:8, where God says of those who obey and honor Him that five shall chase a hundred (1:20 ratio), and that one hundred shall put ten thousand to flight (1:100 ratio). When there is agreement, the increase in effectiveness increases exponentially. That is, it doesn't just add up — it multiplies!

Or consider what the Preacher said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:

Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together,
they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another,
two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Or remember how David described the blessing of unity, which is essentially about coming into agreement:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing —
Life forevermore.

(Palm 133)

And of course, wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus' name, He is there in the midst — it is an open heaven. When we are in agreement with Jesus and with each other about anything on earth, we have a direct line to our Father in heaven, and it will be done for us. Guaranteed.

Sometimes the only one we have we can agree with is Jesus, and that is powerful enough. But it is even better when we have someone else and it becomes a threefold cord.

Forcefully Laying Hold by Faith

The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12 NIV)

One way the kingdom of heaven forcefully advances is through the Word of God. All creation is framed and sustained by it (Hebrews 11:3; Hebrews 1:3), and faith, which is how we forcefully lay hold of the kingdom, comes by hearing it (Romans 10:17).

As I noted in yesterday’s blog, there was a time in my life when I realized that I really needed to lay hold of the kingdom in regard to certain areas in my life. So I gathered up Scriptures pertaining to those areas and, pacing up and down the hallway of my house, I began to declare them forcefully, with a loud voice.

What was I doing? I was laying hold of the promises of God, claiming them as my own. I was pressing into the truth of them. I was confessing them with all I had within me. To confess something literally means to “same the same thing,” to agree with that something. The Greek word translated “confess” in the New Testament is homologeo, which literally means “same word.” When we confess our sins, for example, we are agreeing with what God has to say about them. When we confess His Word, we are agreeing that it is so. That is faith, and it pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).

Here are some of the Bible-based confessions I began making that day:

• I remember the LORD my God, for it is He who gives me the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
• I am prosperous and successful, for I meditate upon God's Word day and night (Joshua 1:8).
• I will go up at once and possess the blessing God has given me; for I am well able to overcome all that keeps me from it (Numbers 13:30).
• The God of heaven, He will prosper me (Nehemiah 2:20).
• The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1).
• I magnify the Lord continuously, for He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people (Psalm 35:27).
• I delight myself in the Lord, and He gives me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4).
• Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads me with benefits, the God of my salvation (Psalm 68:19).
• All my fountains — my unlimited resources — are in you, O LORD (Psalm 87:7).
• I am blessed, for I fear the LORD and find great delight in His commands. My children will be mighty in the land, for the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in my house, and my righteousness endures forever, for I have the righteousness of Christ at work in me. (Psalm 112:1-3)
• The LORD makes me increase — me and my children. I am blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 115:14-15).
• There is peace within my walls and prosperity within my palace (Psalm 122:7).
• I prosper because I am generous and give freely. I am refreshed because I refresh others (Proverbs 11:24-25).
• Prosperity and honor now come to me, for I receive instruction (Proverb 13:18).
• From the fruit of my mouth my stomach is filled; with the harvest from my lips I am satisfied (Proverbs 18:20).
• Whatsoever my hand finds to do, I do it with all my might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
• God goes before me and levels the mountains; He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. He gives me the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places (Isaiah 45:2-3).
• I ask and it is being given to me; I seek and I am finding; I knock and the door is being opened to me (Matthew 7:7).
• All things whatsoever I ask in prayer, believing, I shall receive (Matthew 21:22).
• God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within me (Ephesians 3:20).
• My God will meet all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
• All things are mine (1 Corinthians 3:21).
• My prosperity and progress appears to all, for I meditate upon God's Word, and I give myself diligently to it (1 Timothy 4:15).
• God gives us richly all things to enjoy (1Timothy 6:17).
• I enjoy good health and all goes well with me, even as my soul is getting along well (3 John 2).

Forceful men lay hold of the kingdom of Heaven on Earth by believing the Word of God.

Don’t Give Up — Your Harvest is Coming!

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)

There is a season for sowing and a season for reaping. Whenever you sow a seed, you are establishing a harvest. What you sow is what you will reap. The only way you can lose your harvest is if you give up.

The Greek word for “season” is kairos. The Greek word chronos speaks of the sequence of time ; kairos speaks of the fullness of time. It is a word of opportunity, the favorable combination of circumstances. The “due” season is the proper season, a season that is appropriate to the seed you sow and the harvest you reap. “In due season” means that when the time is ripe, the harvest will come. That is how the kingdom of God works. Jesus said,

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. (Mark 4:26-29)

You don’t have to understand how the seed multiplies or how the plant sprouts and grows. You don’t have to keep checking on it to help the thing grow. Just continue going about your business, sleeping by night and rising by day. When the time is reap, the harvest will be ready, and the harvest is always greater than the seed.

Do not “grow weary while doing good,” Paul says. What is doing good?

• It is doing what pleases the Holy Spirit, letting Him fill you and guide you. “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8 NIV).
• It is delighting in the law of the Lord and continually mediating on it, letting it instruct you and reveal to you the wisdom of God. The Bible says of the one who does this, “He 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” (Psalm 1:3).
• It is seeking the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). God’s kingdom operates on the principle of sowing and reaping. When we seek His rule and reign, and His way of doing things in whatever we do, we are doing good. “Seek the kingdom.” That’s sowing. “All these things shall be added to you.” That’s reaping.

Keep doing good, following the Spirit, letting the Word of God fill your heart, seeking the kingdom. You will reap in due season, and it will be BIG. Don’t give up — your harvest is coming!

Jumping for Joy by Faith

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls —
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

(Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Here is a man who is not moved by outward conditions. Maybe things did not appear to be going well for him. Maybe his crops had failed, his trees were barren, and his stalls were empty. And yet, he rejoices in the Lord and joys in God.

These two words, “rejoices” and “joys,” are not tame words. Habakkuk is not speaking merely of some quiet, inner peace in his soul. No, his words describe a wild exuberance, uncontained and uncontainable. The Hebrew word for “rejoice” is alaz and means to “jump for joy.” The Hebrew for “joy” is gheel, and means to whirl and twirl and spin; it is dancing for joy.

Habakkuk is describing exultant jubilation, extreme elation, unrestrained and outright joy — even in the face of difficult circumstances. But he is not moved by what he sees; he is not troubled by the farm reports; he does not worry that he presently has no cattle in his stalls. These are merely facts, and the facts are subject to change. But Habakkuk is connecting with the truth, and the facts must eventually line up with the truth.

What is the truth he is connecting with which allows him to remain full of joy in the midst of adversity? Simply this: He is in a covenant relationship with God, and God is his salvation. He rejoices in “the LORD;” this is the Hebrew YHWH (Yahweh), the name by which God reveals Himself in covenant with His people. He joys, not just in “the God of salvation,” but “the God of my salvation.” His relationship with God is not generic or hypothetical, but real and personal.

The Hebrew word for “salvation” is yesha, which speaks of safety, deliverance, victory and prosperity. Things may not have been looking too well at the moment, but Habakkuk was hooked up with the God of his prosperity, and that is something to cut loose and dance a jig about. God made covenant vows to His people, if they would trust in Him and obey His voice (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14), and the facts would soon have to line up with that truth. Habakkuk tuned into those promises and pressed into his relationship with God. That is why he could jump and dance for joy, and confidently declare:

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

(Habakkuk 3:19)

Your prosperity and future are not determined by your present circumstances, but by your relationship with God. That is why Jesus came. Trust in Him as your salvation, rescue, victory, and even your prosperity. When you put all your confidence in Him, no matter what setbacks and adversities you may face, you will still be able to jump and shout for joy, because He is the Lord of your covenant and the God of your salvation.

The Proportion of Faith

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:4-8)

Every believer in Jesus Christ has been given a measure of faith, and a gift with which to function in the body of Christ. The Greek word for “gift” is charismata, and refers, not to natural talents and ability, but graces given by the Holy Spirit. No one has been left out in this distribution; all have received a gift and the faith by which to exercise it.

We are to operate in these gifts only in proportion to the faith we have received. We are not called to function apart from faith, for it is faith — believing the Word of God — that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Nor are we to go beyond the faith that we have received; that would be nothing more than presumption. Rather, we are to exercise the fullest extent of our faith, whether we are prophesying, teaching, exhorting and encouraging, giving, leading, sowing mercy, or anything else the Lord has given us to do.

With God, it is always about faith. Jesus likened faith to a mustard seed.

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Notice that it is not the size of the seed but what you do with it that matters. Until you sow it, it makes no difference how big the seed is, but once you release it and put it to work, even the impossible can happen. Another important thing to understand is that when you sow a seed, it multiplies and brings back a harvest that is much greater than what was sown. For example, a seed of corn will bring a harvest of 6-8 ears of corn, each ear with a couple of hundred seeds. Faith is the same way; when you exercise your faith, you will grow and develop in your faith and end up with more than when you began. It is really quite enough to operate in proportion to the measure of faith God has given each one of us. As we do, it will increase, and there is always room for us to grow. That is what discipleship is about: learning to walk in faith.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, Paul tells us (Romans 10:17); the more we hear and receive the Word, the more developed we will be in our faith. Faith is also a fruit of the Spirit (Romans 5:22-25). God has given each one of us the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, reveals the life of Christ in us, and enables us to love and serve God and others. The more we learn to yield to Him, the more all the fruits of the Spirit will come forth in our lives, including faith.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given you all the faith you need. The more you use it, the stronger you will become in it. The more you hear and obey His Word, and yield to the Holy Spirit, the more your faith will increase.

According to the Measure of Faith

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

The word “for” indicates that Paul is continuing the thought of the previous verse. In the previous verse, he spoke about being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Now he is talking about how to think, and how not to think. Here is how a few other versions translate it:

Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities by the light of faith. (J. B. Phillips)

Stop thinking too highly of yourselves beyond what it is necessary to be thinking, but be thinking [so as] to be thinking sensibly, to each as God apportioned a measure of faith. (Analytical-Literal Translation)

Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. (The Message)

Renewed thinking means that we do not have an exaggerated sense of our importance, as if we have merited special recognition before God. Rather, we are to maintain an accurate assessment of ourselves, and our relationship with God. This means that we are not to undervalue ourselves either, for God loved us so much that He gave us His Son.

The key is found in these words: “As God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”Our relationship with God is always about faith. Faith comes from God, by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and only that which comes from faith is pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6).

On the one hand, this means that nobody has room to boast about themselves, because nobody does anything pleasing to God apart from the faith that comes from God in the first place. On the other hand, there is no room for any Christian to feel left out, because God has apportioned a full measure of faith to each one of us. So it is not about us and what we do, but about God and what is doing in us and with us. Faith is the equalizer, the liberator that frees us to love and serve God and others, as Jesus did.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. (Philippians 2:5-9)

The renewed mind is the mind of Christ. But there is also a new body. In verse 1, Paul urges us to offer ours bodies as a living sacrifice to God. In verse 4, Paul talks about our place in the body of Christ.

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:4-8)

As believers in Jesus, we are all part of the body of Christ. We do not all have the same function, but each one of us does function in some way. Whatever function we do have comes from God, and we are to operate in it according to faith, which also comes from God. There is no overvaluing of ourselves in this, because the faith and the function are of God. Nor is there any undervaluing, because God has given faith and a function to each one of us. It all works together to the glory of Christ.

God has given us a new way to think about ourselves, not in striving after reputation, but in yielding in cooperation with God, to bless the body of Christ, and the world through Him — according to the full measure of faith He has given each one of us.