Let Wisdom Be Your Coach

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
  Nor detest His corrections;
For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
  Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

(Proverbs 3:11-12)

Proverbs 3 describes the many benefits of having and walking in wisdom: length of days full of life and peace (v. 2); favor and esteem with God and man (v. 4); clear direction and guidance (v. 6); health and strength (v. 8); barns heaped with plenty and vats overflowing with new wine (v. 10).

Now in verses 11 and 12, we come to another benefit of wisdom, one that might not seem very pleasant, but can be very instrumental in bringing forth the other benefits: correction and reproof.

It is nice to have cheerleaders, people who will encourage you on and tell you how well we are doing. But what you really need is a coach, to break you out of foolish and unproductive thinking, bring correction to unproductive — even destructive — actions, and shape you into a winner in every area of life. A coach will point out when you are doing something incorrectly, and rebuke you when you are wrong — and the process may cause you pain. It is not because he doesn’t like you, but because he wants to see you succeed.

Wisdom is a coach.

Now, the Lord is the giver of all true wisdom, so do not despise His chastening, or as some have put it, the “School of the Lord.” Some people think that the chastening of the Lord is sickness, affliction, or any adverse thing that comes your way. Certainly God can teach you even in the midst of those things, but they do not come from Him. His way is correction, discipline, instruction. That is what the Hebrew word for “chastening,” musar, means. Here is how the Bible in Basic English puts it:

My son, do not make your heart hard against the Lord's teaching; do not be made angry by his training. For to those who are dear to him the Lord says sharp words, and makes the son in whom he has delight undergo pain.

There may be sharp words of rebuke or reproof, but it is for teaching and training, not to punish or penalize you, but to prepare you to walk in the fullness of blessing. For the Lord is not some disinterested deity, He is a loving Father who wants to see His children step into their inheritance in Him.

David understood this very well. He said, “Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it” (Psalm 141:5). Rebuke from a righteous man is an anointing. It is wisdom that leads to blessing. How much more will a rebuke from the Righteous Lord set you free and propel you into your destiny.

Meditate also on these proverbs:

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:8)

A wise son heeds his fathers instruction [musar], but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (Proverbs 13:1)

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. (Proverbs 27:5)

A wise man will welcome the correction and instruction of rebuke, for it will make him wiser still, leading him to greatness. He recognizes it as an act of love out in the open. But a fool will scoff and turn away.

If you want to know wisdom and experience its benefits, do not be afraid of the Lord’s corrections. They do not arise from hate but from love. It is because He loves you as His child and wants to see you step into the greatness He has purposed for you. Let His wisdom be your coach.

Drawing on Your Relationship with God

Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me;
For I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am holy;
You are my God;
Save Your servant who trusts in You!
Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

(Psalm 86:1-5)

David, the psalm writer, calls on the Lord. He has a number of requests. Or rather, he makes his one request in a number of ways: Hear me. Preserve my life. Save Your servant. Be merciful to me. Give me joy. Later on in this psalm, he makes additional requests: Give Your strength to Your servant (v. 16). Show me a sign for good (v. 17).

David is not ordering God about. He is drawing on his relationship with God; pulling on the covenant promises God has made. For he and God are friends. In the middle of the psalm (the heart of a psalm is usually located at or near the midpoint), David speaks of His commitment to God: “Teach me Your ways, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name” (v. 11). David is all about God.

God has made a commitment to be there for David, so David calls on the Lord. Notice the basis of his appeals:

“Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me; for I am poor and needy.” God has committed Himself to supply David’s need. Remember the 23rd Psalm, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” To want means to be in lack or need.

“Preserve my life, for I am holy.” To be holy means to be set apart for God’s own purpose, and David has been obedient to that purpose. He has been a friend to God and God has been a friend to him.

“You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.” David is not looking anywhere else for his refuge. He does not put his confidence in anyone else, only in God. And faith pleases God. “For those who come to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I cry to You all day long.” David has stationed himself before the Lord, and he is not moving from that position of faith. He fully expects the mercy and favor of the Lord to show up on his behalf.

“Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” David holds nothing back, but is completely devoted to God. He has emptied out his cup so that it might overflow with God, for in the presence of the LORD is fullness of joy.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in covenant relationship with God. He has committed Himself to show you His mercy and favor, and help you in every way. Boldly go to Him as your friend. Give yourself completely to Him and let Him fill your cup to overflowing with His abundance.

Children Look at Love

A friend emailed this to me and I couldn’t resist posting it:

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.” (Rebecca, age 8)

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” (Billy, age 4)

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” (Karl, age 5)

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” (Chrissy, age 6)

“Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.” (Terri , age 4)

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” (Danny, age 7)

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” (Emily, age 8)

“Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” (Bobby, age 7)

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” (Nikka, age 6)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” (Noelle, age 7)

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” (Tommy, age 6)

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.” (Cindy, age 8)

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” (Clare, age 6)

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” (Elaine, age 5)

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.” (Chris, age 7)

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” (Mary Ann, age 4)

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” (Lauren, age 4)

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (Karen, age 7)

“You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” (Jessica, age 8)

— Source unknown

My favorite? “Your name is safe in their mouth.”

O Lord, I know that You love me, and that my name is safe in Your mouth. I love You, too, Lord, and Your name is safe in mine.

Partaking of the Divine Nature

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

We were created to share in the divine nature, the nature of God. Adam was created in the image of God and received the breath of life from God’s own lips. Though he fell through disobedience, and disconnected from the divine nature, the Lord Jesus Christ came to restore and reconcile us to the Father. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been given a new birth — born from above by the Spirit of God. We have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are of the body of Christ and have the mighty resurrection power of God at work in us:

What is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which he worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 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 1:19-21)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

We are partakers of the divine nature. One who partakes is one who takes part. The Greek word is koinonia. It refers to partnership, participation, fellowship, commonality. See how it is used in the following passage:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [koinonia] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion [koinonia] of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers [koinonia] of the altar? (1 Corinthians 10:16-18)

Communion refers to the Table of the Lord — the bread and the cup, the body and the blood. It is the sign of our participation in the body of Christ, our common union with the Lord Jesus. We are identified with Him; He is identified with us. We are part of Him; He is part of us, even as the bread and wine which we consume becomes a part of us.

This is what the sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed toward. By eating of the sacrifices, there was an identification made between the sacrifice and the one who ate of it. The sacrifice represented them, and indeed became a part of those who ate. Paul said they were “partakers of the altar” (this was, of course, a figure of speech where “altar” actually speaks of that which was sacrificed).

What does it mean to be a partaker of the divine nature? The Greek word for “divine” is theois, and means to be god-like. “Nature” speaks of what we are in essence. To partake of the divine nature means to be god-like in essence. Though some Christians may be scandalized by it today, the early church caught the meaning of this and spoke of it as theosis, "becoming a god." Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth century Greek Father of the Church, said this: “The Word became flesh, in order that we might become acceptable to Divinity. He was incarnate in order to deify us. He became man in order that we might become gods—participants of the Divine nature.” Far from being scandalized by this, the Church embraced this as part of orthodox Christian faith.

How do we participate in the divine nature? First, we need to understand that there are some aspects of the divine nature in which we could never share. For example, God is all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere present. These are attributes which are in incommunicable. We are incapable of experiencing them. They belong to God alone. But there are other attributes of God in which we may share with Him. In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter tells us that “[God’s] divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” That which He gives to us by His divine power is itself divine in nature.

What are these gifts of His divine power? Peter lists some of them in 2 Peter 1:5-7: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. The apostle Paul has a similar list which he names as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These are gifts of God, fruits of the Spirit, attributes of the divine nature of which we have been made partakers.

In Christ, God has made us partakers of the divine nature. Learn how to walk in the gifts given by His divine power, and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). When you understand who you are in Christ, and who He is in you, the world will change.

Unlimited Power at Work in You

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The Greek word for “exceedingly abundantly” is a compound word, and very emphatic. It speaks of that which goes beyond all bounds and is unlimited. God’s ability to work on our behalf is not limited by what we are to able ask or imagine. For it is not according to those things, but according to the power that is at work in us, that God is able to do miraculous things that exceed our wildest expectations.

What is this great power that is at work in us? It is the same power Paul talked about in Ephesians 1:

The exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 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 1:19-21)

It is the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the earnest (down payment) or our inheritance in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:13-14). There is no limit to what He is able to do in us, for us or through us, for this is the same Holy Spirit of power who anointed Jesus, so that He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38).

God is a therefore able to do completely above and beyond all that we are able to ask or imagine. But this is an ever-increasing concept. For once God has done something beyond what we are able to ask or imagine, we are then able to ask and imagine it—and God is able to above and beyond that as well. In other word, our ability to ask and imagine enlarges as we understand His ways, His will and His abilities more and more.

The power of God at work in you is unlimited. Don’t be afraid to ask and let your imagination explore the heart of God and what He wants to do in your life and in your world. Let Him enlarge your vision and your expectation. Then watch Him bust through all boundaries and limitations.

A Place Near the Altars of God

Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young —
Even Your altars, O LORD of Hosts.

(Psalm 84:3)

Even the smallest and most helpless of creatures has access to the refuge of the Lord, to experience the closeness of His presence. The nest speaks of a place of nurturing the next generation. For “children are a heritage of the Lord,” and ”the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Children are an inheritance we receive from the Lord, but they are also the inheritance we leave behind in this world. And God has prepared a place for us to nurture this inheritance — the altars of His house.

The altar is the place of commitment and sacrifice. It is where the offering is poured out and abandoned to God. It is the place where things are made right with God.

Jesus is the sacrifice given on our behalf to make us right with God. His blood was poured out on the altar of the cross. Everything we need has now been provided for us in Him. Even the most helpless may come and find complete help in Him. It is in this place where we may nurture the inheritance of God in our children and leave a legacy that changes the world.

God has a place for you close to Him, a place prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where you may nurture your children and pass on a wonderful spiritual inheritance to the next generation.

Taking the Offensive

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

We are in a spiritual warfare. It is not enough for us to take a passive stance in our helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth and the hob-nailed boots of the gospel of peace on our feet. These are defensive devices. But we must also get active with the offensive weapons of warfare. We must take up the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and pray with all kinds of prayer and supplication in the Spirit (that is, Spirit-led prayer).

The outcome of this thing is already determined in our favor. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). But that is no reason to go passive. Rather, it is all the more reason to get active and aggressive, and press the battle. The assurance of victory does not do away with having to get out on the field and put it over on the enemy.

Ready yourself for battle. Put on your armor and take up your arms, the weapons God has given you to enforce the victory of Jesus Christ on the evil one and all his works. Exercise the authority of God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit lead you into all kinds of prayer. The battle belongs to the Lord, so pursue it in full confidence.

A Better Way to Live

We know that the law is spiritual, but I a carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do no understand, for what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. But the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:14-25)

We no longer have to stay in the tragedy of Romans 7. Romans 8 shows us the way out. Romans 7 was our old address; Romans 8 is the new dwelling place we have in Jesus Christ.

• Where there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (v. 1)
• Where we can walk according to the Spirit instead of according to the flesh. (v. 1)
• Where we are free from the law of sin and death, to walk in the law of the Spirit of life. (v. 2)
• Where the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us, because of the Lord Jesus Christ. (vv. 3-4)
• Where we can set our minds on the things of the Spirit (v 5)
• Where we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in us--if we His, then He does; but if we do not belong to Him, then He doesn't. (v. 9)
• Where the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, giving life to our mortal bodies. (v. 11)
• Where by the Spirit we can put to death the deeds of the body (v. 13)
• Where we can be led by the Spirit of God (v. 14)
• Where we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out "Abba, Father." And we never have to go back to the spirit of bondage again to fear. (vv. 15-16)
• Where we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. (v. 17)
• Where the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God, and will be delivered from bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty we have as the children of God. (vv. 19-22)
• Where we have the firstfruits of the Spirit (v. 23)
• Where the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and pulls together with us, making intercession for us with groans that cannot be uttered, and according to the will of God. (v. 26-27)
• Where all these things work together for the good of all who love God and are called together according to His purpose. (v. 28)
• Where we are being conformed to the image of the Son of God, justified in Him, and glorified in Him. (vv. 29-30)
• Where God is for us, so nothing can stand against us (v. 31)
• Where God, who did no spare His own Son, now also freely gives us all things (v. 32)
• Where no charge can stand against us because it is God who justifies us (v. 33)
• Where Christ has died for us, is risen for us, and is even at the right hand of God making intercession for us. (v. 34)
• Where nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (vv. 35-36)
• Where we are more than conquerors through the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us. (v. 37)
• Where neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 38-39)

Sadly, many people still remain in the frustration of Roman's 7. Paul, who wrote this letter, was there Himself. But he did not resign himself to stay there. He discovered there was something much better. What a bummer it would be if his letter had ended with chapter 7. However, where the last verse of chapter 7 hints at the answer, chapter 8 unpacks it for us — and it is overflowing with joy and glory. But it takes faith to make that transition from chapter 7 to chapter 8.

Romans 7 is about the law of performance — which turns out to be a law of sin and death for us. It is about me, what I do and what I don't do. It breeds a works-based, religious spirit. But Romans 8 brings us to a completely different place. It is about what God has done, and is doing, in us, though the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 7 — no way to live. Romans 8 — much better!

How to Ignite Your Faith

First, understand that faith does not come from you. True, biblical faith comes from God. It is not a matter of will power; it is not positive thinking; it is not something you work up. It is a gift from God.

Second, faith is not like a fog that rolls in, and which can just as easily roll out again. It comes in a particular way. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Greek word for “word” here is rhema, and refers to the acutely articulated word. It is not just a word that enters your ear; it is a word that enters your heart. It happens as an act of revelation by the Holy Spirit, for He is the One who knows the all the ways and thoughts of God. When you receive the Word of God into your heart, and you begin to understand the ways and thoughts of God, faith comes.

Third, it is not enough to have faith; you must also put it to use. Many Christians have faith, but they don‘t know how to activate it and press it into service. Jesus described faith as being like a seed. Hold a seed in your hand, and it will not germinate; you must sow it in order to activate it.

Fourth, you sow this seed by what you say. Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6). He taught this principle to His disciples on more than one occasion:

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)

“Have faith in God.” Literally, the Greek text has “have faith of God.” The faith that we are to have in God is the faith that first comes to us from God. He initiates, we respond.

Now, notice that faith is a matter of the heart, not of the mind. It is not something that comes by your ability to reason. But it is also not something that comes by emotion. When the Bible refers to the heart, it is talking about the core of one’s being. In fact, your emotions, as well as your thoughts, can get in the way of your faith and keep you from getting results.

Doubt is being divided in heart. It is when part of you believes and part of you does not. James says,

Ask in faith, with not 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. (James 1:6-7)

A divided heart is unstable and cannot bring forth the results of godly faith. Unbelief is a lack of faith, so if you are “running on empty,” let the Word of God fill you up to overflowing with faith.

Next, notice that your mouth also has a role. You do not move the mountain by thinking about it. Nor do you will the mountain to move. Jesus teaches us to speak to the mountain. In fact, though He uses the word “believe” only one time in this verse, He uses the word “say” three times: “Whoever says to this mountain … believes those things he says … he will have whatever he says.”

The apostle Paul shows us this same principle, but in a different way:

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:8-10)

With the heart we believe; with the mouth we confess. To confess means to say the same thing, to articulate agreement. What are we to agree with and articulate? The Word of God. All creation will respond to the Word of God, for all creation was created by the Word of God. “By faith we understand 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 11:6).

The faith that is in your heart is ignited by the words that come out of your mouth. But they must be words that are in agreement with the Word of God. That is why it is important to let the Word fill your heart, for Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

If you want to know what is in a person’s heart in abundance, just listen to what comes out of his mouth, especially in pressure situations. If the Word of God is in your heart in abundance, then the words that overflow from your mouth will be in agreement with it.

Faith is the fuel God designed to fill up the tank of your heart. What you say is the spark that ignites it. If your tank is not yet full of faith, get into the Word of God and let it fill you up. Then open up your mouth and speak the Word concerning everything in your world that needs to be changed, and they will begin to line up with the heart of God.

Kite-Boarding in the Spirit

Suzanne and I are on vacation at the beach this week. Enjoying the surf. Bobbling in the ocean. Late in the afternoons, we see the kite-boarders heading up the shoreline. We never saw it before, but it looks like loads of fun. It is a large sort of kite tethered to a board rider (the board is, we expect, strapped to his feet). The kite catches the wind and pulls the board rider along the surf. It takes a bit of skill, we understand, but the boarders glide along the water, skip across the waves and somersault almost at will. They are propelled at the pleasure of the wind.

What a wonderful thought that is, especially when we consider that both the Hebrew and Greeks words usually translated as “spirit” can also be translated as “wind.”

The Bible talks about being filled with the Spirit — that is, the Holy Spirit — and how that brings forth manifestations of the presence and power of God in our lives.

Though He is fully divine, the Lord Jesus Christ did the things He did because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. That is because He is also fully human, and He operated on earth as a man fully obedient to the will of God and anointed by the Spirit.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD .

(Luke 4:18-19)

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)

Everything Jesus did, He did in the Spirit. Even when He walked on water, He did it in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Even Peter, for that brief moment that he walked on the water, did it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Think of it as kite-boarding in the Spirit.

Can you imagine Jesus yelling “Whooo-eee!” as He skipped along the waves, carried along by the wind of the Holy Spirit?

The Reward of Waiting Diligently

I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And hear my cry.

(Psalm 40:1)

Young‘s Literal Translation has, “I have diligently expected Jehovah, And He inclineth to me, and heareth my cry.”

The Hebrew for “waited patiently” is the word for ”wait,” qavah, used twice. This double use is a common Hebrew idiom used for emphasis. We might say it like this: “I waited with waiting.” The psalm writer was intent upon waiting for the LORD.

Now, the word for “wait,” qavah, does not speak of idleness or laziness. Nor is it about waiting in speculation, to see whether or not a particular thing will happen. Rather, it is about expectation. The psalm writer waits with great intent, fully expecting that the Lord is going to come through with the answer he needs.

In other words, it is all about faith. As the author of Hebrews said, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). This hope is not the “maybe so, maybe not” variety. It is positive expectation, even joyful expectation. Faith is what gives substance — the underlying reality — to such expectation.

Faith involves patience. That is the point the author of Hebrews makes, both before and after chapter 11. Many Christians want faith to immediately manifest its fruit, but very often, there is a waiting period. That is because faith is like a seed. It takes a little time for the seed to germinate, to put out its roots, to bring forth the stalk and the ripening fruit. Sometimes it happens very quickly, but often it takes time. That is why patience is so important.

So the psalm writer says, “I waited patiently for the LORD.”

If we continue in patient faith, it will always brings its reward. As the Word of God promises:

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31)

The psalm writer waited diligently for the Lord, and look what happened: “And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” The Lord heard and answered.

Just as the waiting was not in idleness, but in faith and expectation, so too, God was not idly observing, but focusing His attention with great intent. Faith in God’s promises always pleases Him, and when we turn to Him, He will never turn us away, but will show us His great love and mercy. When we are in trouble, as the psalm writer here was, He will deliver us.

Many Christians call on the Lord in time of trouble or distress, but they often do not know how to wait in expectation, so they give up when the answer does not quickly appear. Jesus promised, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). But the Greek tense of the verbs “ask,” “seek,” and “knock,” depict a continuing action. That is, it involves patience, a faith that hangs in there? How long are we to ask, seek and knock? Until we receive what we are asking, find what we are seeking, and have the door we are knocking upon opened up to us. In other words, we are to wait with diligent faith and patient expectation.

Waiting on the Lord is not an act of idleness, but an exercise of faith and expectation. Ask, seek, knock. Then diligently watch for the Lord to answer, and you will not be disappointed.

Stand on the Promises

Someone asked why there are so many atrocities in the world. Are they the will of God, something He desires to happen, or is there some other reason?

The reason we are in this mess in the first place is because Adam and Eve disconnect from God, the source of all blessing, way back there in the Garden of Eden. We were created to walk in the glory of God, but as the apostle Paul said, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus took our wages upon Himself and so that all who receive Him would have eternal life.

Not only that, but God has given all those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ the means to deal with sin and its results in the world. We have the authority of the blood of Jesus and the name of Jesus. We have the authority of prayer (especially the Lord’s Prayer), the authority of faith, the power of the Holy Spirit and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). The problem, however, is that a lot of God's people are just sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises.

At one point in his ministry, the apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh, which he called a “messenger of satan.” Three times he asked God, “Lord, get this thing off me.” And the Lord answered him, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). But that did not mean, “Paul, just suck it up and learn to live with it.” It meant that God had already given Paul everything he needed to deal with that thing and overcome it. The problem was simply that Paul had been looking to God to do for him what God had already equipped him to do.

If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been given the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Jesus’ name. You have been given the authority of prayer and the Word of God to wield as a sword to come against the enemy of rightness (righteousness). Now it is time to learn how to walk in that power and authority and stand on the promises of God.

World-Changing Prayer

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

These sentences from the prayer Jesus taught us to pray are cast in the imperative mood. The primary use of an imperative is as command:

Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Some have noted that the imperative mood can have a secondary function as an “imperative entreaty,” that is, for example, as a request one makes of deity. But either way you wish to understand it — command or request — the real point to be understand is that it is an active sense of prayer, not a passive one.

• It is a prayer you pray with full expectation of it being fulfilled, because it is manifestly the will of God for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• It is not a prayer you pray and then give up on when it does not seem to be coming to pass, saying, “Oh well, I guess it just wasn’t God’s will.”
• It is a prayer you keep pressing until it does come to pass.
• It is not a prayer you wish God would fulfill, or hope God will fulfill; it is a prayer that you expect God to fulfill because He has already expressed His will about it.
• Jesus specifically taught us to pray in this way, so we should have every expectation that when we do, it will come to pass.
• It is not a prayer that ignores the will of God, or tries to overcome the will of God; it is a prayer that enforces the will of God, pressing for it to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• It is not a sweet little prayer of acquiescence; it is a powerful, dynamic, life-changing, world-changing prayer by which we cooperate with God to see His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

In this prayer, I do not acquiesce to the will of God — rather, I am counting on the will of God. I expect it to be done fully and completely — and today will not be too soon. In this prayer, I engage with the will of God, and where I see things out of alignment with it, I call for the will of God to be done in those things just as it is being done in heaven. I am full of joy that the will of God will indeed be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Lord’s prayer is about much more than changing our little minds and adjusting our little attitudes and believing God for our own little needs. It is about more than what God wants to do in us; it is about what God wants to do in the world. As long as we limit this prayer to what God wants to do in us, we are hindering what He wants to do in the world through us. The Lord’s prayer is a mighty big prayer, but so many Christians pray it in such an awfully small way.

Get into alignment with the purposes of God in this world, then step into partnership with Him by calling for His kingdom to come everywhere it does not yet appear. Wherever you see things out of whack with His plan, call for His will to be done there just as it is in heaven. For this is a prayer by which we change the world. We are to pray it until Jesus returns — and expect to see it all happen.

Go with Going, Come with Coming

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seeds for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

(Psalm 126:5-6)

In the economy of God, those who sow shall invariably reap:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sow to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

We may sow in tears, as Isaac did in a time of famine, but that will not hinder the harvest or the joy: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him” (Genesis 26:12).

So Jesus answered them and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house of brothers or sisters of 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)

Jesus wept, and Lazarus was raised from the dead (John 11:35-44). That is sowing in tears and reaping in joy.

Notice that, in this psalm, there is a purposefulness and consistency in sowing. It is he who “continually goes forth” sowing who will come back rejoicing in the harvest. The Hebrew for “continually goes forth” is the same verb repeated twice. It is an idiomatic device used for emphasizing a point. We might read it this way: He who “goes with going.” There is a single-mindedness to this kind of sowing. Tears do not impede it; adversity cannot hold it back.

This kind of sowing brings dramatic results. For he who “continually goes forth” sowing shall “doubtless come again” with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves (his harvest) with him. He shall “doubtless come again.” This is the same Hebrew idiom again, for the verb for come is used twice in succession. He who goes with going with seed to sow, shall come with coming, rejoicing in the harvest. There is no question about it; it is assured from the beginning.

Jesus talked about faith as a seed, about the Word of God as a seed, and about the kingdom of God as a seed. Our job is to continually go sowing them and all our resources. When we get serious about planting seed with great purposefulness and faith, even in the midst of adversity, then it is quite certain that we will come back with a rich harvest that will have us shouting with joy.

When we go with going, we shall come with coming. When we sow in tears, we shall reap in joy.

Authority and Power for Miracles

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)

Jesus had a plan and a purpose. He came to establish His kingdom, destroy the work of the devil and take away the sins of the world. He chose disciples to partner with Him in the work of this ministry, and He gave them assignments. He chose them, first of all, so that they might be with Him — to walk with Him, live with Him, learn from Him.

He also chose them for a threefold assignment: To preach the gospel, heal sicknesses and cast out demons. Now, God will never give us an assignment without also giving us the authority and power to carry out that assignment. So Mark notes the Jesus chose the disciples that He might send them out to have power. The Greek word for “power” here is exousia and actually means “authority.” Jesus chose the disciples to give them the authority to preach, heal sicknesses and expel demons. In Mark 6, we find that this is exactly what they did:

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power [exousia] over unclean spirits … So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. (Mark 6:7, 12-13)

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power [exousia] over the unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease … These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them saying, “…As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. (Matthew 10:1, 5, 7-8)

Now, this authority was not just for the original disciples, but for all who would follow Him. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave them a final commission, saying,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

No commission comes without authority. That is why Jesus began by saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In commissioning the disciples, He was authorizing them, giving them authority to do what He was sending them out to do. What was He sending them out to do? To preach the gospel, make disciples of all nations, baptize them and teach them to observe everything that Jesus had taught them. Whatever Jesus had taught His own disciples to do, that it what they were to teach their disciples. And what did Jesus teach His own disciples to do? To preach the gospel, heal sicknesses, cast out demons — and even raise the dead!

Here is the assignment and the authority, but where is the power to do it? Luke answers that in how he records the Great Commission, both in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts:

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father … And He said to them, “… You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:4, 7-8)

The Greek word for “power” in these verses is dynamis. It is the ability to get things done, even the working of miracles. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 12:9, where Paul speaks of the working of miracles, the Greek word translated “miracles” is dynamis.

Dynamis is the miracle working power of God. When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment, Jesus declared, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power [dynamis] going out from Me” (Luke 8:46).

Now, many Christians think that the power Jesus used to work miracles was the power He had because He is the Son of God. But this is not what the Scripture says. Indeed Jesus was (and is) the Son of God. But He was (and is) fully human as well as fully divine. So if it was not His own divine power He used, by what power did He perform miracles? Peter gives us the answer in the words he spoke to Cornelius:

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

Jesus did not perform these things out of His own power as the Son of God, but because God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power, and because God was with Him. That is, He did them out of His humanity, anointed with the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit anointing and power that is available for all Jesus’ disciples. It is what He promised us in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

This dynamis is the power to be witnesses concerning Jesus Christ to all the world. A witness is one who brings evidence and produces proof. God gave us the Holy Spirit and power so that we could give evidence and produce proof about who Jesus Christ is and why He came. That is why Jesus said, in Mark’s version of the Great Commission,

And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)

This miracle working power does not come from us; it comes from God. But it has been given to us, along with divine authority, in order to fulfill the great assignment Jesus has given us — to be witnesses to Jesus Christ in all the world.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Speaking of this verse, someone asked, “Is there sin in heaven? There is here.” Yes, there is sin here. And sickness. And demonic oppression. And strongholds. And enmity. And unforgiveness. And death. But there are none of those things in heaven.

And that is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!” (the Greek has it in the imperative mood).

If the will of God were already being done on earth as it is in heaven, we would not need to be calling for it. But it is not fully being done yet on earth, and so we call it forth.

The kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ has already begun, and His kingdom has been breaking into the world ever since He came. But it has not yet arrived in all its fullness. We are now living in the in-between time, in between the inauguration and the consummation. Some theologians call this "already/not yet." That is it has already begun, but it is not yet completed.

Our job is to keep calling for the kingdom of God to come and keep coming, and to call for the will of God to be done and keep being done on earth exactly as it in heaven.

• When we see sickness, we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that sick body just as it is being done in heaven.
• When we see demonic oppression, we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that person or place just as it is being done in heaven.
• When we see death, even then we have the authority of the Lord's Prayer to call for the will of God to be done in that body as it is in heaven.
• Where there is sin, we have the authority to call for the name of God to be hallowed (that, too, is in the imperative mood), for the kingdom of God to come, and for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we have the further authority to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, who came to destroy the works of the devil, take away the sins of the world and reconcile us to the Father.
  

Church history is full of people being healed and demons being exorcised. There have also been many people raised from the dead in the name of Jesus. These have all been increasing in these latter days.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to pray the prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, and it is a very powerful, world-changing prayer. It does not happen by a passive and rote recital of the words (that would be treating the Lord's Prayer as nothing more than magic), but by an active exercise of the authority we have been given therein.

Subduing the World

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)

In the beginning, when God created man and woman, He blessed them and gave them this mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).

How do we subdue the earth? The apostle John gives us the answer: “This is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” The same Greek word, niké, is behind both “victory” and “overcome.” You might recognize the word niké as the name of a popular brand of sports shoes. Literally, it means to subdue. It is about forcefully bringing something into subjection.

When God created man, there was still much on earth that needed to be brought into line with His plan. So He gave man, who was created in His image, the authority to do just that. By the time Adam was done, the whole world was to look just like the Garden of Eden. Of course, we know that Adam and Eve disconnected from God and hooked up with satan, and God’s plan for the earth was dealt a severe blow. But we also know that God sent His Son into the world to destroy the works of the devil and reconcile us back to the Father. The works of the devil were destroyed at the Cross, and we have been made more than conquerors (hypernikeo) through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). It is by faith that we receive this victory.

God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the Father, far above all principality, power, might and dominion. That is, He put all things under the feet of Jesus, subjecting them to Him! (Ephesians 1:19-22). Not only that, but God has also raised us up together and made us sit together in Christ at the right hand of the Father. All things have been subdued and placed under the dominion of Christ — and of us, too, since we are seated in Christ on the throne of heaven. All of this we receive through faith in Jesus Christ. No wonder John calls our faith the victory that overcomes the world!

Now, notice that John speaks about this victory, this overcoming, in two tenses. There is the past tense, the act by which the world has been overcome. This is what happened at the Cross on our behalf — the mighty act of redemption that not only set us free and reconciled us to God, but also destroyed the works of the devil. We stand in this great victory by faith. It is this act and this faith that John refers to when he says, “This is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.”

But there is also a second tense that John uses to talk about this victory. It is a present and continuing sense: “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world … Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” The victory has been won, the enemy has been subdued and put under the feet of Jesus, and the works of the devil have been destroyed. Our work now is simply a “cleanup” operation, enforcing the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over all His enemies.

As we continue in our faith in Jesus Christ, we will keep overcoming the world again and again, subduing it and bringing it under the lordship of Christ and the dominion of God’s kingdom. Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Dynamic Prayer

Someone suggested that prayer is either about us trying to change God’s mind, or else it is about letting God change our minds about what He is doing. Of course, prayer is not at all about us trying to change God’s mind about anything, and the person who offered this choice understood that, which is why he went with the second option: Prayer is about letting God change our minds.

But this is a false dichotomy, on two counts: First, there are more ways to think about prayer than just these two. Second, neither of the options he suggested is correct. Prayer is not about us trying to change God’s mind, nor is it about God trying to change our minds. The latter might seem to be very pious and loaded with humility, but it is just as erroneous as the former. For God already has a way to change our mind: He does it by the Word of God, illuminated to us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 29-16).

This same person went on to suggest that we should not be surprised to receive a No answer to our prayers. He then offered the example of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). But that is a very specific form of prayer — a prayer of consecration. However, there are other types of prayers offered for other types of reasons. The apostle Paul talked about praying with all kinds of prayers and supplication in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).

There are, for instance, prayers that lay hold of God's promises. When God has promised, I do not expect to receive No for an answer, or else God would be a liar, which is an impossibility. When God has promised and I have pray in agreement with it, I expect to hear Yes.

We don’t come to prayer in order to change God’s mind. Someone has said, and quite correctly, that prayer is not about overcoming God’s reluctance but about laying hold of His willingness. Nor do we come to prayer in order to have our mind changed. Rather, we come to prayer believing what God has said in His Word and expecting to receive whatever He has promised. Jesus had a number of things to say about this in regard to prayer:

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:24)

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. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7)

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23-24)

Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:18-19)

Jesus also taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven” (see Matthew 6:10). It is in the imperative mood. It is not merely a request we make; Jesus authorized us to speak it forth. We do not beg for it, then sit and wait for a Yes or No. Jesus has already authorized it. And in Him, all the promises of God are Yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Prayer is not passively waiting around for God to change our minds about something, never being certain whether God is going to say yes or no to our request. There is no power, no authority, no faith to that kind of praying. It is wimpy, even lazy.

If you want God to change your mind, get into His Word and let the Holy Spirit show you what it is about, then you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to go to prayer with faith, not wishy-washiness, and your prayers will be powerful.

Prayer is active, forceful, dynamic. It is not trying to change God's mind about anything, nor is it about having your mind changed. It is about taking the authority we have been given by Jesus Christ and bringing forth the kingdom of God, bringing forth the will of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Wealth and Moderation

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always have all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8 )

It’s fine to live in moderation. There is only so much that a person needs to live well. But notice that God’s plan is not only for all sufficiency, which is quite enough for every need we have, but also for abundance, which is more than enough, so that we can give to every good work.

Many Christians settle for sufficiency for meeting their needs — but then they have nothing left for giving to all the good works God wants to do through His people. To me, that is selfishness.

Now, this sufficiency and abundance generally do not come by outright miracles — although these can and do happen. But God has many ways to get His provision to us, ways in which we can partner with Him in the process. For example:

• God gives strength for labor. Work is not a dirty word. God had work for Adam and Eve in the Garden, to tend and keep it. Work is part of the blessing; toil is part of the curse.
• God gives wisdom for conducting business, for craft, for trade, and even for investment.
• God also gives favor and opportunity to His people.
• To the one who is ready to sow, God gives seed.

God is never at a loss for the means to supply for His people.

God’s plan is for abundance — excess! Yet, it is always very much a matter of the heart. That’s why the apostle John said, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). Do our hearts know what to do with the abundance, the more than enough that God desires to bless us with? If not, then a little heart surgery is in order.

Lord, if I’m only going to blow the abundance on myself, and forget about You, then please don’t let me have that abundance. Instead, teach me what to do with it, so that I may have the abundance to give to every good work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The abundance of God has always been about being blessed and blessing others. Those who have not learned how to bless others have not yet learned what it truly means to be blessed.

On the Prophetic Gift

Under the New Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ has given His Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. This is so, even though we now have the Holy Spirit resident within us. The gifts and the Spirit are not in conflict with each other, nor does the possession of one mean that we have no need for the other. They work together. Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit who gives power and anointing to the gifts.

These ministry gifts were given “for the equipping of the saint for the work of the 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” (Ephesians 4:12-13). That He gave these gifts to the Church “till we come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” is evidence that they have not passed away from the Church, for we have not yet reached that fullness.

The prophetic office and the prophetic gift are very often thought of as being primarily predictive in nature, that is, of foretelling the future. But that is a minor part. Though it may often be predictive, prophecy is much more about revealing the heart of God to His people.

The prophetic role is often also thought of as being primarily individual in nature. Many Christians want a prophet they can run to each week for a personal word. But the prophetic office is more for the Church than for the individual. As individuals, we already have the Holy Spirit in us. We already have an anointing so that we can know whatever we need to know (1 John 2:20). If we hear from the prophet something we have not already heard from the Holy Spirit, we should be very careful about it. Rather, the prophetic role is to confirm what we are already hearing from the Holy Spirit in our own spirit.

At the congregational level, not everybody is on the same page about what the Spirit is saying, so the prophetic role is more about recognizing and announcing, for the edification of the body, what the Spirit is saying and doing in the body.

Is the prophetic ministry a ministry of guidance? Yes. But let us be careful not to equate “guidance” with “prediction.” Though they may overlap, they are not the same; prediction is at the service of guidance. The guidance the prophetic offers us, generally, is in helping us understand the trajectory of what God wants to do in us and through us. It is generally not seeing into the future, but understanding the present moment. When we understand how God is working and what He wants to do in us, it helps us understand, in practical terms, how we should proceed. In that sense, it gives us guidance.

Paul talked about the gifts of the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8). Your mileage may vary, but I understand them in this way: The word of knowledge is about what has happened or is happening right now; the word of wisdom is about how we should proceed — what we should do about what has happened or is happening right now.

Prophecy is not about condemnation. God is not in the condemning business. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18 ). Those who do not believe are already condemned by their unbelief. It is not something God has done to them, but something they have done, or rather, failed to do. “For 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).

Paul describes the nature of the prophetic gift as being for edification, exhortation and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). It may even be a convicting word, but it will not be a condemning word. A convicting word leaves room for repentance, while a condemning word leaves no hope. The prophetic word will be a word that builds up both the individual and the body.

Prophetic ministry has a specificity to it. For example, out of the many words and promises God has for us in Scripture, how should one believer know which is the particular word needed for another believer in a specific situation? We should all be studying and meditating on the Book, of course, but it’s a pretty big Book, with a lot of things to say. Should we simply rely on our study habits and memory skills, we would soon come up short.

Here is where the prophetic ministry can help. Out of the many logos words of Scripture (the entire body of the Word of God), prophetic ministry can bring forth a rhema word. A rhema word is one that acutely and accurately applies the Word of God to the present need, whether that need is hidden or out in the open. In this way, the prophetic word often reveals what is going on the spiritual realm as well as in the natural. Because of its ability to address the present need with precision, the prophetic word is often called a now word.

Often when I minister to a group or an individual, and a situation comes up where I don’t know how to proceed, I ask the Lord, “What should I do here? What should I say?” The Holy Spirit starts bringing things to mind, especially various Scriptures. He often then shows me, not only what to present, but how to present it and what to emphasize about it.

As a Bible teacher and worship leader, I look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I make my preparations. As I present, I look for Him to take what I have prepared and direct it however He desires. Sometimes He will direct it in a way I had never even contemplated. Sometimes He ignores my preparations altogether and brings forth something that is as much a surprise to me as it is to everyone else — bless His name!. I consider that to be a prophetic element. The end result is that people get ministered to in a deeper, more on-target way than if it were just up to me.

Every believer can manifest the gift of prophecy at one time or another — to receive from God the right word to say to the right people at the right time. It will never contradict Scripture, and in fact, it may often be no more than a Scripture we present to another. In other instances, the Scripture that comes forth may open a flood of words that minister and heal. Or there may be a picture, an image, a vision that comes to mind and addresses the situation in some way, with the result that a congregation or an individual is encouraged, exhorted or comforted in some way.