You Shall Receive

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27).

What He gives is not what the world gives. His peace is not the peace caused by calm circumstance. No! His peace is the perpetual calm in the midst of any storm. It is rich, complete, amazing, supernatural, and more than can be described by any pen. It is abundantly given.

What the world gives, demands something from you. The world gives only expecting something in return. Not God. He expects only for you to receive. His peace is His gift.

Let not your heart be troubled. Don’t let it be afraid. Receive the gift of His peace. Make room for Him by clearing out the clutter of the world. Empty yourself of its demands and expectations. Empty yourself of all of you so that you can receive all of Him.

And you shall receive.

Power and Purpose

Do I realize that I must continually seek His heart, or do I believe that I am “fine”? Is He the heartbeat of my life, or is He on the outside looking into my heart? Do I even realize that He is waiting and longing to be invited into every area of my being? Do I believe that all is well when in truth I am just withering on the vine? When I believe that I am just where I need to be in my relationship with Him, then I am dying. Not dying to self, but to Him. There is none of His life-blood flowing and rendering power in my life. I have no power or no purpose.

Is this what I bring to a hurting friend or a hurting world? No power or purpose? If I bring a heart which will not surrender to God’s purpose then I reap my own self-sufficiency. A heart that is not surrendered to Christ needs nothing more. A heart that believes it lives for Christ, but does not, is a heart that doesn’t realize it has its own agenda. When I bring such a heart to ministry, I am impotent and purposeless. This is the greatest danger–a stagnant heart-attitude. Instead of bringing life, it brings death. 

“Those whom I love,” Jesus implores, “I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelations 3:19-20). When I bring a surrendered heart, I bring one that is easily rebuked and disciplined. It is not hardened or self-sufficient. When I am willing to listen to His voice instead of my own, I have invited Him to come in and change me. 

He knocks, and it is up to me to open the door. He will not force His way through the door of my heart. I must yield and make the effort. He is knocking today, and longing to be invited into all the crevices of my life. He yearns to bring life-changing power to my heart, and through a yielded life, deliverance to a hurting world.

3 John 2

3 John 2

“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers” (NASV). “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers” (KJV)

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In 1979 I was told I had cancer. When I read these words, God spoke directly to me. The Lord placed my name after “beloved”. I was His beloved. He wished for me to thrive and be in health! My mind focused completely on these words, and I decided they were His promise for me! He wanted me well! I read the second half of the verse, “even as thy soul prospers”. When my soul thrives and prospers, His promise is for healing for whatever my need. My soul thrives out of love for Him, and in return I prosper and discover His health. With spiritual growth, I can believe in God’s healing even when I haven’t experienced it, because with a prospering soul, God bestows greater faith to believe. With greater faith I also learned that the healing my mind envisions may not be what God has for me. But it is always for my spiritual best.

If you are struggling, latch on to this verse and let it take root in your spirit. Study. Dig. Seek. Pray. Grow. You will realize that with spiritual growth comes your own promise of healing.

Trust in Him

Fear of what lies ahead can be very strong and frightening, but belief in God's faithfulness can give us greater faith. We don't live in the future, and we don't need to worry over what may or may not happen. We live in the here and now. 

How many of us struggle to figure out what is going to happen? We shouldn't try. It is a good thing that we do not know everything that is to come. God keeps it from us for our own benefit. Having a strong faith is more important than knowing what is ahead. Faith is worth too much to sacrifice in an attempt to bring peace to our minds. What we discover might be more than we can bear. Faith rises from an intimate knowledge of God. And the peace that comes from that intimacy is beyond human understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). 

When we ask Him to take care of all that we face, we must trust Him completely to take care of it. When we give Him our worry for the present and our concern for what is to come, we must empty ourselves completely of all that hinders His work in us. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). He longs to be free in us. If we hold on to fear that defines who we are, there is no room for Him. There is no freedom. 

If I pray for Him to save me from difficulty and worry, then I must trust that He will. If I don't trust, then I become helpless and powerless. He is my rescuer and wants to rescue me. Instead of fighting His help when I am drowning, I will trust in His faithfulness to lift me out of my sea of despair. He calls me to launch out into the deep. I will not fight my rescuer because I fear drowning. God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of His power and His love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). I will not drown. I can depend on Him.

Live in My Peace

“Be still and know that I am God,” He speaks to my heart. “It is only when you reach this tranquil inner place that my deep work can be done in you. It is only in this stillness with me that your mind and spirit will be transformed and renewed. If you live in me, quietness, assurance, and strength will revive. This assurance springs from deep faith in my promise and power to take care of all that concerns your heart. Find this assurance. Seek it, and once you discover it, hold on to it, and never let anything cause you to sacrifice it. Take rest in me always, and live in my peace.”

A Tool in His Hands

A tool is not worth anything until it is used. If I am a hammer, I can’t pound a nail if someone does not pick me up and put muscle behind me. To be a tool in God’s hands, I must allow Him to pick me up and put His spiritual muscle behind me. I have no skill or power on my own, but as a tool in His hands, my skill is limitless; my strength is assured. Unlike a hammer, I have a will to surrender. I might try to hammer that nail myself, but it will be crooked, and even bent. My power is limited, and my view is flawed. His view of that nail is perfect, and in His hands, I can hit that target perfectly. Consider the tool He has called you to be, and allow Him to empower your target–your vision.

Prayer Relief

What keeps some Christians from turning to God when their burdens grow overwhelming? You would think that He would be their first avenue for relief, but often He isn't. Perhaps He hasn't answered prayers in the past the way they wished. Perhaps it is because they don't feel His presence, and they are afraid to try again. Perhaps the prayer which had once been a close friend now seems so old and distant. Whatever the reason, they feel alone and separated by a wall that has grown in its immensity. 

The good news is that God is still there, and the wall can come down. One chink in that forbidding structure, and it can tumble into pieces. One prayer from the heart-one cry from the spirit, and the barrier is gone. We might not know what to pray, but the cry of the spirit does. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26). It is in surrender of myself to God, and in the groan of my spirit, when no words can express the pain in my heart, that I find peace that passes earthly understanding (Philippians 4:6-7), and I can breathe again.

If it has been awhile since you have prayed from the heart, He is still there. If it has been awhile since you felt His presence in prayer, He is still there. If it has been awhile since your heart has known one-on-one, spirit-to-spirit release, He is still there. Prayer always returns when you once again open the pain in your heart to the Holy Spirit. It is like an old friend who has never tired of the delay, but has waited patiently for you to discover the joy of release in that friendship once more.

Wisdom Thoughts

“God alone knows the way to Wisdom; he knows the exact place to find it. He knows where everything is on earth; he sees everything under heaven. After he commanded the winds to blow, and measured out the waters–arranged for the rain and set off explosions of thunder and lightning, he focused on Wisdom, made sure it was all set and tested and ready. Then he addressed the human race: ‘Here it is! Fear-of-the-Lord—that’s Wisdom, and Insight means shunning evil’” (Job 28:23-28, The Message). After His great creation, God focused on wisdom. At the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He gave man the freedom to choose. With the decision to explore its fruit, man opened the door to a knowledge God knew He could not handle. “Fear me, and respect me,” God said, “turn from evil”. This is where my wisdom will begin in your life.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). This fear is one of awe–of respect–of one that stirs obedience. This fear recognizes the power of God, and that He is in control. This is where wisdom begins. With knowledge of who God is, and how great is His power and love, comes understanding upon which faith grows.

^“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8, NIV). I have not because I ask not (James 4:2). I have not because I haven’t sought (Matthew 7:7). If I doubt Him, why should I receive anything from Him? I will ask for wisdom in faith, believing that He shall give it.

“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6, NIV). When God’s wisdom is sought then God’s truth is made known (Luke 6:33), but just because you know God’s truth doesn’t mean you will submit to it. Knowledge cannot become understanding until it is applied.

Revere God. Pray for His wisdom. Believe, and don’t doubt you will receive. Seek it in His Word. Apply it to your life. Submit to its guidance, and receive greater understanding upon which faith is anchored.

Joy of the Purest Kind

JOY OF THE PUREST KIND

“Consider it pure joy,” James writes, “whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance! Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3-4). Spiritual maturity is achieved through perseverance. It must be finished in order to handle life’s unexpected circumstances. What a riveting image! There is a work inside each believer, and it can only be completed through endurance! The Lord’s perfect will is for faith to spring up in the midst of hardship. It is my decision whether the lesson is learned.

            Trials and suffering should inspire spiritual growth. Peter writes, “These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (I Peter 1:7). The trying of your faith during hardship can develop the ability to persevere. Christ reveals that we are to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. Perseverance is meant to spur each believer on toward this goal (Matthew 5:48). 

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires" (II Peter 1:3-4). God has given His promises so that we have the strength to stand against sin, to be part of His very nature, and to grow spiritually. To escape sin’s grasp, and to be more like Him, spiritual growth is not an option. Peter explains that we must add to faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness. We can’t add these alone (II Peter 1:5-7). Only the Lord supplies the strength for this accomplishment, but we make the decision to step out in faith.

I must grow in perseverance through times of suffering, and be available for His purposes. My faith in Jesus Christ should be my most valued possession! My attitudes, thoughts, and desires should be those of an adult, and should be first to arise in difficult circumstance. Most of all, they should spur me on toward the perfection found only in Christ. What I have within must be tested to see if it has any worth. Untried, it has no value, but tried, it is refined by the fire of the Holy Spirit. “Consider it pure joy,” James writes. That I should joyfully learn perseverance from suffering? God wishes me to understand that it is a joy of the purest kind.

In Praise Peace

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

Praise. It is that very instance, when in my most difficult circumstance, distress changes into joy; praise dispels worry, and confusion changes into clarity. All is well and peaceful within me though outwardly the storm rages.

In praise I am changed, and that change must first come from within me. No matter how difficult my problems or my circumstance–the change is found in my heart. Praise in the midst of hardship breaks down inner walls. It recognizes the power of my God over the things out of my control. Once I grasp that truth my heart will trust His faithfulness, and in the chaos of my circumstances order will come. 

My gift to Him is a thankful heart. When things are hard—when pain persists—when problems overwhelm, I will seek reasons to be thankful. I will seek to realize the blessings He gives that often slip by unobserved. The gift of thanksgiving in my heart—no matter what is going on in my life—is my sacrifice of praise. 

What had once been a sacrifice of praise shall be a sacrifice no longer. My heart shall no longer focus on my pain, but on His faithfulness and His blessings. And then there will be joy.