Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith
I tell you I’m ready now!!!
I can prophesy like Elijah, Preach like John the Baptist and teach like
Paul the Apostle. Give me a church full
of people and I will really shine. Step
aside and watch!
So, you think you’re all that and more eh? Jesus believed much about himself as
well. In John 8 he said, “14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though
I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and
whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 15 Ye judge
after the flesh; I judge no man. 16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true:
for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.”
Perhaps you really are on par with our Savior…more likely
not. One thing I know however is that
those who brag had better have actions and power to confirm their lofty
gifting’s because swelling words and empty promises are the talents of pompous
politicians. Can you say to this mountain
be removed? Have you emptied the
hospitals of sick and infirm? How about
one hospital? No? One floor of the hospital?
In Exodus 14:16 Israel hadn’t learned to trust God for
much. In spite of the obviously
miraculous rescue from slavery the people found it difficult to fully trust the
invisible God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Moses was bringing their complaints to the Lord and He had had
enough. His answer was for Moses to send
the people forward into the sea. They
must have looked at him like he was crazy.
Hey old man! Don’t you see the
water lapping at the rocks under our feet?
We can’t go that way and now you’re telling us that we won’t ever see
Pharaoh again? How’s that going to
happen; you going to drown us?
The truth was that God allowed them baby steps and provided
miraculous paths in the sea for them to walk.
When the Egyptian army tried to walk the same path they were drowned. You can’t walk the miraculous unless you walk
hand in hand with the miracle God.
Where are you in your walk?
Do you feel pressed up against an impassable obstacle? Has your faith already begun to raise up a
standard against that wall or have you begun to hammer it down through your
prayers? Maybe you just wet your pants
in fear… Don’t be offended, we’ve been
through all these stages of growth and know how difficult they can be. On the other hand we shouldn’t be telling
everyone that we are the next savior of mankind and they need to listen.
Whenever you know with some certainty that God is leading you
in a specific direction it is time to keep your eyes open for the testing. A soldier does not go into battle until he
has trained and learned the way of war.
In most cases the training is actually worse than the warfare
itself. One motto might be, “Train hard,
fight smart, and let the other guy die for his country!” God will put you through season after season
of ever more difficult scenarios before trusting you with life and death
situations. We wrestle not against flesh
and blood. We wrestle against
principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies. Time after time you will find that wall in
front of you and each time it will take more faith to break it down.
This is a basic fact of life in Christ. A weight lifter doesn’t pick up three hundred
pounds of steel when he first begins. He
picks up fifty pounds and works his way up to ever increasing amounts. Acts of faith that would have me hiding in
the closet thirty years ago are handled almost without thought now. They are becoming my ‘first’ nature. It’s not that I don’t have to try any longer
or work as hard, it’s just that the level of trial has increased. We are the pillars of the house of God. The strength of those pillars determines how
much of His house you can support.
If you are the pastor of fifteen people and never seem to
grow past that number then perhaps it’s time to ask God for some new
trials. That might seem foolish and even
dangerous but a soldier doesn’t join an elite force without taking ever-increasing
risks. Soldiers in training get hurt all
the time. Sometimes they even die. Saints in training get wounded all the
time. Sometimes they even die. Hopefully they don’t backslide. It’s better to die for your Savior than to
turn to the enemy. You want a greater
ministry? Pick up the pace of your life
before God. Press toward the mark. Phil 3:14 uses the word dioko for press. It means to
pursue, to prosecute and persecute. We
must harass the enemy until HE cries uncle.
Right now he is kicking your behind and making you too scared to take
him on. Think about it. Scriptures says we are MORE than a
CONQUEROR. If you are a soldier and your
bulletproof, bombproof armor is sitting in a closet collecting dust then no
wonder you are getting beat. Your sword
is rusty and dull and your feet are shod with the gospel of run for your
life. If you look around for your shield
of faith it’s probably under a sheet in the living room being used for a coffee
table.
Sigh. Okay, perhaps
I’m overdoing it a bit but I don’t think so.
We have every gift and opportunity we need to be super soldiers for
Christ and we aren’t accomplishing great things. That’s on us, not the Spirit of God. He’s pushing.
The Father is pushing. The Son is
pushing. The only one not pushing if you
are not successful is YOU. If Satan
pushes, don’t get scared…push back. If
you get hurt, don’t quit, PUSH BACK! He
can’t kill you without permission. He
can’t seriously hurt you without permission.
He can only whisper in your ear that you are a loser and it’s up to you whether
you listen to that lie or tell him to shut up and move on. He can plague your unsaved loved ones and
make your life temporarily miserable until you TAKE IT BACK and BUST HIS
SKULL!!
If you have made it to this level then you are no longer a
babe who requires his daddy to hold both his hands just to walk. Babes and toddlers wobble along and
frequently fall down and cry.
Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Daddy!
Change me. Rock me. Burp me.
I can’t do anything. Waaaaah!
I don’t know about you but I would be embarrassed to tell
God I can’t make it, even with thermonuclear spiritual devices at my
command. I’d be ashamed to tell Him I
quit just because someone hurt my feelings.
You’re not in daycare any more.
You’re not in kindergarten where you get a snack right after your
nap. Now you’re in grade school and He
expects you to learn your ABC’s. Now you
are part of a community and expected to learn your responsibilities. This is what Kennedy meant when he said, “Ask
not what your country can do for YOU but what you can do for your
country!”
We’re past the season of your life where you cry, “God! I’m useless!
Feed me!” Now it’s time to say,
“Lord, how can I help? Teach me how to
cook. Teach me how to clean. Teach me how to pick up around me. Teach ME how to set the table and take care
of the little ones.” Yes brothers and
sisters it is time to WALK! Moses isn’t
going to hold up his staff until the Lord pushes all the water out of your
way. This time you will get your feet a
little wet before you see the miracle.
Joshua 3:14 And it came to pass, when the people removed
from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the
covenant before the people; 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto
Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim
of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap
very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down
toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and
the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the
ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of
Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people
were passed clean over Jordan.
We’re not talking about a little trickle of water like the
Santa Ana River that gives Riverside, California its name. If you run fast you can practically jump over
that. We’re talking about a mighty
rushing river that was at flood stage and at best a frightening torrent of
water. This is the river that the children
of Israel came to, the Nile, the Mississippi, the Amazon! This is the reality of the God that they and
we serve. This time there was no Moses
to make it happen before anyone had to move.
This time the priests had to march into the river and it would not stop
flowing until AFTER their feet got wet.
I grew up in the State of Washington and did a lot of
camping when I was young. In the Spring
when all the snow began to melt the rivers would overflow their banks and the
water would rush along carrying logs, debris and if they weren’t careful the
occasional human being. This Jordan
wasn’t a quiet sleepy brook babbling along but a loud raucous torrent of muddy
stirred up water waiting to snatch the unwary toddler. To cross this you had to be a well-balanced
walker at least. There had better be a
little RUN in you too.
How long does it take two million Jews to walk to walk from
one side to the other with all their flocks and herds, wives and children? That’s how long the priests were required to
stand in the middle of the river with the Ark of the Covenant on their
shoulders. I’m sure it took more than an
hour and would be surprised if it took less than a day. These men were walking before God. They were forced to hold fast when the people
just scurried over as quickly as possible in case God’s hand got tired and the
water came crashing down on their heads.
The priests had a bug’s eye view of the foot of God holding back
millions of tons of water. That was not
a place for the faint of heart.
Do you suppose they got tired just standing there? How many priests carried the Ark of the
Covenant? It was not nearly as large as
a coffin in a funeral but it was covered in gold with a solid gold lid so it
was heavy. Perhaps twelve priests stood
there, one for each tribe in Israel and three holding up each corner of the Ark
by shouldering the staves of gold plated wood.
Depending on whether the hammered cherubim decorating the lid of the ark
were solid or hollow it could have weighed anywhere between a few hundred
pounds (say 150 kilograms) to almost eight thousand pounds (3500 kilograms). Even if it only weighed 300 pounds and each
man only carried twenty five to thirty pounds it was a difficult and wearing
task to hold it up for so long.
The Navy Seals have a test where they all run together
bearing a large log on their shoulders.
If one man falls they all fall.
They run through along the beaches and into the water and back out
again. The Seals have a powerful drive
that keeps them going as well as an unwillingness to let their brethren
down. We have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling
in us and if we truly listen to Him and lean on HIS power we can accomplish
great feats that would crush us on our own.
I venture to say we should be at least as unwilling to let our brethren
down as the elite military teams. They
serve a nation but we serve Almighty God.
Perhaps the priests swapped out men as they got tired
throughout the day. Scripture doesn’t
say; but I believe that when you are in the midst of a great work or trial for
God and you truly lean on Him there is no need for relief until the test is
complete. Once it is over there will be
a time of refreshing and you will discover that you have risen to a new level
of faith and victory. Most of us quit
during trials because we lack faith, not because we are too tired to go on. Fear robs us of our hope and we become
ashamed.
Perhaps the people all made it over in one day or perhaps it
took several days and God let the water resume each night. However long it took they stood tall and did
not waver in the work of the Lord.
Joshua 4:1 And it came to pass, when all the people were
clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you
twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them,
saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the
priests 'feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you,
and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 4 Then
Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel,
out of every tribe a man: 5 And Joshua
said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of
Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according
unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6 That this may be a
sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come,
saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the
waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when
it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones
shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the
children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of
the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of
the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the
place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve
stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which
bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
Somewhere during this great migration into the Promised Land
God told Joshua to select twelve men to gather stones for a memorial. He must have sought men of great character as
well as strong bodies to carry the largest stones possible. It has been said that when Jesus came toward
Jerusalem and the Pharisees were offended that His disciples and the people
called “Hosanna” and honored Him as the reigning king, that Jesus may well have
indicated the twelve stones collected by Joshua’s order and made into a
memorial of God’s miraculous provision. The
valley of Jericho wasn’t so far away and they would have known what it
meant. This was a sign of trust, that
God would not drown them or stumble in His protection. God expects us to learn from His various
provisions and to mark those experiences so we do not forget to give Him honor
when that honor is due. He also wants us
to expect and depend on future provision and remember in faith the past.
We need to learn to ABIDE in faith. It is one thing to breathe a word of
thanksgiving after an unexpected deliverance but are you ready to walk in the
miraculous? I’m not talking about
mountain moving trust yet. I’m referring
to faith for toothpaste and basic needs.
I’m referring to daily provision of food and shelter that you did not
procure out of your wisdom or direction but through God’s wisdom and
providence. We grow from faith to faith
but if you are too timid to try and trust God then you have no basis to please
Him with your faith. God isn’t your
fairy godfather who just leaves money under your pillow but he does want to
guide and direct you every moment of every day.
He has arranged things for you to experience if you are willing.
10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst
of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to
speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the
people hasted and passed over. 11 And it came to pass, when all the people were
clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in
the presence of the people. 12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of
Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of
Israel, as Moses spake unto them: 13 About forty thousand prepared for war
passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.
Can you see it? Can
you see it? In the life of Israel right
here and in your own life can you see it?
God does not merely produce miracles because He wants you to walk in the
miraculous; God produces miracles so you might trust Him for the next one. Grab ahold of this…FROM FAITH TO FAITH. From level to level. From mountain top to higher mountain
top. There is no plateau where you just
sigh, lay down on a bed of lilies and say, “it is finished.” That was Jesus’ project, not yours and when
He said that He was dying. You are
supposed to gird up your loins and stay in the fight. The miracle is that once you get in the fight
He keeps giving you greater and greater outpours of His Spirit. Just be ready for the even greater
fights.
Stop yelling. You
knew that was coming.
Israel didn’t get to the other side and enjoy a picnic. Israel got to the other side through a
miracle so it wouldn’t be that hard to accept God knocking down the walls of
the greatest military garrison city in the area. Forty thousand prepared for war came from the
tribes of the other side of the river and were added to those who were moving
in to their new property. They didn’t
leave their wives and children to think deep thoughts. They came across armed and ready to take on
the enemies of GOD! They came to make
war! Their faith was in the God of the
river behind them. Their faith was in
the Red sea of days past. God prepared
the miracles to prepare their hearts for the next step!
When God does a miracle in your life don’t waste it by
kicking back and resting on your laurels.
On the one hand they’re God’s laurels and on the other you will need
that miraculous push to take down the next stronghold.
14 On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of
all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his
life. 15 And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that
bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua
therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And it
came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord
were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet
were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their
place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
The Lord made Joshua great in the eyes of the people. Read Joshua chapter one and see how many
times God told Joshua to be strong and very courageous. Why?
Because God was in a miracle-making mood like He is today and He
rejoiced to see Israel on a roll. Once
they were across he turned His eyes off the water piling up beside them and the
river flooded back down its banks. God’s
eyes are on you to work great miracles and when He takes His eyes off of
someone their life falls apart. You
don’t want God to put you in a holding pattern.
There are no miracles in a holding pattern. There are no wonders in a holding
pattern. That is a place where God is
watching to see if you will wake up and listen.
It’s much better to listen now while He is speaking AND moving.
Jeremiah 12:4 How long shall the land mourn, and the
herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the
beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our
last end. 5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then
how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou
trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan.
God is not going to hold back His wrath forever. Our president recently said he wants to see
daylight between Israel and the United States.
That means he doesn’t want us to be so close. The sin and degradation of this land is
greater than at any time in its history and right now any act of kindness we bestow
upon Israel will help to protect us from His anger. That said, this portion in Jeremiah is trying
to get us to understand that life out there is bad. Between the sin and the wars it is only going
to get worse. Right now we have a
measure of peace that other nations do not have. If things in America aren’t deadly to saints
then let me ask you a question.
Why is the church struggling so much? We’re not being destroyed but Arab and
Chinese churches are thriving under persecution. We are not thriving. You say, “You don’t understand preacher. Things are hard right now. I don’t pay tithes so I can’t find a
job. I don’t study scripture so I am
afraid all the time. I don’t pray for my
fellow man and so things never seem to work out. If God would only fix this stuff I could do
the right thing.”
Hogwash. God insists
on tithes. He insists on prayer, fasting
and consecration. He insists on holiness
where you don’t lie just to get your way.
God expects His church to represent Him no matter what and if you are
not part of the few, the proud and the sanctified then you will NEVER amount to
anything in Christ. You will just be
another sorry saint wallowing around in your pity party. You do not build your faith by telling God
what you will not or cannot do.
Beloved, we’re past the crawling stage. God has made us great and given us authority
to make powerful changes. We’re past the
walking stage. We should know how to
believe God for our day-to-day needs.
That is just living saved 101. We
ought to be in the running for our lives stages. That doesn’t mean to run away but to run
toward the battle with our armor on our bodies and a shout of triumph on our
lips. If you get a sword cut or knife
jab in your back and Satan declares victory then just remind him that he is the
Prince of Lies and keep on walking … and running … in victory.
Wounds come. Sorrows
come. Pain comes but victory is an every
day thing. You cannot lose your victory
unless you give it away!
Blessings,
Bishop J
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