Fight

One of our men's LifeGroups is going through the book, "Fight" by Craig Groeschel.

The current discussion is about the Life of Samson, "...an incredibly strong man with a dangerously weak will."

In the natural, he truly was a Super Hero with Super Powers...however, spiritually, he had major struggles that eventually cost him his life.

God had granted Samson this supernatural strength in exchange for a Nazarite Vow of holiness and dedication to Him.

The Requirements:

1. Don't get Drunk
2. Don't touch anything Dead
3. Don't cut your Hair

Samson ended up doing all three...with a weakness for women from the enemy's camp as well.

Even with all his sin, God used him greatly for a season. 

His life teaches us a few lessons:

• Just because God is using you, even supernaturally, does NOT mean you are walking in His will and obedience
• Though you are operating in a Gifting God has given you, that is no guarantee you will stay in God's good Grace

Consider this Scripture:

Romans 11:29 Amplified Bible 

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].

We may be anointed with a particular Gifting, but what matters in the end is our integrity and obedience to the Lord.

You will not go to Heaven because you were a Gifted man or woman of God. God is the one Who gave you that Gifting...so that could not possibly qualify you for Salvation. 

Salvation is acquired by Faith in Jesus, and maintained through Actions of obedience to Jesus as your Lord.

There are many Christians and non-Christians alike in this world, operating in God-given Giftings...

It is really a question of, will you use them for Jesus or for the World?

God is doing NOTHING??

Have you ever been around people who are stuck in negativity? Everything they say has a twist of heaviness to it? They seem to suck the life out of the room.

This is a person who has lost Hope.

Israel found themselves in such a place many times in their history as they pulled away from God in their Culture and gave into Sinfulness, believing they were being progressive and modern, throwing away the "old ways" of thinking.

Now, it didn't happen overnight, or even in one generation. It came over time, one compromise at a time...and the result was a despondent people, wallowing in doubt and negativity, who lost their Hope in God.

Zephaniah 1:12 NKJV 

"And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, 'The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.'

These people believed God was doing NOTHING...good or bad.

Ecclesiastes 11:4-5 NASB 

He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

The following familiar passage teaches us HOW God thinks.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

It is an entirely different thing to know WHAT God is thinking and doing at this exact moment.

God is ALWAYS moving and working. Just because we are unaware at the moment of his working, does not mean He has become complacent and lazy.

In the times we begin to feel far from the Lord, it is imperative we do not let go of our Hope and begin speaking doubt, unbelief and negativity. 

This is NEVER God's way.

We ALL face trials and tribulations. 

Do not give in to the temptation to speak evil over your situation, but rather speak the Word of God! For He said in the same passage from above:

Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV 

10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God is MOVING!

Remember how Great and Terrifying the Lord is...

As believers and followers of Christ, there will be times of persecution and difficulty from our Enemy, the devil. 

The New Testament teaches us in Ephesians 6, that we wrestle not against flesh and blood (people), but the real imposters behind these attacks are from the invisible realm... "principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places."

When you find yourself in this place, how do you handle it?

Our first response should be to raise our Shield of Faith. This is a response to look to the Lord who is our Protecter from the Enemy.

In the story of Nehemiah, he was sent back to Jerusalem from the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians, where the Jews had been in captivity for 70 years. He was now the Governor purposed to rebuild the Wall around the City.

He had enemies coming against him using every trick in the book to bring Division, Discord, and Discouragement.

Nehemiah 4:1-3 NLT Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, 2 saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they're doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices?Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap-and charred ones at that?"

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, "That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!"

Nehemiah 4:6-8 NLT At last the wall was completed to half its height around the entire city, for the people had worked with enthusiasm.

7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious. 8 They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion.

When the Enemy comes against us, it can feel overwhelming and cause a temptation to fear and begin speaking doubt and unbelief.

Nehemiah 4:10-18 NLT Then the people of Judah began to complain, "The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves."

11 Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, "Before they know what's happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work."

12 The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, "They will come from all directions and attack us!" 

Look here at Nehemiah's  Leadership and Encouragement to his people:

Nehemiah 4:13-14 NLT So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows.

14 Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!"

Look how it is stated in the Good News Translation

Don't be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and terrifying the Lord is, and fight...

WOW! That word, TERRIFYING to describe the Lord is amazing. We see Him as our Loving Savior and Protector...imagine how Satan sees Him! GREAT, TERRIFYING, GLORIOUS!

The Enemy is NO MATCH for Jesus!

Nehemiah 4:15-18 NLT When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall. 16 But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. 18 All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.

What a picture of our Spiritual Life...building the Kingdom with one hand, and keeping the devil in his place with the other, as we keep up that Shield of Faith, and speak the Word of God over our trials as our Sword of the Spirit!

Here is the result of Nehemiah's faith and Godly Leadership:

Nehemiah 6:15 GNT After 52 days of work the entire wall was finished on the 25th day of the month of Elul.

Trust the Lord to fight your battles!

God is Able, and HE WILL Deliver!

One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These were three Jewish young men exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon with their friend Daniel.

We usually recall them by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

As the account goes, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a Gold Statue that was 9 Stories Tall! He commanded that when the music played, all were to bow down and worship the image.

These three Jews, far from home, which was burned to the ground by this King, had every reason to abandon their faith and acclimate to their new culture which had great promise of wealth and pleasure for them.

However, they refused to bow.

This set the course of their destinies.

Here is the confrontation before the King:

Daniel 3:15b-18 [the King says] ...if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Too many times we have misinterpreted what they actually said here. We read verse 17 and see their faith for deliverance, then we read verse 18 and interpret that they are saying, "even if God does not deliver us and we die, we still will not bow."

That is a beautiful sentiment and show of faithfulness to God in any circumstance, however, that is not what they were saying.

In the start of verse 17, "If that be the case..." is referring to the King's intention and threat to burn them to death.

In the start of verse 18, "But if not..." is referring to the same thing! (The King's intention and threat to burn them to death).

Think about that!

Let's reread verse 18 in that light:

18 But if not, (but if it is not your intention and just an empty threat to burn us to death) let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

In other words, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this, whether you plan to kill us or not, GOD WILL DELIVER US!"

This is a 100% faith declaration of God's deliverance! 

Verse 17 bears this out, when they say: God is ABLE, and HE WILL deliver us.

No Fear!

No Doubt!

We often stop short with God is Able...yeah God could do that if He should decide to...

Faith speaks, and HE WILL!

I believe they may have recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah from 150 years before who had warned Jerusalem of their impending doom and exile to Babylon:

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. 

WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, YOU SHALL NOT BE BURNED. NOR SHALL THE FLAME SCORCH YOU.

No matter what fires are burning around you this week, the Lord is our Deliverer!

Trust in Him with all your heart!

Your deliverance draws nigh!

To See and Understand

Last week I wrote about the spiritual gift of Discernment.  I would like to continue with another aspect of this gift.

Again, Discernment could simply be defined as the ability to SEE and UNDERSTAND the things of the Spirit.

One way God uses this gift at times is to grant one the ability to see and understand what is happening in the invisible spirit realm. 

Throughout Church history as well as Bible history, people of God have seen visions, angels and demons.

One such account is when Elisha and the city are surrounded by the enemy closing in to destroy them. Yet, he is as calm as ever, with an unexplainable peace. 

His servant is freaking out thinking they are all going to die. So Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the servant's eyes TO SEE and UNDERSTAND (implied). 

2 Kings 6:15-17 (NKJV)

And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

16 So he answered, "DO NOT FEAR, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may SEE." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When we are up against what seems like insurmountable odds, and it feels like the enemy is closing in, we must not give in to fear! 

Ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes, to allow the gift of Discernment to operate in your life.

It reminds me of a testimony in my family of my great grandmother. Her husband was away and a great thunderstorm was raging giving her anxiety. 

That very night in the midst of the storm, an Angel appeared in her room telling her not to fear but to trust the Lord. He left the room and she heard his wings flutter as he flew away.

Wow!

God still moves in these miraculous ways.

Are you seeking Him?

Are your eyes open to what He will reveal?

No Condemnation

I want to talk today about the spiritual gift of Discernment. 

Discernment simply means: to see, and understand.

Of course, in the context of spiritual life, it is seeing and understanding what God is doing, what the Holy Spirit is saying, and where He is leading, as well as, what Satan, the enemy, is up to in His evil plans to kill, steal and destroy.

Recently I had a discussion with an individual who was struggling with feelings of guilt. He was trying to Discern what this was all about as he knew he was living right and not in sin.

I would like to draw a contrast between Godly Conviction and Satanic Condemnation.

When we sin, as Christians, our Born Again spirits in communion with the Holy Spirit will convict us for our sin. We have all experienced this. Our God-given conscience will not let us rest until we make things right with the Lord by confessing our sin so that He may cleanse us and forgive us. (1 John 1:9)

However, even after confessing and receiving forgiveness, there can be those lingering feelings of shame, and a reminding in our thoughts of our sin.

This is NOT God. These are feelings of condemnation. The Bible says in Romans 8:1 that there is NO CONDEMNATION  for those who are in Christ Jesus! That is us who are Born Again, living for Jesus, pursuing His Kingdom!

Satan is called, "the accuser of the brethren." (Revelation 12:7-12) He loves to throw our past failures up in our face in an attempt to shift our Identities from a child of God to a powerless sinner.

I came across this Psalm that really spoke into this truth:

Psalm 32 (NKJV)

The Joy of Forgiveness - A Psalm of David. 

32 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

King David is expressing first how joyful one feels knowing God has forgiven their sins!

Then he describes the feeling of living with unconfessed sin, as his "bones growing old." He talks about the Conviction of the Lord, as a "heavy hand" upon him. We have all experienced this when we are walking in the flesh and disobeying the Lord.

As a Good Father, He chastens and disciplines those He loves! (Hebrews 12:6) 

The Good News is, there is a solution! In verse 5, David gives us the answer!

Acknowledge our sin.

Confess it to the Lord.

Receive His forgiveness!

There are many topics and subjects in our Christian walk that require Godly Discernment. Get in His Word and grow in your seeing and understanding!

To be Seen of Others

Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Have you ever been challenged by these words of Jesus? 

In this scripture, there is an implication that we are already giving to others in need.

As humans, when we do something for others, there is an immediate temptation that follows "to be seen of others." 

James calls this the Pride of Life.

I think the problem comes from that issue of Identity. When our eyes fall off of Jesus, we seek significance in all the wrong places.

So in this scenario, you could actually be walking in obedience to the scriptures, doing the right thing, with a totally wrong heart.

That is exactly how the Pharisees lived their lives. 

We like to get mad at them as we read the Gospels and Acts, but if we are not careful, we find the heart of a Pharisee within ourselves.

So rather than struggle in these areas of having a hardened heart, let's put our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith!!

He said, your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you!