What Do We Fear?

The next portion of our study, out of Isaiah 11, brings us to a subject that seems to only bring confusion for the Christian of the 20th century. People are taught about a loving God that is only full of good and promises. If this is all that is to our God then why do we need to fear Him? Why did Jesus delight in the fear of the Lord? There are many religions out there that take pieces of scripture they like and create the God that makes sense to them and that is comfortable. As Christian men and women, we do not believe that is an accurate action to take. We believe that we take scripture and apply it to our daily life- even if it causes us to be uncomfortable. I believe that part of the problem in the church and with those who call themselves children of God is the casualness by which God is approached and revered. Yes, God is called many things in scripture and longs to have an intimate relationship with each of us. His hope is that His children will feel comfortable to rest in His mighty arms to find the rest and healing needed. But He is also our Almighty God, who deserves the respect and honor that brings a natural fear and awe upon approaching His very presence.

After people watching for the last 37 years and evaluating my own heart, I have learned that people worship what they fear. This may sound strange, but take a moment and see if it applies. When someone learns that they have a debilitating disease or find themselves in a relationship or financial crisis, a fear begins to set in of the future. If they try to carry it on their own then this fear begins to consume their time. That which we give our heart, mind, and time to is where our worship is given. However, if those same people believed that the Lord was more powerful than the financial crisis, health issue, or relationship turmoil, then they would keep their focus on the Lord and not spend their days reeling and tormented by the circumstances in place. Over the years, I have lost my focus many times and have begun to be consumed by the disappointments of the day instead of being faithful to trusting the Lord. I thank the Lord for His guidance and for staying faithful to me, even when my eyes become blinded to His amazing power and love.

Isaiah 11:1-5

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt

I challenge you to stop and evaluate what gets your worship.

Are you more afraid of your present circumstance than you are of a life absent of the presence of God?

If it has been some time since you have spent time with the Lord, He does not have a whipping stick that is prepared for you. He is waiting for you to choose Him once more and He has nothing but good, honest, fulfilling love in store for you. Be careful. Approach the Lord with the understanding that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but also as His son or daughter. When you begin to step into His presence you may feel out of place or as if you do not deserve to be in that place and will be tempted to run. These feelings are fully understood and should be followed; that is if the Lord had not paid the price for all of our shortcomings. Spend some time with your Jesus today. He has given His very life to be able to have that personal time with you. You do not need to run and hide anymore...

Why the Holy Spirit?

Isaiah 11:1-5

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

This scripture tells us about our Saviour who came to this earth to bring us life and be an example for those who choose to follow. The key elements that I see in this prophecy about the coming Messiah are the Holy Spirit and His affect, the fear of the Lord that He not only walked in but he delighted in, righteousness that affected every decision made, and a faithfulness that was always present. This prophecy, that was just read, has been fulfilled in every way by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I hope to take the next few weeks to focus in on these qualities of Christ and help make sense how we can apply them to our daily decisions.

This week I will focus on verse 2.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD –

What does it mean to have the Spirit of the Lord rest upon Him? Is this some type of strange ethereal concept or is this a practical possibility for you and me?

To answer this question let’s look at more scripture and the words of Jesus himself.

Acts 1:4-5
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Jesus himself came to this earth and showed us how to be led, filled, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Then made it very clear that His disciples should not even think about being a part of any ministry until the Holy Spirit does His work. This is the same mandate for us today. Jesus didn’t function without the Holy Spirit guiding Him and so what makes us think that we should be making any decisions that are not first submitted through the filter of our Counselor, the Holy Spirit?

Isaiah 11:2, tells us that Jesus walked in the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord. This all came through the fact that the Holy Spirit rested on Him. At this moment, I am praying for the Holy Spirit to fill me, rest on me, guide me, and if necessary, hog tie me- so I can walk in that same wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear.

How about you? I encourage you to look at each of these results and that were evident in our Lord’s life and see if you need to press in a little more and ask the Holy Spirit to guide more of your life than you are letting Him. Take a moment and pray over each of these areas. i would love to hear what the Lord is saying to you. He will guide you and encourage you if you ask Him.

Wisdom

Understanding

Counsel

Power

Knowledge

Fear of the Lord

Stop Trusting in man

“Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?” Isaiah 2:22

This is the message that the Lord is screaming at me today. I say screaming because I think it is the only way He has found to get through my thick skull. This week’s devotional has nothing to do with anyone, but me and my walk with the Lord. I blame no one for the way I act or for the attitudes that are created inside of my heart. They are all just a rotten overflow of a heart that must learn how to yield and trust His creator. I know that I need to quit looking around and comparing my life to others. I know that God has placed so many blessings in my lap and that I should be thankful and show gratitude and joy for His continued healing and support for the battles this life has brought, but instead I get angry and want to shutdown. I feel like the Lord is telling me to grow up. Remember when you were a child and when things did not go correctly in your world and the other children were being nasty. It was then as a child we would just simply run and tell on them. I currently live with my sister and her family, which we are so grateful for. In this home, including my two boys, there are 7 children-- 5 of them being under the age of 11 years old. Let’s just say that there is a lot of tattling going on. I find myself saying on a regular basis. “Go away and worry about yourself. If you keep spending all of your time worried about them your life is going to be very sad.” What a great quote to live by! Quit worrying about other people and what they have and what they do or don’t do. Most of what you think you see is a façade and should not be trusted anyway. Worry about what is front of you and live for the Lord. Last night, I found myself wanting to shutdown and run to God to tell on everybody for the things that I think are not happening or at least when I want them to happen. I believe that He tried to talk to me last night, but I was not in the mood and so I went to bed with all of these swirling emotions- hoping that when I awoke that the Lord would be paying attention this time. Well, I was right. He was paying attention and He told me pretty clear. .

“Worry about yourself! If you keep spending all of your time worried about them your life is going to be very sad. Stop putting your trust in man and put it in me.”

Dear Lord,
Today, right here, and right now, I repent. Please Lord, forgive me, help me keep my eyes focused on you and be grateful for who you are in my life. Help me see those people and situations that you want me to step into and be an example for you. I know that when I am looking at everyone else and allowing attitudes to form that I become blind to the real purpose that you have placed me where I am. I love you and apologize for acting so childish at times. Please help my faith and trust grow.
Love your broken child

Meekness

“But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.”

What does it mean to be meek? Usually this word reminds me of a little mouse that scurries by and just tries to not get stepped on. He doesn’t make much noise or have much influence on people. He is simply little, cute, and uninspiring.

Let me paint a different picture for you- a Biblical view of meekness.

Greek word for meek is praus
a. Used to describe a soothing medicine.
b. Used by sailors to describe a gentle breeze.
c. Used by farmers to describe a broken colt.

What do all these definitions have in common?
They all describe great power under control.

Imagine a ferocious lion that is sitting and waiting in place. The many different animals of the jungle may perceive him as week because the birds are landing on his head and even some of the small rodents get brave and begin to build there nest underneath his paw. There are even a few vultures that have stopped by and have begun to circle because what a meal this large lion would make and just think of the bragging rights of eating the king of the jungle alive. Most spectators would quickly come to the conclusion that this lion must be a coward or broken in some way. However, this lion is not broken as some may think. He is submitted. Meekness and humbleness have everything to do with power reserved. One command from his master and that lion would make ground meat out of these animals that would dare mock such a mighty creation.

You and I are this mighty creation. Like this lion we have been called to submit our own comfort and instincts to our master. We sit and wait for our Lord to tell us when to react and how to react. There are times in this life that you will feel that the vultures have shown up and have began eating you alive. You may feel like you have been stripped of your self-respect, but let me encourage you. There is no greater place to be waiting than in the presence of the Lord and no better voice to be waiting for, but the voice of your creator. As you wait for His guidance, let your life be one of meekness and humility. Reserved for the moment that the master gives direction. Then in that moment be ready to express the full power that God has placed inside of you, as it is in that moment that the Lord will get all the glory.

Don’t be confused. Personally, I rarely have ever felt like that great lion that I just spoke about. However, scripture is very clear that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that God Himself lives with us and in us, as does the power that He wields.

The quote at the beginning of this devotional comes from Psalm 37:11. It is placed directly after we learn that David was walking through a season of his life where he was being hurt and he felt that there were some unfair situations surrounding him. He took it all and left it at the feet of the Lord. He trusted that God was bigger than the giant of confusion that he was facing.

Psalm 37:1-8
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

The Lord does have great plans for you! Simply trust in Him…

Lord,

I pray that you help each of us to keep our eyes focused on you and our hearts and minds submitted to your orders and not those actions that seem so natural to our own personalities. Like the ferocious lion that I spoke about earlier, help us submit to whatever you are asking of us. It is in that submission that we carry our cross and begin to look more and more like you.

Amen

Perseverance

What does this word "perseverance" mean? Does it mean that you run until you get tired? That you stand only until your feet hurt? That you hold up that responsibility only long enough to outlast the guy next to you?

Let me introduce you to Scrat, a fictional, saber toothed squirrel, who finds his life purpose in chasing after this nut. No matter what problems come his way and want to eat him, mame him or chase him, he does not lose his desire or hope in attaining the goal of capturing and eating the nut. Scrat is a wonderful picture of perseverance.



per⋅se⋅ver⋅ance  [pur-suh-veer-uhns]
steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Perseverance does not even begin until your feet are sore, your back is hurting, the rope is cutting through your hand, and the load just seems impossible to carry. I think the closest understanding I have ever seen to what true perseverance looks like was found in watching one of my friends walk through a debilitating disease. Even though it was full of pain and promises of death, she stepped out of bed each day and played the role of wife and mother. Yes, there were some days where getting out of bed for took a little longer than the day before. But she pushed through, lifted her face to God for strength, and persevered through her day. I have always liked the verse out of Ephesians 6 that tells us to stand firm, and when you have done all that you can do to stand and are getting tired of standing, then stand some more. Jesus gave us a great example to follow. No matter what he faced while on this earth He would go to his Father, our God, for strength, wisdom and perspective. When He was about to face His most difficult challenge, the cross, He submitted His life to the will of the Father and asked for strength.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4

So many times I get to the place where I want to panic due to my weakness and lack of faith. It is like holding your breath under water. At first you feel confident and everything seems easy. But as time passes and it doesn’t seem that a breath of fresh air is on its way, our minds try to take over and tell us to panic. It is in these moments that I challenge you and encourage you to close your eyes and allow your faith in the promises of God to take over rather than the emotions that are telling you to be afraid and freak out.

This scripture also helps us answer what I have found to be the toughest questions. The questions of “Why me?”, and “Why did God allow this to happen?”. We are made complete by being broken and reassembled. It is a difficult process to fully grasp and or appreciate, but in all of my reading of scripture, experiences in life, and time spent with the Lord, I have found that perseverance is the equation to completeness. This does not mean that we have a God that is sitting there watching us, just dreaming up ways to sabotage our plans so we can learn to push through. It means that we live in a broken world and the Lord will use everything that comes your way to break you down and teach you how to trust in Him. For it is in that trust that completeness and godly maturity is found.

Dear Lord, please give us the strength to be strong and courageous as we face each obstacle that this life throws our way. Like the definition of perseverance states, please help us not quit when we are discouraged, but to take that time to dig deep and submit our lives once again to you. In that hour where we want to run and hide, please help us run and hide in your arms, as it is the only place we will find hope, acceptance, and strength. Amen

Remember that God Loves You Anyway

“All of those reasons that pop into your head of why God could not possibly love you are valid. We do not deserve the love that He is offering. However, He is still offering it! He loves you anyway. He is looking beyond what you look like right now. He doesn’t just see you as something broken, tarnished, and falling apart. He sees what you will look like once he is able to piece you back together and fill you with His love and purpose.” (Step by Step, June 19, 2009)

When all else fails and the question that is stuck in your head is, “How can anyone love me?”, be reminded that God does. He doesn’t love you because you are perfect, or said the right thing, or did the right thing, or finished that project, or got an A+, or have somehow conquered your most recent vice. He loves you simply because you are His. He chose you and gave His life to assure that nothing could steal you away. The only way that He will lose that which He has purchased at such a great cost is due to the freedom that has been granted to that which has been purchased. You have the freedom to walk away. For me personally, I think this is the worst part of the deal-- and yet, the most important. At times I wish the Lord would allow me to sign my life over to give up my will and my freedom of choice. Then I could serve Him and not get lost in temptations, fear and selfishness.

This is also important to remember as you walk through this life
There are people out there that will let you down and hurt you. At times the wounds that are created can be so painful that even breathing is difficult. However, just like God loves you in spite of yourself, He also loves that person that has done a terrible thing in hurting you. To be completely honest, I am very excited to know that God loves me no matter what I do, but I do not always like that God loves others in the same way. I am embarrassed to share this hidden and selfish part of me. There are times that I would like to see the Lord bring retribution on those who have let me down or wounded me. These thoughts immediately cause me to realize that there is so much more that God has to do in my life. I need to get out of the way of myself and my own wounds and pray that the Lord will show His love and forgiveness to each of His children- even the ones that have not always acted like I think they should.

I am so grateful that the Lord loves me in my broken state and it should bring a smile to your face that He loves you just the same. Run to the Lord and allow Him to guide, shape and transform your life. He has a great plan for you.

These lyrics are a wonderful reminder that God’s love is not based up on what we have done but what he has done. Thank God for what He has done!

What If --Jadon Lavik
What if I climbed that mountain, what if I swam to that shore
What if every battle was victorious then would you love me more
Would you love me more
What if I were everyone’s first choice, what if I went farther than before
What if I stood high above the rest than would you love me more
Would you love me more

You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
Why you do, why you do, I’m in awe of you, ooh

What if I ignored the hand that fed me, what if I forgot to confess
What if I stumbled down that mountain then would you love me less
Lord would you love me less

What if I were everyones last choice what if I mixed in with the rest
What if I failed what I passed before then would you love me less

Lord would you would you love me less, oh no oh no oh no

You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
You do you do you do

What have I done to deserve your son sent to die for me
What can I give I want to live give me eyes to see
In a world that keeps changin’ there’s one thing that I know is true
Your love is stayin’ there’s nothing else I’ll hold onto

You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
Why you do

You say I belong to you apart from the things I do
You say I belong to you I’m in awe of why you do
I’m in awe of you I’m in awe of you

The way you love me, the way you do
The way you do , the way you love me, you love me , you love me
The way you do the way you do the way you love me,
the way you love you love you love

Remember that God Paid Your Ransom

"There will be many moments along the journey where you will be tempted to stop and look at all the reasons that you are not worthy of allowing God to bring great blessings. It is one of the wages of war from the enemy of your soul to remind you of your failures and shortcomings. It is essential that each and every time you begin to feel that you are out of place and should be rummaging through the junk yard instead of enjoying God’s “five star service,” that you remember how Jesus came to this earth and paid your debt. You can raise your head high and look people in the eye with confidence. This is not because you have found a way [on your own] to overcome. The freedom and purpose that people will read in your eyes is a direct result of the price that Jesus paid for each and every one of us." (Step by Step 6/19/09)


Imagine that you live back in 50 AD. You were once a free man, but through a few bad decisions and some unexpected life turns, you are now a slave. You wear chains on your wrists, ankles, and one attached to a ring around your neck. Every day of your life is spent remembering the bad decisions and dreaming about what would had happened if you had opened “Door B” instead of “Door A” and made better decisions. Though the chains are heavy and painful, you wear them as if they are a part of who you are, as it is your belief that you have somehow earned them through the mistakes of the past. That is, until today. Today, your life has been interrupted with the chance to be challenged and changed forever. A new master has shown up and has paid for your debt; however, this master is different. This Master wants to take the chains off of your neck, arms, and feet and set you free. This Master has only one job for you. Instead of slave labor, this new Master requires that you show the same love you have been shown to those who surround you and for you to tell others about this new Master.

So, now you have a choice... What will you do? Will you live like a free man? Will you show others the love that was shown you? Or will you take the chains that have been removed from around your neck, arms and feet and put them back on?

I know that it sounds crazy to think that anyone would even entertain the idea of re-chaining themselves to a life of slavery. And yet, this is what happens to Christian men and women on a daily basis. Jesus has set them free and they no longer have to carry their past debts, but like an earned trophy, they take their freedom and set it aside to wear the familiar bonds of slavery.

Listen! Jesus came to this earth and died to set you free. All of the mistakes of your past, from the smallest of missteps to the most gruesome atrocities, have been paid for. QUIT WEARING YOUR CHAINS!

Luke 4:16-21
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them,
"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."