You Be The One

"You give them something to eat!"

Mark 6:37

In Mark 6 we read an interesting story which I think carries a significant message for the body of Christ. Mark tells of a time when Jesus was trying to give His disciples an opportunity to get away to a quiet place and rest. They had been so busy with people coming and going that they hadn't even had a chance to eat. So they got in a boat and were heading off to a secluded place by themselves. However, the crowd saw them going and got there ahead of them. When Jesus saw the crowd, He had compassion on them and began to teach them many things. Now here is where Jesus tries to get His disciples to learn an important message about how they see themselves.

It was getting late and the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowd away so the people could go buy themselves something to eat. However, Jesus said, "You give them something to eat!" Of course we know the rest of the story, He multiplied the loaves and fishes from a little boy's lunch and fed the crowd of five thousand. The point is, Jesus knew His disciples needed to begin to see themselves as ones who could access heaven for others, and not just watch Jesus meet everyone's needs all the time. He told them 'you meet the need!'

There are times we need the comfort and ministering from others in the body of Christ, but there are also times that we need to get past what we are going through and see ourselves as the ones with the answers for others. If you know how to pray for yourself, then you know how to pray for others. If you know what it's like to feel hungry, as the disciples were at that moment, then you can have compassion on others going through the same thing. This compassion leads the way to the miraculous. Sometimes we just need to stop focusing on our own stuff, and ask the Lord what He would have us do to help other people.

The Lord doesn't want you to fall into the trap of seeing yourself as a powerless Christian who has too many faults, shortcomings, or problems to be able to help anyone else. You have the Greater One living in you and He has the answers to everything! Don't think that you have to be perfect before God can use you to minister to others. Nothing would ever get done if that were the case! You can do, as David did, and strengthen yourself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6). Let's not be like those who leech off our pastors, friends and others we esteem in the Lord, by looking for them to counsel us, pray with us, or encourage us all the time. Instead let's be like Jesus and minister life wherever we go. Let's free up our pastor's time so he can minister to those who are in a more desperate situation than we are at the moment. In fact, maybe we can pray for our pastor, send him an encouraging note, say something that brings a breath of fresh air to him, rather than another complaint or problem. You know when you do, the Lord will take care of your needs very well. If you need help, by all means ask for it, but just get ready for the times when the Lord smiles at you and says, "you be the one."

Border Patrol

Like a city that is broken into and without walls

is a man who has no control over his spirit.

Proverbs 25:28

We're living in a moment where borders are becoming blurred. Currently, there is an invasion going in in Iraq causing the disintegration of some of their geographic border. Of course this is what wars are usually fought over--land, and as in this case, religion. This war brings out a point of what happens in a spiritual war. All Christians are involved in a war against the enemy of our souls. He would try and infiltrate 'lands' that are not geographic. The most basic of these being the human spirit. He will attempt to gain control by trying to penetrate the borders of our thoughts and minds.

If a person does not guard the border of his mind and thoughts, every deceptive thought that comes along will affect his spirit. He is not protected and eventually loses ground. The Scripture above says if you have no control over your own spirit then you are like a city that is broken into and without walls. Losing control of your own spirit can be prevented by guarding your thoughts. By not guarding your thoughts and protecting what you allow into your mind, you end up suffering invasion and all that invasion brings, such as loss and violence. We suffer loss when our hopes, dreams and provision are lost. We suffer violence when we're invaded with sickness and other calamities. And on and on it goes because the enemy will take as much ground as he is allowed to. So how do we stop this invasion?

Borders are defined lines--points which are not to be moved. These borders are established already for us. They were set by the Creator. They are natural standards of truth set by God. The Word of God defines these borders for us. We're not to move them. Proverbs 22:28 says not to move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set. These are truths that are meant to be passed down from generation to generation. We're to live our lives according to these truths. We're to guard our borders, our thoughts, by keeping them in line with this truth, and as a result we retain control of our spirit, our lives. Once we regain control over our own spirit, we can willingly yield to God and His commands. 

There are many thoughts that come to you that sound so good. However the Bible tells us to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. This is a weapon of ours! Thoughts contrary to the knowledge of God and Christ are invasive weeds that want to gain ground in your life. How much clutter is in your time, your home, and your finances? What has invaded your life and robbed you of your land, keeping you from fulfilling your dreams and your call? What has stolen your provision, your time, your space and your peace? Identity the invaders! Weed out those things that are trying to steal from you. This is an ongoing thing we always need to be aware of. It's not a one-time weeding. Make room for the seed of God's Word instead of invasive, cluttering thoughts so your destiny can spring up in the fullness of God!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Let the I AM replace your AM I!

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; 

and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 

"I AM has sent me to you."

Exodus 3:14

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, "I am."

John 8:58

When trying to live a "good christian life" people often fall into the am I crisis. Not I Am, but Am I. This is the conflict that occurs when we try to live how we think we should, but don't feel like we are doing very well. We're not exactly sure how to judge how we're doing. We ask ourselves, am I doing this right? Am I doing enough for the kingdom? Am I loving like I should? Am I fulfilling the purpose the Lord has for me? Am I, am I, am I! 

We might ask ourselves, "Who am I?" What is my title in God's kingdom? What job do I have? What is my place and position? We might even compare ourselves with those that seem to be doing so much for the Lord and feel that we don't measure up, and can't see how we ever could. This is the am I crisis and God has a solution for it!

When God spoke to Moses to go tell His people that God was sending him to deliver them from their slavery, Moses asked God who should he say is sending him? God said to tell them I AM has sent you. So God called Himself, I AM. God is. He doesn't struggle to be God, He is God. Jesus also said, "before Abraham was born, I am." 

The Bible tells us in Colossians 3:3, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are dead to your own life and hidden with Christ in God. This is your identity--dead to self, hidden in Christ. Your identity is found in the I AM. It's not found in the 'I should be, or I want to be."' The 'shoulds' and want-to's' are not who you are! You are hidden in the I AM. So what does this mean?

It means first of all, not to judge yourself according to what you think you should be doing in order to be a "good" Christian. You are in Christ and you are where you are in your life today for a reason. Don't struggle to be something you are not, but rather live out your identity in Christ right where you are. Start today. Look at your job, your family, your position in life as the high calling that it is. Hide yourself in the I AM today as you go through your day.

Next, trust Him to guide your path. As it says in Proverbs 3:5-6, trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't try to figure things out, acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight. When you quit feeling guilty for not doing what you think you should be doing, but let the I AM live through you, acknowledging Him in everything, then your path will lead to where you need to go. 

Today, look at your day with joy, not drudgery, and keep your thoughts on the I AM, shining Him into every place you go and everything you do!

The Cobblestone Roads

"If you want to do something for your country then rebuild the cobblestone roads."

I had a dream the other night that someone said those words to me. If you want to do something for your country then rebuild the cobblestone roads. I know. I thought the same thing--what does that mean? So, of course, I did a little research on cobblestone roads. This is what I found.

Cobblestones are smooth round stones that have been rounded by the flow of water. They are typically set in sand to make roads and sometimes bound together with mortar. Cobblestone roads are durable enough that they allow a road to be used for heavy traffic all year round. The design helps prevent the ruts so typically found in dirt roads, yet doesn't get muddy in wet weather or dusty in dry weather. They move with the ground and therefore don't crack when the ground moves due to weather changes.

The first thing that stood out to me are the smooth, round stones. The Bible talks about five smooth stones in the story of David and Goliath. David had gathered five smooth stones from the brook to use against the enemy of God's people. He refused to wear the armor that was offered to him, but chose instead that which he was familiar with--faith in God. God had delivered him before from both the lion and the bear and David knew God would deliver him this time as well. He said, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" David wasn't trusting in himself, his skill, or his stones, but in God.

Another thing about cobblestone roads is that they move and therefore do not crack when the ground shifts. When we try and build a road that is too rigid, too strict, or too defined it will crack under the pressure. As we allow room for the stones to move and breathe it will hold up under much stress. We must remain flexible enough to sense the shifting of the seasons and move with the Lord as He does.

What does this have to do with our country? When a country is built with faith in God as a foundation and is flexible enough to allow people to worship the Lord and follow Him as they sense His leading, it will hold up under much stress and pressure for many years to come.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobblestone, retrieved 8/9/2014; 1 Samuel 17:26

The Temple and the Altar

Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?

Matthew 23:17

Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees because they thought that the gold which made up the temple was more important than the temple itself. His point was that the temple sanctifies the gold, not the other way around. In the same way, He said it is not the offering on the altar that sanctifies the altar, but the other way around. The holy altar is what makes man's offering holy and the holy temple is what makes the gold of the temple holy. Yet both the temple and the altar are only holy because they have been touched, anointed, or inhabited by God. Paul said that we are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. His presence within sanctifies us, and our work!

What this tells us is that who we are, and what we build, apart from the Lord, is never good and holy enough for Him. The work that we do and what we offer to Him, are not worthy to be presented to Him. (Just ask Cain!) The thing that makes our lives and our efforts holy are the anointing of the Lord--His presence inside, the cleansing from the blood of Jesus and the anointing of His Holy Spirit. This is what sanctifies us and makes not only us, but all that we do, holy and acceptable to Him. 

Just as when the people who built the tower of Babel decided they would build something that would reach the heavens, what we try and build apart from His sanctioning will be nothing more than an idol. The Lord had not chosen that place to put His Name, that was not the place He wanted His temple built. Our desire should be for our work to be gold, silver or precious stone that becomes purified by fire, instead of wood, hay and straw, which burns up in the fire. The difference is, are we building something for ourselves as the tower of Babel, or are we seeking to become a dwelling place for the Lord, building His kingdom?

Our work is meant to be an offering to the Lord, so our work only becomes holy when it is anointed by Him and offered to Him as an act of worship. Our worship of the Lord is only valuable because its directed to the Most High, the Excellent One. His majesty, His glory--He Himself--makes our worship something holy and excellent, which it could never be if directed to something other than Him.

We can find encouragement in Isaiah 66:1-2:

Thus says the Lord, 

"Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. 

Where then is a house you could build for Me? 

And where is a place that I may rest? 

For My hand made all these things, 

Thus all these things came into being," declares the Lord. 

"But to this one I will look, 

To him who is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word." 

The Lord is looking for a temple, a place to rest, to dwell. Of all the places He could choose, He is looking for a humble heart, submissive to Him and His commands. Will you be His temple?


Matthew 23:15-22; Exodus 29 & 30; Genesis 4:3-5; Genesis 9, Deuteronomy 12:5-6; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; Isaiah 66:1-3

In The Beginning: Jewish Roots in America

"...for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye." Zechariah 2:8

This post is for American Christians who would like some insight as to why we should support Israel and the Jewish people. This is a quote from the book Stand With Israel: Friends of Zion by Mike Evans. It begins discussing the King and Queen of Spain--Ferdinand and Isabella.

"On August 2, 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella issued an expulsion order aimed at the Jewish conversos--those who had converted to Christianity under duress. It read in part:

      "Whereas, having been informed that in these kingdoms, there were some bad Christians who Judaized and apostatized from our holy Catholic faith, the chief cause of which was the communication of Jews with Christians...we ordered the said Jews in all, cities, towns, and places in our kingdoms and dominions to separate into Jewries [ghettos] and place apart...hoping by their separation alone to remedy this evil...But we are informed that neither that, nor the execution of some of the said Jews...has been sufficient for a complete remedy...Therefore we...resolve to order all the said Jews and Jewesses to quit our kingdoms and never return...by the end of the month of July next, of the present year 1492...if they do not perform and execute the same, and are found to reside in out kingdoms...they incur the penalty of  death.

"The following day, August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus, who is thought to have been of Jewish descent, set sail on a voyage of discovery. Contrary to popular belief, his voyage was not funded by the sale of royal jewels, but by two Jewish conversos, both businessmen and members of the royal court. the major financiers were two court envoys, Louis de Santangel, chancellor of the royal household, and Gabriel Sanchez, treasurer of Aragon.

"Can you not see God's hand at work in this enterprise? Just as the Jews of Spain were being expunged from the country, God planted a seed in the heart of an explorer who yearned to find new lands. The voyage eventually led to the shores of the North American continent and the place that would become a refuge for millions of Jews over the centuries--the United States of America. God was preparing a sanctuary for His Chosen People. 

"...Within a century of having expelled the Jews from Spain, the country was bankrupt...

We read on regarding the American Revolution...

"Coolidge also recounted the story of Haym Salomon, Polish Jew financier of the Revolution:

     "Born in Poland, he was made prisoner by the British forces in New York, and when he escaped set up business in Philadelphia. He negotiated for Robert Morris [the superintendent for finance in the Thirteen Colonies] all the loans raised in France and Holland, pledged his personal faith and fortune for enormous amounts, and personally advanced large sums to such men as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Baron Steuben, General St. Clair and many other patriot leaders, who testified that without his aid they could not have carried on in the cause.

"Near the beginning of the Revolution, when colonial soldiers were poorly armed, starving to death, and on the verge of defeat, Salomon went to other Jews in America and Europe and gathered a gift of one million dollars (an incredible amount at that time). He sent the funds to General George Washington, who used them to buy clothes and arms to outfit the American troops, an act that ultimately helped the Colonies win the war. Salomon pledged his personal fortune. It is said that altogether, Salomon gifted the Continental Army with $25 million dollars and later died a pauper. Neither he nor his heirs ever collected a dime of what was due from the Government. He never even received a medal for his services...

"In addition to his gifts, Salomon loaned the US government at least another $800,000. It has been calculated that were his loan to be repaid today at 7 percent interest, the amount owed the Salomon family would equal at least $2.5 trillion.

"To show his appreciation, Washington instructed the engravers of the US one-dollar bill to include a memorial to the Jewish people over the head of the American eagle. It is still there today. If you look closely at the reverse side of a one-dollar bill, you will see thirteen stars over the eagle's head that form the six-pointed Star of David. Surrounding that is a cloudburst representing the glory in the tabernacle in Jerusalem. President Washington specified that this was to be a lasting memorial to he Jewish people for their help in winning the war for independence."

Stand With Israel: Friends of Zion by Mike Evans, Copyright 2014 by Time Worthy Books. Quote from pages 97-102.

Bad Breath!

"...Indeed, has God said,...?" Genesis 3:1

When words are spoken breath is released. This breath creates an atmosphere of life or death depending, not only on the words spoken, but the heart-motivation of the speaker. The words of the serpent to Eve created an atmosphere of doubt. Doubt about God, and about what He said and what He meant. Doubt about His intentions and sincerity for Adam and Eve. This is bad breath! We want to stay away from those breathing out bad breath and creating an atmosphere of doubt, suspicion and a feeling of lack.

On the contrary, Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. His life is a story--a living example--of the Word of God. He is the very breath of God and His life here on earth perfectly revealed the breath of God--His intentions, His love and what He desires for His people. When we spend time breathing in the Words of God, as intended by His Spirit, we surround ourselves with an atmosphere of love, faith, peace and all that He is. As we do this, our breath becomes exhales of His breath and creates life atmospheres wherever we go.

Jesus often spoke in parables to teach the ways of the Father, yet His life was a story too. The Word of God is full of stories about people. When we study the stories of man--history--they also speak about the ways of God. Breathe in..breathe out...the life-filled breath of God!

John 1:14