Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, Jesus was
hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if
perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found
nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response
Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again. And His
disciples heard it." (Mark 11:12-14)
Further into this situation as recorded in Mark 11:21, Peter says, "...Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." The
word "cursed," here does not imply that Jesus was angry or
disappointment or that He spoke with malice. It means, devoting to
destruction; causing to wither away. It has been commonly thought that
Jesus spoke these words in reference to the destruction or the sudden
withering away of the Jewish people. To the eye the fig tree full of
leaves looked good. In a similar way, the Jews, especially the religious
leaders, looked good on the outside but, as Jesus said, "Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead
men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear
righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness.." (Matthew 23:27-28) Both the fig tree and the Jews were equally barren and as the fig tree
was destroyed or withered, so would the Jewish people be. Although this
is a good illustration of the destruction of the Jewish people, and
Jerusalem did fall in 70 AD, there is no evidence that Jesus intended it
to be so. Without scriptural evidence of meaning such, it becomes just a
good illustration.
As we continue looking at this incident we see the heart of the matter, "Now
in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from
the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig
tree which You cursed has withered away. So Jesus answered and said to
them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to
this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt
in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he
will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you
ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have
them." (Mark 11:20-24) The lesson that we should take away from this is not only a lesson on faith, but also the power of our words.
The words that we speak have greater affect than what we believe. Many times we have neutralized our faith due to our words. "You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth." (Proverbs 6:2) When we look closely at the ministry of Jesus we will discover why He had such great faith. It's because He only spoke that which He heard the Father say. "For
I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave
Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that
His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as
the Father has told Me, so I speak." (John 12:49-50)
Jesus only spoke the Father's Words. When He did, it caused faith to well up and be released. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." ( Romans 10:17) Notice that this says, "faith comes by hearing" not reading the Word of God quietly. God told Joshua, "This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to
all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8-9) Notice the specifics of God's Word to Joshua, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night." In other words, "Keep saying my Word and as you hear, meditate on it. This also was to be a continuous event, "day and night."
Although Jesus tells us, "...the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life"
(John 6:63) does not means that people believe or understand what He
is saying. What we need to be certain of is, it is impossible to get faith
from God's Word if we do not have faith in God's Word. As Paul tells
us, faith comes by hearing God's Word. As we audibly speak God's Word,
it is absorbed by our recreated spirit and in turn renews our mind.
Notice what Jesus tells us in Mark 11:23. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be
removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but
believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever
he says. The words "say" or "says" appears three time and the word believe only once. This again points out the importance of our words.
Some people worry continually which causes them to think wrong things
which in turn cause them to speak wrong things. They constantly think
and talk doubt and unbelief. You will never build up your faith doing this. The more you talk about the problems, the bigger the problem seems to be. The Apostle Paul tells us, "Finally,
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever
things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there
is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things." (Philippians
4:8-9) So if things are not true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good
report, virtuous or praiseworthy, then you shouldn't be thinking about
it, because sooner or later the wrong things will come forth from your
mouth. Instead, let us take seriously the words that Solomon spoke, "My
son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not
let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their
flesh." (Proverbs 4:20-22)
Monday, November 29, 2021
The Power of Words
Monday, November 22, 2021
Truly Thankful to You Lord
Thanksgiving Day, in the United States, is a holiday celebrated on the
fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving was celebrated nationally in
1789, after a proclamation by George Washington. It has been celebrated
as a federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the Civil War,
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and
Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." As a
federal and public holiday in the United States, Thanksgiving is one of
the major holidays of the year. The event that Americans commonly call
the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their
first harvest in the New World at the Plymouth Plantation in 1621.
According to historic accounts, this feast lasted three days, and it was
attended by 90 Native Americans. It was first and foremost celebrated
as a religious observance of the blessings of God upon the early
settlers.
Although the colonist
did not call the celebration Thanksgiving, it was the
first corn harvest proved successful by the new colonists. After being plagued with sickness
and death, there was definitely something to be thankful to God for.
So, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and
invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies,
including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. While no record
exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler
Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men
on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the
Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested
that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native
American spices and cooking methods. The
meal, most likely, did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a
hallmark of contemporary celebrations. Today, in the United States, Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday of the year.
In many American households, the Thanksgiving
celebration has lost much of its original religious significance.
Instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with
family and friends. Although turkey has become all but synonymous with
the holiday, it may or may not have been on the menu of this inaugural
feast in 1621. According to the National Turkey Federation, today,
nearly 90 percent of Americans eat some type of foul, whether roasted,
baked or deep-fried, on Thanksgiving Day. Other traditional foods
include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, a variety of
vegetables and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is also a common Thanksgiving
Day activity. Communities, especially churches, often hold food drives
and host free dinners for the less fortunate. Parades have also become
an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United
States. Although these things may have some redeeming qualities, there
is one thing that has certainly corrupted Thanksgiving Day which began
Thanksgiving Day 2014. Unfortunately, most department stores and
retailers have
permitted greed to erode this day of giving thanks to become a day of
making a profit.
Although there has been a departure in the United States of the true
meaning and reason for celebrating Thanksgiving, and although there may
be some who disagree that Thanksgiving was a religious event, believers
should never let any sector of society deprive us of celebrating Thanksgiving from its original roots, celebrating the wonderful works of God. The Apostle Paul tells us, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1
Thessalonians 5:18) Believers are to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
We should always remember what the Lord Jesus Christ did for humanity.
The fact that He left the glory of heaven to take on the form of a man
(Philippians 2:5-8), becoming sin with our sin and sick with our
sicknesses (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10), should cause every believe to be
extremely thankful and to greatly rejoice. To rejoice is a spontaneous, unsustainable feeling of jubilance; a feeling so strong that it
finds expression in some external act, clapping, dancing, shouting. It means to be exceedingly joyful.
Even in our prayer time believers are to be thankful, "Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6) "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men."
(1 Timothy 2:1) So, during this festive holiday, let us truly offer the
Lord the fruit of our lips from hearts of thanksgiving, how great and
wonderful He is. Let us give Him thanks for the wonderful blessings
that He has given and continues to give. May the grace of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ fill you with thanksgiving everyday...
Monday, November 15, 2021
Set Your Mind on Things Above
God has created man as a triune being. The Apostle Paul reveals this to us, "Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your
whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) The spirit is the
faculty that relates to the spiritual realm. It is who we really are.
The body is the vehicle that allows us to relate with the world around
us. The soul is the part of man where we find the mind, will and
emotions. To put this together in perspective, man is a spirit, he has a
soul and they both dwell in a physical body. The soul is composed of
the reasoning faculties. The physical body possesses the five senses
which are the educators and teacher of the brain. The brain cannot
function without the senses which means the mind cannot function without
the senses. If a child is born without any of the five senses
functioning the mind will not function.
It makes no difference whether one is "Born Again'
or not, oft times people have many thoughts cruising back and forth
through their mind. The mind can become so powerful in a sense that it
will control a persons world whether in a good way or bad. Basically,
what a person thinks is what they will believe. What they believer will
manifest in their words, which in turn will be seen in their actions.
So, whatever is on your mind, will basically govern your life. The
Apostle Paul tells us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)
One of the things that we see here is how much the world system
influences the mind. It tries to conform people especially believers,
into its standard. However, we must always keep in mind that the world
has been completely corrupted by Satan. The Bible tells us that he is
the god of this world, "...whose minds the god of this age has blinded..." (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that he is the prince of the power of the air "in
which you once walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2). The Apostle Paul also tells us, "and be renewed in the spirit of your mind."
(Ephesians 4:23) In other words, the entire old way of living was to be
abandoned; a new one to takes its place. The mind is to be renovated,
renewed not only in a general sense, but the very spirit of it. All of
its faculties and powers must be thoroughly and completely renewed.
When one is Born Again,
their spirit is recreated. For many believers their Christian
experience seems to rise and fall as time goes by. Let's be honest, your
mind has been fashioned after the things of this world. The world's
ideals probably have been yours. It stands to reason then, when
believers do not spend daily time in God's Word the recreated spirit in a
sense is starved. Unless ones spirit is cared for by feeding on God's
Word it becomes difficult at best for the mind to be renewed. We need to
understand that all the knowledge the mind had prior to being Born
Again, came from :he senses and the senses can never be renewed because
they are a part of the physical body. The next thing to be mindful of is
the soul also was not recreated, only the spirit. However, both can be
brought into subjection and they can be controlled so to speak, by the
recreated spirit through the Word of God. The mind slowly but surely as
it feeds on the Word, meditates in the Word, practices and lives the
Word, comes into the fellowship of the recreated spirit. This is the
place where all believers should have as a top priority in their life.
When the mind comes under subjection of the recreated spirit, then the
body will also follow.
The renewing of the mind with the Word of God has a direct correlation with the believers faith, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
(Romans 10:17) Therefore, a believer with small faith is almost
invariably a person whose mind has not yet been renewed. But we also
must keep in mind, that the mind can't be renewed by simply believing
the Bible. The Word of God must be acted upon. Many of our Bible
teachers have never seen this because their senses govern their mind,
meaning, their senses govern what they teach. Their recreated spirit has
a very small place in their lives.
God spoke to Joshua and gave him the same principle that Paul reveals to the believer, "This
Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to
all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8) God tells Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night for a purpose, "For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." In other words as Joshua meditated on Gods Word his ways (acting upon the Word) would prosper and he would have success.
Paul also exhorts us with these words, "If then you were raised with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at
the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on
the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2) So, what is on your mind? The things
of God that bring peace and joy or the things of the world which steal
away these very things. As Paul says, "Finally, brethren, whatever
things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy, meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8) So, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly...
Monday, November 8, 2021
God Is Faithful
There are three enemies that believers constantly face, the kingdom of
darkness, the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of self. Each one
if left unchecked works against the believer to deceive and distract
them from the Truth. When Jesus began His earthly ministry as the Son of
Man the Bible records that He was water Baptized, filled with the Holy
Spirit (Matthew 3:13-16) and then led by the Holy Spirit into the
wilderness where He was tempted by the devil for forty day (Luke 4:1-2).
Next, the Bible records, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) We see that the devil, even after he was defeated by Jesus in open combat, sought opportunity to get at Jesus.
For believers it is no different. We get victory from an assault of the
devil and yet it seem that he looks for opportunity to come at us
again. We need to understand that the devil hates every human being
especially those who are "Born Again." His objective is to have as many
people as possible face the same fate that he is facing, unimaginable
eternal torment in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:10)
However, for the believer, Jesus has conquered the devil and all his
demon spirits. It is through His meritorious work on Calvary's cross
that He has provided a way to be free from Satan's tyrannical reign over
them. It is the believers faith
in Jesus Christ that has set them free. Although the devil may still
try to come against the believer, we must always remember that he is a
defeated foe. Paul said it this way, "For sin or Satan shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."
(Romans 6:14) I added Satan because he is the originator and
perpetrator of all sin into humanity. Sin and Satan are synonymous.
Next, the believer faces the kingdoms of this world. Unfortunately, most
believers do not realize just how dependent they have become on the
world. I am not saying this in a condemning way, but it is a reality.
For many believers, when things go wrong the first thing that they do,
is turn to the world, yet Jesus tells us, "If the world hates you,
you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world,
the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but
I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John
15:18-19) How does the world hate us? Look at how the world looks at
Christianity. Whether a supposedly free country or not, the world has a
growing hatred towards true Christians. I say true Christians because
many people attend a church service every Sunday an act no different
than the fallen world. They have fallen prey to "...all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." John finishes by saying these things "...are not of the Father but of the world."
(1 John 2:16) It is no wonder why so many people in the church suffer
or have broken hearts. For believers who look to the world for answers
and still struggle, you need to know that the world will always take
that which is good such as peace, joy, faith
and love and then gives worry, stress, disappointment and destruction.
The reason for this is due to the CEO of the world system. It is none
other than Satan himself.
Finally, the believer faces, the kingdom of self. This is equally destructive to the other two because all three neutralize faith
and lead believers away from the abundant life that Jesus brought to
earth (John 10:10). The kingdom of self is summed up in this, the love
of mammon or riches. In short, it says, "What is mine, is mine" but it
does not stop there. It is motivated by the kingdom of darkness and the
kingdoms of this world that drives people to get as much as they can. I
have seen this in the lives of wealthy people who could retire and live
in luxury for the rest of their lives, but are always striving for more.
Mammon causes people to waste their lives on things not realizing that
they are missing out on the true riches of this life. The kingdom of
self unfortunately is a problem among many believers. The best way to
see if you are under control of mammon is to examine yourself and see
how much you worry about finances especially if you are going to have
enough to retire.
So, now that we have taken a brief look at the three areas that
believers face, how can we separate ourselves from them to experience
the abundant life the Jesus brought? Paul tells us, "I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2) Believers
should consecrate themselves to the Lord daily and use the Word of God
daily to transform their mind. This will help believers to find the true
riches such as peace, joy, faith and love. Now, I want us to look at another very important key that will help us to act upon the Romans 12:1-2 principle.
David the king was under attack not only by the Philistines but the very
king that he served, King Saul. Both wanted him dead which forced him
to be on the run and hide in caves. Yet in all of this he remembered who
the God he served truly was, "I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies." ( Psalms 18:1-3)
Look at David's confession, The Lord is my strength, my rock, my
fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold. This is
who our God is. When believers truly come to know this about God, the
three forces that oppose them will have less and less hold. All
believers must come to realize that our heavenly Father is faithful.
What He says, He does or He would not have said it. When we find
ourselves in a conflict with, the kingdom of darkness, the kingdoms of
this world and or the kingdom of self it is not that we should not take a
stand against them but we must foremost remember who our God and Father
truly is. Confess these things, believe it in our heart and act upon
it. Doing this will help us build our faith
and when we find ourselves facing a seemingly indomitable task, don't
be surprised to hear His small still voice say to you, "I Got This."
Monday, November 1, 2021
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Looking back at how praise and worship has evolved (maybe not a good choice of a word), many have noticed a difference in the lyrics. In many songs today the lyrics have switched from acknowledging who God is and what He has done, to being focused on self. Revelation paints a glorious picture of the worship that take
place before the throne of God, “The four living creatures, each
having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not
rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was
and is and is to come!" Whenever the living creatures give glory and
honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and
ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns
before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created." (Revelation 4:8-11)
We see further, “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each
having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers
of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take
the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have
redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and
people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we
shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many
angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the
number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory
and blessing!" And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth
and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" Then the
four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down
and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:9-14)
Although this praise and
worship is taking place in heaven, it no way infers that praise and
worship should be different on earth. The point in this is, true praise
and worship comes from a heart that is filled with great reverence, awe,
fear, joy, adoration and exaltation that is directed to the Lord. We
are to praise and worship Him. If you listen closely to many
contemporary songs that have filled many congregation today, it has
become somewhat difficult to know whom the song is addressing. The name
of Jesus is hardly ever spoken and there is rarely the acknowledging Him
as Lord. There are also many songs that do not contain scripture in the
lyrics, but many of the songs that use scripture in the lyrics tend to
take the scripture out of context, which twists their true meaning.
Another unfortunate aspect that we see in many contemporary songs today
is the words, He, Him, His have been replaced with me, my, I.
It seems that once again in order to reach the lost soul, the church has
cut the Lord out of the equation. Music is a very powerful medium and
if the church is not willing to worship God in Spirit and Truth with
their focus on exalting Him, then we cannot blame our children for
listening to secular music that focuses on the works of the flesh. This
is not to say that contemporary music should be eliminated from the
church, but that those responsible for music in every congregation
should scrutinize the lyrics of every song before they refer to them as
praise or worship
songs. This also does not insinuate that hymns are the only songs that
are pure worship; on the contrary, some of the sweetest sounding hymns
also have lyrics that are not focus on the Lord but on the believer. In
addition, many hymns place the focus on the afterlife for the believer.
Examples of this are, “When we get to heaven we will have the victory;”
“When we get to heaven we will be new;” “When we get to heaven we will
have rest;” yet God’s Word assures the believer of their victory, new
life and rest in Christ right here on planet earth. Regardless of which
style of music individual congregation’s desire, the church today must
put its focus on the Lord if it is going to truly worship Him.
The church must never exclude an intimate time of ministering to the Lord through praise and
worship. We must refrain from placing a limited time of praise and
worship in our gatherings. We must reject songs that are not the Word of
God as well as songs that do not directly exalt the Lord. To abandon
true praise and worship for any reason is to say that God is not worthy
of our admiration and we do not need His presences to have a successful
church service. Again, church leaders must scrutinize songs so that the
music and lyrics is completely God focused. Otherwise, we cannot say
that we are worshiping the Lord. Church can no longer fall prey trying
to please men instead of God or just sing nice songs if we truly want to
experience the glory of the Lord in our congregations. I want to
challenge you the reader to take time everyday in praise and worship to
the Lord. "Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150)
Monday, October 25, 2021
Worshipping Through Adversity
When God's people look to Him and not their circumstances and begin to praise and worship
Him, He moves in our midst defeating the enemy and bringing deliverance
to His people. Another story that the Bible record showing us the power
of praise and worship is seen in the Book of Acts as seen in the lives
of Apostle Paul and Silas. They were taken into custody for casting a
demon out of a woman who was used to earn money for her master, “Then
the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore
off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when
they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison,
commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a
charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the
stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a
great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and
immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were
loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the
prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and
was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying,
"Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light,
ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought
them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16.22-29)
We see several things unfold in this account. Paul ans Silas were beaten
with rods, placed into the inner prison and their feet fastened in
stocks. This would mostly be enough for the average believer to murmur
and complain to God for being abused in such a way. But instead of
murmuring and complaining, "...at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." What took place due to their actions of placing their focus on the Lord rather than their circumstances, we note that "...the prisoners were listening to them." This
is an important lesson for us to learn. How many people, saved or
unsaved are listening to our words without us even knowing? Let's be
honest, most believers, way to often murmur and complain aloud about
their circumstances not giving any thought to the damage their words are
causing and the negative affect that their words are having. They must
believe that God somehow does not know their struggles or worse yet,
that God Himself has brought these circumstances upon them for some
reason that only He knows.
If Paul and Silas murmur and complained instead of praying and
worshiping God, the situation would not have had the impact that it had.
The fact that they chose to pray and worship gave God permission and access to release His power. Remember Psalms 22:3 "But You are holy, Who inhabit the praises of Your people." Let's look at God operating in this situation, "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and
everyone's chains were loosed." The power of God manifested right in the inner prison. Right in the midst of what we would consider a bad situation.
Finally, we see the distance that praise and worship can go in a situation such as this, "And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison
doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was
about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do
yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, ran
in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them
out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The results of this situation is, “Now when he (the jailer) had brought them (Paul and Silas) into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.” (Acts 16.34) Praise the Lord. The jailer and His household were saved opening a door for a church plant in Philippi.
Praising and worshiping God in any situation or circumstance unleashes the power of God. It defeats the enemy and as with Paul and Silas, it opens door for the preaching of the gospel and the salvation
of lost souls. PTL...
Monday, October 18, 2021
Defeating The Enemy Through Worship
During the ministry of Jesus on earth as the Son of Man, He had an
encounter with a Samaritan woman who was from the City of Sychar. During
His conversation with her He made this statement, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
(John 4.24) First let's look at what the word worship carries with it,
to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and
veneration; to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission; to
perform acts of adoration. In other words, worship is not just playing
music and singing songs with nice lyrics, but is a deep heartfelt
adoration for the Lord. To worship in spirit is to permit the Holy
Spirit to move upon the believer’s redeemed spirit causing, honor,
reverence, adoration and devotion to ascend to God. In other words,
Jesus is saying that true worship only connects with God in the Spirit
because He is Spirit. We also see Jesus telling the woman that true
worship to God is also through truth. In John 14:6, Jesus proclaimed
Himself the ultimate reality of absolute truth. Therefore, the believer
worships the Father by depending on and responding to the Holy Spirit
then through Jesus Christ (the Truth) worship becomes genuine and
acceptable to God.
When looking at praise and worship in the early church it is easy to
imagine how intense and powerful it was. However, we must remember that
the church started with the Jews at Jerusalem, a people who once had a
king named David who was also a priest, prophet, warrior and most
importantly, a man after God’s heart. The Bible records that as David
brought the Ark of the Covenant to the City of David that he and all the
house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of
instruments. (2 Samuel 6:5) This is important for us to see because it
is quite sad that the church today differs on what instruments are
considered appropriate and which ones are considered inappropriate when
in fact we see that Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of
instruments.
Another thing that we should note, is David the king danced before the
LORD with all of his might. (2 Samuel 6:15) Unfortunately, David’s wife
Michal despised him for leaping and whirling before the Lord. (2 Samuel
6:16) She equated him to one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovering
himself. (2 Samuel 6:20) However, when we take a closer look at the word
praise, it carries with it some interesting ideas: to make a show; to
boast; celebrate; virtue; excellence; manliness. So, let's put some of
these words together, and see why David danced with all of his might
before the Lord. He was celebrating, acting virtuous’, excellent and
manly. I always find it interesting how the people in the Old Testament
were bound by the Law, yet free to express themselves in praise and worship
while believers today are free from the Law but seem bound to express
their heartfelt adoration and jubilation for the Lord through praise and
worship. The early church did not have this problem, because the King
of Kings was the focus, not themselves nor anything else.
Let us look at an extreme situation and what happened when the people praised God, “It
happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon,
and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against
Jehoshaphat.” (2 Chronicles 20:1) Judah was facing annihilation, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he spoke to the people,
“…thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of
this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” (2 Chronicles 20:15) “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord…” (2 Chronicles 20:17) We read further, “And
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the
Lord. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the
children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with
voices loud and high.” (Chronicles 20:18-19) Notice in the midst of this peril, they stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.
Next, “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those
who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of
holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the
Lord, for His mercy endures forever." (2 Chronicles 20:21) Just as the prophet spoke, we see that the battle was the Lords, “So
when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked
toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the
earth. No one had escaped.” (2 Chronicles 20:24) With their focus on
the Lord and lifting up loud and high voices, the Lord defeated the
enemy. Do we see just how important praise and worship
is? It is not about us, the instruments we use or don't use, it's about
placing our focus upon the Lord, magnifying and exalting Him.
In this particular situation, we see God defend His people and defeat
the enemy that was set against them. The same thing holds true today.
When the church worships God as He has prescribed, in Spirit and Truth,
then we are permitting Him to have access to our difficulties. We give
Him permission to bring healing, deliverance, that is salvation in our
midst. This is defeating the enemy who has brought these things upon
God's people. Psalm 22:3 tells us, "But You are Holy, Who inhabit the praises of Your people." To inhabit means, to live or reside in; to be present in; fill. God does not just hear our praise
and worship, but He enjoys being in our very midst. As we minister to
Him as priests, He reciprocates and ministers to us His children. What a
most wonderful thing to experience. So, let us worship God in Spirit and Truth so that He can
inhabit our praises?