Credit to Whom Credit is Due

Romans 4:5 - "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness."

What do we have in our spiritual bank accounts? Do we have a list of "good works" that we have done for Jesus? Or, is our spiritual debit card flush with the heavenly gold of faith? We must first understand we are ungodly and need justifying. When this revelation really sinks in, we will realize we can never do anything to commend ourselves to God.

It is a humbling thing to know we can do nothing to save ourselves. It is equally as humbling to know that God still wants a relationship with us in our sinful state. "Can't I just clean myself up a bit before I come to God?" The Lord says emphatically, "NO!" We must come as we are and walk with Him as we are in honesty in humility. This fills our spiritual accounts to overflowing.

The Irresistible Call of God

Mark 3:13 - "And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him."

God's call to those whom He has chosen is irresistible. That is, He calls everyone but knows which ones will respond. While it is tragic how most will not heed the irresistibility of God's beckoning, those of us who embrace His wooing can take great comfort in knowing He will never stop telling us to "come."

He who began a good work in you will complete it, beloved. There is no stopping God once we have become magnetized by His attraction. He will never leave us, nor forsake us, until we become totally His. What He promises, He fulfills.

How to be an Overcomer

Revelation 12:11 - "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death."

It is superfluous to believe we would die for our faith if we are not dying to self in the ordinary, day-to-day. How do we ready ourselves to both live for Christ or to die for Him daily, or to ultimately give up our lives? We must confess, profess, and obsess, beloved! Our confession of what Jesus has done for us through His shed blood is fundamental. Then, we must profess daily what He has done in our respective lives, both by word and deed. Then, we must obsess on our great love, Jesus Christ, and daily give ourselves more and more to Him.

The Lord's words become lifeless when we live as philosophical professors of Christ, for they cost us nothing. Yet, if we are doing these simple yet profound things aforementioned, we will be ready to live or die for Jesus in any situation. The cost will not be a consideration in lieu of what we gain.

Go Deep!

God showed me this morning a picture of children playing on a beach in the surf. Some enjoyed frolicking in the surf, only going in ankle deep. Others ventured in a bit further. Occasionally, one would wander out into the deep and be swept out to sea leaving no trace.

This is the church today in America. We are all individuals enjoying our limited lives with God but then withdrawing when the surf or the requirements of the gospel become too much. Individually, we are scattered with no collective wisdom to understand that God wants to draw us into the great unknown of His deep things. We must humble ourselves and seek Him for wisdom to go waist deep then over our heads in the great beyond, together. Otherwise, we will be as those whom the church deems "fanatics" and will never be heard from again. God first wants trust of Him. Then, He wants trust of each other admitting we don't know anything about the ocean before us but will trust Him to take us to new shores of freedom in Him.

An Open Letter to Pastors

This is one of the saddest posts I have ever had to make. However, I know I do it in obedience to Jesus. For the past 5 years, I have been part of a pastors' prayer meeting that comes together twice a month for prayer for our city. What has baffled me is why so few show up? The Holy Spirit revealed to me this morning the reason for so few and why revival has not happened because of our prayers.

Simply put it is pride.

Jesus is looking for leaders with child-like faith. When we think of child-like faith, we may just look at one facet which is asking and believing. However, without trust, faith of this kind is impossible. I see a lack of transparency and trust amongst pastors and leaders that totally inhibits God moving. Revival will still come, I have no doubt of that. However, it will bypass our efforts as pastors unless we begin to start trusting one another. How can we say we are leaders if we are not transparent enough to trust one another with our hidden sins? In the 5 years I have been coming to these meetings, I have never once heard a leader bear his or her heart and say I need prayer because I am struggling in this area. That would be nearly impossible in our current state as pastors. Action of this sort would make us entirely too vulnerable. However, the Lord God is saying that is what I expect of My leaders. Until we come to the point of not fearing man but fearing God Almighty, our ministries will continue to disgrace the gospel of Jesus Christ with powerlessness.

When we as pastors and leaders begin to confess our sins and shortcomings to one another, God will honor our humility and pour out His Spirit. Many pastors are waiting for this. They want reality and that is why many stay away. They can get the superficial relationships that we offer from many of their parishoners. However, once we truly expose ourselves to one another and not fear what the other will say, then others will join this fellowship grounded in reality. Others may still stay away, choosing to fear man and not trusting others and thereby sacrifice the sweet presence of Jesus as a result.

Revival is coming. However, it may very well pass up those who have supposedly been seeking it diligently through the years. God is seeking groups of men and women whose hearts would be completely His. Pastors and leaders are held by a higher standard which means greater humility than those not in leadership. God will seek out the meek and the lowly. God forgive us as pastors for not leading in this way.

Numbering Our Days

Psalm 90:12 - "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Understanding that we are eternal beings is paramount for receiving the full measure of God's wisdom. The catalyst for this to happen is the fear of the Lord, the gatekeeper which allows God's wisdom to flow (Proverbs 1:7).

We must be taught to number our days, as the scripture states. Teaching is often painful through experience and trial and error. Through our failures and our continual coming to the Lord in humility, our success is realized as we perfect the fear of the Lord. Doing so will allow us to present to Him a perfect heart on that day when time is swallowed up by eternity!

Christ's Appearing

II Timothy 4:8 - "In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

If we have truly loved Christ's appearing in our lives and hearts on the day of our salvation, we will be anticipating His return. Consider King Hezekiah and how he begged God not to take him to heaven (II Kings 20:6). It can be argued that Hezekiah is the reason why the Babylonians later pillaged Jerusalem. If he had not been around to show the Babylonian emissaries Judah's wealth, they might not have bothered with this distant land (II Kings 20:12-19). However, the king was only interested in the "here and now."

Are we Christians that are enraptured with our lives? Have we become so busy with the things of earth that we do not long for the things of heaven? (Luke 14:18-20) We should all beware of loving the "here and now" and long for the "sweet by and by." If not, then have we truly loved His appearing?