Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Son, I am telling you in advance what I am about to do. That way you and your family will have enough when the years of famine come. People from all around will come to buy from you when you are prepared. Remember, that you must keep believing even when there is no reason to do so. In this time of testing you must not waver in believing My promises. When you keep believing – your faith will grow stronger, and this brings Me great glory. But, you must be fully convinced that I am able to do what I have promised.

 

When My children hear and see the truth, they will be prepared. They must understand that My righteousness will bring them peace, quietness, and confidence. I will greatly bless My children when they know this truth.

 

People of the world need to understand that no one can ever be made right with Me by doing what they think are good acts. People can only be made right with Me by placing their faith in Me. This truth is for everyone, no matter who they are.

 

Lord, help me not to think as if everything is going against me! Take control of what I say, and don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. I pour out my complaints and tell You all my troubles because You alone know the way I should turn. Hear my cry, and rescue me.

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Son, My name is El-Shaddai, God Almighty. I am the one who answers your prayers when you are in distress. I have been with you wherever you have gone. My faithful love for you will endure forever.

 

I am preparing a wonderful feast for you, and all My children. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. I will remove the cloud of gloom, and the shadow of death. I will wipe away all tears. On this day My people will proclaim, “I am their God! We trusted in Him, and He saved us!”

 

Son, now get to your feet, for I have appointed you as My servant and witness. Tell the world what you have seen and what I have shown you about the future. Tell them that they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among My children when they accept Me as their Savior. Prove that you have changed by the good things you do. Remember, people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care; then you can speak boldly.

 

Lord, thank You for You are good and have done mighty miracles in my life. Thank You for leading me and my family. Your faithful love endures forever. You saved us, and give us food every day. I will honor and praise Your name, for You are my God. You do wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and You accomplish them all. Your hand of blessing has rested on me. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You; when their thoughts are fixed on You! You are a God who does what is right, and You smooth out the path ahead of me.

 

Lord, I show my trust in You when I obey Your word. My heart’s desire is to glorify Your name. Thank You for giving me Your peace. Everything I have accomplished is really from You. Thank You for the promise that those who die in You will live with You. Their bodies will rise again, and sing for joy!

 

Kingdom Thinking – Part 27

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

ARE WE FLOURISHING?

 

Psalms 92:12-15 “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’”

 

Simple definition for the word ’flourish’ is: to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, to develop rapidly and successfully. God wants us (His people) to flourish in the midst of a world that is filled with sin and decay. To flourish in this way will be a testimony to the world that what we have and what we believe in is real and that it works. Paul said: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” (2 Corinthians 4:13) He knew that what he believed in was real and so he spoke with confidence and authority.

 

In a blog by INSTITUTE FOR FAITH, WORK AND ECONOMICS a Christian think tank out of Washington DC – said the following about flourishing: “In the Old Testament, the concept of flourishing is best described by the Jewish word shalom. Biblical scholars note that shalom signifies a number of things, including salvation, wholeness, integrity, soundness, community, righteousness, justice, and well-being. Shalom denotes a right relationship with God, with others, and with God’s good creation. It is the way God intended things to be when He created the universe.

 

Most English Bibles translate shalom as “peace,” but it means much more than just an absence of conflict. The idea of flourishing (shalom) in the widest sense of the word is a significant theme in the Old Testament. When the Lord brings “shalom:”

 

 

Shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight. It is the way things ought to be.

 

We might not know the fullness of this “shalom” until Christ comes, but to me kingdom thinking means that this is what we are to work towards where ever we might be that God places us: our work place, school, arts, government, media, business, etc. We work towards life’s shalom.

 

In order to flourish our lives must have meaning and purpose. When Christ gave us one of His last commands to go into all the world and teach all nations before His ascension, He gave us the means to flourish. I would dare say that our lives individually, or corporately with our church, will have no real flourishing unless we are working towards this goal. This does not mean that everyone must go, but all can be involved in giving and praying, but also involved in reaching those around us.

 

Part of this flourishing is being good stewards in fulfilling the cultural mandate God gave us. How are we doing? Are we maintaining God’s creation? Are we making the best of the talents, gifts, resources that God has given us? The blog that I mentioned above brings out some important truths that flourishing in a society will be seen in areas like life expectancy, infant mortality, at levels of poverty and corruption, with civil liberties and the environment.

 

Kingdom thinking will ponder or consider these things and will look around in the world to see what can and should be done. I am working with brothers now who want to see how we can create jobs; work is important. This is one of the best ways to alleviate poverty. There are some who are unable to work, but God ordained work and not living off the generosity of others or hand-outs from the government (tax-payers).

 

When Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was teaching the churches through his letters, he shared how we need to take care of those in our families first. He used the example of widows. Paul said: “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” (1 Timothy 5:3-5)

 

I am not saying that governments are not important in helping with relief, but only after other means (like family) have been exhausted. The problem that we have in Western Europe, and that we are closely following in the States, is in thinking that our government needs to take care of us from the cradle to the grave. But, that can last only so long because like Margaret Thatcher said: “We soon run out of other people’s money.”

 

Kingdom thinking will also see the importance of ‘giving.’ James and John bring this out in their admonition to us all. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17

 

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17

 

God wants us to “flourish” in every way so that we can help others, both physically and spiritually, as well as enjoy our lives with our families.  Are you flourishing?

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Lord, now I understand why Jacob wrestled with You all night. He wrestled with You until You took away his fear. It was not that Jacob had power over You, or that You could leave. Jacob would not let go of You until he had Your peace because of what was ahead. Jacob knew all that You had done for his father and grandfather and he knew Your promises for his own life. But, Jacob needed confidence, and You gave him a physical reminder of Your promise that he will overcome what he fears might happen.

 

Son, I will be with you. I have seen your abuse and your hard work, now get ready. I know you have fears, but you must remember all of My promises to you. I have told you everything that you need to know. In the past you never asked for My help or considered what I planned long ago. I have cut you free from the ropes of the ungodly. I have forgiven you so that you might learn to fear only Me.

 

Lord, I am counting on You. I have put my hope in Your word, for with You there is unfailing love.

Proverbs 31 Woman – Like a Merchant Ship

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Since the Proverbs 31 Woman has an “enterprise perspective” she sets goals for herself. She also sets goals for her children to reach and helps them reach those goals. She teaches her children the benefits of a goal reached. She sees an earthly and a heavenly gain in this. She has trained up her children to help her and to take on worthy projects themselves that she watches over for their profit.

 

She has put a lot thought and course-plotting to the future of her children. It is pitiful to see young men and women wasting away because they have no clue what life is all about or what they should be doing with their time, their talents, and their money. They just live each day for what they can get out of it, without a care for their future.  

 

There are more parents making idols of their children; giving their children everything they scream and ask for, than there are parents who are making godly role models out of their little darlings. If we allow our children to be lazy and unproductive – we assist them in ruining their lives. As wise and productive mothers (and fathers) we should be the ones our children are taught by. We are wise to employ our own children under us in any way we can think of. It allows the parent to instill the right value system in them.

 

Children will fall away from godliness if sent off too soon to learn and be accountable to someone else but you, and especially someone without the fear of God in them. Putting your child in a place where God and His principles are not honored is the perfect way to destroy your child’s future. If that child has been offered to God and dedicated to Him then you are responsible for your child’s understanding of the Lord and for your child’s upbringing in the truth. If you do not follow through then it puts God in a position He shouldn’t have to be in; that of doing what you should be doing for the children you dedicated to Him and that He has entrusted you with. The blessing will go to another, not you.

 

As Christian parents most of us have dedicated our children to the Lord, but do we understand what that really means? Like most Christian parents, we had the pastor pray over each one of our children and over us as their parents. We should understand the responsibility we have to God on behalf of these children to care for them properly and to raise them up for His glory and Kingdom. The thing that so grieves God’s heart is that He sees so many parents (who have dedicated their children in this way) not following through. When times get tough, they fall away from the Lord, from their marriage, from being the parents their children need. God expects us to live up to our vows we’ve made to each other and to Him; to be faithful. He will help us to be faithful if we will not give up and go our own selfish way. Our children need us to be faithful more than we realize.

 

I believe that God assigns children to parents so that they are evenly yoked together; to the perishing God assigns the perishing; but to the godly He assigns the godly. God knows the outcome of our choices in life; the future our choices made. The parents you end up with might not be the parents/parent you started with. God gave me new parents after He saved me so that I would grow up for Him. My husband’s older brother and wife have been spiritual parents to us.

 

We made mistakes as all parents do, but God trained us by those mistakes. It made us better counselors to our adult children when they began raising our grandchildren.

 

God has given us His standard of living that has never changed. We should deny and remove whatever is in the way of our own godliness and that is in the way of our marriage and children growing in godliness. From generation to generation the godly will thrive, multiply and dominate the earth for eternity. (Exodus 20:3-6, Psalm 22:30-31, Psalm 33:11, Psalm 45:16-17, Psalm 78:4-8) This is the will of God. What God expected His people (Israel) to teach their children is what God expects us to teach our children. There are not two standards. There are not two roots. (Romans 10:11-13 and chapter 11)

 

Many parents send their children off to Sunday school, to public school, on mission’s trips or into the military to learn what they should already know and have established in their character. These parents either didn’t know, or in knowing they neglected to follow through with God’s commands to them as parents. (Deuteronomy 11:13-26)

 

When you send your son (or daughter) off to do something good for other people they should be able and willing to give of themselves; to be of good (godly) use simply from the way you raised them at home. A troublemaker (rebellion) should be conquered at home according to God’s way and wisdom. A child’s meanness is to be removed at home or they will become a threat to society. The ignorance in children is the responsibility of the parent foremost and not the schools, not the church and not the government. When you take your stand on this, ‘trusting the Lord to uphold you and protect you,’ He will. Before you send your young adult off anywhere in the world ‘with your blessing’ you better be sure your child will be a blessing there. They represent your parenting skills; they represent the values you instilled in them.

 

As one wise man said, “Parenting isn’t for cowards!” Parents are afraid to spank their children because of all the false teaching of men of women who do not fear God. They fear the laws that have been made that will imprison the parent that disciplines their children the way God says to. It simply comes down to whether or not you believe that God has the power to protect your good parenting, and the overruling authority to prevent anyone from removing your children from you. 

 

Courageous parents expect God to uphold them as they train up their children the way God tells them to. They stand on the promises of God. Gutless parents buckle under their child’s demands afraid of what their child will think of them. Cowardly parents want to be liked by their children no matter what. They do not think ahead and consider the outcome of such childish parenting. What we see today is the ungodly teaching and training children, who in turn are training their parents, instead of parents training children in what it means to be a genuine child of God.   

 

My husband and I have helped send young men in our church (fresh out of high-school) to far-away places only to hear that they caused trouble partying or slacking off – wasting their team leader’s time. When you send your child or anyone off they are representing you – the sender. It is your responsibility to make sure they are ready and prepared for the work of the Lord there. If you are financially supporting someone for their ministry or work in an area you better know if that person is responsible or not before you back him up and send him off hoping he/she will be useful and commended.

 

Whatever the Proverbs 31 Woman has that is of value she is not selfish with it. She finds a way to share her wealth with others if the Lord has put some person, family, community or nation on her heart. Whether it be Bibles, food, clothing, words of hope and encouragement or even her children – she will get it all where it needs to go, and with a sense of urgency about it.

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Son, trust Me, and do not be afraid. I will not let you stumble, for I stand beside you as your protective shade. I will keep you from all harm and I will watch over your life. I will watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Remember that soon the earth will be filled with people who know Me just as the waters fill the sea.

 

Tell everyone all that I have done for you. Let them know how mighty I am. Tell them that their only hope comes from Me. Tell them I always keep My word and everything I promise is always done exactly as I promised, and at the time I said it would happen.

 

Son, trust Me and do not withhold anything from Me. Then I will provide all that you need. I am “Yahweh-Yireh,” the Lord will provide.  Everyone will be blessed when they obey Me, and the evidence of My blessing will be seen by everyone. Therefore, encourage My children to stay true to Me.

 

Lord, You are my strength and it is by Your strength that I stand. It should be obvious to all that it is You who helps me in everything I do.

 

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Son, you can be sure, and not be afraid, for I will protect you. Your reward will be great because you continue to believe what I have told you. It will be counted as a righteous act. It is very important that you continue to obey Me, rather than listening to the logic of man, for no one will be able to stop what I have said I will do. Those who try will find themselves fighting against Me!

 

Son, look at the people today; they drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies. They say that evil is good and good is evil. They have become so wise in their own eyes and they think themselves so clever. I would love to find justice, but there is no justice. I would love to find righteousness, but instead I hear cries of violence. People today never think about Me or notice what I am doing. Because they have rejected and despised My word, and have allowed the words of Satan to fill their hearts – they have become hopeless.

 

Son, because I have removed your guilt by forgiving your sins, give these people the message of life!

 

Lord, here I am. Send me. Because You are for me I will have no fear. Today, I will rejoice and be glad. You are my God and I will praise and exalt You!

 

Kingdom Thinking – Part 26

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

 BECOMING A HOPE ADDICT

 

Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.”

 

Over these past 26 weekly letters we have been looking at Kingdom Thinking and considering what it means to think this way and how it should affect us in what we say and do.

 

I was having a conversation with a brother discussing things regarding our culture, society, politics, etc. that are affecting us. In the conversation we wondered what can we do to make an impact in our culture. The thought that seemed to permeate our thinking was: it is so overwhelming that it seems hopeless, judgment is coming and there is nothing we can do.

 

Upon further reflection several thoughts came to my mind.

 

First, I believe that judgment is coming. As a matter of fact I think judgment has already started and is beginning to spread. When God begins to chastise it does not come down all at once, but slowly – giving us the chance to repent and turn from our wicked ways. If we do not repent then more judgment comes upon us. I see this judgment coming through our western economic downturn as well as with the lack of good leadership. Today we have leaders who do not know what to do.

 

When these things begin to happen, we, God’s people, need to be prepared and ready to step in the gap with a helping hand. Often I have seen this scenario played out in other parts of the world. God is giving us a chance to see people’s hearts changed by the Gospel because through a crisis they are more open than before. Their foundation has been shaken. Often this has been the result of God’s judgment or chastisement and we, God’s people, need to be ready to take advantage of this for the Gospel’s sake. This is one way we will see a change in culture and society.

 

In my last weekly I wrote about power and influence. Joseph was ready with his influence when crisis, in the form of a famine, came to Egypt and the known world. Daniel was ready when Nebuchadnezzar sent out the order to kill all the wise men because they could not interpret his dream.

 

I also believe that God is right now preparing His people to be ready for the coming crisis and through their influence to see a great harvest of souls. We need the Abrahams who “against all hope….believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18-19

 

Another aspect in Kingdom Thinking that I have written about that we need to understand is that our work matters to God. Wherever God has placed us, that work matters to God. When we live out His kingdom principles of righteousness and justice in our home and work place this will have an impact. When we put into practice what Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God” it will have an impact.

 

We have an illustration of this in 2 Kings chapter 5. The characters are Naaman, a great man in king Aram’s kingdom (Syria), and the captain of the army. Naaman had leprosy. Another character is a captured little Jewish slave girl who was a handmaiden to Naaman’s wife. Also in this scene there is Elisha, the prophet in Israel.

 

Here is this little slave girl. Her work was to be a handmaiden to Naaman’s wife – whatever that entailed. Did her work matter to God? I think so. She knew what she believed: the God of Israel is God and not the idols that Naaman and his people worship. She told her mistress about the prophet in Israel who could heal Naaman of his leprosy.

 

Naaman takes it to heart and goes to Israel with the blessing of his king who had written a letter to the king of Israel. The bottom line is that Naaman gets healed of his leprosy and his testimony is: “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” 2 Kings 5:15

 

Do you think that all this had an impact upon the king of Aram and his kingdom? I think so. What did God use? He used a little Jewish slave girl as she did her daily work. We never know what God might or might not do. We are to be faithful in that which God has given us to do.

 

We need to recognize that we all have a calling, but there are two phases to this calling. First, we are called ‘to be;’ that is, to be a believer in Christ and to become Christ-like. Then we are ‘to do;’ that is, to do what-ever He has given us to do. For this little slave girl it was to be a handmaiden to Naaman’s wife. Naaman was a prominent man in Aram and through the testimony of this little slave girl God was honored and lifted up.

 

The prophet Zechariah said: “For who has despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10 NKJV

 

Yes, our work matters to God, no matter what it is, and it should matter to us as well.

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Son, it breaks My heart to see the extent of human wickedness on the earth, everything they think or imagine is consistently and totally evil. Therefore, these people will sit in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. For they have rebelled against My word, and scorn My counsel.

 

Tell My children to not let their hearts be troubled because of the wickedness they see, but they must trust in Me. For I am coming soon to get them and then they will always be with Me. Remember, Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at this time, and he walked in close fellowship with Me. It grieved him to see all the wickedness of the world. So those who are wise will take all this to heart, and understand that My coming is very close.

 

Son, I knew who I was, therefore I washed My disciples’ feet. I gave you this example to follow; that to serve others in humility you must know who you are in Me. The world will see your love for one another, and this will show that you are My disciples. Then when you tell the world that I am the way, the truth, and the life; that no one can come to the Father except through Me, the wicked will be struck silent.

 

I have given My children the gift of peace of mind and heart. The peace that I give, the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. With My help you will do mighty things. My children can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it. Just ask Me. My Holy Spirit will teach them everything and will remind them of everything I have told them.

 

Lord, it is when I finally realize who I am in You that I will be able to serve, and find the strength to keep going forward.

Kingdom Thinking – Part 25

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

POWER VERSUS INFLUENCE

 

Numbers 16:5-7 “Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.  You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

 

In this incident we see a rebellion against Moses’ leadership. Korah, a Levite, was angry with Moses and a rebellion was formed that God put down by having the earth open and swallow Korah, his family and all of his followers. In this incident we see power being demonstrated through a miracle that took place. Too often we see this type of rebellion of frustrated ambition and petty jealousy in doing the will of God.

 

Moses’ reaction was to use power (by invoking a miracle) to put down the opposition and prove his own authenticity.

 

However, when Joshua came to Moses about some who were prophesying in the camp Moses’ response was different. He praised God by saying, “Might the Lord put His Spirit on all of the Lord’s people.”  

 

In protest against the command of God through Moses, Korah said that all of the Lord’s people are holy, but in the case of Medad, Moses said that his preference would be that all of God’s people be prophets. (Numbers 11:26: “However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.”)

 

What is the difference between the two statements? Jewish sages bring out an important truth that when Moses, by God’s choosing, takes Joshua to be leader in his place he brings him before Aaron and then two things take place. First, he lays his hands on Joshua and secondly he gives him some of his (Moses) splendor. Jewish sage brings out: “’Lay your hand on him’ – this is like lighting one light from another. ‘Give him some of your splendour’ – this is like pouring from one vessel to another.”

 

Jewish sage goes on to say: “There are two forms or dimensions of leadership. One is power, the other, influence. Often we confuse the two. After all, those who have power often have influence, and those who have influence have a certain kind of power. In fact, however, the two are quite different, even opposites.”

 

What is brought out here is that if you have total power and you share it with nine others you have one tenth of the power, but if you have influence and you share with nine others you do not have less, but even more. In other words, your influence has increased and spread.

 

When we look at Scripture we see men who had power – kings, etc. as well as men who had influence. Joseph had influence but Pharaoh had power. Daniel had influence but Nebuchadnezzar had power.

 

We also see the difference between kings and prophets. We see all that kings could do with their power, but prophets had no power, rather influence. I have been reading the prophets in the Old Testament who prophesied under the reign of so and so. The kings died and so did their power, but the prophets have a different legacy because their influence lives on.

 

We see this contrast with Jesus Himself. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:5-8

 

Johnny Cash, in his song called “HERE WAS A MAN” brings out the difference between power and influence. After he describes the earthly history of Christ and going to the cross he sings this:

 

“I think, I’m well within the mark when I say
That all of the armies that ever marched
All of the navies that ever sailed the seas
All of the legislative bodies that ever sat
And all of the kings that ever reigned
All of them put together have not affected
The life of man on this earth
So powerfully as that one solitary life.”

 

Here was a person of influence.

 

Keep in mind that when the person of power dies so does his power, but with influence this is different. Kingdom thinking will focus on seeing men/women raised up that will be great influencers wherever they are, be it in their jobs, professions, schools, governments and to the ends of the world.