Strengthen your bedraggled hands and feeble knees…

…and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather healed.

God wants to strengthen us, lift us up so that we can shine in these days in which we live.

From the strengthening flows healing, from the healing salvation, from the salvation praise.

God himself will do the strengthening, God himself will do the healing.  We simply need to call upon his name.

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.

Isaiah 40:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
“ Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended…

“ Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;

Psalm 28:

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

The LORD is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.

For You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Psalm 18:

For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
And sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

The Key of David

God spoke to Isaiah:

I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

and to John the Revelator:

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

What exactly is this “Key of David”?

What is that David had that somehow unlocks the heart of God, so that God can work so mightily in Davids life?

What was the preparation that David went through that enabled him to stand before the giant Goliath and win?

Yes, it was faith, but it was more than faith.  “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God“

How do we get the word of God, that gives us faith, of which a mustard seeds worth is sufficient to move mountains?

How will be able to stand in the coming days, should the worlds financial systems fail, should World War III break out, should our leaders fail, should men and women’s hearts melt with fear?

What will make the difference in our lives?

The Key of David is intimacy with God.  The same intimacy that God had with Moses

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

Jesus came to give us eternal life, that is that we would know him:

“this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.“

We are called to know him.  We are called to enter his throne room daily and to converse before the throne of grace, a two-way intimate conversation.   From this place of intimacy comes faith, and with faith comes power to move mountains, overcome giants, break free into the perfect will of God, see lives transformed, broken hearts healed.  This is the kingdom of God.

David knew that Goliath didn’t stand a chance, because he knew God.  Nothing and more and nothing less is required.  Without Faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  And the word of God comes from a heart of intimacy with the Father.

Jesus Christ has made a way, He has come to give us eternal life that we may know the Father, His blood has redeemed us, he is the propitiation, the curtain is torn in two.  Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Amen!

The Double Portion

Ever felt like you’ve had enough? I have

Ever felt like life just isn’t fair?  I have

Ever felt that life doubly isn’t fair, because you trusted God with your life, and you felt as if God let you down somehow?  I have

Ever decided that God’s promises didn’t apply, at least not to you, at least not on this side of eternity? I have

Ever gotten mad with God because the evidence of His goodness was lost in the badness of life? I have

Ever reached that “Comfortably numb” place of “whatever” indifference?  I have

Ever felt like ripping up those bits of paper where you wrote down the things God said He was going to do in you and through you?  I have

But yet today I’ve been drawn again to God’s word, and to what He says to us again and again, and I’m forced to admit, as the weight of His word presses down upon me (it’s a good weight) that I’ve been wrong.

God is faithful to His word.  He hasn’t forgotten us.  He will do what He said He would do in my life.

“In my life, Your will be done”

God says to His people Israel, in perhaps one of their darkest hours, in exile in Babylon, a pagan nation:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the LORD’s hand
Double for all her sins.”

And again

you shall be named the priests of the LORD,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

First, God promises comfort.  Our warfare is accomplished.  We have a great high priest who has carried our griefs and borne our sorrows.  Our sins have been paid for, in duplicate.

Then, not only do we have twice the pardon we deserve, on top of this, God promises us twice the blessing.

Again, God speaks through the prophet Zechariah:

Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.

Prisoner of hope.  Does that sound familiar?   Are you a prisoner of the hopes and dreams that God gave you years ago, that even now, you’re still awaiting their fulfilment?

Even today, He declares that He will restore double to you… if you simply return to the Stronghold.  Return to the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

“The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.”

“Salvation belongs to our God” we sing in a quavering voice, as if “hopefully” we can just make it to the end of our life and squeak into heaven.  As if “Salvation” was something that we might just be fortunate enough to accede to, if we just hang in there long enough, scraping by on the few crumbs that God’s given us for now, that just might be enough to get by if we’re lucky.

No!  Salvation means so much more than that.  It means hope, life, blessing, fulfillment now!!   That’s the “helmet” of Salvation that strikes utter terror into the camp of the enemy, when he sees that holy hat of war placed on the heads of the soldiers of the Almighty.

Why then, do we not yet see it?  Why do we not yet see the double portion, the back-pay, God’s favour, yet?

Perhaps that’s not really a question we should be asking, but it could be this simple:

James says “You have not, because you ask not”

Jesus says “Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it”

Perhaps we’re luke warm?   Perhaps our love has gotten cold?  Perhaps we just need to get over ourselves and back to the throne of grace.

We might need some wisdom from God to get the answers.   We might need to seek Him for the answers.

But the truth remains.   God will give us the double portion.  It’s in His word, and He will fulfill His word.

Are we expecting it?  Why not?  It’s in His word, and it’s for us.

Forget that sanctimonious carry-on “Oh, that’s for the faith people”, “Oh thats the health and wealth gospel”, “Oh I’m suffering for Jesus”, “Oh, the thorn in the flesh”  etc. (boring to go on, you know what I mean)

No its the gospel Gospel, and it’s for you and I.  Perhaps we have not because we ask not.

Hold Fast to That Which is True Part II

The Bible teaches us again and again to hold fast; we are to speak the truth, we are not to be vague.  We are to let our yes be “yes”, and our no “no“, we are not to be double minded.   We are not to despise prophecies.  We are to test everything.

The disturbing fact is, when God speaks something over us, or through us, or to us, it’s all to easy to lose the moment in the glory.  How could this be?  When experiencing the glory of God, its all too easy to feel invincible, that the clarity of the moment will remain when the glory lifts (not departs, just lifts, as in is no longer tangible).

Then as we return to the tyranny of the familiar, the word becomes all too distant and vague and unbelievable, and before long we forget it.   God instructs us to write his word on our doorposts, to strap it to our foreheads.  That is true of the written word, the Bible, and it ought to be true of the things that God shows us, that we know that He’s shown us, that He’s confirmed to us.

Maybe now would be a good time to dust off the word that God’s spoken to you, the vision God’s given you, the dreams Gods given you, and take a good look at them for what they are.  Don’t let the distorted goggles of disappointment and the choking black smoke from the fires of your current circumstances cloud your judgement and cause you to forget what God has promised.  God will do whatever it is He said He would do.  God is still true to His word.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and don’t you forget it!

And those circumstances—just what are they?  Just as Jesus said to Peter “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed that your faith should not fail” Satan and his diabolical henchmen also ask to sift us, and will send anything in their power to discourage us from what God has clearly spoken.

Fortunately, Jesus has prayed for us too, and our brothers and sisters in Christ are going through those same struggles.   If you faint in the time of adversity, how small is your strength? Similarly, while Jesus is sleeping and the storms of life knock the boat, remember Jesus’ words, as He rebukes the wind and the waves and calm prevails: “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”.

You of little faith, why are you so afraid?   God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

You who are disappointed, remember Jesus’ words “In my Father’s house are many rooms.” So the other ten doorways were dead ends?   So what?   Jesus has asked the Father, on your behalf, and He has provided many rooms for you.  No matter what life may have thrown your way, He who promised is faithful.  Don’t you dare let life steal from you the joy of the great cloud of witnesses, cheering you on in heaven.  And don’t you dare think you have it harder than they did.  Press on! Remember the promises of Hebrews Chapter 11, and fight the good fight of faith!

Treasure in Heaven

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

Jesus promises us treasures in heaven and fruit that will last.  Paul reminds us we…get a crown that will last forever.  We are promised a great reward, if we faint not (do not give up).

I guess my reflection for today is this: do we realize just how great an inheritance is laid up for us in heaven, and have we allowed ourselves to get distracted from our primary goal in life, which is to lay hold of this inheritance, for which Christ laid a hold of us?

We talk a lot (in church) about “missing it”, but I wonder sometimes do we even get it at all, like even close? Do we understand—at all—what it is that God has for us, and do we understand how to get it?   I’ve talked about good old fashioned desperation, and  I second that (second myself…sheesh).  It’s time for some good old desperation to allow God to lead us to His inheritance for us.

Because I believe on the other side of eternity, the great beyond, the great gig in the sky, whatever, there is an inheritance that I either get or I get to see burned up.  Well, guess what?  I wanna get it, I don’t want to get to see it burned up (I’m not talking about salvation, I’m talking what makes it through the flame?)

How do we do this?

We get specific.  We get focused, and we engage our lives with everything that God has for us.

“I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.”

we pray, like men possessed (in the best possible way)

…The Father will give you whatever you ask in my name

And we get to know the Masters business.  To do so means forsaking our business and our busy-ness.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Above all, we’re normal.  Not wierd and religious, just people doing what we can, where we are with what we have. God has a way of intertwining His will with our lives, if we will just let Him (the letting Him is the issue here).

God, have your way in my life,  Lead me on Jesus and show me the inheritance you have laid up in heaven for me, and give me a passion to focus and engage so that I can grab a hold of it, for your sake Lord Jesus Amen!

The Flame…

I didn’t post yesterday, had a crap day… which served to remind me how easy it is to lose track of God and His plan.

The psalmist says: “Why, God why?”, “How long, O Lord, how long, how long?” which reminds us we’re not alone, in this journey of faith, in losing site of the goal.

Especially when God either directly or indirectly derails our plans. His plans are not contigent upon our plans.   And its not just the reverse thats true.   More than that, our (new) plans, in Christ, are contigent upon Him.  “I will be your portion”, He says.  So we seek, and wait, and seek and wait…

When the journey requires of us brokenness, or we bring upon ourselves brokenness through not allowing God in— the pain can be overwhelming.

Especially when we’re reminded by our lack of progress.   Our former compatriates, or those who we think ought to be our peers by now (and perhaps they should), pass us by, the specter of  failure comes crashing around us.   “Why, God, Why?  When, God, When?” we cry…  While the world says we’re mad (and perhaps we are)

We are reminded of David and of Job:

“He has alienated my brothers from me;
       my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

Then in the midst of that darkness, lest we stumble headlong into the pit that is self-pity, God reminds us of who we are and who He is and who He has called us to be…

Today God did it in the strangest way… I was sitting in my office, moping and moaning, when a song started in my head…

“Wherever you go, I’ll be with you…
“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you…
“Whenever you need someone, to lay your heart and head upon
“Remember, after the fire—after all the rain—I will be The Flame”

And God does promise to lead us on into eternity, with the Flame of His presence, to have us burning and not consumed… with His eternal passion for the broken world we live in.  God is faithful, He is good and He is true.

Don’t forget today is September 11, Don’t forget the tragedy and pray for Gods hand upon the United States in the coming elections (and for my own country of New Zealand too!)

Overcoming Disappointment

  

“Sing, O barren woman, 
       you who never bore a child; 
       burst into song, shout for joy, 
       you who were never in labor; 
       because more are the children of the desolate woman 
       than of her who has a husband,” 
       says the LORD.

When dreams are shattered, its not just hard to pick up the pieces.  It’s impossible.  We know what happened to Humpty Dumpty.

What does God say to us when life gives us lemons?   Make lemonade??  No.

God knows that the lemons of life are often too bitter to be of any use for anything, other than to be tossed back into the pit from whence they came.  So what does He give us instead.  He gives us hope.   Not the pitiful “I hope so” of the plaintively desperate.   Not the “hopefully” of the hopeless.  No.  

Paul writes to the Romans:

…since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

“Hope does not disappoint us”

Hope, in the Glory of God, does not disappoint us.  And we also have hope from the word of God in Isaiah.  A promise, that he will give us “children” in our barrenness.  Joyce Meyer says “If you’ve been disappointed, get reappointed”.

And when I first heard that—well, I was seething—but then God gave me a picture.  God reappoints us with a new appointment—not the same appointment—a new one, tailor-made for where we’re at

Because within the black hole of disappointment, the crucible of broken dreams… the-thing-that-you’d-hoped-for-that-just-ain’t-gonna-happen…ever!  The nothingness of defeat.   God says “I will turn the specter of failure in to a sceptre of righteousness”

How?

By giving us a new dream, a new vision, a new hope.   Maybe yesterday we dreamed of a perfect marriage.  Until that was decimated in the ashes of an acrimonious divorce.   Maybe we’ve been crippled… physically or emotionally.  Maybe we got struck down by depression.  Maybe we lost our confidence. Maybe our best friend betrayed us.  It doesn’t matter.

The new hope is a vision of Gods glory, it’s engaging Gods plan for redemption that meets us head on right where we’re at.   Its focusing on the cross,  Jesus Christ, the True King, himself utterly broken and bereft for our sakes.  But not without hope.  As we gaze upon the cross, a remarkable transformation begins to take place.  He who knew no sin, no brokenness, was made sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  There it is—the specter of failure turned into a sceptre of righteousness.  Its praying through the depression.  Its loving our enemies.  Its learning to be gracious in defeat.  Its the gospel… the good news.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope has come.  Jesus Christ is that hope,  he alone can fulfill that longing and complete the picture right in the midst of our incompleteness.   And in the midst of that, the new plan for our future begins to unfold, right where we’re at.

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future an a hope.

Exceed Your Vision

Do you have a vision? Or if you do have a vision, is it a God-sized vision?

God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask—or imagine… and He wants to develop our vision so that it exceeds “our” vision (if you get my drift).  He wants a God-sized, impossible vision, and He wants us to believe it.

He says to us “Call to me, and I will answer and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know“

If anyone lacks wisdom—lacks vision—they should ask God, but they must believe and not doubt (lest they be as a double-minded person, unstable in all that they do).  And if the vision isn’t immediately crystal clear, keep asking, keep seeking… [actually it just needs to be "plain" not crystal clear]

The band I’m listening to on iTunes at the moment is called the “Desperation Band”

Maybe God is waiting for some good old desperation before He provides the picture… just a thought

Or maybe He’s provided all of the picture that we need, and we haven’t walked in the light that we already have.  God’s plan is usually revealed like an unfolding… little by little, each step a step of faith.  He patiently waits for us to walk out in the light we already have, and as we follow through, more is revealed.  To the one who has, more will be given, to the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken…

God makes our footsteps firm, and He’s not bothered when we ask for more certainty each step of the way. If you’re not sure about the next step, ask Him.  He will give you the vision you need. True faith is not blind faith.  Faith is not blind, faith requires a vision that transcends and supercedes natural vision.  Ignorance isn’t a problem to God—in fact “ignorance” coupled with desperation is a prerequisite to hearing from God:  The one who thinks he knows does not yet know as he ought to know.   The word of God doesn’t refer to blind faith, the word says “we walk by faith, not by sight.“  The vision of faith is far greater than the vision of the eyes, or the vision of human planning, or of any human endeavour.    Faith is the actual evidence of things hoped for, the very substance of things not yet seen.

What to do, then, when one has no vision?  How then are we to know the way we are to go?

Pilots are taught, early on in their training, how to fly in conditions of low visibility.  Such conditions are known as “instrument conditions”.  Pilots in instrument conditions cannot afford to fly by their senses, and their feelings, because these are invariably wrong.  In instrument conditions, a pilot must determine his position and his course by his instruments, and his instruments alone.   Failure to do this will result in disaster.

Likewise, God often requires of His children that we learn to “fly” in instrument conditions, when there is little or no vision.   The instruments are the word of God, the Bible, prayer, faith, hope and above all love. As long as we plant ourselves in God’s word, we cannot lose.  As long as we bring everything to Jesus in prayer, how can we worry?

Jesus tells his disciples to “keep” his word.   The word of God isn’t always easy to understand, nor is it easy to digest.  In fact sometimes digesting Gods word is like chewing dry weetbix.  It is in these times that we must learn the definition of perseverence (which literally means to “stand [stay, abide] under” in New Testament Greek).  God is teaching us to fly by our instruments and not by our feelings.

God is faithful.  He will not let us be tempted [tested] beyond what we can bear, but when we are tempted [tested] he will provide a way out so that we can stand up under it.  Persevere.  Stand under (understand?)

“You will seek me, and find me,” says God, “when you seek me with all your heart.“

Come see
Come see with spirit eyes
Come see
The door is open
Come near
Come weary and ashamed
Come near
His arms are open
His arms are open

Come live
Come live in freedom here
Come live
The chains are broken
Come rest
Come take his gift of grace
Come rest
The word is spoken
The word is spoken

Come see
Come see with spirit eyes
Come see
The door is open
Come home
Come lay your burdens down
Come home
His arms are open
His arms are open
His arms are open

Hold fast to that which is true

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt; test everything; hold fast to that which is true.”

Lets face it—God doesn’t always speak to us in the way that we would necessarily have Him were we to have a choice in the matter.  No, He often speaks to us through the channels that, naturally speaking, probably offend us the most.   And He’s been doing it for centuries (well, millenia… at least).  Consider Balaam, who God chose to speak to through a donkey.  Or Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah and Isaiah. If you’re religious, you might not want to think about this, but the fact is, would you have listened to a butt-naked maniac with a personal hygiene problem, and a seriously scary nervous disposition?

No, God speaks in all kinds of ways.  Sometimes, He even speaks to us, and we just don’t get it.  Our poor self-image finds the concept of God speaking to us the most offensive of all.  But He does speak to us.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah:

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,  ’they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
 

So Jesus speaks to us, somewhat cryptically, “Don’t you understand any parable?”

The correct answer, I believe, is “No, I don’t understand, Lord. Please help me to understand.”

So when God speaks to you cryptically in ways you don’t fully understand, via ways that you don’t fully understand… don’t throw out what God is saying in the bathwater of everyday life. God is speaking!

You have seen many things, but have paid no attention;
your ears are open, but you hear nothing.”

And more than that

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

and

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Could it be that we, at least in the measure that God is speaking to us (which He is, O ye of little faith), are His servants the prophets?  Then surely God is speaking to us about that new thing that is springing up.  And if He is speaking to us, surely we ought to be praying expectantly, and believing intently, that the very thing He speaks of will indeed come to pass (if we do not faint!)

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
neither are your ways my ways,” 
declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways 
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow 
come down from heaven, 
and do not return to it 
without watering the earth 
and making it bud and flourish, 
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: 

It will not return to me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire 
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.

Seek God… Impact Your World… Live Life

Simple concepts… yet utterly true if we are to succeed in life as God defines success.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”  And so we begin our journey by seeking God.

The results of seeking God are obvious… we begin to desire what He desires, that is to Impact our World with His love, His truth, His reality.  But not at the expense of living our life as He intended.  No we are given the best of both worlds.  Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly.

But we are to be careful on our journey, lest we lose our way, and we fall away.  Now how could it happen that we would lose touch with such a Love, such Truth, such Meaning?  It is simple… we begin to look at ourselves.   The word that springs to mind is Narcissism.  This is the cancer of the soul, when we begin to turn in ourselves.   It starts innocently enough… along the way there are always trials, there are always troubles, there is always sickness, there is pain, there is disappointment, there is death.  Worse, religion comes in and demands of us sacrifices that never even entered the heart of God. [Yes, God demands sacrifice but in a way wholly different and fulfilling to the meaningless waste demanded by religion] And the outworking of this is often brokenness.  We find ourselves in a place where what we used to be able to do, we can’t.   What we “should” be able to do, we can’t.  What we’re expected to do, we can’t.   So in that place of brokenness we find ourselves turning inwards.  And the sick cycle that is narcissism begins.

“What about me?” this sickness cries “Nobody’s paying any attention to me”.  Like Rick off The Young Ones: “Everybody listen to me”.  Or Neil: “Nobody ever listens to me, I might as well be a Leonard Cohen record”.

And the narcissist might as well be a Leonard Cohen record, for the pitiful sound emanating from his tired soul.  That dreary dirge “Hallelujah” echoing—without hope—for an eternity in the background.

No!  God says “Seek Me and Live”.  Narcissist, “Seek God and live”.  Impact Your World and Live Life.

Wake up, O sleeper, Rise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you.