"...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." Isaiah 59:19
I've heard this so many times spoken by so many different people and yet, I never really considered what it meant. It means that God will immediately solve every problem that we encounter and we just stand there and do nothing? No.
In ancient times, the emperor would carry a standard, or a flag, into battle. The standard would be raised to signal to the soldiers that it was time to fight, it was like a green light. So, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard. We are in a war and God has lifted up the standard - it's time to fight.
The standard is not lifted so that the soldiers can enter into the battle unprepared. God has not sent us out to battle alone, He has equipped us with power. He's there with us. We are His ambassadors on earth and He's looking for us to carry the gospel to the world. What are we waiting for? The standard means "go."
We have a great responsibility. We are on the front lines of this battle. It takes place at school, in the streets and at work. There are so many lost and broken people and there are also those who are trying to deceive others. You have atheists saying there's no God, the government legalizing gay marriage and schools trying to teach us evolution. It's time to take a stand.
When David heard that the "uncircumcised philistine" was defiling the name of his God, he didn't hesitate. He didn't just arbitrarily take up five stones, he took up five stones and went in the name of the Lord. Sometimes, we want to stand up against things but we don't go in the name of the Lord. Sometimes we try to do it our own way, thinking that we know what's best. David went in the name of the Lord and we should too.
The standard has already been lifted and we are already in battle, it's time to fight.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Carried to the table of the Lord
Think back to medieval times. Imagine a wealthy ruler of a great kingdom requesting that a peasant man come and feast with him in his palace. The invitation is not just any, it's written on a scroll and the king's finest servant delivers it. Not only does this peasant man feast with the king, he has access to all the king's luxuries. If he would like to go into the king's garden and pick fruits from the best tree, he may. If he would like to wear the king's finest purple robe, he may. But isn't it absurd for a king, with all the wealth he needs, to request of a man with absolutely nothing to dine with him?
I was listening to a song, "Carried to the table," by Leeland and it says, "I've been carried to the table, seated where I don't belong. I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord." This King, Jesus, is like no other. No medieval king, or any other earthly king for that matter would request of a peasant to dine with him. But, Jesus, seeing who I was, carried me to His table and gave me a seat in His kingdom. He had everything and I had nothing, yet He gave everything for me. Why? I will never know, but I am ever grateful.
That invitation is extended to you and to everyone that hears it. He's saying "Come, I am preparing a feast and you are invited." He's calling people all over the nations, all over the world to come and dine with Him. Regardless of our upbringing, what we have done or who we are, He's still calling for us. In spite of our dirtiness, He's still calling. If you hear His call, and you answer, He will not reject you. This invitation is not just extended to the 'righteous,' it's extended to the sinner. He will wash you, you don't have to be perfect to come. As Leeland says, "I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord." None of that matters, just let Him carry you to His table.
I was listening to a song, "Carried to the table," by Leeland and it says, "I've been carried to the table, seated where I don't belong. I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord." This King, Jesus, is like no other. No medieval king, or any other earthly king for that matter would request of a peasant to dine with him. But, Jesus, seeing who I was, carried me to His table and gave me a seat in His kingdom. He had everything and I had nothing, yet He gave everything for me. Why? I will never know, but I am ever grateful.
That invitation is extended to you and to everyone that hears it. He's saying "Come, I am preparing a feast and you are invited." He's calling people all over the nations, all over the world to come and dine with Him. Regardless of our upbringing, what we have done or who we are, He's still calling for us. In spite of our dirtiness, He's still calling. If you hear His call, and you answer, He will not reject you. This invitation is not just extended to the 'righteous,' it's extended to the sinner. He will wash you, you don't have to be perfect to come. As Leeland says, "I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord." None of that matters, just let Him carry you to His table.
Monday, July 1, 2013
I will receive you
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2 Corinthians 6:17
Sometimes its easy to forget that you're not of the world. It's easy to want everything the world has to offer because it looks so good. You feel as though you need it but then you try it and you realize that it's poisonous venom. Now, you're covered in shame and guilt because of what you allowed yourself to get into and you're too ashamed to tell anyone or do anything about it.
God is saying that you don't have to stay in that lifestyle anymore. You're a child of God and yes, children of God do make mistakes. Your mistakes does not mean that you're life is over or that you're going to perish. It means that you're vulnerable and weak but God is strong.
Pride can be a killer. You wear a facade, a mask, each day and you hide your pain and your guilt. But God is saying surrender. He says, Let it go, and let Me handle it. You cannot do it alone.
The scripture says, "Come out from among them..." God says when you come out from among them, He will receive you. He won't pull you out of your sin, He's waiting for you to give the sinful lifestyle to Him. You may think, there's no way this is going to leave but He is able. God says come out from among them and I will receive you. You can't continue to live in the lifestyle that you're living in and expect that God is going to change you. You have to give it up, let it go, repent and surrender.
Like the father of the prodigal son, God is calling you to return. You tried the lifestyle and it seemed good at first but then you found yourself eating pig feed. You want to come home so don't let your pride and shame get in your way. That's just the adversary's way of keeping God's people bound. Don't be ashamed to talk to God about your struggles and your pain, He hears and He is a deliverer. You don't have to live in sin anymore.
God says, come out from among them and I will receive you. I will receive you but you have to come out of it.
2 Corinthians 6:17
Sometimes its easy to forget that you're not of the world. It's easy to want everything the world has to offer because it looks so good. You feel as though you need it but then you try it and you realize that it's poisonous venom. Now, you're covered in shame and guilt because of what you allowed yourself to get into and you're too ashamed to tell anyone or do anything about it.
God is saying that you don't have to stay in that lifestyle anymore. You're a child of God and yes, children of God do make mistakes. Your mistakes does not mean that you're life is over or that you're going to perish. It means that you're vulnerable and weak but God is strong.
Pride can be a killer. You wear a facade, a mask, each day and you hide your pain and your guilt. But God is saying surrender. He says, Let it go, and let Me handle it. You cannot do it alone.
The scripture says, "Come out from among them..." God says when you come out from among them, He will receive you. He won't pull you out of your sin, He's waiting for you to give the sinful lifestyle to Him. You may think, there's no way this is going to leave but He is able. God says come out from among them and I will receive you. You can't continue to live in the lifestyle that you're living in and expect that God is going to change you. You have to give it up, let it go, repent and surrender.
Like the father of the prodigal son, God is calling you to return. You tried the lifestyle and it seemed good at first but then you found yourself eating pig feed. You want to come home so don't let your pride and shame get in your way. That's just the adversary's way of keeping God's people bound. Don't be ashamed to talk to God about your struggles and your pain, He hears and He is a deliverer. You don't have to live in sin anymore.
God says, come out from among them and I will receive you. I will receive you but you have to come out of it.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Speak to your mountain
In Mark 11:23, Jesus says unto his disciples "... whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast
into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that
those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever
he saith." A mountain is indeed a large, seemingly threatening object. It momentarily delays or even hinders your progress. According to the world's philosophy, you can either walk around the mountain or climb up the mountain, both processes causing great delay in one's goal. Jesus, however, instructed us to believe and to speak to the mountain and say "be thou removed." This means that we can and should, speak to our situations and the obstacles in our life.
In essence, you have three options: walk around the mountain, climb the mountain or speak to the mountain. Both "natural" choices, walking around and climbing, can represent choices we make when faced with a spiritual obstacle.
The first choice, walking around the mountain, represents an obstacle that one tries to deny or suppress, rather than confronting it immediately. For example, you struggle with depression. Rather than acknowledging that you are depressed, you deny it. You suppress it. If asked, you merely laugh and say, "Me?" But deep down within you, you know that you are depressed, that you cry at night and lack the happiness you used to. You say that the problem will eventually resolve itself and that things will go back to normal, but it never does. Ultimately, the choice of walking around the mountain only gets you back to the place where you started and no change or progress is made.
The second choice, climbing up the mountain, represents one taking matters into their own hands and relying upon their own strength to get them through the situation. You and I are nothing without Christ and we can do nothing without Him. My strength cannot get me through my situations, I need the grace of God. Jesus, in fact, says that "My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." It is in your weakness that the uplifting, redeeming strength of God will be revealed. You don't need to rely on your strength, rely on the strength of God because He is able to keep you from falling. If you go up that mountain alone, there is no guarantee that you won't fall but if you wait and trust in God, you will never go wrong.
These two choices, although seemingly logical in our own eyes, only lead to destruction. You walk around the mountain to find yourself returning to the same problem that you thought could simply be avoided. You climb up the mountain to find that your strength is not enough to carry you through. So, what then do you do? You speak to the mountain.
When you speak to your mountain, you exercise faith. A problem will never go unless you tell it to go. Put it into the hands of Jesus and He will see you through. You don't have to climb or walk around because in every child of God, there is power to speak to the mountain.
You can make it through when you put your trust in God, the creator of the universe who holds this world in His hands. When you look to God, you will never fail. Bebo Norman sings a song which says, "I will lift my eyes to You," meaning that I will put my trust in God who is able to keep me from falling.
In essence, you have three options: walk around the mountain, climb the mountain or speak to the mountain. Both "natural" choices, walking around and climbing, can represent choices we make when faced with a spiritual obstacle.
The first choice, walking around the mountain, represents an obstacle that one tries to deny or suppress, rather than confronting it immediately. For example, you struggle with depression. Rather than acknowledging that you are depressed, you deny it. You suppress it. If asked, you merely laugh and say, "Me?" But deep down within you, you know that you are depressed, that you cry at night and lack the happiness you used to. You say that the problem will eventually resolve itself and that things will go back to normal, but it never does. Ultimately, the choice of walking around the mountain only gets you back to the place where you started and no change or progress is made.
The second choice, climbing up the mountain, represents one taking matters into their own hands and relying upon their own strength to get them through the situation. You and I are nothing without Christ and we can do nothing without Him. My strength cannot get me through my situations, I need the grace of God. Jesus, in fact, says that "My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." It is in your weakness that the uplifting, redeeming strength of God will be revealed. You don't need to rely on your strength, rely on the strength of God because He is able to keep you from falling. If you go up that mountain alone, there is no guarantee that you won't fall but if you wait and trust in God, you will never go wrong.
These two choices, although seemingly logical in our own eyes, only lead to destruction. You walk around the mountain to find yourself returning to the same problem that you thought could simply be avoided. You climb up the mountain to find that your strength is not enough to carry you through. So, what then do you do? You speak to the mountain.
When you speak to your mountain, you exercise faith. A problem will never go unless you tell it to go. Put it into the hands of Jesus and He will see you through. You don't have to climb or walk around because in every child of God, there is power to speak to the mountain.
You can make it through when you put your trust in God, the creator of the universe who holds this world in His hands. When you look to God, you will never fail. Bebo Norman sings a song which says, "I will lift my eyes to You," meaning that I will put my trust in God who is able to keep me from falling.
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