Divide and Conquer

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (AMP) But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

Observation:

Non-Christians cannot understand spiritual truths, and they cannot grasp the concept that God's Spirit lives in believers. Don't expect most people to approve of or understand your decision to follow Christ. It all seems so silly to them. Just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate fine music, the person who rejects Christ cannot understand truths from God's Spirit. With the lines of communication broken, he or she won't be able to hear what God is saying to him or her.

We must not remain silent, however, using others' difficulty in understanding as an excuse. We are still one of God's communication channels. We must be alert to opportunities. Another person's question may be evidence that God's Spirit is drawing him or her to the point of decision. How would you respond today if someone asked you about your faith?

Application:

The spiritual person has the mind of Christ (see Philippians 2:1-30). This means that the Spirit, through the Word, helps the believer think as Jesus thinks. It is an amazing thing to say that human beings possess the very mind of God! Down through the years, spiritual Christians have predicted things that the people of the world said could never happen, but these events came to pass. The spiritually minded saint understands more about the affairs of this world from his Bible than the leaders of the world understand from their human perspective.

Only the Holy Spirit can help us to understand the Word of God. A person may have studied the Word of God for years, have a good mind, attended the best Bible colleges and seminary, but none of these alone are enough. We need the Spirit of God and help us interpret and apply the Word of God.

The relationship between the Word of God and the Spirit of God is an important one. Some have a tendency to put more emphasis on one or the other and they get off balance and can quickly become ineffective. The moment we separate the Spirit and the Word we are in trouble.

Donald Gee put it this way, ""All Spirit and no Word, you blow up. All Word and no Spirit you dry up. Word and Spirit-you grow up!"

Without the Spirit, the Word is a dead letter; with the Spirit it is a living and powerful force. As Selwyn Hughes says in his "Every day with Jesus" devotion "the devil has policy of divide and conquer." If the devil can get us to divide the Word and the Spirit, he has us right where he wants us, for he can then conquer us!

Prayer:

"Lord, I am so thankful for your Word and your Spirit. I need them both. There have been times I allowed the devil to get my attention more on one than the other. It led to my defeat. Today, I refuse to allow the policy of divide and conquer. I acknowledge your Spirit as I read your Word. Holy Spirit, illuminate the Word of God to me today. In Jesus' name, amen!"

The Influence of the Spirit

Scripture:

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Observation:

A brilliant scholar, Paul could have overwhelmed his listeners with intellectual arguments. Instead, he shared the simple message of Jesus Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his words. In sharing the Good News with others, we should follow Paul's example and keep our message simple and basic. The Holy Spirit will give power to our words and use them to bring glory to Jesus. Way too often, men and women who have ascertained great knowledge becomes more concerned with showcasing their minds, knowledge and vocabulary then they are with sharing Jesus. When that happens, the years of study begins to work against the original call and passion that the individual had. This indeed is a trick of the enemy of our soul, and is the crux of religiosity. What Paul was saying is, "I could really impress you with my education, but that's not what I'm concerned with. I want the Spirit to be seen in and through me, because He's the one that brings change, not me or my education."

Paul's confidence was not in his keen intellect or speaking ability but in his knowledge that the Holy Spirit was helping and guiding him. Paul is not denying the importance of study and preparation for preaching; he had a thorough education in the Scriptures. Effective preaching results from studious preparation and reliance on the work of the Holy Spirit. Don't use Paul's statement as an excuse for not studying or preparing.

Application:

Selwyn Hughes says: "Much of modern-day Christianity is lacking power and conviction because it lacks a close encounter with this aspect of the Spirit's resources. If we are to experience the fullness of the Spirit in our lives, then we must open ourselves to everything He wants to give us. Too often our preaching is correct, our worship services are well-structured, our music is fine, our organization is superb, but it lacks one thing-the throbbing power of the Holy Spirit. Without the power of the Spirit in our midst, we are preaching unquickened truth-truth that doesn't fall upon the soul with convicting, sobering, awakening, converting power. Our Christianity is not bad-it is way too often dull. The Holy Spirit, when accepted and obeyed, turns insipidity into inspiration, dullness into dancing, and mediocrity into magnificence."

We need the person and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives today. When we learn to walk by the "nudge of the Spirit" we allow the Spirit to develop godly characteristics in our daily choices, words, and actions. The same is true in our church services.

The real proof of the power of the gospel is in changed lives. This "demonstration of the Spirit" was the thing that authenticated Paul's ministry. The gospel's most powerful argument is not in great sermons preached but in the changes it causes in lives.

Prayer:

"Lord, I am so thankful for Your Holy Spirit. Please forgive me for the times I have grieved, resisited, or quenched Him. I want to walk, live, talk, in the power of the Spirit today. Please give me a 'nudge' when I am going in a direction with my actions or words that are not pleasing to You. In Jesus name, amen!"

Allowing God’s Word to change us

Scripture:

Ezra 7:10 Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of GOD, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truths and ways.

Observation:

Ezra demonstrates how a gifted Bible teacher can move God's people forward. He was effective because he was a well-versed student of the law of the Lord and because he was determined to obey those laws. He taught through both his speaking and his example. Like Ezra, we should determine both to study and to obey God's Word.

Application:

Chuck Colson, in one of his books, was talking about the fact that so many of us have Bibles, and yet the Bible doesn't change us. 81% of the people surveyed in a recent poll said that they were evangelical; and yet only 42% of them knew that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount; and 48% of them could name the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Out of the 1382 people that were surveyed, less than 1% of them said that their lives were directed and truly changed by what the Word of God said. In other words, many of us read it; but it doesn't always change us. Many are not really reading it and meditating on it.

I read a story about an inner city preacher was reading his Bible and preaching out of it. It was a New Testament. There was a drug addict who noticed the nice, thin paper of the Bible, thought how good it would be to roll up marijuana cigarettes, and asked the preacher for the Bible, "I would like to use the paper to smoke marijuana with." The preacher told him, "I will let you have the Bible if you promise to read it before you smoke it." The addict agreed. Sometime later, the evangelist was preaching a meeting, after the meeting a man came up to him and said, "I am the man who you gave the bible to" The evangelist remembered. "How are you doing?" The Evangelist asked. The man said, "Well I took the Bible I read Matthew then I smoked it, I read Mark then I smoked it, I read Luke then I smoked it, I read John, and it smoked me" THE WORD OF GOD WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE, IF YOU TRULY READ IT and MEDIDATE upon it!

I was reading recently about a guest lecturer at a university. The only thing they asked him before he made the lecture was not to talk about the Word of God, the Bible. He noted how strange it was to speak at the university and be asked not to talk about the Bible. Especially when that evening, he went to do prison ministry and the first words from the warden were, "As you talk to the prisoners, could you talk to them about biblical principles?"

That seems to me like the cart's before the horse. We're not supposed to share God's Word at the universities; but when we speak to prisoners, who've already messed their lives all up, then we can talk about it. It seems to me like we're building the hospital down at the bottom of the cliff instead of putting fences at the top. Seems to me that we don't really understand what the Word of God will do and how it can change our life.

The Bible was written over a 1600-year span. It was written by 40 generations, by over 40 authors from every walk of life including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars. It was written in different places, including out in the wilderness, in dungeons, in palaces, inside prison walls, while traveling, on lonely islands, in the midst of war. It was written at different times, sometimes in peace, sometimes in battle. It was written during different moods, some writing from the heights of joy while others wrote from the very depths of sorrow. It was written in three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. And it was written in three languages -- Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It covered subject matters including hundreds of controversial subjects, yet with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation, there is one unfolding story, and the story is the redemption of man through Jesus Christ.

Ezra tells us in our text today (Ezra 7:10), four ways to take God's Word and apply it: "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and to teach its statutes and ordinances to Israel."

1. Ezra prepared his heart to approach God's Word. Ezra literally prepared himself in the way that he approached God's Word. He wanted to make sure that he entered into the presence of God's Word in an appropriate manner.

2. Ezra prepared his heart to study God's Word. As Ezra read it, he allowed his heart to be tender and open to the voice of the Spirit.

3. Ezra prepared to practice what he learned. Ezra not only read it; but as soon as he read it, he practiced it. He began to apply it to his life.

4. Ezra prepared to share what he learned. Ezra not only learned it in his own life and practiced and applied it, but he took it immediately and he shared it with others, so they could apply it to their lives.

Five key phrases:

1. Learn It.

It can't change you until you know it. "Learn it, and that deals with your head." Memorize scripture, that's the thing.

2. Love It.

You've got to begin to embrace the Word and let it embrace you.

3. Meditate on it

Read yesterdays blog for more information on meditation: http://pastorrustysblog.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

4. Speak it

The devil can't stand the Word of God, it puts him to flight. So, read the Word of God out loud. Pray it out loud. Speak it to whatever mountain you are facing.

5. Live It.

You've got to let the Word of God that comes into your heart go out through your hands, and you've got to apply it to others.

Prayer:

"Lord, once again I thank you for Your Word today. There is stirring within me an even greater passion for the truths in Your Scripture. Help me to meditate on what I have read today, then speak it, and live it. In Jesus' name, amen!"

Read it, Meditate on it, Speak it out loud!

Scripture:

Psalm 1:1-6 (MSG) How well God must like you-- you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College. (2) Instead you thrill to GOD's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. (3) You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. (4) You're not at all like the wicked, who are mere windblown dust-- (5) Without defense in court, unfit company for innocent people. (6) GOD charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Row.

Psalm 1:2 (NKJV) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Observation:

You can learn how to follow God by meditating on his Word. This means spending time reading and thinking about what you have read. It means asking yourself how you should change so you will live as God wants. Knowing and thinking about God's Word are the first steps toward applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what he says.

This "law" means all of Scripture: the first five books of Moses, the Prophets, and the other writings. The more we know of the whole scope of God's Word, the more resources we will have to guide us in our daily decisions.

Application:

It is some important to the child of God to read Scripture, meditate on it, then speak it out loud.

Meditation is something that Christians need to understand on a deeper level than what we do. The Hebrew word for "meditate" is hâgâh and it means to moan, growl, utter, plot, speak. Think about this for a moment. The Bible tells us in I Peter 5:8 that satan walks around like a roaring lion. He loves to "roar" threats at God's people. He "roars" fear into our lives. His roar could be "you have cancer", "you husband will never change", "your kids will never be saved", "your situation will never be better", "God doesn't still do miracles", "you might as well give up", "you are ruined financially and will never get any better", "you have no reason to live." And I could go and on. The devil is a liar and he speaks lies constantly. There is NO truth in him. So how do we fight him? With God's Word!

The Word of God tells us that in Revelation 5:5 that Jesus is the "lion of the tribe of Judah." The reason it is so important to read, and then meditate on God's Word is so we can use the Word of God to defeat the lies of the enemy. Remember that one of the meanings of meditate is to "growl" so in the middle of the night when the enemy is "roaring" lies, we can "roar" back the Word of God to defeat him. To be able to do this, you must hide God's Word in your heart, or memorize it. That takes effort. It takes more than just reading God's Word, but studying it, thinking about it all day. So when you read God's Word, the Holy Spirit will cause a verse to really jump off of the page at you, and that is the verse that He knows you need for today. So, write it down on an index card, text it to yourself, email it...whatever it takes for you to dwell on it all day. The Message says to "chew on Scripture day and night." Then, when the enemy speaks lies to you, you can speak the Word of God back to him. In other words, when the lying "lion" roars, then you can allow the Lion of the tribe of Judah to "roar" out of you the "devil defeating" Word of God.

So today, when it comes to God's Word: READ it, MEDITATE on it, then SPEAK it out loud!

Prayer:

"Lord, I am so thankful for Your Word. Help me today to READ it, MEDITATE on it, and then SPEAK it outloud. As I do this, I "roar" back when the devil roars against me. Thank you for this inspiration today, in Jesus' name, amen!"

Read it and Speak it!

Scripture:

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Observation:

The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle for communicating ideas; it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. With the incisiveness of a surgeon's knife, God's Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. The demands of God's Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives.

Applicaton:

The KJV says the Word is "quick and powerful." The word for quick is - zao – and it means "breathing and living." The word for powerful is energes meaning effective, powerful, active and effectual. That is the Greek word that we get our word energy from. The Word of God is effective. This supports the verse in Isaiah(Is 55:11) that says, "so is my word that goes out from my moth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." When God speaks His Word, His living, breathing, active, and effective Word, into our hearts, He sends it for a purpose that He will see is accomplished! It will not return empty or void. When God says it, it is done!

The part about the double edged sword is what I want to get to today. On one side this double edged sword is the logos or written Word of God. We need to READ and STUDY the Word daily. We then need to MEDITATE on the read Word.

But, then we need to use the other side of the Sword, and that is where we SPEAK the Word of God that we have just read. The enemy cowers when we SPEAK the word of God. He knows he cannot begin to battle that power.... It was the spoken Word of God that created the universe and the spoken Word of God that cast the enemy from the portals of heaven to where he is now. The spoken word of God is powerful when fighting the enemy. That is why it is so important to not only read and meditate on God's word but to speak it out loud. The enemy cannot read our minds. He shivers on what he hears out of our mouths the Word of God. (To study my statement, "The enemy cannot read our minds", please check out the following links)

http://www.biblestudy.org/question/can-satan-the-devil-read-our-thoughts.html

http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-power.html

http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/1301-Q-13.htm


As we use the "double edge" then God's Word penetrates to our soul and spirit and circumcises our heart, as the Bible says. That just means it helps us to crucify our flesh. When we meditate on God's Word, we are able to live and walk in the Spirit, rather than the flesh. We are cleansed and sanctified through His Word. When we live according to the Spirit of God rather than according to our flesh, we are again making the enemy powerLESS in our life. He can only operate with our permission. We give the enemy permission to work in our lives when we live lives contrary to God's spirit. (Ephesians 4:27)

So - when you read God's Word, put your name in there and speak it out loud. For instance if God dropped Isaiah 61 and in your heart. You can read verse 7: "instead of their shame my people - YOUR NAME- will receive a double portion and instead of disgrace YOUR NAME will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them(YOU NAME) and make an everlasting covenant with them! Tell the devil out loud what God's word says. Shout it at him. Then meditate on it every day.

Throughout the Bible we are told to:

• meditate on God's Word (think about and repeat over and over again to ourselves)
  
• pray God's Word (the only way we can be sure to pray according to the will of God)
  
• speak God's Word (like Jesus did when He was tempted to be discouraged - spoke it out loud to Satan)
  

  
  

If you are struggling with battles in your life, remember this: God sees time so much different than we do. He is infinite and we see time through our finite beings.

God sees the beginning as well as the ending, and all the points in between. He sees your good times and your rough times, but ultimately He sees your rejoicing in heaven for eternity. That is how He works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). That is why placing our trust in Him is so vital. -Trusting Him when we are tired and worn out. -Trusting Him when we feel all is going down the tubes. -Trusting Him when we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. Simple trust. He has promised you victory - so tomorrow, if it brings worse news than yesterday, you can trust in Him.

So, I encourage each of you today to take up a warrior mentality. Be an enemy of Satan. Take up the Sword of the Spirit, clothe yourself in the armor God has provided (Ephesians 6) and battle the enemy of your soul through the power of the Holy Spirit. Read God's Word. Meditate on God's Word and Speak God's Word out loud.

Prayer:

"Lord I am so thankful for Your powerful, living, active Word. Help me today to read it, then speak it. When I read your Word and do not meditate on it, it is like me eating some good food and then spitting it out, refusing to swallow. That habit would eventually be fatal to me physically, and it is deadly to my Spirit man as well. Help me today to READ Your Word, then SPEAK it is Jesus name, amen!"

Five “I will’s” of David

Scripture:

Psalm 101:1-8 A Psalm of David. I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. (2) I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; (3) I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. (4) A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. (5) Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. (6) I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. (7) No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. (8) Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Observation:

David may have written this psalm early in his reign as king as he set down the standards he wanted to follow. David knew that to lead a blameless life he would need God's help (v. 2).

We can lead blameless lives if we avoid:

(1) looking at wickedness
("I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar," (v. 3),

(2) evil thoughts ("perverse heart," (v. 4)

(3) slander (v. 5), and

(4) pride (v. 5). While avoiding these wrongs, we must also let God's Word show us the standards by which to live.

Application:

I love author Bob Gass, and he had a devotion some time back where he discussed Psalm 101. I have used his thought, and some of his notes to write the following.

Notice the five "I wills" of David in our text today (Psalm 101)

(1) "I will sing of steadfast love and justice" (v.1). When dealing with others, some of us are all mercy and no justice; others are all justice and no mercy. God requires both. David says "I will" live a balanced life today.

(2) "I will ponder the way that is blamesless" (v.2). People are more impacted by our behaviour than by our beliefs. Our children may not always follow our advice, but count on it, they'll follow our footsteps. Those not persuaded by your theology can still be won by your love and lifestyle.

(3) "I will walk with integrity of heart within my house" (v.2.). Integrity begins at home. If your family thinks you're joyless and judgmental you'll never attract them to Christ. Christianity that doesn't work at home, isn't genuine Christianity. It is religion. Christianity isn't about religion, it is about relationship. David prayed, "How I need your help, especially in my own home, where I long to act as I should" (Psalm 101:2 TLB).

(4) "I will set no wicked (or worthless) thing before mine eyes" (v.3). Television is on seven hours a day in most homes. So ask yourself: "What am I exposing myself and my family to?" What you tolerate you've no right to complain about! You say you've no time to read God's Word and pray. No, the truth is, you don't have a strong enough desire to. God help us! Some who are reading this have developed an addictive habit of pornography. Be sure this cancer will slowly eat away at your relationship with God and your spouse. Please, make this I WILL a priority for your life even now.

(5) "I will early destroy all the wicked" (v.8.). The Living Bible states, "I will not tolerate anyone who secretly slanders his neighbours; I will not permit conceit and pride. I will make the godly of the land my heroes, and invite them to my home" (Psalm 101:5-6). David is saying, as soon as wicked men were discovered in any part of the land, he would cut them off, would take the first opportunity of punishing them as the law directs: or he would do it every morning, constantly and continually. What that says to me is that I need to pledge that I WILL attack every morning anything that attempts to detour me from walking in integrity before God and man.

Those are five "I wills" you and I should live by.

Prayer:

"Lord, today I want to be like David and deterimine that I WILL do these five things mentioned above. It is a conscious choice that I make today. It will take some effort, but it will very much be worth it. Thank you Holy Spirit for Your help today. In Jesus' name, amen!"

Today’s Blessings

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Observation:

"Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms" means that in Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God-being chosen for salvation, being adopted as his children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God's will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. The "heavenly realms" means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. The blessings come from Christ's spiritual realm, not the earthly realm of the goddess Artemis. Other references to the heavenly realms in this letter include Eph 1:20; Eph 2:6; Eph 3:10. Such passages reveal Christ in his victorious, exalted role as ruler of all.

Application:

As Paul thinks about the Lord, and the spiritual blessings that He had bestowed upon him, he breaks out into praise. The verses that follow v. 3 expound upon these blessings. THIS DAY I want to be the same way.

When I woke up this morning, I awakened to new mercy, daily bread, provision for my TODAY needs, all of my family is up and well, they are all saved and living for Jesus. I could go on and on. But as I think about this list, it makes me think of one of my favorite songs that our choir at First Assembly sings. The words are:

When I think about the Lord How He saved me, How he raised me How He filled me with the Holy Ghost How He healed me to the utter-most. When I think about the Lord How He picked me up and turned me around How He set my feet on solid ground It makes me wanna shout,"Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, Lord you're worthy of all the glory, And all the honor, and all the praise!"

I need to take the time right now to declare praise to the Lord! You see yesterday may have been tough, but it's gone. Tomorrow I may face a battle, but it's not here yet. But when it does get here...it will be TODAY. And TODAY, "this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." I can rejoice because
God promised to provide "daily bread" for me TODAY. Not tomorrow. I get burdened with cares and worries, when I try to find "daily bread" for tomorrow. God does not want me to live like that. I need to trust Him today. Because today He has truly blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ!

As Dale Carnegie said, "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."

I also read a quote sometime back that said, "Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely"

If I live in the regrets of yesterday, and the worry of tomorrow, then I take for granted the provision of today. I don't want to live like that today! In fact, I WILL NOT live like that today. I will shout and rejoice until the Lord. The one"who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Prayer:

"Lord, please forgive me for taking so many of your blessings for granted. I have to admit that I have lived in the regrets of yesterday way too often. I have also spent way too much time in the worries of tomorrow. I choose this day to live in the provision of TODAY. The reason yesterday and tomorrow seem so heavy is that You never promised "daily bread" for tomorrow. Only for TODAY. So...this is THE DAY that you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it as I think upon the blessings you have given me in the heavenly realms...every spiritual blessing in Christ! In Jesus' name, amen!"