Living it
Moses stood before the nation to repeat the promises of God, to the new generation that would fight their way in the land. They would be the generation that got a breakthrough, into the promises of God. Moses was convinced they could do it. I know you will breakthrough. I know you will take the land from the enemy but if you don't obey the word of God once you are in the land and live God's way, you may not be able to maintain possession of the land. A “breakthrough generation” has to be more than louder music and stronger shouts of praise. There needs to be a strong character, a strong home life, a strong marriage, a strong work ethic and a strong personal life. The breakthrough generation will be people of faith and passion but they will also live with a commitment to the principles of God's Word in their family and their finances. If they don't know how to live right every day, they may enjoy days of victory but not be able to maintain their victory. It is just as important that our marriage is a testimony as our miracles are. For our family to be as much a testimony as our faith and our finances should be as sound as our fervour for God.
Friend, the way we do live in the community is more testimony than the way we do communion. Moses said the nations were going to take note because they were a wise and understanding people, not just a noisy excited people.
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Beauty of faliure
I had a prophecy over me once, that there would be times when I would feel an absolute failure, but this would be Gods guard upon my spirit to keep me from pride. I didn’t know whether to feel good or bad about that prophecy! Failure often destroys self-confidence. We are not self-made men and we are not self sufficient. Nothing helps us to see our self more accurately, than failure.
The prodigal son saw himself in a much more accurate light, after he failed. The oldest son seemingly without failure, ends up graceless, loveless and bitter. How often has the failure of someone, worked a work of grace in a person’s life to such a degree, that their usefulness to man and God is taken to levels which could never have been possible before their fall. The real benefit of failure, is the ‘recognizing the weakness of self. Pride and self-confidence can be dealt with by God and failure often opens a person up to the possibility of help from others. Failure worked for good in Peter’s life, to rid him of his self-confidence and to thrust him upon the Lord. Failure is something God can use to bring about a greater quality of union with Christ and gives us a better perspective about the weakness of the human vessel.
In all it seems often that the humility and character of Christ is more able to be forged on the anvil of human failure, than it is by a perfect record of performance. Jonah had great revival after his failure. Peter became a nation shaker and even Samson saw things very differently after his failure and delivered the nation.
Friend, failure is not a person, it is an event! It can even be an important event, that opens us up to more of God’s love and power than ever before.
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Speak
Your words bring you into Gods future plans and destiny for you. The words you speak today can bring Gods “planned tomorrow” toward you. If we speak words of unbelief, we can frustrate and even deny the good plans of God for our life. How much of what God planned to bring into our lives, has been bound up in the heavens by the words we have said or not said. When Jesus said to Peter “I give you the keys of the kingdom and whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven,” He was talking about binding and loosing with words. Words of preaching, forgiving, casting out demons and prayer. All words by which we bind or lose the things in heaven onto the earth and into our situations. Only what you loose in heaven, comes to us and we lose it by our words.
Friend, our words need to agree with God promises.
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Love is all you need
Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God. On the mountain, he received the 10 Commandments and other laws as they are recorded in the Pentateuch. The high watermark of the law was the simple command to love God with all our might and our neighbour as ourselves. This is still the essence of Gods law and illustrates the goal of our spiritual growth as the people of God. In fact, the first five books of the Bible or the Pentateuch, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, are an illustration of the processes of growth, that God takes us when we follow Him. Genesis is the beginning and explains how God called men from Noah to Abraham. It is about Election; God calling His people, the first privilege we experience, being called by the father to Jesus. Exodus illustrates deliverance and coming out of Egypt. God’s people are brought out of the old into a new beginning. It illustrates how we are redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb. Leviticus informs the redeemed slaves, how to live with a holy God, as they approached His sanctuary: Sanctification is about we gain a new way of thinking about God, along with a changed lifestyle. Numbers deals with how God trained his people from a mob or rabble into the army of God through discipline and learning to follow the cloud of His presence. Finally, Deuteronomy repeats to the second generation all the requirements they were to obey after the old generation had died off. Their obedience would bring the blessing and victory as they entered into their inheritance. These truths formed the basis for the teaching of the early church doctrine about how we are called, regeneration, justified and sanctified to be made ready to enter fully in our inheritance, who is Christ.
Friend, to come to the full stature of Jesus Christ means to be a wholehearted disciple but mostly means to be fully loving of people and God; even in that order. John said we can’t say we love God till we love your brother and sister. 1 John 4.21
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Glorification
Joseph walked to where his brothers were keeping the family sheep, sure that they would be glad to see him. Little did he know that they were very jealous of him and planned to kill him? Eventually, through the actions of the first-born brother Rueben he was not killed but only sold to traders on their way to Egypt. The only beloved son of Israel becomes the one sold to Egypt by his brethren freedom but also becomes the incredible picture of Glorification or what God finally plans for His children. We are trained in this world but are destined for the throne of heaven. It seems incredible; about as incredible as a prisoner becoming a governor in one day. In one day we shall be made immortal and raised up to sit with Christ upon the royal throne of heaven. Right now we don’t look that different from everyone else. The world cannot see that you are a king or prince and son of God and who really a cares. Joseph looked like a prisoner to everyone else; just the same but God had a Day coming.
Friend, like Rueben our firstborn brother of the new creation stepped up to keep us from death that eventually we may reign. Today all creation is waiting for the manifestation of the Sons of God, when they rise from the prison of the earth, to rule with the King in the kingdom.
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Sanctification
Jacob was the second-born son of Isaac. He was a schemer but he knew what he wanted. He wheedled the birthright, then he got the blessing. He was always working the angles. When he met God in Gen 28.17 he said “If you will bless me, help me, keep me, feed me and clothe me, then I’m going to make a house for You and begin to tithe like Abraham. Which is fine but it is a bit like saying If I’m better off materially, by being right with God then I’ll serve him. He might have thought; the reason I’ll tithe is so that I can get blessed. (The reason we tithe is that we are already blessed. The job you have already, is a blessing and we need to honour God, lest we lose the one we’ve got.) Jacob knew what he wanted and when God met him he said “I want you to bless me and wrestled with him till God blessed him. God did bless him but the blessing meant a change in his walk. He walked with a limp from that day on. He was no longer striving in his own strength which was diminished. That is what we call sanctification; when we learn to lean completely on God and come to a place where we realise that our strength is not sufficient. God wrestles with us in such a way through circumstance that though we are loved sons and fully justified before God, He helps us to become like Jesus in actuality. In reality, we are changed to be more like him. This is practical righteousness not just imputed or even imparted righteousness. We might be justified and declared righteous, but our habits can still be demanding, selfish or ungrateful, so God will help us change.
Friend, if we don’t realise he is wrestling with us we will wrestle all night but not win. Give in and do it Gods way.
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Don’t make me wait
The old farmer leans on his shovel and looks at the field. Its been a few weeks since he planted a seed and still, the field hasn’t turned green with new spouts. But he’s not worried and he’s not impatient. He knows there is a due season.
Patience is not just being able to wait, anyone can do that but it’s waiting with the right attitude of faith and trust. I have had some things that stretch my patience for years. Not just one or two but many years till I said: “Lord how much longer?” Most people have enough faith to trust God for a day. If God sorts it after a day they can be happy but fewer people have faith to trust God if it takes six or ten years.
In the kingdom there can only one can be Lord and trials of faith and patience, teach us that He is God and that we are dependent upon him. We can rejoice in trials, as they develop patience in us. Trials sometimes bring other things out of us. Not patience but anger. We really only have the character that we demonstrate in the midst of a trial. Anyone can look patient on a slow yacht in their holidays.
Friend, Paul had to learn to be content, so it didn’t happen overnight. He didn’t find it easily and neither will you, but we are never losers only learners. God doesn’t see as failures but only as His growing children.
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How do we grow
Jesus said to the disciples “Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they neither toil nor spin yet they grow and are beautiful. All growth depends upon God. The Christian life is not a life of self-help or self-improvement but is about receiving the benefits of God’s grace. Growth happens when you and learn to receive more grace from God. The early church had only the Old Testament for a bible and found in its pages explanation and illustrations of the truth they had experienced. The 6 men of Genesis illustrate the work of God in us to bring us to His image and spiritual growth. Adam, of course, is a clear picture and cause of the sin we all share. Noah is a picture of regeneration, where new life begins out of the old. God saved him from being destroyed with the old creation and he begins a new life with those He brings forth into a new life Abraham is the illustration of Justification by faith. He shows us that Gods way of putting man right with Himself is by an unusual manner; faith. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Isaac illustrates sonship, where the son becomes the apple of Father’s eye. Isaac is truly blessed; he has no needs, everything is provided for. He is loved by God and even in time of famine he is blessed. He is the favoured one, the special boy, the beloved son. That is you and me. We are Gods sons and daughters. To as many as received Him, He gave them power to become the sons of God. That is a picture of supernatural living because he’s blessed by Father. Jacob’s life reflects the process of sanctification. Jacob was a trickster he was a schemer. Faith is living without scheming; it’s living in a way that just trusts God. His life was all about him but God changed him and wrestled with him till he walked with a limp.
Friends, all growth and the dealings of God in our lives, are to bring us to a walk of dependence upon God where our self strength is broken and we limp on our own feet. Ultimately growth must come about through a work of God.
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