Walk With Jesus

Walk With Jesus

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me [Jesus], dressed in white, for they are worthy. Revelation 3:4

Three or four times a week Rita and I walk together in our hilly neighborhood. Our purpose is not to train for an Ironman, but to increase our heart rate and decrease our stress. On the level stretches or when we gingerly step downhill, we take turns talking about what we like the best and the least about our week. Our conversation tends to complement real hurts with hopeful healing. We discuss (sometimes debate!) topics like financial management and calendar coordination. We walk together so we can share and understand each other’s thoughts and feelings.

John, the Apostle of Love, compliments the few among the church in Sardis who have remained pure in the face of impure peer pressure. This remnant was just enough spiritual salt to preserve a dying body of believers. This local church was not persecuted because it was in a spiritual coma. Scripturally incoherent and void of prayer, these church attenders were not a threat to the enemy’s strategy to silence the church. But the few who really knew God, walked with Jesus. Though imperfect now—they looked forward to perfection in heaven. Purity makes us worthy of glory.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Is your walk with the Lord contingent on circumstances or does it transcend all situations? It’s not enough to just go to God when the going gets rough. Your spiritual health needs attention at all times. Consistently walk with Jesus on the level, less stressful stretches of life. Hold His hand on the downhill steps of success—then you are better prepared to persevere in prayer up the steep hills of adversity. During treacherous ascents—Christ, the experienced mountain climber—pulls you up by the secure ropes of radical trust. Perseverance requires one step of faith at a time.

You are God’s seasoning for the salvation of souls. Some within your church congregation are not saved. You are planted by the Holy Spirit to be a loving reminder as an authentic follower of Jesus. Your greatest mission field may be those you worship with on Sunday morning. Look for opportunities to initiate friendships. Invite acquaintances into a small group to study the Bible. Do life together, so when life happens you are available to help out. Life is preparation for the next life. Christ desires His bride, the church, to be adorned in a dress without blemish. As the sun reflects its brilliance off pure driven snow—your purified soul will one day reflect God’s glory!

“On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I desire to walk with You through the ups, downs and level stretches of life.

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

Accepting and Deciding

"He that overcometh ... shall be clothed in white raiment ... I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (Revelation 3:5)

it is time for us to seek again the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Man's lordship has cost us too much.  Man's intrusive will has introduced such a multiplicity of unscriptural ways and unscriptural activities as positively to threaten the life of the Church. These divert annually millions of dollars from the true work of God and waste Christian man-hours in such vast numbers as to be heartbreaking.

There is another and worse evil which springs from this basic failure to grasp the radical difference between the natures of two worlds. It is the habit of languidly "accepting" salvation as if it were a small mater and one wholly in our hands. Men are exhorted to think things over and "decide" for Christ. By a complete misunderstanding of the noble and true doctrine of the freedom of the human will, salvation is made to depend perilously upon the will of man instead of upon the will of God.

There is no genuine repentance where there is no forsaking of sin. Still to go on in sin, to practice iniquity with greediness, with constancy, and with perseverance, is incompatible with the nature of that sorrow which is unto salvation.

~A. W. Tozer~

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How Badly Do You Want God?

"He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35)

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Hunger and thirst are physical sensations which, in their acute stages, may become real pain.

It has been the experience of countless seekers after God that when their desires become a pain they were suddenly and wonderfully filled. The problem is not to persuade God to fill us, but to want God sufficiently to permit Him to do so.

The average Christian is so cold and so contend with his wretched condition that there is no vacuum of desire into which the blessed Spirit can rush in satisfying fullness.

Child of the kingdom be filled with the Spirit.
Nothing but fullness thy longing can meet;
'Tis the enduement for life and for service -
Thine is the promise, so certain, so sweet.

"I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your heart for the gift I am bringing.
While ye are seeking me, I will be found.

~A. W. Tozer~

When Our Faith Fails, God Will Keep Working With Us

Exodus 14:5-10

(5) Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" (6) So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. (7) Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. (8) And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. (9) So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zemphon. (10) And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
New King James Version  

The Israelites accuse Moses of not dealing with them fairly, murmuring that he should not have led them out of Egypt. This occurs just days after they went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, joyful that they were free. How quickly their faith evaporated when fear began closing in on them!

The Egyptians, their horses, their chariots, all the shining army and might of Egypt were represented there. The Israelites' backs were up against the sea, and they could see the death sentence approaching them as fast as a horse could pull a chariot. They thought their lives were hanging in a balance when they saw the army. The end of their lives was quickly coming within view.

Had not God given them enough evidence through all His plagues against Egypt? Had He not given them enough evidence to impact their thinking, clearly dividing the Israelites from the Egyptians, beginning with the fourth plague? All of the plagues fell on Egypt, but none of them after that fell on the Israelites. Had He not impressed their minds enough on Passover when the blood of the Lamb enabled their firstborn to live while the Egyptians' died?

We can learn and grow from this lesson. In principle, we all come to our own personal Red Sea. Every one of us fails repeatedly, just as Israel did when they lost their faith for a while. What we go through when we come up against our personal Red Sea is very similar to what Israel went through.

God rescued and chastened them, but He did not dump them. He shows that He will continue to work patiently with us just as a teacher continues to work with students, even though some fail and rarely do anything well. A teacher is faced with the same principle that we are involved in with God. The teacher does not want to fail students, so he uses all of his time, energy, and efforts to encourage and instruct so that those who are failing will turn around, catch the vision, and begin to apply the right teaching.

God thinks of time in the same way a teacher does: “There is still time to catch this person's interest and turn them around.” Therefore, God gave the Israelites forty years in the wilderness.

Hebrews 11:29 shows that these people did recover their faith in time to go through the Red Sea. The major reason that they turned themselves around may have largely been because of faithful leadership, primarily by Moses and possibly by others as well. They exhibited some measure of faith, and God faithfully and duly records it.

This ought to encourage those of us who fail from time to time. Many times our faith has failed, but God patiently continues to work with us. We cannot become discouraged, but must keep going on, because God will not stop. He will keep working with us.

~John W. Ritenbaugh~

The Divine Displacement

"Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh" (1 Peter 3:15)

With the desire to please men so deeply implanted within us how can we uproot it and shift our life-drive from pleasing men to pleasing God?

Well, no one can do it alone, nor can he do it with the help of others, nor by education, nor by training, nor by any other method known under the sun. What is required is a reversal of nature (that is fallen nature does not make it any the less powerful) and this reversal must be a supernatural act.

That act the Spirit performs through the power of the gospel when it is received in living faith. Then He displaces the old with the new. Then He invades the life as sunlight invades a landscape and drives out the old motives as light drives away darkness from the sky.

We ought never to confound the things we do with what God does. We get ready for Him. We place ourselves in position, and the fire descends. We sanctify ourselves that He might sanctify us. It is God's work.

~A. W. Tozer~
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A Switch In Pleasure Source

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and ... they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11).

The way faith works in experience is something like this: The believing man is overwhelmed suddenly by a powerful feeling that ONLY GOD MATTERS; soon this works itself out into his mental life and conditions all his judgments and all his values.

Now he finds himself free from slavery to man's opinions. Soon he learns to love above all else the assurance that he is well-pleasing to the Father in heaven.

It is this complete switch in their pleasure source that has made believing men invincible. So could saints and martyrs stand alone, deserted by every earthly friend, and die for Christ under the universal displeasure of mankind.

The gospel has power to deliver men from the tyranny of social approval and make them free to do the will of God.

Nothing is too dear to give to Christ, nothing too great to be cheerfully sacrificed to the promotion of His glory. Such is the disposition of good men, that they place their happiness in the glory of God and the prosperity of His kingdom.

~A. W. Tozer~

Godly Goal Setting

Godly Goal Setting 

He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’   Luke 13:32

Goal-setting was a part of Christ’s thinking. First and foremost His goal was to do the will of His heavenly Father. This is the goal that got Him out of bed in the morning. It was a joint mission with the Holy Spirit. His goal was also to serve the people. He cast out demons, healed, and taught. Jesus was a focused individual with specific goals in mind.

           

His example is a model for goal-setting; so keep God and people the priorities. If you set no goals, you will reach them every time. If you do set goals, you will reach some, modify others, and miss a few. For the extremely thorough and cautious temperament, it is hard to plan toward something, and not see it accomplished. However, this is part of trusting God to help you meet necessary goals and wait on others.

           

On the other hand, there are some personalities that set too many unrealistic goals. Yes, all things are possible with God, but not to the point of irresponsible planning. Too many goals can overwhelm you and water down your effectiveness in reaching the right ones. This is where prayer is critical in goal-setting.

           

Ask God what His best is for your life. Ask Him how to pace yourself over the long term, so your family develops robustly and your health is enhanced in the process. Goals are a guide to be adjusted daily, weekly, monthly, and annually depending on their nature and the timing of their necessity and implementation. There is a logical flow in goal-setting. Make sure your goals flow out of your God-given purpose. If your purpose is to glorify God by being a faithful husband, an available father, a loyal friend, and a loving leader, then start there. Let your purpose statement be a filter for your goal-setting. If a goal does not pass muster with your purpose, then omit it and move on. Goals are not meant to be barnacles that slow down your life ship. Goals are meant to free you up to focus on God’s will. Goals are like billowing, white sails powered by the winds of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s empowerment moves you forward by faith.

           

Daily time with God is a good goal. A regular marriage conference and marriage teaching with your spouse is a good goal. Give 10% and save 10% is a good goal. Using your work as a platform for ministry is a good goal. Exercising three times a week and eating a balanced diet are good goals. You may even have a God-given goal to travel around the world. Go for it! Write down what God is putting in your heart. Set a timetable that is not so rigid that it cannot be adjusted. God works through goals, so be a prayerful goal-setter, and watch Him work. You may be surprised what He can accomplish through you. Simply writing down your goals may give you just the needed inspiration and accountability to attempt great things for God. Prayerfully set goals and watch Him work.

           

The Bible says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Prayer: Heavenly Father give me courage and wisdom to set goals pleasing to You.

Application: What big goal do I need to trust the Lord to accomplish in His timing?

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

Needed: A Radical Shift

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ... unto him be glory" Ephesians 3:20-21)

The truth in received in power shifts the bases of life from Adam to Christ and a new set of motives goes to work within the soul. A new and different Spirit enters the personality and makes the believing man new in every department of his being.

His interests shift from things external to things internal, from things on earth to things in heaven. He loses faith in the soundness of external values, he sees clearly the deceptiveness of outward appearances and his love for and confidence in the unseen and eternal world become stronger as his experience widens.

With the ideas here expressed most Christians will agree, but the gulf between theory and practice is so great as to be terrifying. For the gospel is too often preached and accepted without power, and the radical shift which the truth demands is never made.

Anyone can do the possible; add a bit of courage and zeal and some may do the phenomenal; only Christians are obliged to do the impossible.

~A. W. Tozer~

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From Self to God

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24)

It is a distressing thing that a truth so beautiful as justification should have been so perverted. But perversion is the price we pay for failure to emphasize the moral content of truth; it is the curse that follows rational orthodoxy when it has quenched or rejected the Spirit of Truth.

In asserting that faith in the gospel effects a change of life-motive from self to God I am but stating the sober facts.

Every man with moral intelligence must be aware of the curse that afflicts him inwardly; he must be conscious of the thing we call "ego", by the Bible called "flesh" or "self", but by whatever name called, a cruel master and a deadly foe.

Affections that do not terminate on God, terminate on self. mend who do not "seek the things that are Jesus Christ's, seek their own. Inordinate self-love is the ruling passion of their hearts and the governing principle of their  lives. The glory of God the Christian must seek!

~A. W. Tozer~

Works Are For Sanctification - Not Justification

John 5:28-29

(28) Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice (29) and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

  Romans 14:10-12

(10) But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (11) For it is written:
"As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God." (12) So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

  2 Corinthians 5:10

(10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

  Revelation 20:13

(13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
New King James Version  

Teachers who say that works are unimportant are spreading lies—by confusing the issues, by blunting the incentive to keep the commandments of God and to make the right kind of choices, by making people think that they do not have to do any works. Understand, however, that works are not required to save us but to ensure that we are changed!

What does God want to see when we come before the judgment bar, as we are now during our Christian lives? He wants to see evidence to prove that we are indeed His children. His judgment is based upon what we have done; the Bible says repeatedly that judgment is according to our works.

I am not qualifying here the quantity or the quality of our works. God is so merciful! Paul tells us in I Corinthians 3:15 that, even though our works are burned up, we ourselves will be saved. Even though the works are of poor quality, at least we have worked! We did not just sit there, dead in the water. We apparently pleased God enough to show that we wanted to be in His Kingdom.

That judgment is in His hands. But we should recognize that He does require works. The works are not for justification but for sanctification. The works aid in the transformation of our character to the image of God. The works aid in our growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. The works help to produce change. It is a cooperative effort that we do with God.

And I can guarantee you that, if a person does not make the efforts to change, they would be totally unhappy in the Kingdom of God. They would be like a fish out of water, because everybody in that Kingdom is going to be holy.Everybody in that Kingdom is going to do—they are going to live holy lives. (They wouldn't fit, and so they won't be there.)

Satan is trying to destroy God's purpose by subtly confusing the necessity of good works, and therefore stopping the process of sanctification through a perverted teaching on grace, on law, and covenants. But remember this: Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without holiness—a holiness that we have to strive for—"no man shall see the Lord."

~John W. Ritenbaugh~