Luke 23

This chapter in Luke really reminds me of the limitations of our human mind. Intellect and thinking can only take you so far in the discovery of God. In fact, it can only take you to the place of a leap of faith, the place where you simply choose to believe God and not the doubts and limitation of your mind. Peter would have never got out of the boat to walk on water if he stayed in the realm of his own mind and thinking. God’s ways are not our ways, they are higher often directly opposing human wisdom and that’s why we miss so much.

In chapter 23 verses 39-43 two men are right in the presence of Jesus. They are up close and personal, on the very edge of eternity. One man gets it - and takes the leap of faith to trust everything to Jesus. He puts the eternal security and final dwelling place of his soul in Jesus’ hands and Jesus reassures him today after death he will be with Him in Paradise. His right thinking and mindset secured him a place in heaven!

However, the other guys’ thinking was all out of whack - he finds it impossible to accept the situation he is in, even though he is at the very end of his life on the edge of eternity he is still trying to hold onto something that will soon slip away. So he makes a demand of Jesus suggesting he forego this salvation process and display His power by getting them both down from the cross. Essentially he is saying; Jesus let’s put off the inevitable and let’s enjoy life on earth just a little bit longer. His wrong thinking and mindset actually caused him to miss the Saviour and eternal salvation of his soul.

Wrong thinking and mindsets encourage people to deny the reality of the situation they are in. People put their heads in the sand simply wishing and hoping that hell will somehow just go away! The reality is you can wish all you like and it will not change a thing. What will be, will be. God has set in place two eternal dwelling places on the other side of death and you and I will choose the one we want. We need to discipline our minds to accept that this is how it is. We don’t have to like it or even understand it, we just have to accept this is how it is and deal with it. Two eternal destinations await us all beyond death’s door - one is heaven and the other is hell. Your and my ability to keep our mind and thinking in its correct place is essential if we are to discover faith in Jesus Christ and the eternal security of our souls. Be careful your mind could sabotage your future!

My prayer is that people would simply follow Jesus’ advice and come to Him with the faith of a little child. Simply trusting Him for the eternal security of their souls, even though they don’t fully understand the complexities of all that is going on in God’s plan. We are called by God to live by faith not by sight!

Genesis 37 -45

These chapters tell a magnificent story of one young man with a dream. Let’s track it a bit:

· He is his father’s favourite and his brothers hate him. He has a dream about the brother eventually bowing down to him. Gee, I wonder why they weren’t impressed? Then he has another dream this time it includes his Mum and Dad bowing down as well as the brothers. Gee Dad is not all that happy about that either!

· The brothers seize an opportunity to get rid of him by selling him into slavery and telling dad he’s dead.

· God looks after him in Egypt and he rises to a place of prominence.

· Then Pharaoh’s wife hits on him and he refuses to sleep with her so she cries rape and he is sent to prison.

· In prison God looks after him again and he rises to a place of prominence.

· He helps a few guys in prison to understand dreams that they have had.

· Pharaoh has a dream he doesn’t understand and one of the guys in prison with Joseph remembers this guy who could interpret dreams.

· Joseph is brought out of prison and he declares the interpretation of the dream and instructs Pharaoh on what he should do in response to it.

· Pharaoh then put Joseph in charge to prepare to what is to come. God has once again raised Joseph to place of prominence.

· Joseph prepares for the famine to come by stock piling in goods for seven years.

· 2 years into the famine Joseph’s brothers come down looking for help.

· After a short season eventually his father and the whole family come and bow down before Joseph as he commits to look after them for the remainder of the five years of famine.

So here’s the thought….Joseph was 17 years old when he received the dreams from God. He was 39 -40 when the dreams actually came to pass and his father and brothers bowed down before him. Joseph had a 22 year period of weird stuff going on before the dream came to pass and when it did come to pass it was in response to Joseph’s offer to look after, support and serve them for the next 5 years of famine. I wonder if that was how Joseph saw the dream panning out when he was 17yr old?

My prayer is that we would understand that dreams from God take a long time to come to pass because our characters must be prepared in the arena of life. We must be prepared to wield honour and power in a constructive way. We must also understand that often when they do come to pass they are not how we initially thought they would be.

Genesis 29: 20 ‘So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his lover for her.’

Luke 12:34 ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

When someone truly loves someone or something serving is never a drag. It’s never a drag when a person’s heart is fully engaged with God, when He is the thing they long for most in this world. Once again we have taken a spiritual principle and brought it down to natural things based on man’s best thinking and wisdom. Let me explain…

This is how it should work;

When a human being is so in love with their God. When God becomes the treasure of their heart. When they long to be more and more with Him. Guess What? that person serves wholeheartedly, passionately and with full integrity like Jacob. Why? because they know one day they will get the prize and they will be forever with the one they long for. People who approach serving like this are often not that worried about what they are doing, for they are servants. Sure, there are things they enjoy doing a little more than others indicating a gift, talent or spiritual gift within them rising, however because of their love for God -they are happy to serve anywhere, anytime for they know the end result of their service is to spend eternity with the one they love. That is how it should work with the horse before the cart!

In today’s world we tend to have this scenario;

People work very hard to figure out how God has wired them up. They ask….What is my spiritual gift?, what is my talent? We think that if we discover this and then serve we will become great in the sight of God and man. So, we wait and ponder asking God to reveal His gift to us refusing to serve unless it’s a perfect fit. Let me suggest that God asks us the same question he did to Peter, “How much do you love me?” and he replied “then feed my lambs”- in other words just make a start! Start serving coffee on Sundays, or join the operations team to maintain the campus and move lawns or paint buildings or do repairs, you could even clean the toilets, serve the children or youth, just play what appears to be an insignificant role behind the scenes. For some reason we cringe and refuse this type of service because we want the perfect fit straight away. So we sit and keep waiting as years slip by.

I wonder if God also sits by just wondering when our love for Him will finally reach the point where we are willing to be obedient in the little things so he can entrust us with the greater things. You see, serving God wholeheartedly in whatever position he suggests is part of us growing up into the call of God on our lives. It starts with a general call to anything, then over time, it evolves into a specific call once we are ready. Man’s wisdom has reduced this all down to an intellectual process to manipulate people as quickly as possible to get jobs done. Which way will you choose to develop?

God’s way is this - if you truly love me and long to be with me you will follow and do whatever I say. Then once I am sure I have your heart, that I truly am your treasure then together with me you will discover your spiritual gift, talent and ability in Me. Then when the time is right, when your character has been developed to sustain the gift, together we will embark on great adventures. However. it all starts with a heart that longs to be with me, a heart that so loves me it can respond to whatever direction I give it.

Mans way is – let’s use our best thinking and develop an 8 week course that takes people on the journey to try and figure out how God has wired you up. At that point we can release you into that area of service thus filling our serving slots while locking you in so you don’t fall through the gaps. The only problem is that a person’s character might not be ready to engage in that gift, their heart might not yet be fully sold out to God. We are actually bypassing the falling in love period where you are willing to do whatever it takes to please the one you love. Do this and people’s serving will become a chore and duty instead of a response of love. There is nothing wrong with courses providing they do not replace step one - which is making sure that people love God first with all there heart, mind, body and strength. Is God the treasure you are seeking in your service? God needs time to develop that in you. Only that which is motivated by love for God will stand the test of time!

My Prayer is that we would just be servants of the most high and do whatever the Father asks of us. Then God’s spirit will drive the process of preparing and developing us for whatever is to come in the future.

Luke 11: 24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

As people we must understand that spiritual forces in the world in which we live manipulate us all. None of us are immune to being influenced wrongly at times. You only have to read the account of Peter trying to stop Jesus going to his death at the cross. His heart and intent was great concern for his friend however, Jesus knew what was behind this seemly thoughtful suggestion. Peter must have thought he was okay just looking out for the team - that is, until Jesus said ‘get behind me satan, for you do not have the things of God but the things of man in mind’. I bet that didn’t exactly work out how Pete thought it would! That must have hurt Peter deeply - but I tell you what, he would never again forget the lesson or underestimate just how easily he or others can be manipulated by evil beings in the spirit world.

Have you ever had the situation where you just feel so depressed and low? Your thoughts are dark and negative about everybody and everything? Then you come into the presence of God at church in worship and as you begin to sing, a heaviness begins to lift and the world seems brighter, wrong thoughts disappear and joy returns once again to your soul. Friends, once we begin to worship together or listen to the Word of God - the devil and his evil cronies simply have to leave. What you are experiencing is deliverance -not from possession by evil spirits, but oppression of evil spirits. Spiritual forces that are battling for the control of our minds. That is why the scriptures tell us we must be have our minds transformed and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It also tells us to make sure we guard our mind, protecting it against the enemy with the helmet of salvation.

Now here’s the warning! On Sunday you can walk into the presence and power of God in church and be set free completely by God’s awesome power. Your mind can be free, the body of your house cleaned up and everything put nicely in order for another week. But… if you don’t daily do something to fill that void by Tuesday the enemy will be back with a bunch of his mates and then you end up even worse and need to go through the same process again the following weekend leaving you questioning God’s power. Friends, you must learn to apply all the weapons that God has given you to keep the enemy away. Remember our weapons are not natural they are spiritual.

Daily:
· Pray in the spirit
· Worship in song, sing of your love and thankfulness to God.
· Worship in lifestyle by fully surrendering all aspects of our life to Him
· Read God’s Supernatural Word - we must not read to gain knowledge, we must read to let it read us for conviction of sin, repentance and life change!
· Then practice Ephesians 6 :10 -18 - put on the helmet of salvation and take up the shield faith.

Fill your life with God on a daily basis and you will stop the cycle of victory and defeat! You have the power given by God to send the devil packing!

My Prayer is that God would open our eyes to realize we have an enemy out there in the spirit world and unless we know how to wage war and defeat him we will lose every time. Father, help us to take this seriously!

Luke 10:41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered,” you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Sooner or later every human being must reach the Turning Point. It’s the point where we realize that we will be driven by one of two forces in this life. We will be driven by things like:

· The need to achieve,
· The need to please,
· The need to look good,
· The need to prove to the world that I truly am a somebody!

Or we will be driven by the love and wonder of sitting at regular times at His feet in the presence of our Saviour.

Mary knew the right thing to do at the right time! Mary did not stay in this position all day long, there were other times when Mary would have worked just as hard as Martha. Mary just had developed her spiritual senses to recognise when Jesus was in the house. Mary understood when it was time to sit and when it was time to work. Mary truly knew that her state of spiritual well being depended on prioritising these times. Mary had reached her Turning Point, she was drawing her identity from the right place at the feet of Jesus.

If we don’t reach the same Turning Point - all we will do is project to others that we are frustrated, angry and worried about a lot of things. They will wonder what is wrong, but we will know it’s because we are not living from stillness and peace that is found at the masters feet. It’s kind of the same when Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these things will be added unto you. Did you get that? If we seek the things first - we end up frustrated and angry and we miss out on God. However If I seek God first, then he makes sure I get the things I need! Well, what do you know, if you get things in the right order you actually can have your cake and eat it!! Mary did, Martha was missing out!

My Prayer: Father help me to make time for the discipline of daily spending time at Jesus feet. So that he can calm my soul and equip me to live this life in a spectacular way for Your Kingdom. Help to quickly realise that when I am worried about many things it’s the early warning system that I am deriving my identity from the wrong place.

Genesis 21: 19 “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”

Hagar has been given a bit of a bad wrap. She is maidservant to Sari who can’t see how God can bring to pass what he has said, so she hatches her own plan to make it happen. Sari comes up with this great plan to have a child with Abram through her maidservant Hagar. Everyone is on board with the plan and Hagar produces a son Ishmael for Sari and Abram, however it is not long before things start to go sour and Hagar finds herself the meat in the sandwich. The topic of a domestic dispute between Abraham and Sarah and things get tense indeed, however once Isaac is born over time things get right out of hand between Sarah and Hagar. Then after 14 -16years she is then forced to leave the family with her boy, she is forced to see the dream in her heart come to and end.

Hagar is unjustly persecuted for following the instruction given her by Sarah and in the end she is forced to move out. Actually she is excommunicated from the family to wander aimlessly in the dessert with her son. After a few days the water runs out and Hagar realizes that this is the end. She is so desperate and she cannot bear to see her son die of dehydration so she puts him under a tree and moves just far enough away so she want have to watch her him die. In the natural this looks like it’s all over however, God hears the boy’s cry and sends an angel to Hagar instructing her to go back to the boy. Go back to the dream and pick him up by the hand for He will still do a great thing with him in the future. At that moment God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water so she went and filled the skin of water and gave the boy a drink. God had delivered her.

Friends, there is nothing like the pain of sitting at a distance watching something you love die, watching as you feel like a promise from God is going under. Standing helpless as your long awaited dream turns into a nightmare!

But here’s the lesson for us. Stop looking at the lack in the natural and start allowing God to open your eyes to what resources are available in the spiritual realm. If it is of God it will be fulfilled. There are wells from another world all around us to sustain us until the promise fulfilled. Just like manna from heaven, or bread and fish to feed the 5000, there is far more natural provision in the realm of the spirit than there is in this earthy realm. Maybe we are just not desperate enough to see our dream come to pass! Maybe God knows we are not yet truly reliant on him!

My prayer is that like Hagar, God would open our eyes to see His provision and that we would be committed to get up take the provision in hand and start walking again! Its not over until God says it’s over.

Genesis 4:6-7 “Then the Lord said to Cain,” Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Here we catch a glimpse of just how subtle sin can be. Cain knew the right way to bring an offering to his God. He would have seen it done before as had his brother, Able. In fact, he had probably even been involved in the process with his dad Adam many times before, but for some unknown reason this time after normally following his father’s ways he chose to ignore that instruction and do things differently. Cain decided he wanted to do things his way on his terms!

I another portion of scripture James 4:17 it says this – “the one who knows the right and good thing to do and does not do it, to them it is sin”. Paul also informs us in Rom 8:2 that there are two forces warring within us; the law of spirit and life and the law of sin and death.

We must realise that sin gains access to us when we fail to do what is right! This means Sin is waiting for an opportunity to ensnare us, and that opportunity is given to it when our lives take action in opposition to what the Word of God declares. Jesus said in John 8:32 “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free“. This statement brings with it the implication that Sin has opportunity to engage and master us in any area where we do not know the truth and act accordingly.

Some things to note about Sin:
• It’s alive
• It’s active
• It’s crouching at our door
• It’s spying on us watching and waiting

Like a deadly sniper silently waiting for his target to move out of cover- Sin waits for us to move out from under the supernatural covering and safety of obedience to the scriptures. It waits for us to choose our way over God’s way to live life- then, swiftly just like Cain, we can be taken out of the game!

We can make sure this doesn’t happen to us if we simply know what God has declared to be the right and true way of going about this life. We must choose to live in obedience to the scriptures if we don’t want to get taken out of the game of life!

My Prayer: Help me to know the scriptures and then obediently apply them to my life so that sin has no opportunity to take me out of the game!