Mighty

 I've a powerful verse to share today, one that I think we've barely scratched in understanding its truth. It has the power to transform and revolutionize our lives. It's likely one you've heard many times before, think you "know," but have never really sought Him in.

Henry Blackaby, speaking on the promises of God said, "If they are in your head only, they will not change anything in your life. They have to hit your heart." In Revelation 1:8, Jesus says of Himself, "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the One who is, who always was, and is still to come, the Almighty One." You may have heard or read this verse many times. Has it hit your head but missed your heart?

We will never understand the fullness of this verse, this side of eternity and even into it, but I do believe there are three areas of its power that He means to open to us and for us to live in. The first is that He is the Almighty One, the One who is. The One who is greater, mightier, than anyone or anything that could ever come against us. There is no limit to His might and power. Whether we face crippling fear, loss, heartache, affliction, fiery trial, or overwhelming flood, HE IS GREATER! Today, everyday, in the midst of the deepest darkness, need, or danger, He is Lord over all of it.

Secondly, no matter what's happened or been done to us, and no matter what haunts us from our past, it is powerless against He who was and who has always been. We can take what has been, what has happened to He who is Lord over all our yesterdays and receive His healing, deliverance, and freedom. That which has marked our lives and doggedly followed us for years, even decades, is overcome by the One who not only forgives the past but cancels its power and tyranny over us. 

Last, there are some of us, perhaps many of us who face an ominous and terrifying future. The unknown can fill us with dread. So much in our marriages, families, livelihoods, and ministries may be very unsettled right now. Still, that which is yet to come must yield to Him who is still to come. The Almighty One as concerns are past and present will continue to be so in all of our tomorrows. Whatever our future may hold, we can rest in Him because the One who was mighty before, is mighty now, will be mighty then. He was so from the beginning, He is so now, and He will be so to the end. 

This is truth. Has it hit your heart? Do you "know" it's reality there? The book of Revelation is called a "mystery book," but the power and truth of this promise needn't be a mystery to us. He is Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end...to the end.

Blessings,
Pastor O

The Debris

 Hosea 4:6 reads, "My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge." True then, just as true, perhaps even more so now.

We have a distinct lack of knowledge about the things of God. His character, His ways, and His Word. Much of how we relate to Him, if we can even use that word, is through hearsay. Other people tell us about Him but we never seek Him in order to know if what we've heard is what is true. In a world of fast food and grocery store express lines, super high speed internet, and EZ pass toll booths, this is an easy path to take. We can get soundbites and tidbits about Him here and there. We may grab a verse in the morning and run with it, but in truth, we're running on empty....and it's destroying us. Another translation of Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are perishing (dying)" as a result of this lack. We are as well.

There are seemingly endless reasons for this, but I think a very apt one is found in 2 Kings 22. Josiah has become the king, following the godless reign of his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon. The Temple, the center of His Presence, has fallen into disrepair and unuse. Josiah orders work to begin on its reconstruction. In the midst of this, the priests find the book of the Law, which had been hidden under much debris. It was brought to Josiah, who ordered it read to him.The Scripture he heard was from Deuteronomy 28, where God told the people of all the blessing that would be upon them if they would heed His word and will and follow Him, but all the misfortune and hardship that would be theirs if they refused.

This pierced the heart of Josiah, and he began to order his life before God and His words, he ordered the nation to do so as well. As a result, Josiah and the people were blessed. God's words, buried under all the debris, had been unleashed in the life of the king and the nation. The question for us is, how much debris covers and hides His Word from us and from our hearts and minds? How much has accumulated?

The debris of busyness, jobs, family, relationships, and our agendas, even the agenda of ministry. All of these cover and keep His Word and life from us, The witness of too much of the church is that we're being destroyed, perishing because of it. In the center of the life of the nation, the Temple, His Word lays hidden. No one, king, priests, or people knew that. They were unaware of His Words and worse, unaware of Him. How close to that reality are our lives, churches, and ministries? We miss His blessings for sure, but worst of all, we miss Him. 

Is it time for a restoration project in your life, your church, your ministry? Time to excavate that which has for too long been buried. Clear the debris that covers His word and presence. In the Bible, Satan is often called "The Destroyer." One his favorite weapons is using our own ignorance of the things and ways of God to destroy us. We overcome and destroy the Destroyer with His Truth. Let us clear away the rubble, raise up His Word, and cease perishing. Let us live....to the full!

Blessings,
Pastor O

Digging Wells

 "So Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley and lived there instead. He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death." Genesis 26:17-18

God had given this land to Abraham, and he had dug wells upon it, sealing his permanent ownership. When he died, the Philistines filled them up. They no longer functioned as life-giving wells and were for all intents and purposes, forgotten, but not by God and not by Abraham's son, Isaac. They were never meant to cease their function.

I see a correlation with much of what has happened in the church. I believe that there are spiritual "wells" that need to be redug by the church. Wells that the Father never intended to be "filled in" and forgotten but nonetheless were. I want to share just a few that need to be reopened and in many areas of the church, are being reopened.

The first is the well of holiness. Holiness is a word many churches want to avoid. It brings negative feelings in people they say. Small wonder because the message of holiness is always bad news for anyone who wants to live in and rely upon their flesh. Holiness is not an exercise in legalistic rule keeping but rather an adventure into the heart and mind of the Father. Holiness is living in His purity, joy, peace, and goodness. It is living saturated in His love and loving as He loves. It is also a despising of sin in all of its forms while at the same time, loving those ones held captive by sin. There needs to be redigging of the well of holiness resulting in a fresh, powerful message of holy life and living.

Then there is the well of repentance. You can sit in a large number of churches in the west and never hear this word. Like holiness, it offends our fleshly pride. It means that we are walking on a path that is not of Him and indeed is leading us away from Him. Away from Christ. It is a path leading to destruction. Repentance is our admission that we have been living in the opposite direction in which Jesus Christ walks and lives. Repentance is a complete turning away and around from this path and joining Him on His. Repentance confesses we have been wrong and He is right. Our pride will always fight this and run from this, which is why so many churches tread so lightly here.

The last well is the well of supernatural power. Holy Spirit power. Someone once said that the church admits it is held together by His Holy Spirit while at the same time being terrified of the Person of the Holy Spirit. We have been afraid of the unleashed fullness of His Holy Spirit in our midst. So, we've crafted "worship" services that are far more oriented toward human control than the control of His Spirit. We grieve and suffocate His Holy Spirit and to our own great harm.

These are not the only wells we need to redig, just the ones on my heart today. We need to also redig the wells of generosity, compassion, faithfulness, and servanthood to name just a few. Is the fellowship of which you're a part redigging these? If not, would you dare to speak up and out about it? You may be alone at first. That's okay. Every well begins with someone putting their shovel into the ground. Be that one. I feel very sure that the Lord will soon surround you with others. The church is dying for the waters of these wells to spring up and give life once more.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Three Prayers

 I have three prayers in my journal inspired by the writings of Oswald Chambers and Watchman Nee. The first two are from Chambers, and the last from Nee. I pray them for myself, those in my church fellowship, and for you.

"Father, may You always be able to help Yourself to our lives." Think on what this prayer asks. It is more that just being available to Him. It is an invitation for Him to take any part of as well as the whole of our life. To do so at any time and in any way. No reservations and nothing held back. In season and out of season, or more directly, whether the time is right or convenient or not. It is the living out of the truth that we are not our own, but are His. Wholly, completely His. Can He do this with you and with me? Can He "help Himself" to us at even the most unexpected time? Or, have we set up boundaries and limitations upon Him? Are we really completely His?

"Father, expose the areas of our lives that 'shuffle their feet' in Your Light and Presence." Chambers gives the impression here of being very uncomfortable under the searching gaze of God. That's seen in the picture of one shuffling their feet while under His gaze, unable to be still before Him as He looks into our soul and heart. What areas of our lives do that very thing? Where, in the shining of His light upon our desires, motives, habits, attitudes, and behaviors does the shuffling exist? Are we willing to have them exposed and confronted by His Holy Spirit, or do we want to keep them hidden in the darker recesses of our lives? Are we willing to live out the Scripture found in Psalms to "Search me O Lord, and see if there be any hurtful, to myself, others, and to You, way within me." How welcome is His Light in our lives?

"May we live in such a way as to be a thorn in Satan's side." Satan is a master strategist. His unholy desire is to bring wreckage and death to the human race God loves and most especially to do so to His Church. The followers of Christ are to be those who in the power of His Holy Spirit stand against him. Are we living in such a way that our lives and fellowship thwart and hinder his plans and operations? Do we live in such a way that draws his attention and willingly risks his attack? Do we recognize his work and counter it with the power of God working through our lives? Are we such a presence of Christ in this world and in His church that we literally cause pain to the prince of darkness? The Bible tells the story of a man who tried to exorcise a demon by using the name of Christ and of Paul, His servant. The demon asked him, "Christ I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" Does Satan ask the same concerning you and me?

Three prayers. Do we dare to pray them?

Blessings,
Pastor O

No More?

 The story of Jesus turning the water into wine in John 2 is widely known, even by unbelievers. Jesus is at a wedding, and the wine for the guests has run out. This is a terrible embarrassment for the host. Christ's mother comes to Him with the problem. "They have no more wine," she said. I came across a great comment on this that said, "There needed to be more when there was no more." Perhaps in your life today you're facing something similar. There needs to be more where there is no more. More love, more forgiveness, more healing, more understanding, more patience, more joy, more hope.....but there is no more. Like the wine jars at the wedding, we're empty. We need more, but there is no more.

The thing about an empty wine pot in that day is that at first glance you would not know it is empty. They were tall and held about 30 gallons. You'd have to get very close in order to know. It's the same with you and I except that when we're empty of the above fruits and graces, the last thing we want is to allow someone to get close to us, especially if that Someone is Jesus. So we just keep moving on, keeping our distance, looking like a full pot to the casual observer, but inside, we're empty. We need more, but there is no more. And so, relationships die, hope dies, faith dies, our spiritual life dies. We become empty pots. In the story, what had begun as a wedding celebration was about to take on the atmosphere of a funeral. For some, that may be an apt illustration of what their walk with Him has become. It is not what He would have for us, and it is not where He will leave us. But we must bring our emptiness to Him.

Jesus' first response to His mother's request seems like a refusal, but she said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you." This is the key. When all has run out in our lives, when we're face with lack and emptiness, can we, will we, do whatever it is He tells us? This is the key to restoration, renewal, and healing. Jesus told the servants to fill the pots with water. This would make no sense to them and often, His leadings make little sense to us, but they obeyed. The pots, empty of even an inferior wine, were miraculously filled with the choicest of wine. This is the way of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He specialized in blessing and adding on to what seems to be not enough. Giving more where it seemed there was no more.

Where in life today is there no more but you know you desperately need more? Much more. Right before you is the One who has the means, the power, and the desire to fill your emptiness. If only you'll do as He says. He gives more where there is no more. 

The chief steward at the wedding upon discovering the new wine, said to the bridegroom, who moments before had none, "You have kept the best wine until now." With Jesus, the best wine is always yet to come. Trust Him in this. Bring your empty vessel to Him. Experience His more where there is no more. It will be His best. It is always His best.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Life Song

Not many people have neutral feelings about Beth Moore, but I have often heard His voice and heart in many of her writings and teachings. One such time happened more than a decade ago when I heard her speak of an instance. She was in her ministry offices when she began to hear loud singing and dancing in the lobby. She went to see what was happening and upon arrival the celebrants told her of how God had moved in a powerful way in response to a deep need that they had been taking before His throne of grace. The lobby was visible to anyone passing by, and one lady who was walking by looked to be dumbfounded by what she was seeing. Moore opened the door and explained to this woman that God had just miraculously answered prayer. The woman gave her a puzzled look and moved on. Moore returned to the celebration. A few moments later the woman returned and with her was a lady with tears streaming down her cheeks. Moore opened the door once again and the woman asked, "Can you pray for my friend too?" The ladies brought them in and covered them in love and prayer. Of this Moore said, "We need to invite people to dance to the song He's given us." I wonder; what is the song of your life and mine? What are we inviting people to dance to?

Years ago, Casting Crowns asked in their lyrics, "Let my life song sing to You." To Him and to the watching church and world as well. We all sing a life song but our hearts determine the sound of the notes and music. Are they notes depicting peace and harmony with Him and with others? Are they notes of joy, hope, and blessing? Songs that come from the fullness of His life? Or are they notes and songs of bitterness, anger, despair, and hopelessness? Songs and notes that sound like they're being played backwards. The world and the church as well is longing for a new song. Are we singing it, or is it the same old song of this world? 

Psalm 40:3 says, "He put a new song in my mouth." Has He done so with you? Are you singing it? No matter where we are or how dark the place may seem, He can give a new song, for He is the One who gives songs in the night. Psalm 42:8 says, "And at night, His song is with me." His sweetest songs often come at night.

Many will pass by our lives this day. Will we have a song that invited them to come and dance and rejoice with us in the wonder of His love? What we have in Jesus Christ demands a celebration, not a funeral. This world may be fallen but even in its midst we have unlimited things to sing about. The passersby would love to hear that song...if they could only hear the music. What music do they hear from us?

Blessings,

Pastor O 

Shadowlands

 The Bible speaks both to living in the the darkness as well as living in the light, His light. While there are many who have chosen to live in one or the other, I think there may be even more who live in a place found between them. The Shadowlands.

Shadowlands isn't a place of total darkness. Some light does break through, yet not enough to see things clearly. It's a place where one's sight is hindered, especially to the eyes of our heart. Most things appear very murky and ill-defined. Nothing is really as it seems to be. We're easily fooled there, or as the Bible calls it, we're deceived. That's life in the Shadowlands and far too many professing believers dwell there.

There's a Scripture in Matthew 4:16 that's based on a prophecy from the book of Isaiah concerning the coming of Christ. It says, "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined." All who are without Christ are people sitting in darkness. We're born into it. When we receive Christ in faith, the Light of the World has come to us. He leads us out of the darkness and into His Light. Christ came to take us out of the land where death casts its shadow. A land we cannot free ourselves from. What happens to too many is that somewhere in that journey into the fullness of His Light and Life, we stop. Something from that land of darkness, foul as it is, tries to lure us back. We end up living in a netherworld, neither dark nor light. The Shadowlands.

Has some part of you taken up residence there? Does something of the darkness still have a grip on you? Hindering your following Him, keeping you from going forward? Unhealed wounds? Habits, no, addictions that we can't seem to be free of? Attitudes, bitterness, unforgiveness? Unfinished business with others? With Him? Whatever it is, it's keeping us trapped there. Trapped in a land where we can't see clearly and are easily deceived. Where all is not what it seems, and what it seems is not what it is. It's the Shadowlands. More dark than light and more death than life. It's not His place for you and you can leave it. How? By giving that "thing" that thing that holds you there to Him. Completely to Him. Confessing it, offering it, surrendering it to Him, and so breaking its power over you. This is your ticket out of Shadowlands. You've always had it but till now, have not had the faith to use it. Paid for by His blood, shed for you and for me on the cross. His cross. 

Are you ready to come out of the land where death casts its shadow? From the shadow of death into the Shadow of Christ. Psalm 91:1 says, "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the Shadow of the Almighty." This is the dwelling place we were created for, that you were created for. It is found at His side, all along the journey, as we dwell in His Presence. As we dwell with Him.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Our Eyes

There's a Scripture I've gone to so many times in my life. Times when I've felt overwhelmed by my circumstances, needs, challenges, and impossibilities. I still go to it. It's 2nd Chronicles 20:12. The armies of three different nations have come against the people of Judah. Their king, Jehoshaphat, knowing his tiny army had no chance of defeating them cried out to his God saying, ".....they have come to throw us out of Your land, which You gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won't You stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army which is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." 

I have often found myself in the same kind of place as Jehoshaphat, Places where I was surrounded by things that were crushing me by inches. Places where the situation was beyond desperate and I had no idea as to what I should do. As we have recently witnessed through the awful devastation that has befallen those regions devastated by the floods that have washed away lives and property, and the wildfires that are doing the same in southern California, the events of life can bring unbelievable destruction upon us. Rich and poor alike are rendered powerless by forces completely beyond our control. Massive amounts of human aid and provision through both the church and government has been rendered, but still the victims of it all remain overwhelmed. For them, life will never be the same again. No amount of aid or provision can restore much of what has been lost. 

Such devastation can come upon us in so many different ways, sweeping away all that we hold dear. In their wake, hopes and dreams vanish and all that is left is brokenness and emptiness. We are made aware of how powerless and helpless we are, how little control we really have. We don't know what to do and we don't know where to turn. In the midst of all of this there is One, unseen and unnoticed by most, who cannot be lost to us. One who is Almighty and has no limitations upon Him. One who can make a way through the impossible and do the impossible. One who is able to deliver and will deliver those who put their hope in Him.

We live in a fallen world and the Father has not promised to keep us from all the effects of that world, but He has promised to be with us and in us as we walk through all that makes for this world. We will at times be overwhelmed and we will often have no idea what to do. He is not overwhelmed and He knows the way we take. We can trust Him. The One who gave us His Son to die for us, can be trusted to do all we need as He leads us in His way because He is the Way. Trust Him. Believe Him. Cling to Him. In Him, Jehoshaphat had victory over the seemingly invincible armies before Him. In Christ, so do we. He will not fail you. He is our victory.

Blessings,

Pastor O 

Three Places

 I have in my prayer journal the comment, "Every person lives in one of three places: Egypt, The Wilderness, or Canaan." I don't remember the source of the statement, but I believe it's true. It refers to the journey of the people of Israel from their captivity as slaves in the kingdom of Egypt, through their wilderness wanderings of 40 years, and then their eventual entering into Canaan, the land that had been promised them by their God. All of us, I believe, at various stages of our life will live in some part of these. Too many, far too many, will never leave Egypt.

Egypt represents the life of captivity and slavery. All of us were born into Egypt through the sin that holds us captive. This captivity shows itself in almost unlimited ways. Addictions, dysfunctional behaviors, violence, sexual promiscuity and perversions, racism, and hatred to name just a few. We may have some success in overcoming the symptoms of our captivity, but we cannot free ourselves from the bondage we are born into. This was why Jesus Christ came to all those locked in the slavery of sin. He offers a way out, a way into the freedom only He can give. Many have received that offer and entered into His promise of freedom. Many, many more have refused it, either through defiant unbelief or ignorance. They remain in Egypt and they will die there unless they surrender to Him. This is the great tragedy of the human race.

The Wilderness is what the people of Israel entered into because of their unbelief and rebellion against the ways and Lordship of their God. It didn't need to be so, but they rebelled against the commands and guidance of the Father, and as a result, what should have been a journey of a few months at best, turned into one of forty years. Until the rebellion of the people had been purged. Sinful rebellion, even in His people, will always lead into living in a spiritual, emotional, even physical wilderness.

There is also the wilderness that He leads His people into so that there they may know Him more deeply than they ever could have outside of it, and themselves as well. He led, through His Holy Spirit, His Son Jesus into the wilderness and Christ emerged fully ready to undertake His earthly ministry. If He has led you into the wilderness, know that it is to train, equip, purify, and prepare you that His purposes for you may be realized.

The last state is Canaan, the promised land. For the Israelites, it was a physical place. For you and I, it is a spiritual one, but one every bit as real. It is a place of abundance in Him. Abundant life, peace, joy, strength, hope, and wonder. It is not dependent on anything around us, it flows from the fullness of His life within. The wonder of it is that it can be experienced even in the wilderness because the conditions of the wilderness cannot affect the beauty of His life within. In fact, they serve to increase them. We will experience the fullness of this throughout eternity.

In which place are you living? It is His desire and heart longing that no one perish in Egypt. Please, if you're there, hear His call to come out and live. If you're in the wilderness, His desire is to lead you through and out. Listen, obey, and follow. He will bring you through. Canaan is what you were created for. Enter in part now, and to the full in eternity. It is His dwelling place. May it be yours as well.

Blessings,
Pastor O