Heart Tracks - Holy Thorns

      "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13...."It is impossible for Jesus to be anywhere without something happening, and now Jesus is here by the Holy Spirit in believers. Therefore there ought to be nothing neutral about any Christian."  T. Austin-Sparks....."But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, 'I know Jesus, and I know Paul.  But who are you?' "  Acts 19:15....."Goodbye old man.  The Lord make you a nuisance to the devil."  Words of a friend to T. Austin-Sparks

     It's been said that two of the greatest failings of the church is to make too much of the devil and to make too little.  I think too many of us fall into one of the two categories.  We see him everywhere, and so, fail to see Christ.  Or, we barely see him at all, or dismiss him completely.  He's quite happy with both.  I think most of the professing church will agree that darkness is growing not only in our culture, but worldwide.  But how do we respond to it, and more, in who and what do we respond?  Acts 19:15 relates the story of the 7 sons of Sceva, who was an important Jewish priest.  They recognized the power of darkness, and especially as it manifested in the demonic possession of the man they sought to free of that power. They also considered themselves "ministers".  Yet they attempted to do it in their strength.....and failed.  The demon just dismissed them, and then overwhelmed them.  Much the same is happening in the church today.  There is a great deal of activity going on, but our enemy doesn't care how active we are if our activity, like that of the sons of Sceva, is centered in our own strength and understanding. We are working harder than ever to get people into our churches, prayer and home groups.  Yet he doesn't care at all how many people we get to come to these, just so long as he is able to keep them in the same captivity in which he's always had them.  He doesn't fear our work or how large our crowds are.  What he fears is the power of a transformed life that now walks in the might of the risen Christ.  He, along with all hell trembles at that.  Are the lives you and I live, the churches we are pastoring or a part of striking fear and trembling in the heart of the enemy, of hell itself?  He won't stop our flesh centered activity, and he won't try to keep the crowds away when those crowds represent no threat to him.  But when he sees one man, one woman, living and moving in Holy Spirit power, he steps back.  Against such a life, he is powerless.  He will attack it, seek to thwart it, but he can never overcome it.  He can't because he has already been overcome by the Life of Christ that overflows from within and out of us.
     One of Sparks' exhortations in his writings was that the church and those who comprise it, would live so deeply and powerfully within Him as to be a constant thorn in the devil's side.  Are we?  I've a good friend who said that when we live such a life the enemy's words in Acts 19:15 change to "Jesus I know, and Paul I know.......and now I know you."  I know I have a name in heaven.  I also desire to have a name in hell.  His name.  It can only happen through lives lived in the power of His resurrection. How do we have that life?  We come to His throne and altar.  We place ourselves on that altar, which is also His cross, and we, which means all and every part of us, is nailed there.  His response is to send the holy fire of heaven to consume us, and it is "now no longer I (we) who live, but Christ lives (fully) in me (us.)  From that life, from that church, the enemy flees.  And out of such flows hope, power, and transformation.  A Holy Thorn and Thorns unleashed upon hell.  And hell cannot stand against such.  May it be so in me.  May it be so in you.  May the enemy tremble when he speaks our name, not because he fears anything in us, but because He cowers before the might of the Savior and Holy Spirit flowing out of us.  Instruments of Light and Life unleashed against all the power of darkness and death.....and prevailing.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Two Countries

      "Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons entreated Him to permit them to enter the swine.  And He gave them permission.  And the demons came out from the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.  And when those who tended them saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.....And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them; for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into the boat and returned."  Luke 8:32-34, 36......."When the devil holds sway in our lives, people want Jesus to leave them alone."  Beth Moore

      I have seen the truth of the scripture passage and Moore's words carried out and repeated in countless lives over the course of 30 years of ministry.  I have seen people confronted and presented with the miraculous and freeing work of Christ, turn Jesus and His offer of life and freedom away. Not just once, but countless times.
     Luke 8 details Jesus' freeing of the demon possessed man.  A man who was known throughout the area for his uncontrollable demonic rage and the destruction he caused because of it.  They were unable in any way to control that rage, yet with just a few words, Christ subdued the hellish power and set the man free and made him whole.  It should have been a cause for celebration, but it wasn't.  The demoniac may have been the only one in the area that was so openly tormented by the enemy, but he couldn't have been the only one held in some type of captivity by that enemy.  The presence of darkness in the country of the Gerasenes had to have been great, yet when offered His Light and Life, their response was to plead with Him to leave them....and He did.
    From the distance of 2000 years, we read this and ask ourselves how could it be so?  How could anyone turn away Jesus, especially after seeing His miraculous freeing power at work?  Yet, in how many ways have we done the same?  What crippling parts of darkness continue to hold sway in our lives?  Maintaining a destructive presence despite the fact that we have heard His offer of freedom from numerous sources, and seen the proof of His power in many different lives?  Yet when He comes and offers to do that same work in us, we plead with Him to leave.  We know we shouldn't, and we likely don't understand why we do, but....we do.  In hopelessness, we send away He who is our only hope.
    Moore tells of her own captivity to such darkness.  A captivity that was so powerful that she became resigned to it, even clung to it.  She said she knew it was insanity to do so, but she did.  In my last writing, I shared her words on the devil's lie to convince us that we have reached a place so dark that He can't deliver us.  She had bought into that lie, but even in the lie, He broke through, and invaded her darkness with His Light and Life.  After so long a time telling Him to go, she cried out for Him to come, and He did.  He will.  He always will.
    John 14:27 contains Jesus' famous invitation and offer; "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."  Moore said that the devil has a counter offer.  One that He cloaks in lies and we would be insane to accept, yet we so often do.  Christ offers a peace that is the fruit of truly abiding in Him.  We choose not only His Life, but to live in and out of that Life.  Moore says that the devil's offer to us is "chaos, turmoil, torment, confusion, and hopelessness."  This is what will always be found in the country of the Gerasenes.  Are you, in part or the whole, living in that country today? Has Christ come, again and again to that place in your heart and spirit, and offered you His peace, His Life, and yet, one way or another, you have bid Him to leave?  Would you leave that country now?  Would you come into His country, the country of the King?  It has been said that the Father has established through His people, "a colony of heaven in the country of death."  Christ calls us to live in that colony.  The devil seeks to keep us in the country of death, the country of the Gerasenes.  Two offers are before you, before us all.  Which do we accept? Someone must be turned away.  Who will it be ?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - 4 Words

      "Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth and followed Thee."  Hymn And Can It Be by Charles Wesley....."Satan wants us to believe that there is a place so dark and demonic that Jesus can't come and conquer it.....To that lie we need to speak 4 powerful words; 'Jesus, come get me.' "  Beth Moore

     There are dark and demonic places in this fallen world to be sure, and the fact that we are followers of Christ the King doesn't mean that we will not find ourselves in the midst of them.  To follow Him with all our hearts means that we will definitely, at some point, be walking through the "valley of the shadow of death."  The key here is to remember that while we are following Him, we are also with Him.  It is not our destination.  We are just passing through.  As I heard worship leader Ron Kenoly once say, "When you're going through hell.....don't stop."  Step by step, "follow hard" after Jesus, clinging to Him with all your might.  And when our "might" fails us, know that His might will continue to cling to us.  Satan and his lies will incessantly whisper into our ears that we are in a place too forsaken, too dark, too far gone, that is beyond His rescue, His redemption, His freedom.  Know they are just that....lies.  He can and will break through the deepest darkness with His wonderful light.  No matter how dark the dungeon is that seeks to hold us in captivity, He will cause it to flame with His light.  All and every chain must fall off at just one word from Him.
     We can end up in a dungeon for a myriad of reasons.  As a result of what we've done to ourselves, or what others have done to us.  In response to the devastating losses and wounds of life.  Or because as part of our spiritual journey, we find ourselves, as did Paul and Silas, chained and manacled in the deepest, darkest prison.  And simply because the cost of following Him has led us there.  Whatever the reason, we're going through hell, but as Kenoly says, we must not, cannot stop.  We may feel completely alone, abandoned, forsaken.  Forgotten even by Him.  The father of lies has unleashed hell upon us to make us think we are beyond rescue.  We aren't.  With those 4 words, "Jesus, come get me," He comes.  The dungeon becomes ablaze with His light. The chains that held us immobile fall like string from our spirits and hearts.  We are free.  And then we know something even greater.  He was there all along.  Waiting for us to reject the lie and believe His truth.  Calling out to Him, "Jesus come!," and He does.  He will.  He has.
     Are you walking through hell right now?  Don't stop.  Has the devil convinced you this is the end?  It isn't.  Christ is the beginning and the end.  For those who are truly His, there is no real end, only more and more of Him.....forever.  He has come to get you.  Let Him.  Now.  The dungeon you've believed is inescapable will flame with His light.  Stand up.  Follow Him out....to your freedom.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Amazed!

        "And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers."  Luke 2:47...."There too the people were amazed at the things He said, because He spoke with authority."  Luke 4:32....."I stand amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene." Lyric from the classic hymn......"I live in the Presence of amazement."  James Robison
      Awesome!  Amazing!  These are two words that have lost a great deal of their meaning in our current culture.  We think a new, trendy TV program that will likely be gone and forgotten in months to be "awesome."  We watch that nights highlight reel on ESPN and call one or more of the plays "amazing," until the following evenings highlights.  Small wonder then that the words have lost their potency amongst we who are the church.  Whether we sing "Amazing Grace" in the traditional or contemporary style, the question is, is His grace truly amazing to us?  Has it ever really been so?  Do we really live in amazement before He who the Word says holds all creation together?  Are we in wonder before the God who with a word, spoke all creation into being?  Is His grace really amazing to us as we live in it day by day, moment by moment?  Do we live in the Presence of amazement, standing amazed in the Presence of Jesus Christ the Nazarene.....the perfect God/Man?

     How many times might we have sung the hymn "Amazing Grace?"  Do we, have we ever had, a conscious reality of stepping into His amazing grace in every aspect of our lives, every day of our lives?  Have we ever gotten still enough, quiet enough before Him to hear His words of power and life....and be amazed?  Amazed that the Creator of all spoke personally, directly, and with unending love...to us, to me?  When was the last time we left our place of prayer, of worship, amazed at and in His Presence?  If you're one who attends what we call "church" on some kind of regular basis, did what He speak and do, leave you amazed in His Presence?  Do we even go to such gatherings with an expectation that He will,  or even that He might?  If I ask this same question of we who are His shepherds, how will we answer?  We can whip up a lot of man centered excitement in most of our "worship services," but when was the last time His amazing grace and love burst through and into our agenda in order that He might put forth His own?  It's unlikely if we are not living in the Presence of amazement, stepping into His amazing grace as a way of life. Stepping into it as naturally as taking our next step in a walk.
      As the culture we live in works to heighten our emotional and physical senses through entertainment and technology, I believe that we have at the same time been spiritually desensitized by that same culture.  So we've become dependent on the same things the world has in order to generate some sense of wonder and amazement.  The end result though is always emptiness. And the tragedy for the church is that in gathering after gathering, the people, despite all our efforts, are leaving as spiritually empty as when they arrived.  Singing "Amazing Grace," but not living in it.
     In Amos 5:4, the Father calls out to His people Israel, "Come back to Me and live."  In His Presence.  In amazement and wonder.  No longer just talking of His grace, but living in all of its fullness and beauty.  How far have we drifted from that?  When was the last time we stood amazed in His Presence?  Let us come back to Him......stepping into His amazing grace, and truly coming to life.  Having come back, we now live.  In His amazing grace.

Blessings,
Pastor O

     

Heart Tracks - Lord On Board?

       "After Hezekiah received the letter and read it, he went up to the Lord's Temple and spread it out before the Lord."  2 Kings 19:14........"It is not by reading the Scriptures in the original languages or in some contemporary version that makes us better Christians.  Rather it is getting on our knees with the scriptures spread before us, and allowing the Spirit of God to break our hearts.  Then, when we have been thoroughly broken by God Almighty, we get up off our knees, go out into the world and proclaim the glorious message of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world......Experts who know everything but what is essential in the spiritual life are now running our churches.  What I want to know is, what are they expert in?  It does not seem that many of them are expert in knowing God as the Fathers knew God."  A.W. Tozer

      Recently, a good woman told me of the many, lengthy, and intense leadership meetings she'd been a part of.  They were exhausting her.  I felt led to ask her how much of the time spent was invested in seeking the heart and mind of the Father.  She told me that they did open each meeting with a short devotional....From time to time I "look in" on internet pastoral discussion groups.  One of the main topics is the decline of the church's influence in the west and what needs to be done to reverse that.

I looked at a very long thread on that topic and saw many ideas and thoughts.  The problems were clearly stated, and the suggestions for resolving them were well thought out.  The minds and thoughts of those involved were clearly expressed, yet nowhere did I see the suggestion that all involved would seek out the heart and mind of Christ in it all.  On another thread, a pastor told of how he was seeking to preach a series of messages from the prophets, and asked others for suggestions on what he might effectively preach on.  There were many, but the question that lodged in my heart was, would not the leading of the Holy Spirit be the very first Person whose thoughts were sought?
     I'm not trying to be super-spiritual here, because I have been in these very places myself, doing these very things, and I can easily drift into it all anew.  But as He takes me deeper into Himself, I see an increasingly alarming trend that we are becoming more and more reliant upon our own understanding than His.  I don't think it's because we disdain Him, but more a result of our assuming that whatever we come up with already has His approval upon it.  We have moved far from the attitude of Hezekiah, of "spreading" out our lives, ministries, and decisions before Him......I recently heard a mother tell her children to "keep the Lord on board" in their lives.  Most of us are very willing to do that.....so long as the Lord stays in the back of the boat.  We don't mind if He's sleeping while we carry on the business of "getting to the other side" so long as He's ready to get up and deal with whatever pesky winds and waves that might arise in the course of the journey.  Once they're taken care of, we'd prefer He goes back to the rear of the boat we continue to steer.
     Pastor and writer Donald Rumble said, "When fellowships are formed and controlled by our hands, we can only expect shakings.  When they are fashioned by His life, we can expect glory and the manifestation of God's wisdom.  When He shakes, we have the opportunity to repent and build correctly."  Moses told the Father that if He did not go with he and Israel, "do not let us move from this place."  Most of us would say that is our heart as well, but the question lingers, does this attitude show in our lives?  In our fellowships?  Or, are we content to have "the Lord on board," as we plot our course, seek results, and move towards where we think we should be going?  Tozer, comparing the spiritual lives of the grandchildren of those who first entered into the fullness of Israel's promised land said, "Instead of their religion (faith) carrying them forward in holy passion, they were trying to carry their religion, and the weight of it brought them to...weariness....fatigue, and final collapse."  It will bring us to the same.  I know.  I have been there.  I think many of you know as well.  You've been there.  Maybe you're there right now.

     How are you living life, work, ministry?  Is your motto, "Keep the Lord on board," with your strength growing steadily weaker?  Or, like Moses, do you stand still and go nowhere until you hear His whisper into your heart, "This is My way.  Walk in it."

Blessings,
Pastor O
     

Heart Tracks - Through The Door

        "Jesus said to them again, 'Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep......I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and go in and out, and find pasture."  John 10:7 and 9......"Christ Himself, when He was here, never failed to let people know that when they entered that door or that straight and narrow way, they were in for trouble."  T. Austin-Sparks....."If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."  Mark 8:34

      T. Austin-Sparks said that while it was completely true that Christ alone was the door to Life, the only door, that "it was what lie beyond the door" that made for that life.  All of what comprises life in Christ, as well as all that would challenge that life.  Most of us seem to be thinking only in terms of coming to that door, and then taking the first step within.  Our thoughts and experience seem to go no further than that.  We read John 10, and hear Jesus speak about the pasture He has for us, and that pasture is usually all we see.  A pasture that in our mind contains an abundance of good things, and it does, but it is abundance and good as defined by Him.  We're looking for pasture that will feed our flesh.  He seeks to bring us into pasture that feeds our spirit and life.  Pasture that is His very life itself.  We go through the Door looking for our kind of abundance, and are so intent on finding it that we are blind to what lies beyond the door for all who will follow Him.  A narrow way, with a cross.  His cross that is awaiting us.
     So much popular preaching presents coming to Christ as akin to winning the lottery.  We've hit the jackpot.  Life, a good life, is now guaranteed.  There is no shortage of men and women peddling this message, for it's one that our flesh loves to hear.  Green pastures and still waters await, and lots and lots of both.  We won't just knock on the door for that, we'll kick it in.  I'm reminded of the old "Let's Make A Deal" quiz show.  We're shown a huge array of goods to be had if we get the right door.  We're sure that's the door He has for us.  But if we fall for that "pitch" know that we'll end up with "door number 3," containing the lifetime supply of tea bags every time.

     Make no mistake.  A life in Christ will bring us riches.  His riches.  Peace, joy, strength, wisdom, contentment, and grace. Grace upon grace, and abounding blessing.  Know as well though that the path of such life is narrow, and is walked upon only by way of and with His cross.  A cross that is now ours as well.  He that is the Door will lead us into trouble if we should dare to go through.  But it will be trouble to our flesh alone.  We will enter into a life that, as His Word says, "is really life."  There will be pasture, and blessing, and abundance, but it will be found not as an add on to Him, but in Him.  On the narrow road, at the cross. The Door, Christ, is before us.  So is the road and the cross.  Do we go through?  Do we enter into ALL that lies on the other side of the Door?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Faith & Expectations

        "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still not have faith in Me?"  Mark 4:40...."Most of us act far too quickly, and believe much too slowly."  Chris Tiegreen....."Nothing influences the quality of our life more than how we respond to trouble." Erwin Tieman..... ....."Until the time came to fulfill His Word, the Lord tested Joseph's character."  Psalm 105:19....."Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."  Matthew 21:5

      That's quite a spread of scripture and quotes I know, but there's a method to my madness.  I think a struggle common to all who say they are His is in the realm of our faith and expectations.  Our faith in Him, and our expectations of what we believe He will do....or not do.  These struggles can so easily lead us into the realm of assuming and presuming.  We believe we know when He's going to act, and how.  We set the timetable, and we control the means of His moving.  We rarely put this into words, but more often than not, it's what's in our hearts.  When the Lord doesn't go along with these assumptions and presumptions, we can find it easy to wander into the realm of unbelief, and dare I say, rebellion?
     Watchman Nee asked, "Are we living in rebellion, presumption, or submission?"  I think we can often find ourselves in the first two, far less often in the third.  In Mark 4, Jesus told the disciples plainly that they were getting into the boat and going on to the other side of the lake.  They presumed that it would be a safe, quick journey.  A life threatening storm had no place in their thinking.  As the winds and waves rose, they said to the sleeping Jesus, "Teacher, don't You even care that we are going to drown."  Teacher.  Not Lord.  At that point, they fell far short in knowing who He truly was, and because of that, their faith was feeble and weak.  They acted, spoke, far too quickly, and believed much too slowly.  How like them are we?
    God told Joseph that he was to be a man of greatness both in his family and nation.  Then He allowed him to be sold into slavery, and eventually unjustly sent to prison.  Psalm 105 says that He used this time to test Joseph's character.  Surely the results of God's work in Joseph's life fell far short of his expectations of what that work would look like.  We love to get the promises.  We can do without His testing of our character in seeing the fullness of them come about.  Faith and expectations. They can be quicksand for all of us.
    Matthew 20 details Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  A triumphal entry was predicted for the Messiah by the prophets, but so many Jews expected the Messiah to come as conquering King, which meant He would enter upon a warhorse.  Yet Jesus came upon a donkey.  Indeed, not even a full grown one.  He didn't meet the expectations of many.  It was a triumphal entry, but it was missed by most because He didn't come to them (or through for them) as they expected.  Quicksand.  How much like that is it for us as concerns our expectations of how He should come, work, be?
    Here are some things we can be sure of here.  He is true.  He will keep His Word.  He will come.  And, in the meantime, He will, as He did with Joseph, test our character until the fullness of His time.  How are we doing in the test?  Rebelling?  Presuming? Submitting?  The answer I think will lie on how deeply and well we know Him.  Like the disciples, our lack of knowledge will show in the storm.  In the storm we'll be exposed. What will we be exposed as?

Blessings,
Pastor O