Thursday, March 26, 2020

Holy Spirit, teach me to pray-read the Word

Holy Spirit, You teach me all things, You lead me into all truth, You bear witness to Jesus, You cry in my heart, "Abba Father."  Jesus (in John 15:7-8) instructed "if you abide in Me and My words abide in you..." as a basic condition for bearing fruit that would remain.  Holy Spirit, teach us how to bring and keep this Word abiding in us.

One of the ways the Holy Spirit has been teaching us to strengthen our inner man through the word is the practice of "pray-read" the Word.  Let me give an example.
This morning I was reading Psalm 107.  It begins with "O give thanks to the Lord,.." - so I simple look up to Him and thank Him for my life, for saving me, for my wife and family, for ways He has blessed me.
for He is good - so I declare HIs good promises, You are so good to me, You give us abundant life whenwe deserve death, You take our sins,  You are faithful to Your Word and Your nature.
for His mercy endures forever  - using this truth I declare "You took my judgment on the cross, You greet me each morning with fresh mercy and a new start, You always rescue me when I turn to You in trouble, and I can count on Your mercy carrying me into eternity with You.

Then the psalm states, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary.   What a privilege to declare "I am redeemed by Your blood and in You have paid in full my debt.  Thanks to you, I am alive, free, and belong to You forever." 

Later it says, "They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses."   It is easy to remember so many of the times when I did something stupid and when in trouble, I called on God to help me.  AND HE DID!  So I just thank Him for each time that comes to my mind.

Finally in verse 8, "Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy, and His wonderful works to the children of men!"   God is absolutely awesome.  Look at His glorious creation, from the beauty of the mountains, the sunrise, the stars, the trees and flowers, to the wonderful way that we are made, our eyes to see, our ears to hear music and sounds, to be able to speak and communicate our deepest thoughts with one another, for an inner person of the heart that can know love, peace, joy, truth, strength, and most of all, know the infinite creator of the universe as our closest friend who has chosen to live inside us.  What an awesome, beyond comprehension, powerful yet intimate God!  Oh Holy Spirit, help me always remember to praise Him for His goodness and mercy, for His wonderful works to me.

We could and should go on.  I just wanted to share this morning how simple and yet powerful it is to pray-read the Word, to let it be the content of my conversation, and to begin to let that life-giving Word abide in me.   May I ask you to do the same.  The Holy Spirit is here to help us.  Come, Holy Spirit, You are welcome in this place.

Monday, March 23, 2020

How to Take Your Proverbs 4 Medicine

Have you taken your medicine today?  Do you expect it to heal you instantly or do you need to take it 3 times a day until all the sickness is gone?  Do you take it because you believe it will overcome your health problem?  Do you have someone's authority, probably a doctor, who has told you it works?

Good news!  There is another medicine that has great reviews and authority that declares it works.
In Proverbs 4:20-22, "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings, do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them and  health to all their flesh."  The word "health" in verse 22 has the original meaning of to heal, to cure, to act as a medicine. 

Sometimes people don't get instant results of healing when they declare, "By His stripes I am healed" or the words of Isaiah that Jesus quoted in Matthew 8:16, "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  So they give up and say I just don;t have enough faith.  Let me ask a question, do you give up if you take one pill and the sickness isn't gone?  Of course not.  You faithfully take the pill 3 times a day until the symptoms disappear. 

So the answer is to keep taking the medicine.  It is not based on whether you have enough faith, it just depends upon you continuing to take the medicine until your health is restored.  Every time you declare the Word something happens in the heavens and on the earth.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue.  You release life.  Stay with it, keep paying attention to God;s Word, keep your eyes focused on the truth, and keep treasuring that thought in the midst of your heart.  Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  You don't have to judge how much you believe or how good your faith is, just read the word, think about it, and say it.  Quit debating whether the medicine works, just take it.

Whenever I start to declare God's Word and am struggling to believe it (I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief!), God is so merciful He comes through for me so much more than I could have expected or imagined.  He is so good.  Do what is in your power to declare it and believe it.  Say the verse out loud so your own ears hear it (faith comes by hearing), and take your medicine regularly--3 times a day--until you see the salvation of God.


Sunday, March 22, 2020

Hear the Word, Think Truth, Bless the Lord

This morning I was spending some time in Psalm 103.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  What a great reminder that we need to let the " Word," which is spirit and life according to Jesus in John 6, take charge over our flesh and soul and simply obey.  
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems you life from destruction (KJV says the pit), who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles's.  God has done so much for us.  How can we focus on the negative when we are so blessed!  
This morning in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, we are reminded by His Word that not only are my sins forgiven, but my diseases are healed.  So I have been trying to fight the good fight of faith by declaring "Thank you, Jesus, for taking those stripes for me and carrying away my diseases and pains.  By your stripes I am healed." and "Thank you, Holy Spirit,.  You, who are the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead,  now give life to my mortal body." and "No weapon formed against me shall prosper." 
  Somehow I had forgotten the line that He crowns me with lovingkindness and tender mercies.  To me "crowns" means makes me a king, or gives me authority to rule.  HIs mercy allows and empowers me to take charge and declare God's kingdom over every circumstance.  Praise God forever, when I realize how blessed I am, no wonder my youth is renewed like the eagles.  I want to be like a little child that trusts his Mom and Dad and is excited and enthusiastic about all tthat they have planned for him.  God has done great things for me, and now I trust Him to work all things for my good because I love Him and am called according to His purpose.  
One more line, later in the psalm it talks about God showing His ways to Moses, and I remember an old song, "Teach me thy ways, thy ways O Lord.  Show me thy paths, thy paths, O Lord.  O my God, I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me."   Truly, God;s ways are perfect and we are always right when we declare and take time to "Bless the Lord, O my soul!"