The Lord Speaks to Us

1 Kings 19:11-13…….The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Make no mistake about it, the Lord speaks to us. He speaks to us all the time not only on rare occasions and He wants us to hear what He has to say. The problem is, we do not always know how to hear Him.

The Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, is so creative that He is not limited in the methods He uses to communicate. As in the case of Elijah above, a prophet who regularly heard from God. The Lord could have easily spoken through the phenomenal display of dramatic events that preceded what He had to say but, instead, He chose to speak in a gentle whisper.

Often we have a mindset about how God will speak to us and because of that we limit God to our mindset and we miss what He has to say. It is, therefore, important that we remove our mindset and prepare ourselves to hear God by any means that He chooses to use.

If you are born again and baptised in the Holy Spirit you can hear the Lord speak (although He may have begun to speak to you even before that). As Christian believers how can we pray effectively, or minister in any way, if we do not hear from God?

God loves you and He wants you to know it. He will speak into your heart and into your spirit through the 

Holy Spirit. It is not common to hear God speak in an audible voice.

Prayer is dialogue with God. The bible says that we should pray continually. This means that we should be in constant dialogue with God. In a dialogue one person speaks and the other listens, then the listener responds back to the speaker and so on. This is how the Lord wants us to live out our Christian lives; being led by the Holy Spirit in a continual dialogue with God.

If you just pause for a moment and listen; be still and listen. You will hear God speaking to you in the breath (Hebrew = ruach) of His Spirit. Can you hear that gentle whisper? What is He saying to you? Let the dialogue, a conversation between two lovers, begin…..

Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking to us, please help us to hear you. Amen

Jesus Christ The Rock

Exodus 33:21-22……Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

This amazing Old Testament scripture speaks so clearly of Jesus Christ. He is the Rock of our salvation. When we put our faith in Him, when we stand in His truth, His character and His lordship, we cannot be shaken.

This scripture, however, says a lot more than that. It was on the cross at Calvary that Jesus Christ was glorified….’wait a minute’ you may say, but it is true. In the midst of all the blood and anguish; in the drama of the fiercest spiritual battle ever, Jesus was glorified.

The cross was His place of coronation. Jesus was not only crowned King of the Jews, He was also crowned King of Kings. Some could only see what was happening in the natural realm but others, with the eyes of the Spirit, could perceive the revelation of what was happening in the spiritual realm and they beheld His glory (John 17:5…. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.)

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions; the Rock was cleft for us. Every Christian believer has their identity in Christ. We have been placed into Him, into His wounds that He bore on the cross for us. We have been sealed into Christ by God and our lives are now hidden with Christ.

Christ Jesus who has triumphed over sin and death is now seated at the right hand of God and we are with Him. We can stand firm in our position of freedom and victory. We can shine in and for His glory.

Thank you Jesus, we have been placed in the Rock of our salvation. Amen.

Escapology verus Eschatology

Romans 8:19……The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

Jesus is coming back soon. The bible has told us what to watch out for and the signs are clear for all to see. What is not so obvious is the answer to the question; at what point will Jesus take the church away from the earth?

The scriptures tell us that there is a time of terrible ordeal to come. It is called the time of tribulation or distress. Matthew 24:21 says…For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again.

Christians and theologians have debated over this issue for a long time. The branch of theology that is concerned with the End Times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is called eschatology.

There are basically three points of view on the timing of the return of Jesus to take away every Christian believer (the church), they are; pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation. I believe that God is a good and loving God who does not want His children to unnecessarily suffer; therefore, I side with the pre-tribulation camp.

I have used a play-on-words to help illustrate this….my eschatology is synonymous with escapology. I believe that the church will escape the coming wrath.

The earth will not be a place to be once the church has gone. The dispensation of grace will have come to an end and those left behind will come under the judgement of God. Do not wait until it is too late. Avoid the wrath of God. Make sure that you will be in that number when the saints go marching into the presence of God.

Jesus is coming back soon, do not delay. If He is not your Lord and Saviour, ask Him into your life today.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are coming back to rescue those who know and love you. Amen

Great Expectations

Isaiah 41:9…… See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.

I don’t think it’s something in the air and it’s definitely not something in the water…. it’s more likely to be something in the heavenlies because God is up to something. Can you sense it in your spirit? I am excited….

That ‘something’ that God is up to is something big…. huge. I have great expectations. Change is coming; it’s springtime. The trees are bursting with life. It is a time to blossom and grow.

In the UK, we are on the threshold of a general election. There is a promise of change from all political parties. People are restless, they are looking for change, they want change.

Ironically, we live in a world that changes constantly; nothing seems permanent. People nervously scurry from one inadequate ‘solution’ to another but in a topsy-turvy lifestyle of extreme changes we are caught-up in a world of lies, excuses, deception and cover-ups. If change is coming, how can we consolidate it? How can we know that, this time, it will be a change for good?

We cannot trust the politicians, or the bankers, or the media or even the weather. In this season of election it is time to vote for Jesus. He alone is the Unchanging One, the same yesterday, today and forever.

I believe we are about to see the biggest wave of global evangelism ever and it will be effortless.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is about to draw unprecedented multitudes into the kingdom of God. Like shockwaves from a nuclear explosion it will start in the epicentre of our own homes and families and continue out to the ends of the earth. Like a seismic aftershock, no-one will be left untouched.

Get ready for this harvest of souls, they will fill our homes and flood our hearts. It is our responsibility to show them Jesus.

Thank you Lord Jesus, we have voted for you to be our leader. Amen. 

To be Born Again

John 3:7…… You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

The phrase ‘born again’ has become so acceptable that it has made its way into the secular world. It is a phrase that is often used and frequently abused. It is maligned by non-Christians and not properly understood by far too many Christians.

Let’s settle the matter right now; what does it mean to born again?

To initiate the process, those who want to be born again must first want to die to their old way of life. Repenting of a sin-filled and self-centred lifestyle, we must ask for forgiveness and believe that we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, whom we believe is the Son of God, who died, was buried and rose again for anyone who chooses to follow Him as the Lord of their life.

This decision will activate our soul to interact with the Holy Spirit and we will be born again. We will be regenerated in our mind, will and emotions. We will be completely recreated anew and become born again Christians. We have taken a step into the kingdom of God; the first step on our journey of salvation.

To complete this initial process we must also be baptised in the Holy Spirit. If we ask, we will receive power from Jesus that will complete our conversion and enable us to follow Him all the days of our life.

The speed of this process and the power that is manifest in our life is determined by each individual. The Holy Spirit will not take over to control our lives but will operate in accordance to how much control we give Him. Even if we surrender completely to the lordship of Jesus, we still set the parameters. The Holy Spirit will not cause us to loose control. He will not override our decisions, our choices or our will. We have self-control. Therefore, we choose how we behave.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Jesus and to make Him known. As He works in us and through us it is to do just that. As He leads us on the path prepared for us to walk in and, if we choose to walk in that way, He will conform us into the likeness of Christ. In doing so, He will draw all men to Jesus and to the Cross-roads of their own destiny.

Lord Jesus, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to help us to be born again and become more like you. Amen.

Give Me More Grace

1 Thessalonians 5:28……The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Let’s face it, no matter how gracious we are, we all have a long way to go before we will be like Jesus. No matter how hard we try, we all fall short of His mark. Therein lies the dichotomy; in our strength we will never do it but in our weakness we will succeed.

It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that must flow through us, His grace, because only His grace is sufficient for us. When we recognise our inability to mimic His great grace and give up trying, through our surrender, He will release His grace to be poured into our challenging situations.

We all need more of His amazing grace to flow from us to others, but it does not fall upon us like ‘magic dust’ from heaven no matter how long we pray. No, to grow in grace the Lord allows us opportunities to exercise the grace we have and, since we never have enough, He stretches us to give us more.

How does He do this? Do you remember that really awkward person who started sitting in the seat next to you in church or that really difficult family that moved into the house next door? Those people were ‘grace-builders’ sent by the Lord in answer to your prayer for more grace.

Instead of complaining and getting annoyed, see the situation as a positive opportunity to grow in grace and start praising the Lord. You never know, you may be someone else’s grace-builder. Hallelujah!

Thank you lord Jesus for helping us to grow in grace. Amen 

Personal Pentecost

Acts 9:18….. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.

Saul of Tarsus hated Christians. He hunted them down and persecuted them, even to death. He was a self-righteous Pharisee who learned his theology at the feet of the famous Gamaliel.

On the road to Damascus he was struck blind. There followed a dramatic sequence of events that led to his sudden conversion, the cure of his blindness at the hands of a Christian disciple Ananias and his baptism. Saul became Paul and eagerly accepted his commission to preach the gospel of Christ first to the Jews but mainly to the Gentiles.

Paul was not among Jesus’ disciples when Jesus lived on the earth. After his spectacular conversion leading to personal insight and revelation of the Gospel, he became one of the most zealous early Christians. His missionary letters comprise almost one-third of the New Testament.

Paul had a personal pentecost experience that was every bit as powerful as the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. As a result of which he was completely changed. Surely this is what conversion literally means.

Every Christian needs this experience. We all need our own personal pentecostal encounter with the Holy Spirit. It is only the beginning of our salvation journey to meet Jesus at Calvary, but after Easter comes Penetecost and with Pentecost comes the power to change.

Christians cannot fully function in a Christ-like lifestyle until we have been set on fire by the power of the Holy Spirit; this fire that ignites an unquenchable passion for Jesus.

Have you had your own personal penetcost? Why don’t you ask the Holy Spirit to change you today?

Lord Jesus, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to baptise us with power from on high. Amen. 

No More Death

Romans 8:19-23……The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Man’s sin in the Garden of Eden not only meant expulsion from the presence of God and no more relationship with Him but it also dealt a death-blow to the whole of creation.

Man, who was intended to live forever in sublime harmony with God and all of His perfect creation, was now doomed to die outside of intimacy with God on a tainted and decaying planet.

God, in His limitless mercy sent Jesus Christ, His sinless Son, to make a way for mankind to be reconciled to God, to conquer death, to live with Him in a heavenly paradise and, ultimately, as sons of God, to reign with Him in a new heaven and a new earth forever.

All of creation groans in anticipation of paradise regained as does our spirit-man in the knowledge that not only are we redeemed back into a pre-fall closeness with God but our spirit and soul will occupy a new resurrected body that will never decay.

Heaven is an awesome place. None of earth’s flaws are there and none of our flaws will be there either. It is a magnificent place where everything is perfect.

Are you eagerly looking forward to going there?

There is, of course, only one way to get to heaven and that one way is through Jesus Christ. We must believe that He is the first-born Son of God who made the way open for us, as sons of God, to get there.

As believers in Him; as Christians, we must choose to live our lives in obedience to Him. In doing so, others will come to know Him and they too will be with Him in paradise forever.

Much as we look forward to going to heaven, it is our purpose on earth to share the good news of its accessibility with as many people as possible before we go there.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for opening-up heaven to all who become Christians. Amen

The Centrality of the Cross

1 Corinthians 2:2….. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The Cross where Jesus Christ was crucified is so pivotal that it even determines our western-world calendars. Traditionally, we speak of events in history taking place BC; before Christ and AD; (Anno Domini) – the year of Our Lord’s birth, the official start date of the Gregorian calendar.

However, it is not only in the establishing of historical times and dates that gives the Cross of Jesus such importance, far more important are the events that took place there.

Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son – God manifest on earth, was crucified on Calvary’s Cross. The innocent Lamb of God who never sinned, took your sin and mine upon Himself and paid the penalty for our sin on our behalf so that, if we choose, we can be reconciled to His Father in heaven

If we believe this and acknowledge that our sins are now paid for by the blood of Jesus, we will be forgiven, washed clean and adopted into the family of God as sons and co-heirs with Christ. His Father will become our Father.

Jesus won a tremendous victory on the Cross for us. He overcame sin and death and made the way for us to spend eternity with Him.

That’s not all, when we ask Jesus to forgive us and invite Him to be not only our Saviour but our Lord also, we embark on an amazing journey of salvation that leads to our destiny and the fulfilment of the purpose of our life on earth.

After His death on the Cross and His burial, on the third day Jesus rose from the grave. He overcame death to give us the hope of eternal life. Forty days after His crucifixion He ascended back to heaven telling his disciples as He was taken into the clouds, to wait on the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Ten days after His ascension, on the first day of the Feast of Pentecost, that promise came to pass when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 followers of Jesus who were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.

By the end of that day there were 3,000 more people added to their number through the outworking of what the prophet Joel speaks of in Chapter 2 of his book in the bible….

A series of cataclysmic events starting at Calvary’s Cross and spread over the next fifty days have changed the whole course of mankind. Have they changed you?

Lord Jesus, thank you for the Cross. Amen

What a Saviour

Colossians 1:15-16 …. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Our God is an awesome God. Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God; He is both man and God. He is the firstborn and was with the Father when their was nothing else in the beginning. He spoke the words His Father gave Him and by His word all that is was created. The Holy Spirit, active in all of this, hovered over what was made.

The Holy Trinity, therefore, was united in glorious harmony for the magnificent creation of a perfect world that sin was soon to taint.

God, who was put out of reach because of our filth and shame, made a way for us to regain paradise. In a surge of phenomenal power and awesome love, God made Himself manifest on the earth; Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World became the only way by which fallen mankind could be reconciled to our Father.

What a Saviour, what a Redeemer; what a price He paid for our lives. What manner of love is this that we should be called children of God, but that is what we are? (see 1 John 3:1).

Jesus Christ came down from heaven and He lived among us as the sinless, perfect sacrifice. He atoned for us at His crucifixion and made the way for us to become at one with God. He took our punishment upon Himself. He was momentarily separated from our Father and He died in our place. He even went to hell where He took back the authority that Satan usurped from man when he deceived Adam in the Garden.

Triumphantly, he conquered death and rose again to give us the hope of eternal life. As He ascended back to heaven He gave us permission to use His supreme authority to help us to live the victorious Christian life and to be with Him forever – what a Saviour!

Let’s choose to live as God intended. If you have not done so already, ask Jesus to be your Saviour and allow Him to be your Lord……come back to the Father today.

Lord Jesus, you are wonderful. Amen

Read the Instructions

Proverbs 8:33 ……. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.

Are you one of those people who open the package and read the instructions or are you one of those who ignore the instructions preferring to work it all out for yourself?

Sometimes the instructions are not easy to follow but, if we work out what they mean we will benefit by accomplishing what the manufacturer intended.

Sadly, some Christians have the same attitude towards the bible; the instruction manual for life. There are those who try to work it out for themselves and do not quite manage to put it together properly and there are those who read the bible, listen to the Father’s instructions, and get wise with heavenly wisdom.

Recently, at TheWayCM, we have embarked on a huge multimedia learning curve. We now have to go deeper into software programmes to find potential functionality that was hidden to us when we were doing less. As we have made progress in our multimedia development we have found wonderful treasures in our software and our equipment; functions that they can perform that we did not know were possible, instructions written in the manual that we never saw before.

The same is true of the bible, much more so. The bible was written by men who were under the inspiration of God, the Holy Spirit. As we read it, the Holy Spirit who lives in very born again believer in Jesus Christ, begins to bring us revelation and insight that unlocks our full potential.

Revelation by its nature is progressive, therefore, as we make progress in our Christian walk the bible begins to release its hidden treasures. As we apply this revelation to our lives it manifests in us as the wisdom of God.

The choice is ours; follow the Maker’s instructions and be built-up as God intended or ignore the bible and its life application and do the best we can based on our own understanding. What will you do?

Lord Jesus, thank you for doing what our Father told you. Amen

Angels

Hebrews 1:14 …… Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

With our minds still full of images of nativity angels and the Christmas card angels fluttering away for another year, it is as good a time as any to ask the question; are angels still around today?

Personally, I have heard some fantastic accounts of angelic visitations from people that I know and trust. However, my encounters with angels have been, on the most part, less flamboyant but none the less overwhelming.

The accompanying video with this Gist tells the story of a snow angel. Rather than repeat it I will tell you of another occasion, this time with an invisible angel.

Again, it was winter-time and I was rushing to catch a plane. After driving for fifteen minutes or so, my road was blocked by a fallen tree. The police told me to take another route but it was many miles of a diversion. I was going to be cutting it fine to reach the airport on time.

In my haste, I took a bend too quickly and the front near-side of my car hit a crash barrier. I felt the thud and I heard the sound of the headlight breaking. Despondent, I thought, “that is enough! Clearly I am not destined to go on this trip”.

I reversed into a small lane to turn around and go home but decided to inspect the damage to my car. When I looked there was no damage at all.

Immediately I knew that an angel had buffered my crash and God had mended the damage. I knew that it was the devil who was trying to stop me and I now knew that God was on my side.

I decided to carry on even although I was well delayed by all these shenanigans, or so I thought….

If there had been no delays, it would have taken me an hour to reach the airport. Now, with the addition of another 20 miles detour plus stoppage time, well you can do the maths. When I reached the airport I looked at my watch and it was one hour since I had left home. My detour and delays had not added any extra time.

Are angels still around today? You bet they are!

Lord Jesus, thank you for despatching angels to look after us. Amen.