Egypt In Their Heart

By

Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gary Wilkerson

Nehemiah was a shepherd to Israel—a king, a pastor, a leader and a restorer
who had taken Israel back to Jerusalem where they began rebuilding the walls
that had been destroyed. Nehemiah left Jerusalem to visit the king of Persia
and when he returned, he said, “In those days I saw . . .” (Nehemiah
13:15).

When Nehemiah got back to the city, he saw the children of Israel doing the
exact same things their fathers had done that had caused them to be put into
exile and bondage in the first place. They had been set free and were
rebuilding their home city, but once again they were practicing the things that
had caused the walls to be torn down. Does that make sense to you? While they
were rebuilding, they were practicing the identical sins that had caused the
walls to fall.

With one hand they were rebuilding the city and with the other hand they were
destroying the city. With one hand they were building up their lives and with
the other hand they were destroying their lives.

And so it is with many of us today! With one hand we come to the altar and cry
out to Jesus and with the other hand we practice the same old sins. On one hand
we pray, read Scripture and go to church; on the other hand, we still go to bars
and clubs, we still watch pornography on the computer, we still compromise. With
one hand we glorify God and on the other hand we live out the practices of the
world.

The Israelites were returning to their old patterns. They were building
something new but something old was still in them. It has been said that the
children of Israel, under Moses, got out of Egypt but some of Egypt was still
in them (see Acts 7:39). Some of us are getting set free from the things of the
world but some of the world is still in us.

God wants us to come to a place of humility and repentance. He wants us to have
a constant walk of victory—a walk of conquering the enemy—always!

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/21110?src=devo-email

They Never Obeyed

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

The children of Israel loved to hear the powerful preaching of Ezekiel but they
never obeyed it. “They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before
thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with
their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant
voice . . . for they hear thy words, but they do them not” (Ezekiel 33:31-32).

Many people have approached me after a service, hugged me, and said, “Pastor,
that was a powerful word you preached.” But as they have walked away, the Holy
Spirit has whispered to me, “They didn’t hear a word you said!”

The book of Hebrews gives us a powerful warning: “As the Holy Ghost saith,
Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,
in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Hebrews 3:7-8). “For some, when
they had heard, did provoke [rebel]” (verse 16). These passages clearly show
that hardness is not connected to atheism, communism or any other “ism” but,
rather, to hearing and then not doing God‘s Word.

Israel gladly listened to the powerful preaching of the prophet Isaiah yet they
continually justified their sins, calling evil good and good evil. So God
instructed Isaiah: “Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand
not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat,
and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be
healed” (Isaiah 6:9-10).

God knew the Israelites were not willing to lay down their besetting sins. They
loved their fleshly pleasures and ungodly companions too much. So the Lord told
Isaiah, “These people are never going to change their hearts and from now on, I
will not speak a word to them. Instead, I want you to hurry them into their
hardness, Isaiah. That way, perhaps some will listen before it’s too late!”

Simply put, God was calling for a full surrender from His people. I thank God
for the multitudes of Christians who started their walk with Jesus the right
way, loving truth and obeying His Word. When they forsook the ways of their
flesh, they fell in love with the Lord, and His Word became to them a guiding
lamp.

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/20423?src=devo-email

His Presence

TGIF Today God Is First By Os Hillman

And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not (Mal 3:18).

“Good morning,” I said to the woman behind the counter as she asked if she could take my order. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” “I can see Him in you!” I boldly proclaimed. “Yes, I am,” she replied with a beaming smile. I could literally see the presence of God in her countenance in the way she related to me and others.

When Moses led the people out of Egypt he had several crisis moments during those forty years. His greatest crisis was when he came back from the mountain and discovered the people had made a golden calf. It was after this he came to a profound conclusion.

“Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’ What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Ex 33:15,16).

The difference between a Christian in the workplace and a non-believer should be that the Christian brings the presence of God with him to work. However, this is not always the case. A Christian can shut out the presence of God by his behavior. Like the Israelites who experienced great miracles in their lives but began to worship idols, we can move away from God. Sin separates us from God. His presence moves away from us. Moses realized, he too had to have the presence of God with him to lead such a people.

The prophet Malachi was saying a day is coming when you’ll be able to recognize a clear difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. Would your co-workers be able to recognize a difference in you from others? Ask God to fill you with His overflowing presence in all you do today.

Man Does Not Live By Bread Alone

Image via Wikipedia

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

If you think you’re too ordinary to be used of God, listen closely: God is
not going to do
His last-days work through big-name evangelists or pastors. They alone will not
be able to handle the great moving of His Spirit! The fact is, God is going to
need every housewife, teenager, elderly person and all who love Him to carry
out His mighty work. This last-days army is going to be made up of Christians
who have been weaned from bread alone. Let me explain.

God said through Moses: “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Bread stands for all natural, material things necessary for this life—food,
shelter, clothes, labor, wages. Bread represents livelihood—those things we
need that are not evil in themselves. Many Christians, however, live only for
the things of this life—they live on bread alone!

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
But first He said we were to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done”
(v. 10). We are to focus first on God’s interests—praying for His will to
be done!

What have you been thinking about more than anything else these past six
months? What has consumed most of your time and prayers? Has it been mostly
bread issues—personal needs?

If you focus only on bread, then you have no life! You are living in a
wilderness, just as the children of Israel did. They rose daily and began
crying for bread—their personal needs—every day for forty years!

Beloved, that is boredom—drudgery! God never intended for His children to
live like that. Instead, He told Israel through Moses, “You should be living
by every word that proceeds out of My mouth! Yes, I told you I would give you
bread, but don’t stop there. Move on! I have told you there is a land flowing
with milk and honey, with rivers, trees, forests, green pastures—and I want
that place for you!”

God is raising up a people who are focused on His will for this midnight hour!
They are tired of living in a wilderness of mere survival. All they want is to
know and do God’s will. Every member of this last-days army must be ready and
prepared in heart—because God is poised to release His great, final
outpouring!

Keeping The Blessing and Favor Of God

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

God blesses those who walk in faithfulness and He shows favor to those who
favor Him!

How do nations, families, individuals lose the blessing and favor of God? The
prophet Haggai speaks to this, and the first reason he lists is that
self-interests begin to replace God’s interests!

“The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built”
(Haggai 1:2). The Israelites gave up building the Lord’s house in order to
build their own homes!

This scene took place sixty-eight years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed.
A remnant had returned to Jerusalem out of Babylonian captivity specifically to
rebuild God’s house. And, indeed, they laid the foundation of the temple with
zeal and excitement!

But then they began running into some hard places—difficulties and
discouragements. Slowly they lost interest in the work of God, saying, “This
just isn’t the time. We are having too many problems. Besides, we’re
spending so much time here that we’re neglecting our families and
businesses.”

One by one, they walked away to look after their own interests. The Lord’s
interests, that had everything to do with their own well-being, became
secondary! They began building their own houses and they used the lumber that
had been stored up for building the temple.

How do believers today lose the blessing and favor of God? By stopping work on
His temple! It happens when we stop praying and seeking God—when we stop
building up His spiritual body!

Haggai points out this problem: When the people put God’s interests first, He
provided their food and shelter. Indeed, they were cared for by Him in every
way. Their vineyards grew, their grapes were heavy; they slept peacefully at
night and their children danced in the streets. None of their enemies prevailed
against them. It was a marvelous time of God’s blessing but then the people
became absorbed with their own self-interests!

This is what is happening today! Our world is consumed with self—self-pride,
self-ambition, self-will—with every person out for his own interests! No
wonder so many are drunk and dazed with drugs, wandering in darkness and
confusion.

God says, “I called for a drought on the land . . . and on all the labor of
your hands” (Haggai 1:11). He is saying, “If you begin to neglect your
souls and turn to materials things, you will end up joyless, dissatisfied,
empty, dry! I want you to put My interests first, so I can again bless and
favor you!”

The Impact of Right Relationships

Image via Wikipedia

EXODUS 17:8-13 

The Lord laid out the plan for your life before the foundation of the world, and every day He guides you along the path marked with your name. He never intended that you walk it alone. Human beings are designed for relationship. By that, I certainly do mean that God Himself will help you. But in addition, He also provides men and women—fellow believers—to come alongside you as encouragers, mentors, friends, and co-laborers.

There isn’t a single biblical saint for whom pursuit of God was a successful solo venture. Consider Moses, for example—the human hero of Israel’s liberation, the recipient of the Ten Commandments, and the leader of the Israelites throughout their extended trip to the Promised Land. He sounds like a one-man show, but Moses had a network of friends and family providing wise counsel and necessary aid. He relied upon Aaron and Joshua in particular.

For the battle against Amalek, God designed a strategy that incorporated all three men. Moses sent Joshua to lead the troops while he raised his staff in honor to the Lord, who promised victory. When Moses’ endurance waned, Aaron and Hur held his arms aloft, lending their strength to support his mission. What a beautiful symbol of godly friendship.

Self-sufficiency is prized in the world, but it isn’t God’s design for His children. A group of people rightly connected can do so much more than a man or woman acting alone. Moses proved that. He was a wise and formidable leader, in part because he had the support and counsel of loyal friends.

Dr. Charles Stanley

The Need to Control

Image by Achara42 via Flickr

The Need to Control
TGIF Today God Is First By Os Hillman
Monday, October 03 2011

“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said…. 1 Samuel 13:13

The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash, and he would follow in seven days. He would then offer a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel.

The pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel grew fearful and began to scatter throughout the countryside. Saul was also afraid. Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. Finally, Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.

…”You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation out of God’s will, we demonstrate that we are led by fear. Many a boss is so driven by fear that he attempts to manage by over controlling his people. This results in codependent relationships in which the employees are fearful of making the wrong decisions, and are driven to please the manager at all costs. This results in loss of respect for the manager. Many times the employees make poor choices just to please their manager; as a result, resentment begins to build among the employees due to the manager’s over control.

Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others? Can you allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don’t like? Are you fearful of failure? These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the freedom of trusting in Him and those around you.

Total Victory

Image by SamuelJohn.de via Flickr

By David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 -  April 27, 2011]

“Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah
also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was
severely distressed” (Judges 10:9)

Ammon had been used by God to correct Israel’s sins (see Judges 10:6-8). And
now their army was marching toward Israel! God’s people were perplexed and
downcast and they began to confess their sins: “Then the children of Israel
said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only
deliver us this day, we pray’” (Judges 10:15).

The people were so haunted by their sin, they could not conceive of asking God
for anything more than to spare them. Theirs was the simplest of prayers:
“Lord, deliver us just this one time! Don’t let us be defeated or overrun
by our enemy!”

They prayed for a single victory but God had something more in mind and He
over-answered their prayer mightily! Not only did Israel get protection, they
got the upper hand! They totally subdued the Ammonites!

“So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and
the Lord delivered them into his hands. And he defeated them from Aroer as far
as Minnith—twenty cities—and . . . the people of Ammon were subdued before
the children of Israel (Judges 11:32-33).

Not only did God deliver Israel, He gave them the courage and direction to
defeat the Ammonites! They subdued them from that time on and they were never
troubled by them again! They had total victory!

That is just how God wants to over-answer His people today! Most Christians
pray, “Lord, just give me victory in this one battle.” But the Lord
responds, “I will give you that, yet I have much more in store for you. I
want to subdue your enemy but not just one victory at a time. I want you to
have total victory!”

Beloved, He wants to give you power not just to overcome, but to subdue every
enemy! He wants you not just to conquer sin but to be more than a conqueror.
Not just to have life but life more abundantly. Not just to have joy but joy
unspeakable and full of glory. Not to be free of fear just for a day, a week or
a month—but all the days of your life!

The Supreme Moment in History

1 PETER 2:21-24 

Sin is so atrocious in the Lord‘s eyes that it costs a life. Without the shedding of blood, there’s no forgiveness and no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). God set up a system of animal sacrifice as a temporary solution to the problem. An Israelite would take a spotless lamb to the priest, lay hands on its head, and confess his sin. The priest would sacrifice the animal and sprinkle its blood on the altar. The Israelite went away purified.

Throughout history, countless beasts were slain, which seems like an awesome waste from a human perspective. The Lord, however, was making an eternal point: Holy God cannot accept sin.

The Lord is vehemently opposed to sin because of its devastating power. Look at the television news or the front page of the newspaper to see the results of wrongdoing in people’s lives. It brings harm and ruin. Our heavenly Father does not want us to suffer those destructive consequences. Therefore, the Father made one final sacrifice by putting Christ on the cross to die as our substitute. On that day, God judged sin. He put the weight of mankind’s wrongs onto Jesus’ shoulders and exacted the death penalty from His only Son. Animal sacrifice was instantly obsolete because the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

God deemed sin so horrible and destructive that He willingly killed His own Son in order to break its power. For His part, Jesus offered Himself as a substitute. He purchased victory over sin for those believe in Him. That was the supreme moment in human history.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Things That Cannot be Shaken

HEBREWS 12:25-29

 

As a rule, people like security. We seek what is comfortable. Yet the reality
of our world is that much instability exists. For example, finances, health, and
even a country’s ability to survive are not guaranteed.

 

When our foundation is shaken, we often feel overwhelmed. Sometimes Satan
causes the difficulty—with God‘s permission, of course. At other times,
challenging circumstances are brought about by the Lord’s hand. Regardless of
the source, we have the promise in Romans 8:28 that “God causes all things to
work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.” And in either case, the Almighty’s purpose remains: to glorify
Himself in our world and in our lives.

Dr. Charles Stanley

 

There are different reasons the Lord permits turmoil, but for now, let’s
focus on one: He won’t allow anything that enables man to seem self-sufficient
in his own eyes. Therefore, God may lovingly allow enough trouble for us to
realize our need of Him. Consider the trials the Israelites faced each time they
turned away from Jehovah to worship other gods. In many ways, we do the same
thing today. Individually, in our churches, and as a nation, we often glorify
“gods” like money or status. But the One who created us will not tolerate this.

 

In our pride, we tend to think we’re able to manage without God. But out of
love, He may stir up our lives to reveal our dependence upon Him. If you are
basing your security on anything except Jesus Christ—even something as seemingly
innocent as comfort—it will prove to be sinking sand.