Walk In The Spirit

By Gary Wilkerson

Most of us would admit we rarely feel God’s grace at work in us. That’s why
we are prone to doubt that His presence abides in us. Paul addresses this
dilemma for us in Galatians when he writes, “I say, walk by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, ESV).

It sounds simple enough but we tend to take Paul’s counsel here as a hard
command to be obeyed. We grit our teeth and say, “I will walk in the Spirit
today.” Then once we stumble, we think we are not “being spiritual” so we
try even harder. Suddenly we are under the law again because we have turned to
our fleshly ability, rather than trusting that we are already in the Spirit.

Paul says, “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law”
(5:18). In other words, the Spirit of God abides in you, giving you access at
all times to His grace, which empowers you. When Paul says, “Walk in the
Spirit,” he means, “Walk under grace, not the law.”

Paul then shows us the result of a walk in the Spirit: “The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (5:22-23).
Take note: These things do not come about because of what we do. They are the
fruit of the righteousness God has put in us—the result of His work in us.

You may not feel very loving at times, but love is in you because God put it
there. You may not feel joy and peace, but God has implanted both deep within
you. His Spirit is at work in you every hour of every day, to His great glory
and to your deep blessing.

In one of the most amazing passages in Scripture, Paul gives us God’s
response to the human condition: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. . . . There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from
the law of sin and death” (Romans 7:25, 8:1-2).

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/22362?src=devo-email

Take It To The Cross

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

Under the Old Covenant, absolute obedience was required. God’s law made no
allowances for even the slightest disobedience. Simply put, the soul that
sinned died.

Those commandments were laid out clearly, describing the perfect obedience a
holy God requires. Yet the law made no provision in the flesh for such
obedience and man found himself utterly unable to keep the law’s demands.
Paul called the law “. . . a yoke upon the neck . . . which neither our
fathers nor we were able to bear” (Acts 15:10).

Yet, Paul also describes the law as a “schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). The law exposes our
hearts, teaching us we are weak-willed, helpless as babies, in need of a
savior.

At this point, you may be wondering, “Why would God demand perfect obedience
from us, and yet not provide us with power to comply?” The Bible makes it
clear: God had to bring us to a place where we realized we had no power to
escape our sin.

It took Israel four hundred years of affliction to learn they could not provide
their own deliverance. They couldn’t rid themselves of their slave masters in
their own strength. They had to have a deliverer—a God who would reach down
and bring them out of their bondage.

And it took centuries—up to the time of Zechariah—for Israel to recognize
their need for a redeemer. They finally became convinced they needed a savior
who would “be unto [them] a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory
in the midst of [them]” (Zechariah 2:5). God himself would be the fire around
them and the glory within them!

Yet many Christians today still have not learned this lesson. They are living
under the law, striving in their flesh, making promises to God, trying to get
free from their sin. They wake up each day saying, “This is the day, Lord!
I’m going to find the strength and willpower to break these chains. With just
a little more effort, I’ll be free!”

No! It will never happen. It will only end in more guilt. The law is meant to
drive us to the cross to acknowledge our helplessness, our need for a redeemer.

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/21607?src=devo-email

You Are Being Tested

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013

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

Rest assured that if you are trying to walk righteously before the Lord, you
are being tested. In fact, the deeper your walk with Christ, the more intense
your testing will be. Scripture makes this clear:

"The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. . . . Now
when they shall fall, they shall be [helped] with a little help. . . . And some
of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them
white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed"
(Daniel 11:32-35).

A great time of testing is coming upon "those of understanding." Just who are
these who will be tested? They are the righteous, those who do exploits for the
Lord, who walk with God and have the wisdom of Christ.

Right now, you may be asking, "Why am I being tested? Why is this happening to
me?"

Remember your school days? When a test in school was given, it revealed how
much you had actually learned of what you had been taught. Yet Paul spoke of a
different school, one where we are "learning Christ" and are "being taught by
Him, as the truth is in Jesus" (see Ephesians 4:20-21). If you belong to Jesus,
you are in His school. You may have thought you had graduated, but that will not
happen until you are in glory.

When I was in school, I hated "pop quizzes," unannounced tests. Yet the Lord
has told us to be ready to be tested at any time, and these tests will continue
until Jesus returns. All who love the Lord are going to go through fiery trials
and be purged of all that is not like Christ, in preparation for the wedding of
the Lamb.

David often spoke of being tested and tried: "I know also, my God, that thou
triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness" (1 Chronicles 29:17). "Thou
has proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me,
and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress"
(Psalm 17:3).

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/21373?src=devo-email

The Spirit That Conquers

Jan 01, 2013

Read | Philippians 3: 7-14

Paul was a man with a spirit that conquered. Throughout his ministry, he faced countless obstacles but never gave up. He pictured the Christian life as a race, and we each need this same kind of spirit if we hope to finish well.

Courage: A conquering spirit is willing to risk failure. Though we naturally want to appear strong and capable, God delights in empowering us in our weaknesses so He gets the glory.

Confidence: We’re likely to stumble when we doubt our ability to do what God requires. However, when our confidence is placed in the Lord instead of in ourselves, we can move ahead, knowing that He’ll enable us to do His will.

Commitment: The Lord promises to: guide us as we run the race; provide whatever is needed; and strengthen us along the way. However, we must be committed to Him and determined to carry out His will.

Persistence: The road we’re traveling is full of distractions, opposition, and obstacles that tempt us to give up. That’s why Paul advises us to “press on” through hardships toward that which is of eternal value (v. 14).

Forward Focus: We must also forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead (v. 13). Those weighed down by baggage from the past lose sight of the goal.

The key to success in this race is an all-consuming desire to reach the goal. If we find no value in the prize, we’ll readily give up along the way and settle for the immediate gratification the world offers. But if we understand what awaits us at the finish line in heaven, we’ll press on.

Barnabas,Son of Encouragement

By Gary Wilkerson

I have a lot of respect for Barnabas, a gentle, loving man whose name meant
encouragement. Barnabas had been traveling with Paul evangelizing and planting
churches, but a conflict arose. We read in Acts 15:36-41 that Paul and Barnabas
stopped working together over a young man named John Mark.

Paul felt that John Mark had hurt their ministry by unexpectedly departing and
leaving them short-handed. Barnabas wanted to be kind to John Mark and give him
another chance, but Paul said no.

Barnabas was a man of a different spirit. When the whole world was willing to
reject somebody who seemed like a failure, he did not react in that way.
Barnabas stood up to Paul and said, “I’m not going to reject that young
man.” That is boldness — that’s a different spirit!

When Saul was pouring out accusations against the church, imprisoning
Christ’s followers and putting them to death, who went to him? And when Saul
had an experience from heaven (Acts 9), who went to him? It was Barnabas, the
Son of Encouragement. Barnabas had the boldness in his heart and the different
spirit inside him to say, “I don’t care if this is a false rumor, it is
worth the risk to see if Saul really got saved.”

Barnabas is an example of a man of a different spirit. This spirit has nothing
to do with whether you are a Type A personality. You can be a quiet person,
mellow and calm, and still have what Barnabas had. And most of  all, you can
have what Jesus had.

It does not matter if you are young or old, male or female, for God is no
respecter of persons. The Holy Spirit is longing to fall upon you. You may be
reading this today and inside you are saying, “What are you talking about,
having a different spirit? My spirit is a spirit of alcohol or drugs; my spirit
is a spirit of desperation. I’m lost!”

You know what? God has His eyes on you. God has ordained that you read this
because He is calling on you to rise up and be a person of a different spirit.
Not the spirit of this world, not the spirit of sin, not the spirit of
alcoholism or drugs, but the spirit of God. The spirit of Christ, the Son of
God, can transform your life and make you into a person of a different spirit. 

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/20778?src=devo-email

A Rod Of Iron

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

The apostle Paul writes of Christ's ascension into heaven: "And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it" (Colossians 2:15). That's right! Staggering behind our Lord's triumphant
procession was the prince of darkness himself, bound in chains. And behind the
defeated devil — underneath the wheels of the heavenly hosts — were all the
powers of darkness, bound and vanquished. They were being put to an open shame
before all those who had died in faith before the cross.

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall
they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father” (Revelation
2:27). Jesus entered the gates carrying in His hand a scepter of righteousness,
His "rod of iron" with which He rules all nations. Then, after His triumphant
entrance, He took His rightful place on the throne in full possession of all
power, authority and dominion.

What a glorious picture! Satan is not in control. Communism is not in control.
Atheism is not in control. No, the enemies of Christ exist only by His
permission. And right now they only continue to fill up their cups of iniquity.
Jesus is in control of all things and one day, when He is ready, He will "break
them with a rod of iron; [He] shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel"
(Psalm 2:9).

Beloved, our understanding of Christ's victory over Satan and the dominion of
sin cannot be a vague, confused theology. We must know and understand that
Satan is totally defeated. He cannot hold us prisoner, and Christ has freed us
by His blood from every bondage. Now He sits on His throne with all power and
authority, offering us peace, joy and freedom.

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/20641?src=devo-email

God,Where Are You?

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

English: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. Česky: Jákob zápasící s andělem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One night Jacob sat in an open field and had it out (wrestled) with the Lord:
“God, how did I end up in this mess? You made such great promises to me. You
told me You would guide me, keep me, fulfill Your plans in me. How could any of
this be Your leading? What kind of covenant walk is this? Lord, I simply have no
future” (see Genesis 32:24-26).

Now, you may reason to yourself, “Maybe Jacob didn’t seek God about some of the
choices he made. Maybe he acted out of his flesh.” Well, perhaps he did, but
all that is beside the point. God could have intervened on Jacob’s behalf at
any time but He did not.

The fact is, we can have a contrite spirit and still have problems. You and
your spouse may be going through a terrible trial. You have prayed, “Lord, I
don’t understand. I know my heart is right, and I’m walking with You, so why
are You allowing this awful trial?”

Most of us think, as Jacob did, that contrite, praying Christians should not
have to endure great sorrows. We should not have to face awful times or fearful
conditions in which our very future is threatened. Yet, the reality is that
humble, repentant, praying Christians still suffer great peril and sorrows.

Nowhere in the Bible does God promise to keep us from problems. Never does He
promise us a smooth ride in our job or career. Nor does He promise us exemption
from affliction. In fact, He says: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous:
but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). This verse does not
say God delivers us from afflictions, but out of them.

Paul speaks of knowing the heights and depths of God’s love for him. Yet the
Lord didn’t keep Paul’s ship from sinking. In fact, He allowed the apostle to
be stoned, beaten and disgraced. Paul says he was exposed to perils on land and
on sea, from robbers and from his own countrymen.Paul and Jacob

worldchallenge.org

Related articles

• God’s Protective Power (pttyann2.wordpress.com)
• A Contrite Spirit (pttyann2.wordpress.com)
• God Hears Your Cry! by Elaine Davenport October 29, 2012 (faithcenter.wordpress.com)

The Need for Friendship

Read | 2 Timothy 4:9-22

Independence is a prized attribute in our culture, but biblically, it isn’t a worthy aspiration. Nowhere in Scripture will you find the erroneous quote, “God helps those who help themselves.” The very fact that the Lord formed the church–a community of believers–should tell us that He did not create people for self-sufficiency or isolation.

When we place faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us so we can have a fulfilling relationship with the Lord and satisfying friendships with one another. In God‘s design, a close, committed biblical friendship between two believers serves to build both toward Christlikeness. Look at any of the saints in Scripture, and you will find evidence of reliance upon a close friend or confidante for support. Paul, in particular, spoke freely and often of his dependence upon dear companions and encouraged others to form intimate partnerships as well (2 Tim. 2:22).

It’s interesting to me that our modern culture seems to be headed in the opposite direction. The farther our nation drifts from God, the more pervasive our self-sufficient attitude becomes. Neighbors treat each other with suspicion instead of congeniality, and that mindset has invaded the church as well. We’re hesitant to give to others, which in turn makes us reluctant to receive.

Scripture tells us to love one another, bear our brothers’ burdens, and confess our sins to fellow believers (John 13:34 ; Gal. 6:2; James 5:16). In other words, we’re to give ourselves away to others and receive from them in return. That’s how church members can stimulate one another to Christlikeness.

Dr. Charles Stanley

In Jail for Jesus!

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

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened
unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel”
(Philippians 1:12). When Paul wrote this, he was an older man with years of
experience. In the midst of one of the worst trials of his life, he was
speaking to his friends from his heart.

In the time you have been walking with Jesus, you surely have known pain,
trials, afflictions. So, how have you behaved? What has been the outcome, the
result of your experiences? Have your afflictions all been in vain? Or have you
learned of God‘s love and faithfulness in the midst of them?

Let’s say you are a dedicated believer who has laid down his life for Jesus.
You have a burden for a dying world, you weep for the lost, and you have a
clear command to win souls. So you tell all your friends you are going to a
certain city to testify of God’s grace.
Yet after you arrive, your friends back home receive word that you are not
being used of God at all. Nothing has gone as planned; in fact, your ministry
is dead. You have nothing to show for your efforts and rather than stirring up
the city for Christ, you have landed in jail.

How would you react if all you had to show for your dedication, labors and
sacrifice was utter failure?

Some Christians would pout. They would doubt God’s word to them and question
the Spirit’s leading. Yet other Christians would respond as Paul
did—rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Paul did not try to figure out his afflictions. He responded with joy, faith
and hope because he knew he was in training as God’s witness. He wrote to his
friends from jail: “My situation is the topic of conversation in Caesar’s
palace. In fact, everyone in Rome is talking about what’s happening to me. I’m
in jail for Jesus!” He must have been quite a sight in that prison cell—a
scrawny Jew encouraging everyone around him, “Rejoice in your afflictions.
God is faithful!”

Paul did not waste any of his afflictions, because he knew that each of them
had a divine purpose. Likewise, the Lord is watching us to see how we behave
during our trials.

Related articles

• The Key to Suffering Joyfully (juliesunne.com)
• Does God Afflict His Children? (pttyann2.wordpress.com)
• Pressed Beyond Measure (pttyann2.wordpress.com)

Pressed Beyond Measure

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

Perhaps like Paul, you are being pressed beyond measure, tested beyond your
endurance. Your strength is nearly gone, and you are on the brink of giving up.
You want to run, but there is no place to go. Now you say with Paul, “This is
above my strength!”

So, what is the way to victory? All I can tell you is how God continues to
bring me out. Here are two important truths He has given me:

1. Don’t think you are experiencing some strange, unique battle. On the
contrary, you are in good company. Recall Job, Jeremiah, Elijah, David, Paul
— even me. What you are going through is common to believers throughout the
centuries.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you,
as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are
partakers of Christ‘s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may
be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

2. When you think you can’t go on another hour — when everything looks
absolutely hopeless — cry out to God with all that is in you, “Lord, help!”