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Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?

March 6, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Luke 24:13-35
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;
16 but they were kept from recognising him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning
23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going further.
29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together
34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread. (NIV)

Here is a question (or two)…

When we spend time with Jesus, praying and reading His Word, does He speak to us and do our heart’s burn within us?

Is praying and reading His Word a hard slog or an encounter with the Living God?

Are you stuck in ‘no-man’s land’?  That is, somewhere between living for Jesus and living for this world.

Here is what the Lord is saying,

“WAKE UP!  SLEEPY HEAD, THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE!  STOP DECEIVING YOURSELF!”

You see, we don’t need information, we need revelation.  We don’t need another truth but to act on the truth the Lord has given us.  Why do we feel the Lord is so distant?  Because we have deceived ourselves and pushed Him away.

The Devil doesn’t have to work hard to deceive us, we do a great job all by ourselves!

REPENT! – so the Lord can come near

(Next  – A Word on ‘Deceiving Ourselves’)

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Revival (of the church) and the End Time Elijah (The Third Elijah)

February 24, 2009 by EVSTEVE

If there is one thing God is saying to His church in these last days what would it be?

I believe the Lord wants His church to shine in these last days.  I believe the Lord wants to REVIVE His church.  I believe the Spirit is issueing a great call of REPENTANCE on each one of our lives so that the Bride of Christ, the Church, can be all she is meant to be.  We are so distracted and deceived, so disempowered and so tainted in many areas; but there is a ‘voice in the wilderness’, ‘the Spirit of Elijah’, the Holy Spirit asking “Who are we going to serve?’ Just like Elijah challenged the people on Mount Carmel and  just like the second Elijah (John the Baptist) challenged the people, the third Elijah (the Spirit of Elijah, the Spirit of God) is sayiing “If the Holy Spirit is God serve and obey Him”.

The following excerpt is from here…

http://www.billionsoulsforchrist.com/endtimeelijahmessage.htm

and it deserves our attention and prayerful consideration…

———————- Excerpt ————————–

The prophet Elijah, asks them to make up their minds as who is God. In verse 21, it reads :

“21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, lfollow him.”

This is the very message that the spirit of the End Time Elijah has been given to challenge The Church or Body of Christ.  The Church has been taking each way bets regarding the Holy Spirit and His Divinity, His Person, and His role in The Church. In practice, just as the Israelites at Mt Carmel, they are between two opinions.  The time has now arrived for the decisive decision regarding the Holy Spirit. It will sharply divide those who will be made ready as the Bride of Christ and those who will be rejected like the prophets of Baal and Asherah.

When they cry out “Lord, Lord did we not serve you and cast out devils in your Name”. Jesus will reply “I never knew you” because you rejected the One Whom I sent in My Name to prepare My Bride for My Return.

Isaiah, the prophet, inspired to write the words “Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight His paths”.  These words were going to be proclaimed by John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  John the Baptist did not do any miracles unlike Elijah the prophet.  Yet Jesus and the Scriptures recognise that John the Baptist preached in the spirit and power of Elijah. Why was this?

It was the message proclaiming the imminent appearance of the Messiah as well as the powerful uncompromising message of repentance.

The message of repentance, like that of Elijah to the children of Israel on Mt Carmel, was an uncompromising call to return to the Living Lord God. John the Baptist was not sent to the Gentile nations but to the Jews challenging them to return to the Living God and to live lives  consistent with repentance.  Note that In both these instances both prophets were sent to the Jewish nation not to the Gentiles.

The End Time Elijah message is an uncompromising call to the spiritual Israel, consisting of all Christians, to repentance.  It is not a call to unbelievers to be saved. It is a call to God’s household, the Bride of Christ, to repent and return to the One Whom Christ has sent into the world to guide them in to all truth.  The Holy Spirit, Who has been rejected by the Church for 2000 years must now be restored as Lord and God over the Church as required by The Lord Jesus and The Heavenly Father

Those leaders who accept the Lordship of The Holy Spirit will be led to repentance and then intercession and worship resulting in a genuine large scale, lasting, overflowing revival within their local church that will impact their communities and beyond. The Holy Spirit will either remove those leaders who reject the offer of The Holy Spirit to become Lord of their local church from their positions or The Holy Spirit will allow that church to die.

Those Christians who refuse to recognise and worship The Holy Spirit as God will be treated by The Lord Jesus as part of the World.  Those who call themselves Christians have to contend with how they have treated the 100% alternative Helper sent by The Lord Jesus. There is an implied warning (highlighted) from The Lord Jesus Himself from John 14:15-18 below that those who cannot receive the Holy Spirit are of the world and therefore have not part in His salvation plan. This is a believers only entitlement.

“15 s“If you love Me, 4keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and tHe will give you another 5Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 uthe Spirit of truth, vwhom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you wand will be in you. 18 xI will not leave you orphans; yI will come to you. “

The Lord Jesus also further emphasised the importance of the Holy Spirit in distinguishing between believers who would be rejected and those who would be allowed to enter the wedding feast. In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins we read

“1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:1-13

You will notice that they were all virgins. They were all ready for the wedding feast in terms of clothing and carrying the lamps. The ONLY difference was the LACK OF OIL for the lamp.  The oil is symbolic of The Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. The oil provides light in the darkness and it is the life in the spiritual realm.  Very significantly, The Lord Jesus Christ, through the parable showed that it was possible to be ready in every other way as well as be given the invitation to the wedding feast and yet be reject at the time of the wedding because one does not have the Holy Spirit.  The Epistles also clearly teach that The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our salvation.

Ephesians 1:13-14

“13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

2 Corinthians 1:21- 2

“21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. ”

For this reason, the end-time spirit of Elijah calls upon all born-again believers to ensure that they obey the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ to be baptised in the Holy Spirit and fire (the oil for the lamp) in order to be ready for when the messengers from Heaven declares, “Behold the bridegroom is coming: go out to meet him” Matthew 25:6

———————- Excerpt ————————–

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Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 3

February 22, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Continuing on from Parts 1 and 2…

I’ve been trying to explain why I feel that faith in our Lord Jesus is like ‘Being at the Knife Edge’ and relating that to Elijah.  Here are a few thoughts:

1) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘living way beyond ourselves, it’s extreme living!’. The Spirit of God, if we listen intently and we obey completely, can have us saying and going and doing so much beyond our ‘natural man’.  Faith stretches us!

2) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘choosing to give up control of our lives’.  Our ‘natural’ response is we want to keep control of our lives but in John 3:8 Jesus says ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

3) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘a daily challenge, a daily battle’.  Faith runs contrary to our ‘natural man’.  Faith isn’t just the occassional one off event, faith is a moment by moment choice to trust in our Heavenly Father. God desires and deserves our full attention, our complete faith and trust in him.

4) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘finds out what we are made of’.  It challenges the very core of our being.  It seeks out the ‘cracks’ in our character and refines and conforms us to the image of Christ.  ‘For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son – Rom 8:29’

5) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘challenges and overcomes our fears’.  Within each one of us there is always the choice of faith in our Lord Jesus or fear.  ‘I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life – Deut 30:19‘.  Who are we going to serve?  Faith or fear? Like Elijah;  we can be living at the ‘knife edge of faith’ and then God allows something to happen that pricks or stirs or challenges our ‘natural man’ and we can ‘slide off the edge of that knife’ and start serving our fear and despair.

Let’s continue with the story of Elijah and see what happens.  Just to recap.  Elijah has run in fear from Jezebel’s threat.  He has ‘slid off the knife edge’.  He has thrown in the towel.  He has spat out the dumby (Gee, I’m not being very compassionate – however God is being very compassionate).  Elijah has collapsed in a heap.  It’s all too hard!  I’m all alone!  I want to die!  An angel comes and feeds him (twice) and sets Elijah’s journey to the Mountain of God.  The writer (ie: the Holy Spirit) makes it clear the journey takes 40 days and 40 nights so Elijah has a soul searching, flesh verses Spirit, wilderness experience before he arrives at the Mountain of God.  So now, as we continue the story, we will see if Elijah is ready to continue to be a prophet.  Is God’s prize prophet still down and out!  What is God going to do?  🙂

Let’s look at 1 Kings 19:9-19a
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 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.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 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?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19 So Elijah went… (NIV)

Verse 9 reminds me so much of the conversation God had with Adam and Eve.  In fact, it reminds me of the conversations God has with many people (including me).  What I mean by this is, God already knows all the facts but He asks anyway.  It’s like God is having a councelling session with Elijah – “Where are you at, Elijah?”  “Are you there yet, Elijah?”  So gently and so compassionately does the Lord deal with Elijah. Elijah’s response in verse 10 indicates he is ‘not there’ yet. He has a ways to go.

In verses 11 to 13 we have Elijah’s famous mountain top experience with God.  God chooses to reveal Himself to Elijah in an awesome way.  Elijah is going through the final part of His restoration.  Elijah is having an intimate and direct encounter with the living God.  God shows him His power and might and awesomeness and then His intimacy through His gentle whisper.  What is God doing?  He is doing what He has done to many, many people.  He is saying, I AM GOD.  I AM ALMIGHTY AND POWERFUL.  YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND BUT I AM IN FULL CONTROL OF EVERYTHING.  MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS.  I AM!  I AM ALL THESE AWESOME THINGS (AND DON’T GET ON MY WRONG SIDE) BUT, ALSO, I LOVE YOU AND I CARE ABOUT YOU VERY MUCH!

So what is Elijah’s response?  Verse 14, it appears Elijah gives the same response.  Here is what I want to say about this.  Elijah’s auto-response to God’s question comes blerting out again but (my belief is) it does not have the same ring or the same heart or the same hold on Elijah’s life now he has personally experienced the awesomeness and the intimacy and the rejuvination and the revelation of His Heavenly Father.

So, finally, verses 15 to 18, God tells Elijah His plan and verse 19 Elijah goes.

So what did Elijah go through?  He was controlled by his fear and anxieties and wanted to die.  He was tenderly and supernaturally fed by an angel.  His sights and journey had been set to the Mountain of God.  He has gone through a 40 day wilderness (I believe, flesh verses Spirit) experience.  He has this mountaintop experience of the awesomeness and the intimacy of God.  He has revelation of the plans of God and he IS BACK AND GOING!

May the Lord bring you revelation about this story of Elijah.

Blessings

Steve

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Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 2

February 20, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Being at the Knife Edge of Faith (Part 2)

As I have mentioned in Part 1, the Lord has had me ‘ruminating’ over the life of Elijah.  In particular, Elijah’s response to Jezebel’s death threat where he runs in fear (1 Kings 19), after having such great faith and victory on Mt Carmel in defeating 850+ prophets of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18).

Perhaps now is the time to explain what I mean by ‘Being at the Knife Edge of Faith’.

In 2 Cor 5:7 it says we (ie: followers of Jesus) are to live by ‘faith and not by sight’ – this is what I am calling ‘being at the knife edge’.

Genuine faith challenges all of our natural settings and senses.  Our default, human settings are to live by ‘sight’.  In other words, we normally and naturally live by all of our human senses and judgement.  Also, let us not forget, our default, human settings are also heavily tainted with the sinful condition (our fallen nature) of living and serving ‘self’.  Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as ‘deceitful above all things and beyond cure’.  Romans 3:23 says ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God‘.  When we truly come to Christ, when we are truly born again, when we truly give up our lives to Christ, God transforms our default settings.  That is, we longer live for self and we longer live by what we see. [‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ – Gal 2:20]  We live by complete faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, being led continually by the voice of our Father.  [For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God – Rom 8:13-14] [My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me – John 10:27]  Day by day we are to walk in the Spirit.  [So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature – Gal 5:16] [Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit – Gal 5:25]  Day by day we are to have our minds renewed.  [Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind – Rom 12:2]

This faith living is a challenge and an opposition for our ‘natural man’ who wants to keep control of our lives and every situation.

Getting back to Elijah.  Even with the great faith moments that he had had, Jezebel’s threat struck a chord in his humanity.  Elijah lost it.  Something deep within Elijah rose to the surface.  Fear came in, instead of faith.  Elijah chose death instead of life. Like the contest on Mount Carmel, the Spirit and the flesh had a contest, but this time the flesh won (for a while).  Elijah had fallen.  Ah!, but God can use these situations to flush something out that can deepen intimacy with Him.  I am remembering Peter when he had a ‘human moment’ and denigned Jesus 3 times.  God highlighted the weakness, repentance came in, and a greater intimacy and committment came in.

I have much more to say about Elijah but let me leave you with these verses from Colossians 3:1-10:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator

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The Day the King Came to Visit

February 7, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Once upon a time there was a great King who ruled the land with justice and mercy. One day the King come to stay with the Lipona family (the Lipona’s lived in a region of the land called Religionville).  Here is the story of when the King came to visit the Lipona’s.

There was a loud knock at the door.  Mr Lipona headed for the front door.  “Who is it darling” asked Mrs Lipona.  Mr Lipona opened the door, “It’s only the King” he replied.  Mr Lipona ushered the King into the lounge room.  “Wait here” he said to the King, “You have come at a most inconvenient time.  We are in the middle of a baked dinner.  Wait here in the lounge room til we finish our dinner, and don’t touch anything OK!”  instructed Mr Lipona as he left the room.

Quite a while later Mr Lipona came back into the lounge room and said to the King “What are you doing here?”  “I have come to stay a while” said the King.  “Stay!  Stay!” exclaimed Mr Lipona, “We have no where for you to stay!”  “Haven’t you got anywhere for me to stay?” asked the King.  Mr Lipona thought intently “We have the doghouse outside, I guess Disona our dog won’t mind you sleeping in his doghouse for a day or two” he said.  “I’m a little hungry” said the King.  “You just can’t drop into people’s places around dinner time and expect to get fed can you?” replied Mr Lipona, “It’s time for you to go out to the doghouse, we are all going out to the movies tonight”.  “Maybe Disona will share with you some of his biscuits.”

The King disappointingly headed outside to sleep in the doghouse as the Lipona’s left for the movies.  The Lipona’s arrived home very late that night and they completely forgot all about the King outside in the doghouse.

The next morning, as the Lipona’s were eating their bacon and eggs at the breakfast table there was a knock at the back door.  “I wonder who that could be?” said Mr Lipona as he headed for the door.  “Oh, it’s the King” he exclaimed as he opened the door.  “Don’t come in” he said to the King, “We are already late for church.  What do you want anyway?”  “I’m a little hungry” replied the King.  Mr Lipona laughed “Didn’t you hear what I said?  We are already late for church.  There is no time to get you anything.  Look!  By the time we get home from church today we want you off this property, OK! said Mr Lipona sharply.  “OK” said the King.

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  “‘These people honour me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'”

– Matt 15:7-9(NIV)

Friends, we need to stop fooling ourselves and start honouring God in all areas of our lives.  We cannot fool God.  He knows when we honour Him and He knows when we dishonour Him.

Holy Spirit, bring back the fear of the Lord into each one of our hearts so that we reverently honour the Father in all that we do, in Jesus name, Amen

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

– Isa 66:2 (NIV)

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

– Amos 5:21-24 (NIV)

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

– Amos 6:4-6 (NIV)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

– James 1:27(NIV)

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

– Amos 5:14-15(NIV)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’

– Zech 7:9-10 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former.

– Matt 23:23(NIV)

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The Dog That Ate Too Much

February 5, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Once upon a time there was a dog named Nofrute.  Nofrute was an extemely fat and lazy dog.  Oh, he occassionally used to get his Master’s slippers, but that was not without a lot of grumblings and protests.  Nofrute lived with his Master in a large house near a place called Redemption City.

One evening, Nofrute’s Master had an important meeting to attend so he had left Nofrute all alone, inside the house, for a few hours.   As soon as his Master left, Nofrute headed straight for the refrigerator (Nofrute was highly controlled by the cravings of his stomach).    Nofrute pried open the refrigerator door and started devouring a large bar of chocolate.  Then he ate a  4 litre tub of ice cream, 24 scones with whipped cream, 4 packets of chocolate biscuits, 10 large bags of chips (that he found in a cupboard) and finally 8 litres of soft drink to wash it all down.  Nofrute started feeling very sick.  He laid in the middle of the lounge room with his legs in the air.  Nofrute was in great pain and was having difficulty breathing.

An hour or so later Nofrute’s Master come home and saw Nofrute lying in the middle of the lounge room with his legs in the air.  He raced over only to find Nofrute had died.  The Master wept and wept and wept.

John 4:31-34
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (NIV)

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Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 1

January 27, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Thoughts about Elijah Running in Fear – 1 Kings 19:1-4

The Lord has had me ‘ruminating’ over these verses in 1 kings 19 for several weeks now.  It seems the Lord wants to show me something.  Here are some thoughts about these verses.

1 Kings 19:1-4
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (NIV)

Why would such a powerful and annoited man of God be fleeing in fear from an evil woman’s threat?

Well, it is difficult to say (with accuracy) why Jezebel’s threat had such a fearful effect on Elijah.  We know, for sure, that Jezebel was no match for God.  And we know, for sure, Elijah had great faith and power from God – he had just called down fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice and had just put #450 prophets of Baal to death(read 1 Kings 18).

So this is THE burning question for these verses!: Why would such a powerful and annoited man of God be fleeing in fear from an evil woman’s threat?

Well, one thing is certain, Elijah ‘took onboard’ Jezebel’s threat and he had fled in fear of his life.  It would seem to me that Elijah has had a ‘human’ moment.  His humanity has kicked in, for whatever reason, and he is running for his life.

I’ve been thinking about Elijah’s words at the end of verse 4:  “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Here, by the words we can tell, Elijah is really having a big crisis.  God needs to slap this guy about the head and tell him to wake up to himself – right?

Wrong, God really deals with Elijah tenderly.

1 Kings 19:5-8
5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”
6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. (NIV)

God sends an angel to provide bread and water to Elijah for the JOURNEY.  What journey?  Wasn’t Elijah just running for his life (anywhere away from Jezebel).  I think so, for he took no provisions.  Now he has a journey!  Now he has a purpose and a destination.  And the destination is to the MOUNTAIN OF GOD! Woohoo!  Praise the Lord!

Did you notice the ‘forty days and forty nights’ bit?  Well it’s not an accident :-).  God cleansed the earth with rain for 40 days and 40 nights during the flood.  Moses fasted for for days and forty nights before writing down the 10 commandments.  Our Lord Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before being tempted.  This ‘journey to the mountain’ for Elijah was (potentually) a time of cleansing, a time of reflection and prayer and a time of subdueing and mastering the soul and the ‘flesh’.

Did it work?

To be continued…

P.S. I haven’t even touched on why I called it “Being at the Knife Edge of Faith” yet .  Maybe it has something to do with faith and humanity(‘the flesh’)?

Blessings

Steve

# In 1 Kings 18:19 it says this:
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” (NIV)

Did Elijah and the people allow the 400 prophets of Asherah (Baal was a male god and Asherah a female god) to escape?

My thought is no.  They were also part of the problem in Israel.  They have now become redundant because “The Lord, He is God”[v39]  Also, not killing them would have amounted to doing half a job.  Surely God would have rebuked Elijah for not killing them as well. Also of note is that these 850 false prophets were the ones that ‘ate at Jezebel’s table'[v19].  Perhaps a popular vocation in a time of famine 🙂 .  Seeing that the people came from ‘all over Israel'[v19] was the number for false prophets greater than 850?[purely speculation].  Perhaps I should have said Elijah and the people ‘put at least 850 false prophets to death’.

P.P.S. Did you read 1 Kings 18?  This is just something I found amusing in 1 Kings 18.  It’s when Elijah mocks the prophets of Baal.  Look at this translation of verse 27…

1 Kings 18:27
About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” [New Living Translation]

Perhaps your God has gone to the toilet – ho, ho, ho!

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Being a Man of God

January 20, 2009 by EVSTEVE

Well, I haven’t posted anything since September 30 – WOW!

There has been much happening.  Our Senior Pastor’s son Sam went to be with the Lord suddenly (he didn’t wake up one morning).  This was a great shock and was, and still is, a difficult time for many, especially his parents and family.  Friends from the small group that we lead were involved in a serious car accident and one has had her lower leg removed.  My wife’s parents were involved in a serious car accident and her mother is still recovering (she is going OK).   I have changed jobs – this has been unsettling for me.  We had a very large tree fall on our house (it landed mainly on the garage – praise God) and my dad has been battling (and winning) with a stomach cancer.

img_1301a1

Hmmm, if I am honest I would have to say, by the grace of God, we have coped quite well.  I can honestly say the Lord had prepared us and sustained us.  This is not to say I wasn’t distracted by the events – I was.  I mean, at times, there was a numbness and a ‘shellshock’ness.  When I mean distracted I mean taking my eyes off the Lord.  I remember saying to myself and the Lord that “I’m not quite right am I”.  I mean there are parts of my ‘being’ that have been crying out for the Lord refreshment and this is happening (really – don’t worry 🙂 ).

I’ve been wondering, when end times come and there is great hardship and suffering and persecution will I be distracted and take my eyes off Jesus?  Not if I am prepared.  Not if I build my house upon the rock and not upon the sand.  Not if I am serious about becoming a real man of God.

Here is a great Word to men about ‘Being a Man of God’ preached by Paul Washer.  I found this one over at here

Blessings

Steve

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Confidence (Part II)

September 30, 2008 by EVSTEVE

Confidence

I would like to explore ‘confidence’ a little more and its place in the Christian life.  Why am I choosing to talk about confidence rather than choosing faith or hope or trust?  Well, it’s quite simple, ‘confidence’ is what the Lord has been speaking to me about lately.  Actually, He has been speaking to me about four ‘words’.  These ‘words’ are LIFE, GLORY, COURAGE and CONFIDENCE.  LIFE AND GLORY, in my present thinking, have tended to group together and, it seems, COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE are tending to group together as well.  I’ve covered (in my blog) LIFE and GLORY and COURAGE a little so I would like to get a ‘bit more of a handle’ on CONFIDENCE.

In this world, when we lack confidence or we loose confidence, it seems that we can sometimes regain confidence by doing things to sow into our self confidence.  Therefore, we might join a group to be around those who are more self confident than ourselves or we might start reading self help books or watching motivational DVDs etc to gain a positive and confident mind set.  We can deliberately feed ourselves with self motivational material to bolster self esteem, self confidence and ego.

Now I am asking myself, is it wrong to build up our self confidence?  From the world’s perspective, that would be a definite no.   My observation is the more self confident we are, the more successful we are likely to be.  Conversely the more we lack confidence, the less likely we are to be successful.  In fact, if we lack confidence, it is unlikely that we will ever achieve everything we are capable of.  So self confidence is a good thing?  Right? (note question mark) Feeding our self confidence can be a tool to maximise our potential in this world else our visions and dreams and potential aren’t met and, a kind of, self fulfilling prophecy associated with a lack of confidence and not reaching beyond ourselves keeps us small and insignificant and trapped in a cocoon of fears and doubts.

So, you can see, there is a pretty good argument for us to develop our self confidence so that each of us can attain our dreams and visions and potential.  A question comes to mind, can we take our self confidence and fit this into our Christian faith somehow?  It seems to be a healthy thing to be self confident.  Surely we could be ‘a hell of a lot’ more useful to God and his Kingdom if we are self confident.  (I think I am being a little sarcastic)

Can you see through this nonsense I am going on with?  Perhaps the SELF in self confidence gave it away.  There should have been warning bells going off in your head.  If not, then perhaps you have been sucked into thinking that walking with God and self confidence are compatible.  I understand there is some clever marketing going on that mixes self confidence, self esteem, Christianity and using our friends to sell product to.  Woops I digress.

‘Self confidence’ or ‘confidence in self’ by it’s very nature and definition stands opposed to confidence and faith in our Lord

Let’s look at the example of King David.  I believe King David had confidence, but it wasn’t self confidence that he was relying on.  His confidence wasn’t in his own abilities.  His confidence was firmly and securely placed in the Lord. He chose, in his spirit and in his heart, to place his confidence in the Lord. This is in vast contrast to what the world teaches, that is, a confidence in self.

When we consider the account of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel Chapter 17 it isn’t just a faith moment for King David.  There is a walking in the confidence of God.  God is in David and David is in God.  The two were one.  You know, this might sound funny, but I believe even if David didn’t defeat Goliath, the Lord would have still been well pleased with him.  Anyhow, David’s confidence is firmly and securely placed in the Lord.  Consider David’s words…

his Holy discontent…

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” [v26] NIV

“Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” [v36] NIV

his concern for Saul and his army…

“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” [v32] NIV

as he confidently prophesied over Goliath…

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” [v45-47] NIV

Opposition before the Battle

Even when those around him misunderstood him, doubted him and intimidated him this did not shake David’s confidence in the Lord. Let us consider some of King David’s opposition to his confidence in the Lord even before his battle with Goliath.  This might be helpful when people and circumstances attempt to rattle our confidence in the Lord.

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” [v28] NIV

This was the first attack on David’s confidence.  It was a misjudgment of David’s heart and motives. Notice it came from someone close to him, his oldest brother.  Let’s consider David’s brother for a moment and where these words are coming from.  He is part of Saul’s army.  The army was dismayed and terrified v11.  Personally, his brother would have been feeling defeated and powerless and ashamed. Thus out spews an attack from his heart that tries to cut his younger brother down.  This is Satan at work here, working through the words of his oldest brother, trying to tear down David’s confidence in the Lord and it was coming through someone that David would have respected and looked up to.

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” [v33] NIV

Here is the second attack on David’s confidence and it’s a double whammy.  Don’t dismiss this one.  Satan is speaking through Saul now.  These are mind changing words.  “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him” is a powerfully suggestive statement to anyone who has a weak mind and weak resolve.   “You are only a boy” – Saul is suggesting that David is inadequate for the task and thus again his confidence in the Lord is questioned and attacked.

He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!“ [v43-44] NIV

This is the third attack on David’s confidence.  If you look at verses 4-7 you can see that Goliath looks terribly intimidating.  Now, with his words, Goliath is blatantly intimidating and cursing David but David’s confidence in the Lord will not be put off and he gives this response to Goliath…

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” [v45-47] NIV

So How Do We Get This Type of Confidence in the Lord?

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. [v34-36]

David came into the battle not with self confidence but with God confidence because he KNEW God.  He knew and had PROVEN the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness in previous battles.  David’s life was in his Heavenly Father’s and his Heavenly Father’s life was in him.  David’s life was a life of EXERCISED faith and trust in his Heavenly Father thus his complete and unshakable confidence was in the Lord for the battle with Goliath.

“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.” [Psalm 71:5-6] NIV

King David’s hope and confidence extended beyond the lion and the bear.  From David’s youth his hope and confidence was in the Lord.  Can you imagine David lying on the side of a hill, tending the sheep and singing and praising his Lord.  Or perhaps praying to his Heavenly Father under the stars at night. In this fast paced, crazy world where are we to get the time to develop our relationship with the Lord?

Even from birth, David says he relied on the Lord.  How can he say this?  Could it be that we all have a measure of confidence when we are born.  It is just that we loose that confidence or are robbed of that confidence through the journey of life – I’m not sure.  Is David’s life an example of a life that hasn’t been robbed?  I think so.  David is walking in the confidence of God.

Remember, we have an enemy who wants to steal, kill and destroy.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy ; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” [Jn 10:10] NIV

One of the best ways for Satan to make us ineffective is to rob us of our courage and confidence. These are essential ingredients for LIFE and essential ingredients for advancing the Kingdom of God.  Can we truly LIVE without courage and confidence? Will we ever be victorious overcomers in our lives and in this world without courage and confidence in our Lord Jesus?

Here is the challenge!

Are we able to begin to allow courage and confidence in our Lord Jesus grow in our lives?  As God moves our lives from our safe, cocooned environments where we are controlled by our fears and our insecurities, our procrastinations and our indifference, our avoidance and our laziness, our slothfulness and our sinfulness we will begin to truly glorify the Lord in each and every victory we have in our lives.  All glory and praise to the Lord as each one of us becomes fully alive in Him and we gloriously display the victories available through Him – Amen

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Lord of the Rings – Works of Service Clip

September 26, 2008 by EVSTEVE

Scene from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ with voiceover about serving (part of a talk)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. [Eph 4:11-13] NIV

Blessings

Steve

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