A Christian Devotional

[Shammu]

Issues, anyone?!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Is that a trend or something? I don't know what it is but I've heard that phrase said quite a bit. We were even walking down the Wal-Mart isle to pick up a few things before we left for Israel and my wife showed me a T-shirt with "I have issues" written across the front! I guess the world is coming to the sad reality that we really do have some issues.

It's always good to realize this kind of thing --- but realizing is only half the battle. It looks like the world has gone and just left it at that. What they're really saying is "We have issues and we're just going to let you know that up front -- we'll even be wearing a T-shirt to remind you so that you won't be expecting much from us!"

Well guess what? We, as believers, don't need to fall for that baloney! Yes, we all acquire issues in this sinful, painful world we live in -- but it is possible to be free from those issues in Messiah! It's not only possible -- it's crucial! We need to be wearing a T-shirt that says "We had issues, but the Lord delivered us and now we're free -- and hey -- you too can be free!"

We are the ones who need to be leading the way to Freedom, wouldn't you agree? This Independence Day, let's take a moment to celebrate our freedom in the Lord! Take all those issues, write them down on a scrap piece of paper and burn them to ashes! If we'll be serious about getting free, God will be serious about setting us free! Happy Fourth!

[Shammu]

So many commitments!

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

One of my favorite ministers of the Gospel is D.L. Moody. He tells a story about having heard Pastor Henry Varley once say that, "The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him."

As Moody pondered the pastor's words, He realized something. Pastor Varley did not say that God would use an intelligent person. He didn't say an educated person, nor did he say a person who was ultimately gifted. What the wise pastor said was that the person with whom God will work with and for and through will be the person "who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him".

This radically changed Moody's ministry... and ours too, for that matter. We realized that God isn’t looking for people with amazing minds or hands or voices or computer skills. He’s not looking for those who are wearing the nicest suits or dresses at church. And He’s not looking for the people with the highest grade point averages at the local Christian College. What God is really looking for, are people who are simply sold out for Him!

One of the great secrets to a successful walk with the Lord, is understanding total commitment to Jesus. But being totally committed requires us to daily take up our cross -- leave the past behind us -- and despite all the obstacles the enemy tries to throw in our path, press forward for the Lord and His work! Let's consecrate ourselves to the Lord again today. There’s so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Press forward!

Phil. 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

A life without a goal is like the captain of a ship without a map and a compass. His ship will just drift aimlessly from day to day hoping to arrive somewhere.

The apostle Paul set for himself a goal! He pressed forward in search for his goal -- he pressed toward the mark of the high calling in Messiah! He had a clear direction of where he was going and he was focused on the Lord! How much more should we!

By setting a goal, we are making a decision to act. We are providing ourselves a map and depending on the Lord to be our compass -- to provide the direction He wants us to go! A goal is more than a dream -- it's a dream acted upon. It's not saying "oh, I wish I could" -- it's declaring what we want to do for the Lord-- it's a declaration of faith!

Let's be bold -- let's set for ourselves a goal! Let's make a clear declaration of faith, saying "This is what I am going to do for the Lord and then press forward and follow through! I can't wait to see where the Lord will take us!

[Shammu]

You're covered!

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Have you ever heard how a pearl is formed? It is truly fascinating. A foreign object, often a grain of sand, somehow makes it's way into the tightly sealed crack of an oyster. Instead of spitting out this irritating object, the oyster covers it with layer upon layer of a substance secreted from it's own body. After months or even years, a beautiful pearl is formed. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster, the more valuable it becomes.

What a picture of God's mercy toward us! The Lord doesn't spit us out when we come to Him! "We are accepted in the beloved!" God has every right to cast us out because of our sin but instead, He brings us into His body and covers over our sin with His beautiful covering!

When God found us we were nothing more than an irritation but by His grace He keeps us under His covering, so that we can be made into something value to His Kingdom! God is using our time now under His covering to conform us into His image!

Let's cherish this time under God's covering and take this opportunity to grow more and more beautiful -- that we attract many for His Kingdom in these trying times!

[Shammu]

You could stand a change!

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Some of you may know that we are in the middle of a move. This few weeks has been crazy, to put it mildly. Aside from the computer desk at which we're sitting, we're pretty much surrounded by boxes. We'll be hauling it all to another place in the Negev on Thursday.

Change, though it can be difficult, is often good for us! It helps us to grow to new heights of maturity in life and in our walk with the Lord -- that is, if we choose to lean on God's grace through it!

The realization that has been most comforting throughout this whole season of change in our lives is that God never changes. Though we may be experiencing many changes around us, He is the same today, yesterday and forever. He is ever-present through our toughest trials, His mercies new every morning.

Are you going through some changes, or have you been resisting it for some time? Take courage! Stand upon the Rock who never changes. There's nothing we can't get through when we depend on Him.

[Shammu]

What is your reasoning?

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Have you ever used the phrase "I have every reason in the world......"? I sure have. But I was thinking about it. What I'm really saying when I say that is -- that I have every reason to do whatever it is I'm doing in the world's eyes --and not in my heavenly Fathers!

When Samuel was called by God to anoint Israel's next king, he was sure that God's choice would be Jesse's first son Eliab -- but he wasn't exactly what the Lord had in mind. God chose the least likely of Jesse's sons, David, because he was a man after His own heart! While the world looks carefully on outward appearance, God is carefully examines the heart!

When making decisions, we need to be sure to have the heart of God in the matter -- not our own reasoning, researching and weighing of circumstances. Are you facing a big decision today? What may seem like the perfect opportunity to us and the world around us may not necessarily be God's choice! Let's spend some time praying and seeking the Lord!

[Shammu]

Have you converted?

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

We just had the honor of leading a couple of people to the Lord for whom we’ve been praying for years, my wife’s Jewish best friend from childhood and her mother. What a blessing!

There seems to be much confusion about conversion, especially among seeking Jewish people, so when these new babes asked my wife to explain how it is that they could be both Christian and Jewish at the same time, I thought you might be interested in reading her reply. It was a good one. Here are a few excerpts from Rivka’s letter to her newly believing friends.

“So then, are we Jewish? Yes. Are we Christian’s? Yes! How? Because Judaism is not just a religion, it is a nation! We'll always be Jewish because those who are of Jewish blood are part of the Jewish nation, like it or not. But we are also Christians in the true sense of the word, in that we are "Following Christ", (the literal definition of the word Christian, in Greek)...

The problem is that many people don't know the true definition of "Christian"…. And as you know, many terrible things have happened in history by people who said they were Christians, like Hitler and the leaders of the Spanish Inquisition who brutally forced the Jewish people to "convert" or suffer and die. Our people became traumatized by these atrocities and are very sensitive to anything remotely resembling “conversion”.

But just like those were not true Christians who were enforcing those rules upon the Jewish people back then, it was not true conversion they were enforcing either.

True conversion has nothing to do with being Jewish or Non-Jewish -- it has nothing to do with religion at all. True conversion is not forced or bullied into coming about. True conversion doesn't come about by getting a diploma or doing some nice things for others and feeling good about ourselves. True conversion only comes when we willingly open our heart to God and He does a work in us that we could never do in our own strength. True conversion is experiencing a heart change -- from following the ways and the worries of the world to becoming a person of faith, who isn't shaken when all kinds of unforeseen or unfair circumstances come about -- because our hope is not in those things. Our hope is in the Lord alone. It is a deep concept -- one not too many people understand. But it is the truth.”

This is a daily walk. No matter who we are, we need to pick up our cross daily! Let’s give up our will once again today and allow the Lord to convert our heart to His will and His ways.

[Shammu]

War is at hand!

Colossians 2:14-15 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Saturday, at an Arab conference, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "All the conditions for the removal of the Zionist regime are at hand." Yesterday, the conflict here in the Middle East heightened to a new level when Hezbullah attacked Israel on our northern border, seven hundred rockets hitting Israeli soil. The atmosphere is extremely tense here as you I’m sure you can imagine.

The sudden reality that we could be going into a full-blown war hit hard. There were a couple of neighboring women weeping outside our house last night because they had just received word that their husbands were being called to battle.

Although Israeli men typically finish their three year army obligation, they remain in the reserves as long as they are able or willing. And in the event that something like this happens, they must be ready to go to war at any time.

Though you may feel far from the front lines, sitting behind your computer in your peaceful little nook today, you are in this battle too!

Whether we realize it or not, the spiritual battleground is all around us! The ongoing battle for the salvation of our loved ones, the battle for freedom from the chains of bondage that our enemy likes to tighten around us, the battle for Israel’s safety and salvation -- the enemy is relentless!

Perhaps, you've been sitting on the sidelines for some time. Consider this your call to war! It's time to join the battle -- not in our flesh, but in the Spirit! Take up your armor, soldier! Shake the gates of hell! Cry out and pray aloud! And while you're at it -- don't forget us in Israel!

[Shammu]

Don't run!

Jeremiah 42:10-18 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up:....(13) But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, (14) Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell.... (16) Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

Perhaps this scripture just hit me harder when I read it, living here in Israel under the circumstances but I believe there is a word for all of us here.

God has called each of us to something specific and He wants to plant us in a way that our roots can grow deep in Him and in that particular calling. He wants us to become solely dependent on His nourishment there, that we might grow to be strong, solid leaders with the capacity to serve and guide those around us who are in need where He's called us.

The Lord warns us about being double-minded. We're double-minded when become too busy to seek God's will for lives and the empowerment to fulfill it. We're double-minded when we allow our fear and anxiety to get in the way of us getting to and staying in that place to which He's called us.

Let's not run from the Lord. He has so many blessings for those who seek Him and follow after Him whole-heartedly. Let's give our all to Him today and strive to be single minded in His calling upon our lives!

[Shammu]

You're a millionaire!!

James 5:16b The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Ever wonder what someone who's never seen the modern world thinks of us approaching a wall, pressing a few buttons and out comes lot's of money? Cash machines -- they're everywhere -- and if you've got cash in your account, you can just go and make a withdrawal!

Imagine having a cash card that you could use to withdraw as much as your heart desires anytime you want -- with no limit.

We, who believe, have a card like that! We have direct access to the riches of God's grace. We have unlimited access to love, mercy, joy and all the good things of the Lord, and we can access it anytime, anyplace and in any circumstance. The strange thing is that we don't use it nearly as much as we could!

We need to tap into God's wonderful bank of unlimited riches today! May the righteous use their spiritual bankcards to withdraw much!

[Shammu]

Look for God's handwriting!

Psalms 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

We came across this story in the book, Steel in His Soul, The Dick Hillis Story and it really ministered to us so we thought we'd pass it along.

Missionaries Dick and Margaret Hillis found themselves caught in China during the Japanese invasion. The couple lived with their two children in the inland town of Shenkiu. The village was tense with fear, for every day brought terrifying reports of the Japanese advance. At the worst possible time, Dick developed appendicitis, and he knew his life depended on making the long journey to the hospital. On January 15, 1941, with deep foreboding, Margaret watched him leave.

Soon the Chinese colonel came with the news. The enemy was near and townspeople must evacuate. Margaret shivered, knowing that one-year-old Johnny and two-month-old Margaret Anne would never survive as refugees. So she stayed put. Early next morning she tore the page from the wall calendar and read the new day's Scripture. It was Psalm 56:3 -- What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

The town emptied during the day, and the next morning Margaret arose, feeling abandoned. The new verse on the calendar was Psalm 9:10 -- Thou, Lord, has not forsaken them that seek thee.

The next morning she arose to distant sounds of gunfire and worried about food and her children. The calendar verse was Genesis 50:21 -- I will nourish you and your little ones. An old woman suddenly popped in with a pail of steaming goat's milk, and another straggler arrived with a basket of eggs.

Through the day, sounds of warfare grew louder, and during the night Margaret prayed for deliverance. The next morning she tore the page from the calendar to read Psalm 56:9 -- When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back. The battle was looming closer, and Margaret didn't go to bed that night. Invasion seemed imminent. But the next morning, all was quiet. Suddenly, villagers began returning to their homes, and the colonel knocked on her door. For some reason, he told her, the Japanese had withdrawn their troops. No one could understand it, but the danger had passed. They were safe.

Margaret glanced at her wall calendar and felt she had been reading the handwriting of God.

God's handwriting is all around us but so often in the midst of the wars we face, we neglect to take notice. Let's make an effort to see His merciful hand at work in our lives today. He cares for us more than we can imagine!

[Shammu]

Raise your expectations!

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Charles Spurgeon wrote "Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly. Others give but an occasional pluck at the rope. But he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously, with all his might."

Some might take this to mean that we need to beg and plead desperately for God to answer our prayers. I don't think so.

I believe that we must pray, expecting for God to bring the answer and do the work because, among many other reasons, He is faithful, just and loves us with an everlasting love!

Raise your expectations today! Expect God to do something great and we'll believe along with you to see mighty breakthroughs!

[Shammu]

Coincidence or GOD-incidence?

Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

His nightmares began each day when he awoke. James Stegalls was nineteen. He was in Vietnam. Though he carried a small Gideon New Testament in his shirt pocket, he couldn't bring himself to read it. His buddies were cut down around him, terror was building within him, and God seemed far away. His twentieth birthday passed, then his twenty-first. At last, he felt he couldn't go on.

On February 26, 1968, he prayed for it all to end, and his heart told him he would die before dusk. Sure enough, his base came under attack that day and Jim heard a rocket coming straight toward him. Three seconds to live, he told himself, then two, then...

A friend shoved him into a grease pit, and he waited for the rocket to explode, but there was only surreal silence. The fuse malfunctioned.

For five hours James knelt in that pit, and finally his quivering hand reached into his shirt pocket and took out his Testament. Beginning with Matthew, he continued through the first 18 chapters.

"When I read Matthew 18:19-20," he said, "I somehow knew things would be alright."

Long after Jim returned home, as he visited his wife's grandmother, Mrs. Harris, she told him a night years before when she had awakened in terror. Knowing Jim was in Vietnam, she had sensed he was in trouble. She began praying for God to spare his life. Unable to kneel because of arthritis, she lay prone on the floor, praying and reading her Bible all night.

Just before dawn she read Matthew 18:19-20. Then she immediately called her Sunday school teacher, who got out of bed and went to Mrs. Harris' house where together they claimed the Lord's promise as they prayed for Jim until reassured by God's peace.

Having told Jim the story, Mrs. Harris opened her Bible to show him where she had marked the passage. In the margin were the words -- "Jim, February 26, 1968."

I don't think we are nearly aware enough of how crucial our prayers are for the lost and hurting. Sometimes we don't get to see the fruit, but God hears and answers our prayers! Don't be discouraged today -- keep lifting your voice in intercession and expect great things! There's so much work to be done!!

[Shammu]

Claim your gifts!

Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Another great preacher whose writings I love to read is John R. Rice. He wrote, "I once imagined I was in Heaven, walking along with the Angel Gabriel. I said, "Gabe, what is that big building over there?"

"You'll be disappointed," he answered. "I don't think you want to see it." But I insisted, and he proceeded to show me floor after floor of beautiful gifts, all wrapped and ready to be sent.

"Gabriel, what are all of these?"

He said, I thought rather sadly, "We wrapped all these things, but people never called for them."

There are gifts and an abundance of blessings to be received from heaven -- but we need to claim them as our own! We receive not because we've asked not.

When we ask the Lord in humility and expectation for His goodness, He will answer! Then we'll be better equipped to do the great things He has in store for us. There's so much work to be done!

[Shammu]

Are you watching?

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Today marks 14 days of war in Israel. Amidst the craziness, we've been very encouraged by the many of you around the world who've written to tell us you're interceding for us and standing with Israel. Thank you so much.

Christians have prayed and anticipated the physical and spiritual restoration of the Jewish people for hundreds of years. Among others, John Owens preached before the House of Commons in 1649, foretelling a time when "the bringing home of His ancient people to be one fold with the fullness of the Gentiles...in answer to millions of prayers put up at the throne of grace for this very glory, in all generations." We are part of those millions of prayers.

I've mentioned this before but I find it incredibly profound that the modern Hebrew word for Christian, is "Notzree," which actually means watchman. We as Christians are called to be watchmen, especially watching over Israel in prayer.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to pray for the Apple of God's Eye at this trying time. Let's make a point to pray for Israel daily, that God's will may be accomplished through these trials, and that the Jewish people would recognize their loving and merciful Messiah.