When the Holy Spirit shines His light on a biblical promise, and you turn that into a prayer, write it down! You may need to go back to this again and again. When God answers your prayer, write it down again! This can become a testimony journal that you and others can use to recall God’s provision.
“The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person.” —John Piper
“Somehow or other an extraordinary idea has arisen that the disbelievers in miracles consider them coldly and fairly, while believers in miracles accept them only in connection with some dogma. The fact is quite the other way. The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) because they have evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them.” —G.K. Chesterton
“At every moment, we always have a choice, even if it feels as if we don’t. Sometimes that choice may simply be to think a more positive thought.” —Tina Turner
Every day should be a day of thanksgiving!
“We are strangers on Earth; our homeland is in Heaven. Our walk is here; our hearts are there.” —Dr. Henry Halley
I have already shared the first two posts in the latest archeological research on the biblical city of Jericho. Here is part three.
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” —Pelé
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan
Then you will prosper IF you are careful to keep and fulfill the statutes and ordinances with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed. (1 Chronicles 22:13 AMPC)
True prospering can only come through carefully doing things God’s way. “I will obey God no matter what,” is easier said than lived. This is why David tells Solomon both the virtues to cultivate and the emotions to guard against:
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Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, are strategizing a battle plan against Syria when they call for God’s prophet to share with them God’s counsel in this matter.
Then Micaiah said, “I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ … Now, you see, the Lord put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets; and the Lord has spoken evil concerning you. … If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me” (2 Chronicles 18:16, 22, 27).
You would think this would cause these kings to scrap their battle plans and keep their armies at home. But the next verse says they utterly rejected the prophet’s warning. “So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead” (v. 28).
What in the world is Jehoshaphat doing?!
He asked for a prophet from God and then when he hears from God that this combined army will be defeated, Jehoshaphat still goes with Ahab?!
But let’s back up: Why was Jehoshaphat even here hanging out with Ahab? And before even hearing from Micaiah, why does he commit his army and cavalry to this joint-venture (v. 3)?
I think the clue is in v. 1: Jehoshaphat “was allied by marriage to Ahab.” Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram is married to Ahab’s daughter Athaliah (2 Kings 8:18).
Jehoshaphat thought this was a strategic move. Like a chess master moving his pieces on the board, he calculated that this alliance would give him an advantage. But instead this move resulted in years of heartache and destruction.
First, Jehoshaphat feels trapped into allying with Ahab in this ill-fated battle against the Syrians. Ahab is killed in this battle, and Jehoshaphat barely escapes with his life, although his army is embarrassed in defeat.
As he is returning to Jerusalem, another prophet meets him and pronounces this heartbreaking message, “Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord” (2 Chronicles 19:2).
Later on, Jehoshaphat again partners with Ahab’s son, “After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly” (20:35).
After Jehoshaphat died, his son Jehoram ascends the throne.
His reign as king is only eight years long, and is noted for him walking “in the ways of the kings of Israel” by doing evil in God’s sight (2 Kings 8:15). Jehoram was killed in battle.
Ahaziah his son then sits on the throne in Jerusalem for only a year, manipulated by his mother Athaliah. “He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab, for his father was son-in-law of Ahab” (2 Kings 8:27). This alliance led to another disastrous joint military campaign with Israel. Ahaziah was killed by Jehu shortly after this.
Look what happens next: “When Athaliah the mother of King Ahaziah of Judah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal descendants (2 Kings 11:1). This began a six-year reign of terror in which Athaliah assumed the throne.
Where did all of this mayhem begin? When Jehoshaphat calculated his own destiny.
We have such a limited view; whereas, God is timeless, all-knowing, all-powerful. It is the highest form or arrogance to think we can out-maneuver God’s plan, or that we can even begin to know what’s best for our lives.
The One who has all of our days written in His book is also the One who tells us that we can call to Him to learn things we don’t know and access the wisdom we don’t have (Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 33:3; James 1:5).
Think of the misery that could have been avoided if Jehoshaphat would have heeded the counsel of his forefather Solomon: “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 AMPC).
What a miserable strategist I am when I make plans that I think are clever! Instead, I’m trying my best to follow Solomon’s counsel, and I pray you are too.
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I would like you to think about a wise, loving friend. One who has years of godly wisdom, empathy, loads of patience, and loving boldness. When you talk with them, you know that you will always get good counsel—even if you may not like exactly what they have shared with you, deep down you know it is still sound wisdom. This is what the Holy Spirit—as our Counselor—does for us.
The Holy Spirit is not merely a force, but He is a Person. Jesus Himself give the Spirit the pronouns “He / Him / His.”
I especially want to key in on those last two attributes where the Holy Spirit is speaking to us.
Samuel grew up during the time of the judges, where everyone did whatever they thought best. This is a time that is described like this, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions” (1 Samuel 3:1). Visions in the Hebrew language is two words: open communication. In other words, people just weren’t listening for God’s voice.
Samuel had to learn to hear God’s voice as well (see this passage and all of the other biblical references in this post by clicking here).
God doesn’t reveal His heart to those who are unwilling to obey. His persistent call is for obedience to His Word and reliance on His provision. So the word of the Lord had to be revealed to Samuel (v. 7). When Samuel said he was listening (v. 10), that was a posture of readiness to obey.
God wants to reveal His heart to His obedient people. I love how God does this later for Samuel, “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his earthe day before Saul came…” (1 Samuel 9:15).
This is how Jesus described the Holy Spirit in John 7:37-39, as streams that flow continuously out of our being. And Jesus also calls Him Counselor (John 14:16).
Isaiah described our Counselor like this, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21).
Let’s call this GPS = God’s Personal Spirit in us!
Those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit—utterly yielded to His wisdom—will experience:
More insight into God’s Word—Psalm 119:18
More timely application of God’s Word—2 Timothy 3:16-17
More boldness in prayer—2 Samuel 7:27 (same word for in his ear as Samuel experienced)
All Christians have a deposit of the Holy Spirit in their lives at the moment of salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a completed yielding to the Counselor’s influence. So don’t stop at salvation, but ask Jesus to send you what the Father has promised (Luke 24:49; Acts 2:33).
Check out all of the messages in our series leading up to Pentecost Sunday by clicking here.
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There is a recurring theme throughout the Book of Judges and then later is repeated in the years leading up to Israel’s exile: A godly leader passes off the scene and the people return to their old selfish, godless lifestyle. This sinful life brings God’s punishment, which causes the people to cry out to God for help. God raises up a leader who leads the people in repentance and a return to God. As a result, God’s blessings again flow to His people. Then that leader passes off the scene and the cycle repeats.
This recurring thought is in the middle of a particularly dark time for Israel: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; see also 18:1).
The entire 17th and 18th chapters of Judges is a sickening story of the Israelites utterly turning their back on God so they could go do whatever they want. And worst of all, we see godless leaders taking advantage of the situation to line their pockets with worldly riches.
Just because there is a God-fearing leader on the scene doesn’t guarantee that the people will follow his or her lead and devote themselves to God. But a godless leader almost always results in people debasing themselves by thumbing their nose at God’s laws.
God raises up leaders and holds them accountable for their actions. He told Ezekiel that there would be consequences for both boldly speaking God’s message or for keeping silent (see Ezekiel 3:16-21).
God calls His leaders to know His ways, to walk in integrity in that way, and then to call others to walk in that way too.
A mark of a godly leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
This is part 84 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.
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The Jordan River was a powerful border guard. For years it had served the Canaanites well, protecting their eastern border from large-scale attacks from their enemies. Now the Jordan was all that stood between the Israelites on the east side of the river and their promised land on the west side.
Joshua gave some unusual instructions to the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He told them to carry the ark while they walked into the middle of the flood-level river. He said they should trust that God would stop the flow of the river while they stood there (see Joshua 3:1—4:11).
I can imagine the two priests carrying the ark at the front stepping into the water, feeling the current rush around their ankles, and holding their breath as they took their next steps deeper into the river.
Step after step the two priests in front waded into the Jordan. Until finally they walked far enough that the priests carrying the ark from the back stepped into the Jordan.
And all of a sudden, the water levels begin to go down! Lower and lower until the priests were standing on a damp riverbed that had been completely covered by water just a few minutes earlier. To their left, as they looked downstream, no water was to be seen. To their right, as they looked upstream, they might have glimpsed the wall of water piled up as the invisible Hand of God held it back.
Only then did the Israelites began crossing the previously uncrossable river. Family after family, tribe after tribe began to march at long last into their promised land.
And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. … For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people…. (Joshua 3:17, 4:10)
It was only after every Israelite had crossed the Jordan, and memorial stones had been gathered from the riverbed and carried to the shore, that the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came across themselves. It was immediately after this that the mighty Jordan River began flowing again at full strength.
Second, godly leaders stand their ground until all the people enter into God’s blessing. Remember that God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
So leaders, let me encourage you—
Keep going first in obeying God, keep standing firm in His promises, keep showing others the path they need to follow to step into God’s blessings, and keep encouraging people to walk into that blessing.
Don’t be slow in obeying. Don’t fear going first into the unknown. And don’t become weary or frustrated or nervous and walk away too soon.
With many such parables Jesus spoke the Word to them, as they were able to hear and to comprehend and understand. He did not tell them anything without a parable; but privately to His disciples (those who were peculiarly His own) He explained everything fully. (Mark 4:33-34 AMPC)
We will “comprehend and understand” more when we are ready to handle it. There is a joy in the learning process—an excitement that comes as new depths of meaning are revealed to us. Be faithful and obedient with what has been revealed to you. Continue to abide in the presence of the Lord, meditating on His Word until He explains more to you.
Jesus wants us to understand His words.
There is a joy that comes through the prayerful pondering of and the searching through what He has said. Even if we don’t fully grasp all of the truth initially, what we do perceive is precious. And what we don’t fully understand, we keep searching. As G.K. Chesterton noted, “The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man.”
Then Jesus said—
“Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation. For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything temporarily kept secret except in order that it may be made known. If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend.” And He said to them, “Be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you—and more besides will be given to you who hear.” (Mark 4:22-24 AMPC)
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It is nearly impossible to overstate how fearful Christians in the first century were of the Jewish zealot named Saul of Tarsus. Saul called himself “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Galatians 1:14) as he sought to seek out and destroy all who were followers of The Way.
Not only was he personally bent on his ruthless mission, but he had the full sanctioning of the Sanhedrin (Acts 8:3, 9:1-2). This was the religious body that had successfully goaded Pontius Pilate into crucifying Jesus.
So you can imagine the apprehension in Ananias’ heart when Jesus calls him to visit with Saul after he had encountered Jesus for himself. Ananias said, “I’ve heard all about this man and the harm he has done. And I also know he has come to my city with the authority to drag Christians off to prison” (Acts 9:13-14).
Ananias’ interaction with Jesus seems to me to echo the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is as if Ananias is praying, “Is there another way? But not my will but Yours be done, Lord” (see Luke 22:42).
Ananias is called a disciple of Jesus (Acts 9:10), and Paul even refers to him later as “a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews” (22:12). In other words, Ananias is an early church leader. What he does or doesn’t do here will set the pace for other Christians.
So I love the fact that Ananias didn’t just begrudgingly do only what Jesus instructed him, but he said and did only what Christ’s love could empower him to say and do.
Jesus told Ananias to lay his hands on Saul and pray for the restoration of his sight (9:12). Ananias did more. He laid his hands on him in such a loving way (9:17), that Luke uses the same word as when Jesus laid His hands on people for their healing (c.f. Luke 13:13). Ananias even called him “brother Saul” (9:17).
Jesus told Ananias to simply pray for Saul’s physical healing, but Ananias did more: he prayed for Saul to be baptized in the Holy Spirit as well (9:17, 22:13).
Jesus told Ananias what His plan was for Saul’s ministry, but He didn’t tell Ananias that he had to repeat that to Saul. Ananias did more: He reaffirmed to Saul what Jesus had already said to him and encouraged him to get up, be baptized, and began to do what Jesus had told him to do (9:15-16, 22:14-16).
When Ananias called Saul “brother,” he used the term that fellow Christians used for each other (Philippians 4:1; Hebrews 2:11; 1 John 3:14). That means that Ananias is the first one to recognize the genuine conversion of Saul the persecutor to Paul the Christian.
When the love of Jesus is in us, we will not be looking for ways to begrudgingly obey what Jesus tells us, but we cannot wait to lavishly do more loving things out of the overflow of Christ’s love in us. What a fantastic example Ananias has give all of us who call ourselves Christians!
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The apostle Peter had a very unusual encounter with a vision and with the voice of Jesus.
It was so unusual that Luke records that Peter was “wondering“ and later on “still thinking“ about what he had seen and heard, and what the implications of the vision were (Acts 10:17, 19). In the KJV, the word for “wondering” is translated “doubted within himself.” The Greek words that Luke uses here mean perplexed and entirely at a loss. In essence, Peter was asking, “What did I just see? What in the world does this even mean?!”
The vision came to Peter as he was praying on the roof of Simon‘s house. Because he was still on the roof when some men from Cornelius the centurion arrived, I believe this means that Peter stayed in an attitude of prayer while he was still wondering. That is an excellent posture for us to remain in as well when we are unclear as to what to do next.
As I mentioned, Luke says that Peter “was still thinking” about what he had seen and heard (v. 19). This is a different Greek word which means to revolve in mind. In other words, Peter didn’t brush it off or think it was simply too complex for him to grasp, but he continued to look at it, wondering about what it could mean.
I believe Peter is desirous to obey God, but he just doesn’t know what that obedience is supposed to look like. Instead of shutting down or launching out too quickly, Peter continues to wait for some illumination.
It was at this point—while still in a prayerful, thoughtful posture—that the Holy Spirit could speak to him. The Holy Spirit simply said, “there are some men here to see you. You must not hesitate to go with them“ (vv. 19-20).
Although Peter couldn’t see this yet, his obedience would actually be the first step toward understanding and applying the vision.
It was as Peter talked with his visitors that afternoon, and then as he heard Cornelius‘ story the next day, that the application became clear to him. We can gather this when we hear Peter say, “God has shown me“ (v. 28). As he was retelling this story to some Jewish Christians later, he also said, “then I remembered what the Lord had said” (11:16).
For Peter and his companions that traveled with him, God’s message in the vision became crystal clear when they all saw “that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles” (10:45-47).
Here are some important takeaways for all of us. When God speaks a word to us that seems to be confusing, we must stay in a prayerful, expectant posture. Don’t brush it off, and don’t jump to any conclusions. Like Peter, stay in prayer and wait for a clearer word from the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit reveals something else to you, walk forward in the part that is clear. It is as you are walking in obedience that God‘s full message will become clear to you.
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Ministry was booming in Samaria, and Philip was at the center of the activity. People were getting saved, healed, and set free from demonic possession.
And then an angel tells Philip it is time to move on. We don’t see Philip debating or negotiating, but we just see his immediate obedience. As Philip is traveling the route the angel gave him, he sees a chariot approaching. The Holy Spirit then speaks to Philip and says, “Get close to that chariot and stay near it.” It was then that Philip hears the man in the chariot reading aloud from the Book of Isaiah, so he asks him if he understands what he is reading. This high-ranking official from Ethiopia then invites Philip into his chariot to explain the meaning to him.
Philip had to leave Samaria in time to cross paths with the Ethiopian official who was heading home from Jerusalem—they met in the middle of a desert. An angel got Philip started. The Holy Spirit refined where Philip needed to be. And then Philip took it from there.
If Philip had been trying to “grow” a successful ministry, he may have downplayed or even ignore the messages he received. But Philip wasn’t concerned about bigger numbers, just quicker obedience.
Philip’s quick obedience placed him precisely where God needed him to be, precisely when he needed to be there! (See Acts 8:4-40.)
In my book Shepherd Leadership, I have a chapter entitled “Don’t Try to Grow Your Ministry.” A portion of what I wrote comes from Philip’s quick obedience—
Don’t try to grow your ministry. First, because it’s not yours, it’s His; and second, because your measure of success is probably more slanted toward quantitative measurements than qualitative. Jesus wasn’t concerned about bigger numbers: “What do you think?” He asked, “If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” (Matthew 18:12).
Philip went to Samaria to tell people about Jesus. He didn’t go there because it fit his plan, but because Jesus said, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Philip’s obedience brought God’s success: hundreds turned to Jesus as their Savior, demon-possessed people were delivered, the sick were healed, and the new Christians were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Yet God called Philip to leave these “ninety-nine” and go to the desert to cross paths with just one confused and wondering sheep (Acts 8). After that, Philip virtually disappears from Luke’s historical record.
What’s the value of one government official’s life? God says that his value is incalculable. Apparently, God knew that Philip was the perfect shepherd to lead this Ethiopian to the pasture where he would accept Jesus as his Savior. Philip was obedient, a sheep was saved, and God was pleased. But I wonder how many people today might think Philip’s ministry was unsuccessful because he left a bigger ministry in Samaria to go to a smaller ministry in the desert? Bishop William C. Abney said, “I’m still waiting for a leader to say, ‘God called me to a smaller ministry.’ We usually only say, ‘God called me’ when it’s something bigger. God’s math doesn’t work our way.”
The Chief Shepherd made this commitment to His sheep: “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15). My prayer is that we would much rather feed a few sheep where God has directed us and given us His heart than for us to try to manufacture success that is measured by how many nickels and noses we can count.
Philip demonstrates for us that it’s not about bigger numbers, it’s about obedience to God’s voice in the moment, and then hearing our Chief Shepherd’s voice at the end of our life saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Every day should be a day of thanksgiving!
Craig T. Owens 