When we were living in the flesh (mere physical lives), the sinful passions that were awakened and aroused up by [what] the Law [makes sin] were constantly operating in our natural powers (in our bodily organs, in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh), so that we bore fruit for death.

 

6 But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life]. Romans 7:5-6 AMP

 

Every person lives in a body of flesh that they have to deal with on a daily basis. People are not necessarily born either good or bad, but they are all born with sin in their flesh – a sin nature (Psalms 51:5).

 

Before Jesus, God gave us the Law to govern our actions, not only to make us aware of His standards, but also to make us aware of our inability to keep the Law and therefore our need for a Savior. Thank God, through Jesus, we are delivered from mere rules and regulations. Instead we are to yield ourselves to the Spirit, for Him to regulate our lives in joy and freedom. We serve Him because we love Him not just because we have to!

 

If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world’s crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules and regulations?–such as]

 

21 Do not handle [this], Do not taste [that], Do not even touch [them],

 

22 Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines.

 

23 Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh.] Colossians 2:20-23 AMP

 

People, without the Holy Spirit, judge things by outward appearance and they try to control behavior without requiring a heart change. That’s like trying to take a pill to squash a symptom without curing the disease. The disease is still there and it will manifest itself again. There must be a heart change and only God can change your heart.

 

In Jesus, the Law is no longer your schoolmaster – the Holy Spirit has been given as your guide. Because the world has no Holy Spirit, they rely on external things to control the flesh. Indeed, when you were a child, foolishness was bound in your heart, so you needed a rod to correct you, which was applied to your flesh.

 

As you grew up with discipline, you began to learn the difference between right and wrong and the center of control shifted. As an adult, you should have learned to take control of your fleshly impulses from within, with no more need for the rod. In the world, jails and punishments are for those people who have never learned to control their carnal instincts and fleshly impulses.

 

Christians, who try to punish, starve, deprive, injure, and humiliate their own bodies in order to become more spiritual, are thinking and operating like the world. Many of them would much rather torture their bodies than offer themselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord and allow Him to change their hearts!

 

They act humble but it is really false humility – pride masquerading as humility! The Bible says that these practices have an outward appearance of wisdom – they seem really “holy” and “spiritual” to man, but in reality they are completely ineffective in checking the indulgence of the flesh. If you could do it without Jesus, then why do you need Him at all?

 

Trying to deal with the flesh without God, without the Holy Spirit, is both prideful and useless and it in no way honors God. It’s not about stopping bad behavior, thoughts, words, and actions – it’s about starting to do what is good and right in God’s eyes.

 

Being a Christian means that you have died to material ways of looking at things. Under the New Covenant, the Spirit of God sets your boundaries. He will convict you of sin you have committed, so that repentance can come and fellowship with the Father can be restored.

 

He will stop you from committing sin by alerting you to a wrong choice you are about to make. He will also lead and guide you to do the right thing. Your control comes not from without, but from within: from the Holy Spirit Who lives in you, from your own spirit, and from your own senses and mental faculties that have been trained by the Word and the Holy Spirit to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).

 

Rules and regulations could not save you from hell and they certainly will not make you more spiritual after you are saved. Only the blood of Jesus can save and sanctify you. You must depend on Him and not the flesh! We are to glory in nothing, but GOD and what HE has done, giving all honor and glory to Him!

 

For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).

 

18 For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 AMP

 

The power of the Gospel – the power to save; the power to heal; the power to deliver; the power to fill with the Holy Ghost – is in the message of the Gospel. It is not in the style of delivery or the eloquence of the speaker!

 

Those who are on their way to hell think that the story and message of the cross are ridiculous, but to those who believe it have experienced and are experiencing the power of God. Salvation is an ongoing process. It starts with the new birth and continues on with the renewal of the mind and the process of healing and restoration in every aspect of your being.

 

For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing.

 

20 Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world’s wisdom?

 

21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him). 1 Corinthians 1:19-21 AMP

 

For generations, men have tried to discover God and Truth through philosophy – in vain. The more they try to figure things out themselves, the more dead ends they run into. The more they try to figure God out, the less they know of Him; the closer they try to get to Him, the further away they move from Him; the more they try to simplify God, the more complicated He becomes to them. The power of the Gospel is in its simplicity, but its simplicity has become a stumbling block to many. Many, many men have rejected the Gospel because, in their minds, it was too simple. God made it simple enough that even a child could receive it and believe it! Jesus said that we should become as little children if we want to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:17).

 

For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,

 

23 We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.

 

24 But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 AMP

 

Religious Pharisees claim that they are always looking for one more sign or one more miracle before they believe that something is real. The truth is that they won’t believe even though the evidence is before them. They have already made up their minds. Unsaved, “educated” people won’t accept it because they think its all ridiculous nonsense.

 

They won’t even give it a chance. They judge everything by what they can see, and what they see has been shaped by what they already believe. They find no use for faith. Neither of these two opinions will humble themselves to admit that they could possibly be wrong and that they don’t actually know everything.

 

 

[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.

 

26 For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.

 

27[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.

 

28 And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

 

29 So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.

 

30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].

 

31 So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:25-31 AMP

 

God does not use those of whom the world approves or whom they admire. He uses those who have no reason to boast, so that only His glory should be displayed, and He tells us that if anyone thinks he has a reason to boast, let it be a boast of what God alone has done!

 

 

Proverbs 6:19 says that God hates “he who sows discord (or strife) among his brethren.”

 

A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28 AMP

 

A person who sows strife is a person who is perverse – a person who is carnal and deaf to the voice of their conscience. This word “perverse” is also translated as “fraud.” Strife grieves the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian He will bring conviction to you in your spirit when you do or say something to cause strife or accelerate it. If you are disobedient to the Holy Spirit, or if you have a seared conscience and you can’t hear Him, you will continue on in strife and in sin. When you whisper – gossip and tell tales about people – you cause strife between them. God hates this kind of behavior!

 

He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends. Proverbs 17:9 AMP

Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife. Proverbs 30:33 AMP

 

When you won’t drop something, but you go on and on about it, you are causing strife and division between people. Many times friends have fights or disagreements or misunderstandings, but if they love each other they will work at working it out and repairing the breach. However, if a third person continues to bring it up and harp on it all the time, the strife will continue and even accelerate. If you continue to remind people of the issues that caused the strife and if you work at working them up over it, then you are a strife-causer.

 

However, if you are a true friend, you will be a peace-maker and peace-encourager; you will encourage forgiveness; you will promote peace and reconciliation; you will discourage friends from allowing strife to cause unforgiveness and bitterness, which would ruin their relationships. Husbands and wives need to encourage one another to forgive other people and not be bitter. We are to protect one another from the wiles of the devil. If he can get you into strife he has an open door into your life, to cause havoc and destruction.

 

He who is of a greedy spirit stirs up strife, but he who puts his trust in the Lord shall be enriched and blessed. Proverbs 28:25 AMP

 

Greed and covetousness are a source of strife. Put your trust in God alone and you will be blessed. Don’t be jealous when someone else is blessed – be happy for them – your turn is coming!

 

The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out. Proverbs 17:14 AMP

 

When strife first starts, that is the time to jump on it and stop it. If you allow it to continue, it will soon be out of control – all kinds of people will be quarreling with each other, and it will be very hard to quench it.

 

It is an honor for a man to cease from strife and keep aloof from it, but every fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3 AMP

 

You show yourself to be a fool when you are quarrelsome and argumentative. An honorable man stays far away from strife, and if he happens to be drawn into it, he extricates himself as quickly as he can.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it. 18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger appeases contention. Proverbs 15:17-18 AMP

 

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and a man given to anger commits and causes much transgression. Proverbs 29:22 AMP

 

Strife is stress-inducing and soul-destroying. Most sensible people would rather have fewer material goods and a peaceful home, than wealth and strife. When people are hot-tempered, they have a tendency to anger quickly, and anger stirs up strife. So if you have a tendency to be hot-tempered, the first thing you need to do is to learn to control your temper, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and to not be so reactionary. Take a little more time to find out all the facts and do not be tempted to jump to conclusions.

 

If you want to be able to control your temper and if you want to prevent strife, then you need to be more patient and more considerate; don’t be envious or jealous; don’t be arrogant, conceited, or boastful; don’t be rude; don’t insist on your own rights or your own way; don’t be touchy, fretful, or resentful; pay no attention to a suffered wrong; don’t rejoice at injustice or unrighteousness; believe the very best, not the very worst of other people. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

 

He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]? 13 No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely). Luke 16:10-13 AMP

 

Before God can anoint you or use you, before you can experience the best that God has for you, you need to deal with a few things. You need to get an attitude adjustment in the area of money and things; you must get free of covetousness; you must lose your fear and you must lose your greed.

 

Jesus said if you have not been faithful with your money and your stuff, then who will entrust to you the true riches? God is not able to entrust the true riches – the anointing and the things of the Spirit – to those who are covetous and greedy and who have made their money their god. The inescapable fact of the matter is that not one person on this earth is able to put God and their money first in their life. It is impossible. The moment you choose one, the other is knocked into last place. So if your stuff is very important to you, then you should know that God, and what He wants for you and from you, is going to be taking a back seat in your life. Your money will be in control of you. But if you put your stuff in the back seat, then you know that God will be the one in the front seat and that’s Who you want in control of your life.

 

How do you put your stuff in the back seat? You put your stuff in the back seat by becoming a generous, cheerful giver. If you can’t give anything away that God asks you to, it is too important to you. Your response to the things God asks of you will be influenced by your attitude toward your money. If you elevate money and stuff in your life, then money and stuff will dictate your choices and your outcome. If you elevate God in your life then He will influence your choices and be responsible for your outcome – and with Him you know it will always be a favorable outcome.

 

You have to become a giver. Your seed is the only evidence that you have mastered your greed! The dictionary defines greed as: An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth; a reprehensible acquisitiveness; an insatiable desire for wealth. Greed is lust for money and power. Greed is not a fruit of the Spirit!

 

Any godly desire, when fulfilled, is satisfying and brings contentment. You need to know that any urge or desire that comes, not from God, but from the devil, is going to be insatiable. What good does it do you to get everything you think you want, but you have no peace and no satisfaction? When you are driven by ungodly desires, no matter how much you get of what you think you want, you will still be unsatisfied and you will still want more. You will mistakenly think that if you get more of what you lust after, you will feel satisfied, but it will never happen! If you give place to lust or greed in any area of your life, it will drive you. God does not drive you – He leads you. Godly desires lead you into the will of God and the satisfaction, fulfillment and peace that only God can give.

 

If you want God to use you, if you want to walk in peace, prosperity and fulfillment, you must make God number one in your life. You must lose your greed; you must lose your selfishness; you must lose your covetousness; you must lose your fear! Covetousness, greed, and selfishness are motivated by fear – a fear of lack; a fear of loss of control. Fear is not from God. Fear is from the devil – he controls you through your fears. God’s word says in 1 John 4:18 NIV that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

 

The only way to be free of fear is to embrace the love of God. God wants us to know that He loves us and He wants us also to love others. If we believe His word that He loves us then we will also believe that He will always protect and provide for us. If we love others then we will want to be a blessing to them. We will become givers and not just takers! Faith is the opposite of, and the antidote to, fear. The only way to be free from fear in the area of money and stuff is to become a giver. The more you give, generously from your hand and cheerfully from your heart, the freer you become and the more God will be able to use you and minister through you!

 

 

But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 1 Samuel 13:14 AMP

 

God called David “a man after His own heart.” What made David a man after God’s own heart? Firstly, David was a humble man and his heart did not change or become arrogant, even after he ascended to the thrones of Judah and Israel. He was the youngest of eight sons and the least regarded. As a young man, he served his father as a shepherd and when the prophet, Samuel, asked for all Jesse’s sons to be brought to him, his family did not even bother to call David. God chose David though. He chose him, not for his stature, but for his heart, and anointed him to be king in Saul’s place.

 

David spent his time with the sheep, practicing with his sling and writing worship songs to the Lord. He was not afraid of the lion or the bear. When they came to kill his father’s sheep, he killed them and gave the glory to God. He did not take the credit himself. When he killed Goliath, it was in the Name of the Lord. When David, as king, brought the Ark of the Covenant back from the Philistines, he removed his kingly robes, and put on the robes of a priest. He danced wildly as he worshipped God before the Ark. He was not ashamed to lower himself before his subjects as he honored his God. His wife, Michal, a true daughter of Saul, was offended by his humility, but he pledged to humble himself even further to honor his Lord. Michal’s attitude caused her to be barren for the rest of her life.

 

O LORD, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.

 

2 You know my downsitting and my uprising; You understand my thought afar off.

 

3 You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways.

 

4 For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

 

5 You have beset me and shut me in–behind and before, and You have laid Your hand upon me.

 

6 Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it.

 

7 Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?

 

8 If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

 

9 If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 

10 Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

 

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me,

 

12 Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

 

13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 

14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

 

15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

 

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalms 139:1-16 AMP

 

David had a revelation of the greatness: the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, of God. He had a revelation that he owed everything to God. He knew that God knew everything and that nothing was hidden from His sight. Except for the Bathsheba incident, David lived his life like a man whose life was laid out bare before God’s eyes. He practiced integrity publicly and privately. He lived like a man who would need to give an account of his life. His deep love and respect for God is unfeigned and unapologetic.

How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

 

18 If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

 

19 If You would [only] slay the wicked, O God, and the men of blood depart from me—

 

20 Who speak against You wickedly, Your enemies who take Your name in vain!

 

 21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And am I not grieved and do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

 

22 I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.

 

23 Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

 

24 And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:17-24 AMP

 

David submitted himself to God and tolerated no one who set themselves against God. He loved God and he loved the Word of God. He valued and treasured God’s Word—it was extremely precious to him. He opened up his heart to receive the Word of God and he also opened up his own life to be scrutinized by God. He invited God to check out his heart, to bring correction to his life, to set him straight, and lead him in the way he should go.

 

If you want to be called a man or a woman after God’s own heart, follow David’s example. Humble yourself before God; love Him; love His word; submit yourself to His word; honor Him; obey Him; and unashamedly worship Him alone.

 

He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6 AMP

Sin and death has corrupted man from the time of the fall in the Garden of Eden. Jesus died and rose again to restore what the devil has stolen and restore us once again, not only into relationship, but also into fellowship, with our Heavenly Father. There are two things that happen to you. The first is instant and the second is progressive. The first thing that happens to you, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, is that you are “bathed” in the Holy Spirit and washed clean from all sin. Your spirit is regenerated—made brand new. The second thing is a work in your mind and body. As the Holy Spirit is allowed to work in you, your mind will be progressively renewed to the truth and filled with light. Sin, darkness, and the lies of the devil will be dispelled and freedom and faith will reign in your life.

Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 AMP

You make a choice to strip off the junk of your old carnal nature. You choose to renew your mind to the liberating truth of God’s Word. You choose to put on your new nature, created in God’s image—righteous and holy. You cannot sit back and do nothing and expect God to do everything. You have a choice and a responsibility to serve God and not the flesh. You must exercise your freedom of choice and choose life over death, liberty over sin, and blessing over cursing.

If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. 3 For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory. 5 So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). 6 It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will), 7 Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices]. 8 But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips! 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, 10 And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. Colossians 3:1-10 AMP

Set your mind and keep it set on heavenly things and ideals. Get rid of the earthly things that once dominated your life and your thoughts. Kill the evil desires of your flesh. Strip off your old, unregenerate self with its evil practices. Clothe yourselves with your new spiritual self, which is continually in the process of being renewed and remolded into the image and the knowledge of God, Who created you.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:1-2 AMP

Present your body and your mind to the Lord as a sacrifice—a living sacrifice. You must make the choice, with the Holy Spirit’s help, to not conform to the world’s standards. When you renew you mind to God’s ways of thinking and doing, you will also find God’s perfect will for your life.

 

David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 AMP

David was a worshiper. He praised God morning, noon, and night. He praised Him in the good times and he praised Him in the tough times. He trusted completely in the Lord at all times and in all things – especially when he was under pressure. He reminded himself of what God had promised; he reminded himself of what God had already done; he reminded himself of what he was expecting God to do.

In you, O Lord, do I put my trust and confidently take refuge; let me never be put to shame or confusion! 2 Deliver me in Your righteousness and cause me to escape; bow down Your ear to me and save me! 3 Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the unrighteous and ruthless man. 5 For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. 6 Upon You have I leaned and relied from birth; You are He Who took me from my mother’s womb and You have been my benefactor from that day. My praise is continually of You. 7 I am as a wonder and surprise to many, but You are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your honor all the day.  Psalms 71:1-8 AMP

When David was being persecuted and hunted down, accused and abused, he did not trust the arm of the flesh; he did not trust his own wisdom or ability; but he went straight to God and entreated Him to move on his behalf and protect and deliver him. David believed that God was his Rock and he expected God to be his Rock. He put all his hope, trust and confidence in God. God was his hope and the source of his confidence. David recognized God’s hand upon him from his birth. The Lord, alone, was his benefactor – the One who met his every need. Even though people did not think much of David, God did, and God promoted and blessed David in the eyes of the nation. It’s not about who you are – it’s about who is in you and for you that counts.

So many people allow what other people think of them to shape how they see themselves. You will stay in bondage and live within limits so long as you fear man and man’s opinions. You will have a breakthrough when you realize that no man can promote you and no man can hold you back! You need to find out what God says about you and break free from the limits you have set for yourself because of other people’s limitations and negative expectations.

God is your benefactor! He will bless you, protect you, provide for you, and promote you. When other people see you rise up in wisdom and into prominence and into prosperity, they might be shocked and amazed. You may be the last person they expected to see raised up into greatness – you may be a wonder and a surprise to many people – but it is because you have made God your strong refuge; because you put your hope and trust in Him alone. He is the source of your confidence. Most people never do great things because they believe they can’t. Proverbs 23:7 says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Some people say, “You are what you eat.” The Bible says, “You are what you think!”

How do you break free from the limitations of mediocrity and the bondage of self-doubt? Not just by believing in yourself. You need to place your trust in God alone. He is your hope and your confidence. When you press in to Him, when you stand on His word – receiving it for yourself, believing it and acting on it – you will begin to rise up and do things and say things that you would never have dared before. Your confidence is not in the arm of the flesh, but in God Almighty! He is the One who will lift you up; He is the One who will place your feet on the rock; He is the One who will promote you and cause you to succeed. You need to humble your heart before Him and don’t allow pride in your success to puff you up. Never forget your benefactor; never neglect to give Him the glory and the honor; never take the credit for yourself; and He will continue to be your strong refuge. He will continue to cause you to succeed in everything you put your hand to!

When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do–with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

 

16 Again He said to him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My sheep.

 

17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.

 

18 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, when you were young you girded yourself [put on your own belt or girdle] and you walked about wherever you pleased to go. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will put a girdle around you and carry you where you do not wish to go.

 

19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. And after this, He said to him, Follow Me!

 

20 But Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following–the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?

 

21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man?

 

22 Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!

 

23 So word went out among the brethren that this disciple was not going to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but, If I want him to stay (survive, live) till I come, what is that to you?

 

24 It is this same disciple who is bearing witness to these things and who has recorded (written) them; and we [well] know that his testimony is true. John 21:15-24 AMP

 

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He visited with His disciples for many days, teaching them, instructing them from the scriptures, unveiling the Old Covenant to them and revealing the New. At one point, He held a conversation with Peter, personally. He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Twice, Jesus used the Greek word agape, which means a reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father, and Peter replied, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Peter used the Greek word phileo, which means a deep, instinctive, personal affection, as for a close friend. The third time Jesus asked, “Peter, do you love (phileo) Me with a deep, instinctive, personal affection, as for a close friend?” and Peter answered Him in the same way.

Peter was upset that Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you phileo Me?” rather than, “Do you agape Me?” He probably felt bad that He could not honestly say to Jesus at that time, “I love you – I agape You – with a reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father.” Of course, on the Day of Pentecost, everything changed for Peter. Where once he denied the Lord out of fear for his own safety, now he publicly stood up and boldly preached Jesus in front of thousands of people. As God did a work in Peter’s life and changed his heart, Peter did learn to love – agape – Jesus. He loved Him so much that he was prepared to die for Him and indeed he did.

 

But while Jesus was still speaking to him, on this day, Peter felt uncomfortable, self-conscious and singled out. Jesus had told Peter how he would die – as a martyr. And after all this, Jesus said to him, “Follow Me!” instead of Peter just saying, “Yes Lord,” he tried to turn the spotlight off of himself onto someone else – John. He asked Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus answered him, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you? What concern is it of yours? You follow Me!” Jesus was not saying that John would live until He came again – He was telling Peter that whatever He had called John to do was between Him and John. Peter needed to be concerned with what God had called him to do and not with what God had called John or anyone else to do.

This goes for every one of us. To whom much is given, much is required and much is expected. We have absolutely no business judging someone else or having an opinion on what they are called to do, whether small or great. Some people are called to do more than you and some to do less – that is between God and them. You need to find out what God has called you to do and what He expects of you. Forget about anyone else and concern yourself with pleasing Him! You follow Him!

 

 

 

Rodney Howard Browne shares a teaching from the bible

 

The stories in the Old Testament are types and shadows of the realities of the New Testament. In the book of Daniel, God’s people were in captivity, living in a foreign land, serving a foreign king. Four men from the tribe of Judah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were trained up to serve king Nebuchadnezzar and the king found them to be wiser than any other of his learned magicians and astrologers. Because they honored God, He gave them great favor and promotion. This provoked much jealousy on the part of the other “wise” men and they sought an opportunity to bring them down.

 

If you are a child of God, you do not belong to this world or this world’s system. Your spiritual passport is stamped “Citizen of Heaven!” You are a stranger in a strange land. However, while you are here, if you honor the Lord and do right, He will bless and promote you. The devil may try to stir up strife against you, people and circumstances may line up against you, and it may seem as if all is lost, but if you commit wholly to God and serve and honor Him in all things and do the right thing because it’s the right thing, then the Lord will see you through. He will walk into the fire with you. 

 

In Daniel, chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. He called all his provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image. Everyone in Babylon was ordered to fall down and worship the image as soon as they heard music playing. They were informed that non-compliance would result in death in a fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego served the king faithfully in natural matters, but in their worship, they were committed to God alone. There was no way that they could obey the king’s insane decree and so they didn’t. The Chaldeans (astrologers) did not waste any time pointing out to the king that they neither worshipped his gods or his golden image.

 

Nebuchadnezzar was enraged. He confronted them on their disobedience to his law and reminded them about the fiery furnace. “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” (Daniel 3:16&17) They fully expected God to save them, but their commitment was such, that whether He did or not, they would still not bow to the idol. This made Nebuchadnezzar even madder and he had the fire heated seven times hotter. His strongest men tied Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego up tightly and threw them into the middle of the furnace. Because the fire was so hot, they were killed as they threw them into the fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell down bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then something amazing happened.

 

The king was shocked to see not three men, but four, walking around in the fire. Nebuchadnezzar recognized the fourth man – He was the Son of God! He also observed that though Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had been tightly and securely bound with ropes, now they were free. The fire had burned off the ropes, but they were completely untouched by the fierce blaze. He called them out of the fire and he and his people were astounded to see that the fire had not burned their bodies, their hair, or their robes at all. They did not even smell of smoke. They all realized that they were seeing a supernatural miracle take place in front of their eyes.

 

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:28-30 NIV

 

Even though Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire tightly bound, now they could be seen walking around in the fire freely and there was a fourth man with them – the Son of God! The king was so impacted by this that he not only pardoned them, but he also promoted them. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s lives were spared, they became a sign and a wonder, and God was glorified in the eyes of the king and the Babylonian nation.

 

If you are persecuted for your obedience to God and His word; if the devil stirs up trouble against you; if you get thrown in the “fire”; don’t be afraid. Continue to trust God. He will go into the fire with you. You will not be burned; you won’t even have the smell of smoke on you. The only thing that will be burned up will be the limitations the devil tried to put on you. You will come out at an even better place than you went in! Your life belongs to the Lord; you are not your own; you are bought with a price. There is only one sure way to come out on top every time – submit to God at all times and in all things. If you will trust God absolutely and obey Him implicitly, He will bring you out completely!  

So six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had died and whom He had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those at the table with Him. 3 Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard [a rare perfume] that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the one of His disciples who was about to betray Him, said, 5 Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii [a year’s wages for an ordinary workman] and that [money] given to the poor (the destitute)? 6 Now he did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief; and having the bag (the money box, the purse of the Twelve), he took for himself what was put into it [pilfering the collections]. 7 But Jesus said, Let her alone. It was [intended] that she should keep it for the time of My preparation for burial. [She has kept it that she might have it for the time of My embalming.] 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.  John 12:1-8 AMP

 

Six days before the Passover Feast, Mary takes a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard – a rare perfume that was very, very expensive – and she pours it on Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Judas Iscariot throws a fit over the “waste” of this perfume, insisting that it could have been sold and given to the poor! The only problem was that Judas did not care about the poor one iota and it looked like he did not care about Jesus either. What he did was to reveal his own evil motives and his disrespect for Jesus.

 

Jesus was one of his closest friends. They traveled everywhere together, along with the other eleven disciples. Jesus had spent every single day of about three years with him. Judas had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard His anointed teaching. You would think that Judas would think that Jesus was worth a years worth of wages. You would think that Judas would be blessed by the blessing that Jesus received. But he was not. Instead he was quite angry and upset. In fact, in Matthew 26:6-16, after the woman emptied her alabaster box on Jesus head, Judas was so bent out of shape that he went straight out to negotiate with the chief priests over his planned betrayal of Jesus!

 

How did Judas come to this place in his life that he could go out and make such a terrible choice – to betray a beloved friend? The answer lies in what was hidden – not so deep – in his heart. His responsibility was to keep the treasury bag, which belonged to Jesus and the disciples, but instead of guarding it, he was stealing from it. He was stealing from his closest friends; he had given in to temptation; he had become covetous, selfish, greedy and a liar.

 

When people do things they know are wrong, their own conscience convicts them. At that point they do one of two things: stop, repent and make restitution, or they push their conscience away, hardening their heart, justifying their own actions, and finding fault, instead, with the very people they are sinning against! When Judas gave in to his covetousness and he stole money out of the bag, his conscience was compromised and his judgment skewed. He was now fully in deception. It did not concern him at all that he had betrayed an innocent man, until it was too late.

 

Covetousness is defined in Luke 12:15 (Amplified Version) as the immoderate desire for wealth and the greedy longing to have more. Covetousness will lead you to and cause you to commit sin. The more you yield to covetousness, the more it takes hold of you and the more covetous you become. The more covetous you become the worse your choices become. It is a vicious cycle. Your reasoning is faulty because your paradigm is distorted. Covetousness is destructive to you, your life, and the life of others. A human life is far more precious than material possessions. Possessions can be replaced, but a life can not. Covetousness will make you blind and stupid – it will cause you to value material possessions above a human life. Covetousness causes some people to even commit murder – something they would never do otherwise.

 

What leads to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members? 2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.  James 4:1-3 AMP

 

It is vital that we eliminate a selfish, covetous spirit from our lives, and the only way to do it is to move in the opposite spirit by being a blessing; working with our hands, earning money, and giving to God and others.