For those who are in Christ Jesus, we have an adversary, the devil. There are many descriptions of him through out the Bible. One of those is that he is a liar. John 8:44 says, "There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." From the early days of time he has been telling lies. You will recall how he appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden to officially launch his activity that would impact all of humanity from that point forward. He is the liar of all liars.
Sin separates us from our holy God. Sin starts with temptation, which is when the enemy will try to lie and persuade you to do something that is blatantly contrary to the Word of God. Therefore, the enemy will tempt us with lies that twist the truth in order to cause us to fall away from God.
In this post I want to expose two of our enemy's biggest lies. Now, I realize that any lie is big, but these certainly have enormous ramifications if believed. If the enemy can cause you to doubt and lose faith, he wins. In my years as a youth pastor, these are two lies that I saw break the legs of many teens and would lead them to a crippled walk with God.
The first is that the Bible is too hard to understand. This has been the biggest excuse I have heard over the years for why young people don't read the Bible or have a personal quiet time with Jesus. To this I typically respond, "Where are you reading, Leviticus?" Yes, some parts of the Bible can be hard to understand with no background explanation or teaching. However, there are plenty of books within the Bible that provide a buffet of easy-to-understand truth for the novice follower of Christ.
The reality is, even though parts of the Bible were written 3,500 years ago, they are as understandable and life-transforming as the moment they were written. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." The Bible can be understood by the newest of Christians and enjoyed by the veterans who have been reading the Bible for 50 years. If you find yourself struggling to understand the Bible, let me encourage you to start in the Psalms or the Gospels. The Psalms have truth for every emotion we will ever face, and the Gospels are filled with the action that took place in the life of Jesus.
The second lie that the enemy wants you to believe is that God does not hear your prayer. It is so easy to pray for something and then give up. It is so easy to pray and not see God work immediately or in the way that we have prayed, and then think that God must not hear me because it didn't happen the way I prayed. When God doesn't respond the way we have prayed, it is a natural response to lose faith and come to the conclusion that God doesn't hear. When this happens, we are falling right into the plans of the enemy. He wants to do all he can to discourage us.
I have come to the place in my walk with Jesus where prayer is the umbilical cord that allows my food source, Jesus, to feed my soul. Prayer is my lifeline because it connects me with the source of life, Jesus. It is the gateway that unleashes the power of Jesus in my life. Without the power of Jesus, the Christian walk becomes too religious and pious. If your prayer life has become stagnant, it's time to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will ignite your prayer life. If there is something keeping your prayer life from taking off, the Holy Spirit will reveal that to you so that you can overcome it. God not only hears your prayers, He is constantly at work even when it is not exactly how we ask.
The enemy tries to drag us down. The enemy wants to guide us away from Jesus. Follower of Christ, drive a stake in the ground today, YOU BELONG TO JESUS. Don't allow the enemy a foothold in your life that begins with a lie. Declare the truth of God over your life. James 4:7-8 says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Amen!
From the Heart of Hartley
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Fresh Wine Skins
I have always laughed at the phrase, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." I have found it funny because I never thought I would get there. A young heart is always ready to adapt to change and conquer the world. Well, this last year, while turning 40, I have come to a full understanding of this idiom. I realize there have been a lot of things that I do in life because it's the way I have always done them. When I consider changing my ways, stubbornness reveals it's ugly head and causes my mind to slam on the breaks.
The Lord spoke to me, recently, about several areas of my life where I have been stuck. Traditionalism has moved in and decided to camp out in each of these areas. I would not consider these areas of sin, but it has caused me to accept the status quo because of routine and comfort. The problem with this is that it will stunt any growth or put out any fire.
As I was reading Matthew 9, in the account of Jesus' answer about fasting, the Lord spoke to me about wine skins as it relates to capacity. I realized my ability to grow is directly connected to my capacity and willingness. We cannot put new ideas into old mind-sets. We cannot get new results with old behaviors. It is so easy to get caught up doing something over and over because it's the way it has always been done. Traditionalism leads to routine which leads to stagnant lethargy. If you allow a plant to go too long without fresh water, you'll begin to see the life taken from that plant. If you try putting new wine into an old wine skin, the skin cracks and breaks because of it's limited capacity. In our lives, if we slide into traditionalism, we will quickly have stale relationships, leadership, witness, prayer lives, intimacy with Christ and we will fee stuck in every area of life.
As I sat before the Lord and considered this and prayed, I also pray for you reading this, that if you find yourself in a place of stagnancy, simply ask the Lord for fresh wine skins. Jesus is the wine. He wants to take you to new places. He wants to give you fresh revelation. He wants to expand your prayer life. He wants to deepen your walk with Him. He wants to take you and your spouse new places together. He wants to empower you to be a stronger mom or dad or grandparent. He wants to embolden your leadership in the work place.
In closing, in this New Year, if you find yourself hanging onto the old as I have, let's ask God to do a new thing. Isaiah 43:18 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." At the beginning of this year, the Lord gave me this verse. Now I can see why!
Lord, give us fresh wine skins to accommodate the new wine that You pour into us. Point out and reveal any hindrances that are keeping us from reaching new heights with You. We ask for increased capacity, In Jesus Name.
The Lord spoke to me, recently, about several areas of my life where I have been stuck. Traditionalism has moved in and decided to camp out in each of these areas. I would not consider these areas of sin, but it has caused me to accept the status quo because of routine and comfort. The problem with this is that it will stunt any growth or put out any fire.
As I was reading Matthew 9, in the account of Jesus' answer about fasting, the Lord spoke to me about wine skins as it relates to capacity. I realized my ability to grow is directly connected to my capacity and willingness. We cannot put new ideas into old mind-sets. We cannot get new results with old behaviors. It is so easy to get caught up doing something over and over because it's the way it has always been done. Traditionalism leads to routine which leads to stagnant lethargy. If you allow a plant to go too long without fresh water, you'll begin to see the life taken from that plant. If you try putting new wine into an old wine skin, the skin cracks and breaks because of it's limited capacity. In our lives, if we slide into traditionalism, we will quickly have stale relationships, leadership, witness, prayer lives, intimacy with Christ and we will fee stuck in every area of life.
As I sat before the Lord and considered this and prayed, I also pray for you reading this, that if you find yourself in a place of stagnancy, simply ask the Lord for fresh wine skins. Jesus is the wine. He wants to take you to new places. He wants to give you fresh revelation. He wants to expand your prayer life. He wants to deepen your walk with Him. He wants to take you and your spouse new places together. He wants to empower you to be a stronger mom or dad or grandparent. He wants to embolden your leadership in the work place.
In closing, in this New Year, if you find yourself hanging onto the old as I have, let's ask God to do a new thing. Isaiah 43:18 says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." At the beginning of this year, the Lord gave me this verse. Now I can see why!
Lord, give us fresh wine skins to accommodate the new wine that You pour into us. Point out and reveal any hindrances that are keeping us from reaching new heights with You. We ask for increased capacity, In Jesus Name.
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