by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Isaiah 56-58
Within the words of the prophets, we find God’s plan foretold. If people are deaf to His words, they don’t hear what He is saying. Their ears have to be open to His voice and His ideas in order to understand.
It would be a few hundred years before these words would come to pass, but they would come to pass. That’s the way it is with God’s Word. It will all come to pass – eventually.
The Lord is introducing the concept of the gospel being sent to all nations. “The sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord and be His servants … even them I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer….For My house shall be called a house of many nations…I will gather to Him others besides those who are gathered to Him.” (56:6-8).
These words are there for the Pharisees to read and understand many generations in the future. However, their ears were closed to God’s truth. They wanted to keep themselves as a special people, and so they did – with pride and arrogance against all others. Not God’s plan.
This should be a lesson for all of us. We have all assumed certain things and been taught certain things, but those things might not be from God.
Now He is not going to bring us revelation which can’t be found in the word, but if we read His word with fresh eyes, asking for Him to teach us, we will see the truth – even if it hasn’t been taught us. Sometimes we may wrestle with what we see, knowing that we have been taught differently. That’s okay. In fact, it’s good for us to ponder to make sure that we are seeing correctly.
I’ll give you an example in my own life. I was brought up in church, studying the Word, and listening to teaching. Never did anyone bring up the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I knew nothing about it.
There came a time, however, when I was seeking God in a desperate way, and I received it. I started babbling in other tongues. (It was so strange to me that at first I was afraid I was losing my mind). But I wasn’t losing it; I was gaining it!
Now there are many churches which teach that this experience is no longer available to us, but it’s too late for those people to tell me that. I have received so much from having my “prayer language,” that no one could ever talk me out of it.
It’s right there in the Word, but tradition and erroneous teaching have kept many from receiving God’s best.
There are two special privileges which go with this gift. First, when you pray in the spirit, you “edify yourself.”(I Corinthians 14:4) In other words, you gain knowledge and wisdom from the Holy Spirit who is praying through you. The second privilege is that when you don’t know how to pray as you ought, He prays for you – and God’s perfect will is being prayed out in your life or in the lives of those for whom you are praying. (Romans 8:26-27).
It’s a powerful gift, which totally changed my life. Yet traditions of men have kept many from receiving it.
In the same way, there may be traditions which you have become accustomed to and you think they are true. When you encounter something in the Bible which says something different, don’t gloss over it. Let the Lord begin to teach you.
God’s Word is true! Let that be your starting point, and you will have many understandings opened to you.
II Thessalonians 2
The Thessalonians were listening to some of the wrong voices of the day. There were some who were saying that the Day of the Lord had already come. Obviously, many were afraid that they had missed out on God’s plan.
Paul makes it clear, however, that the Day of the Lord was for the future.
First there would be a great falling away from God’s truth – and that the son of perdition would arise. (The antichrist).
He would oppose the things of God and exalt himself to be God – even taking the seat in the temple of God as an imposter. Paul goes on to say that the spirit of this one is already working.
I think that we can certainly see that antichrist spirit working today. There has been a great falling away. Many have denied Jesus and many have tried to substitute their own ideas for what the Word says.
It’s really important for us to stay faithful to God’s plan – and not our own.
May we be preserved blameless spirit, soul, and body until the coming of our Lord.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Isaiah 37-39
Have you ever felt besieged on all sides? If so, I have good news for you. You have a God who is able and willing to handle any circumstance.
Hezekiah, who had tried to turn Judah back to the Lord, found himself in a position of profound distress. The Assyrian army had already besieged the nations around him, and they surrounded this small country as well. The mocking spirits started bullying Hezekiah – and even spoke directly to the people telling them not to trust in God. “He will not help you,” was the arrogant cry of the invaders.
In the natural, there was no hope. The Assyrian army was strong and mean, and very capable of doing what they threatened.
But with God, there is always hope. In fact, there is nothing too difficult for our God.
Hezekiah turned to prayer and fasting. He also consulted with Isaiah, the prophet.
The Word of the Lord was a good one – and a strong one. When Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, came against Israel, he also came against God Himself. The Lord promised that “Sennacherib shall not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there; neither shall he come before it with a shield, nor throw up a mound against it. By the way that he came, he shall return, and not come back again.” (37:33-34)
That’s exactly what happened – with a little help from God’s angel. 185,000 troops died during the night, and when the Assyrian army arose the next morning, that’s what they found! Needless to say, the king’s plans changed, and he turned and went home, just as the prophecy declared.
The God who protected Hezekiah is with you today. If you are surrounded, His protection is available to you also.
Now we are not talking about God killing those mean people around you. We don’t war against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces around us. Demons, principalities, etc.
We can count on the power of God working on our behalf, if we are His and doing things His way.
Our biggest job is to saturate ourselves in His Word to the place where we believe Him to the fullest measure. God is faithful. His Word is true.
He can accomplish all things for you also.
Colossians 4
As Paul continues his letters from prison, (talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Paul could have sat around feeling sorry for himself; instead he conducted his greatest ministry – the epistles we hold so dear), he covers a variety of subjects. He explains the mystery revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, and he gives lots of practical advice relating to the walk of a true Christian.
At the end of each letter, he starts with various points specifically for that church, but ones which we can take to heart also.
My favorite verse in this chapter is the one in which he says to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
That charge is one which we all need to heed. We are not all in full-time ministry, but all of us are called to do something – and to further the gospel in our corner of the world.
One of the darkest things which came out of the dark ages was the concept that the priests knew everything and their “subjects” were to just sit and listen. No and a thousand times, “No!”
The vestiges which still remain from that evil concept cause people to think that if they go to church on Sunday morning and sit and listen, they have “done their duty.” There is so much more to our walk than that.
Our Father God has called us to a life lived for Him – and that includes all of us. We all have gifts and talents put there by God, and lives lived for Him will use those for his purposes.
Do you have the gift of giving? Of exhorting? Of teaching? Of administrations? All of these are from God and when all are implementing the gifts He gave, our homes and churches run like well-oiled machines. When we don’t, the “preachers” are carrying loads they are not gifted for, and things don’t go so well.
Beyond these gifts, we all have the call of evangelism to those around us. Our family, our neighbors, and our co-workers need the gifts you have within you. They need your exhortation or teaching. They need your love and caring. They need for you to be an example of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And besides those around us being enriched, we benefit as well when we give our gifts. We all will have happier and more fulfilling lives when we “take heed – and fulfill our ministry.”
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 143-146++
“I will extol Thee, my God, my King; and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.” (145:1)
The great praiser, David, concentrates on the many facets of God’s greatness. Besides being mighty and able to do anything, He is also gracious, merciful, great in lovingkindness, good to all. (145:8-9).
We walk with a God whose attributes are beyond human understanding. Most people – even unbelievers – know that our God is strong and mighty. His ability to perform is greater than anything we can know. Yet many – even Christians – don’t have David’s understanding of God’s mercy and lovingkindness.
It was His mercy that sent His Son to the earth to bring deliverance to us. To pay the price we owed for our sinful nature.
Then it was His mercy which took us to a new level with Him by giving us the gift of righteousness. He made us righteous and put His Holy Spirit within us.
How could we not praise Him for all of these works? How could we not praise Him for all of the kindness and mercy He has shown us personally?
So now we are to live our lives in that mercy. He has forgiven us? Okay, let’s forgive ourselves. If God, the Creator of the Universe has forgiven us, then we need to forgive ourselves.
Let’s live with our hearts free from the condemnation we used to carry. He set us free from that, if we will receive it.
His mercy, His grace, and His forgiveness are not just words. They are truths we are called to live in.
His mercy endures forever! And I receive it!
I Corinthians 15:29-58
The seed principle comes up again and again throughout scripture. This time it speaks of the earthly life as compared to the heavenly life after resurrection.
Just as a seed is sown and grows to produce the appointed crop, our natural bodies are sown into the ground and will be raised up supernatural, spiritual bodies. These new bodies are the eternal bodies we will have as we live forever with Jesus.
Paul is speaking of the resurrection. Some had contested that they didn’t believe in the resurrection, and Paul rebukes them boldly. That’s when he compares the perishable and the imperishable bodies.
After we are born again, we live as children of God. Our spirits become alive and we begin to transform our souls through prayer and the Word of God. Our bodies are the last to be changed, but they will be in the resurrection. We will be sown a perishable body and raised up an imperishable one.
“O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” (V.55) Death has neither victory nor sting for the Christian. The resurrection life overcomes death, and we live forever.
“Therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (V. 58)
Never give up. Never give up doing what God directs you to do. His grace is with you wherever you go and in whatever comes your way. His love never fails – and always causes you to overcome, when you are in His will.
I embrace His purpose in my life and I embrace His ability to do it!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 107-109
Have you ever noticed that trouble can prompt someone to turn to the Lord? Psalm 107 really addresses that.
There were those who dwelt in sorrow because of rebellion against the Lord. As they were in trouble, they cried out to Him and received his mercy.
Then there were those who were just fools. They weren’t trying to rebel, they just thought they knew what they were doing. But the path of fools inevitably leads to sorrow, so they cried out to the Lord.
Then there were those who arrogantly pursued their goals of money and fame. They found themselves in despair and turned to the Lord.
In every case, God heard their cries for help and He delivered them from their sorrow. God was faithful even when they weren’t.
Trouble does often make a person turn to God, but there’s a better way. The better way is not to be rebellious or a fool or someone just pursuing materialistic goals. The better way is to seek God from the time of your youth – and to never let up on seeking Him.
If you and I are wise, we learn from the mistakes of others and spend our lives basking in the lovingkindness of the Lord.
There are those who are hungry for Him, and He makes them to lie down in green pastures. He blesses them and they multiply greatly, and He does not let their cattle decrease.
“Who is wise, let Him give heed to these things.”(107:43).
I think I will!
I Corinthians 4
Paul has a few obstacles which come up over and over. There are always those who are trying to edge into the fellowship of believers and upset the apple cart. That’s what we have here.
Sometimes the ones who bring trouble are the Judaizers who want to being the Jewish law to the people. This time the trouble-makers are those who are trying to promote themselves as great teachers. They bring false doctrine and then they try to hold themselves in high esteem before the congregation. Usually these come against Paul’s teaching and try to usurp his authority as apostle.
Pride is the problem. These men think that they know more than Paul – even when they don’t. More than likely they are smoother talking and smoother in their demeanor. People can easily get swayed by smooth people.
Today that problem still exists. New believers and foolish people can get carried off into strange doctrine by such prideful people. When this happens, almost always the foolish ones are idolizing the teachers. And almost always the teachers are loving it.
Those who are truly representing God realize that He gets the glory. They are not trying to get people to follow them. They want people to follow God Himself.
All of us need to be mindful of these things. If we are being taught, we need to be sure that the message is true to the Word. If we are teachers we need to be checking our hearts so that we don’t get into pride. (Remember that’s the sin of Satan: pride).
Pure hearts make for a pure message – and only God gets the glory. After all, it’s all a gift from Him.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Psalm 78 – 83
What is your personal history with the Lord? Is it written?
I would like to encourage you to sit down and write your own history. I have counseled many people over the years, and have heard horror stories about abuse and injustice done to them. That’s the glass half empty.
If they would take a more positive approach to their story, they would tell it differently. They would not think of the disaster as much as the deliverance. (After all, they’re still here, aren’t they)?
If you write your own history, you will include the many times that you can see God’s hand trying to lead you to Him. There were those times when you said, “No.” But He didn’t stop, did He? When you didn’t deserve it, His loving hand was trying to get you to the right people and places – the right moment – for you to receive His love.
As you look back, you know that He was always there for you. And He is there for you now.
Add to your history the times when you knew how closely He was guiding you, loving you. The miracles. The grace.
As you develop your own history, your faith will grow. You will begin to discover in a new way how important you are to your God – and how much He loves and cares for you.
His grace is always there.
Romans 10
There is power in the Word of God. We see that premise in many places and demonstrated in many different ways.
That’s how we get saved. The Word is near us – in our mouths and in our hearts. The Word of faith. So if we “confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead,we will be saved.”(V. 9)
There are those who are “seeking their own righteousness.” (V. 3). These are doing this and that which are “good works,” but that is not what makes us right before God. Our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus is the only way to have right standing with God.
Often we encounter people who aren’t believers but who seem to be “good” people. That’s a stumbling block for many. They say, “Isn’t that good person acceptable to God?” But they are asking the wrong question.
The question is, “Do they have a reborn spirit?” That’s the key. When a person seems to be good, God loves them, but they have to do things His way. He has made a way for every person on earth to be born again. That’s what matters in being acceptable to God.
A reborn spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ, is the only thing which is acceptable. Only the reborn spirit can communicate effectively with God. And only the reborn spirit can partake of God’s heavenly realm.
Are you born again? That’s the question – and therein lies the answer.
