Tenaciously Holding to His promises

 Tenaciously Holding to His promises

 

Have you ever looked up the definitions for tenacity and tenacious?  Until a couple of days ago I never had and when I did, I was a little surprised.  You see for 3 days this week the Lord kept bring up patience and waiting and their connection to trust and faith.  I believe that this was a response to my asking the Lord what was wrong with me that was keeping me from seeing healings and miracles flowing through my life.  I have read about in other people’s lives starting in the New Testament till modern times and I know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that He is no respecter of persons. If I am not walking in all that God has for me the problem is on my side, not His. This brings me to the definitions I spoke of earlier and here they are. 

 

TENAC'ITY, 

1. Adhesiveness; that quality of bodies which makes them stick or adhere to others; glutinousness; stickiness; as the tenacity of oils, of glue, of tar, of starch and the like.

2. That quality of bodies which keeps them from parting; without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; opposed to brittleness or fragility.

TENA'CIOUS, 

1. Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession; as men tenacious of their just rights. 

2. Retentive; apt to retain long what is committed to it; 

3. Adhesive; apt to adhere to another substance; as oily, glutinous or viscous matter. 

 

As I read these definitions this is what came to me.  Will I hold fast to what God says in His Word regardless of the circumstances, what my experience is or the length of time it takes?  Will I stick to His promises like glue?  What I began to realize is that far too often I let my lack of patience destroy my faith and cause me to give up.  Instead of sticking to God’s Word and promises I let facts get in the way of the truth.  If things didn’t happen in my time frame, then I would get into doubt and self-condemnation.  I still believed that God COULD do it but I stopped believing that He WOULD do it because it hadn’t in my time frame. 

 I knew John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth but I wasn’t always living in by my actions.  I knew Mark 11:23-24 and 1 John 5;14-15 but if the mountain did move the first time, I commanded it to go, depending on what it was, I gave up.  When I gave up, I was walking by sight and not by faith.  

 

When I went back and reviewed some of the miraculous things that I have seen in my life not all of them happened right off.  Some of them it took patience, tenacity and speaking to that mountain more than once to go.  This didn’t mean that I had to ask the Lord multiple times to do anything. By His grace He has already done it and given me as a believer authority to ask anything according to His will. What I did was apply Hebrews 10:23 every time. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  Whenever I held fast, i.e. was tenacious, held to a promise of God and just kept after it I would see the promised result.  My allergies were an example of this.  One day I realized that I didn’t have to suffer from seasonal allergies because of 1 Peter 2:24. So I declared that I was healed of allergies and you know why the symptoms didn’t go away but instead of giving up I just kept declaring over and over that I was healed and kept telling those symptoms to go because they had no right my body.  Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t denying that the symptoms were present nor how they made me feel.  I choose to believe God’s Word was true no matter how I felt and that congestion, itchy eyes had to and would go because they had to.  Why I didn’t apply this tenacity to everything I prayed I don’t know.  In those times where I gave up why I didn’t remember that it took Daniel 21 days to receive his answer to prayer because of demonic hinderance I don’t know.   All can say is now I am going to do my best to wait in patient rest in the faith and trust of God’s promises for whatever I have asked of Him. 

 

The Pains of Growing

 The Pains of Growing.

 

 

Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

 

For the last few mornings, I have been taking part in a Bible study on Zoom. This morning the person leading read from Oswald Chambers My utmost for His highest and there was a comment in the book from this verse. Roughly, it went something like this; Lilies stay where they are planted grow. Thus, they are able to grown roots, unlike people who don’t stay where God has planted them. The person leading made the observation about people who just church hop from one church to the next when things get uncomfortable.  This keeps them from growing because the discomfort or pain was really when the growing time was starting.  She then made the connection with growing pains when one enters adolescence. 

That led me to this. Pain and discomfort are things that, most of us, try to avoid.  There are billions of dollars that are spent every year on things to help us easy, take away or completely avoid pain and discomfort.  Change is something that many times causes discomfort and sometimes pain and because of this most will avoid or resist change to avoid it.  Problem is pain or discomfort are a part of and sign of the growing process that we cannot avoid if we are going to grow.  A pastor I once worked with would say over and over again, “Growth without change is impossible.”   

Comfort and pain avoidance can be one of our biggest enemies.  In the physical many people do not exercise as they should because it involves some pain and discomfort.  Let’s examine the term “Comfort food”, I have yet to know of anyone whose “comfort food” is something that would be put in the healthy for you category.  We can actually comfort ourselves to an early grave.  

This also applies to the spiritual.  Many avoid daily Bible reading/study, meditation on the Word, prayer, fasting, and gathering with other believers because it messes with their comfort.  Look at how many people, now, who will stay at home and watch church on a screen when they could actually attend a local church.  How many people bail out of friendships, marriages or other relationships because it got difficult, painful or uncomfortable?  Prov. 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend, do we not realize that this process described literally has friction involved in the process or that in the sharpening process there are parts of the iron that is removed, through the friction, so that there is a sharpened edged left? 

I believe that this verses, 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables., speak to those who don’t want to be made uncomfortable and thus will not grow. 

In Hebrews 12 it speaks about the discipline of the Lord and sadly too many people take this to mean that God’s punishment is just hanging over their head waiting for them to mess up. In truth God’s DISCIPLINE is about OUR GROWTH.  See Hebrews 12:11 “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”.  So many people focus on the first part of the verse and miss the last half.  We get so averse to pain and discomfort that we miss what it says AFTER the nevertheless, “afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness”. Yet the peaceable fruit of righteousness only comes “to those who have been trained by it”. 

Of course, pain and discomfort can be signs of things not being right in your life such as an illness or injury but if we are honest with ourselves, we know the difference between the pain/discomfort of an illness/injury and when it is really a growing pain.  Let us choose to be wise and endure discomfort and growing pains so that we may Grow into all that the Lord has for us.  

 

 

 

Hearing and hearing.

 Hearing and hearing.

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We need to be hearing and hearing the word of God so that our faith grows and grows stronger. We need to not only believe IN God but also believe God, as in believe what He says. This is to have a living faith, to trust what God says and act on it. So hear and hear the Word of God daily by reading it for yourself and build your faith stronger and stronger

How to get everything you pray for.

 How to get everything you pray for.

1 John 5:14

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

We can have confidence that He hears us when we ask anything that is according to His will. Sadly too many Christians believe that the will of God is difficult to know or find as if He has hidden it from us and only a few special few ever obtain such knowledge. The truth is that God’s will has been given to all who will receive it. Anyone can find and know it. He put it clearly in His Word. So if we will read the Word of God and meditate on it day and night we would see exactly every time what God’s will is.

BUT WAIT! There’s more.

1 John 5:15

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

See this? Knowing that He hears us then we know we have what we ask. Knowing His will and praying in agreement with that will leads us to receiving that will into our lives. So in praying this way we will get everything and anything that we pray for.

The key here is to FIRST know what God’s will is because this is where our confidence is built. Know God’s will and then pray according to His will WITH confidence that He hears you and because He hears you then you will have what you pray. Regardless of the situation, the impossibility of your ask OR how long it takes we can and should have confidence that we are receiving. Really our confidence should be such that it is a done deal. Time, circumstances or other people’s opinion doesn’t matter because we know, according to these verses that it is ours.

Mark 11:23-24 and James 1:6-7. Are companion verses.

Patience and Trust

 Patience and Trust

The connection between patience and trust. If I am trusting God patience becomes easy because I know that He has it. When I become impatient I cause myself a load of stress because instead of walking in the comfort of patience through trust in the Lord I am now hurrying to do things in my strength, trusting my abilities to make it happen.

I have looked at patience in the wrong context. It is not really a delay but a time of rest trusting God to do what I can’t do effectively anyway. I rest in Him, He gets the victory and brings me into it.

Plowshares and Swords

 Plowshares and Swords

 

This is from some things the Lord spoke to me on Sunday morning as the music was playing. 

The plowshare and the sword are most effective when they are sharp.

The plowshare pierces and cuts the ground so that it is turned over.  The sword pierces and cuts to defend.

The plowshare is thrust into the fallow ground to break up the hardness, to make it soft and ready to be planted and productive. It takes what is on top and turns it under.  That which is dead or not productive becomes a biomass that helps nourish the ground. That which brings life is brought to the top. The plowshare helps in bring forth a harvest.

The sword parries the attack of the enemy. It cuts things away that are not need or are harmful. The Sword of the Spirit cuts sin away from us and us away from sin. The Sword pierces to the heart.  Often it is said that the Sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon BUT really it is to be used mostly in defense against the attack of the enemy against us, and our brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus has already won the victory we just need to stand and we definitely don’t need to use the Sword as a weapon against other believers.  The cutting and the piercing of the Sword of the Spirit is to cut away, like a surgeon’s scalpel, those things that are harmful or unproductive and the piercing is to pierce the hard hearts of unbelievers to let in the healing message of the gospel so that they can receive a new heart and a new life. 

 

Ephesians 6:11-14

¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

 

 

Fear of Punishment

 Fear of Punishment

 

Starting as children and then continuing into adulthood we make attempts to conceal, many times through deception, our mistakes, crimes, sins because our thought is that if no one knows or those in authority don’t know what we have done then we won’t have to suffer the punishment that is deserved.  Do you remember your parents telling you that if you had told the truth to start with and admitted what you had done that the punishment would have been less or even no punishment at all but because you attempted to conceal what you had done through deception the punishment would be worse?

Sadly, many people, even Christians, forget that God knows everything that you do.  You can’t hide it and lying about it and trying to conceal it just makes it worse.  Now there are always going to be consequences for the things we do.  Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Yet the ultimate punishment, wages for our sin, has been paid for by Christ and we can receive forgiveness and pardon if we just own up to what we have done, repent, and receive it by grace through faith.  Even after this if we mess up and fall into sin don’t try to hide it, deny it or run from God.  Instead run to Him, repent and receive His mercy and love and correction.  Hebrews 12 :5-11 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

God doesn’t just hand out some punishment out of anger towards us. He disciplines/corrects them because He hates what sin does to us and because He loves us and wants what is best for us.  Sometimes it may feel like God doesn’t love us because He doesn’t instantly or quickly get us out of messes that we have gotten ourselves into.  In fact, in those times, He is showing us great love.  I have seen many a person led to ruin because their parents did not discipline them because it was easier for the parents.  It is difficult to truly discipline someone. It takes time and you also have to deal with the very ones you love not understanding that you are discipling them because you love them and them not acting in a loving way back.  Far too often parents have not disciplined their children because they didn’t want to be the bad guy and this is where they loved themselves more than their children. 

God always loves us even when we don’t love Him and get mad at Him for doing what is actually best for us. Yes, God is righteous and part of the discipline comes from that but, I believe, that His discipline is more so from His love and grace than His righteousness. I will use an example for my own life to demonstrate. 

Starting in my 20’s I did not use good financial stewardship even though I knew better.  I listened to others and my own lusts and so therefore found myself in a lot of debt with nothing to show for it.  So, one day I was venting to God and mad at Him because I was a tither and a giver but I wasn’t living a blessed life like He had promised to those who were tithers and givers.  God let me rant for a little bit and then spoke to me and said this, “I am pouring out a blessing that you can’t contain but because of your lack of stewardship it is like I am pouring it into a bag with giant holes in it.  So, the problem is your lustful spending and poor stewardship.”  Yes, that in deed put an end to my rant and I immediately repented for my attitude. God forgave me and I knew that but He didn’t immediately just wipe away my debt.  I had to learn to do what I already knew was the right things to do.  Sadly, this took way longer than it should have.  I would make progress and then fall back into old habits and spend unwisely and go into debt for stuff that I shouldn’t have in an attempt to please someone else instead of doing what was right and pleasing God. It wasn’t until it got so bad that I ended up in bankruptcy court and was so embarrassed that I prayed for the earth to just swallow me up that I said enough.  I made up my mind right there that no matter what I was going to never be back in that place ever again.  Everyone else who was called by the trustee before me it was their second or third time.  That was not going to be me.  It was painful and it took time but I have never been back to there and in fact I am one of the most blessed people I know.  Not because I make a bunch of money, I don’t. Of the majority of my friends, I probably make the least or close to the least amount of money but because I am a good steward and walk in generosity I am as blessed, or more, than the richest people on the planet. I have learned that being blessed is more than the size of my bankroll.  

Yes, could God have bailed me out when I was 29 after my rant and repentance, of course.  Would it have helped me, NO.  By God disciplining me through allowing me to go through the next 7 years of struggle and the bankruptcy helped me far more than if He had bailed me out.  Where I was if had bailed me out at 29, He would still be doing it today because I would have never learned to importance of being a good steward.  Also understand that even through the whole discipline process God was still providing, still was showing His love for me and still helping me. I probably didn’t even reap all that I could have or should have reaped of the bad seed that I had sown.  Even in the bankruptcy I didn’t lose my house nor my cars. 

One more thing to add to my story, about 2 years later I lost my job during one of the worst economic times that has hit this country since the great depression.  When many, with jobs, suffered my family and I were blessed.  A friend of mine said that I was the only person that he knew that lost a good paying job and wound up being better off.  Not only was my quality of life improved, because the job I had was terrible stress wise, God provided time and time again.  I was even able to give away a car that I had to help a lady in the church that needed one.  For almost the next 2 years God used little gig type jobs to bless me so that every bill was paid and then some. I don’t believe that would have happened if not for the disciplining of the Lord in the years prior. 

Don’t let fear of punishment keep you from the blessings of the Lord.  When you mess up just go to Him, receive forgiveness and learn from the discipline that He gives so that you can walk in all the blessings He has for you.