How To Know The Voice Of The Lord
- “What do you think Jesus is saying to you at this point in your life, in the context of the challenges and opportunities you are facing?
- What indicators give you some measure of confidence that it is indeed Jesus speaking to you rather than someone or something else?”
These two questions start Gordon Smith’s introduction to his book, The Voice of Jesus.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) Being a Christian means following Jesus Christ as Lord. It doesn’t mean to follow principles or even teachings, it is more personal than that. It is a matter of following the person of Christ by the help and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Hearing the voice of Jesus involves the inner witness of the Spirit of God and the outer witness of the word of God, and often the support of other believers. It is critical for Christians to “hear” the voice – or sense the leading – of the Lord. Yet,...
Power for Kingdom Living
If you want to experience God’s presence, if you want to understand His ways and counsel, and if you want to live in His power, you are going to need the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit. For some this statement sounds boring and theological. For others it might be off-putting, and sound too “charismatic.” For yet others, it is intriguing and enticing. For everyone – it’s true.
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal, communicate and empower the Kingdom of God in and through you.
The book of Luke makes it clear that Jesus did His ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was/is the Son of God – fully God. And, He was/is the Son of man – fully human. He lived and experienced life just like we do – Jesus was fully human. However, He was also anointed (enabled) by the Holy Spirit to experience, understand and live in the Power of the Kingdom of God.
“God anointed Jesus...
Stir & Spur to Greater Life
When you say, "How are you doing?" people usually give a quick (positive) answer, and the conversation moves on. If you slow things down and pursue a more thoughtful answer, you can usually expect a pause - as the person takes stock of their emotional condition and reviews their recent performance. Their status will often be expressed in terms of a treadmill week. And life goes on.
This need not be – there is more to life than a weekly treadmill. Jesus came that our lives may be abundant and full. (John 10:10) We must remember that we will be most fulfilled and alive when we are most spiritually alive. Paul reminds his younger friend Timothy to stir up (the fire of) the spiritual gifting within him. (2 Timothy 1:6) Sometimes we have to intentionally stir ourselves up to rekindle that fire.
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What kind of things fire you up?
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When was the last time you were on fire?
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This might be a good time to put yourself in a setting or two that are likely to stir you...
Move from Fullness to Abundance!
How full is your life? Let me put it another way, how abundant is your life? The questions sound different, don’t they? Many of us have lives that are full, but not as many have lives that feel abundant.
In John 10:10, Jesus is recorded as saying “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Other translations say, “Have it abundantly.” The point is that Jesus came into the world to free us from all that binds us, and to release abundant spiritual life in our souls and in our midst. We are tempted to think that the life Christ has for us is smaller than the lives we are trying to carve out for ourselves, but actually the opposite is true. He who created you wants to give you the best and fullest life your frame can handle.
In a related way, Paul exhorts us to be “Filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) The full and abundant life that Jesus provides is realized through the filling of...
How to Escape the Plague
There is a plague in our land. It is robbing and stealing life from people of all ages. It used to affect only a certain portion of the population, but it has spread to all kinds of people in our country. It is a communicable disease that causes death. It often starts in an undetected way, but usually progresses to destroy spiritual, emotional, relational and physical health.
Because this disease is curable, people often miss its deadliness … until it has ravaged lives. Its innocuous shortened street name is “Busyness,” but its clinical name is “Insidious Busyness.” It is insidious because it often undetected and develops gradually. Its initial symptoms can mask its real effects, even enticing its victims to drink deeper of its intoxicating ingredients. When properly diagnosed, however, it is easy to recognize, and its damaging effects become plain and clear.
This disease is so rampant and so entwined in the values of our culture, many...
Does Your Obedience Feel Burdensome?
Have you “fallen” in love with anyone – I mean really in love? When that thing comes on you, your life changes. Everything else – even important things – seems to wane. Life in many ways gets put on the back burner, and you become practically obsessed. When your mind wanders from your tasks, it generally goes toward the person of your great affection. And, you find yourself willing to pay great prices to be with that person. You are willing to drive/travel long distances and go without much sleep to be with him/her. Almost nothing can hold you back.
This love-behavior is true of our relationship with God, too. "This is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome." (1John 5:3) We ultimately express our love to God through our obedience to Him. Love and lordship are one and the same in relationship with Christ. To love Him is to recognize and relate according to who He actually is, the Lord. We grow through obedience and we...
Is There Life Flowing From You?
I used to have a poster on the wall of my office that was captioned, “Dead Sea Fishing Club.” If you are familiar with the Dead Sea, you know this is a crazy statement. The Dead Sea has no fish in it. If is the saltiest lake in the world, saturated with minerals and full of all kinds of chloride and bromide. My poster, however, was a kind of faith statement based upon a vision that the prophet Ezekiel had. (Ezekiel 47:1-12)
In Ezekiel’s visionary encounter with an angel, he saw and experienced a river that flows from the temple in Jerusalem for 21 miles and into the Dead Sea, bringing life and healing with wherever it goes. The river even brings life to the Dead Sea. All kinds of fish appear and are sustained, in the Dead Sea, by the river coming from the temple.
This river of life is symbolic of the life and power of the Holy Spirit moving in and through believers in Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 47:9 reads, “… where the river flows everything will...
Living Well In Turbulent Times
It seems there is new and ongoing upheaval and violence across many areas of the world. There are unsettled feelings and anxieties almost everywhere. How should we live in such times?
Let’s remember some key truths from Scripture:
- We are receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken. The end of Hebrews 12 indicates that God will allow/cause shaking in the world so that only the eternal things that cannot be shaken will remain. In other words, God will shake the hell out of the earth, so the things of heaven are what remain. This is good news, not bad. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”” (Hebrews 12 28-28) The Kingdom of God is within and among believers – heaven is in our midst. (Luke 17:21)
- The primary battles of this life are in the spiritual realm, not against people. “Our struggle is not...
Are You Thirsty?
How alive are you?
How abundant is your life experience in God?
The New Testament starts with the book of Matthew, but the first Gospel written was most likely the book of Mark. It reads, “The beginning of the Good News about Jesus …” It then starts with the ministry of the John the Baptist – the one who Isaiah prophesied would prepare people to receive Jesus, the Messiah.
John called everyone to repentance – to turn from their sinfulness – their self-referenced, self-promoting, self-protecting and self-justifying lives. John the Baptist proclaimed a new spiritual season in the Messiah that had two powerful stages:
1. Turn from sin and receive fresh forgiveness from God.
Baptism (emersion) in water would be the sign of this spiritually cleansing reality.
2. Look for and be alert to the Promised One – Jesus, the Son of God.
Baptism (emersion) in the Holy Spirit will be the reality of this new life.
As we consider...
A New Season in the Spirit
How alive are you?
How abundant is your life experience in God?
The New Testament starts with the book of Matthew, but the first Gospel written was most likely the book of Mark. It reads, “The beginning of the Good News about Jesus …” It then starts with the ministry of John the Baptist – the one who Isaiah prophesied would prepare people to receive Jesus, the Messiah. John called everyone to repentance – to turn from their sinfulness – their self-referenced, self-promoting, self-protecting and self-justifying lives.
John the Baptist proclaimed a new spiritual season in the Messiah that had two powerful stages:
- Turning from sin and receiving fresh forgiveness from God. Baptism (emersion) in water would be the sign of this spiritually cleansing reality.
- Looking for, and being alert to, the Promised One – Jesus, the Son of God. Baptism (emersion) in the Holy Spirit will be the reality of this new life.
As we consider the Advent...
