Love No Dad Can Resist

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! –Matthew 7:11

          I have to be completely honest, as much as I LOVE my two sons, sometimes I just can’t wait to rush them off to bed. The other night, I was tucking my oldest son who’s six, into bed. I remember I was tired, stressed, and just wanted to go back into the living room to relax. So I hurried him into the bed, rushed him through his prayers, and even began walking toward his bedroom door by the time he started saying, “Amen.”

          As I began walking out his door, I heard his sweet voice call out to me and say, “Dad…” I turned to him to see his arms stretched out to me. At that moment, his face lit up and he said, “Hug!” At that moment, any desire to just get out of there and chill faded as my heart melted and not only did I go give him the biggest hug ever, I jumped on top his bed to squeeze the life out of him!

          There is just something about a child with their arms stretched out that is irresistible to a parent. Even when a child who is not our own reaches out for love we can’t resist them! Jesus says something amazing in Matthew 7:11. He says that even though we are evil by nature, we still have enough godly love in us that makes it impossible to resist our children when they need us. If that is true, how much more will God reach out to us when we need Him?

            Just as no loving dad can resist his child reaching out to him, God your Heavenly Father cannot resist you reaching out to Him. If you, with all your flaws, imperfections, and your own selfish ways, cannot find it within yourself to resist the outstretched arms of a little child, what do you think the God who is love wants to do when He sees your arms stretched out to Him? If you even with your own tendency to love people conditionally, can’t resist a child who wants you to pick her up and hold her, how do you think the God who loves you UNconditionally feels when you reach out to Him?

          There are so many in our society that needs that “Daddy Love.” There are people burdened by guilt that need just one Daddy embrace to wash away the stain. Some people battle depression. One hug from the Father will fill them with joy unspeakable. Some go through life full of fear and worry. Once Daddy picks them up, they will know that everything is going to be alright. Some people beat themselves up because they “broke it”. Daddy is here to fix it when we bring our brokenness to Him. Others, live with uncertainty about the future. When Daddy speaks, it will fill them with confidence! Daddy God has what you need, just reach out to Him! When you do, He can’t resist the urge to run to you and embrace you.

Make Him Your Dwelling

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty…” “If you make the Most High your dwelling-even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.” –Psalms 91:1, 9-10

          Psalm 91 is one of the most famous chapters of scripture. It has been read by soldiers, law enforcement officers, first responders, and your average mom or dad going through a difficult time. Its words have encouraged countless hearts for generations. Psalm 91speaks of a wonderful promise from God. That is, a promise of protection for those who “make the Most High their dwelling.”

          In this passage God promises to protect us from four spiritual dangers the enemy (Satan) throws at us. First, God promises to protect us from the “fowler’s snare”. No one is exempt from being tempted (1^st Cor. 10:13). Jesus Himself was tempted. Not only that, each of us have certain temptations of the flesh that are more of a struggle for us than others. This promise insures that God will protect us from that snare that we so easily fall into time and time again.

          Next God promises to protect us from “deadly pestilence” and the “plague that destroys at midday.” A pestilence or plague is a disease or infection that contagiously spreads throughout a community. What do you see others around you being consumed by? Perhaps it’s a mindset or way of thinking such as negativity, hate, racism, bitterness, etc. God promises to protect you from that pestilence and plague that is consuming so many.

          God also promises to protect us from the “terror of night”. The Bible tells us in 2^nd Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Many in our society are paralyzed by fear, worry, and anxiety over the stresses of life and the events that are taking place in the world. For those of us who have chosen to “rest in the shadow of the Almighty”, God’s promise is that we will rest with a peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Phi. 4:7).

          Lastly God promises to protect us from the arrow that flies by day. Ephesians 6:16 encourages us to take up the shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Those of us who love the Lord have a target on our backs and Satan and his demons have us in their crosshairs. But thank God that our faith in our Deliverer protects us from His attacks.

          Now, all this sounds great, but Psalm 91 tells us that all these promises of protection are conditional. Psalm 91:9 tells us that condition; “IF you make the Most High your dwelling-…” Jesus goes even further in John 15:6

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire to be burned.” –John 15:5-6

          These promises to protect us from Satan’s attacks, temptation, fear and worry, and the evil that seems to consume so many others are conditional upon us having a living relationship with Jesus Christ. The “shelter of the Most High” and the “shadow of the Almighty” covers those who make the Most High their dwelling. Are you “dwelling” in Him? Are you daily spending time with Him in prayer, worship, and reading the Word?

          There is nothing more important in this life than your relationship with Jesus. Are you “remaining in Him”? Remain in His love, stay rooted in His Word, drink of His Spirit, make HIM you dwelling, your shelter, your hiding place and these blessings of protection will come upon today. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, start one by confessing and forsaking your sins and putting your faith in Him. Do it now, while your heart still beats.

Faith That Works the Impossible

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” –Matthew 17:2-21

            This powerful statement made by Jesus follows a very dramatic event. After coming down the mountain, Jesus casts the “deaf and dumb spirit” out of a child. It is interesting that the reason Jesus gives the disciples for their inability to cast this demon out is “because you have so little faith”. Earlier in Matthew 10, the Bible records that Jesus gave His disciples power and authority to cast out demons which they did in the various towns and villages in the region.

            The disciples had seen Jesus cast out many demons and had no doubt cast out several themselves. So why were they lacking in faith to cast out this demon? Perhaps it was because this particular case caused them to ask many questions. This was a child after all. Did they question whether or not it was possible for a child to be demon possessed? Did they have difficulty discerning whether or not this was a spiritual or neurological problem? Was the kid just suicidal?

            Asking questions is good and important. Sometimes however, questions can so seeds of doubt effectively killing our faith. Sometimes, we have to simply trust the Lord with child like faith. That is why Jesus said unless we become like children we would never enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 18:3).

            Jesus goes on to say that if we had enough faith, “Nothing would be impossible.” Now that is interesting. In Luke 1:37 when the angel Gabriel is talking with Mary he says that “nothing is impossible with God”. Yet here in Matthew, Jesus says nothing will be impossible for us, if we have faith just as small as a mustard seed!

            The God of the impossible lives inside every born again believer. His power is released and worked by faith. Jesus says that the impossible is achievable if you will only activate the faith necessary to use it. How do we activate that faith? Jesus gives the answer when He says, “if you have faith… you can say ….” To activate this faith that works the impossible, you have to declare it. Declare what? Declare God’s Word over your circumstance.

            For sickness, declare God’s promises about healing. For financial trouble, declare God’s promises about provision. For times of uncertainty, declare God’s promises about His sovereignty and plans for your life. Here’s how God’s Word stirs up that faith.

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

 –Romans 10:17

            God’s promises concerning your circumstance will activate the faith you need to work the impossible. So for whatever “impossible mountain” stands in your way today, go see what God’s Word has to say about it. Then let that Word stir up your faith, so that you can work the impossible by declaring God’s promises.

A New Thing

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”. –Isaiah 43:19

Words have power. The Bible even says that words have the power of life and death. For this reason, we should be careful about what we say about our lives. Not just our lives, but our community as well. In my brief time in Tyrrell County, I have heard the phrase, “This is a dying community” too many times.

It is not uncommon for people to say that “there is nothing here”. Now, part of the problem is, who are we listening to? But that’s another article for another day. The point is, people to say things like this, and those words do have power. If words have power, I chose to put my faith in the words of the Living God.

A few months ago, God gave me Isaiah 43:19 as a promise for our community. God says that He is doing a new thing! This new thing consists of two parts. One, He promises that in our community, He is making “a way in the wilderness.” Granted, I have heard what the community has, and what cannot be done in the community but I also have heard the voices of HOPE.

I have also listened to the dreamers. I have heard the passion in the ideas of the visionaries. I have been taken back by people in our community who have the audacity to use the words, “What if?” To each dream, to every idea, there are those who say it can’t be done, not here, not in Tyrrell County, no way.

God says the He is making a way in the wilderness. Some may perceive this as a wilderness where nothing happens, no one goes to, and no one leaves. God is going to make a way, a road. A place where people will want to go to, and where people will want to stay and help make it the amazing place God is making it into.

The second thing God says that He is going to do is make “streams in the wasteland.” Imagine that, in a place that others have called a wasteland, there will be “streams”. People have called this community impoverished, with little or no resources. I disagree. Our resources are plentiful if we would just tap into them. God sees this and sometime soon, streams will gush in this place that some have called a “wasteland.”

Before God tells us about this new thing He is getting ready to do, He says this to us.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” –Isaiah 43:18

If we are going to partner with God as He does this new thing, we have to let go of the ways of the past. “The way we’ve always done it” was great, for then. But that was then, this is now. And what got us there won’t get us to where we’re going. Words have power. God is doing a “new thing” in our community. Join me in joining Him by declaring this promise over our community, starting with your own life. Does God need to do a “New Thing” in you?