FINDING TRUTH

Finding Truth
Most of us don't journey more than a block or so without some sort of an emotional struggle. Some of our most difficult times are about silly things, like upcoming visits to the dentist or the doctor. Once not too long ago, I began to imagine a bad news verdict... it was even difficult to sleep without fear rising up.
Inside my consciousness, I heard the gentle nudging, "Is that the truth? Think only about truth."
The fact was, I had absolutely no reason to fear bad news. It was all imaginations.
Acutally, our choices are still between the two trees in the garden - choosing God's life or the world's ways. I'm given a choice in my reactions -- between staying in a no-man's land or decisively moving into the place truth.
"I'm going to learn about truth," I said to myself.
"What you'll learn, is 'pie in the sky' denial," my doubting heart replied -- knowing well that much of the world no longer values truth. Besides, many philosophers say there's no such thing.
Pontius Pilate asked the same question, "What is truth?" (Jn. 18:38). His words sent endless sound waves throughout the universe, still reverberating to this day. Is truth only an evasive goal of our productive imagination? So how can anyone find Truth?
Pilate's question continues to demand an answer.
Jesus said that He was Truth, and that He spoke truth.
Protests from His own people ultimately crucified Him. Caiaphas the high priest over the Jewish people led the jealous multitudes that ruled that day. Betrayal came from a kiss. Accusations flared. The incessant and unruly mob clamored for Him to die, while Pilot washed his hands of guilt (Mt. 27:24). Truth died unjustly. But Truth totally won that day, and emerged from the dead in victory over our sin.
Now, the TRUTH can be embraced. We can behold the Man (Jn. 19: 5) who is the Truth (Jn. 14:6). So, I choose to believe in this Jesus and the things that He says. And oh, the peace that spreads its blanket when my racing fears aligned with the Word of God.
In His urgent High Priestly prayer, Jesus intercedes (Jn. 17:16-17), "For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (make them holy) by your truth. Your word is truth."
No longer is it what we think. Truth, we rediscover, is in Jesus, who is the Word. As we travel beyond our self-deception, we find the Truth that transcends our doctrines. We no longer belong to ourselves, but have learned that loving the truth is an essential process of sanctification. WE are made holy by truth. Truth and mercy purge our rebellious ways (Pr. 16:6). Truth is not just a word, it's not a formula, but a Person and a Force that changes us.
You'll find the desire for sanctification when you incorporate truth into your actions. Like the discerning Psalmist said, "The sum of Thy word is truth" (Ps. 119:160). It's not enough to know what the Bible says (mental assent), you have to fit it together, put it inside, and then act upon it. That you might be one who comes to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 3:7). Nothing in your past prepares you for the unlimited exploration ahead. Like we said, initial salvation isn't the end of the road, only the great beginning of finding Truth. Keep these principles in mind:
1.       God has already made His choice about eternal life for you. "He gave His only begotten Son."
2.       The remaining choices are yours.
3.       God's choice was not based on your merit, but on the fact that He loves you.
4.       Your choosing to believe in His love is the deciding factor in your eternal life.
5.       Right choices result in you causing that eternal life to operate in this lifetime.
6.       If you should choose to respond to His love, then the Holy Spirit comes to teach you TRUTH.
Beloved, we must not waiver in this time of change. Be ever ready to STAND firm in the Truth.
Dr. Kluane Spake

THE ENEMY IS AFTER OUR FAITH 2

The Enemy is After Our Faith: Part Two
by Victoria Boyson www.speakinglife.net
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If you have not read part one from last week click here
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
One of my favorite movies is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It is an old western with John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Wayne plays a tough gun fighter with a good heart. Stewart plays a lawyer who recently moved out west from the east coast. He is not yet familiar with the rough ways of the West. Wayne continually tries to help Stewart learn about the West, and he often defends him against the unscrupulous outlaw Liberty Valance.
Stewart eventually faces off with Valance in a shootout, and Valance is killed. He and everyone else believes that it is he who killed Valance. However, during the notorious shootout, Wayne hid in the shadows and secretly shot Valance to save his friend's life.
Jimmy Stewart was terribly out-gunned when he went out to fight Valance, but he was sick and tired of Valance getting away with terrorizing everyone. He knew there was a very good chance he would be killed by Valance, but he also knew he had to stand up to him. Just as Wayne was there to cover Stewart, we can trust our God to assist us as we stand up to the enemy.
Take a Stand
So often we are afraid to stand up to our enemy. The devil terrorizes us and we let him get away with it. The children of Israel were afraid of Goliath until the Lord raised up David, who simply trusted in God.
Knowing something had to be done with the arrogant Philistine, he asked, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26b NIV) David knew that "The Lord who delivered [him] from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear [would] deliver [him] from the hand of [the] Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37 NIV).
He trusted that if he went up against Goliath he would beat him, not because of who he was but because God was on his side backing him up. He knew he had only to step out and fight against his enemy, and God would give him the victory.
"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him" (v 48). He ran quickly toward the battle because his faith in God was strong. The victory had nothing to do with David, but it had everything to do with his God. David threw the stone, but God killed the giant. After Goliath was killed, the Philistines ran away - not because they feared David but because they feared David's God.
We, too, can go boldly into battle, because we have a great God who loves us and who will defend us. We can, like David, face the things we fear, and God will be standing by our side ready to defeat our enemies, if only we will step out in faith and stand up to them.
Fear No Evil
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).
If you entered into a war in the natural realm with vastly greater weapons than your enemy, you would have no fear. If you had a missile and they had only a pistol, you would not fear your enemy. You would be assured of an overwhelming victory before you even engaged them in battle.
So it is with us as the children of God. When we stand in battle, we can be assured of victory, because we have a powerful weapon: God. When God is on our side, however great the odds against us are in the natural, we need not fear our enemy. God is our defender, and no matter how our enemy may boast, we can have peace. We will not fear, because HE is with us, and we can find comfort in His kindness and safety in His strength.
God is on our side; therefore, we have no reason to fear evil. All we need to do is stand strong in faith against our adversary and God will give us the victory. If we simply "throw the stone," God will take care of the giant! The enemy knows we have all the power we need to defeat him through the authority of Christ, and he's terrified that we will walk in it. He will do anything to try and keep us believing his lies of defeat and inability.
It is not about us, the enemy or the battle, but it is all about the God who loves us. He wants to see His children stand strong, not because they are confident in themselves, but Him.
Our Great Big God
If, in every situation we entered, we were confident God was there with us, we would not fear anything. Again, in Psalm 23:4 it says, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Our bravery is based on His power and strength. We are strengthened by the Creator of the universe standing by our side, and nothing shall by any means harm us.
No one is more powerful than God, and He is always with us, ready to defend. We have nothing to fear because, even in the face of death, our almighty Father will devour our enemies. There is NO power greater than our God; He is our strength and shield. Our enemies tremble in fear before us as they see the power of God radiating out from inside us.
Knowing God
When David went up against Goliath, he was offended by the insults Goliath hurled at Israel. He asked, "Who is the uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26). He could not understand why they were fearing Goliath. It wasn't presumption that made David speak out; it was his knowledge of the power of his God. He knew God was with him and with Israel, and he was confident in that fact.
He knew if God were with him, no matter how tall Goliath stood, he stood taller. Why did he have such confidence but others did not? Because he knew God! While David was out defending his sheep, the Lord proved His power to him as he fought against lions and bears. He had developed a relationship with God in the wilderness and had experienced His faithfulness.
God brought him out into the fields where they could be alone together. During the time He spent with David, God was able to convince him he was a giant killer! He convinced David that he was special to Him and, because of their relationship, he would be blessed.
Beloved, you don't need to fear anything, with God on your side. Stand guard over your heart to keep fear from entering in and destroying your faith in Him, for fear is the enemy of faith.
Fearing the Wind
More than any other enemy the Lord fought, He fought fear in the hearts and minds of those He chose to raise up. The same is true for us. Fear is the enemy of faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (see Hebrews 11:6). He said repeatedly to His disciples, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). The enemy tries to sow fear in our hearts because he knows without faith we are powerless. Fear is our enemy, not our friend, we must fight against it with all our might!
It pleases God when we trust in Him and it hurts Him when we don't! In Matthew 14, Jesus' disciples were out late at night in a boat when Jesus appeared to them, walking on water. His disciples assumed He was a ghost and were terrified. "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid' " (v 27).
Peter was so amazed at the sight of his friend Jesus doing the impossible that he decided he wanted to join Him. Jesus beckoned him to come: "And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him and said to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' " (Matthew 14:29-31).
Peter was actually walking on the water! He was doing the impossible! I feel certain he would have made it all the way to Jesus, had fear not entered his heart. Seeing the wind made his faith give way to fear, and fear robbed him of his ability to do the impossible. He was doing what was impossible in the natural, but when the waves rose up against him and he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to fear. The wind was sent to cause him to fear, and the minute he let fear into his heart, he sank. The fear he felt killed his faith, for it was his faith in Jesus that kept him on the water.
The minute they stepped back into the boat, the wind died down, much like the lies of the enemy fade when they lose their effectiveness. As we endeavor to do the impossible, our faith will be tested by the winds and storms of life - we can surely count on it.
Yet, when we walk in faith, even for a short while as Peter did, we learn more about the enemies of our faith. And we learn more about faith and trusting in God. Every time we step out of the boat and walk even just a few steps, our faith increases.
Every test of faith will increase the resolve in our hearts to fear nothing but God. We learn that in every set of circumstances we face . . . God is bigger! We learn again and again not to fear our enemy and say, "Greater is He who is in [me] than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Committed to Victory
Once we see God as our Father who loves us and is able and willing to do anything to deliver us, there will be no end to our faith in Him. No storm in this life will be able to detour us from following Christ in faith. Fear will have no effect on us.
Likewise, when we trust God with our own physical well-being, we will not even fear death. For when we remove the fear of death, we become fearless. Like the Word says in Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear NO evil, [Why?] for You are with me" (question and emphasis mine).
We are fearless because our great big enormous Daddy God is standing right next to us and saying to the enemy, "You just go ahead and try to touch my kid and I'll stomp you like a bug!" We should not fear the enemy. But, believe me, the enemy should and does fear us - because God is making us His unstoppable FEARLESS warriors.
If a soldier enters a battle afraid to die, then he will be ineffective on the battlefield. He will continually be focused on saving his own life and not on winning the battle. He will not be fighting with his whole heart. He must love the cause he is fighting for more than his own life. "They did not love their life even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11).
When a soldier goes to battle, he expects to find fearful events happening, but he learns to charge toward the fighting because he knows that is where the victory lies. He becomes an unstoppable force, a fearless warrior. He becomes victorious before he even fights a battle, because he has committed himself to victory.
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it" (Luke 9:23-24). We must throw our whole self into the battle, being ready to die if need be. We must not fear death, or we will lose our lives and be consumed by death even while we live. A FEARLESS warrior is unstoppable! The areas in our hearts where we harbor fear of any kind will continue to keep us vulnerable to the enemy.
Fear God, Not Satan
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
It is more important that we obey God than fear the enemy. What will we gain by fearing our enemy? God is the One in control, and He gives us His authority through prayer. So if God asks us to take a stand against the realms of darkness, then we can know we have nothing to fear. We should not become presumptuous or arrogant, but we should never fear the enemy, only believe in God.
If we see fear as our enemy, we will fight against it by trusting in God. Our faith in God, even in its smallest measure, will move mountains! And whether we like it or not, we are a target of the enemy; our only hope is to operate in the authority God has given us through Jesus. We have authority over the powers of darkness - the devil already knows it and it is time we believed it!
The Lord cares for you and even "the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear" (Matthew 10:30-31).
Your Heavenly Father will stop at nothing to save you and help you. You have only to trust Him! Do not lose faith in Him . . . He will save you.

Pray this with me:
Dear Father,
Though I walk through the very shadow of death, I will NOT fear, because You, oh Lord, are with me. With Your help, I will be Your fearless warrior! I will not fear anything but You. I pray that You would manifest Your power through me so that others might trust in You!
In Jesus' name, amen.

THE ENEMY IS AFTER OUR FAITH 1

The Enemy is After Our Faith: Part One
by Victoria Boyson www.speakinglife.net
________________________________________
I truly believe one of the greatest thieves in our walk with God is unbelief! When the spirit of unbelief rules our hearts and minds, God is unable to give us the wondrous, supernatural blessings He so desires. His incredible blessings and miracles are stolen away from us by this deceitful spirit.In Jesus' name, Amen!
God is looking for believers who will look at their circumstances with eyes of faith - people who will, despite all odds, believe for what God can do in any situation. He is also looking for people who will encourage the body of Christ by reminding them of His great power.
Will you be one of those who bring God's viewpoint to His people?
A Different Kind of Spirit
A person of true faith is a rare commodity. There always seems to be five negative people to every one positive person. Have you ever noticed how it is much easier to see the negative? It seems to be the obvious choice, at times. The circumstances that surround us often scream our defeat. But if we take the time to look into God's heart on the matter, we will see it differently. We will see that all is not lost and He has a plan for our good (see Jeremiah 29:11).
Two positive reporters in the Bible were Caleb and Joshua. In Numbers 13 and14, Moses sent twelve men into the Promised Land to see what it was like and to bring back a report to him and the people of Israel. Twelve spies went in, but only two viewing the situation saw things from God's perspective. Caleb and his friend Joshua saw the land was good, and wanted to go get it! Indeed, there were giants in the land, but they knew their God was bigger than any giant. Unfortunately, their reports were contradicted by the negative reports of the other spies.
The ten negative spies saw only the barriers that stood between them and their promised land. They did not believe God was bigger than their circumstances. They said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us" (Numbers 13:31). But "Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, 'We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it' " (v 30).
However, Caleb, try as he might, could not turn the people away from the bad report of the other spies; they refused to believe him. They continued to spread a bad report among the Israelites about the land they explored, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants" (Numbers13:32).
That night all the people wept and complained about their situation. They grumbled against Moses and were ready to give up, even to the point of death. They cried out, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?" (Numbers 14:2-3).
Of course, we know that God did not bring them to the wilderness to die, but rather to give them a great victory. But their hope in God had been deferred by the many bad reports they heard. Their faith had been stolen from them! Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." A spirit of unbelief had robbed the people of their faith in God and caused them to stumble and rebel against Him.
We see the same struggle today with the negative and positive people pitted against one another, fighting for the hearts and minds of God's people. Those with the positive reports, the ones who fight to declare God's goodness, are terribly outnumbered. But, oh, what a wonderful message they have to bring to God's people! They are the ones who bring the true GOSPEL, which is the good news.
Whether our situation is good or bad, we must have faith in God and know He is in control. Any obstacle that lies in our path is really just another opportunity for God to show us how much He loves us and what He can do. We can trust Him! No matter how bad a situation is, He is bigger. Tell Him it's impossible and He grins from ear to ear, because He devours the impossible and leaves us amazed. How could we even think for a moment the situation was impossible? "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26b).
Caleb wasn't stupid. He could see the battle against the inhabitants of the land would not be easy. He saw the giants, but he also had a revelation of how BIG his God was. He said, "Do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them" (Numbers 14:9).
Pious Deception
Even some Christians can come to us seeming to be very righteous, when in reality they have been sent by the enemy to discourage the people of God. They feel as though they have been given special insight as to just how bad the situation is. But it is not God's way to show us the negative circumstance without giving us an equal or greater revelation as to how He will redeem it.
Divine reporters view difficulty from God's point of view. They see the light of Christ even in the difficulties surrounding them, and know the favor of the Lord is with them. Refusing to be misled by fear, they allow faith to lead them.
We don't realize what affect our negative words have on God - how hurt He is by our disbelief in Him. He is not a bad God; He is very good and kind. And He wants us to believe and trust in His goodness. When we lead others to view God as "bad" or not in control, we cause them to lose heart and stumble. In doing so, we come under God's judgment, just like the ten spies who caused the Israelite people to rebel against Him.
God judged the Israelites for their rebellion, but His judgment against the ten "bad reporters" was much more severe. "As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land" (Numbers 14:36-38).
Thousands of people died in the desert because of the negative influence of ten men.
When God saw He was treated with contempt (see Numbers 14:22-23) He became very angry with the Israelites. Their disbelief in Him and their focus on their circumstances had caused them to offend God.
Caleb, on the other hand, had pleased God. "But my servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it" (Numbers14:24).
God is pleased with those who trust in Him. If He has shown you your promised land, then believe He will lead you into that promise. We need to take captive any thought, word or report that would raise itself above what the Lord has declared to be true. If God says you can do it, then you will!
Warning Against Unbelief
God equals the sin of unbelief to that of rebellion (see Hebrews 3). I have never been sorry that I have trusted in God, even if what I have believed for has not happened. However, I have regretted not trusting in Him. Our unbelief hurts God, so much so that He refers to it as a hardened heart (see Hebrews 3:15).
"For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:16-19 emphasis mine).
Many of the children of Israel were unable to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. They saw the miracles God had previously performed, and heard the word of God He spoke through His prophets. "But the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard" (Hebrews 4:2b). Their unbelief led to their disobedience to God; it caused them to sin.
God is honored by our faith in Him. He takes it very personally, and rightly so. If we truly have a personal relationship with Him, we would know Him as faithful and true (see Revelation19:11). Indeed, our faith in God is an element of our worship to Him. Do not let unbelief keep you from giving Him your heart completely and receiving ALL that He has for you.
Pray this with me:
Dear Father,
Forgive me for not trusting in You completely, and forgive me for my lack of faith and any discouraging words I have spoken. Help me to be an encouragement to Your people. I want You to be pleased with me, so help me to follow You with my whole heart.

ASIAN HOUSE CHURCH CONFERENCE 2008

Asian House Church Conference 2008 - please forward to your contacts
Wednesday, 23 April, 2008 6:58 PM
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"yonas rahendanu" , ardilesf.lingga@se1.bp.com, "dave broos" , "irnawan silitonga"
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Asian House Church conference 2008 - application form.doc (40KB)
 
House Churches serve Asia
 
3rd Asian House Church Conference – 4-8 September 08
 
Speakers: Wolfgang Simson and Bindu Choudhrie
 
Wolfgang Simson ( http://www.simsonwolfgang.de/html/welcome.html ) is known throughout the world as one of the prime vision casters for the global house church movement. He says that he doesn’t have a vision – but a vision has him and his family! And the vision is breathtaking –“The Starfish Vision”, a realistic apostolic vision to disciple half the planet. He writes “we have three passions: the reshaping of the Church of Jesus Christ to accurately reflect the design of its author and King; an economic reformation by returning to Kingdom Economics……; and a reformation of unity….” No doubt we will hear more about these passions at the conference! Wolfgang and his family currently live in Germany and are locally connected with house church networks reaching into Germany , France and Switzerland .
 
Bindu Choudhrie and her husband Victor ( http://www.indiagateway.net/operation/index.htm ) took up full time church planting ministry in Madhya Pradesh , India in 1992. God has blessed this ministry abundantly. Large numbers of grassroots level leaders have been trained who have planted thousands of house churches all over India as a result. Bindu herself is especially involved in equipping women as trainers and leaders, a major pioneering role in Indian culture where women traditionally are subservient to the men. She will speak on “growth drivers of CPM’s”. 
 
Other speakers, presentations and workshops planned include:
        David Lim – (a) working together to reach the other unreached peoples and nations of Asia , (b) effecting transformational impact on communities in the fastest way possible through planting "insider movements" through the house church movement/CPM
        Presentation from restricted nation – detailed mechanics of large CPM in a restricted nation currently planting 1500 new churches per month. Outline of the main transferable principles being used, which have enabled this movement to plant approximately 100,000 new churches since foundation in 2000.
         Spirit-led Network, Australia – www.spiritled.com.au  Workshop on  how to heal the sick
        Randeep Mathews – Nurturing Of Multiple Generations of Disciples based on 2 Timothy 2:2
        Tom and Liz Adleta ( http://www.gcni.org/ )  – Research and databases: tools to effectively help reach unreached people groups; reaching the unreached in the cities.
        Selected country and ministry reports – We would love to all country and ministry reports but there won’t be time. All written reports will be circulated and discussed in small groups.
 
Like the last Asian House Church conference in Hong Kong, there will be plenty of “free time” just to spend getting to know other house church enthusiasts, participation, time to wait on the Holy Spirit, and time to pray and seek the Lord together. Last conference the prophetic word was “time to cross the Jordan ”. It’s time for house churches to impact Asia – come and get refreshed and equipped………….
 
Conference venue: Bandung, Indonesia
(full transport provided from Jakarta airport)
 
Dates: September 4-8, 2008
 
Cost: US$155 earlybird (before July 1): $175 standard
(includes food, accomodation, registration and transport from Jakarta airport. An offering will be taken for Wolfgang's and Bindu's ministries) 
 
Procedure: Fill in attached application form and send to 
 
gunturbarus@yahoo.co.id
 
with a copy to
 
rcorner@quality-safety.co.nz
 
On acceptance of your application you will be sent full details of payment methods, and pickup times at Jakarta airport.
 
More information? You can get more information from any member of the steering committee:
Anuroop Swamy (India)  anuroopswamy@hotmail.com
Daniel Samuel (Chairman) (Philippines / India)   ds.samuel@edsamail.com.ph
David Lim (Philippines)  cmiphil53@yahoo.com
Eman Abrea (Philippines)   eman1227@gmail.com
Guntur Barus (Host of 2008 conference) (Indonesia)  gunturbarus@yahoo.co.id
Mitsuo Fukuda (Japan)   paparabbit@nifty.com
Robin C (Hong Kong / New Zealand   rcorner@quality-safety.co.nz
Wolfgang Fernandez (Indonesia, US / Venezuela)  wdfernandez@psmail.net
 

DIGGING YOUR DITCHES

DIGGING YOUR DITCHES

            Digging ditches may be the most important work we will ever do! Consider the story in II Kings 3 of three kings who went to war against the King of Moab. Their armies had journeyed seven days when they lost their way and ran out of water. 
          “But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not a prophet of the Lord here?’ And one answered, ‘Elisha is here.’ And Elisha said, 'Bring me a minstrel', And when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him and he said, 'Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord, You shall not see wind nor rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle.' And it happened in the morning that the country was filled with water." 
          Such a miracle of provision! But it was a co-operative miracle between God and man. God sent the water, but men dug the ditches to receive the water. The word of the Lord came to them through the prophet. The promise was plain, "That valley shall be filled with water." But their preparation was to dig ditches in anticipation of the fulfillment of the promise. This was their act of faith. 
          At the wedding feast in Cana when they ran out of wine, Jesus said, "Fill the water pots with water and take them to the governor of the feast." The men obeyed and while they carried them to the governor, the miracle occurred! The water was changed to wine! God works with men to bring forth miracles. They provided the water pots and the water and took them to the right person —Jesus made the wine. 
          Brother Andrew, God's Smuggler, tells of how, as a young man he was given a word of prophecy telling him to take driver's training. He couldn't understand why because he did not have a car nor did he have any access to a car. This was soon after the second world war and automobiles in Holland were scarce. 
          However, believing that this was indeed a word from the Lord, he began taking driver's training. Within a short time after having completed his training, he received as a gift a Volkswagon Sedan. This was the car he used to begin his ministry of smuggling Bibles behind the iron curtain. He was faithful to dig his ditches and God met all his expectations . . . and more! He never dreamed he would ever own an automobile!. 
          Several years ago the Lord spoke to me to take  flight training and get my private pilot's license. He assured me that this was in preparation for the work He had called me to do. I waited on the Lord for further instructions since I did not have any money to take the training, and flight training is expensive. After a few weeks a businessman came up to me and told me the Lord had instructed him to pay for my pilot's training. So in obedience to the Lord's clear leading, I began flight training and in less than a year I not only had my pilot's license, I had my own airplane to expedite the ministry of traveling and teaching.      
Has God given you a promise? Has He planted a seed of faith in your heart? Has he given you a vision or some "impossible dream?" Perhaps you feel it is altogether too big for you ever to accomplish? But if God has planted the dream in your heart, your part is to do what you are able to do (dig ditches) and it is His part to send the rain in the highlands which will eventually reach your desert where you have been faithfully digging ditches and waiting for the floods to fill them up to provide refreshing to a thirsty world!
 
 
Robert & Joni Fitts

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

Spiritual Authority
by Wade Taylor www.wadetaylor.org

“Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7
None of us are exempt from problems in our lives. These are neither accidental nor coincidental, but rather, an integral part of the Lord’s program. He will have a people who choose to choose Him, not because it is easy, but because they are determined to push through life’s problems in order to apprehend Him.
Many, however, take the easier route and give-up when trials come their way. Thus, the promise and reward is to those who rise above the pressures of life and overcome.
Through redemption, we have become a new creation. Now, the Lord desires to bring this new creation into spiritual maturity, that we may fulfill His calling and purpose for us. Therefore, we must fully commit our lives to the Lord, place our old pattern of life (the works of the flesh), upon the cross and “reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God” (Romans 6:11).
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” I Peter 2:2 NKJ
This growth process requires that we (as being a branch that receives its life from the vine), are to set apart time to be with Jesus for fellowship and communion, and wait on Him in His presence, that His life might flow into our lives, and become a personal reality within us.
“If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19
Although this opportunity is given to all who are saved, not everyone is willing to adjust to a “diet” that is conducive to spiritual growth. Therefore, Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).
In other words, “Few will pay the price in order to be chosen.” This process of qualifying begins after we have received the free gift of salvation, which has been provided for us by Jesus upon Calvary’s cross. The outworking of this gift of salvation requires that we not only acknowledge that we will face problems and difficulties in our life experience, but of greater consequence, that we view them rightly. Only then will we be able to appropriately respond to the Lord in the midst of them.
We mature spiritually by becoming actively involved with the Lord in the outworking of this process. Therefore, there are levels of experience and responsibilities in our spiritual growth. For this process to be accomplished, we must develop a sensitivity to His presence, that we might rightly respond to Jesus as He seeks to guide us toward spiritual maturity.
Our problems and difficulties come from two main sources, human and satanic. Because we have embraced the cross, died to our own ways, and have submitted ourselves to His governmental Kingdom rule, each of these problem areas will be tested in some form or way, so a correction might be made. Only then can we be changed (experientially) into His image and likeness and become compatible with His will and purpose for us.
“To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.” Revelation 3:21
We will never be qualified to rule nations until we have first brought into subjection the “nations” that reside within us. As we overcome in our struggles with the problems created by our Adamic nature in every-day life situations, we will be experientially seated with Jesus in heavenly places, and thus receive spiritual authority.
This will result in our being (as overcomers) caught up to the Throne (seated with Him in His Throne, Revelation 3:21) to “wrestle” in intercessory authority. As these principalities are brought down, they will vent their rage on mankind and the end-time calamities and judgments mentioned in Revelation will begin to unfold.
While the children of Israel were in Egypt, it was easy for them to exercise positive thinking and say, “Canaan is ours, a land that flows with milk and honey.” But, upon their arrival, they encountered giants and walled cities. When the walls of Jericho were brought down through obedience to a Divine directive, it was a type of the spiritual warfare that results in a mighty defeat of principalities.
“To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” Ephesians 3:10
This is the wisdom of the Lord - He will use the very humanity that Satan defeated in the Garden of Eden to bring down his kingdom. Christians often recite Ephesians 2:6:
“And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
But, the enemy is entrenched in the heavens and must be confronted through actual warfare before we will be able to experientially enter into our place with the Lord - to be seated with Him above all principalities and powers.
For us to wrestle against these principalities means that there is to be a present, active warfare. Just reciting that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places will not transport us there. We must have an overcoming quality in our lives wherein we enter into a relationship with our Lord in prophetic intercessory authority – a “wrestling authority” whereby victory may be won in our present circumstances.
Today, our Lord is looking for a people who actively seek to grow into a level of spiritual maturity which will enable them to assume this prophetic role of spiritual authority. Just as the children of Israel walked together around Jericho in obedience to the Word of the Lord, so also, we must become part of a prophetic army that will function in total harmony and unity.
Then, principalities will be brought down, and the heavens will open to His glory and presence. This will release a moving of the Spirit of God on the earth in visitation, as never before.
The Lord is calling us to arise and come up into the heavenlies with Him. Only as we fully avail ourselves to Him, reject the path of least resistance, and begin to walk in the Spirit, will this be possible.

THE CHOICE THAT CONFRONTED ADAM

THE CHOICE THAT CONFRONTED ADAM

by Watchman Nee

God planted a great number of trees in the garden of Eden, but "in the midst of the garden" -- that is, in a place of special prominence -- He planted two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was created innocent; he had no knowledge of good and evil. Think of a grown man, say thirty years old, who has no sense of right or wrong, no power to differentiate between the two! Would you not say such a man was undeveloped? Well, that is exactly what Adam was. And God brings him into the garden and says to him, in effect, 'Now the garden is full of trees, full of fruits, and of the fruit of every tree you may eat freely. But in the very midst of the garden is one tree called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"; you must not eat of that, for in the day that you do so you will surely die. But remember, the name of the other tree close by is Life.' What, then, is the meaning of these two trees? Adam was, so to speak, created morally neutral -- neither sinful nor holy, but innocent -- and God put those two trees there so that he might exercise free choice. He could choose the tree of life, or he could choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the knowledge of good and evil, though forbidden to Adam, is not wrong in itself. Without it however Adam is in a sense limited in that he cannot decide for himself on moral issues. Judgment of right and wrong resides not in him but in God, and Adam's only course when faced with any question is to refer it to Jehovah God. Thus you have a life in the garden which is totally dependent on God. These two trees, then, typify two deep principles; they represent two planes of life, the Divine and the human. The "tree of life" is God Himself, for God is life. He is the highest form of life, and He is also the source and goal of life. And the fruit: what is that? It is our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot eat the tree but you can eat the fruit. No one is able to receive God as God, but we can receive the Lord Jesus. The fruit is the edible part, the receivable part of the tree. So -- may I say it reverently? -- the Lord Jesus is really God in a receivable form. God in Christ we can receive.
If Adam should take of the tree of life, he would partake of the life of God and thus become a 'son' of God, in the sense of having in him a life that derived from God. There you would have God's life in union with man: a race of men having the life of God in them and living in constant dependence upon God for that life. If on the other hand Adam should turn the other way and take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would develop his own manhood along natural lines apart from God. Reaching a peak of attainment as a self-sufficient being, he would have the power in himself to form independent judgment, but he would have no life from God. So this was the alternative that lay before him. Choosing the way of the Spirit, the way of obedience, he could become a 'son' of God, living in dependence upon God for his life; or, taking the natural course, he could put the finishing touch to himself, as it were, by becoming a self- dependent being, judging and acting apart from God. The history of humanity is the outcome of the choice he made.

Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross

Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby took up independent ground. In doing so he became (as man is now in his own eyes) a 'fully developed' man. He could command a knowledge; he could decide for himself; he could go on or stop. From then on he was "wise" (Genesis 3:6). But the consequence for his was death rather than life, because the choice he had made involved complicity with Satan and brought him therefore under the judgment of God. That is why access to the tree of life had thereafter to be forbidden to him.

Two planes of life had been set before Adam: that of Divine life in dependence upon God, and that of human life with its 'independent' resources. Adam's choice of the latter was sin, because thereby he allied himself with Satan to thwart the eternal purpose of God. He did so by choosing to develop his manhood -- to become perhaps a very fine man, even by his standards a 'perfect' man -- apart from God. But the end was death, because he had not in him the Divine life necessary to realize God's purpose in his being, but had chosen to become instead an 'independent' agent of the Enemy. Thus in Adam we all become sinners, equally dominated by Satan, equally subject to the law of sin and death, and equally deserving of the wrath of God.

From this we see the Divine reason for the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We see too the Divine reason for true consecration -- for reckoning ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus, and for presenting ourselves unto Him as alive from the dead. We must all go to the Cross, because what is in us by nature is a self-life, subject to the law of sin. Adam chose a self-life rather than a Divine life; so God had to gather up all that was in Adam and do away with it. Our 'old man' has been crucified. God has put us all in Christ and crucified Him as the last Adam, and thus all that is of Adam has passed away.

Then Christ arose in new form; with a body still, but 'in the Spirit', no longer 'in the flesh'. "The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord Jesus now has a resurrected body, a spiritual body, a glorious body, and since He is no longer in the flesh He can now be received by all. "He that eateth me, he also shall live because of me", said Jesus (John 6:57). The Jews revolted at the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but of course they could not receive Him then because He was still literally in the flesh. Now that He is in the Spirit every one of us can receive Him, and it is by partaking of His resurrection life that we are constituted children of God. "As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God ... which were born ... of God." (John 1:12,13).

God is not out to reform our life. It is not His thought to bring it to a certain stage of refinement, for it is on a totally wrong plane. On that plane He cannot now bring man to glory. He must have a new man; one born anew, born of God. Regeneration and justification go together.

He That Hath The Son Hath The Life

There are various planes of life. Human life lies between the life of the lower animals and the life of God. We cannot bridge the gulf that divides us from the plan above or the plan below, and the distance that separates us from the life of God is vastly greater than that which separates us from the life of the lower animals.

In China one day I called on a Christian leader who was sick in bed, and whom, for the sake of this story, I shall call 'Mr. Wong' (though that was not his real name). He was a very learned man, a Doctor of Philosophy, and one esteemed throughout the whole of china for his high moral principles, and he had long been engaged in Christian work. But he did not believe in the need for regeneration; he only proclaimed a social gospel.

When I called on Mr. Wong his pet dog was by his bedside, and after speaking with him of the things of God and of the nature of His work in us, I pointed to the dog and inquired his name. He told me he was called Fido. 'Is Fido his Christian name or his surname?' I asked (using the common Chinese terms for 'personal name' and 'family name'). 'Oh, that is just his name', he said. 'Do you mean that is just his Christian name? Can I call him Fido Wong?' I continued. 'Certainly not!' came the emphatic reply. 'But he lives in your family', I protested, 'Why don't you call him Fido Wong?' Then, indicating his two daughters, I asked 'Are your daughters not called Miss Wong?' 'Yes!' 'Well then, why cannot I call your dog Master Wong?' The Doctor laughed, and I went on: 'Do you see what I am getting at? Your daughters were born into your family and they bear your name because you have communicated your life to them. Your dog may be an intelligent dog, a well-behaved dog, and altogether a most remarkable dog; but the question is not, Is he a good or a bad dog? It is merely, Is he a dog? He does not need to be bad to be disqualified from being a member of your family; he only needs to be a dog. The same principle applies to you in your relationship to God. The question is not whether you are a bad man or a good man, more or less, but simply, Are you a man? If your life is on a lower plane than that of God's life, then you cannot belong to the Divine family. Throughout your life your aim in preaching has been to turn bad men into good men; but men as such, whether good or bad, can have no vital relationship with God. Our only hope as men is to receive the Son of God, and when we do so His life in us will constitute us sons of God.' The Doctor saw the truth, and that day he became a member of God's family by receiving the Son of God into his heart.

What we today possess in Christ is more than Adam lost. Adam was only a developed man. He remained on that plane, and never possessed the life of God. But we who receive the Son of God not only receive the forgiveness of sins; we receive also the Divine life which was represented in the garden by the tree of life. By the new birth we receive something Adam never had; we possess what he missed.

They Are All Of One

God wants sons who shall be joint-heirs with Christ in glory. That is His goal; but how can He bring that about? Turn now to Hebrews 2:10 and 11: "It became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren."

There are two parties mentioned here, namely, "many sons" and "the author of their salvation", or, in different terms, "he that sanctifieth" and "they that are sanctified". But these two parties are said to be "all of one". The Lord Jesus as Man derived His life from God, and (in another sense, but just as truly) we derive our new life from God. He was "begotten ... of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:20 mg.), and we were "born of .... the spirit", "born ... of God" (John 3:5; 1:13). So, God says, we are all of One. "Of" in the Greek means "out of". The first begotten Son and the many sons are all (though in different senses) "out of" the one Source of life. Do you realize that we have the same life today that God has? The life which He has in Heaven is the life which He has imparted to us here on the earth. That is the precious "gift of God" (Rom. 6:23). It is for that reason that we can live a life of holiness, for it is not our own life that has been changed, but the life of God that has been imparted to us.

Do you notice that, in this consideration of the eternal purpose, the whole question of sin ultimately goes out? It no longer has a place. Sin came in with Adam, and even when it has been dealt with, as it has to be, we are only brought back to the point where Adam was. But in relating us again to the Divine purpose -- in, as it were, restoring to us access to the tree of life -- redemption has