Delivered and Liberated

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Yesterday, while studying a passage in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 4 verse 18 to be exact, I found a little nugget; something I’d not seen before, But now, it stood out for my benefit. So I thought I’d pass it on to you. 

It came from the lips of Jesus when He was a guest Rabbi in Nazareth. He opened a scroll for the Sabbath reading. Jews everywhere would be reading the same passage, but on this day in Nazareth, Jesus was the reader. In part He read, “…He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance for prisoners, and to liberate the oppressed.”

What struck me were the words deliverance and liberate. As I began to study them from the Greek text, I discovered they were translated from the same Greek word, afesis, one of our words for forgiveness. I was fascinated that both deliverance and liberty were directly tied to forgiveness. 

Then it struck me. Unforgiveness is one of the most effective tools the enemy uses to steal our joy. Unforgiveness can easily bind us with chains of bitterness, resentment, and even rage. If it gets a little foothold, and we don’t deal with it, it can lead to our self-destruction. 

I’m so glad Jesus came to forgive [deliver] prisoners and forgive [liberate] the oppressed. We have been forgiven so much. In turn, when we forgive others, sure, we release them, but the person who is most delivered and liberated is ourselves!

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to liberate the oppressed…   Luke 4:18

Slaying Giants

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

To this day, the story of David and Goliath is one of my all-time favorites. Even non-believers use it as an example of the underdog that faces an invincible champion. Imagine the scene with me. The Elah Valley winds its way between a small mountain range. Don’t think of these mountains like the Himalayas, rather like rolling hills, many of them under a thousand feet in elevation. 

Two armies were camped atop a hill and each day, the champion of one army (the Philistines) stood in the valley to challenge a champion from the other army (the Israelites). 

Not one of the Israelis was willing to face Goliath, the nine and a half feet tall Philistine champion, until a young lad, a shepherd boy named David, came to the camp. My imagination runs wild here. I see all the Israelites shaking in their boots, or should I say, their sandals. One soldier may have shouted, “He’s too big for us to hit.” When David saw his size, he yelled back, “He’s too big for me to miss!”

Armed with a slingshot as his only weapon, he faced the giant, killed him with a single shot of a well placed stone, and that day became a hero that is remembered to this day. 

Facing giants and overcoming them depends on your point of view. One can walk in doubt, asking, “Can God do this?” Or one can walk in faith and proclaim, “God will surely do this!” 

Are you facing a “goliath” at the moment? Have faith, dear friend. With God’s help, your giant is just a stone’s throw from defeat.

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (The MESSAGE Paraphrase)

Renewed Strength

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

There is a natural by-product of overextended schedules and endless responsibilities; it’s called exhaustion. Sometimes we exacerbate the problem by trying to cram even more in our busy lives by multitasking, which often leaves us emotionally and physically fatigued. 

But the Lord has a better idea. He has a radically different approach that offers strength and stamina. It’s called “waiting on the Lord.” Those who do it, find a supernatural spring to their step, which surpasses the natural strength and endurance of the young. No, I’m not joking with you about this. Access to divine power is achieved as we move slower, not faster—stopping to worship God, seek His direction, and ask for His strength to accomplish any task at hand. The best example I can think of is that He is like the air that supports the soaring eagle.

So the next time you find yourself at the point of exhaustion, STOP and take time to turn your attention to the Lord. Walk with Him at His pace. Don’t try to outrun Him. He offers renewed strength to those who walk obediently in His will.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31

When the Odds Are Against You

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament is in the book of Judges, chapter 7, to be exact. It tells about Gideon who would go into battle against a formidable army with merely 300 soldiers. What a victory it was. But wait a minute, victory was only part of the story. Before the victory, He had to deal with the odds against him.

Before we go on, let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt backed into a corner, with the odds stacked against you? Too often, Christ followers fail to recognize that it actually may be God who is orchestrating their circumstances. 

I know what you’re thinking, “No way, Pastor Rick! God is supposed to protect me from such things. It’s the devil or the world foisting this situation on me.” That may be the case. But don’t discount the thought that God allowed you to be, or put you to be, in your situation to, first, get your attention.

Throughout the Bible, there is story after story that confirms this; the Lord used difficulties to build up a person’s faith. It’s easy to trust in the Lord when we motor through life with little difficulty, right? So I’m proposing that God will often remove our comfort and false securities to get our attention, and to remind us that He is the true source of our strength and spiritual vitality.

Back to our story. Gideon led an army of 32,000 men. But God stepped in and two different times, whittled the army down over 99%. Talk about being backed into a corner with the odds stacked against you! To defeat the Midianite army with 300 men seems impossible. But that’s the point. 300 men alone could not do it, but the Lord could.

When your security is stripped away — your money, success, friends, et al — stand your ground and stay focused on the Lord. When all is stripped away, you’ll be amazed what God can do!

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Pedal to the Metal

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Race car driver Bill Vukovich won the Indianapolis 500 race two times, a record only a handful of drivers has ever achieved. When asked about the secret of his success, he replied, “It’s really simple. You press the accelerator to the floor and steer left.”

Some Christ followers tend to complicate things when it comes to serving the Lord. But like race car driving, there's really no secret, just move forward and finish the race. The only thing I would change about Mr. Vukovich’s advice is, steer RIGHT!

Here’s how you “press the accelerator to the floor” for Christ: Love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Don’t get entangled with anything that disrupts the simplicity of that. As the writer of Hebrews said, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” [Hebrews 12:1].

So, ladies and gentlemen, “Start your engines!” There is a race to be won and we’re in it together. 

You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.  1 Corinthians 9:24 [The MESSAGE Paraphrase]

Someone Is Watching

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

In his book, Dare to Care Like Jesus, Leslie Flynn wrote about a Christian baroness living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya. A young national was employed as her houseboy. After three months, he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly sheik some miles away. The baroness, not wishing the houseboy to leave just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay. The lad replied that he was not leaving for higher pay. Rather, he had decided he would become either a Christian or a Muslim. That was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months. He wanted to see how Christians acted. Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe the ways of the Muslims. Then he would decide which way of life he would follow. The baroness was stunned as she recalled her many blemishes in dealing with the houseboy. She could only exclaim, "Why didn't you tell me at the beginning!”

Is it good news or bad news that people are watching us everywhere we go? I think it’s good news, quite frankly. I don’t mean by that we must act perfectly; none of us is able to live that way. But it helps us to see our need of repentance, and examining our behavior and motives. And, most of all, praying for God’s deliverance when we fall short. 

You’re a Christ follower. Better yourself every day for His sake, and for the sake of all who are watching.

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. 2 Corinthians 13:5 [The MESSAGE Paraphrase]

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Speak

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

It happened in the bathroom of a London club. William Beverbrook, a British newspaper publisher and politician, happened to meet Edward Heath, a young member of Parliament. A few days earlier, Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial about Heath.

“My dear chap,” the publisher began, “I’ve been thinking it over, and I was wrong. Here and now, I wish to apologize.” “Very well,” Heath grunted, “but the next time, try insulting me in the washroom and apologizing in your newspaper.”

Have you ever said something that, later, you regretted saying? I hate it when that happens, but I’ve done it many times. It makes me very unhappy, and I’m sure the Lord isn’t too happy either! 

Someone sent me an eMail titled T.H.I.N.K. Before You Speak. It suggested that we consider what we are about to say by using this Acrostic…

T - is it True

H - is it Helpful

I - is it Inspiring

N - is it Necessary

K - is it Kind

That’s really great advice. If what we are about to say doesn’t pass the test, it probably isn’t worth saying—especially when it comes to gossip. So, T.H.I.N.K. before you speak. Allow God to help you refine your words. If you’re going to speak on His behalf, T.H.I.N.K.   

In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3:5-6

Delighted in the Lord

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

I took a few seconds to look up the definition of delight. It means, to gain great pleasure. Some synonyms for delight are: enjoyment, happiness, joy, bliss, rapture, elation, euphoria. I wonder if the Psalmist had all those words in mind when he wrote, “Delight yourself also in the Lord…” [Psalm 37:4]. A better question is, do those words describe your relationship with God? Do you enjoy your time in His presence? If not, why not? A delightful relationship with God is developed through commitment, trust, and patience. 

First, commit your ways to God. Invite Him to examine your desires and intentions, and to  change whatever doesn’t advance His plan and purpose for your life.  

Second, trust God. Is there anyone more worthy to receive your full confidence? Remember, He’s the One who would not spare His only Son from providing eternal salvation for all who would believe in Him [see Romans 8:32].

Third, rest in God. Don’t fret about any issues in your life. When we worry or are anxious about a situation we face, we are neither committing ourselves to the Lord nor trusting in Him. When it comes right down to it, our viewpoint, from the human perspective, is very limited. Therefore, waiting patiently rarely proves easy. But since God has infinite wisdom, and sees your circumstance from a completely different perspective, He knows when the circumstances of your life are timed perfectly for His will to be done. 

A delightful relationship can be hard work, but it need not be drudgery. Consider it a labor of love. It’s wonderful to know that we can have that kind of relationship with God. One of walking hand in hand with our God who delights in us [Psalm 16:3].

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.  Isaiah 61:10-11

Your Legacy

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

William Shakespeare is not my favorite author by any stretch of the imagination. In my high school English class, we read several of his plays and were assigned a short passage to memorize and recite in front of the class. I was assigned Marc Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar. I still remember part of it…

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interrèd with their bones.

So let it be with Caesar.”

There is a biblical ring to that. Death is never the final word in the life of an individual. When we exit planet earth, be it righteous or unrighteous, we leave something behind. Do you want a biblical example of this? OK, there’s Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s first sons. 

God accepted a sacrifice that was brought by Abel, but rejected the one offered by Cain [Genesis 4:4-5]. Abel's was an offering by faith. In contrast, Cain’s was offered in self-righteousness, the reason for it being rejected. In an act of jealous rage, Cain killed his brother, becoming the first person to take the life of another human being. And now he leads the list of those who attempt to approach God in self-righteousness. Cain tried it and failed miserably, as have untold billions after him.

What Cain left behind was a legacy of rebellion, heartache, and judgment. Abel, on the other hand, left us a legacy of righteousness, justice and faith, which, by the way, is the central message of redemption, “The righteous [just] shall live by faith” [Habakkuk 2:4].

You are preparing your legacy now. I hope yours is one of righteousness, justice and faith, one that inspires another to follow suit. The character of your life will determine the legacy you leave to others.

By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. Hebrews 11:4

God-Size Tasks

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

I’ve never had political ambitions, so I’m amazed, intrigued, and fascinated that anyone would enter the political arena. Who would want to put themselves through the public scrutiny as they are today? 

I wonder if Joshua felt that way. Or perhaps he was pleased to accept the honor of leading the nation of Israel after Moses’ death. Regardless, he was keenly aware of the daunting task and responsibility before him. Filled with confidence, he was determined to obey God no matter what.

The Children of Israel were not the easiest group to lead. They were a difficult bunch. As soon as they were delivered from Egypt, they began to grumble about everything — food, water, safety, rules — and to top it off, they openly questioned Moses’ rightful leadership. No sooner was his back turned, than they rebelled against God by making a golden calf to worship. And now it was Joshua’s turn to lead them, a man they had once threatened to stone [Numbers 14:10]. Are you with me? This was a God-size task.

If he had any uncertainty, it was overtaken with boldness and resolve because he put his full confidence in the Lord. He took God at His word and fully expected Him to take them safely into the Promised Land. 

Christ followers face challenges too. I don’t know what yours are, but I do know that God will help you tackle each and every one of them courageously, calmly, and victoriously. Perhaps you’re stuck in a dead-end job, or engaged in a loveless marriage, or contemplating a career change, or battling a terminal disease, the word of the Lord to Joshua will help you too, “Be strong and courageous!”

Joshua had seen God’s faithfulness throughout his lifetime. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a Christ follower for 5 seconds or 50 years, you can have confidence in God too. 

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

Fast Food Mentality

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Fast food companies rake in billions each year. Part of it is because they let you “have it your way,” and partly because they are, well, fast! Because you can instantly get what you want on nearly every street corner in America, it’s easy to fall into what has been called the “fast food mentality.” One psychologist suggested it has become who we are. 

In contrast, there is no “fast food” in the Kingdom of God. The truth is, we can’t always have it our way, and have it right now. Christ followers shouldn’t get caught up in the fast food mentality anyway because then we lose the true meaning of patience. A fast food mentality rejects waiting on the Lord through problems without complaining or worrying. 

Instead of instantly having it our way, we should patiently wait on the Lord to find His way. For that, there are no shortcuts. His way, the deeper walk in the Lord way, requires time in the Word, intimate fellowship in prayer, repentance, humility, and a lifestyle of holiness. That’s a tall order that no short order cook can make happen in five minutes or less. 

Dear Christ follower, don’t settle for a quick hamburger, fries, and coke, when God has a heavenly feast prepared for you. You just have to wait a little longer for it.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3

Help with Understanding Scripture

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

“I just can’t understand the Bible.” As Yogi Berra was fond of saying, “If I’ve heard that twice, I’ve heard it once.” I expect to hear that from unbelievers, but from Christ followers? Really? Why do so many fail to understand the truths of Scripture? Could it be that they haven’t asked for help from the divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit? That is one of His many responsibilities; to enable Christ followers to “know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”

A Christ follower needs spiritual understanding. That’s exactly what the Holy Spirit helps us with. He teaches us what we need to know, not necessarily what other Christ followers know. His goal is to change our lives, to lead us to holiness and godly living.

The Holy Spirit does not want you to merely be filled with information, He wants transformation. Therefore, He will help you to understand the truth of Scripture so that you will fall in love with Jesus and become more like Him. 

Be careful not to expect a dump truck load of understanding at a time. He will, however, give you enough truth each day to change your life. A wonderfully intimate love relationship with Christ awaits those who let the Spirit reveal to them the thoughts of God.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12

God’s Remedy for Worry

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Do you want to worry less? Seriously, do you really want to worry less? Then pray more! Don’t look forward in fear, look upward in faith, and pray more. You shouldn’t be surprised to find that’s the Bible’s answer for what ails you. The Bible stares you down and doesn’t blink first when it comes to prayer.

Jesus taught the disciples that “it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit” [Luke 18:1 - The MESSAGE Paraphrase]. 

Paul wrote to the Colossian Christ followers, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” [Colossians 4:2 - NLT, SE].

The Lord’s brother, James, said, “Are any of you suffering hardships? …keep on praying about it” [James 5:13 - NLT].

Rather than worry about anything, God’s remedy is to pray about everything. Seriously, Pastor Rick? Pray about everything? Yes, everything! Pray about whom you are dating. About diaper changes. About business meetings. About broken faucets. About flat tires and flat wallets. About procrastinating to pray. 

The Psalmist made a bold claim. He said that you honor God when you call on His name. So exchange worry time with prayer time. It’s God’s remedy for worry.

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.  Psalm 50:15