Can You Find Your Owner's Manual?

The other day a friend called me in a panic. He had lost his remote and was unable to change the channel on his TV. He needed the code for his universal remote but couldn't find his owners manual. He knew that I had the same satellite provider so he was hoping that I could dig mine out and find the code he needed. Well I didn't my owners manual so I fired up the internet and began searching. I looked through pages and pages of information and finally found something that I thought might work. My friend was so happy he was punching in the code while I was still on the phone!. The day had been saved!

That night, as I was recalling the event, I couldn't help but ask myself "Who reads their owners manual anyways?" Not me! I usually put them away as soon as they come out of the box, never to be seen again.

The amazing thing about the owners manual is that it becomes your saving grace the moment you actually need the information contained in it. It could be a warranty agreement, serial number (or in the case of my friend a code that has the power to unleash, or completely nullify, the power of technology) but no matter what you are looking for, our desperation suddenly makes that seemingly useless piece of literature into our best friend in the world! We will read it cover to cover and back again if we have to!

So as I thought about owner's manuals I couldn't help but parallel it to how I read my Bible.

My Bible is very much like an owner's manual! It contains lots of great instructions for achieving 'maximum performance', but unless I read it with an intention of doing what it says it is pretty much useless to me. However, when I come to God's word looking for (and surrendered to) what I will find, it becomes the greatest book ever written! It gets transformed from being a boring technical manual into something full of life and value.

What I began to realize is this - there is this amazing correlation between our desire to find wisdom and our willingness to live wisely.

When we pursue righteousness with a heart set upon obedience, we are able to access the wisdom of heaven. God's spirit enables us to understand the mysteries of heaven, as well as tap into His power for holy living. God reveals these things to us because He knows our desire is to obey. He sees that our heart is one of love for Him, because obedience is love, and so He shows us how we can be pleasing to Him.

But here's the thing - God's word says that we must live up to the revelation we have received. We are accountable for what we know. So if we read the Word and receive revelation, but don't obey, we experience a breakdown. We begin living as enemies of God. (The apostle James talks about this in his letter). But God does not want us to be disobedient, and so, I believe God with-holds revelation from those who are stubborn so that they will not have further judgment added upon them. God sees our hearts and so, in His incredible mercy, closes up the eyes of our understanding to protect us from having further judgment added upon us.

It is not that God does not want to reveal himself to the hard of heart, He is simply guarding us from our own immaturity. He does not want to us to incur more of His wrath.

Conversely, God delights in the hungry obedient heart because He knows that the revelation He gives will lead to a life that is pleasing and honoring to Him. God wants us to win. God wants us to be faithful not only for our own sake, but for His names sake! God wants to call us 'good and faithful servants', and prove that He is mighty to save, and so He reveals himself to those whom He trusts.

Are we trustworthy? Are we hungry with a heart set upon obedience?

Like my friend, who was desperate for information (and very eager to do whatever the manual said!) we must come to God's owners manual, the Bible, with an eager and willing heart. When we do, we will find a wealth of wisdom and power in the Words of God.

If we don't, the owners manual might as well be written in Mandarin!

Raising The White Flag

In war, one only surrenders when it is apparent that the battle can not be won. It is the realization that you have only two options: 1) Lose and Die OR 2)Lose and Live!

When we surrender, we choose to live with our loss, instead of dying because of it. We are powerless to overcome sin and so are destined to lose when up against God's righteousness. And so, surrender is the decision of the powerless to live another day.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39

Jesus is Sitting Down

Have you ever read the phrase "and he (Jesus) sat down at the right hand of God" and wondered what's so significant about Jesus sitting at the Father's right hand? For years I simply assumed that being on the right had side was the side of honor, but today I came across something that almost made me jump out of my chair.

If you've ever read the book of Leviticus or Numbers you know that the priests in Israel had a lot of sacrifices to make for the peoples sins! To put it simply, these guys were kept busy. But once a year they would have to go into the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins people had unknowingly committed. Only the High Priest could go in, and only after some serious cleansing/preparation. If you want to talk about the fear of death - these guys would have had it big time! One wrong move and they were dead. Say the wrong thing, bring the wrong sacrifice, forget to do step 5 and WHAM! Not cool!!

But this is what it says in Hebrews 10:11-12

"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties, again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God."

If you're thinking "yeah?.....and?....what's the big deal?" let me re-write it with highlights.

"Day after day every priest STANDS...but when this priest had offered...one sacrifice...he SAT DOWN."

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God not only as a place of honor, but because he's got nothing left to do (but reign over the universe!). That's why he said on the cross "It is finished!". There are no more sacrifices left to make, so he can sit down and rest for the rest of eternity!! No priest would have dared sit down in the Holy of Holies, but that's right where Jesus is sitting. He is seated in the presence of God (the Holy of Holies) and that is why the curtain in the temple ripped in two! There was no more limited access to God, no more need for blood to be shed, no more reason to be scared to and of death! JESUS IS SITTING DOWN!

After God created the world he took the next day off. He rested. Jesus is doing exactly what He saw the Father doing, He is resting on the completed work of the cross. Just like you and I do when we have finished a long day at the office or working on the yard, Jesus is resting because ALL of the work is done!

So now, we can boldly approach the throne and simply worship IN God's presence. We don't have to worry about missing step 5 (whatever that may have been?!) and run to God. How unfortunate that many of us choose to remain outside in the surrounding courts of praise, not understanding the magnitude of what happened when that curtain was torn down the middle over 2000 years ago. God is accessible! And if we understand that Jesus is seated beside Him we will understand that to be WITH Jesus, we must enter into that place, the Holiest Place.

It is the throne room of God, were the Father and the Son are seated. The same throne room that John saw in Revelation and Isaiah describes in Isaiah 6. It is a place where we bow down in gratitude for what Jesus was able to complete. That is why they say "Worthy is the Lamb" and that is why they throw down their crowns!

But we must continue to remember that Jesus is sitting down! If we begin to wipe away the cob webs, placing our penance and "good deeds" on this obsolete altar of atonement we commit treason against the One seated on the throne. He has sat down, never to rise to that altar again to perform a sacrifice. So what in heaven's name are we trying to accomplish there?

It is finished! It is over! We are free from the fear of death! We are free from the need to "make up" for our sins. We are free to meet God! Free to love, and be loved, by God. Why? Because Jesus is sitting down!!!

I hope that gives you cause to celebrate! I hope it causes you to run into that Most Holy Place and thank Jesus for His completed work! And perhaps it will allow you to sit down with Him in the presence of our Abba Father and enjoy His never ending rest.

Spiritual Potty Training

How long would you allow your child to use diapers without learning how to use the toilet before you stepped in and said "this has gone on long enough!"?

2 years? 5 YEARS? 25 YEARS!!!!?

Why is it that we expect every physical infant to mature, but don't assume that spiritual children should as well?

There are countless books outlining early childhood development - what we should expect by a certain age, when they get teeth, crawl, start talking and just about every other behavior known to humanity! So why do we not expect the same kind of consistent growth from our spiritual children? Are God's designs for growth not universal?

If a student doesn't learn to read, and we simply pass them on to the next grade because we don't want to challenge their lack of growth we are not acting in the best interest of that student (or society).

If a child has not learned how to feed, cloth or bathe themselves by the time they are 25 we should consider that a parenting failure.

And yet, year after year we sit idly by while thousands of spiritual children are allowed to enter into their teens and twenties without any considerable growth in their spiritual maturity. (Many still require pastors and teachers to feed, bathe and cloth them).

I believe we have wrongfully concluded that adults who experience a spiritual rebirth live up to their level of physical maturity. That somehow, a 5 year old and a 45 year old person who both experience rebirth on the same day should have dramatically differing levels of spiritual maturity. We have assumed that the 45 year old will inherently know more about spiritual things then the 5 year old. She will be more disciplined, more able to overcome sin and naturally have mature spiritual practices. (After all, they are mature in every other area of their life!)

The truth is that they have no more experience or knowledge then anyone else - we all must undergo an intense time of learning. Learning to eat spiritual food, clean our lives of spiritual 'germs' and cloth ourselves with things like humility, love, patience and kindness. They must also receive diligent nurture and care from mature spiritual adults who can train them up in the way in which they should go.

In the end we must recognize that our physical maturity has little or no baring on our formative years of spiritual maturity, and if we are to become the people that God created us to be we must take seriously our role of being spiritual parents to newborn followers of Jesus. Followers who will require a lot of love in the form of patience, understanding, training and discipline.

Power Dynamics

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of power! It is ruled by a God of all power and administrated by a Spirit of power who is alive in all those who believe in Jesus and his powerful work done on the cross! Therefore it is essential that we understand the power dynamics of this kingdom if we are to effectively live within it.


1) Power is acquired in the secret place

If we are to begin moving out in power we must understand that the primary place for us to receive power is in rest, prayer, fasting and meditation. We must look no further than how Jesus started and ended his ministry time on earth - Jesus began his ministry by engaging in a 40 day fast in complete solitude, and then, prior to his ascension into heaven charges his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait until they receive power from on high.

To put it another way: The battles we fight should be fought in the place of prayer and fasting.

It is in this place that we take hold of the truth God has for us. The place we receive revelation about God's plans. But more importantly, it is the place we prove our worth as a servant - because praying in secret, away from the applause of others, hour-after-hour without tests our hearts to ensure that they are pure and surrendered.

Why is that important? It is important because God will not call just anyone into acts of power.

God is looking for those he can trust. Those who's hearts will not take the glory upon themselves. Those who have proven they desire the kingdom above everything else. Those who have contended for a revelation of the living God and through that revelation have been gripped with a fear of the Lord.

It is this fear and revelation that will ultimately compell us to act upon that which God has asked us to do. It is much like the encounter of Isaiah who upon seeing the throne room falls down in repentance and then declares his willingness to go.

And so, if we are to move out in the power that Christ said would mark His Church, we must foster a life of devotion in the secret place.


2) Power is executed in public acts of faith

In the same way that battles are fought in the secret place, it is true that they are won through public acts of faith. For it is not enough for us to know the will of God, we must act upon His call, and in doing so manifest kingdom power on the earth.

But why are they done in the public arena? Can't we simply pray the victory into existence? Experience power within an intimate group of believers? No! Because God has His heart set upon revealing His glory to all of creation. His acts of power are for the purpose of drawing people to himself so that they may worship Him! So if the battle is won in secret, who is going to be drawn into worship of the God of all Power? (The few who have contended in prayer? They already worship him in fear and trembling!!)

If we try and excercise power in the secret place, away from the eye of the unbeliever, we edify (build up) only those who have already been ravaged by His glory. When we excercise faith in the public arena it tests our resolve and commitment to doing the will of the Father no matter what the cost or outcome. Setting the stage for a cosmic showdown between the "fear of the Lord" and the "fear of man" to see who reigns in our hearts. (The secret place is powerless to do this because there is little or no risk, fear of failure or potential of community ridicule.)

Through public displays of God's power the unbeliever will be called upon to worship Him because she has now had a revelation of who He is, while the believer will be called to offer thanksgiving to God for being faithful to the word spoken in the place of prayer. Both parties experiencing power for one purpose - the glory of God!


3) You will not experience great power until you have great experience

You would never ask a school boy to manage your retirement savings! In the same way, God does not entrust the wealth and power of His kingdom to those he who are not known and trusted.

If we are to become known and trusted by God we must become faithful to the quite promptings of His spirit, pursuing them as though our very life depended on it! After all, why should we expect God to call us a messager to Presidents and Kings if we don't answer the call to be a messenger to our friends and neighbors?

Matthew 25 tells us that those who are faithful with what they have been given will be given more! So, if we are to pursue a life of Kingdom power we must recognize that we will need to prove our worth in the little things prior to being given the keys to the kingdom.

I believe this should be a marker for us in determining those whose hearts are set on the will of the Father and those who are merely seeking power for themselves. Those who understand the power dynamics of the kingdom will surrender themselves to the journey required. (Again, this is why the first dynamic is so important - being driven into the secret place tests the content of our heart and character.)

But we must be careful in rating our level of experience. Experience is not based on age, education or duration of time in the ministry. Experience is not merely quantitative, it is qualitative! It is measured by how diligently we respond to the invitations put before us, and how those encounters have been allowed to shape our hearts. It is not enough that we merely obey what he asks of us, we must also receive what he gives to us in that process.

It is like a young boy who does his math homework on a calculator - he can effectively do everything asked of him with incredible results, but he has not learned how to do mathematics. He has simply learned how to achieve the right answer. In the same way, I can faithfully do everything the Teacher asks, but unless I submit myself to the truths being taught I have not achieved God's desired outcome.

God is looking for men and woman who are willing to submit themselves to His wisdom, power and authority! If we are faithful with small things I am sure that He will call us into greater things, but if we turn a deaf ear towards doing small things we can be sure that we will never manifest great power. I believe it is why Jesus said:

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matt 23:11-12

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So in conclusion I would like to leave you with this prayer to the Ephesians:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom is whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strenghten you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Intellectual Welfare

This is a challenge to all of you wonderfully inquisitive readers out there who diligently scour the internet looking for the latest greatest thoughts, trends and truths spewing out of the mouths of the self-proclaimed enlightened:

Your thoughts (however timid and unrefined) are needed if we are to have a balanced and holistic understanding of how the body of Christ thinks and functions! After all, the book of Ephesians says that we are now 'equals', but each must do it's part.

I urge you to speak up and use the spirit of wisdom God has placed in you. Start sharing your own thoughts. I assure you, it is a skill that will be of the utmost importance if you wish to fulfill Christ's mandate of being a witness to your friends and neighbors (not to mention all nations of the earth!)

Find your voice! Start a blog! Leave a comment!! But for all of our benefits, avoid the world of intellectual assistance and become a contributor! The world needs to hear the truth and the truth is in YOU to speak.

I'm Listening!

A Simple Test

Let me start by saying that I am blogging with the Care Bears blasting behind me, so if this is incoherent I apologize!
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I had a great conversation with a friend of mine yesterday about the dynamics of the "invisible" realm and how we should engage it as followers of Jesus. And so this morning when I awoke thinking about 1 John and the testing of the spirits I was not surprised. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I gained some new insight into identifying those 'invisible' personalities.

I have long been aware of the truth found in 1 John 4, when it says that "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.". I knew that if faced with a demon possessed person or engaged in spiritual warfare I could draw on this simple test to determine if the spirit I was encountering was friend or foe. But today I gained a new perspective on that timeless truth - it should be useful for disarming every kind of argument and quarrel as well!

Have you ever had a heated conversation with another follower of Jesus and felt like you were on completely different pages? Well I believe that by asking one simple question we should effectively be able to determine the spirits at play. What is the question? ..."Is Jesus Lord?"

(Now for the sake of communication I am going to speak as though the other parties motives/heart is in question, but I am in no way saying that the person asking the question is not in the wrong.)

When I ask the question "Is Jesus Lord?" to a person who is opposing what I believe to be truth, or the Way or the will of God it effectively plays the trump card of Lordship. If we are seeking to do the will of the Father, doing only what we see Him doing (just as Jesus did) then that Spirit, the Holy Spirit which Christ sent to us to guide us into all wisdom, will whole heartedly agree with the fact that Jesus is Lord! It will testify that our hearts are indeed surrendered to Jesus (or at least attempting to do so as best as we can). However, every other spirit, the spirits that wage war for our souls, vi for our thoughts and attentions, and lead us astray (though it be ever so subtly) will be arrested by such a question. I am quite certain that they will be marked by justification, defensive words and charges against the questioner about their own motives and self-righteous behavior.

I know that whenever I am pursuing something with selfish ambition the question of "Is Jesus Lord?" is sure to cause me to hesitate for a moment. I am not saying that it has the power to correct my selfishness, or immediately draw me to repentance, but you can be sure that it will quiet the roars of my pride a few decibels!

Ultimately it is my choice as to which spirit I will manifest through my flesh, but I believe that any person who earnestly seeks to do the will of the One True God will welcome that question. I am equally confident that anyone who's heart is not set on pleasing God will be ripe with objections to this probing suggestion.

So I would encourage you to enter today with spiritual eyes to 'see' the invisible realm being manifested in and around you. I think you'll be amazed at what you see!