Tag: life

Strength That Never Fails

Joshua 14:11
11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

  • May we never doubt the power of The Spirit and what The Lord can do through a willing, obedient vessel.
  • Not all of us will be blessed with physical vigour as Caleb but there is no excuse not to have such a testimony in the Spirit.
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace is enough for you; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may be seen over me.
  • There was no loss of effectiveness and ability. There was no loss of confidence or faith. Caleb did not for a second doubt the power of God as he moved in obedience.
  • Let us encourage and remind the older saints of such precious truths. Oh, that there would be an older generation that does not slack in faith and vigour of The Spirit; who are fierce in prayer; who are mighty in compassion and unmovable in wisdom and faithfulness. Let us recognise those who are older in years of service and be challenged and inspired by their knowledge of The Lord and love for Him.
  • Too often the weight and responsibility of the future is placed upon the youth! This is reckless and worldly foolishness and utterly unbiblical! The young are to look to their elders and be encouraged and inspired; taught and trained! Oh may we look with awe to our examples and follow with joy in their footsteps. May we look to exalt our elders in The Lord who have walked before us, who have dug wells and springs in the valleys and desert places. Those who can share the never failing faithfulness of The Lord; those who have sought Him, found Him, proved Him and have been granted to be bearers of His glorious testimonies!
  • Our thinking is so backward today and we have lost the wisdom and pattern of God in this area.

Joshua 14:12
Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

  • Caleb doesn’t ask for a small, easy patch. He doesn’t request land already conquered. 
  • Caleb picked a fight! A mighty fight! A fight that he could not win on his own! A fight that would prove and glorify The Lord God. A fight that would be a mighty and precious testimony unto God. He saw the potential; He saw the limitless ability of Almighty God; He saw the testimony to be won and the abundant promise to be claimed!
  • Caleb was careful to confess that His victory relied solely on the presence and blessing of The Lord being with him. He did not aim/seek to take this mountain in His own strength.

Living Waters From Spiritual Paupers

Matthew 5
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  • The poor, the paupers, those in poverty of spirit, those who recognise and acknowledge they have nothing in themselves, those with nothing to offer, no strength, no riches, no light, no wisdom, no solution… They have a craving hunger and desperate need for the Spirit of God so that they might have His life, His light!
  • THEIR’S IS THE KINGDOM!! To them it is given! To live in the goodness of it! To enjoy it! To share it!

John 7
38 He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed (trusted, had faith) in Him were afterward to receive…

  • It is those who recognise the utter inability in self; whose hunger for God drives them to confess in their hearts a surrendered dependence on Jesus Christ; who seek to remove any obstacle that hinders the flow of His life… BLESSED ARE THEY! Those who are yielded to Him, abiding in Him, in desperate need of Him and allow Him to live through them. Oh How blessed they are! 
  • It isn’t pleasant in the flesh to recognise and acknowledge our spiritual poverty and emptiness. The flesh doesn’t like to be found out and exposed. It’s an ugly, rotting corpse that tries to stay covered up. But there is wonderful joy, liberty and victory when we bring it all to Jesus, when we confess our sin, mortify our flesh, repent of going our own way and seek communion and intimacy with Christ above all. 
  • When we acknowledge we are paupers, when we believe on Him, THEN the rivers of living waters flow! And let us believe this!! Stop looking at your weakness, inability and the ugliness of your flesh! Believe on Him!!! Believe His word! Believe in the rivers of living waters! Hallelujah! And let Him flow! 

Psalm 119
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.

  • “when you” / “Teach me” / “Give me” / “Make me” / “Incline my heart” / “Turn away my eyes” / “Establish your word”
  • It is The Lord who does the work. Just like the psalmist, there will be a complete dependence upon The Lord for His Life. He alone will receive all the glory. There is nothing at all that we can accomplish in our flesh! There is an acknowledgement of our pitiful/powerless/sinful state and the recognition that it is only by Him that we have any hope/life or strength to obey.
  • It is such a wonderful encouragement to hear the psalmist pray like this. These prayers are recorded for our example and benefit. We too can have a heartcry for The Lord’s teaching and leading. Oh Lord, incline MY heart… Turn away MY eyes… Make ME go… Oh Lord please do this same work in me!!

He Knows The Way

Exodus 33
15 And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
16 For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favour in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

Acts 4
13 Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marvelled; and they recognised that they had been with Jesus.

• Are we distinguished from the world by the presence and leading of Almighty God? Do those around me look at my life and recognise that I have been with Jesus today? What do they see? Do they recognise the testimony of the creator God in my conversation and conduct? or do they just see another self labelled “Christian”?

• These are tough questions that may always cause us to feel lack or shame, but they are good reminders and good checks in our Spirit. May we be careful not to stray from The Shepherd, may we be vigilant to remain utterly dependant on Him and His life. John 15:5 “…for without me you can do nothing.”

God Lives In Me!

This is no small claim. I’ll be honest, I sometimes doubt that He lives in me at all. I mean consider the implications of such a claim: That God, almighty, all powerful, the creator God, infinite in wisdom and power, the source of all life, truth and love… He lives in me? I’ll tell you this, if that’s a truth then my life will look vastly different!

I am sure of this though, He wants to… Continue reading “God Lives In Me!” →