Words of Encouragement and Thoughts (6)

Daily Devotional by Derek Prince.

Taste and See

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. NIV

Notice that first word, taste: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” You realize, of course, that we are endowed with five physical senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. What is it that’s distinctive about the sense of taste? I’ll tell you one distinctive feature of taste. If we see something, it’s external to us. If we hear something, it’s external. If we touch something, it’s still outside us. If we smell something, it may be still far from us. But there’s one thing about taste: when we taste something, we take it right into us and it becomes part of us. And I believe that’s why the Lord challenges us to “Taste and see.” Don’t let the Lord remain external, don’t let Him remain something outside of you.

Paul says in the New Testament, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” You’ll never really have that hope of glory until you’ve actually tasted of the Lord, till you’ve taken Him within you, and then you’ll know for sure He is good. Not because the preacher says it, not because the radio evangelist declares it, but because you’ve proved it in your experience, you’ve tasted, you’ve invited the Lord to come in and be an integral part of your life. And when you do that, you’ll know He’s good.

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25 NKJV)

LIVING AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT (Part 2)

When you became born again through faith alone in the person and finished work of Jesus, you ceased to be or live in the flesh. The Scripture clearly teaches that a born-again believer is no longer “in the flesh” but “in the Spirit.”

The Scripture plainly states: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom. 8:9 NKJV).

Therefore, you are not expected to struggle or strive by any means to be or live in the Spirit daily, for you are naturally living in the Spirit daily.

However, being in the Spirit or living in the Spirit is totally different from walking in the Spirit or walking by the Spirit.

The Scripture admonishes: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25 NKJV).

The power for a victorious Christian living is only activated and appropriated when you walk in or walk by the Spirit. Sadly, many believers today are only living in the Spirit but not walking in the Spirit.

The primary cause of the daily defeat that many born-again believers are experiencing today in their lives is walking in or walking by the flesh instead of walking in or walking by the Spirit.

When you think, imagine, perceive, speak, judge, act, react, or conduct yourself as the unregenerate people who are in the flesh do; your experiences in life will be exactly the same as theirs.

The Scripture warns, “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.” (Rom. 8:13 AMP).

While as a born-again believer you are constantly and consistently living in the Spirit without any personal effort because when you became born again you were divinely translated from the flesh into the Spirit, however, walking in the Spirit will require your conscious and constant cooperation, obedience, and submission to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

Daily victory over the flesh, the world, sin, or Satan is beyond the natural power, effort, wisdom or strength of any mortal man. It is therefore useless striving to live a victorious life in your own wisdom, might or strength.

This is why the Lord Jesus has sent you a suitable Helper, the Holy Spirit, to live in you, thereby teaching and helping you to walk in perpetual victory in life and also empowering you to do the perfect will of God.

The Holy Spirit is not a mere influence, power or force of God. The Holy Spirit is a living and divine personality. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. But, He is in no way inferior to God the Father and God the Son.

Beloved, it is not living in the Spirit but walking in the Spirit - being responsive to, controlled, guided, governed, directed or ruled by the Holy Spirit - that actually releases to you the supernatural power to live a victorious, overcoming, prosperous or successful Christian life in this evil world.

The Holy Spirit has been sent by the Father and the Son to indwell, preserve, seal, help, enable, anoint, strengthen, empower, comfort, teach, instruct, transform, direct, guide and guard the born-again believers in this life.

Before leaving this world, the Lord Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16 NKJV).

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26 NKJV).

Although you may have the Holy Spirit (the great divine Helper) dwelling in you, yet you may not enjoy or experience His divine wisdom, help and power for a victorious Christian living if you choose not to cooperate with Him, submit to Him, listen to Him, obey and follow His instructions, corrections and promptings which are always consistent with the written Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is not a mere divine power or force to invoke, wield, employ or use whenever you need or have something to be done. He is divine person to fellowship with, honour, listen to, obey and follow.

You cannot enjoy the divine power, help or ministry of the Holy Spirit by just having the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit must have you. This is the reason why many believers today who have the Holy Spirit and speak in great tongues are still living in confusion, defeat, sin, poverty, sickness, failure, etc.

What does it imply to walk in the Spirit?
Carefully consider these scriptures (Gal. 5:16, 25) in the following various translations:

“But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).” (Gal. 5:16 AMP).

“If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]” (Gal. 5:25 AMP).

“What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” (Gal. 5:16 GNT).

“The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives.” (Gal. 5:25 GNT).

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” (Gal. 5:16 NLT).

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Gal. 5:25 NLT).

“This is my meaning: Let your steps be guided by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16 MNT).

“If we are living by the Spirit, let us also keep step in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25 MNT).

“This then is what I mean. Let your lives be guided by the Spirit, and then you will certainly not indulge the cravings of your lower natures.” (Gal. 5:16 WNT).

“If we are living by the Spirit's power, let our conduct also be governed by the Spirit's power.” (Gal. 5:25 WNT).

In summary, looking at these scriptures (Gal. 5:16, 25) in different translations, we can deduce that walking in the Spirit implies the following:

Being responsive to, controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit;
Walking in line with the Holy Spirit;
Allowing our conduct to be controlled by the Holy Spirit;
Letting the Holy Spirit control our lives;
Allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our lives;
Letting the Holy Spirit guide our lives;
Following the leading of the Holy Spirit;
Letting our steps be guided by the Holy Spirit;
Keeping steps with the Holy Spirit;
Letting our conduct be governed by the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, it is not living in the Spirit but walking in the Spirit - being responsive to, controlled, guided, governed, directed or ruled by the Holy Spirit - that actually releases to you the supernatural power to live a victorious, overcoming, prosperous or successful Christian life in this evil world.

You were born again of the Holy Spirit and of the Word (John 3:5). Similarly, it is also by obeying, yielding or submitting to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word constantly that you can constantly appropriate, experience and enjoy all the blessings that Jesus Christ has purchased for you through His death on the cross.

Therefore, don’t just live in the Spirit, arise today and begin to walk in the Spirit – allowing the Holy Spirit to direct, guide, govern or control your life.

Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for walking by the flesh while living in the Spirit. From this day henceforth, I choose to be controlled, directed and guided by the Holy Spirit. So, help me Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

"He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known ." Proverbs 10:9

BUILDING TRUST WHEN FAITH WAVERS

Mark 9:21-24

Since faith is the core of our Christian experience, the consequences of wavering faith are far-reaching. Vacillating trust can lead us to make wrong decisions. Sometimes, after praying for direction, we might receive an answer that leads us to think, I can’t do that. So, instead of asking God to strengthen our faith, we make excuses. We may choose to postpone our obedience—even indefinitely—in order to do something else we consider just as worthwhile. But partial obedience is still disobedience, and it leads to situations that can be dire.

When our faith falters, not only can it result in poor choices, but it also is costly. The Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert because the nation allowed unbelief to overtake their faith. Wavering trust can make us miss out on the blessings of God; it often proves detrimental to those we love as well.

Our confidence will also be affected by shifting faith. When we are spiritually unsteady, we can easily be shaken by little things—even insignificant matters. Instead of standing firm, we may find our confidence eroding. Then we become less willing to take the risks God is asking of us. Rather than acting with certainty, we question and doubt what we are hearing from the Lord. We may also find joy diminishing because our wavering faith has led us away from God’s will. The inner peace of God that we once enjoyed evaporates as our faith weakens.

No matter how unsteady our faith, God invites us to draw near so He can strengthen our trust in Him. When He does, accept His invitation and give Him the glory.

InTouch Daily devotional by Charles Stanley

A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice

He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow… —John 7:38

Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.

When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask…of very costly oil…and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “…there were some who…said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “…wherever this gospel is preached…what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?

“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek Him for Himself. The Moral Foundations of Life, 728 L

Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers

My question is, will you be my child?

John 1:12-13
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (NIV Bible)

We all have a decision to make in this life. Do we receive the gift of God's only Son or do we reject Him? It is our choice to make. Father is not willing that even one person should reject this precious gift, but He will never overpower our freedom of choice. He offers each one of us the ultimate expression of His love through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This gift is freely given and it must be freely received.

The decision is ours to make. God the Father has done everything that He could possibly do to remove every obstacle that would prevent us from coming home. Jesus made sure of that by taking upon Himself the complete burden & penalty of our sin when He died on the cross of Calvary. There is nothing that can now prevent us from becoming a child of God…except our freedom of choice.

Being born of God is the most wonderful experience that can ever happen to a human being. It is the ultimate homecoming that we have all been created to experience and the fulfillment of our destiny…to be sons and daughters in our Father's glorious family.

Coming home to the Father's love is not complicated and could never be earned by our good works. The only way home is found in Jesus alone. He is our Lord and our Savior, and as our big brother, He has promised to take us by the hand and lead us to His Father.

If we will simply be willing to believe that Jesus is God's Son, and receive the gift of His life for our life, then instantly and miraculously, we are born into His amazing family. If you have never prayed a prayer to be born in God's wonderful family, perhaps today is your day to come home. The following prayer can help you express in words, your heart's cry to be completely and unconditionally loved and accepted by God the Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
Father, I want to be Your child! I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to take my place on the cross and bear my sin, so that I could come home to Your love. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and I gladly receive Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank You Jesus for being obedient to Your Father's will, by dying on the cross for me. I thank You for taking upon yourself my sin and my shame. I turn from my own way of living my life and I receive your life as my life. Come into my heart Lord Jesus, today I am coming home. AMEN.

Father's Love Letter devotional

"Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him." Proverbs 29:20

"And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV)

SPIRITUAL DRINK FROM SPIRITUAL ROCK

While journeying from Egypt to Canaan through the wilderness the children of Israel had their thirst quenched or satisfied twice miraculously by water from the rock (Exo. 17:1-6, Num. 20:1-12).

Obviously, God was using that to foreshadow His plan and provision to satisfy the thirst of all wearied souls through Christ Jesus.

The Scripture later reveals that it was not just ordinary water they drank but a spiritual drink and that the rock was not an ordinary rock but a spiritual Rock, Christ Jesus.

The Scripture reveals, “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4 NKJV).

Undoubtedly, the gracious provision of water from the rock to satisfy the thirsty children of Israel in the wilderness was a good type or representation of God’s gracious provision of everlasting life in and through Christ for all sinners.

Let us consider some parallels:

First, God had graciously provided the rock for the children of Israel even before they were thirsty or arrived in the wilderness.

Likewise, God has graciously provided the means of salvation for all men even before the advent of sin in the world. The Scripture reveals that Christ was slain for us as the Lamb of God to take away our sins from the foundation of the world(Rev. 13:8, John 1:29).

Second, if God didn’t provide the water from the rock for the thirsty children of Israel they would all die of thirst in the wilderness.

Similarly, if God didn’t provide the means of salvation for us by sending us His Son Jesus Christ to give us everlasting life as a gift, we would all die in our sins and search for salvation. Anyone who rejects Jesus Christ and His atonement for sins on the cross will die in his sins and in his search for salvation.

The Lord Jesus Christ warns, "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24 NKJV).

Religion is not a means of salvation. Neither are good works nor adherence to the laws of Moses.

The Lord Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NKJV).

The Scripture emphatically states: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NKJV).

Third, the rock had to be struck in order for the thirsty children of Israel to have water in abundance to satisfy their thirst.

In the same way, Jesus Christ had to be struck, smitten and crucified on the cross in order for us to have salvation and all its benefits.

Prophet Isaiah saw that in advance and prophesied, saying, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:4-5 NKJV).

If Jesus was not stricken, smitten, bruised, wounded and crucified on the cross for our sins, we would not have everlasting life and have it more abundantly.

The Lord Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11 NKJV).

Fourth, the thirsty children of Israel drank freely and abundantly from the rock. There was no any precondition or prerequisite to drinking from the rock that God had graciously provided for them. Their thirst and faith to draw close to the rock in expectation of the water was enough. Once the rock was struck, the water flowed out abundantly and anyone thirsty could drink freely and abundantly.

Similarly, salvation is absolutely free for all men. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross is enough for the entire world to be saved. Therefore, there is no sacrifice or work required for anyone to drink of the water of life (Eph. 2:8-9). All that it takes is thirst and faith to receive or drink from Christ.

The Lord Jesus publicly announces, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37 NKJV).

John the Beloved writes, “And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17 NKJV).

Beloved, what God is now graciously, freely, and abundantly offering all mankind in and through Jesus Christ infinitely transcends what the children of Israel experienced in the wilderness when they drank freely and abundantly from the rock.

Many of the Israelites who drank from the rock perished in the wilderness and never made it to the Promised Land. But, anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and receives the gift of everlasting life He offers will never perish, but he will reign with Christ in this life and also throughout eternity (John 11:25-26).

The Scripture states: “For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:17 NKJV)

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14 NKJV).

Friend, are you thirsty for true love, joy, peace, loving and intimate relationship with God?

Come to Jesus Christ, the Spiritual Rock, and drink freely the living water abundantly!

Jesus Christ is saying to you today, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37 NKJV).

What are you still waiting for? Drink freely and abundantly from the living water today by believing and confessing Jesus Christ as your Saviour and surrendering your whole life to Him as your Lord!

Prayer: My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing abundantly the living water for me in Christ Jesus. I choose today to drink freely and abundantly from the living water by believing, confessing and surrendering to Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour, in Jesus’ name. Amen.