I thought this was awesome....it really speaks to what He has been working in my life right now. I hope it blesses others too!
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Daily Devotional by Tommy Tenney[/FONT]
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Experiencing His Presence [/FONT]
Shall We Waver At the River
?
The Israelites in the wilderness chose to embrace all the negative reports and the safe counsel of men instead of the riskier counsel of God. As a result, an entire generation died homeless. They never stepped into the water of transition from the deliverance of bondage to the possession of God's promise. It's time for this generation to dive into the river ( The God Catchers , p. 46, emphasis mine).
Those who follow the living God constantly move forward. If you are a follower and a chaser, you know that if you expect to follow Him, then rivers are not purely recreation stations where you can dip your toes in the water while remaining securely on the apparent safety of the bank. As God Chasers, we all must understand that
Rivers are to cross and transition through ( The God Catchers, p. 46).
When you are going nowhere and have nothing to accomplish, then wavering, hesitating and stalling become a way of life. If you dare to deny your fears and selfish motives and instead pick up your cross and chase the Savior, then crossings, transitions, change, and challenge are your constant companions. 1 Stopping midstream and looking back are not options for you. 2 If you choose to life this kind of life, then it becomes mandatory that you live by faith.
Have you done your share of wavering at the river? Are you ready to cross the waters of uncertainty and possess God's purpose for your lifeno matter what the cost? Describe what some of the cost may be
There is nothing wrong with stained glass or well-trained choirs, and preaching is obviously a thoroughly biblical foundation of the Christian life. However, I don't mean to burst a cherished bubble, but God isn't impressed with any of these things. They are for us , not Him ( The God Catchers, p. 47).
According to Paul, Jesus gave the leadership gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher to the church for one major reason: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. This is where we find the proper place and function of preaching, teaching, exhortation, instruction, and discipleship.
Our problem is that we've grown so fond of our earthly teachers, classrooms, and curriculum that we refuse to graduate from God's prep school and enter the spiritual workplace (the harvest). In other words, we are wavering on the riverbank of temporary comfort and refuse to cross by faith into the land of purpose and promise.
It is not my place to predict what will happen, but we do know that when the Israelites pulled the same stunt, they exchanged their promise from God for a lifetime of purposeless wandering instead.
This is what I was referring to when I said:
He only comes to our meetings in response to our worship and our hunger. Remember that earthly brokenness creates heavenly openness. For that reason, I am compelled by the Spirit of God to say what may be one of the oddest statements you will ever see in a Christian book: Don't let church obscure your view of God ( The God Catchers, p 47) .
Do you think a biblical church, one framed and operated on the true New Testament model, would obscure your view of God? Does the church of this generation obscure and block the passionate pursuit of God, or does it fan the flames of god-ward passion and urge forward everyone who would pursue Him?
Our chief function within the church is to love and worship God, and our secondary internal function is to buildup, encourage, and love one another. Our chief function outside the church is to be a witness to the city, to the whole nation and neighboring countries, and to the end of the world and make disciples of all nations.
In your study of God's Word, have you ever found the task of Pleasing Self noted on God's list? So who put it there? Since the apostle Paul told us to examine and test ourselves, ask yourself this question: If I remove that illegal entry from my God Chasing list, how am I doing as a disciple of Christ? How is my local church doing?
What Do You Think?
I didn't see any use in gathering at the river if I couldn't float on it, fish in it, cross it, or jump in for a refreshing swim. I never really understood the songs we used to sing until I met the One we were singing about. I wonder how long, in our collective immaturity, we have sung about His presence without ever diving in? (page 46)
1. What do you think? How many timesor how many yearshave you sung about entering His presence without even sensing it, let alone diving in? How desperate are you to experience the Real Thing?
2. What do you think? Did all of this talk about His presence begin to make more sense after you experienced your first encounter with God's manifest presenceor are you still waiting for that encounter?
Hebrews 3:144:1 and Numbers 13:1714:38; where we discover the danger of wavering in unbelief when God command us to jump into His purpose by faith.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,
15 while it is said: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?
17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
The New King James Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1982.
Prayer Dear Lord, by Your grace I will deny myself daily, take up my cross, and chase after You. Grant me the grace to be graceful to those who refuse to chase with me, or who may even try to hinder my pursuit of Your presence. Have mercy on the church and continue Your purifying work in her, Lord. We desperately need You.
