Blog Archives

A Good Memory – Sharp Discernment – and a Ready Reply.

Don’t  Remember the last thing God said to you and you to God. Remember it, and hold onto it. It is obviously important to you, to God, and to the Devil – for different reasons. Jesus has told us Satan will try and steal those words God gives to us – that is why you are being hit with powerful pressure from the Devil. This is what Satan did in Jesus case: God said ”You are my son whom I love; with you I am very well pleased”. Satan attacked those words in Jesus heart and said, “If you are the son…”. Satan hears the life giving words God speaks to you and will do his utmost to steal them from your heart.

The second is sharp discernment. When Jesus was put under pressure by the Devil in the desert, he (as usual) appeared in another form and masked his temptation so it appeared good but was bad. which appeared to be good was in fact evil. Satan’s temptations come in delightful wrappings. If you are feeling are considering doing something questionable beware…your desires are the Satan’s wrapping – there is a death grenade inside the appeal. In Jesus second temptation he saw through Satan’s appealing offer of glory and power and said “No!” Your offer is really about my allegiance  to God – I refuse to give in to you!

The third is a ready reply. Jesus had a ready reply for Satan. The apostle Paul calls these “the sword of the Spirit”. That is, Spirit led words from the Bible or from your heart. When Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan” he was not quoting from the Bible but speaking by the Holy Spirit. We must do the same – using God’s words to attack the temptation with God’s power. After all, it is a temptation of power and it will only yield to power in return.

Or as James said - “Submit to God, resist the Devil, and he will flee from you”. 

A Two Minute Spiritual Vitamin For A Modern Temptation

The incident of Jesus “shining brighter than the sun” recorded in Luke’s gospel, chapter 9 and verse 28 is an example of the way God changes people for the better. He is  still touching people with his glory to change us too.  Being caught up in a glory encounter like that is not the “work it out beforehand” kind of learning experience but the “figuring it out afterwards” type. Whilst our Westernised brains prefer to figure things out from available information, God teaches us in a variety of ways, often causing us do our mental processing afterwards.  Paul on the Damascus Rd and Peter, James, and John on the mountain are examples of the ‘figure it out later’ kind.

Such divine encounters are God’s way of giving us life changing downloads and refreshing insights which transform us. In the examples, both Paul and the three apostles were touched by God’s glory – that is, they experienced it. With many people drowning in stress and too much information these days, we desperately need such new experiences with their new sources of knowledge. Experiencing God’s glory like those early people is one way God seeks to change us for the better.

3 steps and a key.

Firstly, divine encounters happens to Jesus friends – so, be a friend to Jesus.

Secondly, it happens to those who have been following him – start following to make sure you get your downloads.

Thirdly, open your heart to his learning agenda for you – that is, don’t put any conditions on the downloads Jesus wants to give to you -work hard at not controlling God!

Key: seeing God’s glory is not about improving our minds but about teaching our hearts to know and trust him.

Transformed By Glory – a 2min talk.

The Bible teaches each person has a unique place in life.

Adam had a place: God made him outside the Garden and then placed him inside into his own place and role. The Garden was his place. Judas, like Satan, had a place but lost it. Though given a very special place he did not value it could not hold it. Like Satan, the Bible tells us he lost his place. What a terrible result.

Some keys:

1. As in the placement of Adam God is the one who does it and the only one who can. “No one from the east or the west can exalt a person;  it is God who judges – he brings one down, he exalts another”. Psalm 75.6,7.

2. We are to cooperate with him. The curse of Eden is we are convinced we know what is best. Have not we learnt yet? The only way we can enter and hold our place is to be brought into it by him. The method is simple the way is not as we must learn the ways of another…(Ps 95.10). His ways are different for each of us. Adam had to learn about God as a male with a particular role and job; Eve hers as a female with a different role and job.

3. Next, we are to step out and come out on the things he teaches us. Use it or loose it.  He teaches us as he taught the 12 Apostles – in relationship and on the job. This is, relational knowledge, not conceptual; practical not theoretical. He will teach us about himself and life on our jobs -  that is, in the ordinary course of our life’s circumstance – relational things taught in relational ways.

As we treasure and act on the things he teaches we will get more from him. Using God’s  stewardship principle – using what he gives to get more – we will discover increasing focus and momentum guiding us towards our unique place. Keep going.

The Way Of Shame.  Taken from the Christmas story at Matthew 1: 18-25.

Outwardly, when Mary’s pregnancy was discovered her family and community would have put shame onto her for being unfaithful to God & to Joseph. No one would possibly believe her story that it was God who had made her pregnant.

Her future husband Joseph, also seeing things at face value, thought her pregnancy meant she had slept with someone else. Because he was righteous before God, he decided to end their relationship, not wanting to be united to Mary’s shame.

Inwardly, Mary was not in shame but in great personal joy and glory. Gabriel, God’s special messenger, had told her of all women on the Earth she had been chosen to bear a special child for the Earth. One aspect of that child’s specialness would be that he was going to start a whole new branch of humanity which would not have any connection to existing humanity. In other words, God would start a new family tree for humanity through her child by creating him by his Spirit in Mary’s womb. This meant no human father was involved, hence Mary’s unexpected and miraculous pregnancy – which looked shameful to outsiders.

Sometimes God’s ways with with people appear shameful – counter to our culture but not counter to the culture of his Kingdom. He knew his action meant Mary would bear shame from those who did not understand.

When he understood, Joseph also became willing to bear Mary’s community and religious shame, and delighted to be shamed himself when he did marry Mary. The key to bearing the shame of God is revelation. In Mary’s case it was revelation from an angel, in our cases it it likely to be from the Holy Spirit in our understanding – the opening of our minds by God to see things his way.

Both shame and glory are part of Jesus Kingdom. Our words and actions will be misinterpreted and misunderstood by others. That is, our loving and serving of God will involve receiving shame from people.

However, God knows what he is doing and when he told Mary his plan she delighted to bear his shame. If we are bearing outward shame and are in anguish about it, it is because we await the insight which comes from God’s revelation. Seek it, and seek him and he will change our outward shames into inward joy and glory – then we will gladly bear both our shame and his.