He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.
— Romans 4:20

When we first began our TV ministry in the former USSR, I traveled long distances to reach cities where I could become personally acquainted with the directors of massive TV stations and begin a relationship with them that would enable me to negotiate for time on their stations. I always traveled with my associate — and in the early days, I often took my eldest son Paul along with me so he could see and experience the miracles God performed to open doors for our TV ministry.

On one such trip, late at night, faith erupted in my heart for the expansion of our TV ministry across all the former USSR. I’ll never forget that moment! Prior to that revelation, we had begun to broadcast the message of the Gospel through our TV program, but I never realized until that night how vast our TV outreach was destined to become.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

After a full day of exhausting travel and meetings with TV station managers — just when I thought I was about to go to bed for the night — a “spark” of faith suddenly ignited in my heart. It was like dynamite had been detonated in my spirit, and I knew that something massive had been moved in the spirit realm. My spiritual eyes were opened in an instant, and I supernaturally knew that this TV outreach was to be far larger than I had ever dreamed.

I asked my associate for a large folded map of the USSR that we carried with us, and I found myself unfolding it and laying it out on the floor of my hotel room. I asked for a magic marker. As if a divine hand was guiding me, I took that magic marker and begin to circle huge geographic areas where the Holy Spirit drew my attention. I knew the Spirit of God was instructing me to take the teaching of the Bible to these vast territories through our television ministry.

There had never been Christian TV in the Soviet Union, so we were breaking brand-new ground. Hence, I knew that all the areas where the Spirit led me to circle were virgin territory for the broadcasting of the Word of God. It wasn’t long before the entire divine strategy was laid out on the map before me.

My associate and son watched as the Holy Spirit guided my hand and the magic marker. I circled one region, then another, and another, until a massive chain of connecting circles covered one side of the map all the way to the other far extreme. It reached all the way from Riga in the west, across the cities nestled in the Ural Mountains, all the way to Siberia, and over to Vladivostok in the Far East. Also circled were Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and all the southern Muslim Republics. To top it off, I even sensed the Holy Spirit leading me to circle vast territories in Russia’s northwest lands.

When I finished, I looked at my associate and Paul, and they were astonished. They had witnessed an entire vision supernaturally manifested right before their eyes as I moved that magic marker! That night we laid our hands all over those circled areas and claimed them for the Kingdom of God. I even laid my whole body across that circled map and prayed for the anointing of God to open doors we didn’t know how to open. There was no doubt that a major event had been supernaturally birthed by the Spirit of God at that late hour in that hotel room. By midnight, it was conceived, put on paper, and already committed to the hands of God in prayer.

When we returned to our office, which was at that time in Jelgava, Latvia (where we also lived in those early years), I took that large map, framed it, and hung it in the hallway of our offices. It became a reminder of the vision God had supernaturally given us — a reminder of where we were to go and what areas we were to tackle to get our programs on the air. At the time I didn’t realize that to broadcast in all those areas would make our TV ministry the largest Christian broadcast in that part of the world — over a network of stations that would reach millions upon millions of TV viewers.

But that was just the beginning. Once the vision was conceived and put to pen and paper so others could see it, the work had to begin. That meant I would have to travel intensively to all those regions. But first, God would have to open the doors for me to meet with the top TV directors of the largest stations in all those areas. Since most of them were Communists and atheists who were opposed to the Gospel, this would take a miracle.

Step by step, God gave us appointments with powerful TV directors — and we watched as those huge, circled areas were seized by the Spirit of God for the broadcasting of our programs. In a relatively brief period of time, doors began to open; agreements were signed; and our TV programs were broadcasted all over the former USSR. It was a first for Christian broadcasting in the former Soviet Union.

Naturally speaking, this all seemed impossible. But exactly at that time, God quickened my heart to the story of Abraham and Sarah. Although they were too old to produce children, God made a promise to them — a promise and vision that seemed too fantastic to believe: that they would give birth to a child in their old ages. Romans 4:20 tells us that in spite of the overwhelming odds that seemed to be stacked against them, Abraham believed what God had told him. It says, “He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.”

Abraham could have doubted the possibility of having a child, or he could have easily convinced himself that this dream was impossible. But the Bible says that Abraham “…staggered not at the promise of God…” (Romans 4:20).

That is exactly how I felt about the vision God had put before me. I knew that God had spoken to me, and as impossible as that vision seemed in the natural, a faith was ignited in my heart that pushed me into the realm of supernatural possibilities. Just as Abraham “staggered not” at the promise of God, I found myself standing in faith, confidently assured, that I had heard from God. Although this vision seemed bigger than anything I could ever accomplish, it was one that had been birthed by the Spirit of God — and I knew in my heart that I could not “stagger” at what God had shown me.

Abraham was a man who made many mistakes along his walk of faith, but Romans 4:20 says one thing he did right is that he did not “stagger” at what God had promised him. Regardless of his humanity and blemishes in his character, Abraham knew that God had spoken to him, and he held tightly to what God had promised.

The word “stagger” in Romans 4:20 is derived from the Greek word diakrino, which means to waver. It pictures one who is doubtful, constantly changing his mind about what he believes, wobbling in his faith, and vacillating back and forth. In other words, this person is unstable in what he believes.

James 1:7 declares that a man who wavers cannot receive what God has promised: “For let not that man [a wavering man] think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” And then in verse 8, James likens a wavering man to a “double-minded” man. In Greek, the word “double-minded” is dipsychos, and it pictures a man with two minds. One mind directs one way, and the other mind directs another way. As a result, he is pulled in two directions, constantly fluctuating in what he believes. One day he believes; the next day he doesn’t believe. Thus, even if God has made a promise to such an individual, this constant vacillation will keep him from receiving it. Being “double-minded” is serious business — so don’t be double-minded!

Those who do not stagger are single-minded about what God has told them. They stand in a solid, convinced position, and they hold tightly to what God has told them. Heart, soul, and mouth — all are in agreement with that which God has promised. Although they may have imperfections that seem glaring to them personally, this one quality of being single-minded and unwavering is enough to bring the manifestation of what God has promised them, regardless of their other flaws.

Abraham took such a position of faith. He was single-minded about what God had promised, and he did not move, budge, or waver. The vision he saw went directly into his heart, and he did not vacillate on believing God would fulfill His promise. That confident foundation of faith carried Abraham through many years of waiting — and because of this non-negotiable stance, he and Sarah received the son God had promised.

That is what happened to me in the early days of our ministry in the former USSR. God spoke. I believed. And a sure confidence came into my heart that carried Denise and me through numerous battles and challenges until, finally, we began to see our TV program spread far and wide across the former Soviet Union. Because we did not stagger at the vision God had revealed, the Gospel ended up being broadcasted into millions of homes across the 11 time zones of the former USSR. It may have seemed far-fetched when God first revealed His plan, but God delights in making the “impossible” possible for those who do not waver in their faith!

What are you believing for in your life right now?

Has God shown you a vision for your life that you know you are supposed to accomplish? God wants to do the far-fetched for you! But like Abraham and others who have seen the impossible come to pass, you must be steadfast and stable in your stance of faith — not moving, not budging, and not wavering. You must resolve to stand in faith and give glory to God that what is impossible with men is possible with God.

Today I encourage you to pray the prayer below and speak out from your heart the following confession. Ask God to ignite faith in your heart that will cause you to become immovable in your stance of faith regarding what God has promised you. Never let the devil convince you that your dream is too far-fetched, because with God, all things are possible!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for revealing Your plan for my life. When I first understood the greatness of what You wanted to do through me, it boggled my mind. But now I understand that all things are possible to those who believe. Like Abraham and others who have seen You do the impossible in their lives, I believe that I will see my seemingly impossible dream come to pass in my life. You will always do exactly what You have promised to do. Ignite faith in my heart to believe, and help me stand firm, stable, and unwavering in my faith. Help me stay focused until I receive the manifestation of what You have revealed to me about my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I boldly confess that I will see the manifestation of what God has revealed to me about my life. Naturally speaking, it seems grandiose and far-fetched, but God delights in doing what seems impossible for those who believe, and I am among those who believe. I declare that my faith is confident and solid — that I do not waver or wobble in my faith! And I do not doubt the vision that God has shown me concerning my life. It’s not a question of “if ” it will happen, but merely a question of “when” it will come to pass. Until then, I will remain spiritually strong and stable, not staggering at the promise of God!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of other men and women of God in the Bible who received a grand vision and stood in faith until they saw it manifested? Why not make a list and encourage yourself by the examples of others who believed and received the manifestation of their promise from the Lord?
2. How would you describe the vision that God has shown you for your life? Do you understand in detail what God wants to do through you and for you? Have you really meditated on it to the point where it has percolated deep in your spirit and you know that you have it by faith? Are you ready to take action through preparation for that vision to come to pass?
3. What impossible things have you already seen God do in your life? It would be very healthy for you to meditate on those things and strengthen your faith by remembering them.

Ye are the salt of the earth….
— Matthew 5:13

In the verse above, Jesus taught that we are to be the salt of the earth. Considering the various uses of salt in the ancient world and how important salt was in that time, this statement carried great weight. When He likened His listeners to salt, all kinds of images flashed through their minds, and they understood the many connotations that salt carried with it. By using this illustration of salt, Jesus was teaching about the influence that we are supposed to have upon the world in which we live.

The word “salt” in Greek is the word halas, and it describes salt exactly like the salt we use in our homes and kitchens today. Today salt is so common that it can easily be purchased in any grocery store. But in New Testament times, salt was an expensive and treasured commodity that was crucial and needed in many spheres of life, as you will see in today’s Sparkling Gem.

High-quality salt could only be found in a few places in Israel. One location was the Hill of Salt, a seven-mile stretch located on the southwest coast of the Dead Sea. Salt could also be collected from the marshes situated along the embankment of the Dead Sea, or it could be gathered from salt pits near the Dead Sea. In each of these locations, the gathering of salt was an expensive process, which made the salt very costly. It was a commodity so rare that it was seldom wasted, sparingly used, and highly valued.

Salt was used as a preservative.

Especially in the warm temperatures of Israel, meat would quickly rot, spoil, and decay. But when salt was added, it acted as a preservative. Therefore, salt was very important in the preservation of meats and other kinds of perishable foods.

Those who heard Jesus’ teaching that we are to be “the salt of the earth” therefore understood that He meant that through our influence, we should be a preserving force in a world that is filled with rot, spoil, and decay. God’s Word working in our lives causes us to be like salt, and our very presence helps abate the corruption that is eating away at the world.

Salt was used as a flavor enhancer.

Salt is one of the most profound enhancers of taste that exists in the culinary world. An eater quickly becomes aware of how powerful this flavor enhancer is when he eats food that contains no salt. Unsalted food is often monotonous, bland, and uninteresting, but when salt is added, the flavor is ignited. Just like today, salt was used in the ancient world to give food a stronger and richer flavor. It was considered essential for the long-term preservation of food and for the enhancement of taste. Therefore, it was vital in every kitchen.

This tells us that not only should our presence abate the evil in the world, but our presence should also change the flavor of society as we bring the savor of Christ to our surroundings wherever we go.

In light of this, let me ask you: In what ways does your personal presence make a difference in your world? Are you doing your job as the salt of the earth?

Salt was used as an antiseptic.

In the ancient world where dirt and disease were common enemies to health, salt was used as an antiseptic. Especially in areas considered unclean, tainted, or contaminated — areas so filthy that it could potentially become hazardous to one’s health — it was believed that salt would work like a disinfectant. If properly applied in heavy doses, salt sanitized, hygienically cleansed, and made a location relatively germ-free. The application of salt in such circumstances was considered to be enormously advantageous because people believed such an application of salt sterilized non-sterile environments.

If a rapidly spreading disease was known to exist in a village, the sick people were cleared out and relocated, and salt was immediately spread to disinfect the contaminated area and to prevent the further spread of disease. Salt was such a powerful cleansing force that the ancient world believed it would assist in freeing the environment of infection.

As an antiseptic, salt was used in the fodder of barns and barnyards — places where sickness and disease could swiftly spread among animals. A small dose of salt scattered on the fodder of a barn or barnyard served as a deterrent to the proliferation of sickness and disease among animals.

Therefore, when Jesus said we are to be “the salt of the earth,” those who heard Him understood that through our influence, we are called to be a kind of spiritual antiseptic to a world that is diseased with sin. Even a small dose of the spiritual salt we carry within ourselves is such a powerful disinfecting agent that if scattered in society, it will help deter the spread of sin and moral decay.

You see, if you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth,” your very presence can hinder the proliferation of sin and its effects. So when you look at your life and the things that surround you, do you see any evidence that your personal presence is making a difference and that you are helping to promote a more spiritually sanitized environment? Are you doing your job as the salt of the earth?

Salt was used as a medicinal and healing agent.

Salt was also a very important ingredient for physicians and those employed in the field of medicine, for they used salt as a healing agent. For instance, if a person was severely wounded, salt was poured into the wound to sanitize the wound from germs, to stop the spread of infection, to stop the bleeding, and to speed up the healing of the wound. It is a fact that salt has healing properties that cause wounds to heal more readily.

In the ancient world where medications were rare, salt was an indispensable product in every doctor’s medical bag, and it was especially valuable in cases where there was an open wound. In every home, business, and public place, salt was kept close at hand in case it was needed for the treatment of an open wound or sore. It was always kept nearby for emergency treatments.

When Jesus said that His people were to be “the salt of the earth,” those who heard Him understood that through our influence, we should be carriers of physical healing to a world that is suffering with all manner of sickness and ailments. Through the preaching of God’s Word and personal ministry to those who are physically ill, we are supposed to be “the salt of the earth” that brings healing those who are physically suffering. The fact is, the power of the Holy Spirit that we carry within ourselves is fully sufficient to administer physical healing to those afflicted with sickness and disease — always, of course, in the authority given to us in the Name of Jesus!

As “the salt of the earth,” you are a vehicle God has chosen to carry healing power to those who are struggling physically. When you look around you, is there evidence to show that you are carrying this power to those who are physically infirm or challenged in some way, just as Jesus has asked you to do? Are you doing your job as the salt of the earth?

Salt was used to give protection from and to drive away evil spirits.

In the ancient world, salt was also a very important ingredient used in pagan religious rituals to give protection from and to drive away evil spirits. At the time Jesus said we are to be “the salt of the earth,” Israel was subject to Rome, and because of this, they regularly witnessed the pagan practices of Roman religions. One practice of the Romans and other pagan religions of the time was rubbing salt over a newborn baby in order to protect that child from evil spirits or to drive evil spirits away from that child. It was commonly believed in many pagan nations that salt had magical powers to protect one from evil and to drive away evil spirits.

The Romans and other pagans believed so wholeheartedly in the magical, protective powers of salt that they regularly administered heavy quantities of salt to the thresholds of their homes and businesses, believing it would create a strong barrier that evil spirits could not cross. They also spread salt on their windowsills, believing that salt could keep evil spirits from entering their homes or places of business through the windows.

So those who heard Jesus say that Christians were to be “the salt of the earth” understood that through our influence, we are to be a source of spiritual protection, deliverance, safety, and freedom to people who have been assaulted by demonic powers. By using Jesus’ name and spreading God’s Word, we can create spiritual barriers so strong that Satan is unable to successfully attack those standing on God’s promises. We are to be carriers of protection, safety, and deliverance!

When you look around at the people who are near you, do you see that they are spiritually protected, experiencing deliverance, safety, and freedom from the attacks of the enemy? Are their lives different, safer, and better because of you?

Salt was used as a fertilizer.

Salt was also a very important ingredient used by farmers to enrich and fertilize their soil in order to produce larger crops of a higher quality. Even a small amount of salt scattered sparingly on the ground could improve the quality of the soil and result in bigger harvests and healthier crops. Therefore, it was viewed as an essential ingredient in the farming industry. The best salt nourished and stimulated the earth to produce better crops.

When Jesus said we were to be “the salt of the earth,” it could actually be translated “the salt of the soil.” The implication is that through our influence, we should affect the world in which we live. In other words, our very presence should enhance life and make this world a better place to live. The world we touch should become productive and our godly presence should positively impact the quality of life for those around us. That is how much power we have as believers!

So as the “salt of the earth,” we are to enrich the atmosphere wherever we go through our influence, simply because we carry the life of God within us. As carriers of His presence, we make life better for those around us. When we walk into a situation, the environment surrounding us is filled with more peace, joy, and hope than it was before we arrived! As the salt of the earth, we have the power to make a difference everywhere we are scattered.

Are you making a difference in every place where you find yourself?

In Colossians 4:6, the apostle Paul also used the word “salt” to tell us that our conversation should be “seasoned with salt.” In light of what you have read today, this means that instead of speaking complaining, critical, negative words with the rest of the world, you can exert a spiritually positive influence on your environment. When you’re seasoned with salt, you will speak:

• Words that bring preservation.
• Words that flavor life and make it “taste” better.
• Words that bring healing to the sick.
• Words that “disinfect” and free those who were once were contaminated.
• Word that are filled with protection, safety, and deliverance.
• Words that are so faith-filled, they create a blessed environment around us.

Jesus plainly taught that we are supposed to be the salt of the earth! Considering the various ways salt was used in the ancient world, can you see how powerful Jesus’ point is?

If you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth,” there should be fruit all around you to show that God’s “salt” in you is doing its job. As you take a look around your life, can you see visible proofs of your “salty” influence?

Before you do anything else today, why don’t you take a few minutes to reflect on your life to see if you are having the kind of influence on your world that Jesus wants you to have. The Holy Spirit will help you honestly assess your fruit so you can see if you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth” the way God has called and equipped you to do!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I am so thankful that You called me to be “the salt of the earth.” Today I want to step forward and surrender to be the salt of the earth that You intended me to be. Help me guard my mouth so that I speak words that bring preservation; words that make life better; words that bring healing to the sick; words that disinfect and free people who once were contaminated by evil; words that are filled with protection, safety, and deliverance; and words so faith-filled they create a blessed environment everywhere I go. Jesus has called me to be the salt of the earth, and that is exactly what I am going to be!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare that I am what God’s Word says I am — and Jesus called me the salt of the earth, so that is exactly what I am. Because of who He is in me, I am a preserving, healing, delivering, life-enhancing force that positively affects every person every place I go. It isn’t me, but it’s the Greater One who lives in me that makes such a powerful difference in my environment. Because He lives in me, I am able to positively influence everyone my life touches. I am the salt of the earth!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What did you learn new from today’s Sparkling Gem? What made the greatest impact on you about what it means to be the salt of the earth?
2. Can you think of ways you are acting like salt in the lives of other people in the lives of others in your family, church, community, or workplace? How have others changed in those environments because of your presence?
3. When you listen to the words that come out of your mouth, can you honestly say that your words are “seasoned with salt”? Is your mouth regularly filled with words of preservation, healing, freedom, cleansing, protection, safety, deliverance, and faith? Do your words create a changed, positive environment, or do your words have a contrary effect?

Does Jesus Find You To Be Therapeutic, Refreshing, or Disgusting

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
— Revelation 3:16

In Russia, it is a tradition for people to visit the sauna. People especially love to do this in the middle of the winter. This tradition is hundreds of years old, dating back to the time when people didn’t have running water in their villages or homes. People would join all their friends at the local sauna once a week not only to get clean but to spend an evening of fellowship.

Today everyone has running water in their homes in Russia; nevertheless, people still go to the sauna, for it remains a very important part of Russian culture. And because I live in Russia, I frequently go to the local sauna with brothers from the church for an evening of fellowship and prayer.

After we have all sat in sweltering hot temperatures, I watch in shock as the Russian men leap into huge tubs of bitterly cold water. Or sometimes while we’re on a ministry trip, we’ll stay at a farm and I’ll take a sauna with the brothers from the local church. These brothers will run out of the building; dive head first into the snow; roll around in it for a few minutes, screaming and shouting; and then dash back into the sauna where it’s nice and warm. They tell me that the purpose for this practice is to get their blood moving!

I enjoy going to the sauna with my fellow brothers in the Lord, but I refuse to leap into subzero cold water or dive into snow when it’s already forty degrees below zero outside! I don’t care if it is good for the circulation; I will not do it! I find it much more enjoyable to rest in a tub of lukewarm water that is relaxing. Going from sweltering “hot” to freezing “cold” is just too much for me!

When I refuse to go from one extreme temperature to the other and even ask for lukewarm water to be poured into a tub especially for me, the men sometimes joke with me, reminding me about Jesus’ words to the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:16: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

The city of Laodicea was built in a region that was full of seismic activity and had experienced many earthquakes. As often happens in a seismic area, vents came up from the depths of the earth, allowing boiling hot water to reach the surface. In the nearby city of Hierapolis, these hot springs were famous. People came from great distances to bathe in those waters, believing they had medicinal powers. An experience in those waters was viewed to be therapeutic and effective in improving one’s health.

Another city named Colosse was not too far away. As Hierapolis was known for its hot springs, Colosse was known for its cold waters. Just as people journeyed to Hierapolis to bathe in the hot springs for health purposes, people would travel great distances to vacation in Colosse, where they could invigorate themselves by taking frequent dips into the famous, refreshing, cool-to-freezing waters of that city.

Laodicea may have been the biggest and richest city in the area, but it had neither hot nor cold water. Therefore, the people of Laodicea had to leave their luxurious homes and travel to Colosse if they wanted to enjoy fresh, cool water. On the other hand, those who desired to soak in the hot springs had to travel six miles to Hierapolis.

Once in an attempt to bring the hot water from Hierapolis to Laodicea, a huge construction project was commenced. The goal of those who initiated the project was to build pipes that would channel the hot water six miles from Hierapolis to the city of Laodicea. The pipes effectively delivered the water — a real feat of construction at that time. Sadly, however, the water lost its heat along the way. By the time the water reached Laodicea, it was not only lukewarm, but it had developed a sickening, nauseating taste. The taste was so revolting that no one wanted to drink it!

So when Jesus told the Laodiceans, “…Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth,” this was a message that carried a strong punch. He was telling them, “Because you have become so dead, dull, sickening and nauseating — because no spiritually refreshing waters flow from you and you have no healing properties left — I will spue thee out of My mouth!”

The word “spue” is the Greek word emeo, and it means to vomit, to spit out, to regurgitate. This picture of Jesus threatening to “spue” the Laodiceans out of His mouth doesn’t mean He was rejecting them or disinheriting them. It just reveals how utterly distasteful a spiritually lukewarm condition is to Jesus. The fact that these believers were lukewarm means they weren’t good for anything; they were neither cool and refreshing, nor were they hot and healing. They were just stuck in the middle, like something that has lost both its flavor and its heat along the way.

These words in Revelation 3:16 could be interpreted:

“Because you’ve lost your temperature and become lukewarm — because no refreshing waters flow out of you and you have no healing properties left — I find your taste in My mouth to be disgusting! I can’t bear it anymore, and I have no choice but to spit you out!”

That’s how God feels about a lukewarm spiritual walk. You see, with God there is no middle ground. But if you have allowed your walk with God to become lukewarm, you can reverse that abominable condition! God has tossed the ball in your court, and now it’s up to you. He is calling you to repent of your lukewarm attitude. Go after the things of God with all your heart, soul, and strength!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I never want to be lukewarm so that You find me to be an unpleasant taste in Your mouth. Instead, I ask You to help me be a fountain from which healing waters flow to the sick and a source of refreshment to anyone who needs strength and encouragement. Help me to never allow a lukewarm attitude to take hold in my life! If there is any area of my life where I’ve already slipped into a lukewarm state, please reveal it to me so I can repent and get back to where I ought to be!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that I am a fountain of healing and a source of refreshment to everyone who comes into my life. When people come near me, they receive exactly what they need. Healing flows from me to everyone who needs a healing touch. Those who are spiritually tired become refreshed when they spend time with me. I allow no middle ground in my life — no neutrality, no lukewarm attitude — and I am therefore continually filled with everything needed to meet the needs of people who come across my path.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. What are some signs of a lukewarm spiritual condition in your life?

2. Can you recall a time when you were “hot” for the Lord? What were you doing at that time that caused you to be so on fire for Jesus?

3. If you have slipped away from that wonderful time in your walk with the Lord, can you recall what changed the condition of your heart? What can you do to get back there again? Write down your answers so you can see them and pray about them.

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what has thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
— 1 Corinthians 4:7

In the January 17 Sparkling Gem, I wrote about the feeling of inferiority that once tried to rule my life. If you are struggling with inferiority, I encourage you to go back and read that teaching again. However, today I want to address an issue at the opposite end of the spectrum — a spirit of superiority. When a person has this attitude, he feels he is spiritually superior to other people because of giftings, experience, social or economic status, or position in the church. But regardless of the reason a person feels superior to others, make no mistake — this attitude is absolutely unacceptable for a Christian.

In First Corinthians 4:7, we find that an attitude of spiritual snobbery was beginning to surface in the church of Corinth. This spirit of superiority was so prevalent that it had begun to permeate the entire Corinthian congregation. Paul responded with a sharp rebuke, saying, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what has thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”

From its very beginnings, the church at Corinth had experienced an amazing amount of supernatural grace, which had manifested in a variety of ways. However, one way it had especially manifested was in the gifts of the Spirit that operated in their congregation. In fact, Paul even told them, “So that ye come behind in no spiritual gift…” (1 Corinthians 1:7), implying that the Corinthians had a greater measure of spiritual gifts operating in their midst than any other New Testament church. The phrase “come behind” is a translation of the Greek word hustereo, which means to be behind, to fall short of, or to be inferior. Thus, this verse could be translated, “You fall behind no one else in respect to spiritual gifts…” or “You are not inferior to anyone when it comes to spiritual gifts.…” In modern language, it could read, “When it comes to the gifts of the Spirit, you are second to none!”

The Corinthian believers were aware of their unique status as a congregation, and they allowed it to go to their heads. Essentially, they developed a superiority complex and a snobbish attitude concerning their spirituality as compared to other churches. That is why Paul reminded them in First Corinthians 4:7, “…What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”

When Paul wrote “…why dost thou glory…,” he was referring to believers in Corinth who were boasting of themselves and putting others down who didn’t share their same spiritual experiences. In Greek, this word “glory” is kauchaomai, which means to boast of oneself, to uplift yourself, to imply that you are better than others, or to speak so highly of yourself that you derogatorily imply others are less than you. It can simply be translated to vaunt, and it conveys a pride that says, “I am better than you.” It is the very word that Paul used in First Corinthians 13:4 when he said, “Charity [that is, agape love] vaunteth not itself…” (see September 11 in Sparkling Gems 1). In other words, people who are motivated by love do not go around boasting about themselves in a way that leaves others feeling inferior!

It is important to note that the problem in the church of Corinth did not stem from the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit don’t foster pride. The problem was the character of the Corinthian believers, which needed to be dealt with by God!

Paul’s rebuke to the Corinthian believers tells us that we have no right to be prideful about our spiritual experiences. When you and I have been blessed by God with an extraordinary supernatural experience or knowledge of spiritual matters that exceeds that of many others, we should strive to demonstrate humility. We must not carry ourselves with an air of superiority, thinking we are better than others because they haven’t had our experience or attained to our level of knowledge. We must remember that everything we have, we received from God. We did nothing on our own, so we really have no reason to gloat about it as though we did! If we’ve really received something special from God, we need to show only humble gratitude for His gift.

Have you ever known a person who was snobbish toward other believers because of his great spiritual experiences or spiritual knowledge? To me personally, it’s a huge turn-off. The root of that superior attitude isn’t what the Holy Spirit has done in him; rather, it’s just a sign that He needs to do more in him!

So don’t get offended if you know someone like this. Just pray for that person — and pray for yourself, too, so that you never fall into the trap of acting like you’re better than others!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

 

Father, spiritual snobbery is a big turn-off. I ask You to help me look inward to discern if I have even the smallest hint of this in me. Lord, if anything like that exists in me, please show me, and begin the process to remove it from me! You resist the proud but give grace to the humble. Right now I humble my heart before You and I thank You for doing a work in my heart to remove any thought or attitude that does not please You or reflect Your holy ways.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am thankful for every spiritual experience I’ve had with the Lord. I am grateful for the knowledge God has blessed me to attain. But I realize that I have so much further to go and so much more to learn. I don’t think I’ve arrived, and I know there is so much more to reach for in God. Therefore, I choose to put my eyes on the adjustments I need to make, and I embrace God’s grace to change me. And if I’ve carried bad attitudes about spiritually snobbish people, today I release those attitudes and those people from my judgment. They belong the Lord, and they are not mine to judge!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a person who was spiritually snobbish toward you? How did it affect you and others?
2. Have you ever been guilty of thinking of yourself as better than people who haven’t had your same experience? When you talk to others, do you make them desire your experience, or do you put them off because they feel put down by the way you talk to them?
3. As a thought exercise, why don’t you take a moment to think about the people you’ve thought were spiritually snooty and try to figure out what it is they do that makes you feel uncomfortable in their presence? Once you think it through, ask yourself if there is anyone to whom you’ve acted in a similar manner, and if so, ascertain what you need to correct so that people never feel that way in your presence again.

Laziness and Slothfulness — Don’t Allow Either in Your Life

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
— Hebrews 6:12

I’ll never forget the day when the Lord suddenly spoke to my heart as I was praying and shocked me by what He told me. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Rick, if you’re going to do what I’ve called you to do, it’s time for you to remove slothfulness from your life!”

I was shaken when I heard those words. I had always been such a hard worker and couldn’t imagine why the Lord would tell me that I needed to remove laziness from my life. I sat quietly for a moment and thought about the Holy Spirit’s message to me. It upset me to think the Lord would think of me as lazy.

But in reality, the Lord hadn’t spoken a word to me about laziness. He had spoken to me about slothfulness. Until that day, I had always thought slothfulness and laziness were the same thing, but they are not.

I said to the Lord, “You know how hard I’ve been working in the ministry. I know You’re aware of how many hours I spend writing books, developing materials, traveling, teaching seminars, and preaching in more than four hundred different services every year. How could You ever accuse me of being lazy, Lord?”

The Holy Spirit gently answered me, “I didn’t say a word to you about laziness. You’re a good worker, and I would not accuse you of laziness. But you are slothful, and I want you to eradicate this slothfulness from your life!”

For the first time in my life, I realized there is a difference between laziness and slothfulness. Because Hebrews 6:12 speaks of slothfulness, I turned there first to begin my study as I sought to discover what the word “slothful” really meant. It says, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

To my utter amazement, I discovered that “slothful” doesn’t have anything to do with laziness! It comes from the Greek word nothros and describes something that is dull, monotonous, or unexciting; something that is slow and sluggish; or something that has lost its speed or momentum. This “something” is still moving, but it isn’t moving with the same velocity and aggressiveness it once had. It has lost the drive, thrust, impetus, pace, and speed it once possessed. This word therefore presents the idea of someone who was once zealous about something but whose zeal has now dissipated, replaced instead by neutrality.

The Greek word nothros could be typified by a candle that no longer burns brightly as it once did; now its flame has dwindled to a mere flicker of its original intensity. The candle still gives light, but not the way it once did. Thus, the word nothros doesn’t present the picture of laziness; rather, it speaks of someone who has lost his zeal or his intense conviction about a matter that once was of great importance to him. It denotes a person who has become disinterested and whose zeal has been replaced with a middle-of-the-road, take-it-or-leave it mentality.

Because of this word nothros, Hebrews 6:12 could be interpreted this way:

“Quit being slothful — quit acting like someone who has lost his enthusiasm and excitement and has now sunk into a state of being slow, boring, monotonous, sluggish, dull, and uninterested….”

When I grasped what the word “slothful” really meant, I began wishing the Lord had accused me of laziness! I saw that “slothfulness” has nothing to do with the amount of energy you or I put out to do a job. Instead, it speaks of an inward condition. Even though it may look like we’re going somewhere on the outside, inwardly we’re stuck in “neutral” and going nowhere.

In my case, I was doing a lot for the Lord at that time; however, right in the midst of all that activity, I was becoming hardened to the things of the Spirit. I was losing the edge I once possessed. When the Lord told me to remove slothfulness from my life, He was calling me to eradicate any hint of spiritual neutrality and to reclaim the red-hot position I’d previously held in my walk with Him.

If you are serious about serving and pleasing God, you must view the loss of your passion, momentum, and desire as totally unacceptable. If slothfulness has slowly wormed its way into your life, this spiritual problem can be corrected. You can get back on track again! By repenting and deciding to turn from slothfulness and neutrality, you can remove this hindrance from your life. So if you’ve lost your momentum in running your spiritual race, don’t stay in neutral! If you continue in that sorry state, it will only be a matter of time before you look back and realize how much ground you’ve lost.

Don’t let another day go by without repenting of your slothfulness and stirring up your inner desire to fulfill all God has called you to do. Shift back into high gear, and go after God’s best for all you’re worth! 

My Prayer for Today

Lord, help me understand how totally unacceptable it is for me to lose my passion, momentum, and desire. I ask You to forgive me for allowing any hint of slothfulness to operate in my life. Today I repent and deliberately turn from slothfulness. Holy Spirit, I turn to You now and ask You to stir and reignite the fire in my heart. Please help me regain the zeal, the thrust, and the fire I once possessed. Help me to keep that fire burning this time, never to lose it again.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I declare by faith that I am NOT spiritually neutral for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit burns brightly in my life, and I am more excited about serving Jesus Christ than at any other time in my life! The fire of God is burning brightly inside me, evident for all to see. I am an example of what it means to be passionate, committed, and on fire about the things of God. I am stirred up and ready to take on any assignment God gives me — and I will do it with all my heart.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Can you detect any spiritual neutrality in your life?

2. What are the signs that let you know you have become neutral? Write them down so you can pray about them.

3. If you have become spiritually neutral, what steps are you going to take to start reversing this condition?

If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
— 1 Corinthians 3:15

I’ll never forget the day as a boy that I accidentally set our kitchen on fire! I had wanted to surprise my parents by cooking a wonderful meal for our family. I’d planned to set it on the table and have it ready for them when they arrived home from work. I cooked the corn, the green beans, and the biscuits — and, finally, it was time to fry the hamburger meat.

Because time was running out, I decided to turn up the fire so the meat would cook faster. The oil in the bottom of the pan grew so hot that it began to spit into the air. I jumped back to avoid being struck by it, but knew I had to do something quick because that hot oil was splattering all over the stove top and creating a huge mess. I reached to turn the fire down, but just as I did, the hamburger meat in the frying pan burst into flames! And when the fire on the meat burned down to the oil in the pan, the oil exploded into fire. My well-prepared hamburger patties were being cremated right before my eyes!

I reached for a pitcher of water and threw it on the flames to put the fire out. When I did, the hot, burning oil detonated like a bomb! An explosion of fire surged into the air. Red-hot embers of flaming hamburger exploded in front of me like lava spewing forth from a volcanic eruption. I watched as those burning embers sailed into my mother’s beautiful curtains that hung above the kitchen sink and engulfed them in flames. I was so completely stunned by what was happening that I stood motionless. I watched in shock as the fire consumed my mother’s delicate curtains.

Soon the tips of the flames reached upward and curled around the kitchen ceiling and cabinets. Smoke began to fill the room. The air became so smoke-filled that it began to hurt my eyes. That is when it dawned on me that I better act fast because I had a serious situation on my hands. So much happened so quickly that I don’t recall how the fire was extinguished. By the time my parents arrived home, the fire was gone. But instead of surprising them with a wonderful meal, they came home to a kitchen that was severely burned by a fire started with hamburgers!

The fire was gone, but the smell of smoke lingered for days. That acrid smell was in our clothes; it was in the walls; and it hung in the air. However, as bad as those cabinets looked, the damage was primarily cosmetic. With the aid of sandpaper, an electric sander, and a lot of hard work, my father put those burnt cabinets back in shape again. When he finished, no one could ever tell that there had been an inferno of flaming hamburger in our kitchen!

In First Corinthians 3:15, the apostle Paul wrote about the loss that can be created by fire. He wrote, “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

The word “burned” in Greek is katakaio — a compound of kata, meaning down, and kaio, meaning to burn. When compounded, the resulting word means to burn down, such as a building that burns all the way to the ground. In other words, this is no small fire. This is a fire that completely devours a building so that nothing remains but the foundation. Normally we would say a building burned up, but in actuality the word katakaio in this verse means to burn down until nothing remains but the foundation.

Such a consuming fire would be a great loss! That is why Paul went on to say, “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss….” The word “loss” is from the word zemia, which means to suffer loss, to experience damage, or to forfeit one’s reward. This word pictures great injury, harm, and loss of property. It is the sad image of a man standing in the burned-down, charred remains of his house or building — but in this case, he is standing in the midst of his works that are now burnt to a crisp! Now nothing remains but a pile of rubble. After all his years of living and doing, everything went up in smoke, and now he has nothing to show for his life or works!

But Paul gave us this good news: “…But he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Even though this person’s works have burned, he is still saved himself. His works have been lost, but not his salvation.

Although it’s good news that this person is still saved and headed to Heaven, Paul tells us that he is saved “yet so as by fire.” The phrase “yet so as by fire” comes from the Greek words dia puri. The word dia means through, and the word puri is the word for fire. When these words are used together as in this verse, most commentators agree that the Greek phrase means, “…He shall be saved, but like one who is escaping through the flames.” Or it could even be translated, “…He is saved, but he has the smell of smoke on his clothes.”

We should always be so thankful that God’s grace covers our sin, our mistakes, and the things we have built wrongly in our lives. But who wants to look into the face of Jesus and say, “Lord, I made it, but everything I did in my life went up in a puff of smoke”?

God has so much planned for us, and if we will listen to the Holy Spirit and build our lives and works wisely, our works will endure any fire that comes to test them. Then when we stand before Jesus, we will joyfully look into His eyes! Isn’t that better than having the smell of smoke on your clothes because your works were built so shabbily that they were burned in the fire and lost?

At the beginning of this Sparkling Gem, I gave the example of the kitchen I nearly burned to the ground. When the fire went out, there was smoke in the walls and the carpet, and the smell of smoke hung in the air for days and weeks. But rather than gaze on the mess in a state of despair, my father took his sandpaper and sander and went to work to put those kitchen cabinets back into good shape again.

If you can see that much of what you have built in the past has already burned up, of course you should repent for building your works wrongly in the first place. But wallowing in unending remorse won’t help you make any changes in your life. Never forget that God is on your side and He is just as sorry about your losses as you are!

Today I urge you to grab hold of the Holy Spirit’s power and begin to rebuild your works — and build them correctly this time. There is nothing you can do about the past except repent for what you did wrong. However, you can do something about the present and the future! Make the decision that from this moment onward, you are going to build your works right. I know that you don’t want to show up in Heaven with only the smell of smoke to show for your life. So ask the Holy Spirit to help you begin building works that will survive every test and bring a testimony of Jesus for eternity to the glory of God!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I thank You for speaking to my heart today about what I am building with my life. I must admit that a lot of what I’ve done has already gone up in smoke. Yes, I know that I’m saved and headed to Heaven one day when I die, but when I see You face to face, I want to have something to show for my life. I don’t want to have only the smell of smoke to show for the years You have given me here on planet earth. I repent and ask You to please forgive me for what I’ve built too hastily and wrongly in the past. Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me build my works correctly this time!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare by faith that I am cautious in the way that I build my life, my works, my relationships, my business, my ministry, and my family. One day I will stand before Jesus, and on that day I will give account for my life. Because I am aware of that day, I live my life circumspectly and am very thoughtful and careful in the way I construct my life. Because the Holy Spirit guides me and I listen to Him, I build works that abide!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of past areas in your life that went up in a puff of smoke because you didn’t build them first in the right place? What were those areas of your life?
2. What did you learn from that experience? Did you just feel sorry and regretful that you lost so much, or did you allow the Holy Spirit to teach you from that experience?
3. Are there areas of your life that the Holy Spirit is trying to correct right now so that they will not go up in a puff of smoke later in life? Are you listening to the pleading of the Spirit? What areas are you most concerned about right now?

Filthy Stinking Rich

…In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
— 1 Corinthians 1:5,6

My dictionary says that the word “rich” means to have goods, property, and money in abundance; to have possession of abundant resource, material goods, and significant wealth; to have more than enough to gratify one’s normal needs or desires.

Who wouldn’t enjoy being “rich” enough to satisfy his own needs and desires? Who wouldn’t like to have so much wealth that he could give large amounts of money and special gifts to family, friends, and loved ones? What person wouldn’t enjoy being able to financially help someone who has suffered due to difficult circumstances?

The dream of being “rich” has consumed human beings since the very beginning of man’s life on this earth. In fact, this insatiable desire and voracious appetite for wealth has driven both men and nations to lie, to steal, to fight, and even to murder and kill. However, if you are a child of God, you don’t have to lie, steal, fight, murder, or kill to be rich! You are already “rich” beyond your wildest imagination! Even though you may not have tapped into your riches yet, those resources are nonetheless at your disposal — and they will make you feel like you’re filthy stinking rich!

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians about these riches when he wrote, “…In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” (1 Corinthians 1:5,6). The word “enriched” is the Greek word plousios, which describes extreme or vast material wealth. In fact, the word plousios is where we get the term “plutocrat,” referring to a person who is so prosperous that he is unable to ascertain the full extent of his own wealth. Because his investments, his companies, and the percentage of interest he earns on his portfolio all grow so rapidly, it is impossible for his accountants and bookkeepers to keep track of how much wealth he actually possesses.

Can you imagine being so rich that no one can figure out how much you own or control? Well, that is the description of a “plutocrat”!

Now Paul uses this same word plousios in First Corinthians 1:5 when he says we are “enriched by him.…” The Greek word for “by” in this verse is the word en; and in this verse, it can be translated either in him or by him. This conveys two very powerful truths to you and me:

1. The day we were born again and placed into Jesus Christ was the richest day of our lives. On that day, we literally became joint heirs with Jesus Christ, with a legal right to all the promises of God! Indeed, that was a rich day for all of us! In light of this, First Corinthians 1:5 could be interpreted, “…We were made rich the day we were placed into Him….”
2. But the Greek word en could also emphasize the point that just as we were enriched the day we got saved, this enrichment process continues throughout our lives as we walk with God. The verse could thus be interpreted, “…We are continually being enriched as a result of being in Him.…”

Because the word plousios is used, this verse conveys the following idea:

“…You are invested with great spiritual riches because you are in Him, and that’s not all! The longer you remain in Him, you just keep getting blessed with more and more wealth that comes from being in Him.”

Of course, Paul is talking about spiritual riches, not worldly riches. As time progressed, the word plousios came to depict riches in a more general sense, including the riches of honor, wisdom, mercy, and so on. First Corinthians 1:5 uses the word plousios to happily proclaim that the Corinthian church was “enriched” with gifts of the Spirit, such as the gifts of utterance and knowledge: the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

The church of Corinth was loaded with these kinds of spiritual gifts. In fact, these gifts were in such mighty manifestation in Corinth that Paul had to write and tell them how to administrate such a huge abundance of spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14). It appears that the Corinthian believers had more of these gifts in manifestation than any other church of that time. In a real sense, they were extremely wealthy in spiritual manifestations that had come to them as a result of being in Christ.

The Corinthians had been enriched when they first came to Christ, becoming joint heirs with Jesus Christ and inheritors of the promises of God. But by remaining in Jesus, they were constantly made richer and richer as the gifts of the Spirit began to operate mightily among them.

In the same way, the gifts of the Spirit bring spiritual riches into our lives. In fact, the more these gifts operate, the richer we become spiritually!

So don’t settle for spiritual poverty. You have every right to expect an abundance of manifested promises, power, and spiritual gifts in your life. These spiritual riches are yours by virtue of your relationship with Jesus. The day you were placed in Him, they legally became yours! In God’s eyes, you are a spiritual plutocrat — so loaded with spiritual assets and treasures that you’ll never be able to fully explore or exhaust all of them in your lifetime!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I’m so glad You saved and delivered me from the life I used to lead. Thank You for making me a joint heir with Jesus and for allowing me to have access to the riches of Heaven! I ask You to forgive me for the times I’ve lived so far below what You provided for me. I sincerely ask You to help me explore the spiritual riches I possess. Help me to release those riches so my own life can be enriched and so You can use me to enrich the lives of people around me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I boldly declare that the day I was born again and placed into Jesus Christ was the richest day of my life. On that day, I literally became a joint heir with Jesus Christ and obtained the legal right to claim all the promises of God! From that day until now, I have been constantly enriched by His Presence in my life. I no longer have to settle for spiritual poverty, because I have every right to expect an abundance of manifested promises, power, and spiritual gifts in my life. I possess more spiritual treasure than I’ll ever be able to explore or fully exhaust!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Do you see yourself as spiritually rich or spiritually poor?

2. What spiritual gifts operate in your life, and how have they enriched you and others?

3. Have you been hungering for and seeking God concerning the spiritual gifts He desires for you to operate in (1 Corinthians 14:1)?

If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
— 1 Corinthians 3:14

It is a fact that one day we will all stand before Jesus. On that day, each of us will give account for what we did with our lives. We’ll answer to Him for what we did, what we didn’t do, and what we should have done with our lives. On that day, there will be no hiding or twisting of facts. Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Make no mistake — Jesus sees it all! One day He will deal with us, and we will give an account. So if we’re smart, we will ask and discover the answer to the question: On what basis will you and I be
rewarded when we get to Heaven?

Today I want us to look at a very important verse in which the apostle Paul answered that question for us. In First Corinthians 3:14, Paul wrote, “If any man’s work abides which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”

Notice that Paul said, “If any man’s work abide….” What does the word “abide” mean? It comes from the Greek word meno, which means to stay, to remain, to continue, or to permanently abide. It gives the idea of something that lasts, remains, persists, or endures. It speaks of something that has lasting power. Implied in this word “abide” is the idea that tests will come in life that will try our works.

It is just a fact that tests come in life. Many wrongly assume that God is the source of all such tests, but I assure you that life by itself will send many tests your way. Your relationships, your job, your finances — all of these will be tested along the path of life, and God’s participation is not needed to make these tests happen. They are just part of the package of life. But in addition to this, the devil will try to test your works. If he can find a way to do it, the enemy will pry his way into as many of your affairs as possible. He would love to set fire to your relationships, your job, your finances, or anything else that you hold dear.

So be assured that between life and the devil, you will encounter fiery tests in the course of your life. I’m not prophesying bad news to you; rather, I’m endeavoring to equip you to build your life right so you can withstand every test, regardless of its source. If you have built your works right, you and your works will pass the test. But if you have built works made of wood, hay, or stubble (see 1 Corinthians 3:12), one of these tests will ignite them like a match set to hay!

The good news is that even if your works fail and are consumed before your eyes, underneath you is a foundation that is immovable! In First Corinthians 3:11, Paul said, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is your Foundation! As we saw in yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, the word “foundation” in this verse is from the Greek word themelios. It is a compound of the words lithos, the Greek word for stone, and the word tithemi, which means to lay something down, like the laying of a foundation. This describes a foundation set in stone and thus a foundation that is strong, stable, and enduring. Even if everything else burns, your foundation will remain intact!

But who wants to lose everything in the end? There will be no special rewards for works that burn! In fact, Paul says we will only be rewarded for works that “abide.” If only works that survive will merit a reward, we must be very careful in the way we build our works.

So let me ask you: How are you building your life, your relationships, your children, your job, your ministry, and so on? Paul says, “If any man’s work abides which he hath built thereupon….” The words “built thereupon” are from the Greek word epoikodomeo, which is a compound of the words epi and oikodomeo. The word epi means upon, and the word oikodomeo is a word borrowed from the world of construction. It means to build or to construct. When these two words are compounded as in this verse, the new word means to build on top of something.

The apostle Paul was alerting us to the fact that once the foundation of Jesus Christ is laid in our lives, it is our responsibility to build on top of that foundation. This foundation cannot be improved upon, but what is built on top of it depends on us. We can build marvelous structures that endure the test of time, or we can build shacks that crumble and eventually go up in a puff of smoke. What is built on top of the foundation depends on us.

When the fires of life come — and they will come — those fires will reveal the quality of what we have built. Works that were built wrong will burn, and works that were built right will endure. And Paul assured us that we will be rewarded only for the works that abide. Man measures man’s success by activity and earthly achievement, but God measures success by how well we built our works and by the longevity of our works. As impressive as works may be at the moment, if they don’t pass the test of time, they will not merit a reward. That is why the Bible declares, “If any man’s work abides which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”

The words “shall receive” point to a future moment when each of us will stand before Jesus. At that moment, the books will be opened, and Jesus will carefully examine our lives. He will look to see if our works survived or if they failed in the fires of life. By looking at His ledger, He will know if we built our lives thoughtfully in a manner that brought honor to His name or if we built shacks on top of the glorious foundation He established under us through the riches of our spiritual inheritance in Him.

If our works were built right and endured the tests of life, Paul says we will receive a “reward.” The word “reward” is the Greek word misthos, an old Greek word that denotes pay, salary, or reward. In other words, Jesus will make sure you are well-compensated and rewarded for all of your works that were built right! When you stand before Him and He sees that your life and works survived every test, you will receive full remuneration for every sacrifice you made. Because you built your life and works correctly, you’ll get a bonus that will last for all of eternity!

This verse could be taken to mean:

“Every person is set on a rock-solid foundation, but what he builds on top of it is his responsibility. If he has constructed his life and works so well that they remain after all the fires of life have come and gone, this is what will merit him a reward in the future.”

What a shocking insight this is! It means that as important as we think our activities are, God’s measuring stick by which He determines rewards is not determined by how busy or active we are in life. His measuring stick is how well we accomplished our activities according to His instruction and whether or not our actions were built to survive the fires of life. Why would God reward us for anything we built that ultimately went up in a puff of smoke because of our shoddy workmanship or because our building materials were mixed with wrong motives and “good ideas” that were not “God’s ideas”? He is looking for obedience, excellence, permanence, and durability. These are the qualities that give Him glory.

Take a moment to look at your life today. What can you ascertain about your future reward based on the character of your actions? Have you built your life and works in a way that gives glory to Jesus? Jesus Christ is your glorious Foundation, but what have you built on top of that foundation? Have you constructed something marvelous that honors Him and gives Him glory, or have you built your life and works so fast and cheap that they can’t endure the many tests of life?

Since we will be rewarded only for what “abides,” we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us take an honest look at our lives to see what has been built right and what has been built wrong. It’s never too late to start doing it right. If you’ve built your life and works on such a solid foundation that it can pass any test, then rejoice! But if you know that your works aren’t built to survive, now is the time for you to let the Spirit of God help you start all over again!

If your works have already burned, this is very regretful. But the good news is your foundation is still in place. The foundation of Jesus Christ in your life is immovable! Because you still have Him as your Foundation in your life, with God’s help you can start building your life and works again. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, and He’ll show you how to build better this time!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for speaking to me today through what I just read. Now I understand that You are looking for excellence, permanence, and durability in my life. Forgive me for thinking that You would reward me only for being active and busy. Now I understand that You want quality from my life, not just quantity. You are looking for more than a lot of works – You are looking for works that remain! From this moment onward, I ask You to help me constantly take an honest appraisal of what I am doing and what I am building to make sure that I am investing myself wisely into works that will endure the tests of life. I want You to be pleased the day I look into Your eyes, so I am asking You to help me carefully measure my works and to make sure that I am living and building my life in a way that will merit a reward.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that the Holy Spirit is helping me to build my life and works so strong that they will resist any test that comes in life. I am living by the Word of God, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and obeying God’s commands. As I walk in obedience to the Word of God and build my life on this solid foundation, I can rest assured that what I am building will pass the test of time. I am committed to living a life of excellence, to building my life for permanence, and to bringing glory to the name of Jesus Christ in all that I do.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. As you look at your life, can you see areas of your life that because you built too quickly and too cheaply, they therefore didn’t last very long? What were those areas, and what did you learn from these experiences?
2. As you look forward to the rest of your life, how are you constructing your life and works right now? What steps and actions are you taking now that are different from what you did in the past to assure that your works will abide?
3. If you saw someone else building their works in a way that wouldn’t resist a fiery test, what would you tell them to do differently in order to prevent a painful loss? Can you think of such a person that you know right now? Pray that you or someone else will have an opportunity to speak the truth to them in order to help them avoid a catastrophe later in life.

Stopping Satan At His Own Game

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
— 2 Corinthians 2:11

I don’t like talking about the devil, but time after time the Bible warns us that the devil is like a roaring lion who roams about, seeking whom he can destroy (1 Peter 5:8). Whether we like it or not, the devil is a real personality who is looking for ways to destroy our lives. Since the Bible frequently warns us about this sinister enemy, we need to know:

• How the devil operates.
• How to identify the devil’s attacks at their very onset.
• How to block and stop his devilish assaults.
• How to prevent repeat attacks from occurring in the future.

In Second Corinthians 2:11, the apostle Paul wrote a verse that is teeming with insight to answer these questions. He wrote, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Paul clearly understood that Satan was constantly seeking ways to take advantage of people. The word “advantage” in this verse is the Greek word pleonekteo. This word means to outwit; to trick; to take advantage of someone through some sinister or sneaky means. It is a compound of the word pleon, which means more, and the word echo, which means to have. Together, these words form the word pleonekto, which denotes a desire to have more, more, and more. It is a form of the word pleonexia, the Greek word for greediness. In this case in Second Corinthians 2:11, it pictures someone whose lust for something is so intense that he will take any actions required to obtain what he wants.

Because Paul used this word about Satan, we are alerted to the fact that Satan desperately wants something in his control. He wants us! The devil will use any method necessary to take advantage of us and get us under his control. He will deviously and artfully endeavor to outwit us, trick us, dominate us, and ultimately take us as his hostages. That is why Paul said, “…We are not ignorant of his devices.”

When you have an enemy who hates you this much and who wants to destroy you, you can’t afford to be ignorant. In Paul’s case, he and his team were invading new territory with the Gospel all the time. Paul knew that Satan wanted to hinder and even stop them and that it was therefore essential for him to understand the way the devil operated. He had to be able to discern whether he was facing a mere human problem or a planned demonic attack.

Likewise, you need to know if the storm you’re facing right now is just a natural problem that will blow over, or if are you facing demonic turbulence sent from hell to disrupt God’s plan for your life. You can’t just shut your eyes and hope the problem will work out by itself. If this is an attack from the devil and you do nothing to stop it, it will not simply go away. On the contrary, it will actually increase and become more intense. That’s why being able to recognize Satan’s game is so important!

The word “ignorant” in Second Corinthians 2:11 is the Greek word agnoeo, and it refers to one’s ignorance or lack of certain facts. However, it also includes making mistakes or errors due to a lack of understanding. It is the picture of an uneducated person who, due to a lack of knowledge, is prone to arrive at mistaken conclusions. The word agnoeo depicts someone who is in the dark or without a clue. Because this person lacks understanding, his conclusions are faulty, erroneous, and misguided. This is where we get the word agnostic, the official name used to describe individuals who claim they don’t know what they believe. So when someone claims to be agnostic, he is literally claiming to be ignorant!

An example of this kind of ignorance is often seen when a person is diagnosed with a terminal disease sent from the devil, yet the person believes his sickness comes from God. Because the sick person is ignorant of the fact that Satan and not God is the author of sickness and disease, he mistakenly concludes that his sickness must be God’s will for his life. This ignorance is so devastating that it could possibly lead to that individual’s premature death. Do you see how dangerous it is to remain ignorant about how the devil operates?

This is the reason Paul says, “…We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.” Paul and his companions had carefully observed how the devil operates and the primary methods he uses to attack. As a result, they knew how to recognize the onset of an attack when Satan started maneuvering to frustrate their plans. Paul and his team were definitely not in the dark about the devil; hence, the enemy found it much more difficult to take advantage of them.

Paul had to learn these things because he faced problems with people, religious leaders, governmental leaders, and even with friends. He was thrown in prison, cast into the sea, and beaten during moments of persecution. Traps were constantly being set for his capture, and he constantly had to be on the lookout for people who tried to use him and take advantage of him. Paul couldn’t afford to be in the dark spiritually about the way Satan operated — and neither can you!

But notice what Paul says next: “…We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.” The word “devices” is the Greek word noemata, derived from the word nous. The word nous is the word for the mind or the intellect. However, when the word nous becomes the word noemata, it describes a mind that is scheming, calculating, conniving, devious, shrewd, sly, or clever. This is very significant because it alerts us to the reality that Satan isn’t just hoping to hinder us; he is incessantly scheming and conniving to injure or deliberately mess up a person’s plans, health, marriage, business, and family. The enemy doesn’t really care how he accomplishes his evil plan; he just wants to find ways to ruin whatever that person holds dear.

Thus, the word noemata denotes Satan’s insidious, malevolent plot to attack and victimize human beings, clearly demonstrating that the devil loves to captivate and ultimately destroy human beings. If this devilish process is not aborted by the power of God, it is only a matter of time before Satan puts the last touches on his plan to take captive a person, family, church, ministry, business, organization, or even an entire nation!

When you put all of these words together, it expresses this idea:

“Satan can forget it if he thinks he is going to pull the wool over our eyes! We know how he operates, and we understand the way he schemes and connives to take us out.”

So don’t shut your eyes and ignore the fact that the devil wants to bring about your downfall. Instead, open your eyes and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to recognize the devil’s operations so you won’t fall prey to him any longer. Then you’ll be able to say, “Devil, I know this is you attacking me, so I am telling you to leave now in Jesus’ name!”

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I thank You for opening my eyes and illuminating my understanding to recognize Satan’s attacks against my life. Thank You also for giving me the understanding to know how to stand against these demonic attacks. I am so grateful that You have sent the Holy Spirit to be my Teacher and Guide and to equip me to stand against every assault that comes against my life, my family, my church, my business, and all my relationships. Armed with the power and insight of the Spirit, I never have to allow the enemy to take advantage of me again. So I open my heart today, and I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me everything I need to know to stand against the wiles the devil wants to employ against me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I declare that I am not ignorant of Satan’s devices. Because the Holy Spirit is my Teacher, I know how to recognize the onset of Satan’s attack as he starts maneuvering to frustrate my plans. I am not in the dark about the devil; therefore, the enemy finds it very difficult to take advantage of me. Because my mind has been illuminated to see how the devil operates, his evil plots against my life are aborted by the power of God! I will not be taken down by any strategy the enemy tries to use against me.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Are you aware of areas in your personal life where you are currently falling prey to the cunning plots of the devil? Can you think of some ways you have been susceptible in the past to his repeated tactics?

2. Have you really looked at Satan’s repeat attacks on your life to see what you can learn about the way he attacks you?

3. Since awareness of your enemy is so important, what are some ways you can be more prepared for his attacks, all of which are designed to bring ruin in your life?

God’s Power Is Yours For the Taking

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
— Ephesians 6:10

Many years ago, I was preaching in a series of meetings about the power of the Holy Spirit. At the end of one of the services, an invitation was given for people to come forward who wanted to be filled with the Spirit. I watched with great joy as nearly one hundred people filled the altar of that church. They slipped down on their knees at the steps of the stage, lowered their heads in prayer, and began to ask the Lord to touch them, to fill them, and in some cases, to refill them with a fresh infilling of power.

As I stepped off the stage to pray for the people, the host informed me that he would be praying for them that night. I moved aside to let him take the lead, but it was a decision I soon regretted. I watched as this leader moved among those dear people, patting them on the back and telling them, “You have to pray louder. You have to pray harder. You have to plead if you want to be filled. You have to tarry a little longer.”

In a matter of minutes, the atmosphere at that altar mutated into a sad scene as those precious people began to beg and plead for something that God graciously and freely wanted to give them. A precious work of grace was turned into an ugly work of the flesh — and as a result, few of them received anything from God that night.

Later I asked the host, “How long have these people been praying to be filled with the Spirit?” He answered that some had been waiting as long as twenty years; some had been waiting fifteen years; and others had been seeking for a “mere” year or two. I was aghast! I thought, Why has it taken so long for these believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit when this is something God has made so accessible to every believer?

You see, the fresh touch of power each of us need today is as close as the air we breathe. God designed us to be the receptacles for this power (see January 12), so He wants us to receive it. He knows we need it to walk in victory, to exercise authority in our lives, and to overcome the works of the devil.

But where do we get that supernatural power? Paul answers this question in Ephesians 6:10, where he says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” I want you to especially look at that phrase “be strong in the Lord.”

The phrase “in the Lord” is a Greek phrase that means that this special infusion of dynamic, supernatural power can be found in only one place — in the Lord. The fact that Paul wrote in this particular Greek case is very important, because it tells us that this power is locked up in the Person of Jesus Christ and that it can’t be found anywhere else.

You can’t obtain this supernatural power by reading books or listening to tapes. The books and tapes can direct you to the place where it can be found, but the power itself can only be obtained through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This power is locked up “in the Lord.”

Now, let me take this one step further so I can explain why it’s so easy and uncomplicated for you to receive a new infilling of God’s power in your life. This same locative case that describes the power of God being locked up inside Jesus Christ is used nine times in Ephesians 1, where Paul uses it to declare that we are perpetually and infinitely locked up inside the Person of Jesus Christ. In verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 10 (twice), 11, and 13 (twice), Paul says that we are in Him, in Christ, in whom, or in the Beloved. Because these phrases are in the locative case, Paul is saying we have actually been placed inside Jesus Christ; He has become our realm of existence and the place of our habitation.

Just as you live at a certain physical address, you also have a spiritual address. You permanently reside inside the Son of God! He is your permanent home — a home from which you will never move because you are locked up and securely placed inside Him perpetually!

Stay with me, because this now leads us to the reason that the supernatural power of God we desperately need is so easy to receive!

The reason God’s power is so accessible to us is that both we and this divine power are gloriously locked up inside the same place! The power is located inside the Lord, and we are also located inside the Lord. We may not always be mentally aware of it, but we are constantly rubbing elbows with this divine power on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute basis.

Let me use a simple illustration to help you get the point of what I’m communicating to you today. The fact that we reside inside Jesus along with God’s power can be somewhat likened to water and fish sharing the same space in an aquarium. The water and fish are definitely different in substance, but they both reside in the same tank. The tank serves as the “home” for these two substances that are held simultaneously within its walls. Therefore, the fish doesn’t have to release its faith to get into the water, for it already perpetually lives in the water.

The very fact that we are locked up inside the Lord along with the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power means that we are never far away from a new surge of superhuman power into our human spirits. A fresh surge of this power into us is as accessible as our very next breath of air! It’s just as normal for us to receive a new infilling of the Spirit as it is for a fish to freely swim around in its tank.

In fact, God has designed our lives in Christ in such a way that it would be very difficult for us not to freely receive this impartation of superhuman, supernatural strength for the fight. However, if we are to experience this ever-available, ever-near power, we must open our hearts to it and ask God to release it into our lives. Then by faith we must reach out to embrace it.

This means there is no need to beg, plead, or beat yourself up in prayer to somehow prove that you are good enough to receive this divine power. If you know Jesus Christ, you are already locked up in the same place with the power of God. In fact, you’re rubbing elbows with it all the time. It’s no more difficult to receive than it is for a fish to start swimming! It’s yours for the taking!

You are surrounded by God’s supernatural power right now. At this very moment, you are immersed in that divine power. Supernatural inner strength and ability is yours for the taking — so take it by faith! 

My Prayer for Today

Lord, how can I ever thank You enough for making Your power so available to me? I need this power so much in my life, and I’m grateful You have made it so easy for me to receive it. Therefore, I open my heart right now by faith, and I ask You to give me a fresh infilling of Your Spirit.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power is never far away from me. A fresh surge of this power is as accessible to me as my very next breath of air! It’s just as normal for me to receive a new infilling of the Spirit as it is for a fish to freely swim around in its tank. In fact, it’s difficult for me NOT to receive this impartation of superhuman, supernatural strength for the fight! Because my heart is open to receive it, I ask God to release it into my life, and by faith I now receive this divine power. It’s mine for the taking! 

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. When was the last time you received a fresh surge of supernatural power in your life?

2. Do you freely receive a touch from the Lord, or do you feel like you have to beg and plead in order to convince Him to give you a fresh touch of His power?

3. How will today’s Sparkling Gem make a difference in your way of thinking?