Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
— Mark 9:23

When our TV program was broadcast on Channel One in Belarus, every home in the entire nation had the ability to watch it. The proof of how many people watched our program was the mountains of mail we received every week from Belarus. The impact we had was simply phenomenal.

So at the urging of a pastor in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, we took the train to that city and held a three-day meeting for our television viewers. People came from all over Belarus, to the point that the auditorium could not hold everyone who tried to get into the meeting. It blessed us to see such a response to the Gospel message delivered through our TV program.

However, the first night of the meeting was a real struggle because they gave me an interpreter who knew almost no English. All night he and I wrestled back and forth on the stage, trying to understand each other, and I knew that the crowd was missing what God wanted to say to them. When the meeting was over, I was exasperated and exhausted. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I didn’t want to pray for anyone. I just wanted to go home to our hotel and forget about what a disastrous evening that first meeting had been.

Yet there was a little lady who I could not shake off. She kept following me and saying, “Lay your hands on my ear, and my hearing will be restored.” To be honest, I was so discouraged from the evening that I didn’t want to pray. But she adamantly insisted, “Lay your hands on me, and I’ll be healed.”

The woman followed and followed me until finally, I asked an usher to remove her. I just wasn’t in the mood for praying and really didn’t believe anything would happen if I prayed for her that night. As they dragged her away, she kept yelling, “Just lay your hands on me, and I’ll be healed. Did you hear me? Just lay your hands on me, and I’ll be healed.” I watched as the ushers removed her, and I did not pray for her.

Before we left the auditorium that night, the pastor and I had a serious talk about how to choose interpreters, and I pleaded with him to get me an interpreter for the next night who knew English. By the time our talk concluded, it was very dark outside. We carefully made our way down the steps to the car, when suddenly a familiar voice called out from the shadows: “Lay your hands on me, and I’ll be healed!”

Although I felt absolutely nothing, I quickly turned to the deaf woman in that pitch darkness. Out of exasperation, I placed my hands on each side of her head, and commanded her ears to be opened. To my surprise, she started weeping and cried, “My ear has been opened! I can hear! I told you that if you would just lay your hands on me, I would be healed, and that is exactly what has happened!” She came back to the meeting the next night and publicly testified that her deaf ear had been completely healed as I laid hands on her the previous night. It remains one of the most remarkable miracles I’ve ever witnessed in my ministry — because I know it had nothing to do with me. It had to do entirely with that woman and with what she believed!

This woman in Minsk reminds me of the words that Jesus spoke in Mark 9:23. In that verse, Jesus addressed a father who had a son who was inflicted with a dumb and deaf spirit. The father cried out for Jesus to help his son. And “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). What a promise Jesus made to this father and to all who dare to believe! According to this verse, “all things are possible” to them who believe!

“All things” in Greek is panta, an all-inclusive word that throws off all limitations and blows the door open for anything to happen to a person who believes. The word “possible” is the word dunata, a form of the word dunamis, which is a well-known and often-used word that carries the idea of power, strength, and ability. This word was even used to depict the strength of a whole army. Thus, when a person believes, it opens the door for power, strength, and ability to work — and that power is so mighty, it is like the full force of an entire army that is moved to operate on your behalf. How would you like the full force of an army to be at your disposal? That’s what happens when you believe!

But wait, there’s more that you must see in this verse. It concludes by saying all things are possible “to him that believeth.” In Greek, the tense means that all things are possible to the one who is believing. This is not a promise to one who used to believe or to one who once believed in the past. It is a guarantee to the one who is presently believing for something to happen. If a person will get in faith and stay in faith, Jesus says that absolutely anything can happen. For the believing one, anything and everything is possible!

That leads me back to the woman in Minsk. She came to that meeting believing that if I would touch her, she would be healed. She was so filled with faith that when I didn’t cooperate with her, it didn’t move her faith at all. She simply refused to leave the facility until I touched her and she received her healing. And what happened? Exactly what she believed. I touched her, and the power of God moved according to her faith — and within seconds, she was weeping because her hearing had been instantly restored. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her and what she believed. What she believed is precisely what she received. It came to her exactly as she had said: “Lay your hands on me, and I’ll be healed.”

This woman was determined that neither she nor I would leave that facility without my laying hands on her and her hearing being restored. To be honest, I didn’t even pray when I touched her. I simply lay my hands on her, as she demanded, and spoke to the ear to be opened — and the power of God moved liked a mighty army in response to her faith and opened her ear! Her miracle had everything to do with what she believed.

• What about you and your faith?
• What do you believe?

If you are believing right now, you are in a position for the ability of God to move against your problem and bring you the result you seek. If you are in faith and staying in faith, it’s only a matter of time until things will begin to change. That’s a promise that Jesus made to you, to me, and to anyone who will believe! So let’s get our faith in gear and determine to STAY in faith! As we make that rock-solid commitment, we’ll begin to experience the truth that anything really is possible to the one who believes and releases his or her faith!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I realize that I have let some things slip regarding my walk of faith. Lord, I repent for being so carnal that I was moved by what I saw and what I felt. I commit afresh not to be provoked by circumstances that are subject to change. By Your grace, from this moment onward, I will be moved to take action only on the Word and by the Spirit of God. Thank You for strengthening my resolve to make a quality, lasting decision to step it up and get my faith in gear! You empower me by Your Spirit to stay consistent with my intake of the Word of God so my faith can remain fresh, current, and active and I can be strong in spirit to receive what I need.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that my faith is alive and well and that I remain “in faith” to receive what I need! I keep my fellowship with the Lord intimate, fresh, and vibrant by spending time in His Word and in prayer daily. I keep myself in the love of God, and as a result, my faith does not fail. I give my attention to God’s words and His desired end results; therefore, the Lord Himself keeps my thoughts in agreement with His will. I speak and act in agreement with God’s words; therefore, I walk in and release the peace, wisdom, and supernatural ability of God everywhere I go. According to Jesus’ promise in Mark 9:23, anything and everything is possible to me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What do you think about the tenacious attitude of the woman in Minsk and the fact that she would not leave the facility until she received her hearing? Do you see that her healing had nothing to do with me, but everything to do with what she believed? Are you as persistent as she was to receive from God?
2. What exactly are you standing on the Word of God and exercising your faith to believe for right now? Are you unwilling to be denied?
3. Would God say that your faith is presently being released? Did the words that were once burning and alive in your heart now only flicker as a fact that you vaguely recall but no longer act upon? Or would He say that you have grown old in your confession and that your faith needs to be rekindled? If your faith needs to be rekindled, what are you going to do to make that happen?

Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:6,7

When our TV ministry first began in the former USSR, we needed low-hanging, directional lights for our studio. Our staff was inexperienced, but they were all we had, so I sent them out to search for lights we could use to illuminate the studio where we were going to be filming our TV programs. With great delight, they returned with 40 big lights that they were sure would work to light up the studio. For a week, the staff members carefully hung the lights in place and tested them. After being satisfied that the lights were exactly what we needed, they said, “OK, now we can begin to film new TV programs!”

I was excited that the studio was so well lit and that the low-hanging lights looked so professional. But our studio had no air-conditioning, which made the room very hot. To stay cool, I wore a dress shirt, tie, and suit jacket from the waist up — and from the waist down, I wore shorts and put each leg into a big bucket of cool water in an effort to cool down while we were filming. Even with my legs submerged in that water, sweat would pour from my brow, and I would have to wipe my forehead the whole time we filmed. However, on this particular day, it felt especially hot — much hotter than usual.

After two hours of non-stop filming under those 40 lights, I felt very hot, so I took my legs out of the buckets, untied my tie, unbuttoned my top shirt, and went outside to get some fresh air. When I walked into the edit suite where the producers were working, they were trying to adjust the colors on the camera, because my skin looked so red on the monitors. They twisted this knob and that knob, trying to get the color to look right. They were so focused on what they were looking at on the monitors that they never actually looked at me! Eventually I heard them say, “We think we’ve got it fixed. So, Rick, why don’t you head back into the studio, and let’s film more programs.”

Once I resumed filming, I didn’t stop again until I had filmed a total of eight hours of TV programs that day. It was a personal record for the most TV programs I had ever filmed in a single day.

But this time when I walked out of the studio, the producers looked at me to congratulate me for completing such a successful day. When they saw me, they gasped. It was at that moment they realized the 40 lights they were so proud of — that I had been sitting in front of for eight hours — were sunlamps! My face was severely burned and red beyond imagination. Try to imagine what you would look like if you sat in front of 40 sunlamps for eight hours! To make matters worse, I had been sitting in shorts with my legs in two buckets of water, and the radiation from those lamps literally scorched my legs. But the worst of all was what happened to my eyes — I could hardly see because my eyes were so burned. And every time I blinked, it felt like shredded pieces of glass were being dragged across my eyes.

At that time, pharmaceutical products were scarce in the former Soviet Union, so there were no medications or ointments to put on my burnt body. Instead, a local doctor recommended that I be covered in sour cream and that I then be tightly wrapped in plastic, like Saran Wrap, to keep the moisture trapped around my body! So I lay on the couch as Denise and her helpers literally doused me from head to toe in sour cream, and then had me roll over and over so the plastic would tightly stretch around me. My arms were trapped under the plastic; my legs were bound; I was immovable. I remember telling Denise that I felt like a huge enchilada!

Hour by hour, the pain increased all over my face and legs — every place that had been exposed to the 40 sunlamps. I cried because of the horrible pain in my eyes every time I blinked. We called a doctor in the United States who warned that it was possible I would wake up blind the next morning because I had spent eight straight hours looking directly into 40 sunlamps. Fear tried to grip my heart. Denise lovingly stayed right at my side the entire night to comfort me because of the pain that wracked my body. The pain in my eyes was especially horrific. Denise comforted me and reassured me that I would be able to see and that, by the grace of God, we were going to get through this horrific ordeal!

That night I shuddered with pain every time I blinked, and fear kept trying to sink its talons into my mind. So to fight against that fear, I decided to meditate on Philippians 4:6,7. When the pain raged through my eyes, I would quote this verse and focus on the promise of God instead of my excruciating condition. I probably quietly spoke that passage to myself hundreds of times that night as I released all my faith that my eyes would be all right, regardless of the pain that tormented me throughout that seemingly endless night.

The first verse of this passage, Philippians 4:6, tells us not to worry about anything. It reads, “Be careful for nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.” Honestly, it took all of my determination that night not to worry about my eyes.

But the verse commands us to present our supplications and requests to God with thanksgiving and to leave worry behind. So that night I cried out to God and made my request known, asking for my eyesight. Hour after hour, I expressed thanksgiving to the Lord and did my best to praise Him from a grateful, thankful heart in spite of the pain. Denise prayed with me and helped me keep giving thanks to God through the night.

I wish that I could tell you that night was my last experience with sour cream and plastic, but the doctor recommended that I continue this treatment over the course of a few more days. As I lay trapped in that plastic during those long days — smelling like sour cream and suffering from tremendous pain all over my eyes, face, hands, and legs — I especially focused on God’s promise in Philippians 4:7. This verse specifically held me in peace during that difficult time, and it has done so again and again throughout the years as I’ve continued to walk with Jesus. Verse 7 says, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The word “peace” is the Greek word eirene — a powerful, often-used word in the New Testament that describes tranquility experienced after the cessation of war. It conveys the idea that the conflict is over; the war is finished; victory is achieved; and it is time for tranquility and rest. I had already expressed my supplications and thanksgiving to God, so it was time for me to rest in the fact that the battle for my sight was won. Since I had fulfilled the conditions of verse 7, I rested and allowed tranquility to come over me, and that tranquility ministered “peace” to my soul when I desperately needed it.

As I experienced this peace of God, it spoke to me far louder than the pain. Inwardly I knew that the battle for my eyes was over and that they were going to be all right. And just as verse 7 promises, “the peace that passeth understanding” began to “keep” my heart and mind.

The word “passeth” is a form of the word huperecho, which denotes something that is superior or surpassing. Because nothing compares to it, it is in a category of its very own. Furthermore, because this Greek word is a participle, we know that the peace of God expresses itself in us continuously. Thus, when I claimed peace in my situation, it began to continuously work in my heart and soul.

The word “understanding” is a translation of the Greek phrase panta noun, which literally means all understanding. It encompasses everything connected to the mind or reason. God’s peace surpasses all reasoning, all understanding, and all thoughts that enter and work through the mind. This means that even though my mind screamed pain, God’s peace surpassed its vehement voice and enabled me to hear His healing words.

Paul concludes verse 7 by saying “…The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The word “keep” is the Greek word phroureo, which means to guard. However, it specifically referred to soldiers whose mission was to stand guard at the gate of a city to decide who was permitted inside. They had the power to decide who entered and who was restricted from entering the city. The word “heart” is kardia, which describes the center of a person from which thoughts and affections flow, and “mind” is noema, the Greek word for thoughts.

When you take this entire picture conveyed in verse 7 into consideration, we see that the peace of God stands like a guard at the entrance to our hearts, affections, and thoughts. If we allow peace to work, it will say “yes” to healthy, positive thoughts that want to enter those “gates” to our lives. But if something negative, detrimental, or destructive wants to enter our hearts, affections, and thoughts, the peace of God acts as a guard to block it from gaining access inside us. Thus, the peace of God acts as a sentinel of our hearts and minds.

As I recovered from my 8-hour encounter with 40 sunlamps, scary, fear-filled thoughts tried to enter my heart and mind. But when I claimed Philippians 4:6 and 7, the peace of God stood at the door to my heart and mind and refused to allow negativity and fear to enter my heart, The peace of God — the guard to my heart and mind — threw open the gates for a positive, healing influence. As a result, I recovered completely.

If you find yourself in a difficult position, and fearful thoughts try to enter your mind and emotions to create havoc, be quick to apply Philippians 4:6,7 to your situation. Very simply, do the three requirements laid out in verse 6:

1. Refuse to worry.
2. Let your requests be made known unto God by prayer and supplication.
3. Express thanksgiving — because heartfelt thankfulness is a powerful force to lift you up!

As you fulfill these conditions, God will go to work to perform His promise in verse 7.

1. The peace of God will go to work for you, producing supernatural tranquility and rest for your soul.
2. That peace will surpass any other thoughts that are trying to make you fearful.
3. That peace will act as a guard to prevent wrong thoughts from entering your heart, mind, and emotions — and it will throw open the door for positive, faith-filled thoughts to find entrance to your mind as well!

Philippians 4:6,7 is a very powerful passage of Scripture. If you’ll fulfill the conditions of verse 6, God will be faithful to fulfill His promise to you in verse 7. So if you need a measure of peace in your life, you can assuredly know that God is anxiously waiting to fulfill His promises to you and to all those whose lives you touch. Just allow the grace of God to touch you today, and watch how He strengthens you as you shake off the chains of anxious, negative thinking!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for Philippians 4:6,7. Starting today, I ask You to help me fulfill the conditions in verse 6. And as I do, I expect You by faith to start performing the promise in verse 7 on my behalf. I thank You that Your peace will bring tranquility and rest to my soul and serve as a sentinel to prohibit detrimental, damaging, and negative thoughts from entering my heart. Jesus fought the battle for me; the war is won; and now it’s time for peace to express its full power in me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I boldly confess that I refuse to worry as I let my requests be made known unto God. I give God thanks for working in my life. As a result, I will experience the peace of God, and it will work for me to produce supernatural tranquility and rest for my soul. That peace will surpass any thoughts, which are trying to make me fearful. That peace will act as a guard to keep wrong thoughts from entering my heart — and it will throw open the door for positive, faith-filled thoughts to find entrance instead.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you remember a moment in your life when fearful thoughts assailed your heart and mind, but after prayer, the peace of God brought tranquility and rest to your soul?
2. Do you know any individuals who are struggling and need the encouragement found in this Sparkling Gem? If you really care about them, why not share it with them and let it strengthen them for the fight they are in?
3. Does peace or anxiety rule you? If you tend to be tossed about by anxiety, I want to tell you emphatically that the peace of God is the best medication for the Ask God today to let His peace that passes understanding go to work in your heart, mind, and emotions!

…What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
— Matthew 24:3

Today I want to talk to you about “where” we are in time in reference to the return of Jesus and the end of the age. Many seem to have an inner knowing that we are getting very close to the end, so let’s look at Matthew 24:3 to see what Jesus Himself had to say about His return and the end of the age.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus’ disciples took an opportunity to ask Him a very pointed question about the last days. They specifically asked the Lord, “…What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).

Let’s make one thing clear as we get started. The word “world” in this phrase does not refer to the end of the world itself — because the world will never end; it will be changed (see 2 Peter 3:12,13). The word used here was translated from the Greek word aionos, which refers to an age. Thus, the disciples were actually interested in knowing when this present age would come to a close. The New King James Version states it correctly: “…What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

This word “end” in Greek is the word suntelos and it describes the completion, conclusion, closure, culmination, ending, finish, sum-up, or the ultimate wrap-up of a thing. The disciples wanted to know what the sign would be that this current age was experiencing its final wrap-up.

The word “sign” is a translation of the Greek word semeion. It was used to describe an authenticating mark or a guarantee. It could have been used to authenticate that a document was real or that an object was genuine. In other words, semeion indicated the absolute proof, reality, or genuineness of a thing.

An example of semeion could be signs placed outside a city limits as indicators to help travelers authenticate exactly where they were at the moment. This means the disciples were asking Jesus what sign should be taken as an authenticating mark or guarantee — an absolute, genuine proof — that His coming was imminent and that the end of the age was nigh.

Because I live in a suburb of Moscow, I’ll use my daily travels to this enormous city as an example of the point I want you to understand.

No matter what direction I approach Moscow from, I can see signs on the road that are strategically placed to let travelers know they’re headed toward the city limits. The closer I get to Russia’s capital city, the closer together the signs appear so that I can know how far I have remaining on my journey before I cross the border into this immense region. The signs validate and alert me to the fact that I am approaching my destination.

The nearer I get to this city, the environment around me also starts to change. For example, on my route into Moscow from my home, I see a lot of Russia’s countryside along the way. The road I travel winds among beautiful spruce and fir trees. But the closer I get to this metropolitan center, the scenery begins to change. I see industry, multifamily housing, and high-rise buildings, and the roads become denser with traffic.

At first, these changes are subtle and barely noticeable. But the nearer I get to my destination, the more obvious and vast the changes in the scenery become. As I reach the very outskirts of the city, the changes appear almost abruptly. Change, change, change — rapid change — is what I encounter as I travel from just outside Moscow to just inside the city.

When I finally reach the city limits, I see a huge sign that reads MOSCOW. That sign separates the outskirts from the city itself, and the moment I drive past it, the sign authenticates that I have entered new territory. I’m no longer traveling toward Moscow — I have entered the city and arrived at my destination.

When I’m driving from the countryside toward Moscow, without signs telling me where I’m headed, I could think I’m just somewhere out in the country. In other words, I would know only intellectually that this immense city was somewhere out in front of me — just as we know that Jesus’ return will occur at some time out in front of us.

Of course, travelers could understand when they’re about to approach the city limits of Moscow based on their Global Positioning System, their rate of speed, and traffic conditions. But under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t know that their arrival was imminent without signs.

As we approach Christ’s return and the end of this present age, we will likewise see visible changes all around us that appear almost abruptly. I actually believe that we’re no longer approaching the last part of the last days; rather, we have crossed the border, and we are already there.

When did the “last days” begin? In biblical terms, the “last days” officially began on the Day of Pentecost. Peter announced in Acts 2:17 and 18 that the last days of this age were officially initiated when the Holy Spirit was poured out. So for the last approximate 2,000 years, we have been living in “the last days” on God’s prophetic calendar. We are now living in the final stages of this period.

Let me use the example of a football game to illustrate this point. When the players return to the field just after halftime, play begins in the second half, or the last half, of the game. That would be an example of the beginning of the end. But when the game is winding down in the last half to the last minutes and seconds of the fourth quarter, that very vividly describes a wrap-up — the very end of the game.

I personally believe that this perfectly depicts where we are in history. We’ve been playing this last-days game for about 2,000 years. But now it’s the fourth quarter, and the game is winding down to the last “minutes and seconds” before Jesus comes and the game is wrapped up.

As we head into the very last moments of the last days, you and I are on this end-times team as members of the Body of Christ. God, who summons each generation to live on this planet, has called you and me for such a time as this (see Isaiah 41:4; Esther 4:14). And with that calling, a divine role has been assigned to each one of us. It has never been more important to discover that role, get in our place, and apply ourselves to it spirit, soul, and body with all the strength and enthusiasm we can muster.

As believers, we must be fully engaged and not sidelined or relegated to “sitting on the bench” in these last moments of the last days. If we will honor the transforming Cross of Christ and His Word, we can be confident we’ll be positioned to participate in this last, greatest move of God’s Spirit the world has ever seen!

Are you ready?

This is a time to set our hearts to seek God and get prepared for the last moments of this age that Jesus prophesied about. The fact is that we are privileged to be personal witnesses of the time that the Old Testament prophets, Jesus, Paul, John, and Peter all prophesied would come! We are truly a chosen generation as we experience the wrap-up of the age and wait for the soon return of Christ!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to help me do all I can to prepare my heart for the soon return of Jesus. Times are changing — and I’m thankful to know what Jesus had to say about the end of the age in Matthew 24:3. Help me comprehend the significance of the fact that I’ve been chosen to be a part of a very special generation. Help me find my role, get in my place, and do all I can to help advance the Gospel and its message before the age ends and Jesus returns. And especially help me to reach my family, friends, acquaintances, and coworkers with the message that the Cross has the power to save them, forgive them, and transform their lives!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am blessed to be a part of the wrap-up of the age before the return of Jesus Christ. It is no accident that I am alive at this time. God made me for such a time as this — and I will step into my place, fulfill my role, and do all I can to shine the light of the Gospel to those who are sitting in darkness. God will use me to remove the blinders that are on the eyes of unbelievers and bring them into the Kingdom of His dear Son!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. What signs do you see that make you think we are living in the very closing days of the last days? Can you make a list and back it up with scriptural references?
2. If you don’t think we’re living in the last part of the last days, how have you come to that conclusion?
3. If you believe we are living at the very end of the age, as many believe, what specific actions do you need to take to tell others about the saving message of Jesus? Has the Lord put certain unsaved people on your heart as your personal assignment to faithfully lift up in prayer until they come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Who are those individuals?

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
— Romans 14:19

There are so many opportunities for distrust and lack of peace in this world that we as believers must make it our aim to follow after things that make for peace. In fact, this was the commandment that the apostle Paul gave to the Romans when he addressed them in Romans 14:19. What you are about to read applies to friendships, church congregations, churches in the same community, marriages, sibling relationships, and so on.

The verse says, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” Today I want us to dissect this verse and see exactly what the Holy Spirit is urging us to do. The fact that the verse begins with “let us therefore” tells us that this is a commandment that is issued to every one of us in every part of the Christian community and that Paul expected us to heed his words. It is not a suggestion; it is a divinely inspired commandment.

The word “follow” is the Greek word dioko, a word that we’ve seen many times as we’ve studied Sparkling Gems 2. It is an often-used word in the New Testament; hence, this tells us how important it is that we understand it and obey its command to us. The word dioko had two primary meanings — and to understand this word, you need to understand the way that it was used in both senses.

First, as we’ve seen before, it was a hunting term that depicted a hunter who was following his game. He wasn’t haphazardly “hoping” that an animal would walk by him, but instead he was committed to getting into the territory where his game was located. He was determined to follow the animal’s scent and its tracks on the ground, to watch for broken branches indicating the presence of the animal and the direction it was headed, and so on. That hunter was absolutely committed to following that animal — and to watching for all the signs necessary to track it — until he captured his trophy.

Furthermore, the Greek word for “follow,” dioko, is a participle, which means it should be understood to mean habitually follow. In other words, this hunter is bound and determined that he will not stop his pursuit until he comes home with a bagged animal!

Second, the word dioko is also frequently translated to persecute. The deliberateness contained in this word tells us that persecution is not accidental or haphazard. It is done very deliberately. Just as a hunter follows the tracks and scent of an animal, one who persecutes another does so deliberately. He seeks where the subject of his persecution lives, whom he talks to, where he fellowships, and so forth. After ascertaining vital information about his subject, he then begins on purpose to implement a strategy to rendezvous with his subject in order to entrap him. It is deliberate, planned, and executed with meticulous detail. This mean persecution is not a chance happening; it is intentional.

I could tell many stories of believers who were persecuted in parts of the world where the Gospel was once not accepted — and where the Gospel is still not welcome. Persecution against believers is well planned, thought-out, and deliberate. The word dioko describes just this exactly. It involves a well-executed plan to entrap the one whom the perpetrator wishes to punish or persecute.

That is the word that Paul uses when he admonishes us to “follow” after the things that make for peace. He was telling us to be proactive in achieving peace. He was urging us to develop a plan that can be executed. Sitting and hoping for it will never get the job done. There must be a Spirit-inspired plan that is followed explicitly — and the seeker must be committed to habitually follow that plan until peace is finally captured. Just as a hunter persistently follows after his prey, or just as a persecutor consistently and deliberately follows after the one he seeks to persecute, we must be that committed to do the things that make for peace.

But Paul tells us that we are to follow after “the things” that make for peace. The words “the things” are a translation of the little word ta, which seems so small, but it’s huge in what it embraces. The meaning of this tiny word includes many things that could contribute to peace. For example, it could include:

• Asking for forgiveness.
• Admitting you were wrong.
• Acknowledging that you were wrong in the role you played in a matter.

The word “peace” is the word eirene — an old Greek word that indisputably describes a time of peace as a replacement for war. It has been translated tranquility or harmony. It gives the idea that although there was a time of strife, conflict, and war — to obtain this “peace,” weapons and long-held disagreements must now be laid aside; peace negotiations must be discussed and implemented; and peace must usurp the conflicts that have long waged between two or more warring factions.

This is not a suggestion. It is Paul’s inspired command. We must seek this eirene and follow ardently after it until we obtain it in our relationships.

Furthermore, Paul told us that we are to follow after “…things wherewith one may edify another.” Instead of using weapons to injure one another or to put others down, Paul commands us to make it our professional objective to “edify” one another. This is so totally contrary to distrust, suspicion, and war. But this is what the Holy Spirit wants to achieve between us!

The word “edify” is the Greek word oikodome, a compound of the words oikos and domos. The word oikos describes a house — fully built and complete — while the word domos describes the engineering and building process by which that house was constructed. In order to build a house correctly — one that will stand for many years and serve its occupants well — first, a plan must be developed. Once all parts of the blueprint are designed, only then can the building process transpire, and it must be done according to the plan that has been devised!

This means that building a house is a very thoughtful endeavor. By God’s grace, Denise and I have constructed several buildings in the history of our ministry. Every one of them has started with a plan and an architect and engineer who put everything on paper. Then everything must be followed according to the plan if the building is to be constructed correctly. Exact obedience and adherence to the plan is essential. Carefulness is obligatory if one wants to do what’s right and achieve and obtain the best possible outcome.

Paul used this word oikodome — translated “edify” — to describe how we must build our relationships with each other in the Christian community. There is no room for sloppy, last-minute thinking about how to construct relationships that need to last for generations. It takes serious prayer and consideration, taking into account the various views of the different contributors — and once the plan is finalized, it must be followed carefully and considerately.

When we constructed our church building in Moscow, we followed the plans exactly. When we were finished, the building looked exactly as the plans had projected. If we had deviated and gone another way, we would have produced a different-looking building and, worse, one that was structurally unsound. But because we carefully obeyed the architect and engineers, their digital image looks identical to the actual building we constructed.

In the same way, if we lay down our weapons of war and suspicions of each other — and ardently follow after peace with each other, doing the things that make for peace and edification — we will build exactly what the Holy Spirit wants to build between us. We must seek the Holy Spirit for His plan of construction or reconstruction. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to bring about peace. He knows what we need to do to “edify,” or to build properly, when constructing relationships in the Body of Christ.

If you have been through a war with a fellow believer, a nearby church, another pastor, or so on, God’s Word in Romans 14:19 commands you to lay down your weapons and do the things that make for peace, restoration, and edification.

Rather than tear each other down, the Holy Spirit — who is the Chief Architect and Engineer — wants to show us a plan for construction that will build strong relationships for years to come.

Are you ready to receive His plan? If you’re willing to lay down your weapons, repent for wrong attitudes, and come to His table to hear what He has to say, the Holy Spirit is ready to impart a plan that will work if you will not deviate from it.

This is the will of God according to Romans 14:19, so why not get started today? Great things lie ahead of those who will obey this verse, and that includes you!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I now have a clearer understanding of the enemy’s well-planned attacks to incite Christians to wage war among ourselves and ultimately fall prey to his divisive tactics. I ask You to help me apply a more meticulous approach to pursue peace and to preserve it. Father, I receive Your specific wisdom in this very intentional endeavor. I can no longer allow any room for sloppy, last-minute thinking about how to construct relationships that need to last for generations. Thank You for strengthening each member of Your Body internally so that externally we can build the Christian community by prayer and with peace, love, and serious consideration of the high priority that we edify one another so that the world may truly know we are Yours by our love.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I engage an intentional pursuit of those things that make peace. I see to it that my words, attitudes, and actions edify and build others up rather than injure or put them down. I obey the Lord’s command to make it my premeditated objective to edify others. Therefore, I give no place to the devil by allowing distrust, suspicion, or contempt to spring up and manifest in my life. I choose to follow the great plan of the Chief Architect, the Holy Spirit, and I refuse to deviate from it so He can build us into the glorious design the Father envisioned before the foundations of the world!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever witnessed a battle between two believers or between congregations? It isn’t a pretty sight, is it? It is certainly not God’s After reading today’s Sparkling Gem, what should the participants in such conflicts do to make it right before God?
2. Are you in conflict with another believer? Is it really worth all the pain and blame? Don’t you hear God telling you to lay down your distrust and learn to build and edify one another? It may be difficult to do, but isn’t that exactly what Romans 14:19 tells you to do?
3. I’m not suggesting that you do something God hasn’t required of me and other leaders over the years. But I’m here to testify that the peace obtained by following His plan for peace is so much better than the grief caused by strife and internal discord. Are you going to pull up to the table and let the Holy Spirit give you a plan to turn things around in the relationship(s) you find difficult?

…To him that overcometh will I give…a white stone….
— Revelation 2:17

For years, I carried a small white stone in my pocket. In times when I felt discouraged, I would reach into my pocket to touch that stone and remind myself that Jesus promised a “white stone” to those who overcome. Of course, a stone has no magical powers, but that little stone reminded me of what the Lord said when He promised a “white stone” in Revelation 2:17 to those who overcome.

So what is the significance of the “white stone” that Jesus promised?

Let’s delve into the Greek language and history today to see what we can find about how “white stones” were used at the time this was written by John on the isle of Patmos and why Christ promised a “white stone” to those who overcome.

In the original text of Revelation 2:17, the wording in the phrase “a white stone” is ordered differently in Greek. The Greek wording actually reads “psiephon leuken.” The word psiephon refers to a stone or pebble, and leuken means white. So rather than “a white stone,” it should be literally translated, “A stone, a white one.” This lays a particular emphasis on the color of the stone, so we must examine the primary way “white stones” were used in early New Testament times.

When a Roman trial concluded, and it was time for a panel of judges to vote for the defendant’s innocence or guilt, the judges registered their votes by casting a black or white stone into an urn. A black stone symbolized a vote for guilt, and a white stone denoted a vote for innocence. When all the votes had been cast, the stones were emptied from the urn and counted one by one. If there were more black stones, it meant the judges had found the defendant guilty; if there were more white stones, it meant they had found the individual to be not guilty.15

Therefore, when Christ offered “a stone, a white one” to overcomers — placing a definite emphasis on the word white — it meant: “I have reviewed all the evidence, and I have judged you not guilty!”

Jesus’ message to that church, and to us today, was that regardless of who they had been or what they had done before they came to Christ, what mattered now was who they had become in Christ. Viewing them in light of His blood, Jesus had cast “a stone, a white one” in their direction, affirming their full acquittal and complete release from their past sinful lives and memories.

Therefore, when the devil — or any person, for that matter — tries to throw a stone of judgment against us by mentally tormenting us about past actions we’ve already been forgiven for, we may boldly answer, “Christ has already cast His vote. He has found me NOT GUILTY!” Regardless of any actions we may have committed in the past, Jesus’ blood has purged our con- science from dead works to serve the living God (see Hebrews 9:14).

There was another way the ancient Greeks also used white and black stones for vote-casting. One of the greatest privileges in Greek society was to vote about civic issues in a public election. In these elections, people used white and black stones to cast their votes, similar to the way such stones were used in legal trials.16 Votes were customarily registered by casting a black or white pebble into large vases that were set up throughout the city at designated locations. When the time for voting had concluded, the pebbles were separated into white and black piles and then counted. A white stone represented a person voting in favor of some issue, whereas a black stone represented a person was voting against it.

Thus, when Christ promised “a stone, a white one” to the believers who overcame, He was not only announcing freedom, forgiveness, and acquittal from a past sinful life, but He was also telling them: “My vote is for you. I am putting My full support behind you.”

How powerful this is when we realize what the “white stone” means in Revelation 2:17. It declares that Christ has found us not guilty and that He is putting His full support behind you and me. Christ is voting for us!

15 Ovid, Metamorphoses, XV.

16 Charles Dexter Cleveland, A Compendium of Grecian Antiquities (Boston: Hilliard, Gray, Little, and Wilkins, 1831), p. 68

Years ago, I actually preached on this subject in the city of Moscow — then we distributed white stones to the whole congregation. I urged people to carry them in their pockets or purses as a reminder that if they were washed in the blood of Christ, Jesus has found them not guilty. And regardless of what the devil tries to tell them, Christ’s blood has freed them from the past, and they are free! Furthermore, I encouraged them when life seemed to be getting tough to let that white stone remind them that if no one else was voting for them, Christ was voting for them and, therefore, they were going to make it!

Today I want to tell you that if you have been forgiven and washed in the precious blood of Christ, you are forgiven — period. The devil may try to hassle you in your mind and torment you with past memories that God Himself doesn’t remember. But just realize that Christ reviewed all the evidence, and since His blood was applied to your life, He has found you completely blameless and free from shame.

Furthermore, if it doesn’t feel at the moment like anyone else is for you, just remember that Christ Himself has cast His vote for you. Romans 8:31 tells us, “…If God be for us, who can be against us?” My friend, if Jesus has cast His vote for you — and He has! — you can throw off all despair and start rejoicing, because the one vote that really matters has been cast in your favor!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for the blood of Jesus Christ, which has cleansed me from all sinful actions of the past. Although I admittedly did wrong in the past, it is not held against me, because the blood of Christ has made me free. You have officially declared me clean. I stand before You as a born-again individual, free from the offenses of my past. A white stone has been cast in my favor. I am cleansed and free, and You are voting for me and my success!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I refuse to wallow in condemnation over my past sins that even God Himself doesn’t remember. Instead, I focus my attention on the blood of Jesus as I remember all He has done for me. When the devil — or anyone, for that matter — tries to throw a stone of judgment against me by mentally tormenting me about past actions that I’ve already been forgiven for, I boldly answer: “Christ has reviewed all the evidence and already cast His vote. He has found me innocent!” I toss aside any garments of despair, and I put on the garment of praise because Jesus’ blood has purged my conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Since God is for me, who can be against me? Jesus has cast His vote of a white stone in my favor — and that is the only vote that matters!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. When the devil tries to assault your mind and drag you into memories of the past, how do you resist him? Do you allow him to attack you, or do you stand up to those allegations that no longer have any application concerning who you are today? How do you resist the devil in such circumstances?
2. When you think of Christ casting a “white stone” in your favor — a favorable vote for you — how does that affect you?
3. In light of Christ casting a white stone in your favor, don’t you think it’s time for you to stop submitting to the devil’s actions of throwing stones of accusation at you — or at others?

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
— 2 Peter 3:9

At a time when it is so essential that we put forth our best efforts to reach the unreached, many churches and organizations are cutting back on their giving to foreign missions.

They are opting instead to develop their own local churches. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but the emphasis on reaching the lost is very often diminished in favor of simply forming social communities for their congregations.

What happened to the days when we did BOTH?

It is clear that we need to support home missions in the United States, where multitudes have yet to hear the good news of the Gospel. But we must never stop ardently supporting foreign missions to reach the nations and ethnic groups that have never heard the name of Jesus. It isn’t a matter of one or the other — we must give sacrificially in this last-days period to do both.

The sad truth is that we are living in a time when passion for the lost is waning. Many pulpits don’t deliver messages about Heaven and hell — and they don’t give invitations for the lost to be saved in their churches.

On top of that, there has been a steady decrease among churches in giving to foreign missions. Unfortunately, all of this is indicative of a radical change in beliefs, practices, and philosophy of overseas ministry at exactly the moment when foreign-missions support is needed more than ever.

If only churches would band together to support foreign-mission organizations! Added to the new communications technology of our day, that support would accelerate the time it would take to reach every nation and ethnic group of the earth as a precursor to Christ’s return.

I certainly don’t condemn churches that spend money on building projects because their existing facilities have been outgrown or are in need of renovation. Our own church in Moscow recently completed a major reconstruction process, so I understand the need. But I feel saddened when churches continue to buy “bigger and better” while at the same time overlooking souls for whom Christ died — yet those same souls have never heard His name!

Even with all our local building programs and church needs, foreign missions simply must remain at the top of our list of priorities as pastors and leaders.

I shudder to think of the moment when we will stand before Jesus and give account for what we did or did not do for those who’d never heard the Gospel message. Those believers who gave sacrificially will be elated to look into the Savior’s loving eyes. But those who gave nothing to reach the lost will not stand well with the One who gave His life to reach them.

If you were to stand before Jesus today and give an account of how you used your money and personal efforts to reach the lost, how do you think you would fare in terms of eternal reward?

When the apostle Peter wrote about the last days, he said, “Knowing this first, that in the last days scoffers will come after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3,4).

Indeed, there are many scoffers who mock those who believe that these are the last days or that there will be a rapture of the Church. These cynical “dissenters” argue that people have been talking about “the last days” for 2,000 years, yet nothing has changed during that time. They allege that it’s all a fantasy.

The word “scoffers” means those who scoff and make fun of something through mockery. This group is very prevalent today. They say, “If Christ was going to come, He would have come by now. This ‘rapture’ business is simply fantasy. The world hasn’t really changed as you claim. We simply have better news coverage, so we’re more aware of the darkness and tragedy in the world.” Many in this group are bold to assert that the heralding of Christ’s soon return is based on ancient texts that have no relevance to today and no basis in reality.

Peter predicted a day when scoffers would come — before Jesus returns — and rise up to mock people (like me!) who teach others what God says regarding the end times.

But what these mockers don’t understand is that the last days started on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out (see Acts 2:16-18). For 2,000 years, we have been living in what is theologically called the last days. That may seem like a long time to us, but Second Peter 3:8 says, “…Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

Theologically, this 2,000-year period called “the last days” has only been two days on God’s prophetic calendar! But why has God taken so long to wrap up this period and move to the next prophetic phase on His calendar? The next verse, Second Peter 3:9, answers that question: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The word “slack” is a form of the word bruduno, which means to be tardy, slow, delayed, or late in time. By using this word, the Holy Spirit tells us that God is not slow regarding the promises He has made. He made them, and He will fulfill them — but He is “longsuffering” for the sake of those who still need to come to repentance. The Rapture will occur the instant the last person who will repent is saved. Then we will be miraculously transformed and translated to meet the Lord in the air (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17).

The word “longsuffering” is from the Greek word makrothumia, a compound of the word makros and thumia. The word makros means long — and the word thumia describes great patience. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament says, “It is the Spirit who could take revenge, but who utterly refuses to do so. The delay of God’s punishment rests on God’s long-suffering.…”14

In other words, God is exceedingly patient with those who are unsaved, and He is willing to wait for the redemption of that one last person who will repent. That is the longsuffering of God — and the reason why God has waited and waited and waited. But as we conclude these last of the last days, that one unsaved person will repent and come to Christ. When that occurs, this age will close and we will be removed from the earth. The Tribulation will commence in that split second.

14 Cleon Rogers Jr. and Cleon L. Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), p. 588.

Second Peter 3:9 says, “God is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness….” This refers to the scoffers who say the Rapture and prophetic events that lie before us will never take place. But God is not slack! In other words, He is not tardy, delayed, or slow in fulfilling His promise. His heart of love is simply holding out for the last soul to be saved.

Verse 9 goes on to say that God is “…not willing that any should perish….” Although it’s true that all will obviously not be saved, He is waiting for the Gospel to reach the “four corners” of the earth and for that last person who will turn to Him and be saved. This shows just how long is the longsuffering of God!

You see, God knows what hell is, and He doesn’t want anyone to go there — which is why we must be serious and committed about taking the saving message of Jesus to the world now, at the end of this age. We must win as many as possible to Christ because that door is still open for the lost to be saved — to be brought into glorious fellowship with God, to avoid hell, and to make Heaven their eternal home.

In the end of these last days, it is imperative that we stay sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, always ready to open our hearts and witness to people. God is waiting for that last person who will repent to enter His Kingdom — and then the Rapture of the Church will occur. In light of all the end-time events that are occurring right now, it is possible that this could happen at any moment.

Today I want to encourage you to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as you share Christ with others. Stay open and obedient to every nudge to witness. And every time you share Jesus with someone, do it with the anticipation that with each person won to Christ, we are coming closer and closer to the wrap-up of this age!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for helping me see as You see. Thank You for giving me Your heart for those who are lost and headed for hell. More and more, I sense Your compassion and Your longing that every person would receive the free gift of salvation as we approach the end of this age. Help me stay sensitive and obedient to Your Spirit so that I never miss an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with a heart that is ready to receive.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am regularly spending time with my Heavenly Father and becoming more and more sensitive to what is important to Him. The Father loved people so much that He gave His only Son to die on the Cross to redeem them. He doesn’t want even one person to be lost and eternally separated from Him. More and more, the desires of my Father’s heart are becoming the desires of my heart. Therefore, I live every day endeavoring to stay sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. And every day He gives me divine opportunities to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with those I encounter whose hearts are ready to receive.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Do you live each day with an awareness that one day you will stand before Jesus and give an account for what He has asked you to do regarding reaching the lost?
2. When is the last time you obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit to share Jesus with someone? What was the outcome of your obedience?
3. Can you think of a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit asking you to witness to someone — but you held back? Since a person’s eternal destiny is at stake in that kind of situation, what can you do today to make sure you are ready to obey the next time you sense the Holy Spirit leading you to share the Good News of Jesus with someone?

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.
— 2 Timothy 3:14

One day, after reading Paul’s prophecy concerning the changes that will characterize society in the last days (see 2 Timothy 3:1-13), I realized that a person could become very alarmed or concerned from these verses. However, the Holy Spirit didn’t reveal these things to scare us; He showed them to prepare us. He provided us with the means to be overcomers, to continue in our callings and assignments, and to help bring others to a place of victory in Christ in the midst of great peril.

After Paul listed the characteristics of a last-days society, he provided specific instructions that tell us how to overcome any challenge we might face in these tumultuous times. His instructions are especially crucial today because they provide God’s divine solution to all the dark, negative things that many believers will encounter head-on as we approach the end of the age. He wrote, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Timothy 3:14).

Paul wrote his second epistle to Timothy in the midst of a very difficult time in the young pastor’s life. The church in Ephesus that Timothy pastored — once a thriving congregation and the largest church in that region of the world — was suffering tremendously at the hands of the Roman government. At the time, the cruel and demented emperor Nero had instigated a large-scale persecution against the Church, and believers in Timothy’s city faced very intense hardships.

By writing to Timothy and the congregation of believers in Ephesus, Paul — under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit — also gave us instructions concerning the evil that will come upon the earth in the last of the last days. Paul began with a very sober word: “continue.”

The word “continue” in Second Timothy 3:14 is a translation of the Greek word meno, which means to habitually abide or stay put. It describes a decision from which the one abiding will not budge or move from his spot. It’s the same word that’s used over and over in John 15, where Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (v. 7). Jesus was saying in essence, “If you habitually reside in Me, refusing to budge and never moving out of Me — and if My Word habitually resides in you, never budging and never moving out of you — you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.”

This word meno describes a person making the decision, “This is my spot; I will not move!” That’s what Paul was instructing us to do: to continue. Paul exhorted us to resolve that regardless of what was happening around us, we would not change our position where the Word and the will of God were concerned.

Paul continued, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14,15).

I also want to point out the word “wise” in the phrase “…which are able to make thee wise unto salvation….” Paul was referring to the wisdom that is produced in a person’s life who knows the “holy Scriptures.” This word “wise” was translated from the word sophos, and it means special enlightenment. The Holy Scripture, the Word of God, is able to enlighten us and show us the way to salvation — absolute healing, wholeness, and the saving and delivering power of God — in whatever circumstances we’re facing.

God’s Word is God’s power! Therefore, we can conclude that without God’s Word in our hearts, we can’t have God’s power working in us. That’s why I want to share with you the importance of the Scriptures in our lives, especially as we approach the time of Jesus’ returning when the world around us will grow darker and darker.

So today I want to remind you — as you see society rapidly deteriorating all around you and changes coming so fast that you can hardly keep count of them, you need to “continue” in the Word of God. That means you need to habitually abide or stay put where the Word of God is concerned. Regardless of what the world says about what is right or wrong, stay put and continue in what you have learned from the Holy Scriptures — for they are able to make you “wise” — that is, they will fill you with the discernment and enlightenment that you need for victorious living in these perilous times!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I recommit myself to the Word of God. Society is changing what it believes all the time, and it is drifting further and further away from the truths found in the Word of God. But according to Your commandment, I will “continue” in the teachings of the Holy Scriptures that have the power to make me “wise” for living in these times. Holy Spirit, I ask You to stir my heart with a new passion for the Word of God — that I would hunger and thirst for it continually — and then empower me not only to devour it but also to do it steadfastly. Teach me to draw my strength and nourishment from the Word of God in order to strengthen my spirit, soul, and body so that I will stand strong and victorious in these last days!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I hunger and thirst for God’s Word more than my necessary food and drink. I make a deliberate decision to abide in the Word of God and to allow it to abide in me. I will not budge from my position on the Word as final authority in all manner of life. Therefore, as the world and its practices grow darker and darker beneath the sway of the wicked one, the Word of God shall remain a lamp unto my feet and a sure guide to my path. I will not be moved when I see governmental legislation and even some church leaders make drastic shifts in defiance of God’s Word. I will “stay put” and hold the course of my commitment to God’s ways, as I continue to occupy until He comes!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you personally known times when the Word of God gave you strength and power to overcome challenges that were in your life? When was that time, and what exactly did you experience?
2. What does the word “continue” mean to you? Does it mean read and believe the Word once a month, once a week, or daily? What kind of consistency do you think Paul was talking about when he encouraged us to “continue” in the “holy Scriptures?”
3. Can you think of a time when the Word of God made you “wise” — that is, it gave you special discernment and enlightenment for a situation you were facing?

But by the grace of God I am what I am….
— 1 Corinthians 15:10

When I was young, my father tried to encourage me to join in all kinds of sports along with the other young boys from church and school. He tried to motivate me to get interested in baseball, football, basketball, and even bowling. But there was a problem: I had absolutely no interest in any type of sport that had to do with any kind of a ball. It was all boring and monotonous to me. I gave it my best, but I just didn’t have it “in me” to get involved in sports. My heart and my interest were simply not there.

God had made me to enjoy other things, like attending the orchestra, visiting museums, listening to classical music, and taking art lessons to develop my natural artistic talent. But those were not the kinds of things that young boys were “supposed” to be interested in, so I ardently pushed forward — trying to force myself to be interested in sports. But it was to no avail, because I just didn’t have an interest in it.

The devil tormented me for years, telling me that there was something wrong with me because I was not like other boys and men who rapturously talked about and played sports. To be honest, sports disgusted me — and decades later, I still have no interest in sports, and I didn’t produce any interest in my sons in sports. Even today, we are a “no sports” family. However, we love operas, classical music, art auctions, and other things of that nature. Each one of us is tuned into the world of the arts.

When I was a boy, I thought I was weird because of how I was made. But now that I live in Russia, where classical art, music, ballet, and arts of all sorts are a vital part of the culture, I understand that God created me exactly the way I needed to be for my assignment in the former USSR. Furthermore, He designed our sons’ desires to align with this culture. In Russia, we are perfectly fitted for the world around us. God knew all of that when I was a young boy. At the time, I struggled with coming to terms with my disinterest in sports and the reason why I had such a profoundly deep love for the arts. But it was all a part of how God needed me to be “fitted” for where I would live the bulk of my adult life.

The truth is, many people secretly struggle with why they are the way they are. Some are deeply affected by their characteristics that others might perceive as shortcomings, whereas others have learned to overlook them. For some, the devil has used these feelings as a launching pad to tell them there is something wrong with them — and he has convinced many that they are indeed an aberration from what other people are like.

But I want to tell you that God fashioned you perfectly for His calling and gifting in your life. Your “fitting” may be different from what is considered normal in your neighborhood, but that does not mean something is wrong with you. It just means God has “fitted” you for something that your neighbors will probably never do! Let them enjoy who they are, and you need to learn to accept yourself and enjoy who God made you to be!

I don’t know anyone else from my hometown who has a ministry in the heart of Moscow, Russia. The vast majority of people I grew up with and attended school with are living the American dream. But God knew that would not be my life, so He designed me for my own unique calling.

Thankfully, I had a mother who understood there was something different about me and encouraged me to pursue my interests. My father never understood when I was young, but as I grew older and the call of God on my life became more evident, he came to understand why I never fit the mold of other boys in our church and school. It took time for him to grasp it, but before he went to Heaven, my dad fully understood and encouraged me in who I am. Amen!

Have you ever felt like a misfit? If so, let me encourage you with a verse that I’ve spoken to myself over and over through the years. Especially in years when I struggled with my differences from others, I learned to lean on the truth of this verse. It is First Corinthians 15:10, where Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am….”

When Paul wrote this verse, he was writing about how different he was from all the other apostles. They had walked with Jesus; he had not. His knowledge of Christ came from direct revelation, whereas the other apostles had walked with Jesus, heard His voice, felt His tender touch, and witnessed His earthly ministry. Paul, however, had been called into apostolic min- istry by revelation, and this put him in a category that made him different from all the other apostles. They could all lay claim to an earthly experience with Christ that Paul could not claim.

Is it possible that Paul was tempted to feel inferior because his experience was different from theirs? I think the answer may be yes, because in First Corinthians 15:8 and 9, he wrote, “And last of all, he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am least of the apostles that am not meet to be called an apostle….” Yet he was one of the mightiest apostles; he wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else; and he traveled to more of the Gentile world than any other apostle of that time. His education, his travels, his love of languages — it all perfectly outfitted Paul for the ministry God had entrusted to him.

When Paul wrote, “But by the grace of God I am what I am…,” it was his recognition that everything that made him who he was uniquely prepared him to fulfill his purpose by the grace of God. So rather than focus on the fact that he was different from others, Paul continued by saying, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

According to Paul, God’s grace was bestowed on him, and it was not in “vain.” The word “vain” is the Greek word kenos, and it describes something that is empty, wasted, or void. Paul declared that the grace of God, which poured mightily into his life, did not produce hollow results. Rather, he said, “I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

The word “labored” is the Greek word kopiao, which describes labor and work of the most intense type. The word “abundantly” comes from a form of the word perissos, and it is comparative, which means Paul was essentially saying, “Compared to the other apostles, I worked harder than any of them.” But he went on to acknowledge that it was not he alone doing this strenuous, nonstop work; it was the grace of God that was at work within him. The word “grace” here is charis, which denotes the empowering presence of God.

Paul was indeed different than the other apostles. But he was mightily anointed and perfectly gifted and fitted for the call God had given him to reach the Gentile world. And although Paul had no earthly experience with Jesus like the other apostles did, he was no less an apostle. On the contrary, he was a mighty, world-changing force for the Gospel. But Paul had to come to a place where he surrendered his inadequate feelings and accepted that fact that he was what he was by the grace of God.

Today I want to tell you to stop badgering yourself if you are a little different from others. You may not have realized it, but if everyone was alike, it would be a pretty uninteresting world to live in. Your differences make you unique. God made you with certain characteristics and personality traits because you need them for the assignment He has planned for your life. So rather than struggle with yourself or put yourself down for being a little different from others, it’s time for you to claim First Corinthians 15:10 and declare, “I AM WHAT I AM BY THE GRACE OF GOD!”

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to help me really see and realize that the way You made me is not a mistake. You have fitted me exactly for the call that You have placed upon my life. Although I may be different from others around me, it is OKAY, because my call is different than that of my neighbors and friends. I confess that I’ve struggled with myself, but today I surrender it all — and I thank You that I am what I am by the grace of God. I ask You to help me understand it and receive it. With the help of Your grace, any self-imposed self-rejection I have lived under comes to an end. I receive Your grace; I accept who You have made me to be; and I confidently shine as a trophy of Your masterful making!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am made exactly as God intended for me to be made. He fitted with me thoughts, gifts, and talents that may be different from others, but they are essential for what God has called me to do. These differences will be precisely what is needed when I fully step forward into the plan that God has designed for me and my family. I have battered myself long enough — and starting today, I accept who I am and what the grace of God has made me to be!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Let’s think about it: Haven’t there been many people in the Bible who were fashioned differently from their contemporaries, but it was because God had a special call on their lives that required them to be different?
2. Who are some of those Bible characters? Take time to consider those who grew up differently from those around them with different gifts and different dreams because God had a special path for them to take in life.
3. Can you think of individuals outside of the Bible in secular realms who were seen as “different” from the time they were young, yet their differences contributed to their success in life? Who are some of those individuals?

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season….
— 2 Timothy 4:2

After Paul’s very long, detailed description in Second Timothy 3 of the things that would become more and more prevalent in the last of the last days, he made this charge to Timothy in Second Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season….”

The word “instant” is from the Greek word ephistemi, and it means to stand at your post. The word ephistemi is a military term. That’s important because standing at your post entails engaging in spiritual warfare. I won’t delve into a deep study of the subject of spiritual warfare here, but I will say that declaring the Word of God in faith is the highest level of spiritual warfare there is. That’s why it’s especially important for a preacher, or any believer who has God’s Word planted deeply in his heart, to stand and to keep on standing at his post without moving an inch!

The declaration of God’s Word from the pulpit is another form of spiritual warfare. The preaching and teaching of God’s Word can have a life-changing, yoke-destroying effect on people’s lives. When you proclaim the Gospel, it touches people who are in sin. The Word of God breaks down strongholds, releases His supernatural power, and transforms minds and lives.

That’s why Satan is always after the pulpit. He attacks it not so much because of the individuals who stand in the pulpit, but rather because of what they declare from their position in Christ and the authority Jesus has delegated to them as ministers of the Gospel. The enemy wants to stop the light from going forth because of the high level of warfare that’s effectively demonstrated when truth penetrates the human spirit and enlightens a person’s mind.

There’s power in the proclamation of the Gospel to snatch a person right out of a lifetime of bondage and plant his feet firmly on the right path, where there is light for his feet, freedom for his mind, strength and resolve for his will, and vision for a bright future. That’s what God’s Word can do, so it’s no wonder that Satan tries to stop the preaching, teaching, and ministry of the Word! Mental, emotional, and spiritual strongholds are demolished when the Word of God is proclaimed!

Now you can better see why Paul would go to such great lengths to urge and admonish Timothy to “stay put” — to remain in his place of ministry, or stay at his post. It’s obvious that he wouldn’t exhort Timothy to stay put somewhere unless Timothy was being tempted not to stay put. Believers in the church of Ephesus were suffering intense persecution for their faith in Christ. But Paul said to Timothy, “You be instant” or, “Stay at your post! Don’t leave the position where God placed you!”

Then Paul’s next words — “in season, out of season” — give us further clues as to why remaining continually stationed where God places us is so important. The phrase “in season” was translated from the Greek word eukairos, which basically means in good times.

For those of us in the ministry, it’s so much nicer to preach when everyone in the congregation is on our side and thinks we’re great! When everything in the church or ministry is running smoothly with no challenges to distract us, those are good times! But when people in the church start gossiping about us and about each other; when newspapers are writing stories about us or a family member that are untrue; or when your well-being, or the well-being of your family, is threatened either financially or physically — those are not very good times.

That’s why Paul said we need to stay at our posts even when things seem to be “out of season.” That phrase was translated from the word akairos, and that prefix a puts a negative spin on kairos. It means when things have changed and they are NOT so wonderful. The whole phrase could be translated “in good times and bad times!”

What are you supposed to do when pleasant times begin to shift? What do you do when dark storm clouds begin to form in skies that just moments before were clear and blue? You do the same thing you were doing before when times were good! You remain at your post, refusing to budge!

In fact, Paul wrote previously in Second Timothy 3:14, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” In other words, Paul was telling Timothy, “Don’t you budge! Don’t move from the place where God has called you. Stay put!”

Paul wrote these words to Timothy, but through these Spirit-inspired writings, He is also saying to us: “Stay at your post and don’t budge an inch! Stay there and do what God has told you to do when times are good — and if times turn bad, remain steady and unflinching.” One thing is sure: If you’ll remain faithful to the call and to the place where God has assigned you — if you will decide to stay put and refuse to budge an inch — He will empower you with inner strength that will enable you to see that divine assignment through to a glorious conclusion!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I hear You saying, “Stay at your post, and don’t budge an inch! Stay there, and do what I have told you to do. Be faithful when times are good — and if times turn bad, remain steady and unflinching.” I know that if I’ll remain faithful to the call and to the place where You have assigned me, You will empower me with inner strength and sufficient grace that will enable me to see my calling through to a glorious conclusion! So, Holy Spirit, I receive Your fortitude to withstand the pressure to give up, give in, and throw in the towel. Strengthen me with the might I need inwardly to stay put and see my assignment through to completion!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that God strengthens me with His might to be faithful, steadfast, and persevering. When times are good or when times are tough, I am consistently constant. I stay put, no matter what. I will not be moved in my committed stance. The grace of God is teaching me how not to be provoked or lured to move away from my post. I keep my focus fastened on Jesus, and my roots grow down deep into Him. His stability keeps me grounded and enables me to be faithful to the call and to the place where God has planted me.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Where has God called you that requires you to have inner fortitude to “stay put”? Are you remaining faithful to stay in that place, regardless of whether the times are good or bad?
2. Can you think of a time when the conditions for what you were doing were nearly perfect, but then suddenly or slowly the atmosphere changed and it became more difficult? What did you do when things turned more difficult? Did you stay put or did you relinquish your God-given place to someone else?
3. What about right now? Are you in a good season or a difficult season? Are you allowing yourself to be filled and refilled with the Spirit so that you have the inner strength you need to finish to a grand and glorious conclusion, regardless of what it feels like right now?

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
— 1 Timothy 3:1

Today I want to talk to you about “desire” and what it takes to get to the top — to be the best at anything you do. This issue of “desire” is hugely important in all aspects of our lives. In fact, when the apostle Paul instructed Timothy on how to choose the top leaders for his church, he urged the young pastor to choose people who have this specific quality. He said, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1 Timothy 3:1).

The word “desire” is the Greek word orgidzo, and it describes a longing, a craving, an urge, a burning desire, or a yearning ambition to achieve something. It portrays a person so fixed on the object of his desire that his whole being is stretched forward to take hold of that goal or object, and he will not be satisfied until he reaches and obtains it.

Paul held the qualification of “desire” above everything else on his list of requirements for leaders — and it takes only a few personal experiences with “desireless” people to clearly understand why he did this! However, to illustrate the power of desire, I would like to share a true story from my own life that took place many years ago.

I once saw a photograph that had been taken from the summit of one of Canada’s tallest mountains. It was unquestionably the most beautiful photograph I had ever seen. In fact, it was such an amazing sight that I determined I wanted to take a trip to Canada and climb to the top of that mountain to see the view in real life!

Eventually my dream came to fruition, and I made arrangements to travel to Canada and join a mountaineering expedition up this mountain. Upon my arrival, I linked up with a group of men who would serve as my climbing partners and accompany me to the summit of this mountain. All of these other men were experienced climbers — I was not. They were all in superb physical conditions — I was not. I had no idea how difficult the journey was going to be, but I knew that I had enough desire to keep me going and get me to the top!

After some preparation, the expedition team began the difficult ascent. This route wasn’t the most technical or dangerous path to follow with the help of a guide. But it could be extremely treacherous to a person unfamiliar with navigating rugged, glaciated landscapes, and it had claimed the lives of several people through the years. In fact, just days before our own climb, two professional climbers had made a tragic misstep on a patch of black ice along this very same route and had fallen several thousand feet to their deaths on the glacier below!

I huffed, puffed, and pushed my way to the top of that mountain. With each step, the weight of my backpack got heavier. I scrambled up steep inclines that led to even sharper inclines. Rocks tumbled under my feet. I fell. I rolled. I promised God again and again that I would never attempt to do such a stupid thing again if I could just get to the top of that mountain and then make it back down alive!

Finally, we made it to the summit, and I stood on the top of that mountain and looked out over the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Spread out before me was a stunning panoramic view of hundreds of incredibly beautiful mountain peaks. The sky was so clear that I could see for a hundred miles. I could see peak after peak after peak. As the sun went down, I watched as orange, blue, and purple tones colored the sky. I’d seen sunsets in beautiful places all over the world, but this was gorgeous beyond words! Hard as it was to believe, the photograph I had seen paled in comparison to the real thing.

My exhaustion disappeared, and for a few minutes, I forgot about the hardships I had encountered to get to the summit. I had conquered that mountain! I had really done it! My heart was shouting, and I was filled with inexpressible joy.

However, my great victory was about to be interrupted in a big way by altitude sickness. A few hours later, my victorious celebration came to a screeching halt as I began to feel nausea and dizziness wash over me. It came fast and hard, wave after wave of nausea pounding against me until I was unable to stand. My eyes began to see black spots. My head seemed to spin round and round, and I started violently vomiting until I had nothing left in my stomach to throw up. Even then, my body still convulsed with dry heaves.

Dehydrated and weak, I didn’t know how I could physically make it through the night. All night long my body wrenched with dry heaves, even though my stomach was empty. I cried. I pleaded for help. I prayed. It was a sickness like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.

The next morning I was still sick and so physically weak that I had to muster the energy to take a few steps. The problem was that we had to start the trip back down the slope to where we had begun the climb the day before. The other men didn’t know how I was going to make it. But I was determined that the mountain wasn’t going to conquer me! I was going to make it up and down that mountain successfully!

I took one small step down the mountain — then another small step and then another. Each step took such an effort that I had to work up the nerve to take each next small step.

The other men in our group knew the risks inherent in an expedition of this nature, and they’d assumed that I knew them too. However, I was uninformed and ill-prepared. If I had possessed the right knowledge, it wouldn’t have made the climb easier, but at least I would have understood the potential risks and been better prepared to overcome them. My ignorance on this subject meant that I had to figure it all out on my own, and that is always the most difficult way to learn!

Why am I telling you this story? Because you, too, will run into many obstacles in life that no one prepared you to face. Most likely, people did not deliberately deny you the information. They may have assumed you already understood, or they may have wrongly believed that you were more prepared than you actually were. However, if you have the inward desire to achieve your goal

• Any obstacle can be overcome.
• Any challenge can be conquered.
• Any mountain can be successfully climbed.

Paul stressed the importance of “desire” — a yearning ambition to achieve a goal — in First Timothy 3:1 because it is absolutely fundamental to achieving success in any arena of life. It is without a doubt the chief characteristic needed to survive the challenges of ministry and life while serving God with a pure heart.

If your level of “desire” is strong, it doesn’t matter if you’re ill-equipped or uninformed in certain areas. You will complete your assigned task because your inward determination and resolve will not let you give up!

Of course, First Timothy 3:1 is specifically talking about a person’s desire to attain to a leadership position within the ministry. But that word “desire” could also pertain to anyone who desires to reach “…the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) for their own lives.

Each person’s calling is different, and you are uniquely gifted to fill a specific role within the great plan of the Father. However, to truly realize your potential, you must possess a strong inner desire — a desire that refuses to quit at all costs and continually presses forward to reach new heights. This is the desire to be all God has destined and created you to be, and it will propel and sustain you even when the going gets tough and you feel like you can’t take another step!

Today I urge you to pray the following prayer and make the subsequent confession of faith. Let it come from your heart, asking God to insert His mighty hand into your spirit to stir up the faith that resides there! Then let your faith lift you up and move you toward conquering any mountain that lies in your path. Remember, if you’ve got enough desire, there is nothing that you cannot achieve!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I ask You to stir up desire in my heart that is strong enough to make me yearn to be the best possible me and achieve all that I can achieve. I know that You expect me to perform to my fullest potential, but I admit that my desire needs an upgrade in order for me reach that highest level. You have given me the talents I need, and I have ideas that I’ve never taken the time to develop. Now I see that I need greater desire at work in my life. So today, Father, I ask the Holy Spirit to stir desire deeply inside me so that I’ll never again be satisfied with mediocrity or the status quo!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that a strong, God-given desire propels me forward, energizes me, and compels me to be the best I can be at whatever I set my hand to do. I reject laziness; I reject any idea that just doing “what’s required” is enough for me; and I put forth whatever effort is required to reach the top of the mountain God has set before my life. I intend to scale that mountain, shout the victory — and rejoice that God has done such a wonderful work in my life and granted me the desires of my heart!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. After reading the Greek definition for “desire” at the beginning of this Sparkling Gem, would you say that desire is a force that is at work in you? If yes, how do you see it in your life? If no, why not?
2. Have you seen others who were super-talented and naturally gifted, yet failed to achieve something magnificent with their lives because they had no motivation or desire? Think about who those people ar Reflect on the decisions they have or haven’t made and consider how they affected the outcome of their own lives. What can you learn to do and not to do from what you’ve observed in their lives?
3. If God were to say what He saw in your life, would He say that He sees desire at work, or would He say that you’ve been willing to lay low and just accept the status quo? What do you need to do or change in order for God to see that “desire” is propelling you toward a grand and glorious future?