As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
— 1 Peter 4:10

On August 2, we talked about the “grace-given gifts” that have been divinely imparted to each one of us by God Himself. Today I’d like to take that discussion a step further to help you get started today in activating the giftings on the inside of you on a daily basis so you can fulfill your part in God’s great plan of revealing His love to man.

Here is a key to releasing your God-given grace gifts: It is something you can do on purpose. You don’t have to wait around for the elusive “perfect moment.”

Often people wait and wait for the “perfect time” to launch their business, their ministry, or their big dream in life. But the truth is, very few successful people began the pursuit of their call with that kind of an ideal moment. In fact, what most people would refer to as spectacular success stories actually began very “unspectacularly.” If you study the lives of individuals who have made a significant contribution to this world, you’ll find that often their journey began with just a simple decision to get started.

Certainly you can choose to wait around and wish for a “perfect moment” to come when the skies part, lightning bolts strike, and beams of glory land all around your feet to signal that your moment has arrived. But if this is what you’re waiting for, I want to tell you that you will probably be waiting a very long time! That just isn’t the way God does things in the vast majority of cases.

When I was a young man, I daydreamed of the time when my ministry would begin and I could start using the gifts and talents I had received from the Lord. I would lie in bed at night and envision the day when I would finally step up to the plate and begin my ministry. Then one day as I was praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. He told me that it was time to quit fantasizing and get started ! I had always thought I was waiting for that perfect moment to take the first step. But all the while, God was waiting for me to get up and start doing something with the gifts He had placed in my life!

I knew I had a gift to teach the Bible — and since that was what God had equipped me to do, I decided to use my gift! I invited my friends to a Bible study that I would lead on the university campus where I was studying. I knocked on doors, handed out leaflets, and started to intensely prepare to teach my very first public, verse-by-verse study in the New Testament. Today I still have the notes I prepared for the first series I ever taught, and I treasure those notes. They are memories from those early days when I was just getting started in the ministry. My beginning was small, so small it was almost unnoticeable, but it was a beginning.

Everyone has to have a beginning — including you! If you know what God has gifted you to do, don’t wait around and lose precious time as you wait for a hypothetical, fantasy-like “perfect moment” to get started. Instead, why not put your hand to the plow and begin to use your gifts right now? Once you take that step of faith, God will have something to bless. But as long as you do nothing, you’re not giving Him anything to prosper!

This is precisely why Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). Today I want us to look deeply into this powerful verse.

First, I want you to notice that Peter said, “As every man hath received the gift….” The words “every man” are translated from the Greek word hekastos, which is an all-inclusive word that liter- ally means every single person, no one excluded. This undeniably means that every person who has been born of the Spirit and who declares that Jesus is Lord has been supernaturally endowed with gifts from God. Because the word hekastos is used, it emphatically means that no one is excluded from these God-given gifts. Even the person with the lowest self-esteem is mightily gifted by the Spirit of God but simply unaware of the powerful gifts that reside inside him.

If you think that you are not gifted, you are wrong! The usage of the word hekastos in First Peter 4:10 clearly means that you, too, are endowed with magnificent, God-given gifts.

Peter went on to say, “As every man hath received the gift….” Pay careful attention to the word “received” in this verse. It comes from the Greek word lambano, which is used 258 times in the New Testament. It means to receive into one’s possession or to take into one’s own control and ownership. It carries the idea of taking hold of something; grasping onto something; or embracing something so tightly that it becomes your very own. When used in connection with God-given gifts, as Peter uses it in this verse, it portrays God as the Giver of gifts and us as the receivers. Then once we receive the gift of God, He sees it as our responsibility to accept and take ownership of that gift as our own.

Then Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift.…” The word “gift” in this verse is the word charisma, derived from the word charis, the Greek word for grace. But when the word charis becomes charisma, it speaks of grace-given gifts. In other words, these are not gifts earned or deserved; rather, these are gifts imparted supernaturally and divinely by God’s grace.

Thus, there is no room for boasting or self-glory in the possession of these magnificent gifts, for these are not natural talents developed by one’s own ability. These are supernatural graces that are divinely imparted by the Spirit of God. According to this verse, God has graced every child of God with miraculous gifts that are beyond his or her own natural ability. Once released and activated, these gifts bring the life-changing power of God into manifestation to meet and answer human need.

Yes, even you have these powerful gifts inside — just waiting for you to take ownership of them and use them!

Peter continued, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another.…” This word “minister” comes from the Greek word diakoneo.

This Greek word portrays a servant whose primary responsibility is to serve food and wait on tables. It presents a picture of a waiter or waitress who painstakingly attends to the needs, wishes, and desires of his client. It is this servant’s supreme task to please clients; therefore, he serves honorably, pleasurably, and in a fashion that makes the people he waits on feel as if they are nobility. This is a committed, professional server who is fanatically dedicated to doing his job on the highest level possible.

By choosing this Greek word diakoneo, Peter alerted us to the fact that God expects us to be radically, passionately committed to using the gifts He has given us in such a way that pleases Him and meets the needs of others. That is why Peter continued by saying, “As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same one to another.…” God intends for us to use our gifts to minister to one another. These gifts are not given for self-glory or self-promotion, but for the benefit of the larger Christian community and the world around us.

What about you? Are you using your grace-given gifts to minister to the needs of those around you?

Peter concluded this verse by saying, “As every man hath received the gift, so let him minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The word “steward” is from the Greek word oikonomos and was specifically used to describe the household manager for an upper-class, wealthy home (see August 2).

By using the word oikonomos in this verse, Peter shows us that God has indeed made us the stewards of His own personal treasures and He expects us to give Him glory by using our gifts wisely and on time to meet the needs of those around us.

Taking all these Greek words into consideration, we could paraphrase this verse to read:

“Every single one of you without exception has received a grace-given gift from God. Embrace what God has placed inside you. Take ownership of it, and do your best to use that special gift to meet the needs of one another. God has entrusted a lot to you by placing those special gifts in your life, and He is depending on you to be faithful with this great responsibility.”

God gives you gifts and talents, and then He expects you to use them, regardless of their size. As you do, He will begin to bless the work of your hands. However, if you choose to wait for the “perfect moment” to develop before you ever do anything with your gifts, you’ll probably never get started! Don’t waste any more time — it’s time for you to start making the most of divine equipment inside you that’s just waiting to be released!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I want to thank You for placing spiritual gifts in my life. These gifts were given by You, and my heart’s desire is to use them as You intend for them to be used. Forgive me for the time I’ve wasted waiting for the perfect moment before I got started. Help me now as I step out in faith to start using these gifts in ways that will benefit those around me. I know that Your gifts have power, so as I release these precious treasures, I ask that Your power will also be released to meet the needs of the people whose lives I touch. Today I willfully recognize the gifts You have placed inside me, and I make the choice to let these gifts begin to operate through me!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that God’s grace works mightily in my life and those mighty gifts have been placed in my life through this divine grace. Although in the past I have put myself down and lightly esteemed my value in the Body of Christ, I have made the decision to recognize, embrace, and take ownership of the marvelous gifts inside me! God expects me to be responsible in my stewardship of these gifts, so I will be meticulous and faithful in the way I allow these gifts to operate through me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Do you know which gifts God has graced you with? What are those gifts that He wants to operate in your life? Have you ever made a list of the ways you believe God wants His grace to flow through your life to others? If not, it would be a good idea for you to do this so you can affirm the gifts, imparted by the grace of God, that reside in you!
2. What results have you observed from the times you allowed your God-given gifts to operate in your life? How have these gifts benefited and helped others? What impact did those gifts have on others when you allowed them to freely operate through you?
3. Can you think of people who have been waiting a long time for the “perfect moment” to come so they can get started in life? Are they still waiting?

…We are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
— 1 Corinthians 4:13

Has anyone ever tried to blame you for problems that had nothing to do with you? Maybe it was a fellow employee who blamed you for something he failed to do. Maybe it was a fellow church member who failed at his responsibility, but didn’t want to look unfaithful, so he shifted the blame on you for something you didn’t do. Or maybe you can remember a time when your siblings pointed their finger at you for something they did, and as a result you were punished instead of them!

If you’ve ever been accused or blamed for something you didn’t do, you know what a miserable experience it is. There is nothing worse than to be made a scapegoat for someone else’s misdeeds. If this has ever happened to you, you know how victimized you can feel when you are accused of something you didn’t do!

Shifting blame to someone else started all the way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam pointed his finger at Eve and blamed her for his failure to obey God. When sin entered the human race, one of the first manifestations of sinful nature was Adam’s refusal to accept responsibility for his choices and for his attempt to blame his wife for his failure.

When people don’t want to face the consequences of their own failure, they often look for someone else to blame. They point the finger at others and say, “They are the reason we are in this mess!” By pointing their fingers away from themselves and shifting the blame to someone else, they attempt to deflect the punishment they deserve themselves.

Of course, such blame-shifting is unjust. Yet as long as we live in this fallen world that has the devil and the influence of ungodly men, such acts of injustice will continue. When Jesus comes and sets up His Kingdom on the earth, all injustice will come to an end. But until that time, injustice will occur in many forms. And if you or I are ever treated unjustly — for instance, if we’re ever blamed for something we didn’t do — we must know how God expects us to respond to the situation.

Think of the believers who lived in the pagan Roman Empire and who faced injustice on a daily basis. They were constantly blamed for things they didn’t do. If the weather was bad, the pagans often blamed the Christians for the bad weather. If the empire was grappling with financial troubles, the Christians were typically the ones blamed for the financial woes. When the city of Rome burned to the ground — an event most likely instigated by Nero himself — Nero pointed his finger at Christians and blamed them for starting the fire rather than face the consequences of what he had done. (See Volumes One and Two of my Light in Darkness series for an in-depth look into the challenges early believers faced as they lived for Jesus.)

Early Christians were a threat to the devil and to the domain of darkness. So from the beginning, Satan inspired people to hate believers and to blame them for all types of heinous deeds that had nothing to do with them. They became “scapegoats” that society used to blame for all their ills and problems.

As happened to many believers during the time when the New Testament was being written, the apostle Paul and his traveling companions were often charged falsely with deeds they didn’t commit. Paul told us about this in First Corinthians 4:13 when he wrote, “…We are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.” This verse is very insightful, but it requires a study of the original Greek words to fully understand the message contained in it.

This verse is very powerful. Not only does it give us a glimpse into the challenges Paul and his associates physically faced, but it lets us know how they emotionally felt when these things happened to them. No one likes being called the “scum of the world,” but that’s in essence what Paul and his team members were called. The apostle Paul wrote on behalf of his team to explain how the world had treated them with utter contempt. When he wrote, “…We are made as the filth of the world,” he was painting a very strong picture!

The phrase “the filth of the world” is taken from the Greek word perikatharma, a compound of the words peri and kathairo. The word peri means around, and the word kathairo means to cleanse or to purify. The latter word depicts the removal of disgusting grime, like the dirty ring left on the sides of a bathtub when dirty water is drained. If that filth is allowed to remain on the bathtub very long, it becomes hard, crusty, and difficult to remove. At that point, getting get rid of that hardened “ring around the tub” requires determination and a lot of hard work. It means someone has to get on his hands and knees and scrub! Only after a lot of persistent, nonstop scouring can that hardened, grimy ring around the tub be eliminated.

This is the idea Paul conveyed when he said that he and his traveling companions had been treated like “the filth of the world.” Instead of appreciating these Gospel preachers for all they had done to bring light into darkness, the unbelieving world has repeatedly tried to wipe them out! In the world’s view, these ministers of the Gospel were the scum of the earth.

In addition to conveying the idea of actual grime, the words “the filth of the world” was also one of the lowest, crudest derogatory statements that could be made about someone. To call someone “the filth of the world” was a terrible insult!

Furthermore, the “filth of the world” was a phrase used to describe low-level people in society, such as criminals deemed unworthy to live. If a city had a chain of bad fortune, public officials would give the order for the “filth of the world” — low-level criminals — to be rounded up and publicly sacrificed. They believed that if this societal scum could be exterminated, it could reverse a city’s bad fortune.

When Paul said that he and his team were treated like “the filth of the world,” he let us know that they had been blamed for many things that had nothing to do with them. Over and over again when something wrong happened, someone would likely cry out, “It’s the preacher’s fault!” Rather than thank Paul and his team for the many sacrifices they had made, the world treated these believers with the same disdain they would a dirty ring around a tub that needed to be wiped out. In addition to leveling terrible insults at them, large segments of the pagan population believed if they could just get rid of Christians, it would somehow bring good luck back to them again.

But Paul went on to say that they were treated like the “offscouring of all things.” The word “offscouring” is a translation of the Greek word peripsema, which depicts the ardent and ferocious process required to remove filth and grime. No one wants to live in the middle of filth, and no one wants to take a bath in a tub covered with grime! When the situation gets sufficiently distasteful, someone will eventually step forward to say, “Let’s do something about this sickening dirt! Let’s get rid of it!” The word “off-scouring” depicted that moment when the world cried out, “Enough of these Gospel preachers! They’ve brought too much bad luck on our lives! Let’s get rid of this filth!”

The Romans and Greeks frequently looked for someone they could blame for society’s problems and ills. They regularly pointed their fingers at low-level criminals — the so-called “scum of the earth” — and as noted above, they accused them of bringing bad luck on the citizenry. These people were viewed as bad omens that needed to be stamped out and eliminated. So from time to time, publicly elected officials gave the order for low-level people, criminals, and societal “scum” to be rounded up and executed, especially in times of plague, war, famine, or other catastrophes. They falsely believed that scrubbing out this scum from society would put an end to their bad luck.

Paul used these same vivid phrases to tell us what the world was saying about him and his associates. Although he was preaching and doing the good works of Jesus, he wrote that the world viewed them as scum that needed to be removed. They and other believers were blamed for all kinds of problems and calamities. The unsaved world actually believed they would be far better off if these light-bearers were exterminated.

When Paul wrote that believers are the “filth of the world” and the “offscouring of all things,” this verse could be interpreted:

“The world views us like dirt that needs to be wiped off, and they are doing everything they can to scrub us out of society. We have become the scapegoats for everyone’s problems. They point their fingers at us and blame us for everything wrong in the world. What they would really like to do is permanently get rid of us!”

Has anyone ever tried to blame you for problems that had nothing to do with you? Have you ever been accused or blamed for something you didn’t do? Have you ever had your good name smeared by people who talked badly about you? Have you ever felt “victimized” by others? Remember that you are not alone!

There are others who have faced more difficult times than you are facing right now, but they didn’t stop serving or stop loving, nor did they abandon what God had told them to do. They kept their eyes focused on “…Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

During times like these, you must keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and remember that He also endured the assaults of men. He completely understands any emotion you feel about the situation you’re facing. If you will go to Him and talk to Him about what you are experiencing and feeling right now, His Spirit will comfort your heart and give you wisdom about how to respond — if you should respond at all.

Today — in fact, right now — I encourage you to take a few minutes to talk to Jesus about any false accusations or unjust treatment you’re receiving. I guarantee you that no one can understand your situation, provide wisdom and instruction, or comfort your heart better than Jesus can!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I am so glad that Jesus understands what I am going through when I suffer verbal abuse or ridicule or when I experience unjust discrimination. It is so emotionally difficult to be blamed for things that have nothing to do with me, yet I face this from time to time. Instead of becoming bitter and hardhearted toward those who wrong me in this way, I ask You to give me a heart full of love for them. In my own flesh, I am unable to forgive and love them as I must, but with Your Spirit’s help, I can love even the most unlovely person. So today I’m asking You to fill my heart with forgiveness, love, and compassion for those who have dealt unfairly with me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

In Jesus’ name I confess that I forgive the people who have deliberately misused me, abused me, and falsely accused me. If they really understood what they were doing, I believe they would never have done such a terrible thing. Instead of letting my heart get hard and bitter, I am turning to the Holy Spirit for help. He will soften my heart; He will help me forgive; and He will fill me with love and compassion for those who have tried to victimize me. Just as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, today I am choosing to forgive those who have done wrong to me. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I can do this and I WILL do it.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Has there been a time in your life when were made a scapegoat for someone else? If not you, have you ever seen someone else made to be a scapegoat and blamed for things for which he or she was not responsible?
2. Have you ever had someone speak derogatory words to you or behind your back? When you heard it or learned about it later, how did it affect you? Were you able to forgive and go on, or did it wound you?
3. As a Christian, how do you think Jesus would have you respond to such occurrences? Forget about the advice of the world around you, and think about how Jesus would respond to such an attack. What do you think He would do?

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
— 2 Timothy 3:1

I’ve dedicated numerous Sparkling Gems to Second Timothy 3 in this second volume (see May 10-18). The reason for this is that I am convinced we are entering the last of the last days and that the days ahead will be the most challenging period the Church has ever faced. In this verse, Paul prophesied, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times will come.” This word “perilous” is the Greek word chalepos, which means dangerous or difficult. It is translated in Matthew 8:28 as “exceeding fierce.” So when Paul prophesied by the Spirit that the last days would be “perilous,” he was saying that the end times would be dangerous, difficult, and exceedingly fierce.

This truth was reinforced in me several years ago as I traveled by airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. As I looked out the window of the plane, I saw a vision unfold before me. It was as if someone suddenly pulled a cord to draw back a curtain separating the natural realm from the spiritual realm, and an entirely different picture came into clear view. Before me, I saw what appeared to be ominous, swirling black clouds spreading rapidly across the landscape of the world. I understood that I was seeing demonic forces that are currently attempting to spread and exert their influence.

I immediately turned to Denise and said, “The spirit realm just opened up before me, and I witnessed a vast buildup of demonic activity occurring over the nations of the world. It is an attempt to wage war for the control of the nations just before the Second Coming of Jesus.”

This supernatural vision made a great impression on me as I considered the seriousness of this hour, and it alerted me to step it up in my God-given role as a leader in His Church and call the Body of Christ to action. This is a time when we in the Christian community should not only pray more — we should also work together closely to see God’s purposes brought forth on the earth.

In these last days, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Since judgment begins at the house of God, we must first be certain our own lives are lived worthily so that, having preached to others, we ourselves don’t become castaways. We then have the divine duty to lead others in taking a righteous stand, actively engaging the forces of darkness, and claiming the nations in Jesus’ name.

If you are in a leadership role in your church, I encourage you to work on implementing the following steps both in your personal life and in your church to a greater degree than ever before. These steps will strengthen your spirit and prepare others to stand firm against the enemy’s strategies in the days ahead.

1. Increase your prayer in your church, ministry, and personal life. If you’re too busy to pray, you are too busy.
2. Be open to establishing increased order and accountability in your church or ministry. Christians are usually in one ditch or the other, creating either a dogmatic order that steals their liberty in Christ or an overly relaxed tolerance that unleashes lawlessness and chaos.
3. Besides encouraging fellowship with believers from other parts of the Body, find new avenues to work together with other Christians to accomplish the business of God’s Kingdom.
4. Walk in faith, regardless of the circumstances!

As for the clouds I saw in the spirit, they were very dark and perilous. But I want to exhort you not to allow fear to grip your heart as you witness what is happening in the world around you. We have been called by a mighty and all-powerful God, and together we are exceedingly able to meet every challenge!

Long ago the prophet Isaiah declared what the role of God’s people would be when darkness blanketed this world system in the last days: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3 NIV).

Our role is clear: We must stand together to drive back the darkness with the light of the Gospel so Jesus can be exalted and the transforming power of God can be displayed to this generation as never before. It’s our honor to have a part in bringing in this end-time harvest of souls. But to fulfill our respective roles in this divine plan, we must refuse to slow down or weaken our stance of faith until the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God’s glory (see Habakkuk 2:14)!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I ask You to help me assume my role in prayer as we charge forward into the last of the last days. In these last days, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Holy Spirit, since judgment begins at the house of God, I ask You to help me as I examine myself. I want to be certain that I live my own life worthily as I ought so that after having preached to others, I myself won’t become a castaway. Lord Jesus, I embrace my divine duty to build the Kingdom of God until You return and to lead others in taking a righteous stand to actively withstand the forces of darkness by the power of Your mighty name! Strengthen me with Your wisdom, counsel, and might to accept my responsibility to pray and to live with unflinching conviction. Father, although spiritual darkness seems to blanket the nations, You promised that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. So I refuse to allow fear to grip my heart. By the power of Your might, I know that I am exceedingly able to meet every challenge, no matter what is happening in the world around me! The darker the hour, the greater the opportunity for Christ in me — the Hope of glory — to shine brightly and be revealed to a dying world that needs His life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I live a life of increased prayer and consecration to God. In those moments when I may be tempted to think I’m too busy to pray, I will recognize that I’m just too busy and that something has to go — but it won’t be my time in the Bible or in prayer! As the days grow darker spiritually, I will become even more accountable to my church and to fellow believers because we are stronger together. I receive the wisdom of God that protects me from falling into either a ditch of legalism or of lawlessness. I keep myself in the love of God and find new avenues to work with other Christians to build God’s Kingdom. Because I increase my time spent in the Word of God, my faith increases regardless of circumstances, and I continue to pray for those in authority. It is an honor to help gather in this end-time harvest of souls. Therefore, I confess that I take my place to drive back spiritual darkness with the light of the Gospel so Jesus can be exalted and the transforming power of God can be displayed to this generation as never before. I refuse to slow down or weaken my stance of faith until the nations come to His great light and kings to the brightness of His dawn!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you sensed that we are entering the darkest time in the history of mankind? What is your Christian responsibility in regard to shining the light of the Gospel during this time?
2. How do you shine the light of the Gospel in a society that is deteriorating? Can you state specific ways that you can effectively shine your light in the darkness?
3. In what ways do you know that God is stirring your heart to shine His light to your family, friends, and associates?

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:58

Often when I read the above verse, I think of a precious lady named Nina Reeves, who is now in Heaven along with the multitudes of other faithful saints. Let me tell you a little about Nina and how she impacted my life and the lives of many other people.

Nina served in the nursery at our church when I was growing up. She served in that capacity for more than 60 years and held hundreds of babies, including my sisters and me and all my friends. Finally, Nina went to Heaven at the age of 92. When she passed away, she was in good health and was still serving every week in the exact same church nursery room where she had held me as an infant.

When I think of Nina, the word pillar comes to my mind. To think that she forfeited her right to sit in church services for 60-plus years so parents could sit in the main church services to receive the teaching of the Word — that is amazing to me. I’m sure there must have been times when Nina must have felt that her ministry was unimportant — just caring for babies in the most isolated room of the nursery. Surely there must have been moments when the devil or even her own mind would tell her, “You’re just a nursery worker.” But the fact is, her service ultimately impacted the lives of countless people for eternity. Part of the fruit of my own ministry, I’m sure, will be accredited to Nina Reeves.

In First Corinthians 15:58, the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Today I want to look at Paul’s message in this verse and encourage you in the heroic work you are called to do as one of God’s “pillars.” You may be tempted to think your role is not very important, but there will come a day in Heaven when God will display your part in His plan through the ages on Heaven’s “movie screen,” and you will see the great effect you had on others because you were “steadfast” and “unmovable.”

The word “steadfast” is the Greek word hedrios, and it conveys several meanings. First, it means to be stationary, such as something that sits in one place for a long, long time. It also describes something that is firm and steady; thus, this word was frequently used in connection with foundations in buildings. Furthermore, it describes something that is strong, unbendable, unbreakable, and permanent, such as a strong column that holds up a roof.

Therefore, when the Holy Spirit through Paul urges us to be “steadfast,” He is calling on you and me to be totally reliable — not shaky or undependable. We should be stationary in the roles where God has called us to serve. We shouldn’t be quickly shaken or easily lured to some other place or task. We must be like pillars in the place where we’ve been called to serve in the house of God.

See yourself as a pillar that others can depend on to be totally reliable. You are called to be a pillar!

Notice First Corinthians 15:58 also exhorts us to be “unmoveable.” This word is a translation of the Greek word ametakinetos, which refers to something that is not capable of being moved from one place to another place. In other words, once you’ve said yes to the call of God on your life, you should be a permanent fixture in that place where God has called you to serve.

Satan will always attempt to sidetrack you and me and anyone else whom God calls to do a job. The enemy will try to use discouragement and a host of other tactics to move us off course from our God-assigned place of service. That’s why it’s imperative that we make up our minds to be a permanent fixture in that place where God has called us to serve. You and I must be thoroughly dedicated to fulfill our assignment and carry on and follow through until the task is done the way the Lord expects it to be done.

The apostle Paul went on to say, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” The word “labor” in this verse is the Greek word kopos, which describes the most exhausting kind of work or effort. By using this word, Paul was stating that sometimes it isn’t easy to do what the Lord asks us to do. In fact, there are times when it requires great effort to walk in obedience. I can personally testify that it’s taken great commitment and fortitude to do what God has asked me to do — and to stick with it to the end.

Before Paul concluded First Corinthians 15:58, he reminded us of a vital principle we must never forget! He said, “…forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Please pay special attention to that word “vain.” It is the Greek word kenos, and it depicts something that is wasted. This is God’s promise to you that anything you do for Him is never a waste! So when your flesh or the devil whispers to you and tempts you to think that no one notices or appreciates your efforts, that your job is insignificant, or that you are wasting your time — that is the moment for you to remind yourself and the devil that nothing done for the Lord is ever a waste. Every effort, every deed — everything you have ever done in obedience to His instructions — will be accredited to your heavenly record!

I began today by telling you about a precious lady named Nina, who served 60-plus years in the church nursery. Once she knew where God called her to serve, Nina never moved from that place. She was steadfast and immovable. And even though she may have been tempted to think of herself as insignificant or to listen to what the devil may have told her, she stuck by her commitment and became a pillar in that church and a personal hero to me. Today in Heaven, I guarantee you that Nina doesn’t regret those 60-plus years of serving in the nursery. She now sees with her own eyes the tremendous fruit that was reaped because she found her place and stayed in it.

That is the legacy of Nina Reeves — and that should be our legacy as well. We must always remember that nothing we ever do for the Lord is a waste. And as we remain steadfast as immovable pillars in the place where God has called us to serve, we can trust Him to remain faithful to us to repay — in His time and in His perfect way!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I ask You to help me know the place where I am supposed to serve and to use my gifts and talents. Help me accept Your assignment with joy, regardless of what it is or where it is, and to keep my eyes fixed on my heavenly reward. In times when it gets tough and my flesh screams to be released from my assignment — or in those moments when the devil tries to tell me that my part is insignificant — please help me dig in my heels and refuse to move from that place where You have called me.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I declare that I am of value to God and to His plan to touch people. I am reliable, steadfast, and immovable in what God has asked me to do. Even if the devil tries to tell me that I’m not making a difference, I declare that I am making a difference in the lives of others. My time, talents, and gifts are a blessing to others. And I boldly confess that nothing I ever do for Him is wasted!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of faithful people who have served year after year in the same place? Who comes to your mind? Have you ever taken time to go out of your way to express your gratitude to these faithful servants of the Lord for the way they have served?
2. Would anyone think of you when creating a mental list of faithful people? What have you done consistently over years that has eternally impacted other people’s lives?
3. If you haven’t served consistently in any position in your church or in some ministry organization, why not? Why don’t you make a list of ways you can serve? It may take some creative thinking to do it, but take time to ponder how you use your time, talents, and energies to make a difference in the lives of other people.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
— 2 Timothy 4:3,4

Today I’d like to talk to you about what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy right after exhorting him to stay by his post, regardless of the external pressures that would try to bump him off course. There is a strategic sequence to Paul’s words that apply specifically to the believers of this generation.

Paul went on to describe the unique challenge that believers would face as a last-days deception occurs inside the Church. He wrote that at the end of the age — in the period just before Jesus returns — large numbers of people in the Body of Christ would be led astray.

Remember — the Holy Spirit didn’t tell us this to scare us, but rather to prepare us so we would not succumb to these devil-inspired tactics to affect the Church in the very last of the last days. That makes the message of these verses particularly significant for those of us born into this present-day generation of the Church.

Paul wrote, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3,4). The word “time” in verse 3 was translated from the Greek word kairos, which depicts a specific season. Paul said, “This specific season shall come.” The tense is futuristic, pointing to a season in the future, or to events that will occur in the very last part of the last days.

In this end-times season, the Holy Spirit said increasing numbers of people in the Christian community “…will not endure sound doctrine…” (v. 3). Even now, this is taking place as many are gravitating toward teaching and preaching that is more motivational and psychological than Bible-based.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t indicate how many will be pulled in this wrong direction, but the word “they” in the Greek language implies large numbers of people. According to Paul’s prophetic utterance, a portion of the last-days Christian community will simply no longer endure the sound teaching of Scripture. In fact, the word “endure” is the Greek word anecho, which denotes no ability to put up with or to have no tolerance for.

The words “sound doctrine” in Second Timothy 4:3 are very telling. The Greek word for “sound” is hugiaino, and it indicates something that is wholesome and healthy and that produces a healthy state of being. The word “doctrine” refers to the long-held teachings and tenets of the Christian faith.

Thus, the Holy Spirit foretold of a specific end-time season when a segment of the Christian community would not only lose their appetite for sound doctrine, but they would also actually develop a distaste for it. Instead, they would acquire a distinct taste for doctrine that is unwholesome, preferring a self-help style of teaching over the teaching of sound doctrine.

In Second Timothy 4:3, Paul forecasted a moment when large numbers of people will no longer have a stomach for sound doctrine. Instead, “…after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears….” The word “lusts” describes desires or whims. In other words, this part of the verse could be translated, “But after their own desires shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

Paul unequivocally stated that a generation will arise in the very last days that will reject age-tested truth in favor of teaching that is more in step with the times. According to the Holy Spirit, teachers will appear on the scene in a specific kairos season to satisfy the hankerings of a generation that adheres to the world’s progressive approach. What these spiritual leaders teach will appeal to people’s emotions and intellect instead of to the deepest part of their being where actual transformation takes place. Because these teachers will speak what the crowds want to hear, they will enjoy great popularity among this audience of listeners.

In Second Timothy 4:3, Paul went on to say that this last-days generation will “heap” to themselves such teachers. The word “heap” is the future active indicative tense of the Greek word episoreuo, which points to piles of “teachers” who will appease an end-time audience with messages to suit them and the whims of the times.

Paul said that these teachers will satisfy the “itching ears” of the people. The words “itching ears” is used figuratively to depict a person (or a crowd of people) who wants to hear something new as compared to what he has already heard and known. Having his “ears” filled with some- thing he wants to be told is the only thing that relieves this “itching-ear” syndrome.

As a result of this strange period that will develop in the last part of the last days, Paul said many “…shall turn their ears away from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4). This “turning away from the truth” is the rejecting of absolute biblical truth — the time-tested interpretation of the Word of God.

Is it possible we are currently witnessing this turning away from truth that the Holy Spirit predicted nearly 2,000 years ago? Are we seeing in our own day an accommodating attitude toward the world that produces a brand of Christianity that melds into the environment around it?

Paul wrote that an erring end-time group would discard fixed truth and replace it with “fables” — the Greek word for fantasies. By using the word “fables,” Paul inferred that what this group of last-days orators taught would resemble fantasy. These teachers would substitute “fables” for the authentic teaching of the Bible that calls for repentance from sin and a change of behavior that is befitting God’s Word.

The craving and demand for these fanciful messages by those with “itching ears” will produce large numbers of newly fashioned teachers with restyled messages. The mixture of truth and falsehood these teachers deliver will eventually lead a large segment of people into a distorted perception of who the Christ of Christianity really is.

You might say, “Brother Rick, that sounds like a lot of really bad news.” But I need to tell you that in the haze of this deception that Paul prophesied about, another group of spiritual leaders will arise. Paul wrote about these leaders, calling them “…blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

Since there also will be a group of believers emerging who will hold to the ageless Word of Truth and proclaim its timeless teaching, let’s make sure that is the group to which we belong! In spite of the difficulties these men and women may endure for proclaiming the Bible as utter truth, they will nevertheless stand firm, their feet solidly planted on the integrity of God’s Word.

That, my friend, is the group you want to be a part of in these end times!

As I said at the beginning of today’s Sparkling Gem, Paul forecasted that a time would come when a deception would occur inside the Church — in the period just before Jesus comes. Again, the Holy Spirit did not tell us this to scare us — but to prepare us, lest we fall into this trap ourselves. It is time for us to dig our heels deep into the truth of God’s Word, refuse to budge from its life-transforming truths, and do all we can to teach and proclaim it to those around us!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You that the Holy Spirit warned the Christian community about error seeking to secure a foothold inside the Church in the last of the last days. This motivates me to become even more committed to the solid teaching of the Word of God than ever before in my life. I ask You, Holy Spirit, to help me listen with a discerning ear to what I hear and take into my spiritual ears. What I spiritually digest determines my spiritual health, so please help me consume spiritual teachings that are wholesome and profitable to my spiritual life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I am excited God has chosen me to be a part of this last-days’ generation! The Holy Spirit inside awakens me to what teaching is right and what teaching is wrong — and I have a spiritually discerning ear to know what I should accept and what I should reject. I further declare that I will NOT be a part of the “itching-ear” generation. Instead, I have a heart for the solid, time-tested teaching of the Word of God. On this Word of Truth I stand, and I will not move or even budge. Where God’s eternal Word is concerned, I will allow no room for negotiation!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. How would you personally determine whether a teaching you hear is wholesome and healthy for your spiritual life? What is the measuring stick you use to determine if what you hear will produce lasting, godly results in you?
2. Have you heard teaching produced by restyled teachers, who appease the multitudes with teaching that is more psychological than it is Word-based?
3. After reading today’s Sparkling Gem, what do you sense that God expects you to do? Can you make a list of ways you should be more discerning about whom you listen to in the last days in which we live?

 

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

In the book of Second Timothy, the apostle Paul gave a long, detailed description of the things that would become more and more prevalent in the last of the last days (see May 10-18 Gems). Later in that same letter, Paul gave this charge to the younger minister: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2).

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 the Word can have a life-changing, yoke-destroying effect on people’s lives. When the Gospel is proclaimed, the power in those words of truth penetrate the hearts of people who are in sin. The Word of God breaks down strongholds, releases the supernatural power of God, and transforms minds and lives as it changes eternal destinies.

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. On that path is everything that person could ever need: 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! It is therefore 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 to stay at his post. It’s obvious that he wouldn’t exhort Timothy to stay put somewhere unless the younger minister 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!” In other words, Paul was exhorting him, “Stay at your post! Don’t leave the position where God placed you!”

Paul’s next words — “in season, out of season” — give us further clues to help us understand why remaining continually stationed where God has placed us is so important. The phrase “in season” was translated from the Greek word kairos, 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. We love it 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 our well-being — or the well-being of our families — is threatened either financially or physically, those are not very good times.

That’s why Paul said that 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 the 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: As you determine to remain faithful to your divine call and to the place where God has assigned you — as you decide to stay put and refuse to budge an inch — He will empower you with inner strength that enables you to see it 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 called 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 inwardly need 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 Holy Spirit so that you have the inner strength you need to finish to a grand and glorious conclusion, regardless of what things feels like right now?

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil….
— Acts 10:38

During our early years in the former USSR, I preached a series of meetings in Riga, Latvia. Several thousand people showed up for these special services — many of whom were first exposed to our ministry through our TV program — and our team witnessed thousands of people come forward to surrender their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It was absolutely thrilling to see people’s response to the Gospel message.

After all the meetings were concluded, the local church leader who organized the event came to me and asked me to pray for his disabled teenage son. His boy had suffered severe, permanent injuries after being physically beaten by a gang of hoodlums. In fact, they smashed his head into the concrete street so many times with such force that his brain had become dislodged from his skull. He was literally a boy with a battered brain. The father asked me if I would pay a visit to their home to pray for their son’s miraculous healing, so we went to their home to meet the young man.

When my eyes first fell upon that poor boy, I was utterly shocked to see what that gang of hoodlums had done to him. Severe tremors shook his entire body, and he seemed unaware of anything going on around him. He didn’t even know we were there. His battered brain caused him to exist in a coma-like state. He just lay in a chair in the corner of the house, where he quivered and shook uncontrollably. The doctors had already pronounced that there was no hope and that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. According to medical science, this condition was irreversible.

However, during the previous week of meetings, we had experienced many miraculous healings and witnessed mighty, life-changing demonstrations of God’s power. So with a whole week of miraculous events behind me, I looked at this young man with eyes full of faith. And his parents, who had witnessed the same miraculous events, were also full of expectation for God to do the impossible for their son.

I moved forward, laid my hands on the young man, and commanded him to be healed in the name of Jesus. I ordered his brain to correctly reattach to his skull and commanded the horrific trembling to stop. Yet regardless of how confidently or loudly I prayed or how much authority I felt I was exercising in Jesus’ name, absolutely nothing happened when we were done praying. The young man was still a sorry-looking heap of trembling, quivering flesh — shaking uncontrollably and still unaware that we were even there to pray for him.

As I told the father and mother farewell, I felt their great disappointment that nothing instantaneous had happened — and I was deeply dismayed as well. I was so full of expectation for God’s healing power to be imparted, but from what I saw with my eyes, nothing happened except that we had raised our voices in prayer and laid hands on him with no results. The events of that day disappointed me deeply and threw me into a state of bewilderment, because I fully expected the young man to be healed and fully restored as a result of our visit. To be honest, I couldn’t shake the image of that young man shaking so uncontrollably and our seeming powerlessness to do anything about it — and that disappointment stayed with me in the months and years that followed.

Three years later, I returned to the same city to preach again, and the father who had organized our earlier meeting came to see me. I asked about his son’s condition, and he said, “Oh, we never told you, but the day you laid hands on him, his condition slowly began to change. It started the day you prayed over him — little by little, his violent shaking and uncontrollable quivering stopped. Today he is totally whole and back to living a normal life!”

The man continued: “Our son’s recovery started immediately after you left. It took a few months for it to be complete, but over that brief period of time, God completely restored him!”

I was stunned. For three years I carried sorrow in my heart about that young man, not realizing that when I prayed three years earlier, healing power went into him, and slowly — little by little, step by step — it began to completely restore his broken body and battered brain. I asked the Lord for insight into how this happened, and I was led to Acts 10:38, where the Bible says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.”

I had read this verse and quoted it on many occasions. But this time, my eyes were especially focused on the word “healing,” and I understood that the Holy Spirit wanted to show me something important that I needed to understand about the healing ministry. So I opened my Greek New Testament to Acts 10:38 to see what this word “healing” meant in the Greek. And to my surprise, it was the Greek word iaomai.

This word iaomai is a very ancient word for “healing” — so ancient that it was even used in Homer’s time. It mostly denoted healing that came to pass over a period of time. It is for this reason that the word iaomai is often translated throughout Greek history as a treatment or cure or remedy. Thus, it depicts a sickness that has been progressively healed rather than instantaneously healed.

When I saw this, I began to look for other examples of iaomai in the New Testament, and I discovered that this word is used 23 times in the Gospels and the book of Acts to denote miraculous acts of power that were progressive, rather than instantaneous. It unmistakably tells us that there are many people who, from the moment they are touched by God’s power, begin to amend or be cured. In other words, this means that all healings are not instantaneous; certain people are progressively restored to health over a period of time. They become better and better until ultimately they are completely cured. Although this type of healing is not instantaneous, it is nonetheless miraculous.

The picture of iaomai is similar to a physician who gives medicine to a sick patient and expects the medication to do its invisible, internal work to produce a remedy for a physical problem — but with supernatural results. When this type of healing power is at work, the person praying for the sick may not see immediate results. But that person can be confident that because he has prayed in faith, healing power has been imparted. The complete manifestation of healing may take time. But if God’s power has been imparted and received by the person’s faith, that healing power has started its invisible, internal work to reverse the sick person’s condition and bring him or her back to a healthy state of being.

When the Holy Spirit quickened this truth to my heart, I understood that this is precisely what happened to the boy with a battered brain! When I prayed for him, I did it in faith and sensed an impartation of the Spirit. However, I saw no immediate change — and therefore, I became discouraged. But as we have seen already, that boy progressively began to get better day by day after I prayed for him, until finally his brain returned to normalcy and he was completely cured.

Perhaps you’ve prayed for someone, fully expecting to see an immediate change, but like me, you walked away disappointed because you didn’t see immediate, miraculous results. Now you have new insight from the Word to help you hold fast to your faith! Based on the usage of this Greek word iaomai in Scripture, you can know for certain that when you pray for a person in faith, a supernatural impartation of healing power does take place! Whether or not you see an immediate change, the divine “medicine” has been administered in faith, and that healing power will progressively work in that sick person to eventually reverse the individual’s condition and restore him or her to wholeness again.

So today I want to encourage you to lay your hands on the sick and release your faith that they will be healed. Don’t allow what your eyes see in the present moment to affect your faith. If you don’t see instant results, bolster the faith of those whom you’ve laid hands on. Let them know that they received a dose of healing power that works like divine medication! And if they will continue to stand strong in faith for the full manifestation of their healing, they will progressively see that healing manifested until they are fully well!

Praise God for those moments when we see instantaneous results! But let’s not forget that sometimes the Lord works through iaomai power. In those moments, the results may be delayed, but they will come nonetheless — and that manifestation of God’s healing power is just as miraculous as any other!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for the healing power of Jesus Christ. Whether it works instantaneously or progressively, healing is miraculous, and I am so thankful that You heal those who believe. Help me embrace the fact that although many are healed instantaneously, many are also healed progressively. Rather than be moved by what I see in front of me, help me to believe that when I pray in Jesus’ name and release my faith for a person’s healing, divine power is released into that person, and day by day they will progressively be restored to health.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that God uses me in the healing ministry. Some people are healed instantly when I pray, while others are healed progressively over a period of time. Regardless of whether the healing is instantaneous or progressive, it is miraculous, and I am thankful for God’s healing touch. I will lay my hands on the sick, fully expecting divine power, like divine medication, to enter their bodies and work inside them until their condition is reversed and they are restored to health again.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of examples from the Bible where people were healed over a period of time? Who are some of those examples?
2. Have there been instances when you prayed for individuals to be healed, and their condition started to improve after you prayed for them — but because it wasn’t instant, you didn’t recognize it as a result of the divine healing power imparted when you prayed?
3. Do you know individuals who need healing right now? Did today’s Sparkling Gem strengthen your confidence to know that when you lay hands on them, healing power will be imparted to work in their bodies until their health is restored, regardless of what you see?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
— 2 Timothy 3:16,17

In yesterday’s Sparkling Gem, we looked at the power that is resident in the Word of God, by studying the phrase, “For all scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Today let’s go further to see what else Paul had to say about the power of God’s Word.

When Paul wrote to his second letter to Timothy, he gave Timothy the ultimate remedy for the problems that were assailing his congregation in Ephesus. In Second Timothy 3:16 and 17, he wrote, “For all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

In verse 17, Paul told Timothy — and every believer — that when someone seriously applies the truths of the Bible to his life, those truths will “thoroughly furnish” him “unto all good works.” The words “thoroughly furnished” come from the Greek word exartidzo, which means to completely outfit or to fully equip.

At the time this verse was written — just as is true today — there were simple boats that weren’t designed to go very far and that certainly wouldn’t survive a storm at sea. On the other hand, there were other boats that were fully equipped with sails, rudders, and other types of equipment — ships designed for long-distance sailing and for making it through the worst storms. With this in mind, the Greek word exartidzo pictures a simple boat whose owner chooses to outfit and equip that ship with gear. As a result, a once-simple boat becomes completely equipped and fully supplied, giving it the ability to sail through rough waters, travel long distances, and survive even the worst of storms.

We are living in a season of storms in these last days. Like it or not, times have become turbulent; the waves are getting higher; and it is essential that we be adequately equipped for these times. Those who are “thoroughly furnished” are the only ones who will successfully make it through the storms of life. If this exhortation was needed in the early days of the Church, imagine how much more needed it is in these latter times!

God places a crucial choice before you: Ignore what He says in His Word and remain unequipped for this hour we live in — or make God’s Word the sole authority in your life and steadfastly obey its commands. If you will choose the latter route, you will become thoroughly furnished to go the whole distance and to make it through any storm that comes your way. You’ll be well-equipped and outfitted to stand your ground, maintain your position, complete your journey with joy, and experience victory with the assignment God has given you to fulfill.

It’s up to us to make the Bible our absolute authority and allow it to thoroughly equip us. As we do, we will safely sail through these times and rise above the waters of destruction to take our God-ordained position in His plans and purposes. God’s Word will cause us to be buoyed above the perils of this hour, sustaining us in victory when everything around us seems to be sinking!|

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You that the Word of God thoroughly furnishes me to rise above the perils of this hour. There is no doubt that turbulent waters are in front of us, but the Word of God makes me well-equipped and outfitted to sail through the densest darkness and to sail across the greatest storms. Without Your Word, I am ill-equipped to travel long distances or to survive strong storms, but with Your Word working in my life, I have all the spiritual gear I need to make it all the way to my ultimate destination. Thank You for giving me Your Word — for equipping me with everything I need to sail through rough waters and to survive even the worst of storms!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I acknowledge that we are living in a season of storms in these last days. Like it or not, times have become turbulent, the waves are getting higher, and only those who are adequately equipped will make it to the other side. I boldly confess that I will not only begin the journey, but in Christ I am “thoroughly furnished” and will complete it. Because the Word of God is hidden in my heart and is a light unto my path, I will not fall, I will not stumble, and I will not sink. The Word of God enables me to ride high above the waves, and it will take me all the way to the other side to God’s ultimate destination for my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. From your own observation and experience, how would you describe the difference in the life of a believer who rarely reads his Bible and that of a believer who regularly reads his Bible and takes it deep into his heart?
2. Think of a time in your own life when your intake of the Word was less than it should have been. How did your failure to regularly feed on the Word affect you during that time in the different areas of your life, such as your intimacy with the Lord, mental and emotional well-being, physical health, finances, relationships, etc.?
3. From your own personal experience, how would you describe the effect that a regular, rich diet of God’s Word has had on your life during those times when you have been faithful to spend daily time fellowshipping with Jesus in prayer and in His Word?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God…
— 2 Timothy 3:16

In Second Timothy 3:16, Paul wrote these precious words about the Bible: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” Today I want us to look at the word “inspiration” to see exactly what the original language conveys to you and me.

The word “inspiration” comes from the Greek word theopneustos, a compound of two Greek words, theos and pneuma. The first word, theos, is the word for God; the second half of the word is pneuma, which comes from the Greek root pneu.

The root pneu communicates a dynamic movement of air. For example, it can mean to blow, as to blow air. It was actually used to portray a musician who blew air through an instrument to produce a musical sound. There are also places where it is used to picture the emitting of a fragrance. Furthermore, this root word could be used to depict the projection of emotions.

But when the root pneu becomes pneuma, it carries an additional range of meanings — including life, force, energy, dynamism, and power. The Jews considered pneuma to be the powerful force put forth by God to create the universe and all living things and also the force that continues to sustain creation. In the Old Testament Septuagint, pneuma demonstrates moments when God would move mightily upon a person, enabling him to do supernatural feats.

When this word pneuma is compounded with theos, the new word is theopneustos, which literally means God-breathed and is where we get the word “inspiration.” The word theopneustos is the picture of God breathing His own substance into something. Just as a musician would blow on an instrument to produce a distinct sound, God mightily moved on those who wrote the Scriptures, causing them to temporarily become instruments through whom He expressed His heart and will. They were the writers, but God was the Great Musician who breathed upon them, His instruments. Thus, the Bible is God’s message delivered through human writers to us.

And just as the word pneuma can carry the idea of a fragrance, the Word was breathed from God and thus carries His very essence and fragrance within it. Since the word pneuma can also portray the projection of emotions, we know that God projected the totality of His emotions into the Word when He inspired its writing. Therefore, the Word not only conveys an intellectual message, but it has God’s heart in it as well. And the pneuma of God didn’t create the Scripture and then depart from it. This power — the same pneuma power that originally created and continues to sustain the universe — is still inside God’s Word, upholding and empowering it to be just as strong as the day it was given.

What does all this mean to you personally? You can know that as you give the Word of God a prominent role in your life, that anointed Word, infused with the heart of Almighty God Himself, will bring the music and the fragrance of Heaven into your life and home and literally change the atmosphere.

Think about it — the Bible you own contains the very life, essence, energy, and dynamic force of God Himself! If you’ll get hungry for more of Him and determine to meditate on this truth long enough to tap into it, God Himself will come pouring out of the Bible into your life and situation. The power held inside the Word will blow mightily upon you and upon the situations that surround you — and when that happens, everything will change!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Dear Lord, I am so thankful that the Bible is filled with your power and life. When I pick it up and read it, I am receiving the very life of God into my being. Father, help me to become more disciplined when it comes to reading Your Word. Each word contains Your very life, essence, energy, and dynamism in it. It contains the power and answers that I need for every situation that I am facing in my life. Please forgive me for not reading it as often or as much I should. Holy Spirit, I receive Your strength today to make and to stay faithful to a new commitment to take the Word of God into my heart EVERY DAY so that it can nourish and sustain my heart and my soul.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I value the Word of God as the most important priority in my life. I keep it before my eyes, I put it in my ears, and I speak it out of my mouth. The Word of God dominates my life decisions and guides my path. I hide it in my heart so that I do not sin against God. As I read the Bible, it releases the essence, energy and dynamism of God Himself into my spirit, soul, and body. God’s Word revives me, rejuvenates me, and replenishes me. The very force of heaven invades my life as I take the Word of God into me!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. If the Bible is so important to you, when and how often do you read it? Do you treat it like it is important, or is reading it something you do if you have extra time to do it?
2. What happens inside you as you read the Word of God?
3. What time of the day do you personally find is the best time for you to set aside time to read your Bible? Different people have different Bible-reading plans. What are yours?

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)…
— Revelation 2:9

When the renowned theologian St. Thomas Aquinas visited the Vatican in the Thirteenth Century AD, Pope Innocent IV invited him to view the breathtaking treasures that had been amassed by the Church. With great pride, the pope told him, “No longer can the Church say, ‘Silver and gold have we none’!” To this, St. Thomas Aquinas answered, “Holy Father, that is very true indeed. But neither can we say to the poor and afflicted, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk!’”

It is good for us to remember that some of the poorest churches in history have been spiritually rich and some of the wealthiest churches in history have been spiritually poor. Church buildings may be adorned with gold, silver, and treasures, but they are often vacant of the true riches of the Holy Spirit. A church’s coffers may be filled and its congregation may include many wealthy people, but that is no guarantee that the church is truly rich. In God’s eyes, many financially prosperous churches are actually spiritually famished, while some financially poorer churches are spiritually rich.

 

It is simply a fact that riches are not always measured in finances or precious treasures. An example is in the First Century church of Smyrna. The church of Smyrna was experiencing severe persecution. Members of their congregation had been tortured, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith in Jesus. In addition, many believers had been robbed or had their livelihood destroyed as they were ostracized from the community. The combination of these trials had left them financially broke. Yet Jesus told them, “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)…”

The word “rich” is the Greek word plousios. It depicts one who is extremely wealthy. A person who is plousios isn’t merely rich — he is very rich. This was the word Jesus used when He told the church of Smyrna, “…But thou art rich….” There are many less tangible yet infinitely more valuable forms of riches that cannot be purchased with money — and in regard to those riches, the church of Smyrna was extremely wealthy.

A study of the word plousios in the New Testament shows that it can also refer to spiritual riches. Jesus had already made it clear in Revelation 2:9 that the church of Smyrna was impoverished materially and financially. Although the Smyrnean believers were materially poor, Jesus clearly stated that they were spiritually very rich.

These believers may have been deprived in terms of worldly goods, but they were rich in many other ways. They had forfeited their creature comforts, and all legal protection had been removed from them, causing them to lean on their fellow believers for support. This brought about a rich, meaningful level of fellowship that is less prevalent in countries where believers’ rights are protected and the need for close-knit relationships isn’t felt as intensely. The love of Christ permeated the church as its members spiritually and emotionally lent encouragement and help to each other during their time of great need.

Words can’t describe the tenderness of the Holy Spirit that was present when these early believers gathered in illegal underground meetings to worship Jesus. It is no wonder they greeted each other with a holy kiss every time they met together (see Romans 16:16), for whenever they departed from a meeting, they were never certain they would see each other again. The entire congregation lived in a hostile environment where the threat of arrest, seizure, or death was constantly imminent. As they held hands to pray or lifted their hands to worship quietly so they wouldn’t be heard and caught, these believers shared a depth of spiritual commitment and covenant relationship rarely experienced in today’s world where such concepts are often viewed as radical and strange.

For the Smyrnean church, tribulation had come in many forms. Jobs were lost; property was seized; and slander destroyed their reputations. They were made outcasts by both Jews and pagans. But in the midst of it all, these believers experienced a different kind of richness — one that can’t be measured in worldly wealth. It was a richness of the Holy Spirit’s presence, a richness of patience, a richness of strength to endure, a richness of faith, a richness of love among the saints, and a richness in spiritual rewards for their steadfastness in the face of adversity. And in experiencing a death to self, the church of Smyrna had come to know the mighty power of the resurrected Christ. Although these believers had suffered great tribulation and had been reduced to abject material poverty, they were plousios — magnificently rich — in all of these other, less tangible ways.

Sometimes believers’ obedience to God places them “outside” the world’s favor. In those cases — especially when Christians suffer the loss of revenue or material possessions — God compensates His people with other types of riches that are infinitely more precious.

So don’t make the mistake of thinking riches can always be measured in financial terms. There are elements of your faith that make you wealthy in ways beyond your natural comprehension — in ways that cannot be measured in money.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I thank You that spiritual riches go beyond dollars and cents. Financial wealth can be obtained and lost, but spiritual riches are enduring. Although I am thankful for the ways You have blessed me financially, I know the riches of this life are fleeting. Therefore, I ask You to help me walk worthily of my rich spiritual inheritance that possesses a value exceeding anything this world can offer. I rejoice in knowing that spiritual riches outlast this life and that this is the wealth I can take with me to Heaven.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that God meets my financial needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. But in addition to having my financial needs met, I am also spiritually enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and by the love of God within me that makes me more than a conqueror — no matter what I may face. I have rightstanding with God Himself by the blood of Jesus; an abiding peace that surpasses natural understanding; and a wellspring of joy that provides me with an endless source of strength. I boldly confess that I am spiritually rich and superabundantly blessed by the riches of God in my life.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you recall a time in your life when you had less financially, but because of your relationships and the presence of the Lord in your life, you felt spiritually rich? When was that time?
2. If you are more financially blessed and more independent now, do you miss some of the closeness you experienced when you were less financially blessed? Or can you say you are as spiritually rich today as you were back in those days?
3. How would you express spiritual riches? What does that term mean to you?