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?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
— 1 Corinthians 12:18

When I look at my life, I see that God has always put me in the right place to prepare me for my next step in ministry. For example, before Denise and I began our teaching ministry many years ago, God placed me under a pastor who taught the Word with great depth and authority, pulling insight from the original Greek text of the New Testament. Over the course of several years, I worked under him as his assistant, and he disciplined me and taught me how to dedicate myself to the serious study of the Word. God used that Bible-rich environment to prepare Denise and me for our itinerant teaching ministry, and it continues to impact our ministry today.

When Denise and I began traveling and teaching all over America, we made dear friends with pastors across the country who would later support us when we moved to the USSR. At the time, we had no idea that those men and women of God and their congregations would become our financial lifeline when we later pursued the call of God overseas. But if we hadn’t traveled and cultivated those relationships in those early years, we wouldn’t have had the connections to support God’s next assignment for our lives.

Being in the right place at the right time is vital to your preparation!

So what environment are you in? Are you where God placed you in the Body of Christ, or are you where you want to be? Remember, God knows what you need and is working a plan to fully develop the gifts He’s placed in you, but you have to allow Him to place you in the environment He knows is best.

First Corinthians 12:18 says, “Now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” This word “set” is a translation of a form of the Greek word tithemi, which means to place, to arrange, or to position. This tells us that God knows where we need to be and when we need to be there. He has a plan for us to be in specific places at specific times in life. And First Corinthians 12:18 say that God has a plan and a place for “every one” of us! The words “every one” in Greek include every single believer, no one excluded!

It might be that God has asked you to go somewhere and you think, Lord, why in the world are You taking me there? Just relax and stay in the flow of the Holy Spirit’s leading each day. As you keep the ear of your spirit attentive to His voice, your steps will be ordered of the Lord (see Psalm 37:23)

Perhaps the Lord has told you that the place you’re at right now is a step toward fulfilling your destiny but not your final destination. If that’s the case, make sure you stay put until the Lord tells you to change direction. Your present position may be your personal training ground to prepare for the next season, helping you learn how to submit to authority and serve others.

Do you find it difficult to discern what direction the Holy Spirit is leading you? It may be that you’re too busy. Or there may be so much mental noise and clutter that you can’t easily hear what God is saying. Perhaps the influence of the people around you is hindering you from stepping out in a certain direction or from developing certain gifts. Or maybe you’re too comfortable where you are, and your own complacency is keeping you from taking a step that requires stretching your faith and totally depending on God. Regardless of your situation, it’s vital that you remain open to the place where God wants to position you. The right environment is a major key to finding and fulfilling His will for your life.

Don’t be afraid to obey the Lord. He’s not going to hurt you or mislead you. He’s trying to equip you. If you are careful always to be where you know God is leading you to be at any given time, He will use your experience in the present season to prepare you for the next step of your calling.

I encourage you to allow God to prepare you to do His will. Be flexible and pliable. Allow His Word to dwell richly in your life, and submit yourself to the leaders He has placed over you. You will find that by doing so, God will bring you into the fullness of His will, and you will see your next assignment through to completion!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Dear Father, as I walk through this time of transition, I know that You are preparing me for the next steps. I thank You, for I know that You are committed to preparing me for the next season of my life. You are helping me get ready by placing me with the right people in the right places to receive the training I need. Please help me yield to and follow Your leading. I fully trust You to order my steps according to what pleases You. My times are in Your hands, Father. Help me be flexible and pliable toward the work You are doing in me as You faithfully complete that which You have begun in me. I know that if I am obedient and follow Your voice, You will empower me to see and to fulfill the high calling You’ve placed on my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I know the voice of my Good Shepherd and the voice of a stranger I will not follow. My heavenly Father is ordering and directing my steps so that I will walk with the wise and be wise. As He positions me to stand among the right people, with great ease He is directing my steps to receive the training I need so I can do what the Lord has called me to do. I do not falter; I do not fear. He who has called, equipped, and justified me is near to me and has clothed me with His very own self. Therefore, having done all to stand in this time of testing, I will pass every test and stand fully approved before Him!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Has there been a time in your life when God was preparing you for a future assignment that you didn’t yet know about? When was that, and how did God use that time in your life to prepare you for the future?
2. Can you think of a time when God put you under someone’s spiritual influence — or put you with a group of believers — and it was part of your training for what you were going to do later? When was that season of your life? In what way did their influence uniquely equip you for what God called you to do?
3. Are you in that place of training and preparation right now? As you look at where you are and what you are doing, can you see the hand of God guiding and leading you to get you ready for the next phase of your life?

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
— James 3:16

During our early years in the former USSR, Denise and I were invited to minister at three European conferences in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and I decided to bring our sons to give them the experience of ministering in Europe. When the day finally arrived for our long-anticipated trip, things got a little hectic, to say the least. The clock was ticking, and it was time for us to depart to the airport so we wouldn’t miss our flight. However, instead of getting ready, the boys were just poking around, and Denise hadn’t even finished packing. I knew that if we didn’t leave on time, we’d miss our flight. So in the midst of it all, I lost my temper and began to yell and threaten everyone to get downstairs immediately and pile in the car, or I was going to leave without them!

Our ministry administrator at that time had agreed to housesit for us while we were gone, and she had just arrived, bringing along her beautiful golden retriever who had never encountered our St. Bernard that lived outside in our yard. But that all changed in a moment’s time! When I couldn’t quite seem to get my family together to leave on time, I became furious that they were jeopardizing our flight — and in that angry moment, I threw open the front door to carry a few suitcases to the car. However, as I threw open that door, our administrator’s golden retriever darted out the door ahead of me — and in a split second, the two dogs started attacking one another. I watched as our St. Bernard wrapped its jaws around the neck of the golden retriever and bit down. I thought, Oh, great, not only are we going to be late for our flight, but our St. Bernard is also going to kill our administrator’s golden retriever!

I was already worked up into a frenzy over my family being late — and now we had a very ugly dogfight happening in our driveway. So in a moment when I was already angry, I jumped into the middle of the fray to try to pull the dogs apart from each other. But I stuck my right hand too close to the dogs’ mouths, and my own dog bit me! I lifted my right hand to see how badly I had been bitten, and all I could see was blood pouring from the tip of my ring finger.

I pulled the dogs apart, rushed into the house, and quickly put my finger under water to wash away the blood so I could assess how badly I was bitten. Looking down in disbelief, I saw that the entire tip of my finger had been bitten off, and blood was pouring out like an open hydrant. My family was finally ready to go to the airport, but I told Denise, “Forget the airport, because now we’re headed to the hospital!”

With my hand wrapped in blood-soaked towels, I was immediately admitted into the emergency room, and after examining me, the doctors on duty decided to check me into the hospital for a night. My family and I walked down the hallway to my assigned hospital room, which was a dismal affair in its own right. A single light bulb dangled precariously from a wire in the ceiling. The sink was barely bolted to the wall and looked like it could fall off at any moment. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls, and the windowpanes were cracked. And there I was — wounded, flustered, and wearing a tattered hospital gown for an overnight stay in this decrepit hospital. Denise graciously called the pastor in charge of the first conference to say we’d be a day late, while I waited for the chief physician to pay me a visit.

When the doctor in charge finally arrived, he asked me a question I didn’t anticipate. “Mr. Renner,” he said, “I understand that you were bitten by your own dog. Has your dog had rabies shots?” When I answered in the negative, the doctor replied, “Well, I regret to tell you that in this country, if you are bitten by a dog that has not had rabies shots, you must have rabies shots. That’s the law of the land.”

I lay in my hospital bed speechless as I realized that this doctor was preparing to give me the first of a series of rabies injections. He continued to say, “We used to give 30 of these shots in the stomach, but the French have come up with a strong new rabies vaccine that requires only seven injections — and we are going to give you your first injection right now.”

After instructing me to turn over so they could give me an injection in my backside, the doctor casually said, “There’s just one downside to this particular form of rabies vaccination. Once you start these injections, you have to take the following six injection right on schedule, or you will actually develop rabies!” I thought, That’s just great. If I’m a day late, I’ll end up as a rabid preacher, foaming at the mouth!

The next day, the nurse administered another rabies shot and then gave me a packet containing five more doses of the rabies vaccine along with a packet of syringes — and she firmly reminded me not to miss a single dose at the scheduled time or I would develop rabies.

Dismissed from the hospital, I went home to gather my family, and we flew to Europe where three conferences awaited us. At every conference I attended, I had to ask the pastor, “Excuse me, but do you have a nurse in your congregation who can give me a rabies injection?” I felt horribly humiliated by the entire ordeal.

However, I learned a big lesson from that experience. Strife throws open the door for the devil to attack in ways you never would have imagined. If I hadn’t allowed strife and anger to get me all worked up that day, I never would have flung open the door to the house in such thoughtless anger. The guest’s dog would have never run out before me, and the ugly dogfight would have never happened. That moment of rage and anger resulted in my getting bit and having to endure the debacle that followed.

And it only took seconds for things to get out of control that day! Can you think of a time when strife caused a situation in your life to quickly spiral out of control?

James wrote about the destructive potential of strife in James 3:16, saying, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” According to this verse, whenever a concoction of such attitudes is allowed to exist, it opens the door for “confusion and every evil work.”

The word “confusion” is the Greek word akatastasia, which originally described thorn bushes or prickly plants. Essentially, it calls to mind something that causes pain when someone becomes ensnared in it. Think of what an accurate description that is for the confusion caused by strife! It tells us that strife ensnares people and inevitably results in pain.

Eventually the word akatastasia developed to describe various situations that are filled with disorder, disturbance, or trouble. It portrayed such chaotic confusion that early authors occasionally used it in a political sense to depict riots and anarchy! Well, that’s a pretty good description of what happened in our house that morning when I lost my temper! Things quickly spun out of control and turned ugly!

James goes on to say that such attitudes result in every “evil” work. The word “evil” is phaulos, which means bad, foul, or vile. In addition to James 3:16, the word phaulos is used in John 3:20 and John 5:29 to describe evil behavior, and in Titus 2:8, it simply denotes something bad. In fact, this Greek word phaulos is where we get the English word foul — rightly depicting a behavior or situation that is appalling, atrocious, distasteful, sickening, or, simply put, really ugly. James’ usage of this word affirms that bad attitudes result in appalling bad behavior that often has hurtful consequences.

After losing the tip of my finger, I realized that I was personally responsible for the chaotic events of that day because I allowed an angry attitude to have a place in our home. God was gracious, and the end of my finger grew back. But my family resolved that from that day forward, we would have a “no strife” policy in our home. We learned the hard way that strife-filled attitudes can open the door to painful, chaotic confusion that results in hurtful consequences. It’s far better to never allow strife to rear its ugly head than it is to give in to it like I did and later have to repair the damage left in its wake.

Today I urge you to listen carefully and heed what you’ve read in this Sparkling Gem. Make a “no strife” policy for your life, refusing to get into strife on any issue. By being vigilant in this matter, you can protect yourself and your family from ugly situations that would have detrimental and painful results.

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I thank You for instructing me so vividly about the consequences of strife and the confusion that will ensue. I can remember moments in my own life when I allowed strife to escalate and produce chaos and confusion in a foul situation that should have never been permitted. Thank You for reminding me how important it is to submit to the Holy Spirit and to resist the attempt of my own flesh to control me or those around me by giving place to strife. In moments when I am tempted to fall into a rage about something, help me remember that such attitudes open the door for the devil’s attack. Help me be controlled and vigilant about my attitudes so the devil cannot attack me and bring chaos into my life. Holy Spirit, I look to You for Your help!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that I do not allow strife to throw me into moments that result in chaotic events or ugly situations. Strife simply has no place in my life, and I refuse to be a participant in anything that even hints of it. From this moment onward, I operate with a “no strife” policy in my life. When I am tempted to get into anger or to yield to an ugly, strife-filled attitude, I will turn from it before it releases negative consequences in my life. The Holy Spirit is at work inside me, and I choose to cooperate with Him in order to prevent this from occurring in my life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Can you think of a time when you allowed strife to open a door to an attack from the devil in your life, the lives of family members, your business, or your local church? How could you have prevented that situation before it had a chance to start?
2. I don’t want you to dwell on the past, but I do want you to really learn from past mistakes when you allowed strife to gain a foothold in your What happened when strife entered into the picture? Can you identify why you allowed that door to swing open so the devil could find an entrance to attack your life?
3. As you regularly read your Bible and develop a prayer life, it will make you more sensitive to moments when your flesh is tempted to act ugly. What are you doing to develop your Bible reading and prayer time?

For through him we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
— Ephesians 2:18

In today’s technologically sophisticated, interconnected society, it’s so easy to pick up the phone, call anywhere in the world, and make an immediate connection to whomever you are calling. But when my family first moved to the Soviet Union to follow God’s call on our lives, placing an international phone call was quite a difficult task!

First of all, all international phone calls had to be “scheduled” and “ordered” in advance. In the city where we lived, it took three days to order a phone call to the United States. We would call the operator, tell her that we’d like to place a call to America, and give the number we wanted to call. The operator would respond, “Your call will come in three days” — however, she couldn’t tell us what time the call would be placed — so on that third day, we didn’t dare leave the house for any reason, because the call could come at any unknown minute.

If the call came through, and the number was busy, we couldn’t simply say, “Can we try another number?” That call was our only chance! If the line was busy, we had to schedule another call and wait for another three days. The connections were so horrible that often we had to yell and scream for our voices to be heard — if we actually connected to the person we were calling. Furthermore, special agents were on the phone line with us, listening to our conversations in order to monitor what we were saying. They were so obviously listening in that once I asked the agent to get off the phone, and he answered by telling me it was his job to listen!

Connecting was so difficult in those days! Finally, someone suggested that we purchase a satellite phone with a gigantic antenna. I would dial the call on a huge black box, and Denise would hold a gigantic antenna and point it this way and that way toward the sky, trying to figure out its optimal position so we could get the best possible connection. The antenna was huge! Denise and I must have looked like quite the sight as we stood in the front yard with a giant, umbrella-shaped antenna and a huge satellite phone, trying to figure out how to best connect with our families in the United States!

I’ve often thought of those difficult days of poor communication during my morning prayer times — when all I have to do is open my heart, express my faith, and I am instantly and effortlessly connected to Heaven! There are no three days of waiting and no waving of a giant antenna trying to find the correct “channel” that connects me to Heaven. All it takes is a single moment of faith, and an instant connection is made. I call it “instant access” to the throne of God.

This “instant access” is referred to in Ephesians 2:18, where the apostle Paul wrote that through Christ we have “access” by the Holy Spirit unto the Father. Today I want to talk to you about this word “access.”

The word “access” is the Greek word prosagoge. It is a Greek word that was used to describe individuals who had free entrance, access, or unhindered approach to a king’s court. There was no need for pleading or begging and no waiting in long lines to be recognized. It was an unhindered approach at any time and any moment. This means that when you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit provides a way for you to immediately connect with the Father at any time!

I don’t know the details of what you are facing today, but if you are in Christ Jesus, I can assuredly tell you that you have immediate access to the Father through the Spirit. Thank God, you don’t have to order a heavenly phone call and wait for three days to get through to the throne. You don’t have to worry that your connection will be put off again and again. Your position in Christ guarantees you instant, immediate access to the Father at any time and at every moment!|

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I give glory, honor, and praise to You that through Jesus Christ, I have instant, unhindered access to Your throne. Because Your Spirit lives inside me, the door to Heaven is open above me and Your ears are attentive to hear and answer me. Furthermore, because my heart is an open door to you, this same connection gives You access through me to others. Holy Spirit, teach me how to live every moment in an active, engaged faith that pleases You and keeps me continually aware of my connection with You.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that my life is hidden with Christ in God. According to Ephesians 2:18, I have instant access to God through Christ Jesus. Furthermore, the Father has access through me to reach those around me because my heart is an open door to Him. I do not need to fear that God won’t hear me. I thank my God that He always hears me! When I pray in faith, the Holy Spirit enables me immediately to connect with the Father to access His wisdom and His power with no delay!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Have you ever had moments when you “felt” like you weren’t getting through to God in prayer? After reading today’s Sparkling Gem, do you now understand that if you are in Christ, you have instant access to the Father, regardless of what you may be feeling?
2. How does the message you’ve read today affect you? Does it help give you assurance that God is listening and that you immediately connect to Him when you pray in faith?
3. Can you rest in the Lord when you pray — confidently assured that He is listening to you? Or have you been hampered in your thoughts without understanding that you have unrestricted access to the throne of God?