Category: Strength for Today

Isaiah 44:16
“He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:”

One of the things that fire has symbolized is the power of God. Israel said in the verse above, “I have seen the fire.” The problem is they had seen the refiner’s fire, but the refiner’s fire was making idols. Instead of looking to see the fire of God, they looked for the fire of the false gods.

Instead of looking at the refiner’s fire of false gods, they could have looked to the fire that was sent down from Heaven to consume Elijah’s altar. They could have looked at the fire of the burning bush instead of the fire that led to false satisfaction. They could have looked to the fire of the burnt offering and see that Christ is the only way to have their sins paid for. They could have seen the fire of Leviticus 9:24 that consumed Aaron’s offering and the altar upon which it was offered. They could have looked to the fire that came out of the rock in Judges 6:21 at the time of Gideon’s call to lead Israel. We could go on about the fire Israel could have looked at, but they chose to look at a counterfeit fire that would do nothing for them but lead them into God’s judgment.

There are many Christians today who are looking at the wrong fire. They are looking at the fire that brings temporal satisfaction instead of looking for the fire that will bring eternal satisfaction. You can look to the feel-good preachers who give sermons that make you feel good, or you can look to the fire of God’s Word and find the right way to live. Worldly lifestyles are not right just because certain men of God have chosen the way of Balaam, followed the world and are living that way. You need to stop looking at the wrong fire and see the life that has been tested by the fire of God’s Word and live that life. Certainly, that life will be criticized by those who have looked at the wrong fire, but you must not let that keep you from doing what you know God’s Word commands.

Moreover, there are also those who have looked at the wrong fire to build their ministries and lives instead of looking at the fire of God’s power. Friend, you can always substitute God’s power with temporary results, but only the fire of God’s power will give you miraculous, lifelong results. Instead of going to the next conference to learn a new method of how to do something in the Christian life, you would be wiser to get alone with God and seek His power on your life. There is no substitute for the fire of God’s power. It is God’s power that saves the hardened heart. It is God’s power that builds a church in places where others have failed. It is God’s power that builds godly families in a defiled world. It is God’s power that brings the prodigal back home. It is God’s power that takes the person who seems to have no potential and do the miraculous through them. It is the fire of God’s power that can do something through you that you could never imagine.

Let me ask you, have you seen the fire? When is the last time you got alone with God and asked Him to empower and use you in a powerful way? This world is in need of people who see the right fire, and that fire is the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Let me encourage you to stop looking at the false fire and look to the fire that does the miraculous. That fire that I am talking about is God’s power on your life.

Isaiah 36:4
“And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?”

The Devil’s tactics never change. What he did in the past he will do again today. His effort has always been to destroy the confidence in God’s people. He knows that if your confidence is destroyed, you will not have the ability to influence others. That is why he went straight after the confidence of God’s people in the verse above. When you look at the story in the verse above, you find six areas where the Devil will try to destroy your confidence.

First, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s Word. In verse 5, Rabshakeh called God’s words “vain words.” He was throwing question at the Word of God. That is exactly what Satan did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. If he can get you to question the validity of God’s Word, he has won the battle. Don’t listen to those who question God’s Word. Watch out when they try to question it’s authenticity and accuracy because it is only an attempt to destroy your confidence in God.

Second, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s power. Rabshakeh said, “…on whom dost thou trust?” He was questioning God ability to deliver them. Don’t let the Devil shake your confidence in God’s power. God is as powerful today as He was in years gone by. God can still do everything today that He has done in the past.

Third, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s works. Rabshakeh ridiculed what God did in the past as if it never really happened. The Devil still tries to get us to question what God said He did in the past. Just because the naysayers say that God didn’t do something doesn’t make it true. If God said He parted a sea then He parted the sea. The Devil can shake your confidence if you will begin to doubt the works of God.

Fourth, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s methods. Rabshakeh criticized Hezekiah’s method of walking the old paths. Don’t let those who criticize the old paths to shake your confidence in them. These new paths they want you to walk in have never been proven. God’s methods are as important as His Word. Don’t doubt the methods of the old paths. They will work today just like they worked in the past.

Fifth, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s influence. Rabshakeh ridiculed whether they even had enough people to sit on the horses he said he would give. The critics have always criticized the influence of the old paths, but if our influence is so anemic, then why are they even addressing us? Don’t let your confidence be shaken in the influence of the old paths. Let God worry about influence.

Sixth, the Devil will try to destroy your confidence in God’s promises. Rabshakeh tried to shake the people’s confidence in God’s ability to deliver them. Always remember that God’s promises are true. God always keeps His promises. If God can’t keep His promises, God is not God.

Friend, when you find your confidence shaken, you need to go to God in prayer as Hezekiah did. Prayer is where your confidence will be strengthened. Be aware and avoid those who try to shake your confidence in these areas. Your confidence in God is the key to unleashing the power of faith.

Isaiah 14:16
“They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;”

The Devil is the biggest fraud who has ever existed. He promises things he cannot deliver. He threatens with things that he cannot do. He presents himself as someone who he is not. Sadly, most Christians, if not all, have at some time or another yielded to his offers or threats.

The verse above reminds us who the Devil really is. God says that one day the Christian will ask, “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;” One day we will look at the Devil and realize that we were afraid of someone whom we really had no reason to be afraid of. When that day comes, we will realize that we yielded to someone’s threats or accepted offers that he could not deliver.

Christian, the Devil will promise many things that he cannot and will not deliver. He will promise position when he cannot deliver position. He said in verse 13, “I will ascend into heaven…” Though the Devil thought he could deliver position, he instead was cast into Hell. The Devil will promise you all kinds of position if you will just live his lifestyle or compromise truth, but you must always remember that God is the One Who gives position. Any position the Devil promises he cannot give.

Moreover, the Devil will promise power, but he has no power to give. He said in verse 13, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…” Yet, the power that he sought he couldn’t get himself. The Devil may promise you the power to do what you want to do, but he fails to tell you that he didn’t have the power himself to keep God from casting him out of Heaven. All the power that is promised to you by the Devil and his servants in the world will never happen. Stop yielding to the temptations of the Devil, for all his promises are empty.

Furthermore, the Devil promises pleasure but can only deliver death. The pleasure that the Devil promises will only weaken and destroy you. You may think that the pleasures the world promises will fulfill your desires, but those pleasures that you partake of will leave you empty and desiring more. The pleasures the Devil promises are destructive and lead to death.

Friend, you have no reason to be afraid of the Devil. Notice that the verse above calls him a “man.” He can do nothing to the Christian. 1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I’m afraid Christians are running scared of the Devil when the Scriptures make it very clear that the power which lies within them is greater than the power of the world. Yes, the Devil’s threats seem real, but always remember that the Devil’s threats are just that, they are threats.

It is time, Christian, to believe in the power of God. Believe the promises of God. Understand that the Devil can’t fulfill any promise he offers. On the other hand, God can, will and does fulfill every promise. He is the One to Whom you should listen. He is the One Whom you should follow. The next time the Devil offers you something or threatens you, just remind him of his destiny, that he has no power over you, and just continue following what the LORD has commanded you to do.

Isaiah 11:1
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:”

There are many great leaders after whom you could pattern your leadership, but there is no greater leader to copy than Christ. Many great leaders have many good qualities, but no leader other than Christ can say that they have no bad qualities. When you look at the qualities of Christ’s leadership, you will see that the result is peace. Verse 6 shows us the result of His leadership when it says, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” This is the type of leader whom you should follow. I find in this chapter four qualities of Christly leadership that every leader should have.

The first quality of Christly leadership is having the right spirit. Verse 2 says, “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;” Yes, every leader should be empowered by the Holy Spirit, but their own spirit needs to be right. Leaders who have the right spirit are leaders who are easy to follow. There is nothing worse than a leader with an unpredictable or a bad spirit. A leader must have the right spirit if they want to their followers to follow.

The second quality of Christly leadership is having the right response. Verse 3 shows us that Christ was not a reactionary leader, but a measured leader. Reactionary leaders are leaders who followers will not go to when something goes wrong. If people fear to come to you when something goes wrong because you are going to blow up, you need to change how you respond. Christly leadership has measured responses based on facts and not on emotion. Don’t let your reactions as a leader be emotional reactions, but let them be measured reactions.

The third quality of Christly leadership is living the right life. It says about Christ in verse 5, “And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins…” Every leader needs to lead by an example of righteousness. “Righteousness exalteth a nation…” (Proverbs 14:34) When a leader lives a righteous life, it shows the follower that double standards will not be allowed. It gives the follower an example that leads to blessings.

The fourth quality of Christly leadership is loyalty. Verse 5 continues by saying, “…and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” This loyalty was to truth, and not to personality or institutions. A leader should show their follower that loyalty belongs to truth. Leaders should also be loyal to their followers. When a leader follows the Christly quality of loyalty, the follower will know that their leader will do everything in their power to protect them if they will do right.

Whatever level of leadership you may have, be sure that these four Christly qualities are followed. These qualities will bring a peaceful atmosphere and will give the follower a steady example to follow.

Isaiah 5:2
“And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.”

What did I do wrong? This is the question many people ask when they have invested their lives and done their best to help those who they love to turn out right. Sadly, parents second-guess what they did wrong that caused their child to go wayward. They wonder if they were too strict or not strict enough. They wonder if they spent too little time and question if they gave enough possessions to their child. My answer to every parent is that it’s not the vineyard.

Pastors and ministry leaders wonder what they could have done that caused a person to do some of the bad things they did. They wonder what would cause a person to grow up in the youth department and turn out living such a wicked lifestyle. These pastors and ministry leaders question whether or not they should change how they do things and wonder if they should loosen up a bit. They ask themselves what they did to cause this person to go wayward. My answer to every pastor and ministry leaders is that it’s not the vineyard.

God asked the same question about Israel, but He also gave us the answer. When you look at the verse above, God used a vineyard to represent Israel. He says that He planted them “in a very fruitful hill.” He fenced it so that the wild animals would not destroy them. He set up a tower so that the watchman could see the enemy come from afar. He planted the vineyard with the choicest seeds. Yet, the vineyard brought forth wild grapes. God asked in verse 4, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” God understood that it wasn’t the vineyard, but it was the individuals choice to do what they did.

My answer to every person who questions what you could have done more is that it is not the vineyard’s fault. The rules you established didn’t make a young person go bad. The hard preaching isn’t what runs people off. It’s not the parent’s fault who required their child to be home by a certain time and prohibited them from running with a certain person or crowd. The vineyard is not at fault. The fault is not that you were too hard or that you had too many rules. The fault is not that you didn’t give them enough. The fault is not that you didn’t let them participate more in worldly activities. The fault does not lie with the vineyard. You must come to grips that the fault lies with the individual. Every individual has a choice and their decision to do wrong is their fault.

It’s time that we stop blaming the vineyard for the rebellious child and place the blame on the rebel. People have gone wayward who had everything you think you should have given to your child. It’s not the vineyard! It’s the heart of the individual! Instead of trying to change your vineyard, you need to be sure that those who are still in the vineyard are kept safe. Don’t let the Devil cause you to second-guess the rules, the preaching, the lifestyle and commitment to the LORD. He wants you to change these protections that you have set up so that he can destroy more people. Let me encourage you to keep your vineyard as secure as God commands. Don’t change your vineyard for the sake of a rebel. Always remember that weeds grow in every vineyard.

Revelation 14:4
“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

There is a group of people who often have been overlooked because of something over which they have no power to control. These people are often joked about and at times overlooked for a leadership position all because of a status which they cannot control. Yes, we have Sunday school classes geared just towards these people, but somehow we still treat them as if they are still adolescents who need to grow up and change their status. This group of people who I am talking about are single adults who for whatever reason have not found that person whom they feel God wants them to marry.

God has a special place for singles in Heaven. The verse above talks about a group of people who stood around the throne of God singing a song that only they knew. These singles must be special people to God because He could have chosen any other group of people, but He chose singles to sing the new song around His throne. The reason we know they are singles is because God says, “…they are virgins.” In spite of how many people may look down on a single adult, God uses them in Heaven. Let me quickly address this special group of people who God loves and uses.

First, single adults are not a second-rate people. I have talked to several single adults who almost get discouraged because of how fellow Christians treat them. Just because they are single doesn’t mean they’re weird or sodomites. Let me encourage the married people not to joke about their single status. They can’t control this! We don’t know if God wants them to be single for the rest of their lives or if He is just waiting to show them who they should marry. Let me encourage you to treat them as the adults they are. Just because they are not married doesn’t mean they are not adults.

Second, God can use single adults. Every pastor needs to readjust his thinking on how to use single adults. Single adults can make great Sunday school teachers because they can give their full attention to those in their class. Single adults can lead soul-winning groups or teach in a Christian school. Let me even go a step further and remind you that single adults can even be an assistant on a church staff, or be a missionary or an evangelist. I was a single adult for the first five years of my ministry as an evangelist. I thank God that pastors didn’t hold that against me. There are many still serving the LORD today because of those early years in which God used me as a single adult. Don’t be so closed-minded that you won’t use single adults because of their marital status.

Third, if you are a single adult, live a pure life and give a full effort to serving the LORD. These who sang around the throne were virgins. You may be a single adult, but your adult status doesn’t give you the right to be promiscuous. Do right and stay pure. If you will give all of your energies to serving the LORD, you will find it easier to stay pure.

Single adults are a special people to God. Let’s not be guilty of wasting their potential just because they are single. Realize that God has a purpose for them being single to this point in their life. Let’s not be guilty of overlooking God’s ability to use them just because they are single.

Revelation 8:3
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”

One of the areas in the Christian life where many get discourage is in the area of their prayer life. We live in times when we want immediate results, but the prayer life is not a click-and-get computer program. The prayer life will certainly exercise one’s faith in God and stretch that faith so that if you will continue trusting Him it will allow you to be a stronger Christian.

The verse above shows us that during the tribulation period, after the saints have been raptured to Heaven, every prayer that was offered will eventually be answered. God says that the prayers of the saints were as “incense” before the throne of God. In this verse there are several things that I believe will help you to learn concerning what happens with your prayers.

First, your prayers are heard. You may think that God is not listening, but the verse above assures us that all the prayers were before the throne of God. Just because you don’t get an answer doesn’t mean that God didn’t hear your prayer. You must not let the silence from Heaven’s portal communicate to you that your prayer is not being heard. You must rest in the promises of God’s Word that He hears your prayers.

Second, God gives no timetable to answer your prayers. We are so used to the immediate that we expect God to answer a prayer within a short period of time. As seen from the verse above, your prayers may not be answered while you are still living. Does that mean that your prayers are worthless and that you should stop praying? Absolutely not! You must realize that God will answer your prayer in His timing.

Third, God stores your prayers. It is interesting to me that God opened up the “prayers of all saints.” Notice that “prayers” is plural. That means that every prayer you have prayed is being stored. In other words, every time you pray your prayer is making an impact at some point when God answers your prayers.

Fourth, God will answer your prayer in His timing. Don’t demand of God to answer your prayer when you think it’s best, but trust God that He will answer your prayer when He knows it is best. This will keep you from discouragement. You already know that God knows the best timing, so trust Him with your prayers that He will answer them at the right time.

Fifth, God’s answer may not be in the manner you thought it should be answered. Notice that the prayers were eventually answered as a judgment to those in the tribulation period. Christian, don’t put God in a box to answer your prayer the way you think it should be answered. Accept God’s manner of answered prayer believing that it will always be the best.

Are you at the point where you are about to give up on your prayers? Let this verse be an encouragement that God hears you and will answer your prayer in His timing. You may or may not see the answer in your life, but when God answers your prayer it will be at the right time and in the right manner. Just keep praying!

3 John 1:5
“Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;”

The actions of fellow Christian brothers and sisters will be some of the greatest hurts you will experience in the Christian life. Throughout my ministry, it has not been the world that has hurt or attacked me in the greatest way, but it has been those who were closest to me and who I considered my dearest friends. Whether or not we like this, it is part of the Christian life that you will have to expect.

There are three types of people who you will deal with in your life. One thing you will have to come to grip with is that those who hurt you will be the ones closest to you. Even David experienced this hurt in Psalm 41:9 when he said, “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” Let me show you the three personalities you will deal with in your life.

The first personality will be like Diotrephes. It was said about him in verse 9, “…who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” There will be people who are all for themselves in the Christian life and will do anything to you if they feel that you are taking their glory. These types of people will say bad things about you if they feel that you are a threat to them. When this happens to you, you are going to have to let God deal with them. Don’t fall to their level and do evil back towards them. You must do right and realize that God will reward you in His timing.

The second personality you will have to deal with is found in 2 Timothy 4:10 where it says, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world…” Demas helped Paul on his first journey, but the world’s lure eventually pulled him away from serving the LORD. Friend, you are going to find if you serve the LORD for a long time that there will be many people who once served with you that eventually gave in to the pressures of the world. You cannot allow this to discourage you. You must continue to stand for truth. Just because others have given in to worldly pressures doesn’t mean you need to give in. You will find that your friends at the end of your Christian life will mostly be different people from those with whom you first started serving. When others forsake the Christian life for the world, you must determine to keep on standing for truth.

The third personality is found in 3 John 1:12 when it says, “Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself…” Demetrius was that person who supported the man of God through everything. I want you to notice that the reason he supported the man of God was because “of the truth.” These are the people you must continue to encourage. These are the people who may not have the outgoing personalities, but they are the ones who you can depend upon when others forsake or attack you.

These three personalities aptly describe what types of people you will encounter in the Christian life. The question I have for you is, which one are you going to be? I know we all want to be a Demetrius, but we must guard against the love for the world and a desire for recognition. The key to being a Demetrius is to stay focused on truth. If you will stay focused on truth, a love for preeminence and the call of the world will have no affect on your daily walk. You will only be who you are supposed to be at the end of life if you will stay focused on truth.

2 Peter 1:1
“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:”

Great leaders are not trained, they are discovered. Many people have been chosen to be leaders, but great leaders are the ones who were often overlooked and were discovered in a time of need. These leaders didn’t become great leaders because they sought it, but they became great leaders because they had a proper attitude.

Peter was no doubt a great leader. I know that Peter oftentimes get a bad rap for his denial of Christ, but when you look at his work as a whole, it would be hard to say that he wasn’t a great leader. Not only was he in the inner-circle of our Saviour, but he was looked to by the early church for direction and guidance. When you try find what made him a great leader, I believe the verse above shows us three attitudes that he had that helped him to become a great leader. You may be a leader right now, but you will never become a great leader without these three attitudes.

The first attitude of a great leader is the attitude of being a servant before position. It is interesting that before Peter ever acknowledged that he was an apostle, he proclaimed himself to be a servant. Great leaders never look to their position first because they are more interested in serving those who their position allows them to lead. Great leaders don’t abuse their position to get their followers to serve them, but they use their position to serve their followers. If you are looking for people to serve you, you will be a poor leader because great leaders look for ways to serve their followers.

The second attitude of a great leader is the attitude of duty before pleasure. After Peter addresses his position, he then shows that he had a duty “to them that have obtained like precious faith.” We live in times when many leaders are absent from their position because they are playing instead of performing their duties. When you become a leader, pleasure must be put on the back burner for the sake of duty. There are too many young leaders today who want pleasure without duty, but duty always calls before pleasure. I am not against a leader enjoying life, but pleasure should only be enjoyed after duty. Duty tells the leader they can’t enjoy their hobby because responsibilities call. Great leaders always understand that duty comes before pleasure.

The third attitude of a great leader is the attitude of team before I. Peter said, “…to them that have obtained like precious faith with us…” Notice that it was not about Peter, but it was about everyone doing the work together. Great leaders never make issue of personalities. One of the mistakes of many people who try to be great leaders is they build up personalities instead of building the team to look to Christ. Great leaders don’t make decisions based on how it personally affects them; instead, they look at how it will affect the team. Space doesn’t allow me to address this topic justly, but you must understand that great leaders never make themselves or other personalities an issue, because they understand we are all in this work together for Christ.

This world is in a great need of great leaders. Would you be willing to adopt these attitudes? These attitudes will push the great leader to be recognized. A person with these attitudes will never promote themselves, but their great leadership abilities and attitude will be discovered in the time of need.