Category: Strength for Today

Romans 1:4
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”

The affect a ministry or a Christian has on their community will only be to the degree of their validation. The ministry of Jesus Christ was validated to the world, and because of that we are still influenced today. Without validation, Jesus would have been another great teacher to those He tried to reach even though He was the Son of God. Who Jesus Christ was needed to be validated so that others would believe Him. Likewise, you may be absolutely right about who you are and what you believe, but without validation of who you are and what you believe it means nothing to those whom you are trying to reach. The verse above shows us three things that validated Jesus Christ, and these three things will also validate you.

First, He was validated with power. The miracles Jesus performed validated the ministry of Jesus Christ. That is why Nicodemus said in John 3:2, “…Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” He knew there was something different about Christ because of the miracles that He was able to perform. You will never validate who you are or your ministry unless you have miracles that follow. This is why it is very important for every Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit. A Christian being empowered by the Holy Spirit is the only way God can perform the miraculous through you. You are validated when what is done through you is different from what others can do.

Second, Jesus was validated with His testimony. The “spirit of holiness” was the testimony of Christ. They had nothing of which to accuse Him. Your testimony validates that you are real. People don’t have to like what you say or where you stand, but your testimony will prove that you are right. People can speak against what you say and where you stand, but they cannot refute your testimony. Friend, I beg you to live a holy and righteous life. Stay away from sin. Don’t give the enemy fodder with which they can accuse you. A good testimony will silence the greatest of critics.

Third, Jesus was validated by His results. The result of rising from the dead in His own power validated all that He said. Your results will validate your ministry. What results do you have to speak about? Do you have people whom you can take others to whom you led to Christ? Are there people who have been under the influence of your ministry serving the LORD in your church or in full-time service? Whether or not we like it, results do have a part in validating who we are and what we believe. The lives that have been touched because of your ministry will validate that God is working through you.

Let me ask you, can you validate your ministry and what you believe? When a person has power, a great testimony and results to show, then others cannot say what you have done doesn’t work. Stop trying to find something new to validate who you are and what you believe, but keep walking the old paths that produce these things. The old paths will validate who you are and what you believe if you will wholly follow them.

Numbers 20:11
“And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Dealing with raw emotions is never an easy task. There are times when I’m extremely tired on a travel day and I have to watch what I say and do because my emotions are raw from being physically weary. If I’m not careful on those days, I can be short with the airline representative, TSA agent, flight attendant and even my family. I know that I’m tired, and I know that my emotions are raw, so I have to watch myself a little closer on those days so that I don’t lose my testimony or make a foolish mistake.

Moses found himself in one of those moments when his emotions were raw. We have heard the story countless numbers of times about Moses smiting the rock when he was supposed to speak to it. Verse 1 is often missed in this dialogue. It says, “Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.” Miriam was Moses’ sister, and this whole story happened right after she passed away. He was grieving the loss of his sister when these people came and complained about the water. Though we could justify his actions because of raw emotions, what he did was still wrong. Raw emotions definitely can affect your actions, but there are steps you can take to keep them from causing you to react.

First, recognize those times when your emotions are raw. There are times when you know that your emotions are a bit raw, it is in those times when you are going to have to be extra careful about everything you do. Recognizing those times when your emotions are raw will help you to take the next step.

Second, ask God to help you to stay under control. God knows when you are emotionally raw, and He can help you to keep your testimony during those times. With God’s help, your emotionally raw times can be growing times to strengthen your patience for future tasks. God is the only One Who can make this happen.

Third, slow down with your reactions. You know you are going to be short on those days when your emotions are raw, so slow down before you let your emotions take over. You are literally going to have to take a deep breath and remind yourself to answer or respond properly. Simply slowing down will have a calming effect on your emotions. Don’t let your raw emotions cause you to be short with people and hurt your relationships.

Finally, let me encourage you to recognize when others are having a bad day. The Israelites were very unthoughtful about Moses’ time of grief, and they added to the pressure with their complaining. Remember that everyone is having a tough time, so be patient with people because you don’t know what they are going through. If you will give others the benefit of the doubt that they could just be having a rough day, then you will find that more than likely they will reciprocate during the days when your emotions are raw.

Acts 23:9
“And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”

One phrase from the mouth of the Apostle Paul changed the whole dynamic of his situation. Before he said the phrase, he stood alone against a crowd of Pharisees and Sadducees who accused him of false doctrine and speaking against the state religion. One phrase changed that whole dynamic when he said, “…Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.” This phrase divided the crowd so that one crowd stood with him and the other against him.

What changed the minds of the crowd? What changed was that he identified himself with one crowd, and to them that was good enough. What changed was that he said he believed in the resurrection of the dead which the Pharisees also believed but the Sadducees did not. Nothing changed in what Paul had originally said concerning salvation. Nothing changed concerning anything he said about the doctrine of Christ. Nothing changed concerning his belief that they were the crowd who crucified Jesus Christ. Nothing changed with his belief that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. The only thing that changed that crowd was that he identified with them and one of their core beliefs.

The mistake of the Pharisees was that they were more about identity with a crowd than they were about the truth. It shouldn’t have mattered to them if Paul were a Pharisee or a Sadducee. What should have mattered to them was the veracity of what he taught. What should have mattered to them was whether or not what he said was true; instead, identity was their measurement of truth and not the Word of God.

There is nothing wrong with identifying with a crowd as long as that crowd stands upon the truths of God’s Word. God’s Word is always the measuring instrument by which we should measure truth. I believe that it is wise to identify with the crowd who strongly stands for truth, but if that crowd ever strays from God’s Word, you should stand with God’s Word and not the crowd. If you allow a crowd to be your determination of truth, then one day if that crowd changes you will change.

Your measurement of truth should only be determined by God’s Word. If we need something outside of God’s Word to determine It’s veracity, then God’s Word is no longer the authority. God’s Word is the final authority even if every book in the world says something different. God’s Word is the final authority even if every spiritual leader in the world says differently. Spiritual leaders and religious books are never the final authority; God’s Word is our absolute final authority.

Don’t fall for Satan’s trap of allowing an identity with a group, institution or personality to be your determination of truth. The best thing you can do when not sure where to stand is to search the Scriptures and find out what they say. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth. Lay aside the books and let God’s Word speak to you. God’s Word is very plain and will speak for Itself. When you make the Scriptures your final authority in all matters, then you will find yourself never changing what you believe because God’s Word never changes.

Acts 9:15
“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”

The conversion of Saul must have been one of the highlights of Ananias’ ministry. Watching Saul grow from a young Christian to becoming one of the leaders of the Christian movement must have pleased him very well. Every time the church gave a report about the Apostle Paul it had to thrill his heart.

What can be missed from Saul’s conversion is that Ananias could have missed the opportunity of helping him develop into that chosen vessel of God. Imagine if Ananias would have ignored or refused God’s command to meet Saul in the street. Imagine if Ananias allowed fear to keep him from talking to Saul because of his reputation. Imagine if he was unforgiving of what Saul had done to other Christians. If Ananias allowed any of these things to play a role in his life, he would not have had a part in helping Saul become God’s chosen vessel.

There are people whom God leads across your path daily, but you must be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit if your are going to be used to reach them for Christ. You must understand that every person is a chosen vessel for Christ. They may not become an Apostle Paul, but God has something just as important for them. You must not allow the daily affairs of life to keep you from obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit. You must be willing to set aside your daily affairs when the Holy Spirit speaks to you if you want God to use you to help a chosen vessel.

Moreover, you cannot allow fear to keep you from talking to people. It doesn’t matter what someone’s status or reputation may be, you have to understand that the Holy Spirit is the One Who does the work in the hearts of individuals. If the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart about speaking to someone, then you must set your fear aside and talk to people. The hardest part of putting fear aside is simply getting out the first few words. Simply remember that God is already working in their heart if He has brought that person across your path.

Furthermore, you must be willing to forgive people if you want God to use you to develop people into a chosen vessel. God doesn’t always guide you to talk to people with whom you have no knowledge of their background. What if God wants you to talk to someone who has hurt you? Are you willing to forgive them so that they can be saved or matured into a chosen vessel? You cannot hold grudges if you want God to use you to develop people into chosen vessels.

Every person is a chosen vessel to God. God has a specific task for each person in life, but He needs you to move beyond your fear and obey His Holy Spirit to speak to people. The next time you talk to someone about salvation, remember that they are a chosen vessel. Don’t just lead them to Christ, but follow up and help them develop into that chosen vessel whom God wants them to be. You could be the next Ananias, but you have to listen, obey and not allow fear to keep you from talking to any person.

Numbers 1:54
“And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.”

The source of one’s authority is vital in determining the authenticity of what they are saying. One of the guidelines news reporters must follow before reporting a story is to have two separate sources to authenticate what is being said. Those two sources become their one source of authority to authenticate their report. Without a source of authority their story is nothing more than hearsay.

The verse above honors the actions of the children of Israel. It says that they did “all” that they were supposed to do. It is interesting that the authority they used to validate their claim of obedience was the LORD. Yes, they followed the commandment of Moses, but his commandment was only validated by the LORD. It didn’t matter what Moses said outside of the LORD’s commandment, it only mattered what he said according to the LORD’s commandment. The LORD’s commandment was their final authority. Even though Moses was a man of God, that was not what they were supposed to follow. They were to only follow what the LORD said.

Christians have to be careful about making anything but the Word of God their authority for action and belief. God’s Word is our final authority. We can easily get caught up in the mentality that because many people said something then it has to be true. This is absolutely false! The amount of voices never makes something true. God’s Word is the only authority on truth. If God’s Word tells us to do something or not to do something, then It is the final authority and not the voices of men. There are a couple of thoughts we must take from this verse that will help us in determining whether or not we should do something.

First, antiquity of voices doesn’t determine truth. Just because voices from the past may have said something doesn’t make it true. You can always find voices in history that will validate your stance because there have always been compromisers in every generation. The age of voices can’t be used to validate truth.

Second, the majority of voices don’t determine truth. Just because the majority of voices may say something doesn’t mean that it is right. These voices may be coming from a spiritual realm, but that still doesn’t make it right. It says that Moses commanded the people, but it was what he said “according to all that the LORD commanded” that made it right.

Third, only the LORD validates the authority of truth. Friend, you don’t have to study or read hundreds of sources to validate that something is true, God’s Word is the only source of truth. Inside of the pages of God’s Word you will find the source of all truth. When you study the Scriptures, you will find your answer as to what you should do in every area of life.

Be careful about allowing people to shame you into believing that you must read other sources than the Scriptures to validate truth. There is nothing wrong with reading other sources as long as those sources use God’s Word as their source of authority. Even then, what they say is not right simply because they said it, but what they say can be right because God’s Word also says it. Keep God’s Word as your final authority and you will never be led astray.

Acts 6:1

“And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.”

The growth of the early church was nothing short of miraculous. It is great to be a part of a growing church. This early church went from a small handful of disciples under Christ’s leadership to thousands. Yet, you see the church’s growth stop in the verse above. The church had become so large that the Apostles could not keep up with the “daily ministration.” They developed a plan to keep the church growing and that plan was to delegate some of their responsibilities to others. This decision led to the church’s continued growth to the point where they eventually turned their world upside down for Christ.

Anybody can grow things to a certain level, but there will come a point when that growth will level off and continued growth will be determined by what they do from that point. Yes, growth is up to God, but He blessed the decisions of the Apostles to divide their duties so that they could continue to grow. There were three things the early church had to overcome to see continued growth. If your church, ministry or business is going to continue to grow, then these three things must be done.

First, organization is one of the foundational keys to growth. You will never grow beyond your organization. You cannot grow with a crisis-mode decision making process. Organization helps you to avoid many pitfalls with personalities and open ended responsibilities because you close those open ends which helps people to work in their own areas preventing personality clashes. This early church was well organized, and you also must be organized if you want to grow.

Second, delegation is another foundational key to growth. The Apostles could only handle so much responsibility, and their only answer was to delegate some responsibilities to others. Delegation not only frees the leader to continue doing what is important, but it also helps others to grow. Don’t be the type of leader who is jealous of others getting some compliments. When you delegate, you are not losing control but you are gaining more control if you are organized. When you fail to delegate, you have set a ceiling on any potential growth.

The third foundational key to growth is to reproduce. The church’s growth stagnated when they didn’t send out. God sent persecution to force this church to send people out, and it was at that point when they turned the world upside down. A healthy organization must always send people out or they will die. Keeping everyone to build an empire will create inbred growth which stagnates a church, ministry or business. You must be willing to send people out to start more churches or businesses if you want to stay healthy.

These three foundational keys are important to the growth of any church or business. If your growth has stagnated, then look at these three areas and see what you need to work on. These three areas will keep you growing and influencing more people for Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:140
“Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.”

The purity of one’s word is very important to God. God described the purity of His Word by saying, “Thy word is very pure…” God thought so much about His Word that He spent 176 verses talking about It’s purity. God completely understood that your word dictates your trustworthiness, and if there is any hint of falsehood in your word then you cannot be trusted.

The purity of God’s Word is critical because salvation depends upon it. If one word of the Scriptures is not true, then that puts in question every other word, including the words of salvation. This is why it’s critical for us to have an every word Bible. God understood the importance of one’s word being pure so when it came to preserving His Word, He chose to be responsible for it. He didn’t leave the preservation of His pure Word up to man because man may think that changing or deleting one word is not a big deal, but to God every word in the Scriptures is a big deal. This is why when describing the purity of His Word He said it is “very pure.”

If God thought it was important that His Word be “very pure,” then every Christian should think the same about their words. We live in days when a person’s word is not as trustworthy as it should be. Embellishing stories to make them more exciting has become acceptable. Misguiding the truth for the sake of defending one’s name seems to be the norm. Telling “small” lies to keep from being inconvenienced is a normal practice by many. Sadly, the purity of one’s word is not as important to the Christian as it is to God.

Christian, your word is your testimony. Any hint of dishonesty in what you say is a mark against your integrity. If what you say cannot be trusted as absolute truth, then how do you expect people to believe you when you are telling them about salvation? How do you expect people to believe you when telling them how to live the Christian life if they know you tend to “stretch the truth?” The purity of what you say truly impacts your ability to lead or influence people for the cause of Christ.

Friend, your word needs to be as pure as God’s Word. When asked a difficult question that may bring about an embarrassing answer, don’t lie to keep from being embarrassed. Truth must be your answer at all times. You are going to have to face the truth at some point, and facing the truth will only get harder if you misled, hid or lied about the truth. It is better to face the truth head on and get it over with than to be dishonest and have to face the truth and your dishonesty.

Your integrity is on the line with every word you say. Be as careful with what you say as God was with preserving His Word. Don’t ever fall for the trap of misleading, telling a “white lie” or hiding the truth. The truth must always be what comes from your lips. Don’t ever let it be said about you that your word can’t be trusted. Don’t embellish stories, mislead realities or tell a lie just to keep from being embarrassed or inconvenienced. Be a person who tells the truth all the time. When you are known as someone who always tells the truth, then you will be known as a person who can always be trusted. The purity of your word dictates your trustworthiness.

John 14:12
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

One of the greatest personal battles that every generation will fight is the mindset that they can do greater works. Jesus gave us a wonderful promise that we can do “greater works” because He would go to Heaven to intercede for us. There is no reason that this generation cannot do greater works than the previous because Jesus promised us that we can do greater works.

What are these greater works that we can do? He shows us in the following verses three greater works that we will be able to accomplish. In verse 13 we see that we will be able to have a greater work of prayer. Jesus is in Heaven interceding for the Christian, and this is why we can have greater answered prayers than previous generations. The second greater work is found in verse 15 where we see that we will be able to have a greater work of love. With the sins of mankind already paid for and with Jesus giving us the Comforter to do His works, we ought to be able to love people in a greater way. The third greater work is found in verse 16 where we see that we will be able to have a greater work of ministry. With the Holy Spirit empowering the believer, there is no reason as to why they cannot do greater works. However, there are three things we must do if we are going to do greater works.

First, you must have a mindset for greater works. God cannot do greater works when His children don’t believe greater works can be done. It is tiring to hear people say that we will never see the great works of yesteryear. We surely won’t see these great works with that mindset. You must believe that greater works can be done if God is going to do it. The first place you need to work on so that greater works can be done is your mind. Change your mindset to a belief in greater works.

Second, you must work for greater works. Greater works will never be done when you work less than those before you. It takes work for greater works to be accomplished. When you are doing less for God than what you previously have done, then you will never see the greater works. When churches are doing less than previous generations, then they will not see greater works. It takes people to accomplish greater works. It is time Christians stop finding ways to do less, and it is time they re-enlist in the LORD’s work and work harder to achieve those greater works.

Third, you must be empowered if you want greater works. The only way the Christian will be able to see greater works is through the power of the Holy Spirit. Technology doesn’t bring greater works, but the Holy Spirit power does. More education doesn’t bring greater works, but the Holy Spirit power does. Talent and professionalism don’t bring greater works, but the Holy Spirit power does. I’m not minimizing these things, I’m simply showing that you will never see greater works without the Holy Spirit empowering you.

Do you have a greater work mentality? Friend, don’t accept mediocrity in the LORD’s work. Change your mindset and your spiritual work habits to a greater work mindset. Yield to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to take your works and turn them into greater works. You can see greater works if you will do these things.

Leviticus 5:17
“And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.”

One of the common excuses Christians love to use is that it is easier to get forgiveness than to get permission. This may sound like a great line to use, but implying that your ignorance gives you permission to do wrong is simply ignorant. God shows in the verse above that ignorance is no excuse for sin. God makes it clear that even when a person sins through ignorance that they are still “guilty, and shall bear” their sin. There are several principles God is teaching about sinning through ignorance.

First, you are ultimately responsible for every action. Ignorance does not give someone a license to sin. There are consequences for everything you do in life. Just because you are ignorant of its consequences does not mean that you won’t have to suffer them. Just because I don’t know what the speed limit is on a certain street doesn’t give me a right to drive at whatever speed I desire. You are responsible for every action, including those actions that are done through ignorance.

Second, ignorance doesn’t negate the commandment. It never makes it right just because you don’t know what is right. With privilege comes responsibility, and it is ultimately your responsibility to do right at all times. Just because you don’t know what is right doesn’t change right and wrong. Right and wrong are commandments whether or not you know them.

Third, ignorance is not permission to act, but a duty to learn. It is your responsibility to become knowledgeable where you are ignorant. God is making it very clear that it is the duty of the ignorant to learn before they act. The mentality that you can get permission after you’ve done the act is absolutely wrong. God is teaching that when you don’t know what is right or wrong, that it is your responsibility to learn right or wrong before you act. In other words, ignorance of right and wrong is truly your command not to perform the act until you know what you are supposed to do.

Fourth, once a sin of ignorance has been discovered, then it still must be dealt with according to the commandment. God says that the person who commits sin through ignorance “shall bear his iniquity.” You don’t get a pass because of your ignorance of the law. There are consequences to every action, even the actions done through ignorance. Once you discover you have done something wrong when you didn’t know it was wrong, then it is your responsibility to immediately get it right. God holds you accountable for wrong even when you don’t know it’s wrong, but He holds you more accountable for the wrong when you discover that it is indeed wrong.

Don’t become guilty of using ignorance as your excuse for sin. It is truly ignorant on the behalf of the person who uses ignorance as their excuse because it was their responsibility to learn what to do before they acted. Always make it your policy that you withhold from performing any action until you know whether it is right or wrong.