If you believe in the gifts of the Spirit and the full ministry of the Holy Spirit, then you must believe in our capacity as Christians to hear the voice or receive the leading of God. For you that leading may come primarily from the Father, from Jesus, or from the Spirit. It doesn’t matter because each one is God and will give you the same direction and reveal the same heart.

When we start to hear God, we are also responsible for testing the spirits to see if what we are hearing or seeing is from God or another source. John is very clear about our responsibility when he says, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God” (1 John 4:1-3). To our and detriment and their’s, most believers don’t practice testing enough. Too often we hear a voice or sense a leading and because it feels good we take off on it without questioning its authenticity.

Brad Jersak tells a story in his book ( Canyouhereme?) that is instructive. “On another occasion, a young man came to me voluntarily to test whether he was hearing God accurately. He felt that the Lord was telling him to sleep with his girlfriend. The voice had even used scriptures to justify this direction. He asked me how he could know whether or not this was the voice of God. I felt like arguing with him, but I have learned the hard way how ineffective this is. So, I suggested we test the source directly.

I spoke out, ‘We take up God’s invitation and our authority in Christ to directly test the source of this revelation. If it is the Holy Spirit, we welcome you. If it is another spirit, we summon you to present yourself before the Lord Jesus for testing.’ The young man answered, ‘I see a large dark cloud with lightening crackling around it, and the voice is coming from there.’ In my mind, I thought it might represent the power and the glory of God (/Ezekiel 1) or else the darkness might be our hint. But before I could ask another question, this fellow jumped in his seat. ‘I just heard a voice from behind me say, ‘Nice try,’ and then Jesus stepped up and blew the cloud away, There’s just a little gremlin-looking thing where the cloud was … ‘and who are you?’ we asked. It shrugged in defeat, ‘The spirit of the world.’ This was the messenger who had tried to masquerade as the Lord.”

If Brad had not pursued this testing, the young man could have assumed that the voice was from God. After all, he quoted scripture and appeared as an Old Testament image of God. I’m confident that the young man had invited this spirit by nurturing his fleshly desire to sleep with his girlfriend, otherwise he would have dismissed the voice immediately because it was clearly contrary to God’s word. Even when listening for God’s voice, we must be careful not to simply hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest. When I was involved in campus ministry years ago, it was remarkable how many young men in our college group had received a “word from the Lord” that they were to marry the same girl in our college group – perhaps, because she was the prettiest.

In testing the spirits, we should not be paranoid but should be careful or at least give due diligence in confirming that something is from God. Paul warned the church at Corinth. “And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15). These “disguised ministers of righteousness” can work through flesh and blood as they speak through misguided teachers, counselors, divisive church members, false prophets, or mistaken prophets. They can also masquerade as the voice of God as we hear them in our thoughts or see them in our imaginations.

There are several guidelines for testing spirits. Does the spirit or voice reflect the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5)? Is it consistent with the Word of God – the whole counsel of God and not just a proof text here or there? Does it draw us to Jesus and point is to holiness and integrity? Does it display love and build us up rather than tearing us down? Does it create peace in our hearts?

One of the best tests is to simply and directly ask Jesus if the word we heard was from him or a source other than God, just as Brad did. We can ask the Spirit to judge the voice by giving us peace in our hearts or by troubling us about it. It is also a great idea to ask a mature believer, who has heard from God for years, if it sounds like God to them. If we are concerned that God might be offended if we question “the voice” or the “prophecy,” remember that he is the one who told us to do so. When we ask, we’re not doubting him or his character, we are simply being careful with our own discernment. It’s a good practice to develop and a good practice to teach young believers.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt. 12:36-3)

This little verse out of Matthew makes most of us swallow hard. We do so because we know we have said things impulsively in anger or in arrogance – sarcastic, demeaning, and cutting. We have lied or at least put a bit of “spin” on things trying to make ourselves look better in an awkward moment. At one time or another, we have all been a microcosm of the election ads and debates that have infuriated or embarrassed us the last six months.

In a world of words that fill the airways, we loose sight of their importance. The abundance of words fools us into thinking that they don’t matter or that they have no eternal consequences. Matthew’s quote from Jesus would push back against that notion.

James, the brother of Jesus said, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (Ja.1:19-20). Obviously, ungoverned tongues are not just an issue of our day. Proverbs is full of admonitions about our words, even to the point of declaring that our tongues have the power of life and death.

Ungoverned words reveal the depths of our hearts. That is why the Lord says that by our words we will be acquitted and by our words we will be condemned. God does not look at the appearance of a man but looks at the heart. Jesus said that out of the mouth comes the abundance or overflow of the heart. What pops out in a moment of stress, frustration, pain, or even lust reveals something that is in our hearts – not everything that is there, but something that is there.

Years ago, I had said something to another person that I regretted. In my explanation, I said, “I don’t know where that came from – that just isn’t me.” Another person who was listening in on the conversation said, “Yes it is you, because your words come out of the abundance of your heart.” I was embarrassed and even a little angry at the rebuke, but I couldn’t deny it. I believe the enemy had prompted my words but only because he had found a small voice already in me that he could amplify. Ultimately, I took his rebuke to heart and dealt with the issue. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.

The constant drumbeat of the New Testament is to speak life and blessing over others – even our enemies and, yes, even those affiliated with the other political party. That allows God to continue to sit in the judgment seat rather than us. The constant commitment to speak well of others and to bless them with our words becomes transformative for us. Eventually the darkness in our hearts is pushed out by the goodness we express toward those around us. Even as believers, each of us has two natures – what Paul refers to as the spiritual man (the redeemed part of us) and the natural man (the flesh). The natural man is demanding, self-centered, arrogant, fearful, angry at times, blaming and prone to gossip. That is the part of us that Satan taps into, magnifies and reinforces. As we grow in the Lord, that part of us diminishes and shows up less and less. If that part of us shows up very often, we need to get busy growing in the Lord because that part of us is destructive.

Paul reminds us, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal.6:8). In the parable of the sower, Jesus compares the Word of God to seed that is sown, takes root, and bears fruit. Our own words are seed as well that can take root and bear fruit. If our words come from the flesh (natural man) they will bear destructive fruit. If they come from the Spirit, they will be life-giving fruit. God cares about the fruit we bear.

Words of life and affirmation reflect the heart of Jesus and create an atmosphere where unity can form and thrive. The great divisions in our country have not been healed by the rhetoric spewing out of the candidates and those who support them. In many cases, their words have taken root and produced the fruit of even greater division and bitterness. The same can happen in our own relationships because of words we speak. Slander and accusation is the language of hell not of heaven and Satan can take the seeds of destruction we have carelessly sown with our words and water them so that they bear a great deal of negative fruit.

We need a nation and a church that turns to speaking life instead of curses over one another. God will eventually honor our choices and if we choose to sow to the flesh with our words, then God will eventually allow us to harvest the fruit of destruction. If, however, we choose to become people who speak blessings…even over our enemies, God will bless us and give us the life and peace that we crave.

I know that many of us have spoken hurtful and even sinful words so long that they have become automatic. They are such a part of us that we aren’t even aware when we speak them. When I say sinful words I don’t mean “cuss words” as much as critical words, gossip, and slander that we fall into at the office or even over lunch with a friend or spouse. Biblically, gossip is listed right there with murder and adultery and yet we often participate in it without thought because it is so natural – from the natural man. A wise person will begin to ask the Spirit and good friends to alert them to those moments when he or she is speaking anything other that words seasoned with grace and life over any person or situation. Once we are made aware of our automatic patterns, we can repent and let the Spirit of God begin to change us.

Our God is a God of words who spoke the entire universe into existence. We are made in his image and that suggests that our own words have power for good or evil. Our words can be a curse or a blessing. God tells us to be a blessing. Paul challenges us when he says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph.4:29).

Today is Election Day after one of the most divisive and demeaning campaigns in history. There will be ample opportunity to sow to the flesh today and to speak evil of all kinds of folks. But Jesus says that we will have to give account for those words. So today, let’s be the exception and speak life and blessing even over those who would curse us. Let’s sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh today and be instruments of healing rather than those who keep inflicting new wounds. Be blessed today and may we all, myself included, speak the language of heaven at every opportunity.

What you think about God is the most important thought you are ever going to have about anything. – Graham Cooke

I believe the statement above is absolutely true. What you believe about God determines just about every decision you will ever make and those decisions will determine the accumulation of consequences in your life that will define it. Knowing what you believe about God is the first step to coming into alignment with his truth.

If I were to ask the average believer if he knows what he believes about God, the answer would most likely be “Of course!” Then that believer would begin to tell me everything he had ever learned in church about God and probably give me all the right answers. But knowing the right answers does not always mean that is what we believe. We typically believe that we believe the things we should believe. But our actions are more often the real indicators of what we truly believe.

For instance, if you are high on control in your life then you may actually believe that: (1) God does not always know what is best for you, or (2) God doesn’t always do what is best for you or (3) God is unable to accomplish the things in your life that would always be in your best interest. So…either God doesn’t know, he doesn’t care, or he can’t. Why else would you always have to be in the driver’s seat rather than letting God drive?   When we always have to be in control of the situation or always have to control the people around us it is, most likely, because we are afraid of being hurt or not having our needs met. We don’t trust God to meet our needs, protect us, or work things out for our ultimate benefit. If we don’t trust God it is because we believe he is either untrustworthy or incapable. Our actions are evidence of our actual beliefs.

If we are angry with God, then we must believe that he is uncaring, unfaithful, or incapable because we have taken up an offense against God believing that He betrayed us or wronged us in some way. Deep within, we believe that the Father does not always love, does not always keep his promises, and is not always righteous. Otherwise, how he could have wronged us?

If we are constantly driven by fear, then we hold similar beliefs about God or, at least, believe that God’s love is based on our performance and since we know our performance often falls short, we believe he doesn’t love us and, therefore, he will neither protect us nor provide for us. The world, then, becomes a frightening place.

We could go on but you get the drift. Most of us know what the Bible says about God but out actions reveal a deeper level of beliefs about God that are contrary to scripture. Taking a look at our actions and what they suggest about our view of God is the first step to correcting misbeliefs and is the first step to real faith.

Much of our disappointment with God, anger at him, or even “unbelief” comes from some experience in which we believe God let us down or wasn’t there for us. It is as if we have snapshots of God in our hearts through which we judge him even though the snapshots are taken in an isolated moment of time without regard for all the frames before that moment or after.

In my book, Born to Be Free, I tell a story that demonstrates that principle. Several years ago, I counseled a woman who was a survivor of satanic ritual abuse. When she was five years old she was taken to a “church” by her mother and left with some adult “church workers” who then took her to the basement of the building. In that dark basement, she became part of a satanic ritual complete with robes, candles, sexual molestation, incantations, threats and more. Terrified, this little girl cried out to God to have them stop … but they didn’t. Later, her mother picked her up and took her home. The little girl never told her mother thinking that she was part of what had happened to her or that the Satanists would kill her and her mother is she ever told anyone what had happened.

As an adult, she attended church faithfully and served in several ministries there but suffered from clinical depression. As we talked about her depression we got around to her relationship with God. She told me her story. She left that childhood experience with several negative views of God deep in her soul. Either he didn’t exist or he wasn’t loving (or at least didn’t love her) or Satan was more powerful than God because he didn’t supernaturally rescue her from those people.

Even though she was extremely hungry for God she couldn’t trust him to protect her or provide for her and she wasn’t sure that the loved her. Some days she wasn’t sure that he existed. She was fearful, controlling, self-rejecting and often found ways to medicate her emotions. After all, from her childhood perspective, she was on her own in a dangerous world being run by a God she couldn’t count on.

Our first step was to talk about the concept God’s love and free will. It is a difficult concept and gets back to the question, “If there is a loving God, why is there so much evil in the world?” That is a great question and one we will tackle briefly in my next blog. In the meantime, make Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians your own prayer as you ask God for a revelation of his true nature for your heart and be blessed today.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph.1:17-19).

One of the keys to a growing relationship with the Lord and the power of the Spirit flowing through us is the practice of confession and repentance. Confession is the act of agreeing with God about sin and repentance is a commitment and often a recommitment to align our hearts and actions with the will of God.

David’s confessional psalm (Psalm 51) after his sin with Bathsheba has always impressed me with his lack of self-justification. Because of the gravity of the sin and his fear of the possible repercussions for him, Bathsheba and the nation, David kept quiet for nearly a year after his sins of adultery and murder. When God finally confronted him through Nathan the prophet, David made no excuses but fully owned his sin and the consequences.

Most men or women who faced such dire consequences would have made an attempt to spread the blame around, excuse his or her behavior or at least minimize it in some way. It would have been easy for David to point out Bathsheba’s culpability in bathing outdoors where she might be seen or her eager willingness to come to his apartment. After all, David was just a man and couldn’t help himself after she threw herself at him the way she did. He might have blamed Uriah for not being a husband who met his wife’s emotional needs so his failure as a husband actually set up both of them for an inevitable affair. Not only that, but it was a one-night stand based on impulse – not a long-term, premeditated affair. David could have confessed his years of struggle with sexual addiction and checked into a clinic for 30 days. He could have easily tried to justify himself and excuse his actions as being only human.

However, David simply owned his sin and entrusted himself to the mercy and unfailing love of God. He made no excuses. He simply declared his sin and took full responsibility for his actions. He responded with godly sorrow and asked for cleansing and mercy rather than attempting to convince God that he simply couldn’t help himself or that he was the real victim in some twisted view of reality. God’s response was immediate forgiveness and a promise to walk with David through the consequences of his actions.

I see many believers today who do not walk in an intimate relationship with God or who are not filled with the Spirit because they continue to justify or excuse sin in their lives. Godly sorrow for sins is hard to come by in a culture that wants to hold no one responsible for their actions and excuses sin based on past wrongs done to the person, genetic predispositions, or brain chemistry. We live in culture of double and triple standards that makes everything a “shade of gray” where right and wrong have no meaning and, thus, the idea of confessing a wrong and repenting of it loses all meaning.

The recent tragedy in California where white policemen shot and killed a young black man demonstrates our confusion. As soon as word got out that a white policemen had shot an unarmed black youth, many leaders in the black community immediately decided that the cop was a racist who had gladly shot down a black man in cold blood. Racism is about unwarranted stereotypes that project negative qualities on an entire race or class without considering the individual.

In California, the racism was first apparent not in the policeman but in the community that quickly assumed that every white cop would gladly gun down a black man if given the chance without looking at the facts or the individual. But no one called that rush to judgment racism. No one pointed out the double standard and so many judged (possibly unjustly), many rioted, many stirred the waters of racial hatred and no one called it sin. The white policeman may, in fact, turn out to be a racist but his sin cannot justify or excuse the racism and sin of others or nothing changes. Sin is sin and needs to be owned and confessed in order for God’s grace to touch a life, a situation, a neighborhood, or a nation.

Two people will never be reconciled and two races will never make peace until they both acknowledge their sins and their need for the blood of Jesus. We can no longer excuse or rationalize sin and refuse to hold anyone responsible for their actions because God still holds them responsible. The answer to sin is not excusing or denying but confessing and repenting. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 Jn.1:9-10).

The Spirit of God brings healing and transformation when we own our sins and lay them at the foot of the cross. We cannot give away what we do not own. We cannot give our brokenness or sinfulness to Jesus until we own it. If you’ve ever thought that you wanted to be like David, it starts with no excuses. Be blessed and know that God is so willing to forgive when we acknowledge how much we need it.

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his names from the book of life. (Rev.3:1-5)

In his letter to the seven churches in Asia, Jesus delivers a stern rebuke to the church at Sardis. Although this city was the home of pagan temples, a huge Jewish synagogue, and a city under Roman rule, no enemies are mentioned as they have been with the previous churches. The problem with Sardis was that it was living on reputation but in actuality it’s passion and vision for the kingdom of God had diminished to the point of being lifeless.

Sardis was, apparently, an outstanding church at one time. But the church had grown weary. It had stopped serving and evangelizing as it had done in the past. It was a group of believers who had slipped into early retirement. Perhaps they felt that they had done their part for the kingdom and now it was time for others to bear the burden of service and sacrifice. But Jesus declares that there is not retirement in the kingdom. Retirement comes when we are transferred to the home office – not before. The King determines when we retire. We don’t. To Jesus this church had simply decided to stop running the race and had stepped off the track.

They were like servants who had not completed the tasks their master had assigned but decided they had done enough. It’s one thing to miss an assignment God has given us. It is another thing to choose to no longer accept any assignments. Jesus declared that they were dead and called them to renewal and repentance. All was not lost but if they were to receive any reward they had to step back on the track and begin running the race one more.

Years ago I was a campus minister in a small town with a small college. Many churches in tiny rural towns in the area sent their kids to the college where I served and they attended the church that directed and supported the campus ministry there. On occasion I was asked to preach at some of the small churches that supported the ministry. I was invited to preach a Sunday evening service in a particular town where one of the students in our ministry had grown up. The service was to begin at 6:00. I arrived at 5:30. No one showed up to unlock the building until 6:05 and then others straggled in for the next fifteen minutes or so. The girl in our ministry, who was 19 or 20 years old, was the last one who had been baptized in that church when she was twelve. The night I preached I discovered that the baptistery was where the church stored their lawn mower, rakes, and garden hose along with a plethora of dead leaves and spiders. That was a dead church with no passion, no vision, and no fruit. They were an older group who had retired from the kingdom. I’m not saying that no one there loved Jesus; they had just quit bearing fruit in the kingdom. However, the church at Sardis once again suggests that fruit bearing is a genuine indicator of alignment with the heart of the Father.

One consideration for each of us who want to walk in the grace and the power of God is whether we are still passionately engaged in the work of the kingdom or if we have stepped onto the sidelines just waiting for the power to flow again before we get in the game?   Are we bearing fruit worthy of our calling and are we still running the race with diligence? Or have we become consumers in the kingdom allowing others to serve us rather than serving them? Are we partaking of other people’s fruit but not bearing any of our own? Do we glory in what we used to do for Jesus or are we asking Jesus to do more through us now than ever before? Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (Jn.15:8).

Sometimes our greatest enemies lurk in the culture around us and populate the kingdom of darkness. But sometimes we are the enemy who has let our own passion grow cold and have stepped off the track while others run. Sometimes we have stopped taking assignments from God that were scheduled before the earth was created. If so we can repent, get back in the game, and begin once again to experience the power of God. Be blessed!!! Alignment includes fruitfulness.

Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.” One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Lk.11:44-46)

In this chapter of the gospel of Luke Jesus continues to pronounce warnings and a call to repentance to the religious leaders of Israel. Jesus offers up a pointed description of these leaders by comparing them to unmarked graves that men step on without knowing what they have done.  The Jewish law pronounced anyone unclean who had come into contact with a dead animal or a dead human.  Death was connected with sin because that was the primary consequence of Adam’s sin.  After contact with the dead, an Israelite had to go though a period of separation and cleansing rituals to enter the community again or before coming into the temple area.  A Jew who stepped on an unmarked grave was suddenly unclean or defiled without knowing it.

In this section of Luke 11 Jesus pronounces a warning over these spiritual leaders because their hypocrisy not only was the antithesis of true spirituality but it also spiritually defiled those with whom they had contact.   In Matthew 16, Jesus warned his disciples to “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” which was their teachings. Once again, these men looked spiritual and holy on the outside but on the inside they were full of greed, deceit, envy, and pride.  They were spiritually dead on the inside while having an appearance of godliness on the outside.  If that duplicity had affected only them it would have been enough for a warning but it also influenced others.

Those who came into contact with these Pharisees and these other experts in the law were defiled by their teachings.  These leaders had missed the whole point of the Law.  The function of the Law had never been to save a man through works but to convince a man that he could never do enough on his own to merit salvation. Paul tells in Galatians that the Law was a schoolmaster that was designed to point us to Christ. Every sacrifice for sin at the temple pictured the death of an innocent for the sins of another.  The Law, if understood correctly, underlined the need for a Savior because there was no end to the blood of bulls and goats.  Those sacrifices had to be offered perpetually. It was like a cancer treatment that could hold the cancer in check but never really cure it so that drugs have to be administered perpetually. When a person has been cured, treatments are no longer required. The blood of Christ was the cure – one sacrifice for all time.

The trouble with the teachings of the Pharisees was that it missed the point.  They kept the emphasis on what man could do rather than what God could do. Not only did they preach a meticulous keeping of the Law but they also added many of their own laws which made the burden even greater.  On top of that, Law keeping for salvation’s sake becomes a test.  Who does enough or who keeps the Law well enough to win salvation? If only the top 10% get into heaven, then you better make sure you are part of the top ten.  Because man, in his fallen state, cannot change the heart, the religious leaders of Israel disregarded the heart and emphasized what could be done in the flesh.  So they did mountains of religious things and in doing so developed a deep sense of self-righteousness and arrogance along with a profound disdain of the “unreligious.”  If your salvation depends on your personal righteousness, then you better see yourself as righteous or you won’t be able to live with the condemnation you feel. Many Christians are still burdened with condemnation because they too have a sense that their salvation is based on their worthiness rather than Christ’s.

The ordinary man who encountered these Pharisees would not only leave that encounter with the impression that God approved of pride and arrogance and a hunger for the praise of men but would also with a sense of condemnation about his own condition. Both of those responses imparted death rather than life. Right or wrong, most people look at believers and, especially, leaders in the church as an accurate representation of both God and his standards through our actions, attitudes and teaching.

Those who have no experience with the Father will assume that we represent Jesus and all that he stands for because we are their only experience with God.  They will not only assume that we represent the Lord accurately but if they are drawn to the Father they will begin to emulate our attitudes and behaviors because they will assume that we are what God wants us to be.  If we are, in fact, what the Father wants us to be then we will impart life to those who encounter us.  If we are far from what the Father wants us to be then we will impart death…as if they had stepped on a grave.

Here is what the Pharisees missed:

• God looks at the heart of a man not his appearance and certainly not the “appearance of godliness.”
• Salvation comes through no righteousness of our own but only through the grace of God.
• We don’t need a judge who keeps score of our “righteous acts” but a Savior who saves us from our sinful acts.
• God is not interested in ritual but in relationship. Religion in the sense of law keeping and rituals actually turns us away from the heart of God because it places the emphasis on us and what we can do rather than on him.

Jesus said to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees.  Here is the thing. We all have a little Pharisee in us because our flesh or natural man leans in that direction.  At Passover the Jews had to purge their houses of all leaven and we need to do the same from time to time by scanning our own hearts for religious pretense, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, and any disdain we find for the “unreligious.”  If you think about it, Jesus apparently felt more at home with the “unreligious” than with the “religious” of his day.  I’m sure he still feels the same way. That’s something to think about. Be blessed today.

As I have mentioned many times in this blog, alignment with God is the key to bearing fruit in the kingdom of God as well as experiencing the power and authority of Jesus in your life.  Paul spoke about taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor. 10:5). That is alignment.  When we think as God thinks then we will act in accordance with those thoughts.  Since that is true we need to be aware of our thoughts and challenge those that do not line up with scripture or the heart of God.  The most difficult unaligned thoughts to detect are those that are reflected throughout our culture.  They are so much a part of the landscape that we hardly notice them anymore.

Having grown up in the Texas panhandle and then having lived in West Texas for the past thirty years I have become used to seeing tumbleweeds blowing along our roads in the Fall and early Spring – so much so that I rarely even notice them unless they are half the size of my car and blowing across the highway in my lane.  Several years ago I hosted a young couple who lived in Tennessee and were visiting Texas for the first time.  I asked them if I could show them anything that was quintessentially Texas.  I assumed they would want to see Longhorns, a rodeo, a ten-gallon hat, or pump jacks dotting the landscape.  When I asked them they both smiled and said at the same time, “We want to see a tumbleweed.”  I was so used to seeing the Russian Thistle resting against our fence rows that the idea of someone wanting to see such an ordinary sight never crossed my mind.  Our familiar thoughts and perspectives can be that way as well. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out a thought pattern that is unaligned with Jesus so that we can capture those thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.

I am convinced that for Americans, one of the qualities of heaven that eludes us is the quality of honor. In many cultures those who have lived long and developed white hair are always honored at any gathering.  They are seated first, given the best seats, and are treated with great respect at family and community gatherings.  In biblical cultures, the elders sat in the gates of the cities in seats of honor and were asked questions because they were assumed to have wisdom – the wisdom that comes from a perspective on life that can only be gained by observing life for many years.

There was a time when veterans, policemen, firemen, mayors, governors and presidents were given great honor and spoken of with respect and when husbands and fathers were honored by wives, children, and culture instead of being the butt of every joke in situation comedies. In our current culture the idea of honoring anyone but celebrities has diminished so much that dishonoring someone is much more common than honoring. Dishonor us not just speaking badly about someone but may also take the form of simply ignoring those who should be honored.

Scripture has a great deal to say about honoring others and it is clear that honor is a primary value in the culture of heaven.  Webster defines the verb “honor” as:  to regard or treat (someone) with respect and admiration: to show or give honor to (someone); to show admiration for (someone or something) in a public way: to give a public honor to (someone or something): to salute.”  Let me offer a quick list of those God calls us to honor.

Honor your Father and Mother – Matt. 15:4

Honor God’s Prophets – Mark 6:4

Honor the Son / Honor the Father – Jn.5:23

Honor one who serves Jesus – Jn.12:26

Honor one who does good – Rom.2:10

Honor one another above yourselves – Rom.12:10

Give honor to whom honor is due  – Rom. 13:7

Give honor to rulers and government authorities – Rom. 13:1-7

Honor men who put themselves at risk for the Lord – Phil.2:29

Honor the elders and those who direct the affairs of the church – 1 Tim.5:17

Honor the king – 1 Pet. 2:17

Honor Jesus – Numerous scriptures

Honor God – Numerous scriptures

We could go on but I wanted you to see how much the concept of honor, appreciation, admiration, and respect are part of the culture of heaven and the heart of God.  We are not to seek to be honored by others but we are to be quick to give honor to others. Kris Vallotton has an interesting chapter about “honor” in his book, The Supernatural Ways of Royalty.  There is a section that I wanted to share with you.

“Honor has been absent from the Church’s mindset for so long that we often dishonor people when we minister without even realizing it. This became quote clear to me a few years ago.  Over a period of 12 months we had five different guest speakers come to Bethel Church and preach the message that revival is coming from the youth. The first few times I heard the message my mind was troubled and my spirit was grieved but I couldn’t perceive what was wrong…I began to question God about what was going on inside of me. He told me, ‘Revival is not coming from the youth but from One generation, old to young’”  (p. 117).

Kris went on to talk about Acts 2 where the prophet Joel is quoted and said that in the latter days God will pour out his Spirit on all mankind and the Spirit will manifest in sons and daughters, young men, and old men. His point was that God wanted to unite a generation and “restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse” (Mal.4:5-6).

“The passage makes it clear that as the generations join hands, the curses over the land will be broken. God went on to explain to me that the prince of the power of the air has influenced modern thought to value young people above the elderly in a way that dishonors older folks. The Lord showed me that he Bible intentionally gives more honor and respect to the elderly, but that our culture disempowers them. I began to understand that he wrong spirit was influencing many preachers and they were playing right into the hands of the evil one…Honor is one of the greatest attributes of nobility in the entire Bible. When the kingdom is present inside us, honorable behavior comes naturally to us” (p.118).

Developing a heart that gives honor to those God wants to honor is essential to our alignment with the Father.  Our culture typically honors celebrities, the rich, the physically attractive, and the powerful but not the mature, the self-sacrificing, those who work tirelessly behind the scenes, those who put themselves at risk to serve God, or those who do good. Through the years I have seen churches succumb to the same mindset where each Sunday there is a parade of celebrities across the podium who may have done less for the kingdom of God than the folks who sweep up every Sunday and faithfully take out the trash.  Remember, it is the servants who are great in the kingdom of Heaven.

God says, “Those who honor me, I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30).  God wants to do that through us. When I develop the heart to honor others it guards my heart against self-focus and trains me to trust God for any promotion that comes my way since I will be shining the spotlight on others rather than myself  – very countercultural.  It is to those whose focus is on the welfare and honor of others more than themselves that God can entrust the riches and the power of heaven.  Be sure to give honor to others today and be blessed.

Saul was Israel’s first king.  He is one of the most interesting studies in human nature in scripture. He is often contrasted with King David in studies about leadership or being a spiritual man.  Saul is always the “don’t do it that way” part of the study. In his defense, he wasn’t all that enthusiastic about becoming king in the first place. In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel began to express their desire to be governed by a king like all the nations that surrounded them.  Until that time, Israel had been a theocracy governed by God himself with judges and priests representing him. God warns them about the perils of giving that much power to a man but the people insist.  In response, God sends Samuel to Kish the Benjamite who had an impressive son named Saul. God commanded Samuel to find Saul and anoint him as king over Israel.   Samuel did so with several objections from Saul.  However, as Saul was anointed by the prophet, the Spirit of God came on him and changed his heart so that Saul accepted this appointment to be king.

Saul seemed to do well in the beginning of his reign but it wasn’t long before some serious character flaws began to immerge. A huge turning point in Saul’s reign is reported in 1 Samuel 15.  In that chapter, God commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites as judgment against their sins. God clearly told Saul to destroy the tribe and everything in it.  They were to spare no one and nothing as judgment against them. This text from that chapter is telling.

Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Two fatal flaws stand out in Saul’s character is this chapter.  First of all, we discover that Saul craved the approval of men more than the approval of God. Why else would he go to Carmel to set up a monument in his own honor?  Those who seek the approval of men to such a degree always question their own value or competence. Saul seemed to have little faith that the God who had established his kingdom could keep it secure. And so he built a monument proclaiming his greatness to the people like some third world dictator brandishing a slew of shiny brass medals he never earned. Those who are not convinced of their authority go to great lengths to convince others of their authority.  Those who have little character, pay others to proclaim what great men they are. Perhaps, they are hoping to believe it themselves.

Finally, when Samuel caught up with him at Gilgal, Saul greeted him with proclamations about how he had thoroughly obeyed the Lord’s commands to destroy the Amalekites.  Of course, Samuel immediately heard evidence to the contrary and soon discovered that Saul had spared the life of Agag, the king of Amalek, as well. And yet, apparently in Saul’s view he had been completely obedient to the Lord. His personal wants and desires often blinded him to his own disobedience. Theologians call it “accommodative theology” which means I interpret scripture in a way that accommodates my personal desires or situation to the exclusion of God’s true intent.

Before we skewer Saul for his monument building and playing fast and loose with the Lord’s commands, we need to acknowledge that we each have a little of Saul in us.  Even the best of us succumb to the praise of men at times and promoting ourselves in order to maintain our positions of “power and influence” or, at least, to secure our place in the “pecking order” of our social group or business. How many of us have “engineered” outcomes that we desired rather than waiting to see if the Lord would establish the thing – a relationship, a job promotion, an invitation, a house or a car we couldn’t afford, etc.?  After we had forced all the square pegs into the round holes to get what we wanted, we declared it was God’s leading, even if it violated a few biblical principles along the way.  In manipulating circumstances to get what we want, we reveal our belief that God can’t be trusted to give is the things that make us happy. We also reveal our belief that happiness is more important than holiness. Saul simply reinterpreted God’s commands so that he could give away what he didn’t care about and keep the things his flesh craved while declaring that he was God’s man all the way.

In the end, those character traits cost him his kingdom and his destiny. No doubt we all “mess up.”  Certainly King David had his share of spiritual failures and character lapses.  But the real proof of a man’s character is not always in whether or not he “blows it,” but rather in his response when he does. Saul consistently excused and rationalized his failings – sometimes with outlandish self-justifications. David acknowledged his sin, took full responsibility for it, and trusted in the unfailing love and mercy of God.

David’s view of God was significantly different from Saul’s.  David held a firm belief that the throne was God’s all along. God had put him on the throne and would keep him there as long as God determined. He was also willing to relinquish the throne the day that God said he was done. David also hungered for God more than the throne and more than the approval of men. Those perspectives made him great in the kingdom of God even though he had some serious train wrecks from time to time.

I’m convinced that we all have a little of David in us and a little of Saul.  To the extent that our sense of significance comes from our position or our popularity rather than from our relationship with the Father, God cannot trust us with more. More would lead us into idolatry. To the extent that we “engineer” the outcomes we desire rather than waiting on a word from God, God will not be able to bless those outcomes otherwise we would think that he simply exists to do our bidding like a cosmic butler or the genie in a bottle.

In the end, Saul went a little crazy trying to protect his throne from David even though God had told him that his throne had been taken away. Paranoia, jealous rages, and monuments to himself were the results of believing that his throne, power, and influence were his rather than God’s. David held it all loosely and viewed his throne, power and influence as simply things God had given him to steward until he took them back.  His goal was to please God rather than men. Eventually, Messiah will sit on the throne of David forever. Saul’s name will stay in the “don’t do it that way” category.  These things are written for our learning and on occasion we need to scan our own lives and motives to see if we are on a good trajectory or headed for disaster. Have we been busy building monuments for God or for ourselves?

Daniel, like many others of his generation, was a victim of poor leadership in the kingdom of Judah. The wickedness of King Jehoiakim forced God to release the dogs of war and they showed up on Jerusalem’s doorstep in the form of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. After laying siege to the city and taking the king of Judah captive, Nebuchadnezzar also took the best and the brightest of Jerusalem’s young men to Babylon where they would serve the empire.

Daniel was bright and educated. He probably never expected to see Israel or his family again. His deportation suddenly and irrevocably separated him from his family and the familiar reminders of his faith – the temple, the Torah readings, the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the feast days.  It would have been easy and even “normal” for Daniel to feel abandoned by the God he had worshipped back home and even to wonder if the gods of Babylon were, indeed, more powerful than Jehovah.  It would have been “normal,” but Daniel wasn’t normal.

Within this young man was a faith and a commitment to that faith that went beyond the ordinary.  That faith, commitment and even stubbornness was revealed immediately as Daniel resolved not to partake of the “unclean” foods of Babylon even though he had been ordered to eat them.  Maybe it was the arrogance of youth that made him stand against his captors but God honored his stand and gave him favor with his overseers.

As the account of Daniel develops we see that he was given power and influence by God, even in the midst of his enemies.  He was given an amazing prophetic gift and an uncanny gift for interpreting dreams unparalleled in scripture. There is one verse in all of the Book of Daniel, however, that always catches my eye. In chapter 6, the intrigues of palace politics were rolled out.  God had given Daniel so much favor with King Darius that Darius was planning to set Daniel over the financial affairs of the whole nation. Of course, this “foreign upstart” became the object of great jealousy and resentment from the “home boys” in the palace.

In their jealousies they plotted to discredit Daniel before the king. But the text says, “At this the administrators and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt not negligent.  Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’”

Daniel not only had faith in the God of heaven, but integrity in every part of his life. That quality allowed God to entrust amazing spiritual gifts and influence to Daniel.  How many of us desire great gifts in the kingdom of God and, perhaps, cultural influence but fail in the test of integrity and diligence?  When these men began to turn over stones to discredit Daniel they could find no mismanagement of funds, no personal scandals, and no lack of diligence in the things that had been entrusted to him.

After they had turned over every stone and could find no dirt, they decided that they would have to find some way for the laws of Babylon to conflict with the laws of Daniel’s God. They new the man well enough to know that the faith that gave him power and influence with the king was a faith for which he was willing to go to jail or worse. Soon, Daniel found himself facing a den of liars who had no compunctions about what they were doing and who would seem to have the upper hand because he would not use his power and influence to destroy them.

You know the story.  These manipulators “conned” an egocentric king into passing a law that for thirty days, no man could pray to another god or man except Darius,  under penalty of death. Flattered by the suggestion, Darius agreed and soon these men brought reports that Daniel had been discovered praying to his God in violation of the new decree.  Darius was trapped and as much as he tried to find a loophole for Daniel he could not. Daniel was tossed into a den of hungry lions but in the morning walked out unharmed because God had sent an angel to close the mouth of the lions.

What a model for those of us who want to move in greater power and influence for the kingdom of God because those spiritual things entrusted to us and are to be governed with wisdom, diligence and integrity.  Without those character traits the show up first in the natural realm, the gifts and the influence might destroy us, wound the church, and dishonor the King we serve.

So maybe an inventory of our own integrity and diligence is in order. What could the enemies of God find in our current lives to discredit us and the God we serve? What small scandals might be lurking because of our careless words or actions? Sometimes we want to compartmentalize our life and live as if what we do or don’t do in one part has nothing to do with the other. We want to believe that we can seek God’s gifts, blessings, and influence and somehow think that the way we operate in the rest of our lives makes no difference. But the way we operate a business, pay our bills, speak truth to our customers or our spouse, relate to the opposite sex, work when the boss isn’t around, treat employees or the cashier at the convenience store has everything to do with how God will use us in his kingdom.

Jesus said, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (Luke 16:11). The true riches Jesus spoke of are spiritual riches.  Daniel challenges me. He was not perfect, since only Jesus was perfect, but he lived a life that honored God at every level. When men rose up to destroy him they could find no basis for accusation. When his faithfulness to God set him in opposition to the state, God was there with Daniel in the darkness, as the lions grew hungrier through the night. In the morning, Daniel walked out to the delight of Darius who then honored Daniel’s God. Those who had opposed Daniel had a date with hungry lions.

In the future, as I pray for more spiritual riches from God, I will try to take account of my integrity, diligence. and excellence in the other parts of my life so that God can trust me with more. As we look at a nation that seems to be bankrupt of character, lets pray that God will raise up more men and women like Daniel who will honor God in every part of their lives and live above reproach so that He can set them in places of power and authority as well.

Sooner or later, we all “blow it” in our Christian walk.  Sometimes we are the only ones who know (other than God) and sometimes everyone has seen or heard about our failure. I have spoken often in the blog about keeping our hearts aligned with God as a key to keeping Satan at bay and for accessing the blessings and the power of heaven.  Staying in alignment with the Father is just as much about our response when we do sin, as it is when we avoid sin.

There are two individuals in the O.T. that model the best and worse response to the inevitability of sin while we walk in the flesh.  One was Saul, the first King of Israel and the second was David.  If you look at their spiritual failures David’s would seem to outweigh Saul’s failings by far but God had a different view.

Saul had a good start.  He, like David, was called from obscurity to be king.  He initially displayed faith and a humble heart.  But when the chips were down he failed in a way that might seem to us to be of little consequence.  In   1 Samuel 10, Samuel the prophet instructs Saul to go to Gilgal and wait seven days before proceeding with his plans to march against the Philistines. Samuel’s plan was to meet Saul in Gilgal, pray on his behalf, and offer sacrifices to God for Saul’s victory. Samuel was not only a prophet but also a priest as well from the tribe of Levi so his presence for the sacrifice was essential. However, in Chapter 13 we find that Saul had gathered an army, gone to Gilgal, and waited seven days for Samuels’ arrival. But as Saul and his men waited, the courage of many failed and they began to slip away from the ranks.  Saul, rather than waiting on Samuel as the Lord had commanded, took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice to keep more of his men from leaving. Of course, just as the smoke from the final sacrifice feathered out into the air, Samuel arrived.

The text says: “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure.” (1 Sam.13:11-14).

Saul had received a clear word from the Lord through the prophet and clearly knew that sacrifices were to be offered by priests only.  But out of fear and ambition for success, he had ignored the command and the law. But notice Saul’s response to Samuel’s rebuke. He excused his decision and blamed others for his sin.  He rationalized what he had done as being necessary under the circumstances – “the men were scattering.”  He then deflected the blame to Samuel – “you did not come at the set time.” He then argues that he couldn’t help himself in that situation – “I felt compelled.” Finally he imputes a godly motive to his actions – seeking the Lord’s favor.

In essence, Saul had disobeyed God’s clear command out of fear and ambition but argued that he really hadn’t sinned because circumstances did not permit him to be obedient.  God’s command just wasn’t working for him and if Samuel had gotten there on time (which he actually did) none of that would have happened. Saul rationalized, minimized, and excused his sin.  The result was the loss of his kingdom because he did not honor God.

David was also called from obscurity. God gave him numerous victories in battle, removed Saul from the throne, and established a solid kingdom for David. Yet in a moment of weakness he committed adultery, tried to cover his sin through deception, ordered the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, and then took the grieving widow as his wife.  In my estimation, David’s spiritual failure seems a little more substantial than Saul’s.  Yet David’s kingdom was not taken away while Saul’s was.   Why?  I think the answer lies in David’s response to his sin.

Without question, David had to be confronted by Nathan the prophet before confessing anything.  But when he was confronted, his response was, “I have sinned against the Lord!” In Psalm 51, David reveals his heart regarding his sin.  If you will scan that Psalm you will see that David makes no excuses, blames no one else, and refuses to rationalize or minimize what he has done. Instead he owns his failure, calls it sin, declares that God’s standards are just and right and then leans on the unfailing love and mercy of God for forgiveness. At the same time he asks God to transform his heart so that he would not sin again.

Too often, we are convinced by the enemy that God only accepts us if we have it all together so when we fail we excuse it, deny it, minimize it, justify it or find someone else to blame.  That is not what God desires.  God desires a heart that honors God’s standards rather than claiming that they are unfair or unrealistic. He wants a heart that wants to live up to his righteous standards rather than giving up on them because “they don’t work for us” or don’t get us what we want.

Alignment with God’s heart is having a heart that believes that God’s ways are true and right and that believes Christ’s blood is sufficient for all of our failings.  To believe that God exists is not enough for a victorious life. We must also believe that he is full of grace, love and mercy for us…not just the first time we sin but every time we sin if we will honor him and be honest in his presence.  We need to give our sins and failures to Jesus every day but cannot give away what we don’t own. We don’t own it if we don’t take personal responsibility for it. God is not keeping score of our failures but is looking for a heart that trusts his word and his love.

Satan wants us to believe that the last time we sinned was the last time God’s grace, forgiveness, and love was available. When we believe that lie, we have aligned our hearts with Satan rather than with God. Our Heavenly Father wants us to believe that his mercies are new every morning and that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn.1:9). In many respects, David’s sin was much greater than Saul’s.  But the heart was the issue. David humbled himself daily so that God could lift him up.  Saul, in his effort to justify his failings, attempted to convince God that his standards were out of touch with Saul’s realities.  Once you open that door, Satan will have a field day. You will take of the tree and eat every day, justify it in your own mind, and then blame God when life is not working out.

David was called “a man after God’s own heart” not because his heart was always perfect, but because he desperately wanted his heart to be like the Father’s. Even when he failed, his goal was to have a more righteous heart shaped by God’s Holy Spirit rather than to convince God that his sins weren’t so bad or that he had no choice in the matter.

The way to experience the blessings and power of God in our lives is not just to live a righteous life, but to make a righteous response in the face of even great failings. Trust God to love and forgive no matter what.  Demonstrate that trust with a honest response to God that always honors his character and his standards.