Romans 7:24+25

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)

I’ll be honest. This morning I’m feeling more like the first part of this verse than the last part.
I can’t really put my finger on it but I just feel off spiritually. It seems like I just can’t get into my spiritual rhythm. Not a good feeling when you’re 3 hours away from preaching the Word to hundreds of people.
I’ve prayed. I’ve been in the Word. I’ve confessed everything I know to be on my heart in regard to sin. Yet I still feel the overwhelming condemnation of the enemy. The uneasy feeling that there is something wrong or that the other shoe is about to drop.
Days like these are why I thank God for Romans 8:1+2:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Reading this verse and praying it over my heart has not broken off of me this weird morning; but I believe it will eventually. On top of that, we are not people of feeling anyway…we are people of facts. And the facts are clear. God has set us free from every charge that could ever be brought against us. Praise God!
Lord, I ask you to bring this Truth powerfully to my heart this morning. Wash my spirit in the knowledge that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I cannot afford to give into my feelings on this one. I can only yield to the Truth. Amen!

Romans 5:1+2

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Romans 5:1+2)

I truly believe that this is what every human being on the face of the planet is looking for….peace with God. They may not even realize that they are looking for it but I believe that it is the root desire of our every pursuit personally, professionally, emotionally, socially, and physically. We can’t shake the nagging feeling deep down inside our hearts that something isn’t quite right. No matter how successful we become, how beautiful our wife is, how large our house, how prestigious our position; we just feel like something is missing.
But there is good news. Jesus Christ died on the cross thousands of years ago to free us from ourselves and our sins. He willingly laid down His life for us so that we could know relationship with Him. He can fill the void in our hearts that no one else can fill. He can meet our every longing and desire in ways that nothing else can.
The fact that Jesus Christ has set everything right between us and God is the greatest news that could ever be told. Sharing it with others is the greatest privilege that anyone could ever have. It must be the forefront of all we do in ministry or our best efforts are in vain.
Lord Jesus…thank you for setting everything right between us and You. Thank you for freeing us from ourselves and from our sins. Give me the grace to live in that peace today. Amen.

Romans 4:17b

“…the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not a though they were.” (Romans 4:17b)

Praise God that we serve a God who calls things that are not as though they were!
Before Abram ever had a son God changed his name to Abraham and called him a father of many nations.
It took decades for that name to fit Abraham; but God was faithful.
I love that He calls us as He sees us and not as we see ourselves. I love that He speaks to us as our fulfilled selves and not as our current selves.
Lord, I don’t know what you would call me. But I want to be quiet enough to hear You speak it. I want You to call things that are not as though they were all around me. What do You see for my life? What do You see for my marriage? What do you see for this Church? What do you see? Give me eyes to see what You see and ears to hear what you are calling out. Amen.

Romans 3:21

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from the Law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” (Romans 3:21)

Righteousness is one of those religious words that we throw around at church but we aren’t always clear on the meaning. Being righteous means “to be right” in its simplest form. When we say that God is righteous we mean that He is perfectly right in all His ways and all His choices. This is part of His nature.
At the same time, we can say that we are righteous as believers because God has set everything right between us and Him because of the finished work of Christ on the cross. We have been made righteous because of Him.
The beautiful thing is that this righteousness is available to everyone who will receive it. Christ has finished the work of salvation on the cross and it need only to be received by faith. There are so many people out there who have no understanding of how much God loves them and how much He has done for them. At best they may believe that the way to please God is through doing the right things and at worse they may not have any since of obligation to God or any concept of how to please Him.
Praise God that His righteousness has been revealed! Praise God that there is a righteousness apart from the Law; apart from what we do. Praise God that our best works can’t win God’s approval and that our worst acts can’t send us from His presence! There is a way to be right with God completely and genuinely! It is by entering into a relationship with God the Father through faith in all that His Son Jesus did for us on the cross.
Have you entered into that relationship with Christ? Do you know that there is a righteousness out there that has nothing to do with your actions or your best efforts? Receive Him today. He is your only chance at real and genuine righteousness.

Romans 1:28

“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28)

I believe that this is one of the most frightening passages in Scripture. As part of His judgment on wickedness, the Lord chooses to give us over to our desires. When we refuse to retain what we know and understand about God and reject it for what we desire instead; we find ourselves in this reality.
Sin is deceitful. It clouds our judgement, it impairs our senses and it blinds us to the potential consequences of our actions. Fortunately, as believers we have the Holy Spirit within us to provide us with conviction when we sin. However, when we choose to head in a direction that rejects that conviction; He is under no obligation to continually warn us again and again. In fact, according to this verse, there seems to come a point at which choosing our own way leads the Lord to hand us over to our choices. He allows our minds to become depraved and allows us to continue in a pattern and a life style that is harmful to us. I believe that this is so we can ultimately reach rock bottom in our sins and hopefully come to our senses and repent.
Holy Spirit, please continue to do your work in my heart in conviction. I cannot afford to reject Your gentle prodding. The price is too high. I cannot afford to be turned over to my desires and left to my choices. Make me hyper-sensitive to even the smallest prodding of Your Spirit. Amen.

Acts 23:11

“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:11)

What an unbelievable man of courage Paul was! He never ever backed away from a confrontation or gave in to those who opposed him. He stood courageously for the Gospel everywhere he went and saw every fight, every riot, every false charge, and every trial as an opportunity to share the Gospel with everyone he encountered. Incredible.
As I search my heart and my life I find that I do everything in my power to avoid confrontation and difficult circumstances. I fear things spiraling out of control and something coming my way that will do me or my reputation harm. But Paul embraced it. He knew His God and He knew that His God was in control. As a result, nothing spiraled out of control. Nothing was too difficult to face. Every confrontation and every possible outcome was worth it if it meant spreading the Gospel of Christ.
Lord, develop that kind of courage in my heart. Make me a man that embraces any difficulty and any confrontation if it means furthering Your Kingdom. Amen…

Acts 19:1

“After spending some time in Antioch, a native of Alexandra, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” (Acts 18:24-26)

Acts 18:24-26

“After spending some time in Antioch, a native of Alexandra, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” (Acts 18:24-26)

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Acts 16:6-10

“Paul and His companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them.” (Acts 16:6-10)

It strikes me as odd that the Lord Himself would hinder a ministry opportunity. Paul and his companions are pursing the Lord in every direction that they can seeking to see the Gospel spread all over the world. Yet they are prevented from doing ministry in two different areas by the Holy Spirit. (One time He is referred to as the Spirit of Jesus but I think you would be splitting theological hairs to try to differentiate the Holy Spirit with the Spirit of Jesus).
Yet the Holy Spirit specifically directed Paul’s steps to head to Macedonia, which would lead him on into Europe rather than Asia, which is why you and I are living in a Christian nation and we are seeking to evangelize the East. It was a small choice for Paul but it had a critical impact on the history of the world from that point forward.
As a leader of a church who is constantly faced with ministry choices every single day; I must keep before my eyes the idea that even the smallest choices we make for the Kingdom can impact history forever. Choosing to share the Gospel with the right person can lead to the salvation of millions. Leading our ministry to support the right opportunity could revolutionize this town. Raising up our families in the fear and knowledge of the Lord could bend the very course of history.
Lord, grant me the ability to walk wisely as a leader of Your people. I cannot afford to view any decision as a small one. You can take the slightest course correction and use it to change the world. Amen.

Acts 15

The Lord continued to move in the early church in the most unexpected ways. What had begun as the fulfillment of the Jewish faith had now not only spread to the Gentiles but was flourishing among them. This prompted conflict within the church as they wrestled with the implications of this new move of the Spirit. There was no doubt that the Lord was at work among the Gentiles as was evidenced by the powerful move of the Holy Spirit among them. But there was some confusion and uncertainty as to what this move meant and how the young church should respond to it. The leadership of the church gathered, talked and prayed. From that came the decision that no one should make it difficult for these new believers to respond to all that the Holy Spirit was doing among them and to grow in their new found faith. This was a huge turning point in the history of the church and the faith we now have as gentile believers is a direct result of those early Jewish believers making room for the Holy Spirit to move in ways that was different than anything they had known prior to that.
I am being challenged that much of leadership is not only discerning what the Lord has been doing among us as a body of believers but keeping our antennas up for what new things He may be doing as well. Our identity as believers should be continually changing as we are transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. If our churches are full of growing believers, shouldn’t they reflect the same kind of change? Are we in tune with the movements of the Holy Spirit enough as leadership to discern when the Lord begins to do a new thing among us? Are we wise enough to hold what God has done among us in one hand and what God is doing among us in the other? I want to be a man who is able to discern both.