If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, “You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.”
Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. “. . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness-at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again.
Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34).
Where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal . . . ? —1 Corinthians 3:3
The natural man, or unbeliever, knows nothing about carnality. The desires of the flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit warring against the flesh, which began at rebirth, are what produce carnality and the awareness of it. But Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). In other words, carnality will disappear.Are you quarrelsome and easily upset over small things? Do you think that no one who is a Christian is ever like that? Paul said they are, and he connected these attitudes with carnality. Is there a truth in the Bible that instantly awakens a spirit of malice or resentment in you? If so, that is proof that you are still carnal. If the process of sanctification is continuing in your life, there will be no trace of that kind of spirit remaining.If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn’t ask you to make it right; He only asks you to accept the light of truth, and then He will make it right. A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God. But a child of the darkness will say, “Oh, I can explain that.” When the light shines and the Spirit brings conviction of sin, be a child of the light. Confess your wrongdoing, and God will deal with it. If, however, you try to vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.
What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone you will know it-it is the most real thing you can imagine. And God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, “If this had happened before, I would have had the spirit of resentment!” And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
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March 23, 2012
Journal Entry for Today
Lord, thank you for your reassurance. Thank you for reminding me that your grace and power are sufficient for transforming me into the man You want me to be. Once again You have shown me that my role is to simply rely on You; to trust and obey. And even when I do not trust and obey, You have shown me that You are sufficient for me then as well.
And God says…”Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding, your own good deeds, or even your ability to trust and obey. Trust in Me. Trust in the transforming power of Jesus. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the things you need shall be added to you.”
“Give Me your life, and I will give you a life abundant with hope, love, peace and joy. And I will transform you into a man after my own heart.”
Did not our heart burn within us . . . ? —Luke 24:32
We need to learn this secret of the burning heart. Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature. For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately. But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will. We cannot stay forever on the “mount of transfiguration,” basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (see Mark 9:1-9). But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.We cannot kindle when we will The fire which in the heart resides, The spirit bloweth and is still, In mystery our soul abides; But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.
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March 22, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, Chambers seems to be reminding me that I am to act on the vision You gave me even though I may be consumed by the dreary issues of day to day living. Even though I am caught up in the mundane day to day “stuff”, I am to keep my eyes on the vision and act on it. Is that the message; keep focused on the vision You gave me, even though I am bombarded by trials and circumstances?
And God says…”That is almost right, but in being almost right your conclusion is most certainly wrong. If you are connected and identified with Jesus, you cannot get caught up in the mundane. When you are connected to Jesus and to others, letting Him flow through you ….hours of insight willed will always transcend hours of gloom….and be… fulfilled. One way to notice that you are living connected to Jesus, is when you discover that potentially dreary times are now filled with eager expectation, knowing that whatever comes to you, or not, is blessed by Jesus. You live in eager anticipation, knowing full well that all things work for good for those that love the God and are called according to His purpose.”
“In times like these you come to realize that there is no dreary, mundane, fear, nor gloom. And you are not deterred by many exciting experiences and emotions of the moment; although those times can be very stimulating and exciting. You come to realize that your life and vision are fulfilled simply and purposely when you are connected to Jesus.”
I have been crucified with Christ . . . —Galatians 2:20
The inescapable spiritual need each of us has is the need to sign the death certificate of our sin nature. I must take my emotional opinions and intellectual beliefs and be willing to turn them into a moral verdict against the nature of sin; that is, against any claim I have to my right to myself. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ . . . .” He did not say, “I have made a determination to imitate Jesus Christ,” or, “I will really make an effort to follow Him”-but-”I have been identified with Him in His death.” Once I reach this moral decision and act on it, all that Christ accomplished for me on the Cross is accomplished inme. My unrestrained commitment of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to grant to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.“. . . it is no longer I who live . . . .” My individuality remains, but my primary motivation for living and the nature that rules me are radically changed. I have the same human body, but the old satanic right to myself has been destroyed.“. . . and the life which I now live in the flesh,” not the life which I long to live or even pray that I live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh-the life which others can see, “I live by faith in the Son of God . . . .” This faith was not Paul’s own faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith the Son God had given to him (see Ephesians 2:8). It is no longer a faith in faith, but a faith that transcends all imaginable limits-a faith that comes only from the Son of God.
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March 21, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, Chambers makes it sound so easy; that all I need do is identify with Jesus and become holy. If that also means that I no longer fall short of the mark, well, that cannot be right. Your word says that if I say I have no sin, then I am not being honest. I know I fall short of the mark…too often. Is Chambers saying we are holy, regardless of our behavior and thoughts, because we identify with Jesus?
And God says…”When you identify with Jesus and the cross, you are holy, even when you miss the mark; even when you consciously act out your natural inclinations. I knewthe beginning of time, that you would fall short of the mark yesterday, today and tomorrow. Jesus and His cross covers all your failure; yesterday, today and in the future. You were not saved by grace and then left to complete the process on your own, nor is your “effort” and personal commitment of value. The grace of God and power of the cross covers your entire life; yesterday, today and tomorrow. Simply trust and identify with Jesus.
Remember, you cannot determine your position with Me by evaluating your every wayward thought or deed. You are to trust in Me, identify with Jesus, and let the power of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus have its life changing way in your life. Simply trust in Jesus, and identify with the cross, and you become holy, not because of your deeds or thoughts, but because of Jesus.
Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing . . . ? —Genesis 18:17
The Delights of His Friendship. Genesis 18 brings out the delight of true friendship with God, as compared with simply feeling His presence occasionally in prayer. This friendship means being so intimately in touch with God that you never even need to ask Him to show you His will. It is evidence of a level of intimacy which confirms that you are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you have a right-standing relationship with God, you have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight; you are God’s will. And all of your commonsense decisions are actually His will for you, unless you sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in your spirit. You are free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once he does, you must stop immediately.
The Difficulties of His Friendship. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He stopped because he still was lacking the level of intimacy in his relationship with God, which would enable him boldly to continue on with the Lord in prayer until his desire was granted. Whenever we stop short of our true desire in prayer and say, “Well, I don’t know, maybe this is not God’s will,” then we still have another level to go. It shows that we are not as intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as Jesus would have us to be— “. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . .” (John 17:22). Think of the last thing you prayed about-were you devoted to your desire or to God? Was your determination to get some gift of the Spirit for yourself or to get to God? “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). The reason for asking is so you may get to know God better. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). We should keep praying to get a perfect understanding of God Himself.
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Journal DJR
Good morning Lord,
Today’s selection gives me two thoughts: I have not arrived … but I can see the progress and I can almost see it from here. The way to walk with you tightly all the time … so that whatever I decide to do is the right thing because of our tightness and communion …
It’s true you have made progress. But, believe me, I have wonders for you that are beyond what you see. So keep coming to me and you will discover heights and depths that you haven’t imagined.
He went out, not knowing where he was going —Hebrews 11:8
In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26.Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason—a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in the world.The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day—in and day—out consistency; a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has withstood the test. Abraham is not a type or an example of the holiness of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith—a faith, tested and true, built on the true God. “Abraham believed God. . .” (Romans 4:3).
Lord, these two lines from Chambers’ devotional this morning really struck home; “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason—a life of knowing Him who calls us to go.”
I often thought that living a life of faith meant that once I understood what Your will is/was for my life, I could then move in that direction. But You have shown me that it is not for me to understand where and how, or even why You are leading. I am simply to follow You. I am to be connected to You and others, and the direction is Yours to provide daily.
And God says…” I cannot explain everything to you, there is often neither the time, nor understanding. And you are to live your life, not in understanding, but in faith, trusting Me as sheep trust their shepherd. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. Stay connected to Me and to others…that is love Me with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself, and notice how
tightly our daily connection. And notice how certain and confident you are, living in faith and not knowing, but trusting Me”
At the beginning of our life with Jesus Christ, we were sure we knew
all there was to know about following Him. It was a delight to forsake everything else and to throw ourselves before Him in a fearless statement of love. But now we are not quite so sure. Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar— “Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed” (Mark 10:32).
There is an aspect of Jesus that chills even a disciple’s heart to its depth and makes his entire spiritual life gasp for air. This unusual Person with His face set “like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7) is walking with great determination ahead of me, and He strikes terror right through me. He no longer seems to be my Counselor and Friend and has a point of view about which I know nothing. All I can do is stand and stare at Him in amazement. At first I was confident that I understood Him, but now I am not so sure. I begin to realize that there is a distance between Jesus and me and I can no longer be intimate with Him. I have no idea where He is going, and the goal has become strangely distant.
Jesus Christ had to understand fully every sin and sorrow that human beings could experience, and that is what makes Him seem unfamiliar. When we see this aspect of Him, we realize we really don’t know Him. We don’t recognize even one characteristic of His life, and we don’t know how to begin to follow Him. He is far ahead of us, a Leader who seems totally unfamiliar, and we have no friendship with Him.
The discipline of dismay is an essential lesson which a disciple must learn. The danger is that we tend to look back on our times of obedience and on our past sacrifices to God in an effort to keep our enthusiasm for Him strong (see Isaiah 1:10-11). But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy.
Journal DJR
Good Morning, Lord,
Wow, that devo was pretty depressing … until the last sentence. It is true that dawn and a new day come after the dark night. I tend to try many things to get out of the darkness … too soon. Go back to some previous light, or create some of my own light. It never works out as well as waiting out the natural course of the dark period … and gaining the perspective of the new light.
Here’s what I had to say about that thru my servant Isaiah. (55) And although I was speaking thru Isaiah … about myself … As you walk with me, this perspective will become more and more yours as well. Remember, dont walk by the light of your own fire … Wait thru the night. My light will dawn for you and it will be better and brighter
The LORD’s Obedient Servant
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
5 The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.
6 I offered my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.
I did not hide my face
from mockery and spitting.
7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
determined to do his will.
And I know that I will not be put to shame.
8 He who gives me justice is near.
Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
Let them appear!
9 See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side!
Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!
10 Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys his servant?
If you are walking in darkness,
without a ray of light,
trust in the LORD
and rely on your God.
11 But watch out, you who live in your own light
and warm yourselves by your own fires.
This is the reward you will receive from me:
You will soon fall down in great torment.
. . . you are that one’s slaves whom you obey . . . —Romans 6:16
The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is— “I must have it now,” whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. “. . . He has anointed Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives . . .” (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, “Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like,” you will know you can’t. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it. It is easy to sing, “He will break every fetter,” while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person’s life.__________________________________________
March 14, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, I once believed that if I gave You my trials and tribulations that you could and would make them all go away. Then You taught me (and are still helping me understand) that while you can (and very often do) take away the difficult circumstances; Jesus has the power to leave me inside my difficult circumstances, and transform Me so that I experience peace, happiness and joy. And I have this peace, happiness and joy, regardless of the circumstance. Thank you Jesus.
And God says…”Seek first the kingdom of God; acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, and I will give you all that you need to live life and life more abundantly. I will make all your paths straight.When you come to Jesus and yield yourself completely to Him, you discover that He keeps you complete regardless of your circumstance. “
For God so loved the world that He gave . . . —John 3:16
Salvation does not mean merely deliverance from sin or the experience of personal holiness. The salvation which comes from God means being completely delivered from myself, and being placed into perfect union with Him. When I think of my salvation experience, I think of being delivered from sin and gaining personal holiness. But salvation is so much more! It means that the Spirit of God has brought me into intimate contact with the true Person of God Himself. And as I am caught up into total surrender to God, I become thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself.
To say that we are called to preach holiness or sanctification is to miss the main point. We are called to proclaim Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). The fact that He saves from sin and makes us holy is actually part of the effect of His wonderful and total surrender to us.
If we are truly surrendered, we will never be aware of our own efforts to remain surrendered. Our entire life will be consumed with the One to whom we surrender. Beware of talking about surrender if you know nothing about it. In fact, you will never know anything about it until you understand that John 3:16 means that God completely and absolutely gave Himself to us. In our surrender, we must give ourselves to God in the same way He gave Himself for us— totally, unconditionally, and without reservation. The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our mind, because our life will be totally consumed with Him.
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Journal DJR
Good morning, Lord
Oswald mentions, “as I am caught up into total surrender to God, I become thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself.” Becoming thrilled with surrender or at least the results of surrender may be a good indicator of the totality of my surrender. When I get to that point, Surrender is no longer a burden, but an exciting adventure. It causes me to paraphrase the man who said to Jesus, “Lord, I surrender, Help my un-surrenderedness”
Living excitingly surrendered is a process and getting to the point where you don’t even think about it or analyze it … just live it … that will take some time and some practice and less than perfect attempts. But keep on the trail. I walked it first. And I will walk with you. I am always with you, will never leave you or forsake you. When you feel abandoned and forsaken, just stop and look around. I’ll be right there. You may think I just showed up, but I’ve been there all along. You were just too busy struggling to notice.
Peter began to say to Him, ’See, we have left all and followed You’ —Mark 10:28
Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (10:29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be forany personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse—”Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further” (see Luke 9:57-62). “Then,” Jesus says, “you ’cannot be My disciple’ ” (see Luke 14:26-33).True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.
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March 12, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, we spoke about this last week; how total surrender is a concept foreign to our nature and culture. We spoke about how your promises turn everything upside down. We receive by giving, we live by dying and we are victorious when we surrender. But Lord is so hard to let go entirely….until we have nothing to hold onto, this side of You. That is where most of us surrender, inside the roaring sea of turmoil and trials. We hold onto the pier as long as we can, until we must let go and be swallowed up by your love, mercy and grace.
And God says…”I loved My own Son beyond anything you can conceive, and surrendered Him up for you. I allowed the pain and suffering to engulf Him and then…just when the enemy and everyone on earth thought He was overcome by His most pain filled surrender, He arose; just like you arise from your sea of turmoil and pain, when you totally surrender. I gave My only Son to the pain of the cross, so He could be victorious, so I give you up to your pain and suffering so you too can totally surrender….and find victory like you could never imagine.”
This CO2- (Church Of 2) is where two guys meet each day to tighten up our Connections with Jesus. We start by placing the daily “My Utmost For His Highest” in this WordPress blog. Then we prayerfully select some matching worship music and usually pick out a few lyrics that fit especially well. Then we just start praying and editing and Bolding and adding comments and see where the Spirit takes us.
It’s been a blessing for both of us.
If you’d like to start a CO2, we’d be glad to help you and your partner get started. Also click the link below to see how others are doing CO2.Odds Monkey
Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus To A Secular Audience
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