Getting into God’s Stride

October 12th, 2011 by Dave No comments »

Enoch walked with God . . . —Genesis 5:24

The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— “He will not fail nor be discouraged . . .” (Isaiah 42:4) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.

Journal 10 12 11 DJR

10 12 11
Good morning, Lord
That song today is so popular, now, … I wanted something different … but it was so perfect for today … I just had to go with it. It seems like JD and I are about to turn a corner or make a step up to a higher, (closer) level. It has to do with walking in grace and really letting your life in us be the power source. Something we’ve known but backslide back from too easily. We are holding up the direction for you to take us next. Two years of Oswald has been great … we’re staying curious to see what you have next for us.
Curiosity and expectation are good. I have many fine sons and daughters who share who I am thru my Word. They all see a part and specialize in the part they see. That is why I will lead you to different teachings and views. When you see something new … dont throw out the old … just add to it. There is truth in all the denominations. What you need to focus on is the truth that I have for you right now. And right now it is indeed expanding your grasp of grace.
 Cool, I’m looking forward to it.
Dont jump too quickly. Remember the song for today.
I know that (academically) And I trust you to send me what I need. Some of it I wouldn’t choose … but I choose to trust you.   I’m doing my best to keep Jer 29:11 as the background context of everything that comes my way.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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How Will I Know?

October 10th, 2011 by Dave No comments »

Jesus answered and said, ’I thank You, Father . . . that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes’ —Matthew 11:25
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— “But if we walk in the light,” we arecleansed “from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.

All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, “I suppose I will understand these things someday!” You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the “wise and prudent.” “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . .” (John 7:17).

Oct 10 2011 DJR Journal
Good Morning, Lord
I find myself so often saying to myself and you that I wish I could hear your voice more clearly. Then, I tell myself that I would obey instantly. But you seem to like to use the “still small voice” … so it doesn’t register loud and clear … and I wind up doing what is right in my own eyes. I’m sure I’ve missed some of your best plans for me. What to do?
Your head is full of many things, ideas, fears, dreams, what if scenarios and so much cacophany that my voice is drowned out … especially when I use my still small voice … which I prefer. Rest assured, I have a big booming voice … but that’s not the one you want to hear. Practice getting still. Practice listening and being curious to hear and see what I will show you when you leave the din of the world behind. You say you want to hear … and I want nothing more than to have you hear and obey and we will do exploits together.
Oswald today said that we wont hear more until we obey what we’ve heard already.
That’s basically true, but of course I can over-ride that, because I love you. Sometimes I will show you things even without your previous obedience. But quick obedience to the truths I reveal is the quickest way to more truths being revealed.

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The Nature of Reconciliation

October 7th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

October 07, 2011

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him —2 Corinthians 5:21

Sin is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God. The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin. Other faiths deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with sin. The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the heredity of sin, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power.

The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the heredity of sin that no man can even touch. God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a saint. It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the sin of the world through identification with us, not through sympathy for us. He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, cumulative sin of the human race. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. . .” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption. Jesus Christ reconciled the human race, putting it back to where God designed it to be. And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.

A man cannot redeem himself— redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete. And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it. A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person’s life.

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October 7, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes I understand so well, that the wonder of Your love and sacrifice overwhelms me.  Sometimes I have a crystal clear awareness that You have done all that is necessary for my salvation and transformation.

Other times, most often right after I disappoint myself and fail you, I fall into worry and doubt, and try to understand what happened to my joyful walk. I then can become introspective about my place in your kingdom.  Am I truly worthy enough? Does Your grace and mercy cover me? Must I do one more thing, pray one more prayer, and confess one more time? Where is the joy I held onto so tightly just a few minutes, hours or days ago?

And God says…”The sacrifice of Jesus covers all your bad choices, forever; past, present and future. My grace and mercy are much greater that your nature, or choices. Regardless of what the enemy wants you to believe, nothing can separate you from Me. Nothing. Find the joy, certainty and peace of your salvation in praise and worship. Find it in communion with Me. When the enemy tries to steal life and life more abundantly from you and tries to replace your joy and peace with fear, worry and doubt, revisit my promises. Then celebrate those promises in your worship and praise as you rekindle the joy and peace of life and life more abundantly.”

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2 Peter 1:4

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37-39

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Proverbs 1:33

But all who listen to me will live in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”

John 14:27

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

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The Nature of Regeneration

October 6th, 2011 by Dave No comments »

When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16

If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He faces? It is simply this— I have a heredity in which I had no say or decision; I am not holy, nor am I likely to be; and if all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. But if Jesus Christ is truly a regenerator, someone who can put His own heredity of holiness into me, then I can begin to see what He means when He says that I have to be holy. Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into anyone the hereditary nature that was in Himself, and all the standards He gives us are based on that nature— His teaching is meant to be applied to the life which He puts within us. The proper action on my part is simply to agree with God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ.

The New Testament teaching about regeneration is that when a person is hit by his own sense of need, God will put the Holy Spirit into his spirit, and his personal spirit will be energized by the Spirit of the Son of God— “. . . until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put a new nature into me through which I can live a totally new life. When I finally reach the edge of my need and know my own limitations, then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). But I must get to that point. God cannot put into me, the responsible moral person that I am, the nature that was in Jesus Christ unless I am aware of my need for it.

Just as the nature of sin entered into the human race through one man, the Holy Spirit entered into the human race through another Man (see Romans 5:12-19). And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.

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October 6, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, it is interesting how I first came to you, seeking your joy, peace, grace and love. How I reached out for your salvation and then believed it was up to me to change myself so that I demonstrated the life of a believer. I walked down that road way too many times and failed, over and over and over until you finally showed me that Your salvation changes me from the inside out. It is not up to me to do any of the changing, it is up to me to surrender.

And God says…”Many are led astray by the enemy to spend years searching for lessons, discipline and work (s) that can help them manage thoughts, behavior and growth. Your real maturity can only come from Me, as I change you from the inside out. I will complete the work in you I started. You are to simply give your life to me, fresh every day trusting that I will change you from the inside out. Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the Kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and all these things will be added unto you.”

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Oct 6, 2011  Journal,  DJR

Good Morning Lord,

I need some clarity on the stuff Oswald has been bringing lately.   I get it that I cant grunt and strive to get more holy … and have any success in that.  It seems like its in a parallel universe that’s really not parallel.   Kind of like the “Matrix”   You cant get there from here.      I get that.   But on worldly, carnal things like diet and exercize and procrastination on writing my book … It seems like will power and self discipline is in order.   And you had Paul write about being like an athlete and “striving” for the prize.   Please clarify,  when do I strive?  What striving will you bless … and what striving just pushes me further from you.  Like the Pharissees were good strivers but it didn’t get them closer to you.

It is a parallel universe as you say.  There are realms.  And they each have rules.   You get messed up when you apply a rule from one realm into another realm.  It wont work.    The realms have some overlap and are somewhat heirarchichal with the seen realm of the physical being the lowest.

Dont despise the physical realm or your physical body or your physical needs.   Just keep them in perspective.    Remember I know what you need and what’s happening and what’s coming.  Stay curious and watch as it unfolds.   And dont be afraid of using a little will power on things like diet and exercize.   I need you around and strong for a while yet.   Just know that there are higher and better things going on.  Keep pressing in to get a peek into the other side of the Matrix.   I’ve told you how it works.  It’s upside down.   The last shall be first,  Blessed are you when you are reviled … etc.

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The Nature of Degeneration

October 5th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

October 05, 2011

Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned . . . —Romans 5:12


The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man’s sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away— an infinitely more profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26). The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— my claim to my right to myself. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25).

Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch— only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entire human race from the possibility of damnation through the heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person responsible for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemnation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation. “This is the condemnation [and the critical moment], that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . ” (John 3:19).

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October 5, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

God sometimes it feels like I live in one of those hamster wheels.  I run and never get anywhere, caught in a static circle of faithless doubt and recrimination. I know what the Bible says about your grace, mercy, and forgiveness, but Lord, many days I wake up and don’t feel all that forgiven. And it is difficult to recall and remember that Your promises are meant for me.  I simply do not feel worthy.

When my circumstances and trials are very difficult, I often wonder if I am not receiving exactly what I deserve.  Perhaps I am reaping the “fruits” of my own transgressions, of all those times when I knew the right thing to do but did “the other”. I want to claim and live in your promises, but it often feels as if the promises are for those “other, better people”. Lord, can and will You help me out of this circle of doubt and uncertainty? Please help me claim your grace, mercy, forgiveness and love, and help me live them out as I live out this day. Lord, help me to live in your provision and promises, through Jesus Christ.

And God says…”The enemy wants to create doubt in your mind. It is his role in this life. He cannot change the impact and reality of the cross. He cannot change the life and life more abundantly I have provided, but he will try to make you believe it is not available to you. He will try to make you believe that you are not worthy, that you have lived beyond my love, hope, faith, grace and mercy.  But that can never happen. Nothing can separate you from My love. Trust in Me, believe and claim My promises. And live an abundant life this day.

2 Peter 1:4

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37-39

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Proverbs 1:33

But all who listen to me will live in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”

John 14:27

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

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The Vision and The Reality

October 4th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

October 4, 2011

. . . to those who are . . . called to be saints . . . —1 Corinthians 1:2

Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.

There are times when we do know what God’s purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made. We have to learn to live in reliance upon what we saw in the vision, not simply live in ecstatic delight and conscious reflection upon God. This means living the realities of our lives in the light of the vision until the truth of the vision is actually realized in us. Every bit of our training is in that direction. Learn to thank God for making His demands known.

Our little “I am” always sulks and pouts when God says do. Let your little “I am” be shriveled up in God’s wrath and indignation–”I AM WHO I AM . . . has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). He must dominate. Isn’t it piercing to realize that God not only knows where we live, but also knows the gutters into which we crawl! He will hunt us down as fast as a flash of lightning. No human being knows human beings as God does.

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October 4, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, there are times when I try to figure out what is going on so I can respond. I try to understand the circumstances and Your purpose (s) so I can then respond. I look around, wonder what is going on, why it is occurring, and then I put Your actions and hoped for future actions into a “context”…and then I say “…OK this makes sense to me now, so I can obey.” But this is not Your will for me is it? It does not have to make sense; I really do not need to understand, I simply need to obey.

And God says…”It is not possible for you to understand all that I do in your life and the lives around you. When you wait to understand the what and why of what I am doing,   you are simply saying; until God conforms to my way of thinking, my sense of logic and purpose I will not respond to Him. Who are you following when you do that? Where is the faith when you wait until it all makes sense to you? I am only pleased when you walk in faith. Do not wait to understand, simply trust and obey. Acknowledge Me in all your ways, and I will make your paths straight. You please Me when you walk in faith. Pray for faith not understanding.  Your desire to understand and give My actions context is about you. Faith and obedience without understanding is about Me. Trust in Me, have faith in Me”

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The Place of Ministry

October 3rd, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

October 3, 2011

He said to them, ’This kind [of unclean spirit] can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ —Mark 9:29

His disciples asked Him privately, ’Why could we not cast it out?’ ” (Mark 9:28). The answer lies in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “This kind can come out by nothing but” concentrating on Him, and then doubling and redoubling that concentration on Him. We can remain powerless forever, as the disciples were in this situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to serve Him without knowing Him.

When you are brought face to face with a difficult situation and nothing happens externally, you can still know that freedom and release will be given because of your continued concentration on Jesus Christ. Your duty in service and ministry is to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there anything between you and Jesus even now? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it as an irritation, or by going up and over it, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ. Then that very problem itself, and all that you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way that you will never know until you see Him face to face.

We must be able to “mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and in the living that is done in the valley. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) and what he was referring to were mostly humiliating things. And yet it is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say, “No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountaintop with God.” Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?

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October 3, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

This last line from Chambers’ devotional stopped me in my tracks…”Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they really are destroy my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?” Lord, it occurred this morning in fact. I did not want to face one more issue without being refreshed and renewed. I did not feel capable of dealing with a particular issue until I was certain we were/are connected and I was living in Your power, strength and courage. It is true that often I cannot face things as they are, but You have taught me to run directly to You whenever that occurs.

And God says…”You can operate as if we are always connected and I am always living through you, because that is exactly what is happening. You do not need to be “reconnected” because you are always connected to Me. Regardless of your faith, courage, strength or behavior; I am in the present with you, in all that you are experiencing. I am living through you. You can do all things through Christ Jesus. Jesus told the disciples to pray and fast as a way to take their minds off of themsleves. The enemy would have you believe that you must first “do something” in order to live like you are my child. He would have you believe that you are unworthy, and not capable of dealing with the issues of the day. That is not true. Remember, nothing can separate you from My love……nothing, ever. My love, power and grace will always find you”

Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)

More than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE CALL

September 29th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

For necessity is laid upon me: yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

We are apt to forget the mystical, supernatural touch of God. If you can tell where you got the call of God and all about it, I question whether you have ever had a call. The call of God does not come like that, it is much more supernatural. The realization of it in a man’s life may come with a sudden thunder-clap or with a gradual dawning, but in whatever way it comes, it comes with the undercurrent of the supernatural, something that cannot be put into words, it is always accompanied with a glow. At any moment there may break the sudden consciousness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life – “I have chosen you.” The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. It is not because you are sanctified that you are therefore called to preach the gospel; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a necessity laid upon him.

If you have been obliterating the great super natural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances and see where God has not been first, but your ideas of service, or your temperamental abilities. Paul said – “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” He had realized the call of God, and there was no competitor for his strength.

If a man or woman is called of God, it does not matter how untoward circumstances are, every force that has been at work will tell for God’s purpose in the end. If you agree with God’s purpose He will bring not only your conscious life, but all the deeper regions of your life which you cannot get at, into harmony.

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NIV) For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

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September 29, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, last night in men’s’ small group study we talked about using words to communicate the gospel and not using words. I seem to favor the prayer attributed to St. Francis …” let me spread the gospel and use words only if necessary.” It seems to me that we might have more converts if we did less preaching and more living the gospel.

And God says…”A changed life is the most dramatic message anyone can deliver. However, there are many that respond to the words of the gospel, combined with the work of the Holy Spirit. And everyone has their own congregation or sphere of influence. Some are called to preach, others to serve in other ways. One is called to preach the gospel, using words, others called to live the gospel as their “preaching”; every part of the body working in harmony as directed by the Holy Spirit. Stay connected to Me, listen closely for the call of the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit of God direct you. Whether you use words or not, let your life communicate the life changing power of the gospel.”

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The “Go” of Unconditional Identification

September 28th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

September 28, 2011

Jesus . . . said to him, ’One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow Me’ —Mark 10:21


The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute “go” of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.

“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him . . .” (Mark 10:21). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.

“One thing you lack . . . .” From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.

“. . . sell whatever you have . . . .” I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. “. . . come. . . and follow Me.” And the road is the way He went.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

September 28, 2011

Lord, I am beginning to discover that I am able to truly identify with You and follow You when I am connected to You through the cross. I seem to have the focus, motivation and discipline when I am connected to You.  When I am wholly surrendered, I can do all things through Christ Jesus.

And God says …”Exactly.  You can only be fruitful (for your life and others) when you are connected to the vine. Your transformation and your life more abundantly occurs when you are connected to the vine. When you choose to be disconnected, you become anxious, confused and troubled. You are then too often concerned with “sin management” instead of intimacy. Your life is transformed when you seek intimacy through our connection.”

“When you are connected to the vine you can do all things, suffer all things and accomplish great things even in great adversity. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on yourself at all, and He will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God…which is Jesus. Everything else will fall into place. Regardless of the worldly circumstances, you will have victory.”

John 15:5 (NLT) Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

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The “Go” of Renunciation

September 27th, 2011 by JDVaughn No comments »

September 27, 2011

….. someone said to Him, ’Lord, I will follow You wherever You go’ —Luke 9:57

Our Lord’s attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement, “for He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). We would have said, “I can’t imagine why He lost the opportunity of winning that man! Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!” Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord’s answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of “what was in man.” If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of its death.

Luke 9:58 . These words destroy the argument of serving Jesus Christ because it is a pleasant thing to do. And the strictness of the rejection that He demands of me allows for nothing to remain in my life but my Lord, myself, and a sense of desperate hope. He says that I must let everyone else come or go, and that I must be guided solely by my relationship to Him. And He says, “. . . the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Luke 9:59 . This man did not want to disappoint Jesus, nor did he want to show a lack of respect for his father. We put our sense of loyalty to our relatives ahead of our loyalty to Jesus Christ, forcing Him to take last place. When your loyalties conflict, always obey Jesus Christ whatever the cost.

Luke 9:61 . The person who says, “Lord, I will follow You, but . . .,” is the person who is intensely ready to go, but never goes. This man had reservations about going. The exacting call of Jesus has no room for good-byes; good-byes, as we often use them, are pagan, not Christian, because they divert us from the call. Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop.

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September 27, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, I love to sing this song and to imagine my commitment to follow You wherever You lead. But the fact of the matter is I have had many opportunities to follow You and I very often choose an easier way. I would love to tell everyone about how I follow your directions Lord, but I do not. I get right up to the place where I could (and need to) do the right thing and yet I end up doing the wrong thing. I know what I should do, and I do not do it. I know clearly which road to take and then I take the other one. What is wrong with me?

And God says…”So you are not strong enough to follow Me all the time as the song proclaims; you have a difficult time doing the right thing when the right thing is called for? You often take the easy way out and opt out for a more comfortable decision? You are not a strong mature and completed Christian? Welcome to the very large club My son. You never will be able to make all the right decisions, take the “high” road, or even do the “right thing”. No one can. You will always lack the strength, power and courage. But Jesus can make the right choices for you, He can cover the wrong decisions you make and then live and grow inside of you to the point (over time) that He makes the choices you cannot. Remember this is the very same place the apostle Paul found himself when he said He could not do the right thing.” ……Romans 7 14:25 (The Message)

14-16I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

21-23It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

24I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

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