We too often think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.

“…I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you…” (John 16:26-27). Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His vital life? If so, then “in that day” you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction.

When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason— God uses these times to give you deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you.

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August 6 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this devotional reminds me of the visual surrender and connection process You have given me. When I know it is time to surrender and be connected (usually just before writing this journal), I always start with the vision of me bringing my issues, opportunities and ultimately myself to the foot of the cross. In my mind’s eye I carry a box wrapped and labeled fear, and others labeled family, self, work, new business, finances, and then a box called peace, joy and happiness. In my mind’s eye I carry my concerns, hurts, fears and problems to the cross and then I carry my hopes and dreams as well, and place them all at the foot of Your cross. This visual process helps me “see” and believe that I have surrendered myself to You. Is this the right way to surrender and be connected to You in the morning?

And God says…”If this visual process helps you surrender yourself and your issues and opportunities, and be connected to Me, then it is a good thing. And as long as it serves you in your quest for surrender and connection, and you do not begin to serve it, please continue. However like a number of worship activities humans have used over time, be certain you do not begin to serve this process. It only works if it serves the purpose of bringing us into an intimate relationship based on your surrender then connection to and with Me. When you are surrendered and connected, all your fears, concerns, hopes and dreams feel like an easy yoke, your burdens light, because you have surrendered them to Me. And remember I always answer your prayers; however it may best serve you and yours if I do not always give you an update or status report. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, things not seen. It is impossible to please God without faith. Give me your issues and opportunities daily and let Me give you the peace that passes all understanding. And as long as this visual process serves you, and your surrender and connection, with Me, I will bless it.”

 

 

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.

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August 5 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, it seems as if this devotional is focused on letting go of the outcomes, and letting You be God. That we neither need to know how the short or long term stories end, because You are God and You are good all the time. But how do we do that Lord, when the bank account is really low, or the job so demanding and unfulfilling, or our families in turmoil? How can we take our eyes off our issues? I know you say to worry about nothing and pray about everything, but Lord, when we see impending disaster coming our way, how can we just let go of our desired outcomes and or circumstances and simply trust?

And God says…” There will always be trials and tribulations in the world; they are byproducts of a fallen world. And you will be tried and tested regularly, because it is the way your faith is made stronger. You will question how and why I allow certain circumstances to come into your life.”

“But what occurs, when you see Me instead of your circumstances? What occurs when you surrender and allow Me to be the one that controls the storms, circumstances and outcomes of your life? When you surrender your circumstances and or ideas of what the outcomes need to be, you in effect are saying, Lord, I have the faith to trust You. When you let go of your ideas of control and outcomes, I can and will act on your behalf.”

“However I cannot act as long as you have or seek control. I cannot act when you seek understanding, which is very often simply another word for control. Trust in Me with all your heart, do not rely on your own understanding and I can make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, and I will provide everything else you require….everything including the right outcomes. Do not try to figure Me out, or put Me into your box of thought out solutions. Immerse yourself in Me by surrendering your right to be in control or to even know what I have in store for you. I promise I will provide outcomes that delight you. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart.”

Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, “But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value”? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him “to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.

We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God. As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same.

We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.

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August 4 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord, and thank you once again for the reminder that it is You that works in me, not me doing service or work for You. You have reminded us often that the only way we can accomplish anything worthwhile is through our surrender and Your Spirit living and working through us. However, it is not easy to maintain this state of connection Lord. How can we do this? How can I be in a constant state of surrender, connection, curiosity and obedience when my heart and mind cries out for me to deal with the pressing issues of life?

And God says…”Acknowledge Me in all your ways and do not rely on your own ways and means or understanding and I will make your paths straight. And do not try to get out of the pressures of everyday life, let these pressures have their perfect result, by turning you to surrender and connection. Trust that when you seek first the kingdom of God that I will provide everything you require to lead an abundant life including the pressures of everyday life…and the remedies you and yours require”

“When your heart and mind cry out for you to pay attention to the pressures of life, let the Spirit of God guide you to surrender and connection before you take any action. When you are surrendered, connected, curious and obedient, I can accomplish a great many things through you. As Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi; don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces the worry over the everyday pressures at the center of your life.”

Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “…He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem…” (Luke 9:51).The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16).We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside…” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.

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August 3 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this devotional reminds us that You are God, and Your ways may not be our ways. Often I forget that it is not Your role to bless what we think  our “good Christian service” or our ideas of the best outcomes through our circumstances. But how can we be certain that we are pursuing the right duties, obligations, and or opportunities ordained by You? How can we be certain that we are not pursuing our own ideas of what those duties, obligations and opportunities might be?

And God says…”Remember, I do not want your duties, obligations or rule keeping, I want an intimate relationship that will result in your transformation. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you need to live an abundant life, including the discernment about your ways, My ways and the path to obedience. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight.”

“The key to certainty about My will is to simply be surrendered, connected, curious and obedient to Me. Seek Me and you will find Me. Knock and the door will be answered. And when you do not feel as if I am responding quickly enough to address your circumstances or problems, remember that those that wait upon the Lord run and do not get weary, their strength is renewed and they soar like having the wings of eagles. When you are discouraged, remember My promises, for I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

 

 

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness.It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child— a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows. Until other people become shadows to us, clouds and darkness will be ours every once in a while. Is our relationship with God becoming more simple than it has ever been?

There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come face to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God’s character, we do not yet know Him.

“…they were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus …” (Mark 9:8; also see Mark 2:7).

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July 29 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this devotional reminds me of what C.S. Lewis wrote in The Problem of Pain “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” It is true, whenever we are up against it, and/or have nowhere else to turn, we turn to You Lord. When all our options are gone, we seek Your answers. And it seems as if You use these kinds of circumstances to show us your love, grace and mercy; AND to show us that even though the outcomes may not have changed, our fears are/were unfounded. Thank You God for using my circumstances to help me love You as a child.

And God says…”Like most humans, you first want to be right, appear to be right, seek pleasure and avoid pain. You want to choose the easy route and avoid pain, however, when you avoid pain and difficulties you are also avoiding the growth and opportunity that can come from your trials. Do not try to get out of your trials too early, let them have their perfect result. And part of that perfect result is allowing Me to demonstrate that your fears are not justified. Trust in Me with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding and I will make your paths straight.”

“Over and over again you are learning the way to deal with life and the storms of life; surrender your worries, circumstances, trials, hopes and dreams to Me. Seek connection and allow the Holy Spirit to live through you as you remain curious about My response(s) to your trials. And when I do provide answers and opportunities, allow the Holy Spirit inside of you guide you to and through obedience. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you need, including the understanding, strength, power and humility to be obedient inside your trials and the outcomes.”                                

 

The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience. If spiritual things seem dark and hidden to me, then I can be sure that there is a point of disobedience somewhere in my life. Intellectual darkness is the result of ignorance, but spiritual darkness is the result of something that I do not intend to obey.No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it. We disobey and then wonder why we are not growing spiritually. Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). He is saying, in essence, “Don’t say another word to me; first be obedient by making things right.” The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.When Jesus drives something home to you through His Word, don’t try to evade it. If you do, you will become a religious impostor. Examine the things you tend simply to shrug your shoulders about, and where you have refused to be obedient, and you will know why you are not growing spiritually. As Jesus said, “First…go….” Even at the risk of being thought of as fanatical, you must obey what God tells you.

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July 27 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, once again it seems like Chambers is using his place to teach and leverage scripture to get his students to be and do what he believes. This line he writes; “No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it” seems at odds with your teaching. You already know that I do not have the capacity to “pass the test” daily. You already know my condition. I try to do the right thing, to instantly obey, and then I don’t. You already know that when I want to do the right thing, I do not. You already know that with the best of intentions, my faith often fails me. And then I remember that Paul said the same thing. Who will save me from this predicament? I want to obey, I want to do the right thing, but it seems I am at war within myself. Who will save me from this dilemma? Thanks be to God Jesus Christ has already saved me from this circumstance. (Romans 7:21-25)

And God says…”Since the beginning of time, humans have thought they could improve on the plans I have made for you. From the Garden to the present, history is full of examples of where and how good Christians have tried to remind other Christians about how to live and how to grow and prosper. Many times you confuse cultural imperatives with spiritual directives. And good teachers will try to leverage their experiences to help others “get it” more quickly. Of course you are supposed to be immediately obedient, of course you should have volumes of faith, of course you are to love your neighbor, of course you are to reject and deny your father and mother and entire family in favor of Me. But it takes what it takes for you to “get it”. It takes time, difficult circumstances and My grace. It takes enough failure in your own power for you to surrender, be connected, curious and obedient. “

“Apart from Me you can do nothing. But do not worry about anything, pray about everything. And I will give you the grace, faith and peace that passes all understanding as you surrender, and are connected and curious.”

The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ came to place within anyone who would let Him a new heredity that would have a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus is saying, “If you are My disciple, you must be right not only in your actions, but also in your motives, your aspirations, and in the deep recesses of the thoughts of your mind.” Your motives must be so pure that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke. Who can stand in the eternal light of God and have nothing for Him to rebuke? Only the Son of God, and Jesus Christ claims that through His redemption He can place within anyone His own nature and make that person as pure and as simple as a child. The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption.No one can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations— He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature which He places within us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.

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July 24 2015

Good morning Lord. Thank You for reminding us that You have made us flawless through Christ Jesus. Please help us be men after Your own heart this day as we seek to surrender our hopes, dreams, rights and wrongs to You. Thank You for the intimate connection and reassurance of Your grace. We believe that we walk in your light this day, and when we do not “feel” surrendered and connected, we ask that You remind us again that Your grace and love fill the gaps of our humanity. We believe Lord and thank you for helping us with our unbelief. In Jesus’ name, amen.