David and Goliath…Round Two

My apologies that it’s been so long since the last post, but alas…things have been busy!
It worked out well, though, because it’s given me time to ponder a little on this next post!
Some things I’d like to share with you about fear…

First of all, we all know that fear is the exact opposite of faith, don’t we? If we’re afraid,
then we’re not trusting God to take care of us the way we want to be taken care of. We
often forget that there is no fear in love…

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

Our love may not be perfect, but God’s is. And He dwells in us, so the capability for
that perfect love is within us…if we’ll just let it out!    That’s the only way we can really
experience the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) which guards our hearts
and minds in Jesus!

If we know the truth, we have no fear. We have that peace. But if we believe the lies
and allow them to become our truth…we have fear. And fear can be a dangerous thing.
The thing is, in order to know the truth, we have to spend a little time learning. Not from
a preacher that stands behind the pulpit, or from some guy that writes a post in a blog
now and then…but from God. We have to open the Book from time to time! We have
to spend a little time seeking and listening. We have to spend a little time with Him…

There’s something you need to understand about fear, folks. It can be very, very
dangerous for the one who carries it around. We talked a little in the last post about
the media, and the role they play in keeping fear stirred up, circulating and alive. Now
I’ll share a little insight with you….

For example: Why does it seem like cancer is so wide-spread? Because it is! But
WHY is it? Used to be a time when you seldom heard of it. Rare was the person
who survived it, but rare was the person that had it, too. Kinda like divorce. There
was a time that few were divorced…but look around NOW! How come?

I believe a large part of it is the media, working hand in hand with our own fears and
beliefs. The media picked up on cancer. They picked up on divorce. What tragedies!
They exposed us to the horrors…they picked up stories and ran with em. Ran all over
us! They ran over us again and again, until….we became afraid. We became afraid of
cancer…afraid of divorce. We feared them. And because we feared them, they became
a part of our lives. Now you can hardly meet anyone that hasn’t dealt with one or the
other in some way. (Bear with me a second here…)

The world fuels the fires of fear. Our minds allow thoughts of fear. And our realities
become the things we’re so afraid of….

Check this out, folks. This is a very important link to what I’m trying to say. I hope
it’ll go a long way in helping you understand what I’m talking about. Have you ever
taken the time to read through the book of Job? If you haven’t, maybe you’ve at least
heard about the calamaties that overtook him. And even if you have read it, you may
have overlooked this one single, but very important phrase:

“What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25)

Read that again, will ya? “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has
happened to me.”  Read it one more time…and then again. Until you start to understand
something….that what you fear could very easily come upon you…what you dread
can easily happen to you…because fear allows faith to be penetrated by lies. And
when the lies make it through the faith, they can become your truth.

Take a look at your own circumstances. What have you been afraid of it the past?
Now, keep in mind, we’re not talking about concerns here, we’re talking about FEARS.
What terrified you? Has it become a part of your reality? What scares you now?
Remember this: Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). Flip through your Bible and see how
many times Jesus said, “Fear not!”

That wasn’t a comment or a request. It was a command! “FEAR NOT!” Coming
from the mouth of Truth, itself…

If Truth says to fear not, and there is no fear in perfect love, which is the only kind
of love Truth knows…then fear must be what? A lie..and if it’s a lie, it’s not real. It’s
not TRUTH…unless we allow it to be…

Be careful of what you fear…

David and Goliath…Round Two

Intimidation and fear are the only weapons the enemy has…but they are enough against
most of us. The thing we don’t realize, is that both are lies. And we’re going to take a look
at them to expose them for what they are…

Let’s take Goliath, for instance. If the Philistines were so sure they could win the battle
against the Israelites, then WHY DID THEY SEND GOLIATH OUT? Why didn’t
they simply attack the Israelites THEMSELVES? Because they weren’t sure they
could win! By choosing their champion, and drawing one man out of the Israelite army
to fight, they stood a much better chance of victory…

Why does OUR enemy try to draw US out? Because he’s not sure of victory…it’s a
lot easier to defeat one person, than an entire army…right? It’s easier to INTIMIDATE
one person…easier to overcome one person. There is strength in numbers. That ol snake
doesn’t HAVE to win. He just has to convince US that he will win…and once he does
that, the victory (however short-lived it may be) is his…we just roll over and let him have
his way because we’re AFRAID…even though he hasn’t DONE anything!

Fear is nothing but the opposite of faith. Fear is nothing but an illusion created by the
mind. Where does the battle take place? In the mind. Where do doubts arise? In the
mind. We are to be transformed by the renewing of what? Our minds. The power that
controls our minds, controls us…

Why are we to live by faith and not by sight? Because our eyes can play tricks on us,
but if we KNOW the truth (the mind!), then we can live by FAITH because the truth
never changes, no matter what kind of tricks our eyes play on us!

When Adam was created, he was created without fear. There was nothing TO fear.
Fear entered the world when he ate the forbidden fruit…and hasn’t left since! Fear is
encouraged, fed and worshiped in our culture. We, as Christians, promote it and play
its game just as much as the world does, without even realizing it! There’s something
in us that enjoys and even seeks fear. That’s why we invented roller-coasters! 

Seriously, though, think about it. Why do we watch the news on television? Why do
we read about it in the newspaper? It’s not to stay informed, because the media is very
biased in presenting the news! They don’t care so much about giving us the news, as they
do making a profit for the company they represent. If they were in business to give us
the news, they would offer the GOOD news as well as the bad…in equal amounts!
They don’t realize it, but they are nothing more than pawns in a bigger game. Their job
is to keep us scared and afraid…

And we play right into it. Why does the bad news overwhelm the good? It’s not that
good things don’t happen on a regular basis. It’s that bad news sells so much better!
Why does it sell better? Because WE, as consumers, buy it more often! We would
rather read about a terrorist that blows himself up in a crowded market, than we would
about a guy that lost his wallet with his life’s savings inside, and some kid found it and
brought it back…

What are we afraid of? Death? We’re all going to face it someday, whether we fear it
or not. Discomfort? We all face that already, too. Pain? We face that one, too…and, in
spite of the things we fear, WE’RE STILL HERE! We live with all of these things, and
many more, on a daily basis…so WHY ARE WE AFRAID OF THEM? Because of
our minds…

The sad thing is that the things we fear are lies. The things we fear don’t even exist,
unless WE give them the power to become our truth. In the next post, I’ll be sharing
some examples of the lies…and how we can expose them for what the are…   

David and Goliath…Round Two

If you’ll go back to 1 Sam. 17, and read the description of Goliath, you’ll find that
he was a scary looking dude! He was BIG, fully dressed for battle, confident, strong,
carried massive weapons and handled himself like there was nothing in the world that
could touch him!

The next thing you should notice, is how he talked. Loud, intimidating, arrogant and
threatening. He’s defiant and obnoxious. Something else you might note, is his strategy.
Seperate the flock…pick ‘em off one by one. Goliath didn’t try to defeat the entire army.
He wanted to fight just one man. After all, there’s unity in numbers. Get one to leave the
nest, and the one is easy prey…

The Shepherd’s enemy had all these characteristics and more. He could (and still can)
appear disguised as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). We know from the book of Genesis,
that he’s a deceiver. His job is to lead the whole world astray (Rev. 12:9). He’s a liar, a
thief and a murderer (John 10:10). But, here’s the thing…

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in
him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
(John 8:44)

I don’t care how scary he looks…or how scary he sounds…or what weapons he’s flashing
in front of my face….the truth is, he is a liar. There is no truth in him. Now, what that tells
me is this: His appearance, his weapons, his voice, the intimidation, the fear, the threats,
the walls and obstacles he throws down on my path…THEY ARE ALL FAKE!! How do
I know this? Because THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM…and if there is no truth in him,
then nothing he says or does can have any truth to IT, either! Unless I give them the power
to become MY truth….

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…”

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the SHADOW of death…

Death is not a reality for those in the Shepherd. It’s a con…a scam…a SHADOW. And
what harm can a shadow do? Absolutely none…unless WE give it the power to do so!
It LOOKS so real…it SOUNDS so real…it SEEMS so real to us, sometimes. It even
FEELS real…

But it is nothing more than a magician’s dime store magic trick…a cheap illusion. Just a
desperate attempt to make us fall into the pit of deception…that we might be led astray.
But, (2 Cor. 2:11) we are not unaware of his schemes. We may give into them sometimes,
but we aren’t unaware of them, IF we do our homework in the “defense manual”.

See, the wall in front of us, isn’t really there. If we have the courage to walk up to it, and
the faith to step through it, we’ll find that the wall was only a shadow…there was nothing
of any substance to it! The raging inferno that’s blazing down the path toward us? It’s
just parlor trick…it LOOKS like fire…SMELLS like fire…FEELS like fire…but it’s a
SHADOW…unless WE give it truth and allow it to become real. It goes back to living
by faith and not by sight…keeping our eyes on Jesus instead of on the storm…

There is so much….so much….where do I even begin? It’s an overwhelming task…

The devil is a liar. There is no truth in him. Nothing that he conceives, nothing he possessess,
nothing he says or does has any truth, whatsoever, in it…because THERE IS NO TRUTH
IN HIM. He can’t PUT truth into it, because he has no truth to inject…therefore, you and I
need to know that ANYTHING coming at us from the enemy IS A LIE. It can only
become reality if WE give it the power to become our truth. I don’t know how to say it
any other way, or to make it any more plain…

Lord, help me to make it clear….help us to understand the truth….

David and Goliath…Round Two

The battle of David and Goliath was just a preliminary bout, setting us up for the
main event….

It’s interesting, that for this main event, we have two opponents that are very much
like the “original” David and Goliath. In one corner, we have a loud, obnoxious, mouthy
giant that relies on fear and intimidation. His purpose is much like Goliath’s. He wants
you to serve him. He can be a pretty scary guy sometimes, too! Especially if we go
around believing all the things he wants us to believe!

In the other corner, we have another Shepherd. In a fascinating twist, though, he’s
not only the Shepherd, but he’s the Lamb, too! He’s the Shepherd of the sheep…
yet he’s the Lamb of the living God…

It’s the same battle. The Shepherd against the giant. The giant has been intimidating
people, leaving them shaking in the trenches, defying them and their God…full of
empty threats. But he looks scary. He sounds scary….and he IS scary! But again,
it’s all smoke and mirrors…

The Shepherd steps out on the field of battle, armed with the very same stones that
David used long before….”Purpose”, “Knowledge”, “Faith”, “Action” and “Prayer”.
The very same stones. Pulled from the very same brook…worn smooth and shaped
just right by the rush of the “living water”….the same living water that provides and
shapes your stones and mine…

Wow! Isn’t it something that this living water provides each one of us with our own
set of stones? And yet your stones and mine are exactly the same. The same as
David’s…the same as the Shepherd’s. They are all the same stones, even though
they are crafted for each one of us, individually, by the living water. Stones of
“Purpose”, “Knowledge”, “Faith”, “Action” and “Prayer”. Your stones made
especially for YOU…my stones made just for me. The same stones, but different,
because you and I are different…

There are some differences, too, between the original David and Goliath, and
these two opponents of the main event. The outcome of the battle of David and
Goliath was to determine the fate of the Jews and Philistines for a lifetime. The battle
between the Shepherd and his giant was to determine the fate of all mankind
for all eternity.

David and Goliath met only once in battle. The Shepherd and his enemy met quite
a few times before the actual showdown…and each time they met, the Shepherd
won a quiet victory…right up to the final meeting….

Before we go any farther, I’d like to share with you, some observations about this
giant. If you missed the posts on Goliath, it might make for a helpful study to simply
type his name in the search box and browse through some of his characteristics. You’ll
find that there are a lot of similiarities between that Goliath and this one. At the same
time, there are some things that are true of this one, that the first Goliath didn’t have
the power to aquire….

Those characteristics and qualities are the ones I’d like to share with you before we
continue…not to glorify the giant, but to make you aware of his tactics, his weaknesses
and his shortcomings! Once we’ve taken a look at this second “Goliath”, we’ll take a
closer look at the second Shepherd….

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

To conclude our study on defeating the Goliath of debt, we still have
one stone to take a closer look at. We’ve looked at “Purpose”,
“Knowledge”, “Faith” and “Action”. The one we really haven’t spent
much time on, is one of the most important stones of all…the stone of
“Prayer”.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:4)

There’s nothing anywhere…ANYWHERE…that says we can’t pray over
our finances! In fact, when you consider the financial shape that a good
many of us are currently in (as far as appearances go!), then praying over
them seems like a pretty darn good idea! Remember, Goliath is your enemy.
He’s not going to just go away because we don’t like his presence. Use your
stones, guys, use your stones! And one of the most powerful stones you have
in your pouch is “Prayer”!

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your
desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill
and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You
do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,
because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on
your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3).

Among the thorns of condemning truths in this verse, one that stands out is
this: “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” And you can’t ask
God, unless you talk to Him…which is all prayer is…talking to God. Wow,
we could do another entire study just on prayer! Ask God for help, for
goodness sakes! Pray against your debt…demolish Goliath’s strongholds!
Ask for wisdom, and strength and encouragment… or don’t ask for anything…
just talk to Him once in awhile, just to be talking to Him…and listen, just to
be listening…

We take so much for granted. Where did we ever get the idea that God was
here to serve US? What is it that’s in our nature that makes us think that prayer
is demanding stuff from God? And that, for whatever reason, He OWES us
the answers we seek? And, yet, He still allows us the privilege of prayer…

Do you realize what a weapon you have at your disposal? Do you realize the
destruction and havoc your prayers could cause in the enemy’s camp? If you
don’t mind, may I help you with that for just a moment?

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was
given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar
before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints,
went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled
it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,
rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (Rev. 8:3-5).

Read that again…read it again, and see it in your mind, will ya? The angel at the
altar…the smoke of the incense, and the prayers of the saints going up before God…
the angel swings the censer in a slow wide arc, filling it with fire from the altar…
and what makes up this fire from the altar? The prayers of the saints…..

The angel fills the censer to the very brim…smoke billowing from the mouth of
the golden vessel…filled with fire from the altar…the prayers of the saints…and the
angel looks to God…God nods His head…and the angel heaves this massive golden
censer over his head, swinging it around a time or two to build up a little momentum…
takes careful aim….and he HURLS it on the earth…

And there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightening and an earthquake.

Spiritual nuclear weapons raining down on Goliath’s kingdom….demolishing walls,
barriers, strongholds, bunkers…whatever fortifications the enemy has erected…

They crumble as dust…

Whatever you do, friends…don’t ignore the stone of “Prayer”. It’s never too late
to talk to your Father. And it’s far too powerful a tool to leave sitting on the table.

I think that about covers all I want to share with you on finances for the moment.
I would encourage you to use your stones. All your stones. Review some of the
principles on financing that we’ve covered. Spend time with God revamping your
budget. Talk to Him about the problems, and listen to His solutions. Know that
you WILL defeat your Goliath. Don’t be afraid of him or his intimidation tactics.
Be thankful for the abundance of TODAY. Don’t carry tomorrow’s stones until
tomorrow gets here…

So much to remember. So easy to forget…

I hope this study has been a blessing for you and that it has offered you some
insight on defeating your debt…I know I’ve learned a lot, and I thank you for the
opportunity to share it with  you…

Although the study on debt is ending, there is still a little more to look at concerning
Goliath!    

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

We’ve covered a lot of ground the past month or two on debt and defeating
your Goliath. While I hope it’s been an eye-opener for some of you, there are
still a couple of things left I’d like to share with you before we move on to the
next topic (whatever that may end up being!).  Perhaps we’ll pick up and
continue a study on the tongue and the words we speak!  

First though, there are a couple of loose ends concerning this Goliath of debt.
There seems to be a fairly common misconception that Jesus was a poor man.
Now, in truth, whether he was or not, in many ways, is irrelevant. At the same
time, it CAN be important, because many believe that since he was poor, we
are supposed to be poor, too…that money is an evil thing and all that. Because
of that mistaken belief, those folks relish their poverty without ever realizing
they are serving a Goliath of the enemy.

So…let’s look at this thing. If our God wanted us in poverty, then why in the
world, did He talk so much about our prosperity and abundance? And, once
again, prosperity and abundance isn’t limited to money, but I definitely believe
it INCLUDES money. Why would He repeatedly encourage us to GIVE if we
are not supposed to have anything to give? And, money, itself is not evil.
If you’ll go back and read those familiar verses again, it’s the LOVE of money
that is evil…not money, itself.

Let’s look at Jesus…the image of God…God manifest in the flesh, according
to 1 Tim. 3:16 (KJV). Why on earth do so many people have the idea that
Jesus was a poor man? Maybe it’s because of this passage…

“Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son
of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)

Folks, this doesn’t mean that Jesus was stricken in poverty to the point that
he was homeless! The man was a traveling evangelist! If he was homeless at
all, it was by HIS choice! It was his desire and his mission to travel as much
as he could, to teach as much as he could and to reach as many as he could.
And the only way to do that was to move around!

I believe that any time he needed a place to stay, one was provided for
him…much like room and board is provided for traveling evangelists today!
After all, wasn’t the upper room provided for him for the last supper (Mark 14:5)?
While there is not a single verse to back it up, I’m convinced he had a home…
he just never had the opportunity to use it because he was out ministering to
the sheep!

We’re talking about a man that pulled money out of a fish’s mouth to pay, not
just his own temple tax, but Peter’s too (Matt. 17:27)! We’re talking about a
man that took a couple of tiny little fish and a couple of slices of bread and fed
5000 men (Matt. 14:21)…THEN filled up 12 baskets with the leftovers! Then,
he turned around and fed 4000 more (Matt. 15:38)!

If money had been an issue for Jesus, he could have simply charged a nickel
for each of his healings…he would’ve been set for life! Or, he could have turned
water into wine and sold it for a dollar a quart…

Jesus may not have been wealthy by the standards of the world, but he wasn’t
poor either! Need proof? How many poor men living today, have their own
treasurer? Jesus did…it was Judas (his treasurer!) that betrayed him! Right?
John 13:29 says Judas had charge of the money…which makes him the treasurer!
He “HAD CHARGE OF THE MONEY”. He couldn’t have had charge of the
money, unless there was money to be in charge of!

John 12:6 says that Judas used to help himself to whatever was put in the money
bag. There was enough in that bag, that Judas could slip a few bucks in his pocket
now and then without anyone noticing there was anything missing…

If that isn’t enough to convince you, how about this:

“When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four
shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was
seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.” (John 19:23)

Let me ask you this…assuming you could even FIND a seamless garment…
woven entirely in one piece from top to bottom…assuming you could find one
in today’s market…assuming anyone today could even MAKE one…how much
do you figure that baby would cost you? I dare say, the average person would
never be able to have one hanging in the closet!

Now, whether Jesus bought it for himself, or whether it was a gift from a friend or
a relative, we may never know. But that’s not important, anyway.What we DO know,
and what IS important, is that he did, indeed possess one. And, he apparently wore it
as part of his daily attire! After all, the soldiers that nailed him to the cross that day
were rolling dice to see who would get it. I can’t imagine he would have chosen a special
wardrobe to be crucified in…

Jesus may have been wealthy…and he may not have been…but he wasn’t poor.
Whatever he had or didn’t have, he didn’t flaunt either one. I don’t believe money
was important to him one way or another. I think he had some…but I don’t think it
mattered to him. I believe that he understood it’s just a tool for us to use in the
short time we’re here. And I believe he was the ultimate wise steward…but I don’t
believe he was poor….

So, if you happen to be one of those folks that believe Jesus was a poor, homeless
vagabond, and since we’re supposed to imitate him, we should be poor too, then,
in the name of Jesus, I release you from that lie…you are now free to live and prosper
in the name of our Lord! 

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

The thing we have to understand is this…here in the world in which we live, two
plus two equals four. God’s math, however, is a little different. In the kingdom of
God, two plus two can equal stuff that doesn’t make sense! For instance, we’ll
look at the widow in 1 Kings 17, again. By our standards, here in the world, a
handful of flour and a little oil is enough to make one last tiny cake of bread for
the widow and her son. But in God’s world, and by His math, that same handful
of flour and little bit of oil was enough to make bread every day for three years…
(1 Kings 18:1) and the widow was now feeding an extra mouth…Elijah!

How about the widow in 2 Kings 4? To us, and using our method of measurement,
if you have a few ounces of oil in one jar, then when you pour it into another jar, you
should still have the same amount of oil in the second jar as you did in the first. But,
in God’s kingdom, and by His arithmetic, you can fill up that second jar, then a third,
and so forth…until you’ve used up all of your own jars AND all of your neighbors’
jars!

Here in our world, and according to our math, a couple of sardines and a few
crackers is enough for a small boy’s lunch…but in God’s world, and using HIS
math, a guy can feed 5000 men…PLUS their wives and kids…and then that
fellow, can collect twelve baskets FILLED with leftovers!

How is this possible? Because God’s math is far superior to ours! Because with
God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26), whereas, we humans set limitations
based on what our eyeballs tend to focus on. If we see that we have a balance
of twenty dollars in our checking account, and we spend ten of it, then we should
have ten left…right? In theory, yes…but let me tell you something about God’s math…

There was a guy that had reached a point that he could no longer pay his bills. He
and his wife had filed bankruptcy because of a large amount of medical expenses
from some complications from her first pregnancy…even with insurance, there was
a large amount due. The day to day expenses added up to more than he was bringing
home, and she was a stay-at-home mom because neither of them believed in having
strangers raise their kids while the two of them worked, and under most circumstances,
the expenses usually end up cancelling out the income for families that work two jobs,
by the time you add in child care, lunches, transportation….

This fellow finally reached a point where he had absolutely NO idea how he was
going to provide for his family for another week, let alone another month. As fate
would have it, he “just happened” to be reading on tithing in the book of Malachi,
when these words jumped out at him: “”Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty”
(Malachi 3:10).

He thought about the Lord’s challenge, and his own situation. He reasoned within
himself that if he wasn’t making enough without tithing to meet the family’s needs,
then, how in the world would he be able to do it if he DID tithe? He argued with
the Lord, using that same worldly wisdom…and each time he thought about it, the
Lord replied, “TEST ME IN THIS and see if I will not throw open the floodgates
of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

After a great struggle, and knowing that the welfare of his family was on the line,
knowing that if he began to tithe there was NO WAY he would be able to keep
lights on in his little run-down mobile home….he took a deep breath and said to
God, “Lord, I’m going to trust you with this. It’s up to you, now. Take my money
and do with it what you will.”

The fellow took a deep breath and took the first tithe out of his next check (he
tithed on the gross amount, by the way) and tried not to worry about how he
was going to make it through the week. Every time he began to wonder and
worry, he would think to himself…”Lord, it’s up to you now…I’m trusting you
with this…”

He was surprised to find at the end of the first week, that for the first time that
he could remember in recent months, he didn’t have a negative balance in his check
book. He only had a dollar or so left, but it wasn’t in the NEGATIVE! He thought to
himself, that it was probably because some of the bills hadn’t come due yet…and
he had no idea what would happen when they did. Against everything in his nature,
he tithed again…and at the end of the second week…no negative balance. The
third week and the fourth? No negative balance. He wasn’t much on the positive
side…just a dollar or two a week…but he was on the positive side for the first
time in MONTHS!

He pondered this thing. He wasn’t making any more money. His expenses had
not decreased. In fact, by tithing, they had INCREASED…and yet…

It took him a while to understand that it was because of God’s math. God doesn’t
have rules like “two plus two equals four.” How in the world did he make it? That’s
just it…he DIDN’T make in the world. He made it in God’s kingdom…with God’s
math! Just how he made it, only God knows…after all, it’s HIS math…

This is a true story, by the way. Just like the widow with the handful of flour, and
the widow with the few ounces of oil…like the little boy with the fish and crackers.
My boys were around 3 and 4, I guess, when I made that decision to tithe. Of course,
I had always given a little here and there, but I had never TITHED. From that very
day to this one, AS I WRITE, I have not, even ONCE since then had a negative
balance at the end of the month. Sometimes the balance has been zero…sometimes
it still is…but it has never been negative…and my boys are almost thirty now…

If you ask me how, I honestly don’t know. Using the math of the world, it is
totally and completely impossible. Believe me, I know, because I’ve added and
re-added, and subtracted and re-subtracted…I’ve even tried to mulitply and divide
to get it to make sense, and I truly, honestly don’t know how it happens…because
it doesn’t add up. It never has. Using wordly math, it adds up to be negative…it
always has…except that it DOESN’T!

The only thing I can tell you is this: It’s God’s math…it’s true, it’s real, and somehow…
somehow that MY feeble mind can’t explain…somehow, it works….

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

Consider this…and when you consider it, I would ask you to REALLY
stop and think about it for a minute or two…

What is the ONE single most important decision you can make in your
ENTIRE earthly existance? The decision to follow Jesus, correct?

Now, bear with me here…

“…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved.” (Rom. 8:9,10)

If it is true (and it must be, because we just read it) that if we confess with
our mouth and believe in our heart that “Jesus is Lord”, then we will be
saved, when this is the ONE SINGLE most important decision we will ever
make….then wouldn’t it also be true of the lesser decisions we make?

For example…if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that
“I never have any money”…wouldn’t our belief and confession of that faith
make it a truth in our lives? For it is with your heart that you believe, and it is
with your mouth that you confess…only this time, it’s not for salvation, but
rather for your earthly well-being (or lack of)…

“…for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

Actually, let’s look at that entire passage from Luke…verses 44-46:

“Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from
thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out
of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out
of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth
speaks.”

Does your tree produce faith and abundance or doubt and lack? Remember,
now, the righteous will live by faith…and that we, as Christians are to live by
faith and not by sight. We can walk on water, or we can slip beneath the waves.

Just for the sake of argument, let’s dabble with God’s word for just a moment,
and then we can put it back like it was… 

How about this?

“The man of faith brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and
the man of doubt brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.”

For some, it may be a stretch to call doubting evil…and when you compare it
to many other things, it doesn’t seem evil at all…not even a little bit! But when
you stop and think about Hebrews 11:6…”without faith it is impossible to please
God”…well…now that whole doubting issue has a little more sting to it than it
did a minute ago, doesn’t it? Ouch!

Ok, let’s try this again…

“The good man brings things of faith out of the good stored up in his heart, and
the evil man brings things of doubt out of the evil stored up in his heart.”

“For out of the OVERFLOW OF HIS HEART his mouth speaks.”

What do YOU believe in YOUR heart? A God of abundance, or a God of lack?
The answer is pretty easy…it’s whichever one you speak about when you open
your mouth.

“I can’t afford it.”
“I don’t have enough money.”
“I never have …………… or …………………”  (Fill in the blanks however ya like)

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men,
who have been made in God’s likeness.” (James 3:9)

With statements like the above, you’re cursing yourself…you, who have been
make in God’s likeness. STOP doing it! 

To say it’s too expensive is one thing, because most things ARE too expensive!
To say it’s a waste of money, can also be true…to say that you have decided you
don’t want to spend your money on it can be true…but I believe, that if you say
you can’t afford it, that will be true too, only the truth of THAT statement is self-
inflicted.

Your exercise for this post (to go along with the one from yesterday) is to STOP
speaking curses on yourself, and start speaking blessings! STOP saying you can’t
afford it and that you don’t have money! Instead, perform the exercise from the last
post…”Lord, thank you for the abundance of TODAY!”

That doesn’t mean you should buy the item(s) in question. You can thank God for
His abundance WITHOUT spending money on something you feel like you can’t
afford…it’s called wisdom! Keep thanking Him for His abundance TODAY…and
stop speaking curses on yourself, and maybe next week you CAN afford it! 

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

This one verse actually covers the last two Biblical principles at the same
time. Give thanks in all circumstances, and pray continually! Let’s take a
quick look at prayer…

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor.10:4).

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

I’m pretty sure that none of us really know what goes on in the spiritual
world when we pray. It’s rather mind-boggling to know that God can and
will move heaven and earth for you…and for me. There really aren’t a lot
of words a person can think of to say about such a thing….it’s just too much!

And, of course, we all have reasons to be thankful…whether it FEELS like
it or not!! If God never gave any of us anything else in this life, He’s already
given us far more than we could ever deserve…

I don’t want to spend too much time on giving thanks and prayer right at
the moment. But I do have an exercise I’d like to give you for the next
few weeks. I believe it will make a big impact on you, and a bigger one
on your Goliath! In fact, I’m hoping you’ll do it for more than just a few
weeks!

If you would, take a few moments to skim back over some of the past
few posts to refresh your memory just a little. Remember, you want to
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so some of these things are
important weapons in your arsenal…

Now, then…this is what I would like for you to do…and you’ll have to
trust me here…but I’m telling you it will help you tremendously!

Every morning when you wake up, before you do anything else, speak
these words…whether you mean them or not…whether you FEEL them
or not…just speak them…

“Lord, thank you for the abundance of TODAY.”

That’s it. Repeat it as often as it comes to mind during the day. Do this,
along with those common sense things we talked about awhile back…
and do it with a little thankfulness and a little faith…

“Lord, thank you for the abundance of TODAY.”

The results will amaze you! In the next post, I’ll be sharing some important
thoughts along this same vein, and give you another exercise to work on!

Freedom in Christ – David and Goliath

Faith is an important Biblical principle in deafeating any Goliath.
You’ve GOT to have a little faith, and you’ve GOT to give it a little
exercise! It goes back to “being transformed by the renewing of your
mind”. Where does doubt come from? Why do we doubt? We doubt
because we live by sight instead of by faith. Where does it come from?

“He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise IN
YOUR MINDS?” (Luke 24:38)

That’s why we have to have our minds renewed! We have to practice
living by faith instead of sight. Our sight can be deceiving and limiting.
Isn’t it interesting that for thousands of years, it was considered to
be humanly impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes? Yet, once it
was done the first time, back in 1954, the 4 minute mile has been broken
repeatedly! How come? Because people found out it could be done!

I suppose you have to have a little faith in yourself, for starters. But the
REAL power comes from having faith in Jesus to do the things he said
he would do! I’d like to direct you to Acts 3:1-10 for a moment. It’s the
story of the lame man laying at the temple gate asking for money. As
you probably already know, the man was healed by Peter. The healing
was a glorious thing! But this is what I want you to see….

Skip down to verse 16:

“By faith IN THE NAME OF JESUS, this man whom you see and
know was made strong. IT IS JESUS’ NAME and THE FAITH THAT
COMES THROUGH HIM that has completely healed him, as you can
all see.”

Peter had already seen the storm. He had already slipped under the
waves a few times. He was learning by now, not to look at the “storm”
of the crippled feet…but to keep his eyes on Jesus…and LOOK
WHAT HAPPENED! The man at the gate, crippled from birth,
jumped to his feet and began to walk and jump!

There’s something about the name of Jesus that invokes a power
that you and I don’t have on our own! His name can open doors for
us that no other name can open, folks! And, as Christians, we have
the right to use his name, to stand on his name! But you have to have
a little faith in it…

It’s been a little while since we started off with David and Goliath, but
I want to refresh your memory on something very important. Just before
David took off running toward Goliath, swinging his sling over his
shoulder, he yelled out these words….

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and
spear and javelin, but I come against you IN THE NAME OF THE
LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have
defied.” (1 Sam. 17:45)

You have to know where the power lies. I can promise you, that
when you’re facing any Goliath, the power does NOT lie with YOU.
David knew where the power was. When he was telling Saul about
the lion and the bear he had killed, he also made this statement:

“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of
the bear….”  (Vs 37)

The Lord rescued him. He went against Goliath in the name of the
Lord. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know
was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him
that has completely healed him, as you all can see…

Don’t be afraid to take on your Goliath head-on…but use a little wisdom.
Your greatest weapon is the name of Jesus…USE IT…and have a little
faith in it!