From Spiritual Mountaintop to Spiritual Wilderness

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Dramatic. Powerful. Intense. All are words that I would use to describe the weeks following my conversion to Christianity. Surrendering my life to Christ was without question a calculated decision; I was not crying out to God in a moment of crisis. Still, I was a broken person and the Holy Spirit moved dramatically to meet my need.

On one particular evening, while studying for a physics final, I saw two visions that I inherently understood to be from God. I’ll not go into detail, but one of the visions provided a future image of a successful ministry. I was at the top of the world! Not only had the Creator of the Universe lovingly plucked me from the depths of sin, He had visibly shown me a hope-filled future.

Not long after that glorious season, I found myself painfully trudging through the trenches of life; that mountaintop experience felt like nothing more than a blurred memory. My challenges were so difficult and my struggles so deep that I questioned whether any of the good experiences had ever even happened. Worse yet, my expected road to Christian ministry turned in a most unwanted direction, apparently leading away from—instead of toward—the vision God had given me.

Fast forward over thirty-three years. I’m still walking with God and am now involved with “full-time” Christian ministry. As of today, I still have not seen the complete fulfillment of the vision God gave during my college years, but at least the path of my life has turned back in what I would consider to be the “right” direction. For me, the call of God continues to be very much a faith walk, but I can now see its fulfillment through the eye of faith. That’s a lot more than I can say for the long, dark portion of wilderness territory that I once traversed.

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I wish I could say that my experience is unique—that I stand alone amongst all the men and women of God who have gone before me. I cannot say that. What happened—and continues to happen—to me is part of a pattern frequently used by God. Mountaintop vision to desolate wilderness to fulfillment of the vision—that’s the way the pattern works. Or at least the way it is supposed to work. Sadly, not everyone emerges from a wilderness season as a spiritual champion for Christ. Indeed, many go to their graves mired in the bitter-tasting muck of unbelief—as typified by an entire generation of ancient Israelites who perished in the Judean wilderness.

Often, it’s very difficult to explain why a wilderness season came to be. Sometimes God is clearly the author; other times He seems to have little to do with the situation. But regardless of how our time of spiritual dryness and isolation came to be, the manner of overcoming is always the same: we emerge as champions by responding to negative circumstances in a manner that honors God.

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Our heavenly Father always has the best interests of His beloved children at heart, but there is something that He has sought after since the creation of the human race: our fruitfulness (Genesis 1:26-28; John 15:8). The Creator of the Universe passionately desires to see us bear the sweet fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and to see that fruit multiplied in the lives of those we serve. This is really what the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is about. A spiritual wilderness experience can reflect the glory of God as He mystically brings the fruitful out of the barren, or it can reflect the sinfulness of humankind as we spiral downward in cynicism and unbelief. The choice, my friends, is ours.

(This post is loosely based on the content of my new book, Champions in the Wilderness, which will soon be available for sale. Also, when our new SfMe Media website is complete, our blog posts will be switched our new ministry website, searchforme.info and this blog site will be phased out. You can subscribe to by entering your email in the subscribe panel on the right-hand side of the new website.)

Is Change Really Possible

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Change, my friends is inevitable. Nothing is static in this transient world. Nothing! This is especially true in a world of rapidly evolving technology. Today’s new thing will probably be obsolete by the end of the week!

But when we ask if change is possible, we aren’t referring to change in the general sense—our real emphasis is on positive change. Faced with a steady barrage of negative news, sometimes we can’t help but wonder if things will ever turn in a healthy direction. Violence is prevalent. The economy sits on shaky ground. Our government finds itself immersed in gridlock. The church takes only faltering steps, most of which are in the wrong direction.

There is, however, an underlying question that seems to plague the common person. “Is change really possible in my life?” is the question that most of us ask. Sure, there are the narcissists who stand convinced that they have no need to change. In addition, we find the confident few who believe that, with a bit of hard work, they can become whatever they want. Still, I suspect that most of us have run up against powerful roadblocks in our efforts to become better people. We’ve tried moving forward, but always find ourselves being drawn back into our fears, our compulsions, and our dark thoughts. As a result, deeply-rooted doubts cloud any sense of hope that we once had for a better tomorrow.

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The essence of the Christian gospel is about change. God was not content with the status quo of sin and death so He sent His much-loved Son to do something about the problem. And do something He did! Forgiveness of sin and guilt is a change we can’t live without.

Still, much more remains. God provided His Word as a roadmap to change and sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts as an agent of change. I’m not saying that transformation is easy by any means, but it certainly is possible—for every one of us.

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Through my thirty-plus years as a Christian, I’ve researched, studied, and watched. My desire has been to find a Christianity that really works—not simply another humanistic or ineffective twist to an old religion. In that time, I’ve come to understand that the power of human sin runs deeper than any of us realize. But I’ve also come to grasp that the power of God’s grace is far greater than even the bonds of sin. The key, more than any other thing, is learning to continually draw upon the fullness of that life-changing grace.

Yes, change is possible for any of us as individuals. And if change is possible for the individual, societal change is certainly within our reach.  This confidence in God’s grace as realized through the gospel of Jesus Christ motivates me to press on in my Christian service, knowing full well that ours is a future founded upon real hope.

Speaking of change, we are still in the process of transitioning over to our new website which will continue to feature my blog. If you would like to remain subscribed to my “blogotional”, you can do so by entering your email in the subscribe panel on the right-hand side of the new website.

Have You Seen God?

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I’ve seen sunshine, rain, and snow, but in all my years I have never seen the wind. While I was hiking through the woods recently, a huge gust of wind picked up bunches of dry leaves along the trail and threw them swirling into the air. I’ve felt the wind and I’ve seen its influence; its presence is very real but the wind itself remains invisible.

None of us have ever seen God. Some would say that He does not exist. As with the wind, however, we can feel the presence of the invisible God and see various indicators that He is near.

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The greatest evidence of God’s existence is that transformation that takes place in the lives of those whom He touches. The selfish become generous; the arrogant, humble; the insecure, confident; the hopeless, full of anticipation. When the Creator of the Universe touches a person’s life, those around can’t help but notice.

We dare not forget, however, that the fruit seen in the life of a professing Christian presents a two-sided coin. While a transformed life will attract others to God, an existence mired in the sins of the flesh will have the opposite effect—genuine seekers will be driven to unhealthy, and even dangerous, spiritual paths.

Hardly a week goes by when I don’t see or hear of someone being alienated from God’s love because a professing Christian, by virtue of ungodly behavior, called God’s goodness into question. Sometimes sharing my faith involves doing damage control more than it does speaking of the God’s goodness.

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Grace is transformational, empowering us to rise above the corruption of this world to new heights in Christ. And how do we know when we are on the right track? The Bible provides us with guideposts along the way. By looking at lists of good and bad behavior found within the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:16-24, etc.), we can get a general sense of what many of those around us already know—whether we are living according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. I’m sure that we’d all like to think that we are living according the Holy Spirit’s ways but the human heart is deceptive; we need the objectivity that the Scriptures provide.

We each have our struggles against sin and anyone can go through a bad stretch, but over the course of time, a person’s lifestyle should begin to align with his or her profession of faith. A transformed life, brought about by His life-giving grace, provides irrefutable evidence of God’s good presence at work in this world!

No Power, No Game – A Key Lesson from the Super Bowl!

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It was an odd moment in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome suddenly went half black. The players and coaches stood befuddled, the broadcasters went ominously quiet, and the television cameras simply panned the half-darkened ceiling of the massive dome. Nobody really knew what was going on but one thing was certain—no power meant no game. At least for the next 34 minutes.

As I begin to wrap up this series on violence, I can’t help but make an observation that is somewhat critical of the conservative community standing in total opposition to any form of gun control. This is quite difficult for me to do because I have quite a few good friends I might possibly offend.

The New Testament clearly emphasizes that God has given His church powerful spiritual weapons for the purpose of advancing His kingdom.

The truth is that, although of course we lead normal human lives, the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (Phillips)

I understand that the primary context of this passage is the Apostle Paul writing about truth as our primary weapon for breaking down enemy strongholds; however, in the greater context of the New Testament, we find that truth is not our only spiritual weapon.

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In His final words before ascending into heaven, Jesus made something quite clear to His followers—He would empower them, through the person of the Holy Spirit, to do all that He called them to do.

But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. Acts 1:8 (AMP)

In addition to His awesome truth and the amazing power of prayer, God has invested within the heart of every true believer a power that far exceeds anything that the human race could ever envision. Unfortunately, for the most part, it is a power that lies dormant as we pursue a multitude of other methods to satisfy our lives and to do ministry.

A fundamental strategy of any type of warfare is to attempt to disarm the power of the enemy. And I must say that, for the most part, Satan has done an effective job of getting the Christian church to lay down its weaponry. We often give minimal attention to the truth of God’s word, a lesser amount to individual and corporate prayer, and even less to operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The church has been effectively disarmed to the point of having minimal influence in a society being overrun by dark forces.

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Our reasons for allowing this to happen may be many but I think they are as weak as our spiritual vitality. In the end, we are either ignorant of God’s power available to us or we aren’t willing to pay the price to lay hold of all that He has for us. Perhaps it is a mix of both, but either way, I can’t help but wonder how the spiritual landscape in America would look if we as conservative Christians were as outraged at the loss of our spiritual weaponry as we are about the possibility of losing our gun rights.

Still, there is good news in all of this! If we will only take the time to dig deeper into His word to discover the power and authority available to us, if we will fast from food and some of our media, if we will spend extended time in prayer seeking His face, God will gladly restore the church what has been lost and neglected. Although God’s power is readily available to every believer, generally, it does not come as easily and quickly for us as it should. Deliberate and extended effort may be necessary.

No Power, No Game! We can whine and complain all we want, but unless we take up the call to spiritual arms, the spiritual landscape of our nation won’t be changing any time soon.

Why Government Leaders Ignore the Root Causes of Violence

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Every time a mass shooting occurs in the U.S., our government leaders rise to the occasion by proclaiming the need for change. Those who are sincere will usually push hard for gun control while ignoring the root causes that have brought such sickness upon our society.

Why are our politicians so slow to look at the real issues? There are times when gazing into a mirror can be very unsettling.

In examining the Scriptures we find that the primary problem with human nature is an innate desire to be like God apart from God. This defining drive of the human heart finds its expression through three primary roots—self-centeredness, the lust for power and control, and a constant yearning for self-glorification. All three fallen tendencies drive the world of politics, but rather than potentially implicating themselves by addressing the real issues, our leaders and legislators will look for any scapegoat to deflect the attention from their own shortcomings. It is all simply a matter of human nature.

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I share these thoughts not as a disgruntled American full of disdain for our government leaders, but as a Christian who fully recognizes that these self-absorbed tendencies are common to the entire human race. If ours is a government for the people and by the people, at least to some degree, our government leaders serve as a reflection of the general populace.

All of this brings us to yet another factor in the rise of gun violence in the United States—the declining influence of a vital Christian Church in America. I cannot agree with those conservative historians who try to paint virtually all of our Founding Fathers as devoted Christians, but I can say that the men who fought for freedom from tyranny and who framed our Constitution were profoundly influenced by Christianity.

The First Great Awakening was a move of the Holy Spirit that changed the fabric of the American colonies in the 1730s and 40s. That experience, combined with longtime frustration with authoritarian monarchies, deeply impacted the hearts of America’s 2.4 million residents. The result was a new form of democracy replete with freedoms of all sorts, including an emphasis on the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and, of course, the freedom of religious practice.

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Even though the Founding Fathers may not have all been Christians, they all lived in a culture that had been colored by the Christian faith. The result was an ideal—the belief that if all pursued the greater good, they could build a society like none other. In the process, men like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington established a system of checks and balances to protect this new ideal from the self-absorbed tendencies of human nature. Almost amazingly, the social experiment that we call the United States of America worked quite well until the moral influence of a vital Christian Church began to wane. With the decline of the Church came the lifting of the societal standards which stood against self-centeredness, the lust for power and control, and the constant yearning for self-glorification. Human nature, in other words, has become increasingly free to run its course. And just as it was when Cain killed his brother Abel, grief, tears, and extreme heartache are now our lot.

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Again, I want to be clear that my primary criticism is not of our government but of the Church at large in the U.S. Non-Christians will do what non-Christians will do—and all the more so without the steadying influence of a vibrant Christian Church. For those who profess Christ, we are now left with a choice. We can whine and complain and lament the loss of what once was, or we can lift up our heads, bow our knees, and pursue Christ with our whole hearts. Instead of being selfish, we can walk in love. Instead of seeking power and control, we can seek the advance of God’s kingdom. Instead of seeking our own glory, we can proclaim His through both word and lifestyle.

Will we be able to turn our nation back to the point where freedom truly thrives? In all honesty, I don’t know. But I do know that one life fully surrendered to the King of Glory can have a powerful impact on the lives of untold others. If even one potential mass murderer is won to Christ, not only is his life saved, the lives of all of his potential victims are also spared.

No matter who you are and no matter what your status, if you are truly alive in Christ, you will make a profound difference in the lives of others. What better legacy can we leave for our children, grandchildren, and the others who follow after us?

Thy Kingdom Come . . .

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The kingdom of God. What an amazingly mysterious concept! The kingdom of God is literally the King’s domain, but what does that mean? And what are the ramifications?

John 18:36 records Jesus saying that His “kingdom is not of this world.” The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 4:17 that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

God’s kingdom is primarily spiritual, still it has profound physical implications. As one of the predominant messages of the New Covenant, whenever the kingdom of God was preached, healing and deliverance usually followed. Yet, in essence, the kingdom of God represents a spiritual realm which cannot be advanced apart from supernatural means.

It is comforting to know that our God can and will use our natural gifts and talents to advance His purposes, but in the absence of spiritual power we can expend a great deal of effort and accomplish very little in the end.

(Perhaps one of our greatest hindrances to embracing the full work of the Holy Spirit is the poor witness of many who profess to operate in the gifts of the Spirit. Those who don’t understand their secure standing as children of God will attempt to utilize spiritual gifts as a source of personal validation. The problem was common with the Corinthian church and, unfortunately, we continue to repeat the same errors as our spiritual ancestors. So many problems of dysfunction could be virtually eliminated if we could correctly understand that the Gospel is inherently an identity message. Please check out my Search for Me identity series).

Every now and again I find myself coming back to three essentials of the Christian faith, concepts written into the core fabric of walking with God, including being empowered and used by the Holy Spirit. I’ll list them in a particular order, but the concepts are more circular than linear—the more we pursue one area, the more it should feed the others.

1. Believe – All too often fear and doubt keep us from going deeper into the things of God. It’s so important for us to understand the character of God, knowing that our heavenly Father gives only good gifts to His children. There are no bad gifts given by God and all are to be desired with the right motives in their appropriate times.

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2. Seek – It’s true that no one can come to God without the Father drawing us to Himself, but more than once the Scriptures emphasize the importance of our seeking Him, including the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The idea is that if we truly love God and the people Jesus died for, we will want to do all we can to impact human lives. Knowing that such abilities are beyond our natural selves, motivated by love we seek the empowerment of the Spirit.

Chapter 11 of Luke’s G ospel speak to both the importance of believing in God’s goodness in persistently seeking the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹ Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹² Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:9-13 (NASB)

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3. Yield – This remains one of the predominant messages of The Lord’s Prayer.

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (NASB)

Our appropriate response to God’s goodness, glory and sovereignty is always to yield our will to His. A complete surrender of our wills to His is non-negotiable. We’ll face no more important (or difficult) battle than the battle of the will.

Regardless of one’s perspective of spiritual gifts for contemporary use, we can all agree that we can do better than we are; that every one of us could be used more effectively as a vessel for God’s honor. Believing, seeking and yielding—all three are common to all of Christianity, helping to set the stage for more effective service to our beloved King. Lord, may Your kingdom overtake all the earth!

The Manifest Presence of God

Steve, a student who occasionally attended our campus ministry meetings, found himself in the midst of a year and half long struggle with depression. On one particular evening I spoke about the importance of Christians seeking the presence of God. Steve seemed a little skeptical, but proved determined nonetheless. He knew he needed something more from God. Later that evening Steve spent 2-3 hours in prayer doing nothing more than crying out for God to reveal Himself. That night our heavenly Father touched Steve in such a real way that his depression completely lifted! An instant in God’s manifest presence can do more than a lifetime of human effort.

Even though He dwells within us, even though our spiritual senses have been brought to life, experiencing God’s manifest presence is not automatic. (Many of us have actually been taught that God no longer relates to humans in tangible ways.) This is where I believe it is essential for us to seek Him by faith. God wants to have a dynamic relationship with His children in this life. But do we really believe that?

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Recently I received a gospel tract that included this sinner’s prayer:

“Dear God, I admit I am a sinner on my way to Hell. I believe that you died for me. Please save me from my sin and take me to Heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me. Amen.”

There was nothing of a personal relationship with a living God, only a distant hope for a blissful eternity. Any gospel that seeks to proclaim a message of salvation apart from a very real relationship with God in this life, certainly isn’t the full Gospel.

But even when we do present the Gospel in light of a personal relationship with God, do we give any indication of what that means? How do we have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe? Does He stop by for an evening stroll like He did with Adam & Eve? Does His presence overtake us and we fall to the ground as with Abraham or Daniel? Do we see Him high and lifted up on His throne as Isaiah did? Does He speak to us audibly the way He did to Saul (Paul) on the road to Damascus? While all of these are possible, it’s safe to say that they don’t represent the everyday norm for a New Covenant believer.

The Apostle John recorded some fascinating words spoken by the Christ prior to His crucifixion:

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7 (NASB)

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Wow! Could He really mean that? What Christian wouldn’t give an arm and a leg to walk with the incarnate Christ for three and a half years? But if the words of Jesus are to be trusted, and we supposedly believe they are, there is a path of life even better than seeing and walking and talking with Him in the flesh.

Is this a relationship we have by faith, believing that He’s there, but not really having any type of interaction? While faith is always integral to walking with God, it seems to me that this wouldn’t be a relationship at all. Prayerful communication going only in one direction is more of a monologue than anything else. No, there’s something more that God has for us. It’s the very real manifestation of His presence by which He makes Himself known to His children in ways that we are able to perceive.

When we are born from above, our spiritual senses are brought to life; meaning we can learn to hear His voice, at times feel His presence in a very tangible way, and in a spiritual sense, see His face.

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I suppose this is where the Gospel begins to move from comforting to scary for some people. The idea that God will always be with me comforts me greatly. But to think that I can hear His voice, well that changes things. I mean, how do I know when it’s actually Him speaking? Will I end up like the crazy guy who shot people in the mall because “God told him to do it”?

Let’s be bluntly honest; many of us prefer a form of religion over a relationship with God. Religious form is neat and tidy, like a basket tied up with ribbons and decorated with pretty bows. Relationships are unpredictable—especially a relationship with God.

The importance of God’s written Word cannot be overestimated when it comes to learning to accurately hear God’s voice, but we also need to understand that there is more to the indwelling presence of God than simply believing by faith that He is there. Our loving Lord wants to manifest His presence to us in so many ways. But do we want Him to?

God’s Indwelling Presence

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I remember a time in my childhood days when I tried to picture what God looked like. The best image I could muster was that of a very old man in with a long, flowing robe and a full white beard regally sitting on a golden throne. My image was by no means original; I probably borrowed it from a movie.

Many years later I attended a debate at a local university between a Christian and a prominent atheist. And while I have difficulty recalling the names of debaters, I remember well the confident argument of the atheist: “God does not exist because God cannot be measured.” I wouldn’t mind seeing his attempt to build a machine to measure God. Comprehending an infinite God presents an obvious challenge for finite humans!

John 4:24 tells us, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (NASB).

Spirit is of a totally different nature than the matter of this natural world. God is omnipresent (everywhere) and yet we can be completely oblivious to His existence.

I find the Apostle Paul’s famous Mars Hill sermon quite fascinating:

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“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us . . . . Acts 17:24-27 (NASB)

The presence of God is so near to the unredeemed soul, and yet so far. While God is physically everywhere, to the sinful human He may as well be hanging out on the far end of the universe. Pondering these thoughts might lead us to believe that it’s entirely impossible for any human to know the presence of God, and such would be the case except that our Creator has an unwavering desire to draw near to us.

So how do we go from being oblivious to God to knowing His nearness in a very real way? We begin by recognizing that the Bible speaks of three dimensions of God’s presence:

1. The omnipresence of God
2. The indwelling presence of God
3. The manifest presence of God

In this understanding lies perhaps the greatest good news element of the Gospel—that self-absorbed, sinful humans can become the dwelling place of God. As stated by Paul,

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“The God who made the world . . . does not dwell in temples made with hands,” but because of the cross of Christ, He does now dwell in human hearts. (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)

This is what the Bible calls being “born again”, or “born from above”. (John 3:3) The idea is that sin and God cannot peacefully coexist, God must therefore keep His distance from unredeemed people or the torment would probably be worse than that of hell. God’s loving remedy to our insurmountable problem was the sacrificial death of Jesus on that horrible instrument of death—the cross. The power of His sacrificial blood is the answer to sin’s separating power.

Wow! We can be reborn as covenant members of God’s family! The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell within us, fusing with our human spirits and bringing them to life—an existence that is out of this world!

Again, these are difficult concepts for us to grasp, but this is where faith meets reality. It’s not about us somehow trying to measure up to God’s unattainable standards of perfection, but simply letting go of our pride, believing the Gospel message and yielding to God’s loving will.

I can’t imagine a higher honor than to be a dwelling place of God. It makes me want to live in a manner that honors Him!

The Promise of His Presence

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Moses was either amazing or crazy; perhaps a little of both! The often lonely road he walked, the obstinate people he loved, his passion for righteousness—they all point toward one of the truly great figures of history. But there was something else about Moses, something upon which his entire character hinged: Moses walked with God. And not only did he walk with God, Moses refused to move forward without Him.

We’ve all heard of the Ten Commandments and most of us are familiar with the story of the golden calf from Exodus Chapter 32. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, in the very presence of God, receiving the Law, the people were plunging themselves into idolatry

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by creating a golden god they could see and touch. Both God and Moses were furious, with our Creator declaring that the people were so obstinate He’d prefer to send an angel to lead them rather than go Himself. Moses would have none of that, however, and God eventually agreed (probably with a wink and a nod) to go along.

“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then he said to Him, ‘If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.’” Exodus 33:14-15 (NASB)

In other words, Moses was saying, “I’m not going anywhere without You!”

When Joshua took the reins of leadership, God powerfully promised him the following:

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“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. ³ Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses . . . ⁵ No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Joshua 1:2-6 (NASB)

I don’t think that our God makes these types of promises because it’s a nice thing to do. Joshua was facing daunting odds and the heavenly Father lovingly instilled confidence in his trembling heart, setting the tone for the days ahead.

Today The Promise of His Presence remains but in a dimension far greater than under the Old Covenant Law. Hear what Peter spoke to the general populace on the Day of Pentecost as they responded with deep regret over the crucifixion of Christ:

“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39 (NASB)

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The promise of God’s indwelling presence in our lives is nothing short of amazing! Under the Law, only the Jewish High Priest could access God’s presence in the temple, and only one time per year on the Day of Atonement. But when Christ died on the cross, the thick veil of the temple was literally torn in two. This meant that the average person now had access to the very presence of God, but still more importantly, that the Holy Spirit, God Himself, now had access to the average person! In short, through the grace of the New (and better) Covenant, the Creator of the universe can now dwell in the hearts of previously fallen humans. Amazing!

When I take the time to think about these things, I realize that nothing else this world can offer compares with The Promise of His Presence. Many in the early church understood this. They rejoiced when persecuted, willingly accepted the confiscation of their property, and even died brutal deaths with rejoicing in their hearts. Without question, they knew the value of the Promise; and although it was by faith, it wasn’t without a tangible relationship.

How much do we value and experience The Promise of His Presence? Methinks some changes are in order!

If God Is for Us, Why Is So Much Against Us?

Original Photo by doctor_bob - morgueFile

I know, the title of this post quotes Romans 8:31 incorrectly. It and the verse following should read:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (NASB)

But before we get to a place of such confidence in the midst of adversity, we must know deep in our heart of hearts that our heavenly Father is indeed for us, and that the Holy Spirit is in our corner, not only cheering us on, but interceding for our every need to be met.

For a small percentage of us, this is a no brainer. Growing up in a stable family with loving parents always there for support, it makes obvious sense that God would do the same. This is especially true for those who also experienced a loving church environment where a healthy perspective of the heavenly Father was both taught and displayed. This small number of people (and unfortunately I believe it is quite small), seem to traverse the challenges of life like gifted athletes tirelessly and speedily covering long distances.

Photo by familymwr - CC BY 2.0

But when the rest of us attempt to run by faith, it often feels as though every joint and muscle in our bodies throbs with pain as we get knocked about by various forces. And when we survey the landscape before us, well, it sure looks as though God is nowhere to be seen; the corner of our ring, it appears, is empty. I mean, after all, if He is all-powerful, and all-loving, and is truly for us, then surely our circumstances would be different.

May we never forget that the image of an absentee God is but an illusion! And if Christianity is all about a relationship with Him and not mere religious activity, wouldn’t it make sense that we need an accurate perspective of who He truly is and how He sees us?

Abiding in grace is really about abiding, that is, living in a vital relationship with, Christ. If we are ever to live fruitfully in this type of intimate relationship with our heavenly Father, we had better know something about Him as a person and how this relationship works (and doesn’t work). If we continually focus on our sin, for example, we become self-absorbed, no longer living by faith.

When we live by faith, we put the appropriate confidence in both the cross of Christ and God’s character, aligning our lives with His divine order. Meanwhile, all of the forces of hell (and some of earth) continue to work overtime to keep us from living in His presence. But as long as we choose to abide, no force in this universe can separate us from His love!

“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,

Original Photo by doctor_bob - morgueFile

“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:33-39 (NASB)

Our loving heavenly Father has already paid the ultimate price in delivering His own Son over to be brutally tortured and killed on our behalf. What else more can He do to demonstrate His love. It seems to me that the appropriate response to our difficulties in life is not to respond by asking where God may have gotten to, or to wallow in our unworthiness, but to actively believe He is continually working on our behalf–even if we don’t see it. If we want faith that matters, this is where it starts!