A Spiritual Checkup (1)

'...The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive...' 1 Chronicles 28:9

The Psalmist prayed, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting' (Psalms 139:23-24 NKJV). If you're wise you'll visit your doctor and get regular physical checkups. You'll also go to God for regular spiritual checkups. In what areas? 1) Your salvation. 'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new' (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). Was there ever a time in your life when you repented of your sin and placed your trust in Jesus to save you? Have you surrendered to Him and made Him Lord of your life? 2) Your devotional life. 'I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day' (Psalms 119:97 NKJV). 'Your Word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it' (v. 140 NKJV). Do you read and meditate on God's Word each day? Are your personal devotions consistent and meaningful? Do you try to apply the principles of Scripture to each circumstance you're in? 3) Your humility. God says: '...I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones' (Isaiah 57:15 NKJV). Are you quick to recognise and agree with God when you have sinned? Are you quick to admit to others when you are wrong? Can you rejoice at others' successes, even when yours goes unnoticed? Do you esteem others as better than yourself? (Romans 12:10). Do you live with a sense of dependence upon God?

Are You Feeling Insecure? (3)

'The Lord...said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.'' Jeremiah 1:9

The people God calls usually start out feeling ill-equipped and insecure. Indeed, if you jumped up and said, 'No problem, Lord, I can handle that,' He wouldn't call you at all. You say, 'But I've made so many mistakes.' Everybody falls; the winners are just the ones who get back up again. 'The Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand' (Psalms 37:23-24 NIV). When Jeremiah told God that he had neither the competence nor confidence needed to do the job, God said to him what He says to us: 1) You are not going in your own authority. '...You must go to everyone I send you to...' (Jeremiah 1:7 NIV). Who's sending you, sponsoring you and sustaining you? God! What more do you need? 2) The message is not yours. 'You must...say whatever I command you' (v. 7 NIV). Don't agonise, compromise, rationalise or apologise. Just say what God told you to say and He will do the rest: '...For I am watching to see that My word is fulfilled!' (v. 12 NIV). 3) When God touches you, you're qualified. 'Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put My words in your mouth'' (v. 9 NIV). Be yourself; you can't be anybody else! You're not who others say you are; you're who God says you are! So you can do what God says you can do. Just get in agreement with Him.

Are You Feeling Insecure? (2)

'Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you...' Jeremiah 1:17

Are you embarrassed about your beginnings? Jeremiah was. He begins his book by listing the good people and the bad people in his background. Well, guess what? We all came from a less-than-perfect gene pool! We're all a mixed bag. So what should you do? Learn from those who did it the wrong way, and follow those who did it the right way. Discover the purpose God put you on earth for, and fulfil it. Keep the torch burning brightly, then hand it over to the next runner. Endeavour to finish strong and hear your 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' And watch what you say! The words you speak not only influence others, they influence you too. When Jeremiah told God that he wasn't the right age, God said, 'Don't say that!' When he complained that he was not a gifted speaker, God said, 'Don't say that either!' When he saw the size of the opposition his knees buckled, but God said, 'Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land-against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord' (vv. 17-19 NIV). And God didn't promise just to be with Jeremiah; He's promised to be with you.

Are You Feeling Insecure? (1)

'Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you...' Jeremiah 1:8

Jeremiah writes: 'Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you [set you apart]; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Then said I: "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." But the Lord said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and...said: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant...I am ready to perform My word'' (vv. 4-12 NKJV). Does the job you've been called to do seem too big for you? On your own, it is, but not when you include God! You're not working alone; God is with you. Whether it's to pull down or build up, the One who called you will equip you, empower you and give you success. He didn't make a mistake when He picked you. You say, 'If only I had the education, talent and experience of so-and-so.' If God wanted them, He'd have chosen them, but He chose you. Just be yourself, trust God, and everything will go well for you.

Expect Great Things from God

'...Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.' 1Samuel 7:12

The Bible says, 'Then Samuel took a stone...and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.'' As you end this year and look back, what do you see? Monuments to failure? Wasted opportunities? When it comes to your failures, God says, 'I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins' (Isaiah 43:25 KJV). When it comes to your wasted opportunities, God says, 'I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten...' (Joel 2:25 NKJV). A wise man said, 'If we do not learn from the past we are doomed to repeat it.' It's okay to look back and learn, but if you drive looking in the rearview mirror, you'll end up in a ditch. Whether good or bad, don't get stuck in the past. 'Say not thou, "What is the cause that the former days were better than these?" for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this' (Ecclesiastes 7:10 KJV). One of the dangers of growing old is that you become more excited about the past than you are about the future. A lady wrote to a newspaper editor and said, 'Your newspaper is not as good as it used to be.' He wrote back and quipped, 'It never has been.' God says, 'I know the plans I have for you...they are plans for good...' (Jeremiah 29:11 TLB). God has a plan for you this coming year. So, 'hats off to the past and coats off to the future!' Roll up your sleeves, go to work, and expect great things from God.

Prepare for Attack (2)

'...What saith my Lord unto his servant?' Joshua 5:14

Some issues are so crucial that until you have resolved them you cannot move forward or enjoy God's blessing in your life. Joshua faced such an issue when he stood before the towering walls of Jericho, the strongest city in the Promised Land and the first that had to be conquered. We read: '...When Joshua was by Jericho...he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man...with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua...said unto him, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" And he said, "Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, "What saith my lord unto his servant?" And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy." And Joshua did so' (vv. 13-15 KJV). So, what is your Jericho? What's the one big battle you must win in order to fulfil what God has planned for your life? Some battles can only be won on your knees. Before His victory at the cross, Christ, Who is our example, spent His hardest night in Gethsemane praying, '...Not my will, but Thine, be done' (Luke 22:42 KJV). Are you intimidated by the size of the challenge? Do you think you don't have what it takes? Does it feel like you have been going round in circles and getting nowhere? Take time out. Get alone with God, and stay in His presence until He gives you His plan. Then say yes to it, and He will empower you.

Prepare for Attack (1)

'But Paul shook the snake off...' Acts 28:5

Luke writes: 'The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper...fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god' (vv. 2-6 NIV). People's opinions are often fickle, so here's a response you need to adopt: 'Shake it off!' These people started out thinking Paul was an escaped criminal, and ended up thinking he was a god. Incredible! There is an important lesson here. Beware of those who change their mind about you when your circumstances change. Build your life on those who believe the best about you, and want to bring it out. Behind Paul's spectacular success in ministry you will find people who never stopped believing in him. He writes, 'Priscilla and Aquila...risked their lives for me...' (Romans 16:3-4 NIV). He called Epaphroditus '...my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier...who ministered to my need' (Philippians 2:25 NKJV). He says that Onesiphorus '...often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains' (2 Timothy 1:16 NIV). Look for such people; they'll bless you. And they're out there!