Knowing God by His Names ~ Righteousness 11
Knowing God by His Names – 11
Jehovah Tsidkenu ~ The LORD our Righteousness
* Key Verse:
‘In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD
our Righteousness.’ Jehovah-Tsidkenu Jeremiah 23:6
* Brief History: The prophet Jeremiah began his ministry during the reign of King Josiah. Till this time good kings and bad kings ruled the nation. Josiah being a good king, instituted taking down the idols of false gods and a great spiritual revival followed, this was until his untimely death. Those who followed in the seat of ruler ship, ‘did evil in the sight of Jehovah’. Conditions went from bad to worse. In short, God gave warnings, folks refused to listen and heed. Finally, Jeremiah again steps forward and states that God ‘will raise up to David a Righteous Branch, a King Who would reign and prosper and do judgment and justice in the earth, and bring peace and security to Israel, Who would be called Jehovah our Righteousness’. 1
Jehovah Himself is perfect righteousness, ( Deut. 32:4, Ps. 119:142,144, Ps. 129:4, Is. 45:21). In summary – in all His dealings, He is righteous. Being righteous, He can not overlook mans unrighteousness. The sinner is seen as guilty in the sight of God. Hang in there with me, there is hope! Apart from a substitute of offering, the shedding of blood, as seen in the O.T. law of sacrificial atonement, man was doomed. Here’s where it gets GOOD, let’s proceed.
Today’s focus: Righteousness, the word alone does NOT hold the same meaning today, as it did when Jeremiah spoke those words. In it’s true meaning, it is not a popular word in our culture. Yet without it, our happiness and state of being is at stake, because it involves being in right relationship with God. Ann Spangler states in her book Praying the Names of God, ‘Jesus and the writers of the New Testament stress that righteousness is not merely a matter of outward behavior but a matter of the heart – of thoughts, motives, and desires. The goal is not merely to do what God says but to become like Him.’
Soteriology, here’s a word for us. It is the doctrine of salvation. It comes from the Greek word, ‘soter’ meaning ‘savior’. There is a mind set that has been among us …. ‘if I could just get my foot in the door to heaven, I would be happy.’ BUT, those who think this way, do not have a clue what and WHO it takes to get that foot even close to the door. Salvation is not just mere fire insurance. In the widest sense, salvation is the total work of God on behalf of man, rescuing man from doom, the power of sin, bestowing His grace, abundant life to live today, and eternal life. (Eph. 1:3-8, 2:4-10; 1 Pet. 1:3-5, John 3:16)
Righteousness is God’s legal declaration of the believer at the time of his/her salvation. Based solely on the person and atoning death of Christ, establishing a new relationship with a holy God. 2 (Rom. 3:21-31). It is a free gift that is bestowed on us through …faith. Repentance takes us from faith to the feet of God, it is man acknowledging his need for salvation due to his unrighteousness.
He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf, (that’s you and me)
so that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus)
2 Cor. 5:21 NASB (parenthesis mine)
Righteousness has been defined in the simplest terms as, ‘right standing before God’. So, it is the atoning work of Christ at the moment of salvation, that gives us the right and ability to stand before God. Phew! just these statements alone have taken me days to get my head and hands around, at the dentist appointments, swim lessons, early morning study, and numerous articles and scripture read. Sit and read the book of Romans from a merely theological point of view, and your head spins with restoration, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, repentance, faith, regeneration, forgiveness, justification, sanctification, preservation – (deep breath) just to mention a few.
I feel it is safe to say, as I would to my 7 year old, righteousness is taking Jesus, and wrapping Him around me, so when God looks at me, all He sees is Jesus all over me, He doesn’t see DeDe, no longer a sinner, but one of God’s very own. Righteousness is not attained, but obtained.
‘But now a righteousness from God, apart
from law, has been made known, to which
the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21-22)
The term righteous (tsedek, pronounced tseh-dek) means ‘to be stiff, or ‘to be straight’ in the Hebrew. The word picture described is .non-bent or bending in a certain direction, (may I add, the wrong direction). Before we accept the atoning work of Christ, we are bent (some of us more than others – just kidding), He straightens us. Jesus is our Jehovah-Tsidkenu, our righteousness, our Straightner. The word of God, declares numerous times the way to go, straight and narrow… yet there are times, God inspired such scripture to show His sense of humor, Prov. 11:8 NRSV ‘The righteous are delivered from trouble, and the wicked get into it instead.’ Don’t you just love it! God is good!
Study Questions:
1. Ephesians 4:24 says… ‘put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’, verse 25 goes on to say ‘ therefore each of you must put off…’. Is there an area that you need to revisit and re-evaluate, that requires an exchange of old for new?
2. As in the day of Jeremiah, people went in and out of God’s favor due to their lack of obedience to Him. How is your obedience? If you were a king today, what would follow your name… would it be ‘he/she did evil in the sight of the LORD’ or ‘he/she did right in the sight of the LORD’?
3. Matthew 5:6 ‘Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled’. What are you hungering after? Do you desire more of God and His ways? Are you purposing to ‘be straight’ in your thinking, actions?
4. Challenge Question: Read 1 Timothy 6:6-12, Ask God for the grace to pursue a life of righteousness.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me LORD!)
Knowing God by His Names ~ Rock 12
Knowing God by His Names 12
Jehovah-Tsur ~ The LORD is My Rock
* Psalms 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
* Psalms 94:22 But the LORD has become my fortress and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
* Psalms 62:1-2 My souls waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, I shall not be greatly shaken.
* Today’s Focus:
Since this is a bible study, we are going to ‘dig’, go deep and do some research… follow along with me as we explore the Psalms and see Him as our ROCK!
I’d like us to participate in a short exercise, don’t worry – I’m not going to have you close your eyes and picture yourself standing in a meadow of flowers, listening to the soft breeze, (that is for another time, – just kidding). When I say the word . chair – what imagery comes to mind? Stop, think on that a moment. With a group of 10 people the word ‘chair’ can have 10 different images. For some the chair may mean, a wooden straight back type. Or possibly, a leather brown lazy boy, placed next to a roaring fire. Mine would be, an over stuffed soft pale yellow floral print, near a window, under a reading lamp. Even to maybe one, a chair may mean, small – uncomfortable fixed in tight facing the corner of a room.
This is why it is important to research the history, even the culture and meaning of a word for understanding the intent of the author at the time of his writing. This is what is known as Etymology – the study of the origins of words. It comes from the Greek word, ‘etymon’ meaning – original or true meaning. Also, we may go a step further, which is called Lexical Semantics, known as the study of how and what the words can denote, this lending to concepts or word pictures. Word pictures can truly become … ‘a picture is worth a thousands words’.
This is where we pick up our study today. In the above verses from Psalms, David uses ‘imagery’ to describe his God. The LORD is my Rock, Jehovah-Tsur . We will go to the original Hebrew, and possibly see the Rock as seen by David and others.
The word David chooses to use in these verses, is ‘tsur’ (or sur), the Strong’s describes it as, a rock or boulder, a refuge, also an edge as a precipice. It is large, solid – room enough to stand. It can also be translated ‘strength’ as found in Psalms 18:2 (KJV) ‘The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, (sur) in whom I will trust…’ We will see that verse again.
The concept of the rock as a refuge is fascinating, in that it can imply ’emergency’ refuge. An example…picture with me, the event of Elijah, (1 Kings 19) he is running, worn out, the Lord comes to him and speaks encouragement. Verse 12, ‘after the fire came, a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then the voice said to him, ‘what are you doing here, Elijah?’ The wording in the Hebrew suggests a specific cave… the very cave where Moses saw the glory of God pass before him, (Exodus 33:21-23)
Then the LORD said, “There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
The rock, providing shelter, protection, a ‘platform’ (if you will) for an encounter with Jehovah. He too can be our ‘hiding place’ a solid form of protection. Psalms 91:1 ‘he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and Psalms 32:7 ‘You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.’ There is wisdom in taking shelter, Proverbs 22:3 ‘the prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on and are punished for it’.
The majority of the terrain of the country when these Psalms were written was flat, and rocky. David spoke of what he knew. Today if we were to write and describe our God likened to David’s imagery, one might say ‘God is my steel framed pillar full of rebar, One Whom can withstand the elements and no weapon can penetrate.’
Speaking in architectural terms, ‘every structure must have a foundation’. The rock foundation of our faith. Ephesians 2:18-22 (NIV) states that Jesus is that foundation. HE is the corner stone that sustains the whole structure. The foundation at times may determine a structures ability to withstand the storms, tests of time etc.
For through Him (Jesus) we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (NLT)
I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea on dry ground. As followers of Moses, they were all baptized in the cloud and the sea. And all of them ate the same miraculous food, and all of them drank the same miraculous water. For they all drank from the miraculous rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
There is a theological word… that too comes into play with ‘word imagery’, known as ‘theophoric names’. These are names which include or derive from the name of God. Example… Daniel, – meaning God (el) has judged or judge of God. Today when deciding on a name for a child, some may refer to a book and find one that sounds nice, appealing or go with the going trend. Rarely do we regard or consider the meaning of that name. In bible times, many were named according to family line or as a prophetic statement, also character traits desired in the child. In the book of Numbers (1:6, 3:35) we find two folks with names expressing God as their rock… Zurishaddai (meaning my rock is Shaddai or rock of Almighty) and Zuriel (meaning my rock is El or rock of God). How would it be or how would we carry ourselves if we too carry the name of God…. we may not have such names as previously mentioned… (long and hard to pronounce) but we indeed do carry the name of God… Christian, a character trait… follower of Christ. When a word has the ‘suffix’ of ‘ian’ it implies association with the beginning of the word. We are in association and known for Christ.
A word picture offered from Psalms 18:1-2 is that of the process of becoming strong, to strengthen. The word used here for strength is (hezeq) denoting such. So it is, that as we are founded on the rock, we are growing stronger, and take refuge in the process.
I love You, O LORD, my strength
The LORD is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in
Whom I take refuge.
Much of what we see of David, was his greatest desire to live in God’s presence. Each day of his life, every aspect of God’s character surrounding him. God as a ROCK symbolizes His sheer strength, ability to protect, His solidness. The Psalms are peppered with praise and adoration, explore these, hear and sense God as the One whom we too can run, find shelter, stand solidly on!
May we echo the words of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:2 ‘There is no One holy like the LORD. Indeed there is no One besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God’.
Study Questions: (only 3 this week, pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you as YOUR Rock)
1. When thinking of a ‘rock’ what first comes to mind? Is it a pebble size, or large and inviting to come and rest upon. How would you describe the Lord as YOUR rock?
2. Psalms 62:2 says ‘He alone is my rock and my salvation…’. When you are faced with a hard task, or frustrated situation, to whom do you go? Where do you seek comfort, strength?
3. Psalms 94:22, says ‘the LORD has become my fortress and my God the rock…’ now – couple that with Psalms 27:8 ‘ My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, LORD I will seek.’. Knowing at times, it is a process to get your feet solidly on the foundation that will not be moved… what are you going to do about beginning that process or even sustaining it?
Resources used in this study: Wikipedia Website; Reading O.T. Terminology; Lexicon of Greek Names; Names of Christ – by T.C. Horton/Charles E. Hurlburst; Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, Theological Dictionary of the N.T.; The Strong’s Concordance; The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament; The Vines Expository Dictionary; The New Bible Dictionary; The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament; Complete Jewish Bible, New American Standard; New International Version; King James Version; Young’s Literal Translation; New Revised Standard Version.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me LORD!)
Knowing God by His Names ~ Presence 13
Knowing God by His Names – 13
Jehovah-Shammah ~ The LORD is There
Key Verse: Ezekiel 48: 35b ‘And the name of the city will be: The LORD is There.’
Brief History – Context of name used in Scripture: Ezekiel was born during the reign of King Josiah (his prophetic messages are dated approximately 593-571 for you history buffs). Ezekiel was born of a priestly lineage, and raised in the temple environment. The beginning of his ministry he proclaimed that Jerusalem and the Temple would fall to destruction due to the sins of the Israelites. Following these events taking place, Ezekiel again gave a prophetic word, describing a time when God’s
Temple and the city will be rebuilt. The last verse of Ezekiel is a prophetic statement revealing that the name of the Holy City would be ‘The LORD is There’ {Jehovah-Shammah}. This not only being a name for the New Jerusalem, (noting – most commentators agree that this vision has not yet been fulfilled), but this is a name that reveals much about the nature and character of God Himself. As Nathan Stone writes, ‘it is the most fitting name with which to climax the Old Testament revelation of God.’ Yahweh, Jehovah desires relationship, to … be with us.
Israel had been known for following and worshipping a God that dwelt in their midst. In the cloud by day, and the pillar of Fire by night, (Deut. 1:33) between the Cherubim in the Most Holy of Holies, (Ex. 26:33, 1 Kings 8:6, 1 Sam. 4:4). Track with me as we dig deeper, and explore God dwelling, His presence with us.
Let us again, look at the Hebrew wording… the word Shammah, (or sham) meaning basically…’there’, but you know me, I can not stop ‘there’… (sorry for the pun), here is where it gets interesting…. it comes from the root word, ‘asher’ (an adverb) denoting the summing up (if you will) of where, when, how and what… so the LORD will be or dwell …. in our what, our where, our when, and our how. I’d like us to look at a New Testament word, that likens to this…. the word is ‘mesos’, translated from the Greek – meaning midst or with…. it is all encompassing, denoting .enveloping from within… Matthew 18:20 ‘… where two or three come together in My name, there I am in the midst of them’. The LORD is there… can you in a sense see Him pointing His finger… there I am… right there, as He taps us on our shoulders all around the group, heads down and bowed. The same root word is used in Matthew 28:20 ‘… and be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ We can follow up that verse with, Heb. 13:5 ‘Never will I leave you or forsake you.’
GODISNOWHERE for many of us, we may interpret this to read ‘God is No Where’, we have lost sight of Him during times of trouble, sickness, financial trials, ‘guilt from sin’ – spiritual dullness, dryness. 1 Isaiah 29:13 says ‘…These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.’ We are the ones who are far off. As one author writes ‘when we take God for granted, we diminish His role in our life.’ Put God back where He should be and place the proper dividing lines and read it again…GOD IS NOW HERE, completely different perspective isn’t it.
David addressed this in Psalms 139, he had come to a place, where he was understanding the interaction God had in his life, from the beginning, to his present circumstance, also that he was unable (as with all of us) to escape and run from God’s presence. Have you too felt like running from God? Well, put your packed bags down… it aint gonna happen. ‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?’ (verse 7).
Genesis 1:2 ‘the Spirit of God hovered over…’, God is Omnipresent, a large word for ‘everywhere all the time’. It has been defined also as ‘God being wholly present in every part of His domain at the same instant’. God wants so bad to be with us… He has gone from hovering, to dwelling in the cloud, the fire, residing in the Temple, then …sending His Son…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth’, (John 1:15). Let’s bring this down, so we can get our hands and head around it….this Presence is now in the believers – as living temples of God.
‘Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own.’ (1 Cor. 6:19 The Amplified)
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. (2 Cor. 6:16 NASB)
Just as Israel of the Old Testament, the Church, the body of Christ, is also called the habitation of God. He is in me, and in you, and in the pastor dripping with the five fold ministry. How exciting to know, that God’s presence has pursued us…. may we know Him as our ever present, Presence. May He stamp us with ‘God is There’.
Study Questions:
1. Psalms 46:1 says ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of need.’ It can be translated to read… Our God is abundantly available for help in tight places. Are you in a tight place, and wondering where is God? He is near…. now call to Him.
2. The eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, Sovereign God, dwells in us, we in essence are ‘God carriers’. Knowing this, is there an area of your life, a habit that needs addressing? (I know, now God is really messing with you).
3. Has there been a time in your life when God has revealed Himself to you as Jehovah-Shammah? This week share with someone, how the God of the Universe has made Himself known to you in a real way.
Resources used in this study: 1 Jehovah Shammah – article by Scott Snowden (Green Valley Christian Church), Exploring the Old Testament – by Samuel J. Schultz & Gary V. Smith; The Names of God – by Lester Sumrall; Names of God – by Nathan Stone; Reading O.T. Terminology; Lexicon of Greek Names; Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, Theological Dictionary of the N.T.; The Strong’s Concordance; The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament; The Vines Expository Dictionary; The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Translations Used: New American Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, Young’s Literal Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Amplified Bible. For devotional insight – The Message.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me LORD! – with Your ever abiding presence)
Knowing God by His Names ~ Jesus 14
Knowing God by His Names – Jesus
Jesus ~ Yeshua (Yahweh, He is Savior)
* Key Verse: Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)
* Today’s Focus: This week we wrap up the 14 week study, we have taken just a glimpse at the wonderful names of our LORD. I can not think of a better way to conclude this study then take even a closer step forward, and literally stand at the feet of Jesus. I have had women praying for me, for this particular weeks study. I so desperately want to do Him justice – investigate and proclaim Him as He really is. Just the name alone is a large task, then add in the power and authority that accompanies the identity of Jesus – wow!
In today’s culture, the name Jesus, for the majority, flippantly flies off our tongues, without a second thought. For some, they use it in vain, for others, used habitually only in routine, ‘in Jesus name, Amen’. I have known a few, who see Jesus and the use of His name as a ‘I want it, to get it, use it’ mentality, like a magic wand waved over their desires. Yet, there are those, to them the name is precious, intimate and spoken with respect. Here is where we too, stand today. All the names studied to this point have described God, Who and what He does, I would propose they all culminate into one name…. Jesus Christ.
According to the New Testament all of God is expressed and displayed in Jesus. ‘For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form’ (Col. 2:9). Jesus, Himself said in John 14:9 ‘he who has seen Me has seen the Father’. In Acts 2:36, and Acts 17:3, it explicitly says that Jesus is the Christ. He is the long awaited Messiah, whom over 100 prophecies were fulfilled (that alone is a study in itself), stating – ‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’
* Meaning and Historical Usage:
Both Joseph (Matt. 1:21) and Mary (Luke 1:31) were instructed at different times to name the Son of God, Jesus. I am amazed at the wisdom of God in this, no confusion, no arguments, the decision whether to name Him – Amminadab or Jeconiah, no it HAD to be Jesus. There was nothing unusual or outstanding about the name. It was a common name, and many Jewish parents named their boys Jesus, up until the second century. In some cultures the name is still popular. It takes the Person behind the name to unveil the true impact of the name.
The name Jesus is Iesous in the Greek, (ee-ya-sooce) being used 972 times, meaning ‘salvation’. It comes from the Hebrew word Yeshua or Y’shuah, the name in which Joshua is derived. In short, it is a compound name, Yah, (Yahweh/Jehovah) – yasha (savior, deliverer) Jehovah our Savior. The name speaks of His mission and purpose to man kind, ‘to seek and save the lost’ (Lk. 19:10)
Andrew Murray a well known Theologian says ‘a name is a word or expression in which a person is represented to us.‘ The name and title of Jesus varies as we progress through the New Testament. The disciples knew Him first as Jesus, then the Messiah (Christ). Thus prior to His resurrection He was primarily known as Jesus Christ. After His resurrection, He often was referred to as Christ Jesus. Paul first knew Jesus from a heavenly perspective, (Acts 9:1-6) his experience reverse to those of the disciples, he was faced with His Lordship, then knew Him in an intimate way as Jesus. He frequently uses Christ Jesus in his writings. Even Stephen calls out when he was being stoned, ‘Lord Jesus!’ (Acts 7:59).
There is a divine release every time the name of Jesus is used in a godly manner. ‘At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.’ (Phil. 2:10-11) When there is a bowing of knee and heart, we are in what I call God space. The world and all it has to offer ceases to exist – if only for a short moment. There is amazing power and authority in the name. Jesus declares 17 times ‘in my name…’
Believers gather – Matt. 18:20
Welcome a child – Mark 9:37
Receive a person in need – Mark 9:41
Request for divine provision – John 14:13
Holy Spirit is sent – John 14:26
We see the disciples operating in the anointing of the Spirit through the name of Jesus, Acts 3:6-7, Peter heals the crippled man, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the hand, he helped him up and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong’.
We are also baptized in the name of Jesus, this is found in what I call the ‘Peter Package’ Acts 2:38, ‘Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’, (see also Acts 10:48). Baptism identifies us with Jesus and with the community of believers. We are going down in the waters dead to self, coming up alive in the character of Christ, we now share in the benefits of the fullness of God, yet also carry the responsibly of that name. Go, do, be in MY name!
Getting Serious:
Satan does NOT want people to find out about the true worth of the name of Jesus. He is afraid of the name. ‘Signs will accompany those who believe. In My name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new tongues.’ (Mark 16:17) He knows, so he does everything in his power – so we will not. Charles Stanley writes, ‘Satan is capable of deceiving you, craftily manipulating you, and seducing you… he’s going to come back again and again. Paul didn’t just admonish us to be strong in the Lord-he told us how to be strong’.
We are told to put on the full amour of God, (Eph. 6:10-18) in doing this we are wrapping ourselves in the name and identity of Jesus Christ. When we speak the name of Jesus and stand clothed in His nature… we are telling the devil, ‘you have to go through Jesus to get to me! Whaoo! What an awesome thing to shove in Satan’s face! Let’s do more ‘shoving’… feel free – shove away! Declare ‘in Jesus name – I am a child of the King – get back and take a hike!’ (ok, so I get a little excited!) James 4:7 (1 Pet. 5:8-9) ‘Resist the devil and he will flee’. Most of the time, we cower in defense, SO many Christians are sitting in defeat….let’s stand and take an aggressive offense!
I dare to be so bold as to say, that the picture of Jesus has become so distorted that at times we still see Him on the canvas painting (and leave Him there) … picture the painting seen most often of Him, standing at the door knocking, dressed in His white rob, with a soft facial expression (true of Him) BUT … NOW…. when you need Him most, to fight against an area that you struggle with …. picture what is found in Revelations chapter 5… He is standing… beside the throne of God, all saints and angels bow and cry out Worthy, Worthy is the Lamb… awesome! I’m not done yet…. now we go to chapter 19… Jesus is now seen not as the slain Lamb, BUT the Victorious Warrior… (vv.11-16) ‘He sat on a white horse… His eyes are a flame of fire….He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, His name is the Word of God, on His thigh is written KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS!’ Hebrews 13:8 ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.‘ Now… Who do you want in your corner!
YOU are a daughter of the KING…. YOU are a son of the KING…. of the Most High God… and you know … it says in the Epistles – that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father…. BUT —- He does not hesitate to get up… from the throne, and DO BUSINESS! Ps. 68:1 says ‘let God ARISE… let His enemies be scattered’ as He stands, everything and everyone take notice… allow Jesus to ‘arise’ on your behalf… speak His name, if only as a whisper, allow it to grow to a loud declaration!
One Last Thought:
Listed among the 10 Commandments, is the command to ‘not misuse the name of the LORD your God’, (Ex. 20:7), ‘Lotish et Shem YHWH Eloheicha I’shav’, in the Hebrew, it can be translated ‘do not make His name worthless’. Stop… Pause…think on that. May we know Jesus so intimately, His name precious on our tongue. Oh too, that we would ‘know Him that is true’ (1 John 5:20) may we (know) ‘ginosko’ Him, to become fully acquainted by experience our Lord Jesus Christ.
I would encourage you, spend an afternoon, thumbing through your bible, looking up all the references that refer to ‘in Jesus name’, it is astounding.
Study Questions: (Peeking further at qualities and names Christ is known for)
1. Look up Revelations 3:14 ‘These are the words of the __________, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation’. (NIV) Notice the words are in red, Who is speaking and what name does He attribute to Himself? This name meaning ‘it is done, so be it’. So as you stand in Jesus name, you take on ‘all’ His names and qualities. He is the final authority on any situation or circumstance we may encounter.
2. 1 Cor. 1:24 says that ‘Christ is the power of God…’ meaning Jesus is extraordinary force or supernatural power. The word is ‘dunamis’ in the Greek…. now look up these verses…. Mark 9:39, Acts 2:22, 1 Cor. 12:10, see the word ‘miracle’ – it is the same Greek word (dunamis). It would be safe to translate, 1 Cor. 1:24 to also read, ‘that Christ is the Miracle of God.’ Is there an area of your life that you NEED Jesus to be your miracle… call on His name, the power of God.
3. Same verse, 1 Cor. 1:24, continues on to say that ‘Christ is the Wisdom of God’, this wisdom is ‘sophia’ in the Greek. Wisdom is practical, knowing how to do something that needs to be done. James 1:5 says… ‘if any one lacks wisdom let him ask of God’. Faced with a situation you do not know how to handle? Seek Jesus, the ‘wisdom’ – ‘the practical solution – how to work it out’ of God.
Extended Challenge:
For a better understanding of the phrase ‘in’ Jesus name…. go to the book of Ephesians… starting in chapter one, read slowly each phrase where it says… In Him or In Christ…. allow the Spirit to show you all the privileges you now have as a child of God. All the while noting what Jesus did to give you those privileges. Continue on to the end of the book, I would challenge you to read it from a couple different translations, possibly finishing up with The Message, to give a devotional feel.
Personal Note: What a joyous journey full of intrigue, and insight through this study, I pray you too were challenged by the multiple names of our One God. Continue on.. get to know Him intimately by the names He reveals to YOU through His word… Savior, Alpha & Omega, Hope of Glory, Bread of Life, Purifier, Lamb of God………….on and on.
Resources used in this study: Living & Praying in the Name of Jesus – by Dick Eastman & Jack Hayford; Article – Restoration of the Sacred Name (Author Unknown); Article – How Did the Name Jesus Originate? – by Dr. Lee Warren, B.A.,D.D.; He Shall be Called – By Robert J. Morgan; When the Enemy Strikes – by Charles Stanley; The Name of Jesus – by Kenneth E. Hagin; Lexicon of Greek Names; Theological Dictionary of the N.T.; The Strong’s Concordance; The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament; The Vines Expository Dictionary; The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Translations Used: Complete Jewish Bible, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, Young’s Literal Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Amplified Bible. For devotional insight – The Message.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 ‘You thrill me LORD!’ – Keep thrilling – in Jesus Name! )
Broken for Good
Broken for Good
OH the pain! The past few weekends we have been working on getting our wood cut and ready for the winter months. Yesterday we split close to 3 cords. My hubby’s new toy is a gas powered splitter. All the guys are grunting with glee!
This puppy can do the job! HOWEVER, it still has to be managed. You would think, due to it’s price tag, the machine would grab a log, split it, roll it, split again and gift wrap it AND nicely place it on the stack. BUT NO!
Our youngest son is up in the trailer, he rolls the log down to David, where David places the log on the splitter, as we roll it for multiple splits, it is then my job to stand as close as I can to it (while straddling the wheel) and ‘clear the shoot’. I grab, then throw the pieces off to the side, where our teen age son, then stacks it.
My body is so stinkin sore today, I do believe I will never move or operate the same again.
As I stood there listening to Avalon on my headset, I began to see the process of the ‘breaking’ of the wood. Many of the pieces were sleek, straight logs, they went through quickly and with out any problems. Then there were the ones FULL of knots. As we plunked that hummer down on the holding bed, the gas powered hammer came with great force. The wood was butted up against the back panel, the hammer pressed right into the middle of the wood. It continued to amaze me, that regardless of the aim of the hammer, we never really knew where the break would come.
The breaking made some awful sounds at times, there were creaking, cracking and then those deep ‘Sci Fi channel’ moans and groans. Each piece that came off the holding bed now looked distinctly different from before it met the splitter. One particular log, was very large in diameter, I counted 19 pieces of split wood from that one log.
The purpose as you know is to take the log and create it by cutting, splitting and forming it to be of use. We could NOT take that tree, and put it in our wood stove… it would indeed be useless to us … in that form.
The Lord has been speaking to me about ‘brokenness’. How being broken can create us, form us to be of HIS use. Sure – we can be a great tree, tall and years of growing getting us to that place. Withstanding even terrible storms at times. We become a place of strength, offering shade and shelter for others. However, there are other uses yet to come to life. He now needs us to be in a different form. The ‘forming, cutting, breaking’ process can bring us to a place of being broken for good. Not as in final, but good in the hands of the Potter, or in this case the Splitter.
King David shares a time in his life when he too is ‘broken’. The prophet Nathan has come to him and pointed out his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. David’s heart is convicted and he is so aware that God can not continue to use him in this condition – he repents, and comes before God. Psalm 51, verse 10 David cries out “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me.” He continues in verse 17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
David should know. If you have observed any of his life, he was up – down, in – out in his obedience to God. Yet, he loved the Lord. It is David that pens “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” Psalm 18:1-2
I believe David not only wanted to be right with God, he wanted what God had in store for him, the next phase of his life if you will. It is David’s heart and spirit, the seat of his emotions, his mind and his will where God wanted to form something in and through him. He then sought brokenness. He sought God’s presence. He placed himself in a position to receive God’s mercy.
What is it to be broken, to have a contrite heart before the Lord? This is what I asked the Lord as I began to ponder it. It is not only recovering and being restored from a sinful choice or habit. It is the chiseling away at the hard and stony places of our heart. That knotting spot in the wood.
First we see that a broken spirit is acceptable to God.
The process? This breaking in the Hebrew is not just a crack, a fragment here or there, only to deface. But it is literally to burst in pieces, to shatter, (here’s the really painful part) to crush. The same Hebrew thought is given when Moses came down off the Mountain and saw what was going on with the children of Israel; remember the dancing and the golden calf? It says that Moses took the tablets of God and threw them, breaking them in to pieces (Ex.32:19). The pieces were so many, that it could not be repaired, God gave Moses new tablets. O that God would give us a new heart. And He does.
A few weeks ago, I was driving through rush hour traffic, WAIT – may I rephrase that… I was STUCK in rush hour traffic. At this time, every one of the fruit of the Spirit was put to the test in and through me. There definitely was NO patience operating. Love had indeed gone out the window, kindness along with it. Joy was no where to be found. Goodness was only a memory. It was then, that I heard the Lord speak to me… (in my heart) “You need to be broken”. I was surprised by this, I told the Lord, “I was, I had been, I am…” It was His response that has caused me on this new journey of brokenness. He said “No, you can still stand on your own”. CRUSH! GROAN!
I have observed in others and found in my own experience that if we choose and step in line for a walk of brokenness, it is a hefty amount better than it being forced on us (can I hear an AMEN!)
Charles Spurgeon said, “If we chasten our own spirits the Lord will spare us, He never breaks with the rod of judgment those who are already sore with the rod of conviction.”
For many of us, the painful part of being broken is the first initial stance of surrender. It is coming to terms that there is something-Someone bigger than us. Seeing and understanding just how tiny we are to the BIG SomeOne. We find in 1 Peter 5:5-6 “… God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.”
I believe humility brings us to a place before God, but being willing to be broken will KEEP us there and stay the course. Staying under God’s mighty hand – that is where the bruising comes, the crushing, and the breaking of the wood (if you will). O but the forming is sweet. Psalm 34:8, again David writes “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. The Lord is close. What David is saying is not only is God near by, but the word picture is that of ‘ready at hand’. The Lord knows EXACTLY what is going on. He is ready to love, guide, extend mercy and grace, and save. Save… love this word. It is taking us from a tight and narrow place, and placing us in wide open spaces. As Peter writes… “that He (God) will lift you up in due time”.
David writes too, in Psalm 139 verse 5 “you hem me in – behind and before; you laid your hand upon me”. Oh to be so loved by God that He purposely surrounds us, brings us in close for a season. When the timing is right -releases us just a bit. To soar. “They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Is. 40:31)
Isaiah 57:15
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One,
says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose
spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of
the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
I see it not only as a challenge to invite the process of being broken before the Lord, but also an opportunity. A dear friend recently reminded me, that once we pray those prayers of “Oh Lord, do in me what You will – break me Lord, and change my heart.” That is indeed, our voluntarily climbing up on the wood splitter, and having Him apply pressure, and cracking us, forming us. Yes, there are those ‘O GOD!’ moments… those ‘groanings that cannot be expressed in words’ (Ro. 8:26) But the outcome, is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. Useful, for Him… broken for good.
Are you in a tight and uncomfortable place? In due time. His time. He will release that powerful hammer, and you will roll off the holding bed, new and useful, affective. Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”.
May we all have a new understanding, that we were created for Him. “For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Ro. 11:36)
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”. (Eph. 2:10)
Have a God-loving, inviting the pressure for good results – week…
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me, LORD…)
Waiting
Waiting
Recently I was standing in the doctor’s office, while the nurse prepared to take the stitches out of my youngest son’s hand. Believe it or not he was bit by a horse. Before you think, ‘THAT MEAN OLD HORSE!’ He was not holding the grass properly as he feed him and his finger got in the way. Before we left the car to walk into the doctor’s office he was hesitant. He drug his feet as we walked across the parking lot. As we sat in the waiting room, I thought for sure the little guy was going to burst out in tears! Now, sitting on that padded table with the noisy white paper, the look on his face would melt any mom’s heart.
As the nurse took Matthew’s hand, he whimpered ‘ouch!’ Oh it didn’t hurt mind you. He had himself so worked up, that just the ‘built up expectation’ of the stitches pulling caused what he thought was pain. I had assured him, this was part of the healing process, and not to be afraid (sure easy for you to say mom!)
NOW – just yesterday, I sat in the same doctor’s office with my other son, as he too received stitches. This 14 year old decided throwing a large rock into other large rocks and watching them crumble was a good and fun idea, until a slice of rock hit him in the leg. O Joy! Now as he sit there waiting for his leg to numb, it was my job as a mom, to crack as many jokes as I could to clam him down.
Waiting… it really is not easy is it. Whether it is for something we can’t wait to get to or just the opposite, something we REALLY could choose to avoid. How many of us drag ourselves across the parking lot of life every now and then?
I have had an expectancy (an excitement of sorts) in my heart and spirit lately, not really knowing what it is, I have asked the Lord to show me what is needed to see it (whatever it is) come to pass. His answer? ‘Wait’. Well… hm… I was actually hoping for more Lord. But again …‘Wait’. Alrighty then… wait we will do. I do not ‘wait’ quietly or sit with folded hands. I pulled out my bible and looked to see what God had to say to me on waiting.. if this is what I was suppose to do, then I better make sure I make good use of my time. Cards anyone? (just kidding)
There is much to be said about sitting tight, and not getting out there ahead of God, if you will allow me to use that analogy. The verse that spoke the loudest to me (ever have the word of God lovingly SCREAM at you) is Isaiah 40:31.
they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)
As I studied the first line of this verse, I was amazed. I found that if we can get the first part, the rest will fall into place. There will be great soaring, running and not a lot of pooping out, our walk would be in such a way, that we would not find ourselves fallen in a heap on the ground. Been there, done that!
Wait. It is NOT an ‘idle’ term. There are those who may use this for an excuse as a laziness of spirit ‘yes, I am waiting on GOD!’ (said with a southern preachers drawl) and they have been there for … what? A few years now. No growth, no taking a step out, and definitely no victories in life.
I LOVE the picture the Hebrew word denotes… meaning a confident expectation. I might add… that is an EAGER expectation. The word is ‘qawah’ (pronounced ‘kaw-vaw’) , it literally means, (now catch this…) to bind together, twisting strands as in making a rope. We are binding ourselves to God. Other translations use words as hope and trust. I thought cool, I can do this. THEN, one resource had to throw in, ‘waiting involves the very essence of a person’s being’– meaning I am going to allow my expectation to be wrapped so tight around God, that HE affects my thoughts, my feelings, and my will. I will then respond appropriately. OUCH! Now the Holy Spirit is messing with me!
Waiting involves ‘seeking’. It is that ‘draw near to God, and He will draw near to you’ (James 4:8) Waiting is pro-active and taking courage Ps. 27:14 ‘wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Also it is good to wait and full of right choices Ps. 25: 21 ‘Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You’. And waiting is … getting serious! Ps. 130:5-6 ‘ I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning’. (THAT is pretty serious).
What are the results of eager expectation in God as we allow ourselves to be wrapped and twisted with Him? Renewed strength. This ‘renew’ means to ‘strike through’, like that of new growth on what seemed to be a dying tree, (ever felt like a dying tree?). It also gives the idea of changing a garment. Colossians 3:10 ‘put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator’. The word Paul chooses to use for ‘renewed’ is an architectural term, meaning renovation ….remodel… as we wait on God in a sense we are being remodeled on the inside. It is the taking down walls, ripping out fixtures, and please replacing the old wall paper with a fresh coat of paint.
But it doesn’t stop there (that’s good! – remodeling can be ugly) as we wait on God, we have renewed … strength. What I like about this word is, it is progressive present tense… fancy wording for… it is NOW and ongoing! It is stronger and getting stronger (AMEN!) it is increasing in capacity, now having the ability to do something – being productive — actually having results. Isn’t God GOOD!
So yes… I wait. Being serious and seeking after God in a courageous way that I exchange the old for the new, weak for stronger.
I really must stop here and share what the Lord has done for me. I had intended to send this out a few days ago, but God has a way of getting my attention, and that is usually by way of what I am studying and teaching, THEN presenting a life scenario for opportunity to see it happen. The technique He generally uses is either rubbing it in my heart or as He did yesterday…the ‘smacking’ my head against the door frame of prayer because I did NOT bend low enough. Anyone relate?
I had a situation that came up that REALLY needed prayer, wisdom and some good old humbling on my part. I sought some counsel, and asked for prayer. I told the Lord, I know I am looking at ‘waiting’ but I NEED this NOW! Which I did, I needed it that very evening. The Lord showed me, ‘waiting’ may not be done in matters of counting minutes or crossing off days on the calendar. It is making room for Him to work. Like sitting on a bench and clearing off the spot next to you and saying ‘sit here’ and coach me through this game plan.
This I have learned is ‘waiting’. Taking the time to invite Jesus Christ into our moment (however long those moments may linger). When we do, we are strengthen because now He is on our bench calling the plays.
And as for the wisdom I was needing, yes God showed up beyond my wildest imagination (and I have a dandy of an imagination). As I strapped on my worship music and went walking this morning, there were tears in my eyes, I found myself in a ‘whahooo’ moment, I was up off that bench cheering and now dancing circles, the Lord didn’t say much (not that I gave Him opportunity) but I KNOW He sat there smiling at me. And strength? O Lord thank you! ‘Adonai Hu HaElohim’ (The Lord He is God)
Let’s pray…
Father, we wait for You. As You welcome us with open arms, You graciously take a seat with us, help that this would indeed affect our whole being, body – soul and spirit. Strengthen us. May there be growth where there was none before. May we soar, run and walk with newness . We are careful to give You all the glory. As we embrace You even tighter in our ‘whahoo moments’. In Jesus most powerful name. Amen.
Have a God-loving not sitting idle but waiting on Him, week.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me LORD…)
.
Pick Up That Petticoat and RUN!
Pick Up That Petticoat and RUN!
The other day I was visiting with my sister, and all of a sudden I began to giggle, she stopped and said ‘what?’ I said, “Sherrie, talking to you is like I have to pick up my petticoat and run!’ I wasn’t being rude (I think – it was just the mental picture I was having) but she gets so excided and jumps from topic to topic it is hard to track with her sometimes. I told her, remember the olden days… (no not the 1970’s … OLDER!) Back in the covered wagon days, when the gals would wear petticoats and bonnets. If they wanted to run and play or keep up with the wagon train they had to pick up those petticoats and take off running.
That is how it is with her at times, just when I think I know where she is going in the conversation (smack!) she is off in another direction, or (smack!) the topic has taken a severe twist. I dare NOT allow my mind to wonder because the train has left and I am all alone! So I have to gather my things and take off running just to keep up.
Later the Lord shared with me, this is how we are to be with HIM! No not that He runs so far ahead that we get lost trying to find Him. He moves on!
Have you ever ‘sat’ and tried to figure out something the Lord is teaching you (granted He may leave us there for quite a while in the process of learning) but there are times, just when you think ‘I can do this’, (smack!) He’s moved on, there are other things to learn, other areas to work on.
I am learning to not become too comfy where I am in God, because (smack!) We are on the move! Psalms 119 (yep the biggie of the Psalms) is one of my favorites. There is so much good stuff in there. One verse (32) says ‘I run the path of your commands for you have set my heart free!’ There is much to be ‘freed’, and His word has freeing power…. Run hard after it!
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not
grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Where the Lord is there is hope, we just need to place ourselves in His path and once on His path there is a whole lot of ‘soaring … running… and walking going on.
The writer of Ecclesiastes (chapter 3) may add to the list of ‘a time to…’ may I suggest, ‘a time to rest and hold tight and a time to run, run hard after your God!’
Is your mind wondering and you don’t have a clue what is being said, (by the Lord) or were you out picking wild flowers when the ‘move out’ call was yelled. Pick up your petticoat and run… Run hard after your God! See and enjoy where He takes you!
Have a God-loving, running hard … week!
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me, LORD …)
Friendship
Friendship
This last week, I had the most awesome privilege of being reminded of how important and beautiful friendship can be. Friendship has a vast frame work of potential in our lives. For me personally, I have some old friends (not the age mind you – well… that too… totally kidding) but in the extent of time knowing them. I recently met with my dearest friend Deanna from high school over lunch. I told her, ‘you know you are getting old when you can honestly say, you have known someone for over 30 years’ (yikes!) She and I met when we were 12. We have experienced so much over the years, we were cheerleaders together, (that was a real hoot), we found the Lord at the same age, were in each others weddings, and of course at the hospital when our children were born. She and her husband are the God parents to David and I’s sons.
Now at the age of…. um…. 40 something, we sat at the table and just laughed! Talked for 3 hours. She taught me how to ‘text message’… I am quite sure it was very amusing to see two semi-middle aged women hovering over their cell phones with glee. Yes … friendship.
God has also placed in my life another small group of gals, that are just pure joy to be around, they make me laugh, and stretch me to ‘relax’, put the books down and ‘chill out’. I NEED that, I NEED them.
Then I have friends whom I would call ‘covenant’ friends. Those who ‘know’ me and would love me beyond any disappointments, and take concern to the level of action, AND allow me the opportunity to grow in Jesus. We have laughed together and cried together. These are the women that can look me in the eye and see pain, joy, conviction, even anointing.
Recently in one of our bible studies, (by Beth Moore) we looked at the relationships Jesus had, and how we too can pattern ourselves after Him. He had the multitude, the 72, the 12, and then the ‘3’. Then ultimately just He and His Father. All these categories are very important to us. It struck a cord with me, when she explained the ‘3’. Jesus had Peter, James and John. They got to experience so much more of Christ, because He allowed it. But the most interesting factor to me, in their relationship was in the Garden of Gethsemane. They went just so far with Jesus. He asked them to ‘stay here, and pray’ and the word says, ‘while He went on further still’. Oh the ‘further still’ of God… been there? Want that? Jesus went into a very intense time with the Father, His heart was in anguish, He in a sense wrestled with what was in His immediate future, just He and God, in the ‘further still’ moment. But He left those, the closest to Him just beyond Him, to pray, (we won’t discuss that they fell asleep) but Jesus left them with a purpose and a mission.
Friendship is a gift that is given by God and accepted by us. Think on that. God gives, but we have to accept. Peter in all his honesty and ‘out there’ mentality, eventually was used greatly. He was offered something special from Jesus, Himself. John and James too went on to great things in God. I believe much of this is contributed to those intimate times they had with the Lord.
This week I experienced two things, and I believe has a lesson here for us:
1st ~ Friendships help mold us, challenge us to be more than we are, encourage us to reach for our dreams, bring a light moment when darkness may be waving at us and stand ready to hold us and pray.
2nd ~ There are those moments that no one can go with us, we have to go ‘further still’ into God’s presence, where just us and God have some business to take care of.
In this, it is comforting to know, that there are those praying, and waiting just beyond, and their love and commitment goes with out saying.
Friendship.
May we be a friend – experience a friend… allow it.
Blessings,
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me, LORD!)
How Far Will You Go?
How Far Will You Go?
Recently I read a short article in a popular Christian magazine on the woman who had the issue of bleeding, from Mark chapter 5. Knowing this just isn’t an easy read, a topic we tend to quickly skim over, due to the … um… content. But, I saw something in it, that challenged me. I went to the chapter and began wading through.
Let’s put this story in context. Jesus has just returned from a demonic moment (casting out the legion and blessing the pigs with them). Now back over on this side of the lake, He again is confronted with another crowd of folks. As Jesus moves through the men, women and children…
NOW – enters our woman (may I say desperate woman.) Verse 25 begins to describe this gal as one who had been afflicted for a very long time. She has sought help elsewhere, and it clearly states that instead of improving, her condition even worsens. I love verse 27, ‘when she heard about Jesus, she came…’. One resource claims that she may have traveled some 30 miles to get there. WOW…. That’s desperate! The story proceeds with, ‘she came up behind Jesus and touched His cloak’. This alone is a great step of faith… but it says she came to Him ‘in the crowd.’ Let’s think about this. She is, as culture and tradition states, ceremonially ‘unclean’, and should NOT be touching anyone, for they too would be unclean. BUT…. out of desperation….‘if I just touch His clothes… I will be healed’. (said with exasperation) verse 28.
I want to pause here… let’s go back….(before she left) back to her home… let’s assume it is 30 miles away. I enjoy trying to see as those saw who encountered and experienced Jesus. What was she thinking, what was she feeling? I want us to place ourselves in her place. Oh we may not have an issue of bleeding (physically) but we may have an issue of hurting, pain, or just plain ‘issues’. Issues that we too have sought help elsewhere, and just like her, see no improvement and we are only getting worse.
What do we do now? We’ve heard about Jesus, all His is, all He does. Do we stay? Do we leave our familiar surroundings and venture out. No matter what the distance was, I am confident that as this gal was on the road, placing one foot in front of the other, she ‘knew’ deep down Jesus was her only hope. And to allow this hope to bring her healing, she HAD to go to Him.
Back to Mark, verse 29… ‘immediately her bleeding stopped… and she was freed from her suffering’, (would you love to have some ‘immediately… you are freed?) This only came as she took a risk, reached out – and touched. Can you imagine! I know for me, my first thought would be, ‘geez, why didn’t I do this ages ago’ (just kidding). As the Lord turns and begins a dialog with her, He calls her…. ‘Daughter’. That alone would send me over the edge. In her affliction she may have been known as an outcast, one who didn’t join in, wanted to, but this affliction caused her to hold back, knowing she would not be accepted. ‘Daughter’ … THAT is acceptance.
As I read through this, I felt the Lord say, that we too are like this woman at times… (and I am quite sure often in our life time). We too have issues that cause us to ‘hold back’ and not join in… missing out on a lot. We are lost in our affliction, but once we come to the realization that He alone can and will help us…. we then get up and go to Him.
Where are you? And how far will you go? Are you still at home… mustering the courage to pack your bags and head out for Jesus? Or are you on the road, finding that the blisters on your feet are causing you doubts of ‘is this worth it?’ Oh it is soooo worth it! Maybe you are on the outskirts of the crowd… feeling really insecure… not wanting to enter. Or, are you standing there, so near… oh so near…. hesitating to reach out. Take the risk! Reach out… be healed.
The word that is used for her touch… is ‘haptomai’. She didn’t just reach out and flick her hand across the hem of His garment. She grabbed it! The Complete Word Study Dictionary, words it this way…. ‘haptomai refers to such handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon or upon oneself.’ She grabbed that garment so tight, that she may have left an imprint of her hand on it.
Please notice, that as the woman touched Jesus, He felt the power go out of Him. He asked ‘who touched Me?’ Now try to find the one touching in a large crowd, seems very insignificant. Ever come out of a concert or conference and people everywhere, you are bumping, tapping and running into many. Jesus did not let the issue drop. I honestly believe He knew. He knew who touched Him. But He wanted her to know. Yes, she was healed, but there was more… He wanted a face to face encounter. In this face to face encounter, she falls at His feet.
What a beautiful picture this is, that Jesus sought her out. He goes to whatever extent it will take to make sure ‘we know’.
This week, may we come to a place that enough is enough, in whatever afflicts us. We get up and go to Him. He is never too busy with the crowd to seek us out in our seeking Him out. Be healed, fall at His feet, and allow Him too… to call you ‘daughter’ – ‘son’.
In Him, DeDe (Ps. 92:4 You thrill me, LORD!)
The Lifting of the Hand
The Lifting of the Hand
The human hand, a very detailed and intricate part of the body. Consisting of 27 bones, and 14 movable joints. Known to be one of the most used parts of the antinomy, well… except for some of us, that would be the …tongue, I have been told I have the ‘Holy anointed gift of gab’, I just add ‘study‘ to it, to give it teeth!
Within the hand lies a unique mark that positively identifies each individual, the fingerprint. Every person is born with their own ‘calling card’ if you will, no two prints are alike.
The gentle brush against the cheek of an infant while sleeping, is in the hand. Strength, when toiling the soil, is found in the hand and it is in the grip, that ‘welcome’ is expressed. But the lifting of the hand, is at times where the heart connects in worship to God. Many of you may be getting a little hesitant here, by that statement. Lifting the hands in worship is not reserved just for those sitting in the ‘Pentecostal’ pews. Moses and David lifted their hands to God. One of my all time favorite heroes of the bible, Abraham too lifted his hand…. Gen. 14:22 Abraham said to the King of Sodom, ‘I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth.’ This is one of the most solid statements Abraham had declared, as he sat across in conversation with this king, he was saying he had predetermined a value, a standard by which he was going to conduct his life and that of his family. It was a clear statement of relationship… declaring he had already done business with the Lord, with a raised hand, a commitment was made.
‘I have set the LORD continually before me,
because He is at my right hand, I will not
be shaken.’ (Ps. 16:8 )
One of the Hebrew words used for hand is ‘yad’ the open hand, the ‘palm’ – indicating power, direction, but it means more…. it denotes our desire to fill or have them filled. And God wants to fill those hands with Himself! We find Him ‘filling’ in Ex. 40:34 ‘then the cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory filled the Tabernacle’. The verb used, is to fill to overflowing…. not just filling up to the limits of something, but filling so as to go beyond it’s limits. ( Vine’s Heb./Grk Dictionary). It reminds me of Michelangelo’s famous painting found on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Man , he portrays God’s arm stretched out and man’s hand raised up to make that connection.
At the same time it is yielding as in consecration, the lifting of the hands as mentioned in Ps. 28:2 by David, ‘Hear my cry for mercy as I lift my hands toward Your Most Holy place.’ denotes to hand oneself over . Haven’t we all at certain times in our lives, thrown our hands in the air, as in surrender, ‘I give up, I can’t do this anymore’. So it is in our worship, we lift our hands to acknowledge we no longer want the direction we are going, we yield to the Most High God, fill us with Your presence, YOU are full of POWER, MIGHT and MAJESTY! With the opening of the hand, the palm, we symbolize we release us, and in turn receive Him.
There are many postures of worship – standing, kneeling, a slight bow of the head, the lifting of the hands, I have even found myself prostrate on the floor face down. All are unique in our response to Him.
Do we need to recommit, surrender – declare as Abraham did, ‘I set You as my standard to conduct my life, do business with God?’ Or is there a cry in our hearts…. I need YOU, and YOU alone! So we feel silly getting fanatical in our worship …. I believe if David had been brought on the scene of the N.T. (particularly the book of Acts) he too, would have been as Pentecostal as they come, a tongue speaking, hand raising, dancing before the Lord – man after God’s own heart – guy.
Let’s Pray….
Father it is in humility that we bow our heads, and raise our hands to You, we position ourselves to declare YOU are awesome! We desire to receive from You. Our bodies were created by You and for You. As the fingerprints on our hands are unique, may our worship of You be the same.
Have a God-loving, fanatical hand raising week.
In Him, DeDe
Ps. 92:4 You thrill me Lord!
Resources: Strong’s Concordance, Vines Heb./Grk. Dictionary, Theological Wordbook of the O.T. , Complete Word Study Dictionary of the O.T. Websites: Yahoo Educational Encyclopedia, www.justfingerprints.com , Translations Referenced: KJV, NIV, NASB, NLT.
The Name of Jesus
The Name of Jesus
* Key Verse: Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)
In today’s culture, the name Jesus, for the majority, flippantly flies off our tongues, without a second thought. For some, they use it in vain, for others, used habitually only in routine, ‘in Jesus name, Amen’. I have known a few, who see Jesus and the use of His name as a ‘I want it, to get it, use it’ mentality, like a magic wand waved over their desires. Yet, there are those, to them the name is precious, intimate and spoken with respect. Here is where we too, stand today. All the names studied to this point have described God, Who and what He does, I would propose they all culminate into one name…. Jesus Christ.
Go Ahead … Bother the Teacher!
Go Ahead… Bother the Teacher!
Those of you with children can relate with me I am sure, when they really want something they may tend to hover, follow you around, looking for just the right opportunity to ask, so the answer is what they want. There is wisdom in this, I call it ‘timing and tongue’, finding just the right moment and wording. We as adults are the same, we want something – we pursue after it, when that want is a need, we really pursue after it.
I was reading the other morning in Mark chapter 5:35-43, where Jesus is in a crowd (to put this in context) He had just healed the woman with the issue of bleeding, remember her? She wanted… NEEDED to touch Jesus. She got in as close as she could, reached out and touched His clothing. The result? He healed her.
Now, He is still speaking to the moment when some men near Him were talking. We pick up in verse 35 ‘… some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.’ They said to Jairus ‘Your daughter is dead, why bother the teacher any more.’ It says Jesus ignored what they said, and addressed the synagogue ruler, ‘Don’t be afraid, just believe’.
Get Out of that Boat!
Have you ever been walking through a store and think you heard someone call out to you. Or sitting in church and what the pastor is saying seems directed right at … you. He is so right on, you begin to shift in your seat. Also, there are those times, when reading the bible and a verse or two will literally fly off the page, with neon lighting and begin to flash at you. (if it doesn’t – you need the new neon red Get in Your Face Version – just kidding!)
Recently I began a new study in preparation for my time with the ladies in the fall. I am looking at the account of the calling of the first disciples by Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:14-20, and Luke 5:1-11). I read the account as I have in the past, but something stood out to me this time. Besides Matthew and Mark’s accounts are almost identical, Luke in his usual detailed way, gives much more explanation. There is the boat.
Smoke Free Integrity ~ Devotional
Smoke Free Integrity
There are a two study groups of gals and myself who are currently going through the book of Daniel, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised, amazed even. I have read and skimmed over this book maybe a couple of times, but with the content of the last few chapters being of prophecy and eschatology (end times) to be honest I really didn’t have much of a desire to camp out in the book of Daniel.
Ah, but now, it is different…. what I am learning has caused me to sit and think, ponder and ‘squirm’ a bit. Don’t get me wrong, there are ‘good’ times to squirm. Holy Spirit moments when He puts His finger on an area, draws our attention (we finally get it) to where we need to surrender and change.
But God!
But God !
Exercise programs, promises, lists of goals, new years
resolutions! For the last few years, I have tried to
think of a word, or phrase that I feel the Lord is
emphasizing on my life for the year. Last year it was
‘regardless’. This year it is ‘…but God’.
Believe it or not, ‘…but God’ (or ‘…but the Lord’) is
mentioned 326 times in the New International Version.
Recently I went to my office (Starbucks) and sat myself
down with headset on, ipod set for slow worship, while I
sipped my grande peppermint hot chocolate and for the
next 2 hours I looked up every one of those 326 verses,
highlighting ‘but God’ in each verse. KNOWING somehow,
I too would be prone to experience all 326 opportunities for
God to come declare, reveal, and rebuke in my life, (these, I’m
sure will happen at times all in one day – just kidding). Ever
have a day like that. God is so thick and all over you, there is
nothing ‘but God’.
(more…)
Pleasing to the Lord
Pleasing to the Lord ~ Devotional Study
What pleases God? Ever think about that in depth? I have. And found that the list is vast, never ending because the Lord is gracious, His love is never ending. If we have positioned ourselves to live and love righteously, He then takes great delight in the who, the where, the why and all the how’s of our lives. He is pleased in our doing and our not doing. But most of all it is our ‘being’ in Him, that sets His face to shine on us.
A few weeks ago, the Lord put His finger on an area, that clearly describes one aspect that truly pleases Him. I was researching for a class I am teaching on in-depth study methods and came across this verse, that so intrigued me, I sat on it for a very long time. ‘we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way…’ (Col. 1:10) The verse goes on to say ‘bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God’… this pleases Him. Then Paul proceeds with verse 11, ‘being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might.’ Power and might for what? ‘So that you may have great endurance and patience…’ Hm… endurance and patience pleases the Lord. This is where I camped out for about 3 weeks. Endurance and patience, who could use more of that? My hand is raised, yet after this study I willingly raise both hands with great desperation.
Inspired Fountain 
