To Soar like Eagles

Part #3

By: Alan Smith

Isaiah 40:31: “But 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.” (NIV)

“Eagles, start your engines.  All aboard for flight number Isaiah 40:31,” I heard the still small voice say.  Could this be the day that you “soar on wings like eagles”?  I believe this can be true for you and for me.  Let’s look a little deeper into this flight manual of the spirit.  When I take an airplane flight, I have to go to the ticket counter to check-in myself and my baggage.  The goal is for my baggage to get to my destination with me.  The attendant takes my baggage and weighs it to make sure it has not exceeded the weight limit.  Why a weight limit, you might ask?  Well, the airplane cannot make lift-off if it has excessive weight.  So how does this apply to the spiritual world?  Good question!  This verse not only identifies for us, but also calculates for us, what is too heavy for spiritual flight.  Isaiah has identified the excess weight as “growing weary” and “not being faint”.

Let’s study this excess weight further.  We’ll take a look at the Hebrew word “weary” in the Strong’s concordance to capture the meaning of this first excess weight Isaiah identified.  yaw-gah'; a primitive root; properly, to gasp; hence, to be exhausted, to tire, to toil: KJV - faint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.  I don’t know about you, but this sounds like my Christian life!  Are your labors for the Lord leaving you feeling exhausted and tired?  Then this probably means you are carrying the excess weight of “weary”.  Now, let’s look again in the Strong’s concordance at the second baggage that Isaiah identified as “to faint”.  yaw-af'; a primitive root; to tire (as if from wearisome flight).  Can you believe this one?  To “faint” means that you are still tired from the previous flight.

Please consider what I am about to say.  To board and lift-off on this new flight of the spirit means you must leave this old baggage of the previous flight behind.  On this flight of the spirit, no baggage is needed.  You do not need to take your clothes because the garments you will be wearing are the garments of another.  They are white as snow, washed in grace, and their weight is an unbelievable weight of “zero”.  How can I receive this weightless garment?  You must first ask, and then you will receive.  I am sure that many of you have already trusted in the Lord and have asked Him to come into your life.  If so, I have only one question to ask you.  Have you put on the garment that He gave you when you first trusted in Him, or have you put on the garment of religion?  You might wonder how you know if you have or not.  You can know because His garment is very light and is not a burden.  You must trust His garments and not your own.  Our garments have weight; His do not.  When you put on Jesus Christ and His garments, you can soar on wings like eagles.  When you soar you can feel joy, peace, contentment, and sometimes, just plain happy.  This should give us reason to smile a lot. 

May God bless you today.

Alan

To Soar like Eagles

Part #2

By: Alan Smith

Isaiah 40:31: “But 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.” (NIV)

Okay, do you still want to fly?  Well, if so, then let’s look at flight number Isaiah 40:31, once again, and continue to prepare for take off.  In our preparations from last time, we learned about the spiritual fuel that we need in our spiritual tanks.  How our “hope” is to be in the Lord, and in return, the Lord will fill us with “faith”.  The writer of the book of Hebrews unlocks more of the mystery of this supernatural substance called faith.  Hebrews 11:1: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  This is unbelievable!  Something that I cannot see has “substance”.  So “faith” is some kind of spiritual substance, which must be preceded by “hope” before it will materialize.  The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that the only “evidence” which I can use is the “evidence” that cannot be seen.  This indicates that the “evidence” we see, life’s circumstances, is off limits and cannot be used.  If we use this kind of “seen evidence”, it will only pollute the spiritual fuel that is necessary to get this eagle off the ground.  Do not let your spiritual fuel be polluted with this slime.  We need unpolluted, undiluted, unpooted spiritual fuel from heaven.  Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away in my descriptive words.  But regardless, we need to understand that the evidence of life’s circumstances does not equal a spiritual truth in our lives.  This evidence of life’s circumstances is not the prophetic voice that should speak into our future.  Do not bring glory to these “past” events of sorrow and doubt.  We should only let Christ write our future.  Remember, we decide who writes our future: Christ or crises.  Where are we to appropriate our hope?  We are to appropriate our hope in the One who can give us the spiritual fuel of “faith” to take us from where we are to where we are going.  We need to take this spiritual flight: a flight that will take us into the very presence of God.  To a destination that only God of heaven could chart for each and every one of us.  Remember, He wants us to make it more than we want to.  If God is for us, I believe we will make it.  Let’s put our hope in Him today!

Now, let’s take a look at the next part of this verse.  It says: “They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  If we are going to soar like eagles, we must start running down this spiritual runway.  The runway must be fairly long because Isaiah exhorts us to not grow weary while running.  If we continue to hope in the Lord, this verse indicates that the Lord will renew our strength.  Our strength comes from above, not from within.  Our hope is within. This hope will be sent on a spiritual journey on the wings of prayer to the One, who in return, will send us strength.  I encourage you this day to take your eyes off of life’s circumstances and place your hope, more than ever, in Christ.  You can trust Him.  He will renew your strength to run down the runway of life and make it over the trees to climb into the heavens and live in the very presence of God.

Blessings to you this wonderful day,

Alan

To Soar like Eagles

By: Alan Smith

Isaiah 40:31: But 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. (NIV)

I always wanted to be able to fly.  Have you ever felt this way?  Did you ever have a dream where you could fly over the countryside?  You know, like Peter Pan.  It looks like this will never happen in my natural life; or could it?  What about the life of the spirit?  Isaiah says there will be a people that will “soar on wings like eagles”.  Let’s take a flying lesson from the scriptures on flight number Isaiah 40:31.  Okay, prepare for take off.

Now, how are we to get this “eagle” off the ground?  The first thing this scripture tells us is we must have the strength to fly.  So how do I get this strength; this spiritual jet fuel?  Well, I believe this verse is telling us, we get it from the Lord.  The Lord is my spiritual and emotional fueling station.  I have included the word emotion, because in order for this eagle to fly, I must get into the correct e-motion to get off the runway.

The second thing we must do is check our fuel tank readings.  As we look over the gauges, we find the fuel gauge.  This gauge has a name, and it is called “hope”.  Over the gauge it says these words “FILL ONLY WITH HIGH QUALITY FAITH”.  I have always wondered how much faith I have in my tank; haven’t you?  I can’t tell you how much faith I have.  I don’t know if I have a little or a lot; but I can tell you how much hope I have.  So hope is the way I can read how much faith I have to get this eagle off the ground.  A little hope equals a little faith, which equals a little spiritual fuel.  Therefore, a lot of hope equals a lot of faith, which equals a lot of spiritual fuel.  Now I have more understanding of why life’s circumstances are trying to rob me of my hope.  My spiritual enemy knows that if he can keep my spiritual fuel tank empty, I will not even attempt “take off”.

Life’s circumstances are like tall trees at the end of the runway.  It is amazing how we look at the tall trees and say, “I know I cannot make it over them; I cannot make lift off.  I know the trees, life’s circumstances, are just too tall.  I will never get enough momentum to clear them.”  This unbelief is a lack of hope.  Unbelief is a hole in our spiritual tanks in which “faith” will leak out upon the ground.  Our hope is not to be appropriated in the tall trees or in ourselves or in the evidence of life’s circumstances.  Our hope is to be in the Lord.  As we appropriate this “hope” in the Lord it is supernaturally and instantaneously changed into “faith”.  Hope is what I send to the Lord and Faith is what He sends back into my spiritual tank.  Faith is a gift; a gift from God.  Eph 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. (NIV)  God sends us this spiritual fuel because He wants to.  It is by his grace, as you can see in this scripture.  We do not deserve it; He just wants us to make it.  He wants us to make it off the runway and soar with the eagles and get a perspective, which we can only get from high places.

Well, this is enough for today.  Perhaps there will be more on how we can fly like the eagles in the next “Thought of the Day”.

Blessings,

Alan

The Platform

By: Alan Smith

Can we really live a life that is full of joy and excitement, with great anticipation of events that are right around the corner?  Life is not to be endured, but enjoyed.  The Bible is full of truths that are unbelievable to me; and I am still trying to persuade myself to trust the Bible more each day.  Truths of the spiritual world are, at times, opposite of my own selfish thinking.  You know, like you go under to go over, or you go down to go up.  Our nature is to look after #1: me.  Naturally, we are into self-preservation.  We are trying to save ourselves in every avenue of life.  Here is what Jesus says in Matt 10:39: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Jesus really wants us to get it.

Not only does He want us to get it, but He also holds the keys for us to get it.  His life is the key that unlocks the doors into the spiritual world.  Would you be interested in using one of the keys that Jesus holds?  Come with me and let’s unlock one: serving others.  And remember, Jesus is trying to teach us something here.  Matt 20:28: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  This is the opposite of selfishness.  To be selfish is to serve ourselves, not others.  Could this be a key that truly unlocks some spiritual door?  What if we tried this?  You know, what if we try not to have the need to be served, but instead, we have the desire to serve!  I have written a short parable about serving others, entitled “The Parable of the Platform”.  Please come with me on this journey!

The Parable of the Platform

      Behold, an old prophet, who was also a great master builder, went out to build a platform.  His skills and vision, honed sharp by time and experience, were beyond that of most common men.  As he began building this platform for the great festival, children began to descend on the grassy knoll at the town-square to observe his work.

      The children gazed in amazement as the old prophet whistled while he worked.  As he toiled, the sweat would fall from his brow.  Yet, he whistled.  As he cut the main beam, he whistled.  In the midst of his labor, he would back up and take a look at his work.  As he looked, he whistled.

      Finally the children walked up to him and said, “Why are you so happy when you are working?”

      The old carpenter looked at the children and said, “I am happy, for I am building a platform for another to speak upon.  Happiness is when you are preparing a secure and safe place on which others will stand and speak.”

      The children sat looking into the face of the old carpenter as he told them about the ways of Wisdom.  The children asked him, “How can we meet this one called Wisdom?”

      The old prophet replied, “My Father sends me Revelation; and when I ask, he gives me Understanding.  My Father then told me that when Revelation and Understanding come together, they will begat Wisdom.  Wisdom is the fruit from which others can eat and grow and gain strength.  It is the way of the Spirit.”  The old prophet then took his handkerchief and wiped his forehead.

      The children asked him, “Why will you not speak from the platform that you are building?  Why do you sweat for another?”

      He turned again to the children and said, “Pride is the only one that builds his own platform from which to speak.  Pride is also arrogant and is not a good builder.  He only sees the crowd, and does not calculate the load.  Pride builds a platform that is impressive, but will not hold much weight.  Pride also builds with no bracing.  When a storm comes the platform will fall.  “Pride,” he said, “builds his platform quickly; therefore, it is shaky and unstable in all of its ways.”  The old prophet then returned to his work.

      The children watched him closely as he took his time to do a work of excellence.  After a few hours, the old prophet came over to the children and sat down to rest for a while.  The children asked him, “Why do you work so slowly and look at every detail?”

      The old carpenter looked at them with the spirit of Wisdom and said, “Wisdom will do for others what he will not do for himself.  When Wisdom builds the platform, he builds it safely and securely for others to stand upon.  Pride lives for himself; but Wisdom lives for others.”  He then stood up and whistled as he gazed at the structure that was emerging from the grassy knoll.

      The children then asked him, “Are you not being prideful as you look at what you have performed?”

      The old carpenter replied, “No, just honored that my Father called me to be a carpenter in His kingdom.”  As night was drawing near, he said to the children, “Return tomorrow as it will be another day in which we can build a platform for another.”

      My prayer for us is that we will find great joy and peace in walking in the wisdom of serving others.

May God bless you,

Alan

Something that Surpasses Knowledge

By: Alan Smith

Eph 3:17-19

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV)

I thought that knowledge surpassed all things.  You know, like a car on the interstate: the faster I go, the more people I am ahead of.  So if this is true of a car, wouldn’t the same statement apply to spiritual things?  The more knowledge of God I acquire, the more spiritual I am.  Therefore, I can either feel great about myself or I can feel bad about myself, depending on the level of knowledge that I possess.  Sometimes I think if I was smarter or if I had all of this knowledge, then I could run in this fast lane of life.

We grow up in a system that teaches us that we are what we know.  You know, in school, you may have been either an A student or a C student.  This type of grading system leads us to believe that the higher grade we have, the more knowledge we have; thus, the more worth we have to others.  We then evaluate ourselves on how much we know and not on how much we love, as noted in the scripture above.  I am not against knowledge by any means.  I love to learn; however, the measuring of knowledge for the worth of people is so inadequate and untrue.  There is something that surpasses knowledge and it is the love of Christ.  I call this the greater knowledge of the spiritual world.  Would you like to get this kind of love knowledge?  It is the key that opens the heavens.  Evidently, this is foundational to our faith.

Paul also states in the scripture above that God’s love needs to take root.  Since I am a farmer the words “take root” really go for my heart.  Seed is a gift to the ground.  There is nothing the ground can do to make the seed appear.  The ground can only make itself ready to receive the seed.  Matthew 13 calls this good ground.  I can plant seed but I cannot make it grow.  All of this is the same with the love of God.  If we will just receive this truth that God really does love us just as we are, this “seed” of love will take root in our hearts, the “ground”.  It will then sprout and grow.  As the “Son” shines on the ground, the ground will begin to warm.  The seed will start to open up the ground as it is trying to stretch itself toward the heavens.  What a picture of our hearts?  The only thing we can do to receive this spiritual seed is to believe that God really wants to put His love in our hearts.  When we ask Jesus into our hearts, the love of God is gently placed inside of us.  Sometimes the ground does not give way to the seed, and therefore, the seed will lay dormant, waiting on the rain to soften it.  If we will soften our hearts to this truth, then it will sprout and begin to take root.  Ezek. 36:26: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (NIV)

What I am trying to say with this thought is let’s try to allow the love of God to grow in us more than all of our learning.  Let us make God’s love our “major” in life and knowledge our “minor”.  My prayer for us this day is the same as the request of the Apostle Paul: “and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Blessings,

Alan

Just Do It

By: Alan Smith

Nike thought they originated the phrase “Do It”; but the Bible beat them to it.

1 Chron. 28:20: "And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD."

King David knew what it meant to “do it” when he was “strong” and had “good courage” that came from heaven.  David was advising his son on how to accomplish this God-given task.  The task was overwhelming, but it was deep within Solomon’s heart.  Evidently, Solomon was a little discouraged, as well as under a little fear.  He had to be reminded, through an encouraging word from his father, that the Lord God would be with him, and that the Lord God would not fail or forsake him.  This is incredible!  What good news to hear how our heavenly Father treats those that are called “His people”!

I have heard it said over and over, ”We just need to wait on God”.  Don’t leave me here—let me explain further.  I know there are times when we need to wait on God.  But come on, there is so much that He has already told us to do, and did we “do it”?  No, we didn’t always do it; but it is to these types of promptings that we need to respond and “just do it”.  What keeps us from “just doing it”?  Could it be mere procrastination?  Or, could it be a fear of rejection?  It could be either one of these.  But, it could also be that God is speaking to us and we just need a little more “courage” to follow Him.  I want to “encourage” each one of you to step out there and “just do it”!  And, speaking of courage, did you know that encouragement and discouragement usually come from another person?  Discouragement is not a spirit, but a lack of courage.  Discouragement is the act of stealing courage from someone else.  We get a false courage for ourselves when we steal it from someone else by discouraging them.  God forgive us when we have stolen courage from each other, and help us to encourage one another more.

Now, let’s look at the Bible for some “just do it” times.

• Moses wanted someone else to "do it".

Ex 4:13: But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

• The Levites "shall do it".

Num 1:51: Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.

• Caleb said "certainly do it".

Num 13:30: Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

• Joseph said, "I cannot do it" but "God will do it".

Gen 41:32: The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

• The Lord will “do it”.

Ezek 17:24: “I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'"

• Jesus says believe in me because I “do it”.

John 10:38-39: But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles: that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

• Jesus said, He will “do it”.

John 14:14: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

• Paul tells us what happens when we “do it”.

1 Cor. 9:25-26: But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

• Paul tells us why we should “do it”.

1 Cor. 10:31-32: Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

• Paul exhorts us to finish “doing it”.

2 Cor. 8:11: Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it.

• Paul tells us in whose name to “do it”.

Col 3:17: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord.

Well, what do you think?  I told you that the Bible came up with it first.  My prayer for us today is that we will join this group of “just do it people”.  Let’s “do it” until we have “finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD."

May God bless the “just do it’s”!

Alan

Perception: Two Realities

By: Alan Smith

• John 18:36: Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." (NIV)

Two realities; which one have you chosen to live in: this World or the Kingdom of God?  Both of them are real, but one is greater than the other.  To live in one means to be competitive and controlling; to live in the other means to be creative and at peace.  To live in one means to hear many voices; to live in the other means to hear only One voice.  To live in one is to live in fear and confusion; to live in the other is to have courage and resolve.  To live in one is to think prehistorically; to live in the other allows old thinking to be dissolved.

You might be wondering, “How can I live in this reality of the Kingdom of God?”  Well, your “commitment” will determine where you live.  Commitment is the beginning of the growing cycle of a new reality; so once the choice of your commitment has been made, the creative forces go to work to bring forth the reality that has been chosen.  The Kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world: it is a choice of “your will”.  When building a house, you first have a thought within you of this house.  When you “commit” to this thought by an act of your will, creation begins.  When creating things of this world, you have two acts of creation.  First, a thought is formed in your mind.  Second, commitment to the thought is made and physical creation begins.  When creating things of the Kingdom of God, you have three acts of creation.  First, there is a thought in the spirit of man, with a witness from the Spirit of God.  Second, the thought is transferred into the mind, which originated in the spirit.  The third and final act is the commitment to the thought.  In both cases commitment is the key factor in growing new realities.

If your choice is living in the Kingdom of God, there are ways of the Spirit that are learned and lived as a lifestyle.  A lifestyle change has to be made to experience this new reality of “another place”.  After a true commitment has been made, you will notice that the forces of the Kingdom of God begin to work behind the scenes on your behalf.  They are subtle to the natural eye, but obvious to the spiritual eye.  You will learn to use your single eye of the spirit to walk in this new Kingdom.  This single eye is one that is not divided or distracted.  Its spiritual vision is 20/10 and its color is royal blue for revelation.  It is capable of seeing beneath the layers of the natural, into a world not seen by most.  This is the eye of the Kingdom of God; it sees what the Father is doing behind the scenes.  This eye is found in your spirit; but the light for seeing comes through your soul and then through your mind.  This is why it is very important to have a healthy soul.  For through it the light is changed from spirit to natural.  You can now understand why your soul is being changed from “glory” to “glory”.  With each changed “glory” comes more light into the soul; coming to the earth for new creations, beginning first in you.

We must also keep in mind that the things of the spiritual world tend to progress in reverse of the natural world.  For example, you must go down to go up.  You must yield to go forward.  Things of the natural world are just a reflection of the spiritual world, causing an inverted image, which is the opposite of the image that is being reflected.

Your next step in going forward in Kingdom living is to have a mind that is open to new information and instruction.  You must have a mind that is being renewed with fresh new perceptions for your journey of life.  A mind that is closed is a mind that cannot receive new perceptions to which it can be committed.  You must be willing before God will send new perceptions.  You must have a predetermined willingness to do what you will receive.  Usually, a person wants to see something before they will receive and believe.  Again, this is a reversal of natural progression, but this will set the kingdom in motion on your behalf.  A mind that is open is a mind which will progress in creative activity of the Kingdom of heaven upon the earth.  A mind that is open is like a funnel which captures all that is around it, directing all that it captures into the vessel in which it is attached.  All that is being captured by an open mind recreates the perceptions of the mind.  These new perceptions are not hard to commit to for they bring such life.  A person who is committed to fresh Kingdom perceptions is a person who is walking forward into the Kingdom and power of God.  Let’s read of a personal account of an open mind which was committed.

• Matt. 9:20-22: Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."  Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (NIV)

My prayer is for you to have an open mind unto the Spirit of God and have a predetermined willingness to “touch Him” as He shows Himself to you.  May your open mind, your commitment, and your faith take you to a place where you have never been.  Just trust Him and hang on.  Your life is about to change.

Blessings,

Alan

The Path of Life

By: Alan Smith

Ps 16:11: You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (NIV)

The path of life: there is so much revelation here!  It means that life is a journey, not a destination.  Heaven is our destination, but life is the journey.  Can you grasp this thought?  As I contemplate this journey, it brings to my mind the mile markers that we pass when we are driving along on the interstate highways.  Let’s explore the concept of the highway mile markers to help us better understand this journey.

As we drive on the highway, these markers let us know where we are in relation to the state line.  In this same way there are “spiritual” mile markers that can help us to understand where we are on our own personal journey.  So you might ask yourself, what mile marker am I on?  As we all know, everyone is at a different mile marker at any given time.  Very few people will pass the same mile marker at the exact same time.  The view of the landscape is just a little different according to the mile marker that has just been passed.  As we drive and talk to each other on our cell phones, we report a different “view from here”.  Some days we report that we are in the valley, and then other days we report that we are taking a ride to the mountains.  There have been many times during this journey that I have wondered why I do not agree with myself a year ago.  Could it be that I am at a different mile marker on the path of life today?  One day, the report on my “view from here” may be that the landscape looks pretty low.  Then on another day, it may be that my “view from here” would sound like this: “You will not believe what I have just seen!”

On this journey, there are two paths from which we can choose.  One is called the path of life and the other, the path of death.  As you woke up this morning and started your day, you made a choice for which path you wanted this day.  You may have said, “I do not want this path of death, but rather a path of life.  Who will show me the path of life?”  Ps. 16:11 gives us this answer: “You (God) have made known to me the path of life.”  Wow!  Now it sounds like this is possible!  Could the path of life be revealed to us in His Word, the Bible?  Could it be revealed to us through His still small voice?  The answer is yes to both questions.  This path is revealed to us in His Word and through the voice of His Spirit.  He gives us a detailed road map through the Bible; and He speaks understanding to us through the voice of His Spirit.  This Biblical road map is very “user” friendly.  Just believe in Jesus and then it goes on automatic.  What?  You think this sounds too easy?  I know, I know; you thought that it was much harder to follow than this.  Isn’t it amazing how we have decided that it must be too hard to follow this path because of everything we have been told that must be done correctly to stay on the path?  Do not be afraid, my friend, for the One who created the map of “the path of life” will make the pathway known to us according to Ps. 16:11.  We just need to continuously talk to the One who wants to ride with us on this journey.  He will let us drive; He just wants to be along for the ride.  If we listen, He will say, “Turn here”, or “Let’s stop for a little while.”

Now your next question might be, “How will we know that He is with us on this journey?”  Again, Ps. 16:11 gives us this clue: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”  Is this great or what?  When we ask Him along for the ride, we have His presence.  How do we know we are in His presence?  We know we are in His presence when we are filled with joy.  Joy, because we know He is with us.  Why is this joy so great and overwhelming?  It is because we are on this path of life that is leading us to “eternal pleasures”.  Ps 16:11: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Just a thought for this day of the journey!

Alan

The Path of Life

By: Alan Smith

Ps 16:11: You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (NIV)

The path of life: there is so much revelation here!  It means that life is a journey, not a destination.  Heaven is our destination, but life is the journey.  Can you grasp this thought?  As I contemplate this journey, it brings to my mind the mile markers that we pass when we are driving along on the interstate highways.  Let’s explore the concept of the highway mile markers to help us better understand this journey.

As we drive on the highway, these markers let us know where we are in relation to the state line.  In this same way there are “spiritual” mile markers that can help us to understand where we are on our own personal journey.  So you might ask yourself, what mile marker am I on?  As we all know, everyone is at a different mile marker at any given time.  Very few people will pass the same mile marker at the exact same time.  The view of the landscape is just a little different according to the mile marker that has just been passed.  As we drive and talk to each other on our cell phones, we report a different “view from here”.  Some days we report that we are in the valley, and then other days we report that we are taking a ride to the mountains.  There have been many times during this journey that I have wondered why I do not agree with myself a year ago.  Could it be that I am at a different mile marker on the path of life today?  One day, the report on my “view from here” may be that the landscape looks pretty low.  Then on another day, it may be that my “view from here” would sound like this: “You will not believe what I have just seen!”

On this journey, there are two paths from which we can choose.  One is called the path of life and the other, the path of death.  As you woke up this morning and started your day, you made a choice for which path you wanted this day.  You may have said, “I do not want this path of death, but rather a path of life.  Who will show me the path of life?”  Ps. 16:11 gives us this answer: “You (God) have made known to me the path of life.”  Wow!  Now it sounds like this is possible!  Could the path of life be revealed to us in His Word, the Bible?  Could it be revealed to us through His still small voice?  The answer is yes to both questions.  This path is revealed to us in His Word and through the voice of His Spirit.  He gives us a detailed road map through the Bible; and He speaks understanding to us through the voice of His Spirit.  This Biblical road map is very “user” friendly.  Just believe in Jesus and then it goes on automatic.  What?  You think this sounds too easy?  I know, I know; you thought that it was much harder to follow than this.  Isn’t it amazing how we have decided that it must be too hard to follow this path because of everything we have been told that must be done correctly to stay on the path?  Do not be afraid, my friend, for the One who created the map of “the path of life” will make the pathway known to us according to Ps. 16:11.  We just need to continuously talk to the One who wants to ride with us on this journey.  He will let us drive; He just wants to be along for the ride.  If we listen, He will say, “Turn here”, or “Let’s stop for a little while.”

Now your next question might be, “How will we know that He is with us on this journey?”  Again, Ps. 16:11 gives us this clue: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”  Is this great or what?  When we ask Him along for the ride, we have His presence.  How do we know we are in His presence?  We know we are in His presence when we are filled with joy.  Joy, because we know He is with us.  Why is this joy so great and overwhelming?  It is because we are on this path of life that is leading us to “eternal pleasures”.  Ps 16:11: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Alan

Rev. David Wilkerson Dies at 79; Started Times Square Church

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Associated Press

Rev. David Wilkerson

Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of the Times Square Church in New York City, was killed Wednesday in a car crash in Texas, according to a source close to CBN News.  He was 79.

Rev. Wilkerson's wife Gwen was also involved in the crash and rushed to the hospital.  Details of the crash are still developing. Stay with CBNNews.com for an update.

Wilkerson posted a blog dated April 27 -- the day of his death. In the post, titled "When All Means Fail," he encouraged those facing difficulty to "hold fast" and stand strong in faith.

"To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights, and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, "I am with you,'" Wilkerson wrote. "Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail-his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world."

By: Alan Smith

Ps 5:11-12: But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (NIV)

The favor of God—what an awesome concept!  Is it real?  Do you really think we can have the favor of God?  Does God really “pour out” His favor on us?  It is obvious from these two verses that David believed that the favor of God was real.  We can also see that David made a request of God; a request that God’s favor would be a shield for him from his enemies.  Wait a minute: a shield from his enemies?  I know that Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to pray for them; but how can we do this?  Is it possible that we can do this because we have the favor of God on our lives?  If this is true, then when we love our enemies, do they see this invisible shield around us?  What does this shield look like to the enemy?  Could this shield be a reflection of the favor of God?  Could this reflection be a light which blinds the enemy?

It seems to me, that for me to reflect this shield, I must first believe that it is there, just as David did.  In the verses above it says that the “righteous” are the ones that will be surrounded.  Well, at first glance of this verse, I know I am doomed because sometimes I am not too righteous—can you relate?  So, will this favor come and go, as my righteousness comes and goes?  If so, then this creates another problem.  How will I know whether or not I have this favor from one day to the next?  Perhaps the apostle Paul can help us understand this better.  Let’s look at what he has to say in the book of Romans.

Rom 3:21-22: 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. (NIV)

When I am truly honest with myself, I know that I am not really very righteous.  It seems that the best I can pull off is being very religious.  But in honesty I can also say, without hesitation, that any righteousness in me means that I have appropriated my faith in Jesus Christ.  What a message we have to give to the world: “Just believe in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ in you, and God will see you as righteous while you are working out this great salvation”!  This faith in Jesus sure does have a lot of benefits.  I can sign up for this program.  God’s rehab program for mankind allows us to make it no matter what our test scores are.  Psalm 5 says: You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.  Not only has God given us this righteousness, through His Son, as a free gift; but He also sends us a shield from heaven that comes from the very heart of God: a shield of His favor.  Whoa, a spiritual shield that is the very favor of God: our shield, our protector!  God really does love us, doesn’t He?

My prayer for us is that we will believe more each day in this One called Jesus from Nazareth. He is the One that has given us the gifts of righteousness, favor, and a shield.  Now, may we take refuge in Him and be glad, and may we ever sing for joy at this wonderful truth!  We can now believe that the stories of our lives will end with this statement: “And they lived happily ever after”!

Well, just a thought for today.

Alan

Therefore, You Have This Ministry

By: Alan Smith

2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (KJV)

Wow!  What did we really get ourselves into when we said “the prayer”?  You know; the prayer we prayed when we asked Jesus to come into our lives.  Take a journey with me for a minute, please, as we unravel the mystery of the verses above.  Let’s consider that when Paul walked in ministry, ministry was the vehicle that carried him.  We can relate to this, as sometimes in our dreams, we are traveling in some kind of vehicle.  Many times, the interpretation of this vehicle is ministry.  This vehicle, or ministry, takes us from place to place to deliver some kind of message, just as it did for Paul.  When Paul was serving others, the ride was pleasant and very rewarding to the Kingdom of God.  Note that I did not say the ride was easy, but it was rewarding.

Now, the gas for Paul’s vehicle was mercy.  The more mercy he gave, the more mercy he received, and thus, the more supernatural ministry took place.  This is also true for us today.  If we bought a billboard advertisement for these verses, it could read, “SEE THE WORLD: COME AND JOIN MERCY MINISTRIES”.  Could it be that as we give mercy to one another, it will propel us to our next destination?  Could it be that when we begin to “spiritually faint”, we have left the mercy ministry?  How can I really give and receive this divine mercy?  I believe Paul unlocked this mystery for us in the scripture quoted above.

First, he says we are to “renounce the hidden things of dishonesty”.  What does this have to do with mercy, you might ask?  Well, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth.  We can see this in John 16:13: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”  The Holy Spirit is truth and purity; there is no pollution.  Dishonesty, however, is not pure; it is polluted.  If we go back to our analogy of the ministry vehicle, we can see that dishonesty is like pouring water into a gas tank: it causes it to become polluted.  So, Paul is showing us how to walk in the power of mercy, undiluted; and that is to walk in honesty and truth.  He did not say perfection, but truth.

Second, he says we are to “not walk in craftiness”.  Craftiness is the noun form of the word crafty, which in The American Heritage Dictionary means: “skilled in deception; shrewd; cunning”.  It is important that we understand that we are not to walk in deception and create times of ministry.  We are just to walk in mercy and truth, and ministry will find us.

Third, Paul says we are not to “handle the word of God deceitfully”. Could it be that we sometimes use the Word of God to glorify ourselves?  Maybe we use it to show people how smart we think we are or to simply control people—hopefully not.  If we look further in John 16, we see that in verse 14 Jesus says the following about the Holy Spirit: “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”  We cannot misuse the scriptures for our gain.  As the Holy Spirit receives of the Father, he will then show it to us and lead us into ministry, and it will bring glory to God, not to us.

Paul then tells us how we are to be.  He says we are to be a “manifestation of the truth”.  This is unbelievable.  He is saying that we need to be truth, so that we can do truth.  I think this “truth” stuff is harder to pull off than I thought.  Maybe this is why I need so much mercy.  Yes, mercy and truth will come by Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, abiding in us.  I will leave you today with this verse: John 1:17: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Just a thought for today.

Blessings,

Alan

Charging My Spiritual Battery

Eph. 3:16-19: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Isn’t it amazing how Jesus can continue to be so rich when He is always giving away all that He has?  Could it be that this “power” He is giving away is part of the inheritance of the saints: a power that comes out of “His glorious riches”?  I always wondered where the “power from heaven” would land in me.  From this verse, I can see that it is in my “inner being”.  When I grow weak in my inner being, I need to be strengthened from above: with strength that Paul calls “power”.  It appears to me that my inner being must have some type of spiritual battery in it.  Sometimes it is strong, and then at other times, it seems to run down and become very weak.  Now, this is really interesting to me because I know that my spiritual battery needs charging on a regular basis.  Let me use my cows to give an analogy of this spiritual truth.

I am a dairy farmer and the cows on my farm have a necklace around their necks.  This necklace has a transponder attached to it.  What is a transponder, you might ask?  A transponder is a little plastic box that contains a microchip inside of it.  This microchip contains the number of the cow on which it hangs, so that the computer can identify her as she enters the milking barn.  High-tech cows, don’t you think?

This transponder contains a battery; a battery that is not accessible because it is covered in plastic for protection.  The developers of this transponder needed a way to charge the battery without taking it out.  Here is what they developed.  When the cow enters the barn, the transponder sends a signal, which is a small electrical signal, to the reader antenna.  When the antenna receives the signal, it then sends back a greater electrical signal to the transponder to acknowledge that the transponder signal has been received.  The weaker receives a greater in return.  The greater signal is from the antenna, so therefore, the battery in the transponder is always charged.  The only way the battery in the transponder grows weak is when it neglects to be in contact with the antenna on a daily basis.  The developers knew the transponder and the reader antenna had to be in relationship with each other, with signals transferring from one to the other.

In this same way, Christians are to keep their spiritual batteries charged.  When I pray and send a spiritual signal which is weaker to God; God, in return, sends me a spiritual signal back which is greater than the one I sent to Him.  High-tech Christians, don’t you think?  The greater, God, is sending to the weaker, us, the divine strength that we need for this new day.  If we neglect contact with this greater source, our batteries will grow weak.  The weaker our batteries become, the more hopeless we feel, only to grow weaker each day.

Okay, so what shall we do?  How can we have strong spiritual batteries?  Just stay in touch with the Source.  The only One who can charge your spiritual battery is the One who created it: our Lord.  We must not neglect our daily relationship with our Lord, so that He can send us the spiritual power to charge our spiritual batteries.  He has also provided us with a quick charge: one that He knew would be needed from time to time.  I believe when believers gather together, a quick charge can take place.  We see this in the verse for today.

Eph 3:17-18 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints.

What an incredible power surge this is!

Well, perhaps a little more for another day.

Blessings,

Alan

Appropriation of Faith

John 1:16-17: And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  (NKJV)

How could power from heaven be pure in us any other way than through Jesus Christ?  As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (KJV)  Within our frail, earthly body or vessel, resides this priceless treasure of power: this grace and truth through Jesus Christ.  I am forever glad that God made the provision for me to receive this heavenly download.  This download cleanses me like water and surges through me like electrical power.

For a better understanding of this heavenly download, let’s consider this analogy.  Water runs through pipes; electricity runs through wire; and grace and truth run through Jesus Christ.  In order to turn on the water or the lights, it is important that I go to the source.  When I have identified the source properly, or appropriated my faith properly, it is amazing how “I really get it”.  It is necessary that I appropriate my faith in the water valve or in the light switch before anything is released to me.  It is the correct appropriation of faith that causes me to take the correct action.  It is then through this faith that I can receive what the water pipe or the wire has to offer.  I have now entered into a relationship with the water and the power: a relationship that is not a theory but a heavenly experience.

Now, let’s pursue this cleansing of water further.  Have you ever experienced the two D’s: Dirty and Depressed?  Dirty comes from the lack of water and depressed comes from a lack of power.  This dirt can only be washed away by the One who can effectively do the washing.  Only Christ has this authority to say when a man or woman is clean.  Let’s read what He said.

Matt 8:2-3: A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  "I am willing," he said.  "Be clean.”

John 15:2-4: “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”

Luke 7:48: Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

I am so relieved that our Lord has the final say on this washing.  When I appropriate my faith in the One who has the water, the river of grace, and the power, the strength of truth; then the cleansing will take place.  If, however, I appropriate my faith in man for an acceptance, which interpreted is the “fear of man”, it will be a very unpleasant experience.  Could the need of acceptance be a type of “washing” that we are looking for so that we will feel complete?  Could it be that we are looking for acceptance in all the wrong places?  We must remember that there is only One who can do this job of cleansing correctly: it is not man, but God.

Many blessings,  Alan

Don’t Worry

Phil 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. TLB

Do you worry? How can something that feels so noble cause me to have so much fear and emotional pain? You know, worrying seems to be proving how much I care about someone or something. Let us take a look at the scripture above and see what it says about it. First of all, its admonishes me not to “worry” about anything.  Come on!  Who can really do this one? Worry seems to be an automatic response of an emotion of caring. For some reason I believe this to be true. I do really care when I worry. Could the falseness be found in who I am really worried for? Could this be a selfish act in disguise? Could the act of selfish worry really create an entrance into my soul where fear would flourish?

Let us take a look at Webster Dictionary definition:

• Inflected Form(s): wor·ried; wor·ry·ing
• 1 dialect British : CHOKE, STRANGLE
• 2 a : to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat b : to shake or pull at with the teeth <a terrier worrying a rat> c : to touch or disturb something repeatedly
• 3 a : to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : TORMENT b : to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort
• 4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Can you believe this? I thought for me to “worry” was a noble act, that it was proof of how much I cared. Have you ever had an experience of feeling like someone was strangling you or feeling like you were choking at times for no apparent reason? Or that you just could not get enough air? Have you ever had a panic attack? I would like to suggest to you that this could be the fruit of the selfish act of worrying. Who is doing this to me you might ask? I believe it is directly associated with the act of worrying. Our stinking thinking is strangling the very life out of us.  We then can experience in the natural world as someone with their hands around our throats. I have had people ask me to pray for them with this problem of feeling like someone or something was strangling them. When I shared with them that their problem is the act of worrying they are in disbelief. I say to them, “You must trust in God and not in your worrying.  Stop your worrying for you are in the act of agreement with false assumption”. A false assumption is not a reality but comes from a false perception. A false perception is a perception that is not true. So worrying comes from a thought that is not even true. We must own our own thoughts and perceptions. We are responsible for what we think and do. I am not responsible for others but I am responsible for me and how I think.

To worry means we are tormented. Like Webster says it is a persistent, nagging of attention we give unto ourselves. This tormenting is based on a lie that comes from a false perception. The scriptures say that when we feel tormented it is an unclean spirit. Do we really want to fellowship with unclean spirits?

• Luke 6:18-as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. NKJV

Webster also says:

• 4 : to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

Could this be true spiritual warfare? It appears that the dark side of the spiritual world would like to afflict upon me a mental distress and agitation. How can this happen you might ask? The only way the dark side can cause me mental distress and agitation is for me to be in a working relationship with it in how I think. I have entered into an agreement with darkness and myself.  I have been deceived by my selfishness for I thought I was being noble when in truth I was trusting myself and not God with all of my life’s circumstances. How can I truly get free? We must just repent. Repent of being selfish. Repent of thinking we are being noble to worry. Repent of not trusting God with all of our life’s circumstances.  Repent of being in agreement with the power’s of darkness. Next time we will look more into this verse and how not to worry.

Blessings

Alan 

Closer To The Light

When I began this Christian journey, I thought that each day I would grow and grow until I was truly a good and righteous man.  I thought that each time I looked inside of my heart there would be less to deal with because righteousness was coming upon me.  I thought that my growth would be, “to be more like Jesus”.  I thought that maybe I would grow into a spiritual giant.  If I am to be honest with God and myself, it is obvious that this is not the case.

While on this journey, I have been walking closer each day to “the light”.  The light is getting brighter, the closer I get to Him.  The revelations from His Word are unveiled and I think I am getting spiritually smarter; but I have encountered a problem.  The problem is that the closer to the light I get, the more of me I see.  The view from my perspective is that the evidence of my life this day will condemn me from meeting the perfection, or from making the righteous mark.  When I take an honest inventory of my life each day, I am more convinced that it will take His righteousness and His grace for me to make the grade.

I have discovered in this walk of Christianity that it is not about me being perfect, but about being truthful and honest: honest with myself and honest with God.  I cannot pull off perfection; but I can walk in truthfulness and honesty.  I may not be more righteous and perfect, but I am more in love with my Savior.  The closer to the light I get, the more of me I see; the view from here seems sad but the truth shall set me free.   The longer I live the more I need a Savior.  Could it be that our growth will be in the area of love and not perfection?

Just a thought for today,

Alan