HOW AND WHERE GOD SPEAKS

 “The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, ‘Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.'” Ezekiel 3:22

God speaks in many different ways to His children. He spoke through a bush to Moses. He spoke through a donkey to Balaam. He spoke through prophets to His kings. He speaks through other believers. He speaks directly to us through the invisible Holy Spirit. And He speaks even through circumstances.

When God wants to speak a very important word directly to us without interruption from the noise of our busy lives, he will take us “into the plain.” The plain is a place of no distractions and no other persons. It is a place of silence. It can be a place of great need, as it often fails to have the normal provisions we are accustomed to. It can be a place we go to voluntarily to seek His face, or we can be moved there without choice by His supernatural ability. More often, it is the latter method that brings us into the plain. In modern times, it often means a separation from our normal activities, such as jobs or families.

The plain can also be a place where we discover afresh that God’s hand has been on us all the time. When we are so busy with life, we sometimes forget that God’s hand is still there, gently leading our path. When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention. Thus, the plain is one of those appointed times of one-on-one communication with our heavenly Father. No distractions, no people, no beautiful surroundings to capture our thoughts. It is a barren place designed to allow us to seek and hear clearly. When He speaks, we need to be able to listen. We hear much better in the plain.

Do you need to hear God’s voice today? Is your life such that you cannot even hear His voice? Each day God calls us to our own mini-plain in order to speak to us and for us to hear. If we neglect this time of open communication, we may be invited to His plain in order to hear without distraction. Pray that you might make time to hear.

DAVID'S ARMOR

 “David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. ‘I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.’ So he took them off.” 1 Samuel 17:39

David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.

God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul’s armor. What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use? God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life. He will not call you to use someone else’s tools.

However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that God’s power is released and manifested in the physical realm. Mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested.

WORK TO PLAY, WORK TO ACQUIRE

 “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do”(John 17:3-4).

A popular TV commercial comes on the screen, raising the question of why the viewer works long hours while showing beautiful pictures of a luxurious car. The message was clear. We work in order to acquire.

Another TV commercial comes on showing beautiful aqua blue ocean waves and an attractive couple lounging on the white sandy beaches. “Come to Jamaica says the voice.” The message from this commercial is that a vacation to Jamaica is the ultimate reward for your work.

There are many motivations for work. Some might say it is simply to put food on the table. George Barna, the American researcher on religious habits, found disturbing results from his study on the motivations of many Christians in American society. “We are not a society that simply enjoys its time off. We are driven by our leisure appetites. It is increasingly common to hear of people turning down job offers because the hours or other responsibilities would interfere with their hobbies, fitness regimens, and other free-time activities. Even our spending habits show that playing has become a major priority. The average household spends more money on entertainment than it does clothing, health care, furniture, or gasoline.”

His study also found that many people define success in surprisingly non-Christian terms: He found that 66% of Americans define success in life as the acquisition of sufficient money, education, material possessions, or career prestige; only 7 percent related success to their faith condition and its influence upon their life. “The Christian Church has stagnated, largely due to its comfort with routines and rituals that are neither challenging nor relevant for millions of people,” said Barna.*

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why do I work?”

Jesus had a work to do that was given to Him by His Heavenly Father. You too, have a work you are called to do. Ask God to give you a renewed sense of the work you are called to do today.

*George Barna, Boiling Point, Regal Books, Ventura, CA p. 223, 2001

THE PLACE OF OBEDIENCE

 “Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.” Acts 9:8a

There is a place of obedience for all of us. For Paul, it was being struck blind on the Damascus road. God literally knocked him off his horse with a blinding light. A voice from Heaven asked Paul why he was persecuting Him (Jesus). When Paul arose, he could not see. Jesus told him to go to Damascus and meet a man named Ananias. There, Jesus restored Paul’s sight through Ananias.

Each of us has a place of obedience. For some, it requires only a nudge of pressure to gently lead us toward God. For others of us, a lightning bolt is necessary to get our undivided attention. Many who are hard-hearted rebel against the living God. Yet God’s love for these individuals is so great that He takes extreme measures to gain their attention-and their hearts. When you come in contact with people like this, do not fear their arrogance. Instead, see them as God sees them-as people who need the Savior and who could be a powerful force in the Kingdom if God saved them. It is a sign to begin praying for them.

We’ve all heard the saying, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” In many cases this is true. God has called many hard cases into His Kingdom through miraculous circumstances in order to save their lives from the pit of hell and transform them into a sweet-smelling fragrance. Do not let the hard exterior fool you. These are needy people who are crying out for help in their own prideful way. Whenever God begins this process in the life of a sinner, He has others standing by to assist. Ananias was the person in Paul’s life. He found it unbelievable that Paul really could have been saved. An angel had to convince him. Has God placed such an individual in your path? Perhaps God desires to use you to be an “Ananias” in the life of one of His wayward children. To do so requires a willingness to come alongside that one who needs your help. Who knows, that person could be the next apostle Paul.

THE POWER OF INFLUENCE

 “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel”(Phil 1:12-13).

Have you ever heard these statements: “Money talks.” Or how about this: “He who has the gold, rules.” Both of these statements have truth in them.

When Jesus was crucified, there was a question as to where Jesus would be buried. Those that hurried him to the cross designed that he should make his grave with the wicked; but God designed he should make it with the rich (Isa 53:9), and so he did.

In order for Jesus to be buried with honor, a man of influence was permitted to take the body of Jesus. His name was Joseph of Arimathea. It seems this man had a personal relationship with Pilate. He was a man of influence and owned a burial cave that was reserved for the rich.

Joseph of Arimathea was called an honorable counselor, a person of character and distinction, and in an office of public trust; some think in the state, and that he was one of Pilate’s privy council; his post rather seems to have been in the church, he was one of the great Sanhedrim of the Jews, or one of the high priest’s council.*

The Bible says that He desires His people to be the head, not the tail. If we are to influence the culture, there must be men and women of influence in whom God uses to impact the culture. If you are a successful person, consider the words of Paul when he said, “…what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Although Paul was referencing adversity in this statement, it can be equally said that each of us needs to ask if our prosperity has served to advance the gospel.

Are you using your influence to impact your workplace, city, or even nation for the sake of the gospel?

*(from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

IS THERE HIERARCHY IN CALLING?

 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Cor 12:27).”

All legitimate work matters to God. God Himself described Himself as a worker. In fact, human occupations find their origin in His work to create the world. Work is a gift from Him to meet the needs of people and the creation. “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas” (Ps 8:6-8).

However, there is often an unspoken hierarchy that positions clergy (missionaries and evangelists, pastors and clergy) at the top, and occupations such as those of the “helping professions” (doctors and nurses, teachers and educators, social workers) next, and “secular” workers (business executives, salespeople, factory laborers, and farmers) at the bottom.

So what determines the spiritual value of a job? How does God assign significance? The hierarchy assumes sacred and secular distinctions and assigns priority to the sacred. But does God view vocations that way? No, He does not.

God creates people to carry out specific kinds of work in order to meet human needs. God uniquely designs each of us, fitting us for certain kinds of tasks. He distributes skills, abilities, interests, and personalities among us so that we can carry out His work in the world. That work includes “spiritual” tasks, but also extends to health, education, agriculture, business, law, communication, the arts, and so on.

Paul was a tentmaker by occupation, along with his friends, Aquila and Priscilla. Other church leaders practiced a wide variety of professions and trades. There’s no indication that God looks at vocations in the form of spiritual hierarchy.*

The next time you consider your vocation a second-class spiritual calling, consider what God says. Your work matters to God and is valued by God equally to other forms of work.

*Adapted from Study notes from the Word In Life Study Bible, copyright 1993,1996, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Adapted from Ministry in Daily Life study notes page for WIL bible.

THE VALLEY OF BACA

 “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion”(Ps 84:5-7).

There is a spiritual law in the Kingdom of God. Every great leader in the Kingdom will pass through the Valley of Baca. Baca means to weep. It comes from the Hebrew word,bakah (baw-kaw’); a primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan.

However, Baca is also a place of springs. There is nothing better on a hot day when you’re thirsty and weary than to drink water from a mountain spring. It refreshes. It renews. It gives you a second wind to continue your journey. Those who commit themselves to a pilgrimage with God will experience the Valley of Baca. But in the midst of Baca, they will discover that in this valley, they will also drink from a very special spring that refreshes with a different kind of living water.

It becomes the source of “secret things in hidden places” described by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 45:3) reserved only for those willing to journey on the Great Pilgrimage with God. Once you drink from this spring, you will be energized in your spiritual man from strength to strength. Each Valley of Baca will result in a new spiritual spring from which you will drink. It is handmade just for you by God. But know this, it will be used to provide a refreshing drink for others you will encounter who are also on their pilgrimage.

Ultimately, Baca leads to the presence of God. There is something about being in a place with God that results in our weeping and crying out to Him. Do you find yourself in this place with God today? If so, know that His springs are also available to you. Ask him today to give you a drink from His spring, which is only available in the Valley of Baca.

WHEN OTHERS FAIL YOU

 “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'” (John 20:21-22).

Have you ever entrusted someone to carry on a project only to have them fail miserably? What was your response? Many times, leaders shame others in order to help them realize the gravity of their failure.

Bill ran a manufacturing company. His executive management team sought to take over the company in a hostile corporate take over. It was unsuccessful. Bill would have to manage the same team that betrayed him.

When Jesus was crucified, many of the disciples fled. Peter denied Jesus three times. He was a leader without followers. Jesus has now come back to life. How will Jesus handle this reunion among those who have totally abandoned Him and the mission?

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you'” (John 20:21-22). What an incredible greeting after all they had experienced. No shame. No harsh words. Just a reaffirmation of the mission and His commitment to them. Jesus used grace and total acceptance as motivation for His followers to carry on the mission.

He didn’t need to remind them of their failure. They already felt bad enough. It was time to recast the vision with new life. When there is failure in the organization, it is more important to revitalize the team, not focus on the past.

Do you need to rally your team around a mission that has stalled, failed, or gotten off track? Begin by affirming those under your leadership. Be at peace and send them forth!