MESSAGE IN THE MIRACLE

Strengthen Your Faith through the Knowledge of God’s Miracles

Copyright © 2014 by Bob Weigand/Michael Kelly

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CLICKABLE LINKS

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

About The Authors

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Introduction

The Reason for Miracles

What do we really know about miracles or even better, what do they tell us?  As you read this book you will travel on a journey through twelve of the Bible’s many miracles.  This journey will uncover what God is saying to us through the power of miracles.

God speaks to us through miracles.  The Bible gives us three reasons why miracles happen.

All miracles are to glorify God.

They happen for the good of man.

Miracles authenticate Jesus’ ministry.

God’s love and care for His creation is the core purpose for His miracles in all of our lives.

The word miracle comes from the Latin word “miraculum,” which means “something wonderful”. It is truly something wonderful when God intervenes on our behalf and for our benefit or His glory.

Unfortunately, people toss around the word miracle without regard for the true nature of a miracle.  Marketing gurus use the word to hype products.  There’s Miracle Ear, Miracle Grow, the Miracle Diet, and we can’t forget movies like Miracle on 34th Street.  Sadly, one televangelist entices donations with gifts of Miracle Spring Water.  All this does is obscure and weaken the real meaning and purpose of miracles, reducing them to simple marketing schemes.

Miracles are not weird science.  In fact, they are not science at all. At least not science as we know it.  God is a God of order and His order has a purpose. He shares His plans to us in various ways.  First and foremost, God speaks and reveals His plan for us through His Word.

God also speaks to us through the power of His miracles.  In the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, God is often seen intervening in the laws of nature on Israel’s behalf, by suspending or speeding up laws of nature to carry out His plan or His will for our lives.

The Bible tells us that God created matter out of nothing and imparted life into lifeless matter.  This display of dunamis, the Greek word for power, occurs with and for a specific purpose.

“And we know that all things work together for

good to them that love God, to them who are the

called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28 KJV)

We are going to identify those purposes and gain an understanding from the miracles in the Bible.  The Bible is for the most part to be interpreted literally and even though some of the miracles have an obvious purpose, we will delve into those purposes more deeply.

All true miracles glorify the Lord.  Consider the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee; Jesus created the best tasting wine the wedding guests drank that day.

“This beginning of miracles did

Jesus in Cana of Galilee,

and manifested forth his glory…”

(John 2:11 KJV)

God also does miracles for the good of man.  They are done for man’s benefit.  Understand that for the good of man refers to God’s children.  Unless, you think the miracle of the Red Sea was good for the Egyptian army.

In addition, God did and still does miracles for authentication. They authenticated Jesus’ ministry.  In prison, when John the Baptist questioned if Jesus was the one they were looking for, he sent his disciples to ask, “Are You the One?” Listen to Jesus’ reply.

“Go your way, and tell John what things ye

have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the

lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, , the deaf hear,

the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.”

(Luke 7:22 KJV

John, not the Baptist, but the writer of the gospel of John, quotes Jesus’ response to the unbelief and death threats of the Pharisees:

“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

But if I do, though ye believe not me,

Believe the works: that ye may know, and believe,

that the Father is in me, and I in Him.”

(John 10:37-38 KJV)

Not only did miracles authenticate Jesus’ ministry but they also served to bring credibility to Paul’s ministry. Along with many other such signs and wonders, Paul raised people from the dead, cast out demons, and had his handkerchief used to heal sick people.

In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he talked about his vision and the thorn in his flesh that God allowed to irritate him to teach him dependence.

Toward the end, he stated the reason why his ministry was one of dunamis or power.

“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought

among you in all patience, in signs,

and wonders, and mighty deeds.”

(2 Corinthians 12:12 KJV)

God was authenticating Paul’s ministry. He did so for others as well.

When God does a miracle, what is He saying? Our journey begins by plunging, (no pun intended) into His Word with the dramatic parting of the Red Sea.

Chapter 1

The Walled Water

“And the children of Israel went into the midst

of the sea upon the dry ground…”

(Exodus 14:22 KJV)

With the Egyptian army behind them and the Red Sea in front of them, the Israelites must have felt like olives in an olive press.  After all, this wasn’t their idea.  They were reluctant to leave behind their 400 years of hard labor and bondage to Pharaoh.  Now facing slavery or certain death, slavery was looking like a good choice!

Naturally they began to chide Moses and whine about their dilemma—if only Moses would have left them alone.  They had food, shelter and even protection in Egypt.  But no, Moses had to convince them that God wanted them to leave the comfort of their homes, for an unknown land.  However, Pharaoh wasn’t about to let them go that easy.

Facing their destiny, God caused a mighty wind to blow from the east, separating the sea, and exposing dry ground for Israel to cross over on.  Can you imagine the fear that gripped them as they rushed across the dry riverbed looking from side to side at the towering walls of water?  What if the wind ceased?  What if the water was too strong for the wind to hold back?  Just like a rock can break scissors, water could overpower wind.  Right?

But, there was a bigger fear at play here.  Israel’s fear of the trailing army outweighed their fear of the water crashing over them.  So they marched forward, hoping against all hope that the walls of water would hold.  They did, and Moses was vindicated.  God was praised and Israel was delivered.

But how did Israel get into this situation in the first place?  In fact, how do any of us get into the situations we often find ourselves in?  Our life’s journey takes us into many situations, some more challenging than others.  James tells us to:

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren,

whenever you are enveloped in or

encounter trials of any sort or fall into

various temptations.”

(James 1:2 Amplified Bible)

I like the Living Bible’s rendition of this verse:

“Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties

and temptations? Then be happy…”

It’s tough being happy in an unhappy or even life threatening circumstance that we caused ourselves. But it’s especially tough when it’s not of our own making.

Joseph knew exactly what that meant.  Joseph had a dream.  God give us more dreamers for your kingdom.  Joseph’s mistake was in hastily telling his dream to his family.  How do you think your father and older siblings would react if you told them that they would someday bow down before you?  God does not always want us to make public what He tells us in secret.  If only Joseph had known Solomon, he might have understood that silence can truly be golden.

“He who has knowledge spares his words,

And a man of understanding is of a

calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise

when he holds his peace; When he shuts

his lips, he is considered perceptive.”

(Proverbs 17:27-28)

Because of Joseph’s impetuous attitude, his brothers sold him into slavery.  Naturally that trumps being murdered any day, which is what his brothers originally had planned.  At one point Joseph was thrown into prison, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife of trying to seduce her.  Sitting in the damp and dark prison Joseph complained to God.  “God, how could you let this happen?  Remember the dream you gave me?  What’s up with this?”  While many of us would have chucked this whole God thing, Joseph remained faithful to God.  Both in his integrity and moral character, which is something greatly lacking in today’s leaders.  However, God’s purpose for Joseph was finally revealed in a spectacular manner.

“And the famine was over

all the face of the earth…”

(Genesis 41:56 KJV)

All the Egyptians and Joseph’s family were spared the ravage of the famine that overtook the entire earth.  Because of Joseph’s faithfulness in honoring God, through thick AND thin, he was placed in a position of authority to decide who got food and who didn’t.

It’s interesting that most of us can and do serve God when things are going well.  The sun is shining! I have a good job, family and friends, money in the bank.  I ‘m moving up the corporate ladder, my business is booming, I drive a great car, I take several good vacations a year, and I’m racking up the sky miles.  Life is good. God is good.  But let a little cloud enter our horizon and our attitude changes.

Job, is a classic example of how life can suddenly change for the worse.  In a short period of time he lost his livestock to barbarians, his children to a terrible tornado, his health to a ghastly disease and his wealth to misfortune.  When his wife, under the stress of losing her children and having her lifestyle at risk of collapsing, suggested that Job “curse God and die” his immediate response was:

“You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.

Shall we indeed accept good from God,

and shall we not accept adversity?”

(Job 2:10)

God delights in those who love and serve Him in spite of life’s circumstances.  He proves Himself faithful to us over and over again.  Does the sun rise each morning?  Does the rain fall at its appointed time?  God takes care of us and is committed to our well-being.  King David wrote the following testimonial to the faithfulness of God in his senior years:

“I have been young, and now am old;

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his descendants begging bread.”

(Psalms 37:25)

Even after Joseph died, the people of Israel continued to prosper living in the land of Goshen, a fertile plain known as the Delta in Egypt.  Their crops bore much fruit, their women’s wombs were productive, and the people multiplied abundantly until Egypt was covered with Israelites.  This was good, right?  The new Pharaoh of Egypt didn’t think so.

“Now there arose a new king over Egypt,

who did not know Joseph.”

(Exodus 1:8)

It wasn’t that he didn’t know about Joseph.  As successful and popular as Joseph was, surely the new king would know of him.  However, the new king chose to ignore Joseph for one reason.  He was afraid!  Israel had become a large percentage of Egypt’s population.  The new king was concerned about being attacked by another nation and not knowing where Israel stood.  Would they fight with Egypt or against her?  He was afraid of the enemy within!

The seven years of growth and prosperity Israel had enjoyed were now over.  Life, which had been luxurious, was now becoming a hardship as they were subjected to intense enslavement building monuments to satisfy the king’s ego.  How quickly life can turn!  Egypt attempted to control Israel through hard labor but their strategy backfired as:

“…the more they afflicted them,

the more they multiplied and grew.”

(Exodus  1:12 KJV)

Although Israel didn’t know it, God was preparing to liberate them from Egyptian bondage.  Soon, Moses would be born, and he would lead Israel out of Egypt and bring them to the threshold of the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  God always has a better plan.  He didn’t abandon Israel!  He won’t abandon you!

“There are many plans in a man’s heart,

Nevertheless the LORD’S counsel-that will stand.”

(Proverbs 19:21)

What security there is in knowing that God’s plan cannot be torn down or destroyed.  When things are the bleakest or there seems to be no way out, God opens up the way.  The path becomes clear as we look to Him.  That’s faith!  Israel did not see the possibility before them, only the threat.  They didn’t know that God promised that He would,

“…go before you And make the crooked

places straight; I will break in pieces

the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.”

(Isaiah 45:2)

In other words, there is nothing that God cannot and will not do for you. He delights in opening doors and removing obstacles. His pleasure is to defeat our enemy and to bless our lives. God has a definite plan for you and everything that happens in your life ultimately leads to the fulfillment of that plan.

Satan distracts us by drawing our attention to those things around us. Israel saw two things, the Red Sea before them and the pursuing army behind them. They were feeling the squeeze with no easy escape route. When we feel squeezed we place the blame on others for our predicament. Israel began chastising Moses and blaming him for their dilemma.  Thank God, Moses knew whom to turn to for help.  He looked

“…to the hills—From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.”

(Psalms 121:1-3)

The Apostle Peter experienced firsthand the distraction of the enemy when he began walking on the water to Jesus.  The scripture tells us that the winds and waves became more violent and when Peter noticed them he began to sink.  We too will sink when we turn our eyes from our source of help and begin to contemplate our circumstances.  It becomes overwhelming and we lose sight of the Deliverer.

Who do you turn to for help?  Your family?  Your friends?  Your therapist?  While God may have endowed these people with gifts to help you, only God can deliver you from your troubles.  What kind of help do you need? Simple or difficult, God can handle any problem.  Just call out for His help.  Nothing is impossible with God.

What is your Red Sea today?  Is it finances, or the lack of?  Are you battling sickness or a life threatening disease?  Is your career threatened by outside forces?  Are you living in a situation that resembles a dysfunctional family sitcom?  God has dry ground for you to walk on.  He’ll get you through your Red Sea if you’ll trust Him.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Not only will He bring you through your difficult situation by providing the means, but He will also consume your enemies.  While the walled water made a path for Israel to cross, it quickly became a tomb for the Egyptian army determined to destroy Israel.  They did not understand the plan of God.  Only those called by God can share in the goodness of God.

“And we know that all things work

together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called

according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

Whatever you are facing today, victory is yours!  You have everything you need to succeed and escape your enemies.

Quit looking at your circumstances, for they are powerless.  Turn your eyes on Jesus and everything will lose its influence over you.  Live in the blessing of God and enjoy your victory!

Chapter 2

The Marred Mortar

Joshua 6:20

The Jordan River becomes the next major setting for God’s unfolding plan for Israel.  Moses has died, unable to enter the Promised Land due to his earlier disobedience to God in the wilderness.  To replace Moses, God christens Joshua as the new leader of His chosen people with the order to be strong and courageous and observant of God’s Law.  As time would unveil, Joshua would need all the courage he could muster in the face of constant battles, both internally and externally.  Israel’s destiny would rest on his young shoulders.

Joshua was given the unenviable task of cleaning out the land of Canaan and preparing it to be occupied by Israel.  God knew it would test his strength and stamina to the limits.  Joshua would first have to get Israel across the Jordan River, an event similar to the parting of the Red Sea.  It would then be his responsibility to conquer and occupy the city of Jericho.   Following that there would be other cities; some large and well guarded and others small and indefensible.  Regardless, the Israelite soldiers would have to fight continuous battles, facing the possibility of death or injury in order to carry out God’s plan.

An entitlement mentality pervades our society today and is counterproductive to receiving the blessings of God.  You see, God is often thought of as a spiritual Santa Claus where we just make our wishes known and out of nowhere they’re granted.  That is not how God operates.  What is it we are being called upon to do for the kingdom?  God designs the plan but counts on us for the execution.

“…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,

and the violent take it by force.”

(Matthew 11:12)

Nothing of value is free for the taking!  God gave His plan for taking Jericho to the Israelites; it was up to them to follow His plan.  They would need to execute the plan by marching around the huge, thick walls of the city once a day for six days, while seven priests blew their trumpets.  On the seventh day, God’s plan required them to march around the city walls seven times.  On their seventh time around, as the Priests sounded their trumpets, the people were to shout loudly.  The success of God’s plan depended on its execution, which would require immense courage from the Israelites.

The plan is laughable when put up against the action plans of this world, much like when Noah was building the ark.  The world calls us fools, fanatics, and right-wingers whenever the chance arises to do so.  Unless we allow them, these “tags” are their futile effort to weaken our execution of God’s plan.  We must continue to preach and live the gospel in spite of the world’s hatred of us.

“But God has chosen the foolish

Things of the world to put to shame

the wise, and God has chosen the weak

things of the world to put to shame the

things which are mighty…”

(I Corinthians 1:27)

Paul understood the importance of courage, too.  In his instructions to the Ephesians he told them to,

“…be strong in the Lord and in the power

of His might. Put on the whole armor of God…”

(Ephesians 6:10-11)

Notice that God has armor available, but we have to put it on! God equips and protects us, but we must get dressed every day. Many of us begin each day spiritually naked, allowing Satan do his best to destroy us. We come home at the end of the day worn out and wounded.

We have been convinced by the world to be passive in this spiritual war we are fighting.  What if Israel told Joshua that they should leave Jericho alone, live and let live.  After all, we shouldn’t impose our faith on others who don’t want to listen.

Our faith in God’s ability and His power to give us victory strengthens when we use it in obedience, which in turn gives us victory through His might and grace.  Today even Christians are swallowing the apathy Satan has been serving, while God keeps calling for obedience to His Word.

Joshua got the people ready for battle. Even though they didn’t have to wield a sword or shoot arrows, they needed to be ready. Listen to what Joshua, at God’s instruction, tells Israel.

“…Prepare provisions for yourselves,

for within three days you will cross over

this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which

the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”

(Joshua 1:11)

Notice with me that Joshua uses the phrase “is giving you” not “has given you.”  It’s not a done deal for Israel.  There remains something for them to do.  However, God assures them that if they do their part, He will do His.  We have that same assurance that if we are faithful to Him, He will come through for us.

Paul further tells us that besides being fully geared up; we have to take a stand!

“…and having done all, to stand.”

(Ephesians 6:13)

No one ever conquered anything sitting down, cowering or hiding.  The bold get the trophy!  The persistent finish the race!  The brave win the battle!

How can we stand in a world that’s constantly trying to knock us down?  I’ve had my share of people who’ve tried to weaken my faith and testimony.  Honestly, sometimes I get really tired and worn out from the constant battles.  But when I feel I’m at my weakest, I remember what Paul said was his desire.

“that I may know Him and the power

of His resurrection, and the fellowship

of His sufferings…”

(Philippians 3:10)

I begin to seek Him, and through His Holy Spirit I become reenergized as I reflect upon His power to move in my life and His suffering for my sins.  The power of grace is awesome!

“And they overcame him by the blood of the

Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”

(Revelation 12:11)

John was describing how Satan was defeated.  The blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony are powerful tools.  In fact, they make it possible for us to beat Satan and win the game.  No bottom of the 9th inning surprises, and no extra innings, just pure victory in the name of Jesus.

Following God’s plan guarantees success!  Listen to what God tells Joshua personally.

“Only be strong and very courageous,

that you may observe to do according to all

the law which Moses My servant commanded

you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to

the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from

Your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day

and night, that you may observe to do

according to all that is written in it.  For

then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you will have good success.”

(Joshua 1:7-8)

God’s Word is central to our success!  Knowing and keeping God’s Word assures us of prosperity and continual success!  Attending to our spiritual health is foundational to our physical, mental, emotional, and financial prosperity.  John’s prayer for us is,

“I wish above all things that thou

mayest prosper and be in health,

even as thy soul prospereth.”

(3 John 2 KJV)

God knew the battles and challenges Joshua would have to face, just like He knows what you’re going to face.  He also knows what you’ll need from him, in order to meet those challenges.  Can you improve on God’s plan?  Could Joshua?

If I had been Joshua, and God told me His plan for defeating Jericho, I would have thought that it was a bit trivial and insignificant.  How would marching around the city, while blowing a few horns defeat Jericho?  Could you imagine one of our generals in Iraq ordering his troops to do that?

God wants to show us His glory and His might and to be praised for His works.  How better to demonstrate the ability of God.  I think you know what happens.  Upon fully executing God’s instructions, the walls of Jericho melted before Joshua and the children of Israel.  They were able to enter the fortified city and take complete control of it.  Why did God order the total destruction of Jericho?

The name Jericho represents the moon-god Yarih, which the citizens of Jericho worshipped.  In the land that God was giving to Israel, this was unacceptable and in violation of the very first commandment given to Moses,

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

(Exodus 20:3 KJV)

God wants to dwell with us, and us to dwell with Him, but that can only happen in purity of heart and mind.  We must learn what needs purging and how to purge our hearts of anything that keeps God out.  Anything that causes us to fall short of God’s glory is defined as “sin” and sin does not reign in us.  Paul clearly states:

“knowing this, that our old man was crucified

with Him, that the body of sin might be done

away with, that we should no longer be slaves

of sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you,

for you are not under law but under grace.”

(Romans 6:6,14)

Conquering sin and its effects in our lives must be done on a daily basis.  Paul learned to die daily to sin’s control.  Each day we must crucify our flesh anew and commit to obeying His word.  Only then can we rise to the challenge and be over comers for Christ.

Another thing we can do is to determine that we will be led by God’s Spirit every day.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,

these are sons of God.”

(Romans 8:14)

In the Old Testament the presence of God (His Spirit) was identified with the “ark of the covenant.” The people’s responsibility was simply to follow the ark.  Wherever the ark was, God was present.  That seems so simple, but people have a hard time following.  We struggle to know and do God’s will when we should be focusing on being led by His Spirit, which in essence, is the will of God.  Listen to God’s further instructions to Joshua.

“When you see the ark of the covenant

of the LORD your God, and the priests,

the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set

out from your place and go after it.”

(Joshua 3:3)

Simple, just follow the ark!  Go where God is going!  I do not ever want to be where God is not.  That is living dangerously.  But we do not have the ark to guide us.  The Holy Spirit, our ark under grace, was sent to be our helper when Jesus returned to heaven.  Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth.  He has replaced the “ark of the covenant” and we now must follow Him.  That is what being led by the Spirit is about.  Do you know Him?  Can you recognize His voice and identify His leading?  Your survival depends on this.

One final word about Jericho, God instructed Israel to destroy everyone and everything.  Harsh, wouldn’t you say?  This certainly goes against what we are taught today.  Church leaders tell us that God is love, which He is, and because we are living under grace we should therefore be tolerant and accepting of people where they are.  I have no problem with accepting people where they are, provided they are actively seeking to become like Christ.  Don’t be under the illusion that people who are born again, are born again as adults.  There is a maturing process that requires time.  As a mature Christian, I can understand and work with those seeking maturity in Christ.

However, the example of Jericho emphasizes God’s holiness and justice.  Paul warns us that in the last days there will be those:

“having a form of godliness

but denying its power.”

(2 Timothy 3:5)

And that,

“from such people turn away!”

(2 Timothy  3:5)

Today true born again believers are under attack and many are under siege.  Because of this, many have lost their “spiritual” way.

How do we find it again?  Come back to the basics.  Know God’s Word.  Don’t just get into the Word, let God’s Word get into you.

Know the Spirit of God.  Be immersed (baptized) in Christ’s Spirit and learn to identify His voice within your spirit and follow Him as Israel followed the ark.

“…then thou shalt have good success.”

(Joshua 1:8 KJV)

Chapter 3

The Stilled Sun

Joshua 10:12-13

Fresh off a miraculous victory at Jericho, Israel was backslapping, high-fiving, and just having an all around celebration.  They were pumped!  They felt invincible!

“If God is for us, who (can be) against us?

(Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?)”

(Romans 8:31 Amplified Bible)

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?”

(Psalms 118:6 Amplified Bible)

It’s obvious that the Lord was on Israel’s side the week they marched around Jericho.  Why wouldn’t He be?  Joshua and Israel followed God’s plan to the letter.  Every “T” was crossed and every “I” was dotted.  They followed the ark as God commanded.  They marched as God had instructed.  The Priests blew the trumpets, and the people shouted just as He had told them.  You see when we do what God says to do, we obligate Him to fulfill His promise—in this case, the destruction of Jericho.  Are you living below God’s promises for you?  You don’t have to.  Check your instructions and align yourself with Him and you will have victory.  What do you need victory over?  Find out from God what you need to do and then do it!

Remember when the Angel of the Lord visited Abraham in Mamre and gave him the promise that his wife Sarah would be pregnant soon?  That was physically impossible as she was beyond childbearing years.  Sarah, who was listening from inside their tent to this conversation, chuckled within herself.  No one heard it, or so she thought.  God sees and hears everything because He is present everywhere at the same time (omnipresent) and He heard Sarah laughing in disbelief.  The Angel asked Abraham why Sarah laughed and then said,

“Is anything too hard for God?”

(Genesis 18:14 Living Bible)

That is the question God is asking you today.  Can you think of anything that God cannot do?  It wasn’t long before Isaac was born to Abraham through Sarah and the promise of God came true.  God keeps His word and promises to His children.  The very nature of God will not allow Him to break His word.

“that by two immutable things,

in which it is impossible for God to lie…”

(Hebrews 6:18)

We can take consolation in the truth that God cannot—not will not—but cannot, go against His own Word and what He says He will do, He will do!

Let’s return to Israel’s camp.  The music is blaring and the people are dancing the night away.  Without lifting a sword or throwing a stone, Jericho belonged to Israel.  But who wanted to own Jericho?  Everything about Jericho was to be destroyed, people as well as all the things in Jericho.  In fact, a curse was pronounced on anyone who would rebuild Jericho.  So what were they partying over?  It was certainly not increased wealth.

The people of Israel were happy because God had come through for them and once again proved Himself true.  I would trade the knowledge of God’s faithfulness for all the wealth in the world, wouldn’t you?

Amidst all this celebration no one noticed that the guest of honor was not in attendance.  Something was not right and Joshua was soon to find out what that was.

“But the Israelites committed a trespass

in regard to the devoted things…”

(Joshua 7:1 Amplified Bible)

Joshua dispatched some spies to gather intelligence on the next city in their path, Ai.  When they returned with a positive assessment of Ai’s strength, they told Joshua they’d only need a few thousand soldiers to conquer Ai.  Bolstered by their destruction of Jericho, they attacked Ai with all the confidence of a super bowl champion.  Joshua did not go with them.  He didn’t need to go.  This was going to be an easy campaign.  One, two, three—in and out!  They would be home in time for dinner.  Instead the soldiers were sprinting home, not because their work was done, but because they were fleeing for their lives.  What should have been an easy victory became a disheartening defeat.  How could God allow this to happen?  How embarrassing!  What were they to do now?

“Then Joshua rent his clothes and lay on the

Earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord…”

(Joshua 7:6 Amplified Bible)

Joshua should have done this before he went into battle, but he didn’t think it was needed.  As so often happens, after God steps up and gives us what we ask for, we plunge into the next step of our request without His guidance or council.  We must guard against apathy that comes as a result of success.  Had Joshua inquired, God would have revealed that not all of His people had followed His instructions, thereby angering Him.

“And the anger of the Lord

burned against Israel.”

(Joshua 7:1 Amplified Bible)

God does not delight in the suffering of His children, but He allows circumstances to happen to help us understand our responsibilities and learn from our mistakes.  In plundering Jericho, the order was to destroy everything and everyone.  There are things in our lives that are destined for destruction.  God expects us to put away things that cause us to sin against Him.

“let us lay aside every weight,

and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”

(Hebrews 12:1 KJV)

Coveting things destined for destruction was not an option if Israel wanted to enjoy the blessings of God.  Unknown to Joshua, Achan, of the tribe of Judah, had secretly stashed some of Jericho’s treasure in his tent.  He didn’t think anyone saw him or that anyone would care.  Wrong!

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro

throughout the whole earth…”

(2 Chronicles 16:9)

But if you do not do so, then take note,

you have sinned against the LORD;

and be sure your sin will find you out.”

(Numbers 32:23)

How many times have you sinned without thinking you have?  God will reveal your sin if you ask Him to!  God asked Joshua what he was doing lying on the ground with torn garments.  I am sure Joshua must have said something to the effect of “I am waiting on You to explain yourself.  What gives?  How could You do this to us?”  Joshua believed God had a very lengthy and complicated reason, so he was prepared to lie on the ground all day if necessary.  God’s answer was simple and direct.

“Israel has sinned…”

(Joshua 7:11)

What God told Joshua next was extremely painful for him to hear and more difficult for him to execute.  Obeying God is not always easy but is always necessary if we want to live in His blessings.  What God told Joshua to do would have sent shockwaves through the death penalty opponent groups today.  They would have branded him a murderer or human rights violator.

Doubtless there were also those in Israel who cringed at the verdict and sentence God pronounced on Achan, although no one knew whom the guilty party was.  I can hear some of us thinking, “It’s Your verdict God; you take care of it.”  When one of your body’s organs develops cancer, you don’t hesitate to remove it or any other organ aligned with it.  Remember, God said Israel had sinned even though only one man committed the act of disobedience.

“Therefore, just as through one man sin

entered the world, and death through sin,

and thus death spread to all men,

because all sinned…“

(Romans 5:12)

“No man is an island, entire of itself...

any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind;

and therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

John Donne

The body of Christ is impacted by what we, as individuals, do or do not do.  Paul instructs the church to rid itself of sin so the body may be healed and live in God’s blessing.  You might think your actions affect only you and may feel like it’s nobody’s business, but it is my business, because God looks at His body as one!  The toughest sentence in the New Testament took place in Acts chapter 5.

The husband and wife team had deliberately chosen to lie about their gift they gave to the church.  They did not think anyone would know.  After all, they were in control of their checkbook and no one knew what was in it.  They underestimated God.  He knew what they were doing and why they were doing it and through Peter, revealed their deed.  Their punishment—they both dropped dead!  As a result great fear came over the church.  God is not someone to play around with and the things of God are not toys to amuse us.

Once the sin was removed and destroyed, Israel could once again live in God’s blessings.  It is understandable that Joshua would be somewhat reluctant to put the troops back into harm’s way.  But God said to Joshua,

“Fear not nor be dismayed.

Take all the men of war with you,

and arise, go up to Ai; see,

I have given into your hand the king of Ai,

his people, his city, and his land.”

(Joshua 8:1 Amplified Bible)

God was asking Joshua to trust Him, not an easy thing to do coming off the heels of God’s anger.  I’m not sure if God was conceding to human nature, but this time He gave permission for Israel to keep the cattle and all the plunder for themselves.  Perhaps God knew it would take such a response to move Israel forward so that His plan could be accomplished.

Sometimes we try to negotiate with God.  You may have heard of the “foxhole” confession.  “God, if you get me out of this I will serve you.”  We also try to bargain with God to get what we want.  “God if you let me win the lottery, I promise I’ll give some of it to charity.” God wants you to obey Him in every detail, and He promises He will bless your life.

The plan is set.  Israel was to set up an ambush for Ai’s King and then defeat him completely.  The men of Ai set out to pursue Israel thinking they were gluttons for punishment and that they would rout them as before.  I can hear Gomer Pyle’s famous “surprise, surprise” as the ambush was set in motion and the people of Ai defeated.

The news of Israel’s victory spread throughout the land and all the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon held a summit to determine what should be done about Joshua and Israel.  They were concerned about their kingdoms and what would become of them.  They formed the first League of Nations for the sole purpose of fighting against Gibeon, who through deception had entered into a treaty with Israel.  The kings camped just outside Gibeon.  Because of their treaty, Israel was honor bound to defend Gibeon from imminent attack.  Joshua didn’t like it, but he knew God wanted him to honor his word.

God encouraged Joshua.

“And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them,

for I have given them into your hand;

there shall not a man of them stand before you.”

(Joshua 10:8 Amplified Bible)

As they engaged in battle, the armies of the five kings began fleeing.  As they fled, God cast great stones from heaven down on them killing more of them than Israel did with the sword.  Whoa!  What a great teammate to have on your side. Whatever God does is amazing.

But that’s not the entire story.  Joshua needed to totally annihilate the enemy, but he was running out of time.  Soon it would be dark and many might escape only to fight again later.  What options did Joshua have available to him?  He couldn’t summon the local electric company to arrange for light poles to be set up.  Nor did he have access to those big klieg lights used by Hollywood to turn scenes filmed at night into daylight.

What could he do?  I’m not sure how this idea came to him, although I believe God had something to do with it.  Joshua simply commanded the sun and moon to stand still.  That would solve his problem.  Well it did, and Israel won a great victory that day because Joshua had enough light to defeat the enemy.

Miracles are the interruption of the natural laws.  Who has the authority and the power to do such a thing?  Only the Creator, God Himself, that’s Who.  When Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still, he was asking God for a miracle.  So God slowed the rotation of the earth for a period of time.

The appearance of the sun’s movement, the rising and setting, is due to the earth’s rotation on its axis.  When Joshua asked God to stop the sun and the moon, it was from his reference point of the earth.  Just like when we refer to the sun rising and setting as, “sunrise” and “sunset,” it’s from our reference point.  The sun does not really rise or set.  It’s the same when we refer to “moonlight,” the moon does not emit light; it reflects the sun’s light.  Joshua was asking God to provide him the miracle of an extended period of light, which He did.

When we’re in love, we’re willing to try and move mountains for the one we love.  Well, God loves us and He does move mountains for us.

“For truly I (Jesus) say to you,

if you have faith [that is living] like a grain

of mustard seed, you can say to this

mountain, Move from here to yonder

place, and it will move; and

nothing will be impossible to you.”

(Matthew 17:20 Amplified Bible)

What do you need God to do for you today?  If He can stop the spinning of the earth for Joshua, what will He do for you?  You’ve seen above what God is willing to do for His people.  Our Creator is not partial,

“where there is neither Greek nor

Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised,

barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free,

but Christ is all and in all.”

(Colossians 3:11)

At one point in Peter’s travels, God tried to get Peter to understand the way He looks at people by giving Peter a vision of a sheet full of unclean animals, which are an abomination to the Jew.  Peter got the message and said,

“Of a truth I perceive that God

is no respecter of persons…”

(Acts 10:34 KJV)

If God is no respecter of persons and if He is:

“…the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

(Hebrews 13:8)

He is willing and able to do for you what you need Him to do no matter how hard or impossible it may seem.  Trust Him and obey His instructions and watch Him work on your behalf.

Chapter 4

The Multiplied Meal

I Kings 17:16

A legacy of wickedness by the kings of Israel resulted in the prophet’s pronouncement,

“As the LORD God of Israel lives,

before whom I stand,

there shall not be dew nor rain

these years, except at my word.”

(I Kings 17:1)

The Law of Sowing and Reaping is real and is universal.  It goes like this; if I plant an apple seed, an apple tree will grow.  That’s the way things work.  It’s how God designed the planet to operate.  He ordered that everything would yield after its own seed (kind).  Jesus once asked His disciples if a good tree could bear bad fruit, reminding them of this sowing and reaping thing.  James, the brother of Jesus, also got in on this when he was teaching on the importance of controlling one’s tongue and asked;

“Does a spring send forth fresh water

and bitter from the same opening?

Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives,

or a grapevine bear figs?”

(James 3:11-12)

Centuries after Joshua and Israel marched around Jericho, kings ruled over the land—resulting in many decades of wickedness.  But no king was as evil as King Ahab.  During his reign, Elijah prophesied to Ahab God’s judgment of a three-year drought, a drought that would not end until Elijah said it would.

Capture the boldness of Elijah’s prophecy.  He was speaking to the most evil king Israel ever had.  What was he thinking?  Ahab could have removed Elijah’s head for making such a bold declaration.

As the messenger of God’s punishment, Elijah is reminding us that we should be careful about the seeds we sow.  Are we sowing seeds of blessings or seeds of cursing?  In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells His disciples that the seed being sown is the Word of God.  Is the Word getting into you?  Many people have been encouraged to “get into the Word.”  But getting into the Word only produces knowledge.  Jesus said that unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground, it abides alone.  It’s only when we allow the Word (seed) to get into us that we can expect blessings to sprout in our lives.  Maximum blessing comes from maximum planting!

What was so bad about the reign of Ahab?  What did he do that angered God more than all the evil kings of Israel that had gone before him?  To start with, he continued to lead Israel in the way of a former king, Jeroboam, who had erected idols and encouraged Israel to worship those idols.  Did God not say?

“You shall have no other gods before

Me. You shall not make for yourself any

carved image… you shall not bow

down to them nor serve them.”

(Exodus 20:3, 5)

Yet here is Ahab carrying on the commandment breaking tradition of his predecessors.  As if that wasn’t enough to dishonor God, he decided to rub God’s nose in it by marrying a heathen woman named Jezebel.  She represented the worst of the idolatry being committed.  I don’t know what Ahab was thinking; but I do know what he wasn’t thinking about.  Ahab wasn’t obedient to God’s law.  You cannot recklessly abandon God’s way and not suffer the consequences.  In Deuteronomy 28, Moses warned Israel to be careful to observe all God’s commands so that the curses that fell upon Egypt would not fall upon Israel. But did they listen?  Here they are confronted with a long drought because of their lack of observance.

Remember Joshua’s curse about rebuilding Jericho?

“Cursed be the man before the LORD who

rises up and builds this city Jericho;

he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn,

and with his youngest he shall set up its gates…”

(Joshua 6:26)

Well, the curse became reality during Ahab’s leadership because Hiel of Bethel tried to rebuild Jericho and lost his firstborn son, Abiram, while laying the foundation.  He lost his youngest son, Segub, while setting up the gates.  God’s Word is not to be messed with but obeyed.

The sky is the limit for God’s blessings when we obey Him, but if we don’t abide by His Word we won’t be blessed and we may even be cursed.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

(Galatians 6:7)

The drought came even though it had been decades of bad leadership and disobedience by the people.  God is a patient God and is not

“…willing that any should perish…”

(2 Peter 3:9)

But remember, even God’s patience has an end date!

If you are not walking in total blessing and obedience to God’s Word and His will for your life, you can reroute your life and get it back on track.  The Holy Spirit was given to us to be our guidance system and our energy source to discover and walk on our path of blessing.  God desires blessing for you and not cursing.  Get rid of all that is coming between you and God.  What’s that you ask?  Start with those things you live for and give worth to.  Once you’ve figured out what they are, redirect your worship to God and God alone.  His heart will be moved and He will pour out His blessings upon you and your life and He will direct your path.

That’s what He did with Elijah.  After announcing the impending drought God told him to move on to a place where He would provide him with water to drink and food to eat.  Although the drought had begun, the brook Cherith had not dried up yet—so Elijah could drink its water.  In addition, God arranged for ravens to bring him two meals a day.  Would two meals a day be enough nourishment for you?  It was for Elijah, because he would have to have been in great shape to out run Ahab’s chariot as he did just before the drought ended.

Elijah’s life was miraculous!  Already there had been two miracles in his life; the drought and the meal plan from God.  The use of ravens by God was miraculous in itself.  Ravens are dumb birds, afraid of humans and hardly able to provide food for themselves, but at God’s command they fed Elijah twice a day, for many days.

That’s how God is with us, if we let Him.  How far ahead can you see your life?  I wish I could have seen some things before they happened to me, but I have limited sight.  He can see our entire life, every twist and turn, every high and low point.  If that isn’t encouraging enough, He walks alongside our every step.  He is our Paraclete, one called alongside to help.  Not only does He see ahead, but He also helps us through all the struggles we go through.

When we find ourselves in the quicksand of life, it’s because of the Peter syndrome; we took our eyes off of God.  Like with Peter, when we cry out for help, God extends His hand for support and picks us up.  He gets us back safely so we can continue on our journey.

The devil does not do that.  In fact, he’ll walk away laughing at your predicament.  That’s what he did when Christ was crucified.  Who do you think was speaking through the mouths of the chief priests and rulers when they said the words “He saved others, let Him save Himself?”  That’s right, the devil.  Satan was walking away, rejoicing in Christ’s death on the way to his celebration party in Hell.  Until the knock came; then all hell broke loose as Jesus crashed Satan’s party and took back the keys of Hell.

It is important to remember that if we want the blessings and protection of God we must be where He wants us to be.  If Elijah had been in any other place than Cherith he might have met a different end.  It’s important for us to discover where God wants us to be and then go there and remain until He moves us on.  We do not have the luxury of the pillar of cloud and fire that led Israel, but we do have the Holy Spirit who’ll lead us to where God wants us to be.

It’s not like being on autopilot.  We must continually make course corrections due to life’s weather systems.  But we can have confidence that He will always lead us in the right direction.  A majority of plane crashes are due to pilot error.  When our “plane” crashes, it’s because we made God our copilot and not our pilot.  When God is in control, we will not crash!

After some time at Cherith, God told Elijah to go to another city called Zarephath.  The water supply was depleted at Cherith, but God had another source of sustenance for Elijah in Zarephath.  God is a planner!  We plan to fail when we do not have a plan.  Our plan could never be better than God’s plan, but then we are not all-knowing.  God leads us by example and He plans.  He planned out creation!  He planned the exodus!  He planned the occupation of the Promised Land, Canaan!  He planned our salvation!  Everything God does, He does by a plan.  He is a God of order and expects nothing less from us.  He has a plan for your life.  Do you know what it is?  That’s the first step, knowing God’s plan for you.  The challenge is to trust Him for its execution, because He doesn’t give us the details—and you know what’s in the details.

Elijah did not know all the details of God’s master plan.  God revealed only enough to him so he could get to the next level.  If God revealed more it probably would have frightened him.  As I look back on my life, I have discovered places where I would not have gone if God had given me advanced notice.  So He hides the details from us for our protection.

There was nothing hidden in God’s command to Elijah.  Go to Zarephath.  Your next meal is waiting.  Why do you think God often takes us to our limits, that moment in time where we are desperate?  He does that to teach us trust!  I have been in that situation where I did not know where my next meal was coming from.  My first pastor often had to pray for a meal to show up.  One time I visited the parsonage and he only had a single potato to eat.  Yet, God always came through.

The story is told of the Prussian born English evangelist George Muller who established orphanages in Bristol, England.  He and the orphans had eaten the last available food for dinner and the prospect for breakfast the next morning was dim.  Fortunately for that orphanage, George believed in a prayer hearing God and so throughout that night he prayed for supply.  The next morning he opened the front door and there were bags of groceries.  This was a common event in Muller’s ministry.  It again reminds us of David’s declaration that,

“…I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his descendants begging bread.”

(Psalms 37:25)

In Elijah’s case, God had prepared the heart of a widow and single mom who was caring for her young son during this difficult time.  In fact, the mom was down to her last bit of flour and oil and her prospects for remaining alive were fading fast.  Can you imagine the anguish she must have felt not being able to protect her son from dying?  In those days there was no food stamp program or a Good Samaritan program.  There were no church food pantries or government subsidy programs to help her out.  She was on her own with dwindling resources and no help in sight.  She couldn’t knock on her neighbor’s door, because they didn’t have any extra either.  The drought came suddenly with minimal warning, unlike the famine in Egypt under Joseph.  She had resigned herself to eating her last meal, if you could call it that, with her son and then retire for the night not expecting to wake up in the morning.

Under the psychological and emotional weight of this fact, Elijah dares to ask her to get him a cup of water; he was thirsty.  The amazing thing is she was going to do it.  She had gathered a couple of sticks to make the fire necessary to cook the flour and oil into a little bread cake.   Then along comes this heartless prophet who interrupts her schedule just so he could get a drink of water.  Were his legs broken?  Sure, he was tired from his trip from Cherith, but couldn’t he have gotten his own water and left this single mom alone?  Elijah could sure use some counseling on how to properly treat a dying woman.

To make matters even worse, as she was leaving to get the water for him, he asked her to bring him a morsel of bread with the water.  Some nerve!  Didn’t he know she had very little, just enough for her and her son?  If he were a true prophet he would have known that.  Why doesn’t he just let her die in peace?  Startled at the request, she enlightened Elijah about her dilemma.  What was she to do?  To not honor the stranger’s request would violate the law of the stranger that God gave to Israel.  To honor the request means she would be depriving her son of his last meal.  Hum, let me see, son…prophet.

Elijah’s request was not heartless.  In the natural it would appear so.  That’s the beauty of how God works.

“For you see your calling, brethren,

that not many wise according to the flesh,

not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things

of the world to put to shame the wise,

and God has chosen the weak things of the

world to put to shame the things which are

mighty… that no flesh should

glory in His presence.”

(I Corinthians 1: 26-27, 29)

Elijah could have gone to a nobleman’s home and made the same request.  He could have gone to any of the leaders of the city and made the same request, but he didn’t.  First, because God told him that He had prepared the heart of a widow to meet his need, and second, because God had a plan to bless this woman who had been through enough with the loss of her husband and the caring of her son.  Israel was given instructions by God on how to care for the widows and orphans, but in the wicked environment of the time, I’m not sure this was happening.  Therefore, this family may have had to struggle.  There wasn’t a woman’s rights movement or provision in the local government and so for all we know she had it rough.  Her dilemma, however, did not go unnoticed by God,

“whose eyes run to and fro throughout

the earth to show himself strong on

behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

(2 Chronicles 16:9 Living Bible)

We have the knowledge that nothing escapes God’s attention.  He knows what’s going on everywhere because He is everywhere.  In theological jargon God is said to be omnipresent, which simply means He is everywhere at the same time.  Can you imagine the communication system that would be needed just to hear what everyone is saying?  That’s what makes Him God.  Just know that even though He is who He is, He’s interested in you and the things you care about.  This widow and her son were about to get a lesson in how to stretch a meal.

Frightened for their lives she appealed to Elijah.  After making her case he responded with a word from the Lord.  I don’t know about you, but I need a word from the Lord from time to time.  For her this was the time.  Elijah sensed her fear and concern and understood it.  He told her not to fear, she wasn’t going to die.  God would feed her house until the rain returned.

What is your dry place, your Zarephath?  No matter how hopeless your plight seems, listen to the Lord when He speaks the words "fear not.”  Jesus had to reassure His disciples on a number of occasions that they had nothing to fear.  President Roosevelt, during his first inaugural address to a country in the depths of depression, said:

“…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

One of Satan’s strongest weapons is fear:

Fear of tomorrow,

Fear of yesterday,

Fear of being alone,

Fear of failure,

Fear of success.

We overcome fear by faith!

Faith in God!

Faith in God’s Word!

Faith in His ability!

Faith in His promises!

Faith is His reassurance that,

“…lo, I am with you always,

even to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:20)

“You have put all things in

subjection under his feet.”

(Hebrews 2:8)

The great news is that that single mom and her son did not die!  Jesus came that we may have life and life more abundantly!  There is no death in the presence of Christ!  Lazarus had to live again in Christ’s presence and so will we.  Now to be sure, the widow and her son may never have had a full supply of flour and oil, but God made sure they had a never-diminishing supply of each!  That way, every day they would be reminded that God was supplying their need.

God will never let you run dry even though it may appear like it’s over.  The blessings of God can never be exhausted and will always be available to those who trust and obey Him!

Chapter 5

The Soaked Sacrifice

I Kings 18:20-40

Obadiah, not the prophet whose book bears his name, but a servant in the house of king Ahab, was instructed to search for some grazing pasture for the king’s horses and mules.  Ahab, who was responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of people by his wife, was concerned that he might have to kill some of his livestock.  It seems animals had more rights than humans during his reign.  Sound familiar?  Anyway, as usual, Obadiah began the search by heading to one of the streams.

Jezebel, Ahab’s notorious wife, had been busy locating and murdering the prophets of God.  This scourge of hatred had so alarmed Obadiah that he found 100 prophets and hid them in two caves, fifty in each, and was responsible for feeding them day and night.  His biggest challenge was finding enough food, which was scarce due to the famine and drought in Samaria.  Food prices were up, inflation was rampant, and people’s lives were in jeopardy.  The economy of Samaria was in disarray.  Their moral conscience had deteriorated to such a degree that the killing of religious leaders didn’t faze them.  That’s what happens when a nation abandons Godly living and Godly respect.

“Righteousness exalts a nation,

But sin is a reproach to any people.”

(Proverbs 14:34)

The streets are no longer safe and the leaders can no longer be trusted to lead.  Not unlike our present day.  It is a truism that if the head is sick, the whole body is sick.  You can tell the nature of an organization by the character of its leaders.  While nations have come and gone, God has always had a remnant of faithful followers who enjoy His protection and blessings.  Just as God prepared an Obadiah to rescue 100 prophets from slaughter, and Mordecai spoke to Esther when she was hesitant to approach the king that this may be the very reason God raised her up.

“Yet who knows whether you have come

to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

(Esther 4:14)

You and I have a responsibility to stand in the gap for our nation.  Some people think that if they go along and are tolerant they will spare their own lives.  But just as Mordecai told Esther that she would not survive if she held her tongue, we should not think that it would be any different for us.  To withhold God’s Word is to step out from under His protection.

The Israelites were to remain inside their homes the night the death angel passed over and every house marked with blood escaped the death of their firstborn.  Because human nature is timeless and the same in every culture, there were those who didn’t believe and decided to go outside to take a peek at what was happening.  Remember, curiosity killed the cat.

The great city of Hebron was a designated City of Refuge where those who had killed another without malice could go and be protected from the avenger of blood; the near relative to the one murdered who was permitted to take the murderer’s life.

In 2 Samuel 3 the story is told of Abner who had slain Asahel in self-defense.  Joab, the next of kin, was hunting Abner and found him in Hebron the city of refuge.  If Abner remained in Hebron Joab could not harm him.  However, Abner stepped outside the border of Hebron and was slain by Joab.

At Abner’s funeral King David remorsefully said,

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?

Your hands were not bound

Nor your feet put into fetters;

As a man falls before wicked

men, so you fell.”

(2 Samuel 3:33-34)

God sets boundaries for us, not to steal our joy or pleasure, but for our protection.  As long as we remain within those boundaries Satan cannot harm us.  However, man is a curious creature and is always striving to do his own thing and more often than not, he puts himself in harm’s way.  It’s only by God’s grace that more of us are not destroyed.

While searching for pasture, Obadiah runs into Elijah.  He is a little nervous because his boss, Ahab, had put out a Wanted Poster with Elijah’s picture on it.  Ahab wanted to silence Elijah and destroy him.  He blamed Elijah for the economic hardship faced by Samaria and Israel.  So you can imagine Obadiah’s apprehension, especially when Elijah told him to return to his master and tell him he found Elijah.

Sometimes God calls on us to do something equally as difficult.  Can we trust Him? Do we believe in His purpose?  What if God doesn’t come through, what will happen to me?  What will people think of me?  There have been many opportunities for me to question God’s will.  I’ve been instructed on occasion by the Holy Spirit to visit someone in the hospital to pray for them to be healed.  What if God doesn’t heal them?  I will look like a fool and the argument we have internally, justifies my not obeying.   “But God, your reputation and my witness are on the line.”

Moses practiced the same reluctance to obey God with feeble excuses; “I have a speech impediment; who should I tell them is sending me?  I don’t even know your name.  Send Aaron, he’s more qualified than I am.”  What an exercise in futility.  Yes, God can find someone else, but He wants you and me.  He has a purpose for sending us.  I wonder what could be accomplished in the kingdom of God if the energy we spent arguing the illegitimacy of God’s request would be redirected to actually obeying and doing what God wants done.  We would extract a huge toll on our spiritual enemy.

That’s what Obadiah began to do.  He was concerned that after telling Ahab and then returning with him to meet Elijah, the Spirit of the Lord would have swept Elijah away and he would have egg on his face.  Ahab probably would kill him.  But Elijah assured Obadiah he would meet with Ahab today.  Why?  It was time to end the drought.

What is God prompting you to do or say today?  Where does He want you to go?  What task is He giving to you to do?  Save your energy, you won’t win.  As the Nike slogan says, “Just do it!”  We’ll all be better off.

After some name calling Elijah proposed a settlement offer to Ahab.  Ahab found it easy to blame Elijah, after all, the drought was done at his word, but Elijah laid the blame squarely at the door of Ahab and his father’s house.  They had caused Israel to disobey the Lord and live wickedly.  Only when we take ownership of the problem or issue can there be a resolution.  Elijah’s suggestion was an ultimatum; you get your god’s prophets together and meet me on Mt.  Carmel.  It’s you and me, Ahab.  Bring your best game.  Me against 850 of your best!

Any sane person would realize the odds are with Ahab.  The betting spreads would be big and the payoff huge.  This was a sure thing.  It was like your team playing against a team whose best player was injured.  You’re feeling mighty good.  No chance of defeat today!  Overconfidence?  Underestimation?

Do you know that God’s math is not like our math?  Kingdom math is not like universal math, where 2+2=4.  Kingdom math multiplies by dividing.  Remember what happened to Israel while in Egypt?  The more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied.  How about the loaves of bread the little boy brought to Jesus?  Multiplication by dividing!

Elijah was the sole player on his team and it’s beginning to look bad.  Wait a minute!  Kingdom math is One with God as the Majority!  Size does not matter.  Think of David the little shepherd boy armed with a mere sling and five little stones.  Goliath was a war machine, a Rambo on super steroids, with experience to boot.  Who won that battle?  Remember, kingdom math is not the same as universal math.

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

(Isaiah 54:17)

No matter what the battle or what the battle cry is about, God’s promise is that nothing designed to hurt you will succeed.  Know your enemy but do not fear him!

“…greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.”

(1 John 4:4 KJV)

Game day is here!  The teams are warming up.  The Baal team has 850 players and they came equipped with knives, swords, and other cutting items.  They’ve tuned up their voices and practiced their scales.  They’re ready!

The rules of this contest were clearly set out by Elijah and agreed to by Ahab.  Sitting in the owner’s box was Ahab and his precocious wife, Jezebel all decked out in the finest dress, shoes and matching purse.  Earlier she had gone to her hair stylist and she looked wickedly beautiful.  She was definitely a head turner and heart stopper.

Each team had to provide wood for the altar and a bull for the sacrifice.  Each team was to build the altar and place the bull on it.  They were then to petition their respective god and the god who answered by fire won, and the nation would worship that god as the God of Israel.  You see, Elijah asked the question of the people of Israel,

“How long will you falter

between two opinions?”

(I Kings 18:21)

All the people stood dumbfounded, speechless.  Either they had no clue what Elijah was asking or they did not want to answer that question wrongly.  After all, Ahab was in attendance and they didn’t want to offend him and possibly lose their lives.  It’s amazing to me that people refuse to offend another human, but have no problem offending God.  They are more fearful of man than they are of God.

“And do not fear those who kill the body

but cannot kill the soul.  But rather

fear Him who is able to destroy both

soul and body in hell.”

(Matthew 10:28)

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.  As such, the body is temporal, simply housing the spirit of man so he can experience the human experience.  Flesh will rot and decay.  It was made from dust and according to Solomon, will return to dust.  The spirit will return to God who created it in the first place.  It is eternal!  Even though it is eternal it can be destroyed in Hell, not obliterated but vanquished having no relevant existence.

When Adam sinned and brought death to the human race it was referring to the eternal separation from God that sin extracts from us.  However, the physical death entered through Adam’s disobedience as well, because we were no longer eternal beings.  So Jesus prioritizes our fears when He lets us know that our bodies are not a priority, our souls are.  That is not to say we should not take care of our bodies, but in the final analysis, it will disappear.

Back to the stadium, where pandemonium was breaking out.  Team Baal has begun their game.  They’re beseeching Baal to come down and prove himself by fire.  The rhythmic chanting begins and soon escalates into bodily contortions.  The decibel level rises as team Baal screams and shouts in frustration due the lack of response by their god.  The scene grows more aggressive by the minute as Baal’s prophets begin to mutilate themselves, hoping their blood will satisfy Baal and move him to respond to their cries for fire.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob does not take pleasure in self-sacrifice as He does in our obedience to Him.  The final sacrifice was made when God’s Son agreed to offer Himself as sacrifice once and for all.

The writer of Hebrews states that,

“there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…”

(Hebrews 10:26)

It is good to know that the sacrifice needed for all eternity was already made.  There is nothing more I need to do nor can I do.

The scene is frantic.  Their reputation is at stake.  The authority of their king hangs in the balance.  The prophets are blisteringly screaming now because they are sensing that time is running out for them.  Their careers are over.  Their position and authority are quickly fading into oblivion.  Their very lives are threatened.  It’s over!  They just don’t know it yet.

In all of this Elijah is poking fun at their emotional tirades and the nonexistence of Baal as a life source.  God has a sense of humor and it’s okay for us to have one too.  Elijah tauntingly yelled,

“either he is meditating, or he is busy,

or he is on a journey, or perhaps

he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

(1 Kings 18:27)

If he was sleeping, I wish I could sleep as soundly as he was.  What with all that noise and carrying on it’s a wonder anyone could sleep.  Elijah knew that Baal was false and a creation of man’s imagination and lust for identity.  He was just playing with them.  The truth is that Elijah knew that God, Jehovah, “neither sleeps nor slumbers.”  He is always available to meet with us and to come to our aid when we call upon Him.

Jeremiah says that when we call with all our heart He hears and saves us.  The Bible is full of historical events affirming the truth of what Jeremiah said, from Moses to David, from Job to Paul and beyond.  These are witnesses that God is always available to us.

Well, it’s Team Jehovah’s turn.  Elijah did not want there to be any misunderstanding or any doubt as to the veracity of his claim.  So, he ordered barrels of water to be poured over the bull and into the surrounding ditch he had dug.  He was making it more difficult for Jehovah to answer.  He put himself at a disadvantage, or at least that’s what the people thought.  While Team Baal carried on until evening, Elijah whispered a simple prayer.  “God prove yourself.”  Boom!  Fire fell from heaven consuming the soaked bull, evaporating all the water in the ditch.  Make no mistake about it “The Lord, He is God!

Was there ever any doubt?  Not in Elijah’s mind.  How about yours?  Do you believe Jesus is the Son of the living God and that He died for your sins?  While Baal had all the cheerleaders and Elijah had none, suddenly they all wanted to be part of the God squad.  A new day dawned in Israel as all the people fell on their faces and proclaimed the Lord as their God.

The overwhelming vote that day needed validating, in order to prove it wasn’t an emotional decision made at the moment without any lasting value.  They had to verify their intentions and Elijah gave them that opportunity.  They had to seize the false prophets and participate in their execution.  This would certainly prove their sincerity and change of heart.  Too many people are not willing to do the hard part to validate their decision.  Jesus said you cannot serve two masters.  James says you cannot get anywhere being double-minded.

God, on several occasions, called for His people to test Him.  That’s what Elijah did by soaking the sacrifice.  You cannot out-challenge God.

What is it you need to lay on the altar of sacrifice?  What new thing do you need God to do for you?  Whatever it is, God will meet your challenge.  Do it today and watch the fire fall.

Chapter 6

The Smokeless Sons

Daniel 3:27

Israel was taken captive again, this time by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.  He invaded Israel and captured Jerusalem and made bondmen of the Israelites.  History has many stories to tell of those whose sole purpose was to destroy Israel.  From the Egyptian enslavement to Hitler’s holocaust to the contemporary Arab mindset, Israel constantly faces the threat of annihilation.

In 1967 a triple threat against little Israel presented itself.  Egypt, Jordan, and Syria all conspired to obliterate Israel.  Sizable armies moved forward, ready to engage in battle.  This was David and Goliath all over again with the same results.  It took six days for Israel to defeat Goliath!  Still, the hatred of Israel by the Arab world continues to this day!

Around 598 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar dethroned Jehoiachin, and carried a large population of Jerusalem away to Babylon, modern day Iraq.  Among those taken captive were Daniel and his three friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  History tells us that Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem but the biblical record tells us that,

“...the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

into his (Nebuchadnezzar) hand…”

(Daniel 1:2)

We are not always in control, even though we think we are.  Our destiny is not solely in our hands.  There is this thing of God’s sovereignty.  Three times in chapter four (verses 17, 25, 32) Daniel reminds the king that,

“the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,

Gives it to whomever He will…”

Knowing the independence of God we should be careful how we lead our lives, family, company; and for some our city, our state, and our nation.  Jehoiakim was serving as a Babylonian vassal at the pleasure of the king who had just overwhelmingly defeated Egypt at Carchemish.  Three years into his reign, Jehoiakim attempted to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and this is when they were taken out of Jerusalem and transported to Iraq.  The consequence of Jehoiakim’s action affected the entire population living in Jerusalem.

As leaders, we need to always understand the consequences of our actions or inactions.  Newton’s Third Law states “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  We need to understand that what we do or don’t do impacts others around us.  It certainly did bear unpleasant consequences to Daniel and his friends who found themselves serving in a strange and ungodly city.

As we read the details of Daniel and his friend’s story, we are impressed with their attitudes.  They didn’t fall apart and become in need of counseling.  These young men had already determined to live for Jehovah and serve Him where they were.  Daniel 1:8 says that they purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves.  As a result God gave them favor with the chief steward charged with getting them ready for presentation to the king.  For three-years they ate vegetables and drank only water, but when they were interviewed by the king, no one was healthier looking than they were.  This pleased the king.

“Now God had brought Daniel into the favor

and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.”

(Daniel 1:9)

When our heart is right with God and we purpose to live for Him, He will act on our behalf, as He did Daniel’s.  We will find favor with those we serve and our reputation will cause men to respond favorably to us, and they won’t know why they do.  That’s the way of a sovereign God!  We spin our wheels trying to influence prominent people who we think can help us, when what we should be doing is pleasing God.  He will have men give, to meet our needs.  (Luke 6:38)

God also causes circumstances to arise in people’s lives that will lead men to ask for our help.  Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream and he became distraught because of it.  The only relief he could think of was to gather all his wise men from all over his kingdom and seek their help in interpreting his dream.  The wise men came and stood ready to interpret the dream.  However, the king was concerned that he would not get the correct answer to his question.  After all, give the king the wrong interpretation and you will lose your life.  A strong incentive to lie, wouldn’t you say?  So, the king set out to test their credibility by telling them to not only interpret the dream, but to tell him what he dreamed.  They knew this would expose them for the frauds they were, so they tried to wiggle their way out of the king’s command.  Old Nebi ordered the slaughter of every wise man in the kingdom, which is just another example of consequences upon the innocent.

As Daniel and his friends faced execution at the hands of Arioch, the executioner, God again gave Daniel favor.  He was allowed to have time, which he spent with God, to discover the interpretation.  Need an answer, seek God.  James tells us,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

who gives to all liberally and without reproach,

and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith,

with no doubting…”

(James 1:5-6)

The scripture is clear, and we have the assurance that we will have what we seek after.  The reason why we don’t have anything is because we haven’t asked God for it.  Jesus even asked His disciples, who were fathers, if they would withhold from their sons what they asked for?  He then said that our heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.  I know that I personally will do whatever it takes to give my son what he wants.  It’s a father thing!  The next time you need wisdom or other help ask your heavenly Father.  You might be surprised!

Well, the story ends rather nicely, with Daniel telling the dream and its interpretation to the king and the king sparing the lives of his wise men.  This opportunity catapulted Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego to fame and fortune, as they became government officials ruling over the affairs of Babylon.  However, this opportunity hadn’t come without risk.  If Daniel had been wrong about the dream he would’ve been a goner, along with his friends and all the wise men.

Would you have taken this risk?  We could think that Daniel had nothing to lose so why not give it a shot?  Luck plays no part in the life of the believer!  There are no coincidences in your life, only appointed opportunities!  What do you do when presented with a challenge?  Do you view it as an opportunity sent from God to grow your faith, build more trust in Him, or do you wimp out and become like a jellyfish with no backbone?  God needs believers with backbones!

No one could say that life wasn’t difficult for the Hebrews at this time.  If you think about it, when had it not been difficult?  Things were about to get even bleaker for these young men.  The narcissistic king Nebuchadnezzar had his employees erect a tall statue of himself in the town square.  At the sound of the orchestra playing, everyone in the kingdom was to bow down and worship it.  Thus acknowledging the king’s worthiness and stature.  Everyone did so, except these three young men.

Daniel most assuredly did not either, but no one caught him as they did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.  They were dragged into the king’s court where they were accused of disobeying a direct order from the king.  To banish the idea that Nebi was a hard nose, he gave these guys another opportunity to make things right.  Faced with the possibility of death by fire, how would we answer the king?  I can just imagine the rationalizing that would be going on in our minds.  What good are we to God if we’re dead?  God knows my heart, bowing down is simply for show, and we do not mean it.  Besides, we have our fingers crossed!  How can we influence our world if we are not around to do that?

In a heathen city, armed police entered a church service in progress and challenged the pastor to deny Christ and he would live.  Without hesitation he declined their offer.  Instead of shooting him, the police grabbed the wife of the pastor and challenged him again.  Again he refused and they shot his wife in the head.  They next grabbed his young daughter and issued the same challenge.  Breathing hard and experiencing a large lump in his throat, he again declined to deny Christ.  The daughter entered the kingdom of heaven in that moment.

The pastor had to live with those images the rest of his life, but he kept the faith.  Would we, faced with such life-threatening action?  How much do we love God, not how much do we say we love Him, but how much do we really love Him?

This is the question these Hebrew boys had to answer for themselves.  Violation of the first commandment was not an option.  When did they decide this?  Not at that moment, but long before.  We need to settle our values before a crisis calls us to make a choice.  The emotional web that ensnares us in crisis situations is not conducive to sound decision-making.  Only when we have it settled in our minds and our hearts beforehand could we rise to the challenge and influence those around us.

These boys had integrity!  They also had backbone!  Listen to their response to the king’s generous offer.  He did not have to give them a second chance but he did.  Facing a fiery furnace and sure death they said,

“If that is the case, our God whom we

serve is able to deliver us from the

burning fiery furnace, and He will

deliver us from your hand…”

(Daniel 3:17)

Today we would brand these boys arrogant to talk to the king like this.  Only a person whose faith is strong and whose trust in God is deep could possibly say this so emphatically.  Notice two things about this statement.

They recognized the ability of God, and they claimed that ability for themselves!

God never called us to a life of rose gardens and streams of cool waters.  He never promised life would be easy or without trouble.  What He did promise was never to leave or forsake us and to be our tower of refuge.  Not only did they believe in God’s ability and His purpose, “He WILL deliver us,” but they proclaimed it to an unbelieving world.  That was risk taking at its best, or was it?  You see, these young men were wise beyond their years and understood that our bodies are temporary at best.  In fact, they’re like a prison holding our spirits captive.  When we are free of our bodies, they understood that we reunite with God, who created us.

In Ecclesiastes 12:7, Solomon tells us that when we die our body returns to dust and our spirits return to God who created it.  This is deliverance!  This is salvation!  Even looking into death’s jaws they remained faithful to God and His Word and they knew they would be delivered, even if they died.

“But if not, let it be known to you, O king,

that we do not serve your gods, nor will we

worship the gold image which you have set up.”

(Daniel 3:18)

Backbones of steel!  God does not want us to be spiritual jellyfish.  He wants us to have a backbone and stand up for what is right.  Too many of us are more concerned about what our friends, neighbors, or co-workers think of us than we are of what God thinks of us.

Solomon’s wisdom reminds us that,

“Where the word of a king is, there is power…”

(Ecclesiastes  8:4)

The boys knew their lives rested in the king’s hand, for better or for worse.  Nebuchadnezzar understood that all too well.  He was about to crush their lives as easily as he did the Egyptians at Carchemish.  What he didn’t know was that the King of Kings had scheduled an appointment with him.

The words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego infuriated him.  His face turned redder than the furnace’s flames, and his anger burned towards them.  He lost his temper and ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual.  Go ahead, king, challenge God.  He will meet your challenge as He did on Mt. Carmel with Elijah.

“Is anything to hard for the Lord?”

(Genesis  18:14)

The answer of course, is NO!  Look what happens when you try to come against God.  As his valiant soldiers grabbed the three kids and prepared to throw them into the furnace they caught on fire and were destroyed.  Don’t mess with God.  You won’t win unless you’re on His team!

Case closed!  Sentence carried out!  All that remains is to bury the poor souls who defied the king’s order.  This should bolster the standing of the king in the eyes of the leaders and servants.  This should elevate his influence even if it is done through fear!  Wait just a minute!  Should the king get his eyes checked?  His vision is blurring and his eyes are playing tricks on him.  Get the calculator!  He knew there were three men thrown into the furnace, so why does he see four?  Has he discovered a new mathematical law that may transform society?

“For wherever two or three are gathered

(drawn together as My followers) in (into)

My name, there I AM in the midst of them.”

(Matthew 18:20 Amplified Bible)

These men were having church!  It was not simply the presence of God that was with them, but Jesus Himself had joined them and was having church with them!  Even the heathen king recognized Jesus.  That’s the way it will be when He comes, for every eye will see Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!  The arrival of the King of Kings resulted in two things happening.

The Hebrews were protected from the effects of the fire, and worship exploded!

Whenever Christ arrives there is an explosion of praise and worship, the kind Jesus said the Father was looking for.  All powers become subservient to Christ’s power!  The power of the fire lost its grip and potency in the presence of Christ!  They were delivered from,

“…the snare of the fowler and

from the noisome pestilence.”

(Psalms 91:3)

They became “more than conquerors” and they took their stand and in the final hour they survived unscathed and undamaged.  The presence of Christ was so powerful that there was no evidence the men had even been near a fire.

“and the smell of fire was not on them.”

(Daniel  3:27)

When God does a miracle He does it completely!  When God delivers us from evil or the evil intentions of another He does it so completely there are no scars, physically, emotionally, mentally, or psychologically.  He leaves no doubt that He was there.  Dwell in His presence and you will have joy and an abundant life!

“In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

(Psalms 16:11)

The three Hebrew men were promoted by the king and ruled in Babylon and enjoyed the lifestyle befitting rulers.

That’s God’s way. He rewards faithfulness and loyalty to those who show themselves faithful and loyal.   Not just in the good times, but in our faith challenging times.  Is the “fourth” man present in your life?

Chapter 7

The Lame Lions

Daniel 6:21-23

Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up and knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will die.  Every morning a lion wakes up and knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.  Whether you are a gazelle or a lion, when you wake up you’d better be running.

Our story is still set in ancient Babylon, modern Iraq, but under different leadership.  Same characters with a new king and there’s one other change. There are roaring in this story.

After Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego emerged unscathed by the intense fire, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that no one should speak against their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob without serious consequences including loss of life.  God had gotten the king’s attention.  None of Babylon’s gods had ever done anything as miraculous, and so God was exalted.

That’s what happens with miracles; God is glorified.  Not us, God!  If we are to see the miraculous then we must be ready to give all the praise, honor, and glory to the Lord.  God is not in the trophy collecting business, but in the life changing business.

We don’t see the miraculous today because we don’t have the conviction of the three Hebrew men or of Daniel. He was to be fed to some mean-spirited and hungry lions because of his convictions. The reason our world, our country, is in the shape it’s in is due to a lack of men with conviction. God is not pleased with mealy-mouthed wimps who live by the philosophy of letting their situation dictate how they act or react. This is called “situational ethics” and comes straight from the pit of hell. No absolutes, just tolerance, and we wonder where God is. if it seems like God isn’t around guess who moved? God is around for those who have and live by their convictions based on God’s word. Paul demands that those who name the name of Christ should,

“Come out from among them And be separate,

says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean,

And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the Lord Almighty.”

(2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

Only the sanctified can be part of God’s family.  Sanctified means “set apart for God,” and those of us who are, know that God’s presence is real and His resources are available to us 24/7.

In Daniel chapter six we see another opportunity for God to work.  The new king, Belshazzar, was throwing a party for over a thousand guests.  At one point during this happy hour he ordered the gold vessels, taken from Jerusalem, to be brought in so they could drink wine from them.  As you can see, the king had no respect for the things of God.  He saw them as common without any special purpose.  Mistake!  In fact, BIG mistake!  You do not trifle with the things of God.

The modern church has lost its sense of respect for God and the things of God.  Instead of entering His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts and His courts with praise, we enter His meeting place with our cup of coffee, bottle of water, or even a donut or cookie.  Instead of praise we hear burps and gulps.  It’s no wonder we do not see the power of God.  It could be said of many churches today that God has written over the front door, “Ichabod,” which means the glory of the Lord has left.  I prefer what Moses said,

“Please, show me your glory.”

(Exodus 33:18)

Well, He definitely showed Belshazzar.  A finger suddenly appeared in the banquet hall and began writing something on the wall.  Every one became silent and still and perhaps afraid.  Talk about crashing a party!  That’s exactly what God did.  He rained on Belshazzar’s little shindig!  His holy nature could not allow His consecrated temple vessels to be used in such a manner.  The finger wrote a disturbing message that could not be interpreted by anyone except Daniel who told Belshazzar that his reign was over, finished, kaput.

God had measured him and he was found lacking big time.  So the kingdom was going to be taken from him.  Notice with me the strange reaction of the king to this proclamation by Daniel.  Chapter 5:29, says Belshazzar clothed Daniel in fine clothes and made him the third ruler in the land.  He was either quite dense or really drunk.  He was just told he would no longer be king.  In fact, he was murdered that very night, but yet he was rewarding the messenger.  It pays to honor God.

But this turn of events for Belshazzar didn’t quite work out in Daniel’s favor either.  Darius, the ruler of the Medes who took over Babylon, appointed 120 people to help manage the kingdom.  Several of Daniel’s co-workers were jealous of him and looked for something they could use that would result in a legal charge against him.  They were Danny bashing!  Daniel’s co-workers convinced Darius to issue a decree that for thirty days no one was to speak to or about any other god but Darius.  They knew that Daniel prayed to Jehovah three times a day.  The trap was set.  Daniel was caught.  Darius, because of his decree, and realizing that he had been deceived, became depressed.  Because he respected and honored Daniel, he tried to find a legal way around his decree.  But there was none.

When the king announced Daniel’s sentence, his co-workers cheered and frothed at the mouth, wringing their hands in delectable pleasure.  To the lion’s he must go!

How is your prayer life?  Daniel thought it important enough to seek God three times a day.  We wonder why God was able to use Daniel in such powerful ways, standing before kings to proclaim the Word of the Lord.  Anointed in the gift of interpretation, Daniel bore a strong witness for God.  His prayer life was the key to his success.  Somebody once told me that,

“To be much for God, we must be much with God!”

The decree of the king didn’t concern Daniel, he prayed anyway.  The treacherous treason against him by his fellow leaders didn’t stop Daniel from praying either.  He let nothing interfere with his daily appointments to meet with God.  Prayer is what makes a man powerful for God.  Solomon said,

“Wisdom is the principle thing;

therefore get wisdom. And in all your

getting, get understanding.”

(Proverbs 4:7)

Prayer is the key that unlocks the door to God’s wisdom and understanding.  This was certainly true in Daniel’s life.

It broke Darius’ heart to have to sentence Daniel to his death.  Just imagine how you would feel knowing that you would soon be served à la carte to a ravenous lion.  I opened this chapter with a gazelle and a lion.  But for Daniel, there was nowhere to run.  Daniel was shoved into the den and the door was sealed.  Dinner time!

Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour.  Who’s ringing the dinner bell for you?  What lions are you facing today?  Lions are considered the king of the jungle because they are fast and furious.  They are extremely powerful animals that can tear a man apart in a matter of minutes.  Their bark is not bigger than their bite!

Notice with me that the devil tries to be “like” a roaring lion.  That’s the key!  He is not a roaring lion, but will pass himself off as a ferocious lion.  A lion’s roar is scary enough.  The devil’s bark is bigger than his bite.  He cannot devour the believer whose faith and trust is in Christ.  Christ has set boundaries that the devil cannot cross.  No need to tremble, he is powerless over you!  Don’t run or try to hide from him, he’s harmless.  He’s just trying to scare you to stop praying!  To stop praising God!  To stop worshipping the Creator!  To stop reading God’s Word!  His roar is merely to try and rattle your faith!  If he can get us cowering and fearful, he can overpower us.  Let’s peek in on Daniel.

Here pussycat!  No dinner tonight!  Instead, Daniel stroked the tamed lion’s manes and played with them as you would with your pet dog.  Their mouths were shut.  Unbelievable!  Now, you shouldn’t try this at home, but know this,

“…greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.”

(1 John 4:4 KJV)

What lions are you facing today?

The lion of fear?

The lion of prejudice?

The lion of bad habits?

The lion of conspiracy?

The lion of busyness?

The lion of death?

These, and any other lions you may be coming up against, are no match for our big brother, Jesus Christ!

When you feel like you’re in the lion’s den call out to Jesus and He will deliver you.  Better yet, why not call out to Him BEFORE you enter the den?  David made it a practice to seek God early.

“Early will I seek you…”

(Psalms 63:1)

Deliverance comes to those who seek God early and often!

Chapter 8

The Wedding Water

John 2:11

Cana of Galilee was the least of all places for Jesus to perform His first miracle or “sign” as John called it.  Zechariah said,

“For who hath despised the day of small things?”

(Zechariah 4:10 KJV)

Ever meet someone who didn’t want to start at the bottom.  Instead, they thought they deserved to start at the top?  You know, the person who right out of college wants the job you’ve been doing for 20 years.  They don’t want to pay the price.  They always want to shortcut the pathway to career success.

Let me let you in on a little secret.  Nothing is small when God is in it.  More importantly, nothing or no one is insignificant to God.  He is comfortable with the lowliest or the most royal person.  He meets the needs of everyone who seeks Him, regardless of societal status. Peter proclaimed to the Cornelius’ family,

“…that God is no respecter of persons…”

(Acts 10:34 KJV)

In saying so, Peter was preparing the Gentile world for an invasion from heaven through the outpouring of God’s spirit in grace and power.  Are you ready for a powerful renewal time in your life?

This, the first miracle of Jesus, is all about change.  Are there things in your life you need to change?  Jesus has the power to help you with whatever change you need to make to help prepare you to receive His blessings.

Cana of Galilee sat on the northwestern side of the Sea of Galilee about 700 feet above Capernaum.  (John 2:12) It was a small village with about 200 homes.  It was one of those communities where everyone knew everyone and nothing escaped notice.  If you blinked you missed Cana.  It was a no traffic light city.  The big event usually was a wedding.  The whole town turned out for a wedding.  The chances are that Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew most folks in Cana, and that’s how Jesus and His small group of disciples were invited to attend.

Getting married in those days was somewhat different than it is today.  There were no vows exchanged.  In fact, the parents of the bride and groom, with an exchange of money or other treasure, arranged the marriage.  The wedding went on for seven days, a whole week of fun and frivolity.  Eating and drinking, and of course, lots of dancing.  Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, had fun.  A wedding week was a time to remember.  But this wedding week was going to be an extremely memorable one.  Anytime Jesus shows up, you can count on it being memorable.

These types of events always had a person known as the “governor’ who was in charge of all the details of the wedding.  A kind of modern day “wedding planner.”  He would make sure that the servants were at their stations, the musicians were performing according to their contract, and that there was plenty of food and drink for the guests.  Whenever a problem developed the “governor” intervened to handle any complaint.  He was responsible for the success of the wedding!  That way, everyone else could look forward to having a great time.

It’s interesting that Jesus chose a wedding to demonstrate His abilities.  His presence certainly blessed the idea of marriage between a man and a woman.  That was the purpose of God when He created Adam and then Eve, making Eve from Adam’s rib.  So Adam would have a helpmate for life.  It was so they could be fruitful and multiply, something two men or two women cannot do.

Today, at this wedding in Cana, two young people will begin their life’s journey together, and what a way to kick it off.  One of the worst things that could happen at a feast such as this is for the host to run out of food or drink.  It was a breach of etiquette not to have enough.  In a moment during the celebration, Jesus’ mother approached Him and told Him that there was no more wine.  Jesus responds in what seems to be a rude manner when He says,

“Woman, what does your concern

have to do with me?”

(John 2:4)

An understanding of the times gives us relief.  Jesus was not being rude, especially to His mother.  Woman is a term of endearment and Jesus was very respectful to Mary when He called her “woman.”  Have you ever had someone make a request of you and you looked at them a little perplexed and your response to them was something like “what do you want from me?”  Well, that was Jesus’ response to Mary’s statement about there being no wine.  In essence He said, “so, what do you want me to do about it, I’m only a guest?  It’s not my responsibility to make sure there’s enough wine to go around.”

Now imagine this, Mary doesn’t acknowledge Jesus’ reply, instead she looks at the servants and tells them to do whatever Jesus says. How does she know what Jesus will say?  She doesn’t.  She only knows that whatever He says they should do.

Faith simply defined!  She knew Jesus would handle this situation on her behalf.  When we’re faced with a need in our lives or our circumstances need some adjusting, we are quick to acknowledge God’s ability, but we are less certain of His willingness to do anything.  Mary had no qualms about her situation.  She acted on the premise that Jesus would do something; anything, and it would solve the problem.  She put the servants on the spot, too.  What did they know?  Mary trusts God and walks away, leaving Jesus standing there with the servants who are eagerly awaiting His advice.

Is our faith so strong and sure that we can ask God for help and then trust Him enough to just walk away?  So many times we kneel at the altar and pour out our hearts to Him and then when we get up and leave the area, we take the problem with us.  Just leave it there!  The songwriter captured it best when he wrote,

“Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.”

Our confidence is in Him, and our lives should reflect that confidence!

The custom of the day was that upon entering the home, you would dip your fingers into a basin of water symbolizing you purifying yourself.  There were six of those water pots standing nearby, and Jesus instructed the servants to fill each of them with water.  You heard right, water.  In today’s environment we would be asking a zillion questions, because filling these pots with water won’t get the job done.  We’re out of wine, not water.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD.”

(Isaiah 55:8)

God has His own way of doing things.  Our only duty is to do exactly what He says to do.  He may ask us to do something, that to the eyes and thinking of man is foolish.  Just do it!

Naaman, a commander in the Syrian army, approached Elisha, God’s prophet, to know what to do about his leprosy.  Elisha told him to dip seven times in the Jordon River and he would be cured.  Naaman thought for a moment and decided not to do that because at that time of the year the river was muddy.  There was no way he was going to dip in that river!  He stomped away mad.  His servants came to him as he was leaving and said,

“…if the prophet had told you to do something

great, would you not have done it?”

(2 Kings 5:13 NKJV)

Naaman decided to do what Elisha said and his leprosy was cured.  It was foolish for Naaman to dip in the muddy Jordon, when there were other rivers in Syria that were cleaner.  But, he wouldn’t have been delivered if he didn’t obey the word of Elisha.

All night Peter and others were fishing trying to make a living, but they didn’t catch anything.  Along comes Jesus, and He tells them to throw their nets into the water.  Experience told Peter that there were no fish to be caught.  He had the evidence.  Listen to Peter’s response to Jesus.

“Master, we have toiled all night and

caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word

I will let down the net.”

(Luke 5:5)

When they obeyed Christ their net almost tore from the huge catch of fish.

Another occasion happened where the word of Jesus seemed foolish.  April 15th had arrived, but Jesus didn’t have any money to pay the temple taxes.  When approached by the collectors for the tax, Jesus told Peter,

“go to the sea, cast in a hook, and

take the fish that comes up first.

And when you have opened its mouth,

you will find a piece of money;

take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

(Matthew 17:27)

Jesus was not a conventional person.  As the Son of God He doesn’t have to be, but He doesn’t do it to show off.  He does it to help deepen our faith and trust in Him.  What is God asking you to do?  Take Mary’s advice and Nike’s slogan—“Just Do It!”

Turning water into wine could have been a magician’s trick.  After all, didn’t Pharaoh’s magicians turn the river into blood, counterfeiting Moses’ turning the river into blood?  There is chemistry about this.  Take a glass of water and add a couple of drops of sodium hydroxide.  Then put a few drops of phenolphthalein into an empty glass.  Pour the glass of water into the empty glass of phenolphthalein.  The water will turn red due to the chemical reaction of the sodium hydroxide and the phenolphthalein.

I think Jesus knew this and that’s why He told the servants to take a glass to the “governor of the feast.”  You see, when magicians do this trick it works only if the audience does not taste it.  When the governor tasted it he declared that it was better than the wine that had already been served.  He was impressed and commended the host.  When Jesus touches something, it is good!  If He touches your life, your life will be better than it has ever been.

Jesus is a change agent!  He specializes in changing things, circumstances, and lives.  He once said that,

“I have come that they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly.”

(John 10:10)

It’s all about change.  Water changes into wine.  Leprosy changes into new skin.  Poverty changes into wealth.  Depression changes into joy.  Hatred changes into love and respect.  Hopelessness changes into hopefulness.  What changes do you need in your life?  Ask Jesus for His advice and then take it!

The Word of God is the best self-help book I know of.  Americans spend millions on books, seminars, and programs to help better themselves, and to change their lives in some significant way.  People, young and old, pursue with a passion, a better life and a more fulfilling existence.  We are searching for significance.

Jesus is significant!  His Word is significant!

“For the Word of God is living and powerful,

and sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,

and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner

of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

(Hebrews 4:12)

You only need to look into the Word of God to realize your need for and His capacity for changing your life.

John rightly calls this miracle, Jesus’ first “sign.”  A sign represents something, and this sign represents God’s ability to change your life and the direction it is going.

Need help with your relationships?  Develop a relationship with Christ.  Need to get rid of some bad habits?  Get in the habit of reading God’s Word.  Having trouble with your kids?  Let the Word show you how to deal with children.  Looking for meaning for your existence?  Look into God’s Word and see His plan for you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the LORD, plans to prosper

you and not to harm you, plans

to give you hope and a future.”

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Chapter 9

The Picnic Provision

John 6:5-13

The crossing of the Sea of Tiberius (Galilee) allowed time for Jesus and His disciples to get together for some personal instruction.  It was four-miles across, and they went by boat to the mountain, a place where Jesus often went.  What Jesus had left behind was a multitude, a Greek word meaning the common Jew (not the Jewish leaders who were trying to weaken Christ).  They were amazed at the “signs” (miracles) Jesus had done in curing many people of their diseases and medical maladies.

Jesus had demonstrated His authority over people’s health and reinforced His position as Creator.  They were so captivated by these miracles that they made the nine-mile trek over the northern edge of the sea to follow Jesus.

We know that Jesus was the “real thing,” but today there are those who are deceivers.  There are also millions of gullible naïve people who will traipse the world to follow a leader, even a counterfeit one.  Paul warns the church that after he departs,

“…shall grievous wolves enter in among you,

not sparing the flock.

Also of your own selves shall men arise,

speaking perverse things,

to draw away disciples after them.”

(Acts 20:29-30 KJV)

Only those who know God’s truth (Word) will be able to,

Identify the fraud, and Countermand the fraud!

Jesus said His disciples would know the truth and the truth would liberate them to live and enjoy life.  Those who commit fraud end up in prison.  Those who seek and live the truth enjoy freedom!

Seeing the crowd from a distance and knowing the hike they made and the time of day that it was, Jesus’ concern turned towards their personal needs.  There is nothing hidden from God.  He sees what you need before you even know you need it, and He prepares, in advance, to meet your needs.  While the method He chooses to meet your need varies, the message is the same.

“And My God shall supply all your need

according to His riches in

glory by Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:19)

This promise is not just for some of your needs, or just the ones God likes, but ALL your needs, no matter the nature of them.  We need to understand that God has promised to meet our NEEDS, not always our wants or things we think we need and can’t do without.  Our society has become extremely materialistic.  To the point where people believe they’ve won life’s lottery if they accumulate a lot of stuff.  That’s not so.  The one who wins is the one who is living for Jesus and honors God.

David tells us in Psalms 37:3-5 how we should deal with our desires that are not necessarily needs.

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt

thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt

be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and He shall give thee the desires of thine

heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also

in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (KJV)

Notice the three things He says we must do.

Trust in the Lord,

Delight ourselves in Him, and

Commit our way unto Him.

If we are truly trusting, delighting, and committing we will only want what God wants for us.  There is nothing sinful or inherently evil in having a nice house or a luxury car.  There is nothing wrong with taking a nice vacation or wearing designer clothes.  However, we must guard against them becoming an “idol” in our lives.  Jesus wants us to,

“…seek (aim at and strive after) first of all

His kingdom and His righteousness

(His way of doing and being right),

and then all these things taken together

will be given you besides.”

(Matthew 6:33 Amplified Bible)

It narrows our focus.  Instead of looking everywhere for the things we want and need, we can focus on serving and seeking Him.  Be confident knowing that everything we will ever need is known to Him and is already provided for.  That’s knowledge you can take to the bank!

Unlike today’s gatherings for concerts, festivals, air shows, and what not, there were no booths with burgers, ribs, ice cream, or even a simple loaf of bread.  Because of Jesus’ concern for the crowd’s well being, He turned to Phillip and asked him if he knew a place where they could get some food.  For the commoner, food in first century Palestine consisted of bread.  Since they were near Bethsaida, and Phillip was from Bethsaida, it was only natural for Christ to ask him since he was familiar with the area.  Phillip ignored Jesus’ question and his attention immediately turned to money.  His response concerned their lack of money, not the nearest bakery.  He told Jesus, as if He didn’t already know, that 200 denari (8 months of wages) wouldn’t be enough to feed a crowd this big.

Phillip did what most of us tend to do; he focused on the problem and not the solution.  If you focus on the problem and not the solution you will never accomplish anything of value in life.  Whether it’s a family problem, community problem, church problem, or employer problem, you need to focus on the solution if you want to get anywhere.

Besides, didn’t Phillip know who he was talking to?  As we do life, we too, can sometimes forget who we’re dealing with.  Satan tries his best to overwhelm us with problems and circumstances.  It’s in those moments that we need to remind ourselves who we’re serving and who our Father is.

Jesus didn’t ask Phillip to check the balance in their checking account.  He already knew what He was going to do.  When God calls us to a work we need not concern ourselves with the resources needed to get the job done.  Rest assured, He already has the supply readied.  When Jesus sent the seventy out to do His work, the first thing He told them was not to “carry their moneybag.” (Luke 10:4)  Why is that always our concern?

About this time Andrew brings a little boy to Jesus to show Him the five loaves of bread and two small fish he had.  Great job, Andrew!  Wait a minute, is that doubt coming through when Andrew says,

“but what are they among so many?”

(John 6:9)

James gives explicit instructions to those who would ask God for supply.  He says,

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.”

(James 1:6)

This is God’s Word.  Believe it!  Act on it, and you will begin to see the provision of God.  Abraham did not doubt that God would supply his need as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and God has another name, Jehovah Jireh, meaning the Lord will provide.  Is He Jehovah Jireh in your life?

Many of us want to play it safe.  We bargain with God and say, “When I see His provision I will become part of the solution.”  While God is saying, “Determine to be a problem solver and you will see My provision.”  Has God ever failed to keep His word?  In those rare times where it appears like He failed, it’s because of a lack of trust or commitment on our part.  The promises of God, while they are ‘yea and amen’ (2 Corinthians 1:20) are conditional.  There is an “if” included.  If we act in accordance with His will, then He will act on our behalf in accordance to His promise.

Confident in His Father’s plan, Jesus instructed the disciples to have the 5000 men sit down, “recline” as the custom was at dinner time, on the green grass.  He caused an action to take place springing from His deep conviction that His Father had a plan.  He spoke in faith.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.”

(Hebrews 11:1)

God’s Word is His will!  When we know the will of God we can speak in faith even without any proof of its reality.  Not only did Christ act in faith but the disciples and then the multitude acted in faith.  What would Christ have done had the disciples argued with Him about His request?  What would have happened had the multitude not obeyed the disciples’ instructions?  This miracle may not have taken place and the message of God’s provision would have been lost on this day.  We lose out on opportunities for God’s provision so often because we do not trust in or commit to His Word. By placing our complete trust and confidence in Him we can experience the provision of God.

They did. After blessing the seemingly inadequate supply, Jesus told the disciples to distribute the food.  After everyone had eaten they had twelve baskets full of leftovers, enough for each of the disciples who had served obediently.  God rewards those who are faithful.  Notice what Phillip said.

“Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not

sufficient for them, that every one of

them might take a little.”

(John 6:7 KJV)

Now notice verse 12.

“When they were filled…”

When God meets a need He meets it completely.  Phillip was concerned in the little bit each might get from such a small supply.  Jesus blesses this small supply and they eat until they are satisfied or full.  What a contrast!  What a God!   Just as critical as our trust in Him is our willingness to be used of God, regardless of how much we have to give.  The second great message in this miracle is best captured by the words of an old song “little is much when God is in it.”  Quantity does not matter to God.  If He can take this small meal, prepared for one child, and feed a multitude, He can take what we have and bless it to meet the needs of many.

Remember the conversation Moses was having with God concerning God’s call for him to deliver Israel from Egypt?  Remember what God asked Moses when He said, “What is that in thine hand?”  To Moses it was simply a piece of wood, a rod, something to move flocks around with and steady himself as he walked.  However, given to God it became an instrument of power.

Don’t offer God the excuse that you cannot do what He asks because you are ill prepared and you don’t have the necessary tools.  Give God your best.  Quality is more important to God than quantity.  Give and see what God will do!

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of)

the (action of His) power that is at work

within us, is able to (carry out His purpose

and) do superabundantly, far over and above

all that we (dare) ask or think (infinitely

beyond our highest prayers, desires,

thoughts, hopes, or dreams)—”

(Ephesians 3:20 Amplified Bible).

Chapter 10

The Toothless Tomb

John 11

Funerals.  They’ve always been a challenge for me.  What do you say at such a solemn time?  How do you comfort those grieving for a loved one?  I was always afraid of saying the wrong thing, so often I said nothing.  The other alternative was not to go.

The toughest funeral I’ve attended was that of my second cousin.  I’ll never forget it.  Not yet in his teens, he was playing in the street when he was hit and killed by a delivery truck.  The driver of the truck was his uncle returning home from work.  It was devastating, and I felt uneasy at the funeral home.

A friend of Jesus, whom He loved very much, was sick.  It was Mary’s brother, the Mary that anointed the feet of Jesus with oil and wiped it with her hair.  Don’t remember?  Maybe this will help.  Martha, Mary’s sister, was upset that Mary was not helping her in the kitchen, so she complained to Jesus about it.  Yea, that Mary.  She sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, and Jesus confidently responded,

“This sickness is not unto death…”

(John 11:4)

Was Jesus simply being flippant or uncaring?  Was this the wrong thing to say?  How could He be so cold, or was He?  If He really loved Lazarus as everyone thought He did, shouldn’t He pack up and travel to Bethany where Lazarus lived?  What were the thoughts of the messengers as they delivered this unsettling news?  Everyone back home was concerned, why wasn’t Jesus?

Jesus didn’t live His life based on someone else’s timetable.  He understood, even as a child, that He was born with a Divine purpose.  Once, when He and His parents were visiting Jerusalem, He slipped away into the temple and failed to let Mary and Joseph know where he’d gone.  They left for home and didn’t notice Him missing for quite a while.  In a panic, they returned to Jerusalem only to find Him in the temple, right smack in the middle of the teachers, listening and asking questions.  He was only twelve.  As Joseph was scolding Him, Jesus said,

“Did you not know that I must be

about My Father’s business?”

(Luke 2:49)

When we know our calling, we are not pressured to respond to the requests of others.  Although the messengers were only delivering information, they probably thought Jesus should leave for Bethany.  That’s what anybody would do.  Jesus wasn’t anybody.  Besides, He knew what God wanted Him to do.

God is never surprised!  As children, my brother and I always liked surprises.  The fact that surprises seldom happened made them so much more special.  Have you ever been taken by surprise?  How did you feel?  Heart in throat, maybe?  Never happens to God.  How can it when He declares,

“…I am God, and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

and from ancient times the things that are

not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand,

and I will do all My pleasure…”

(Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV)

You may be surprised, but rest assured, God isn’t.  There is nothing that happens that escapes His knowledge.  He knows all about what is going on, and He also knows what needs to be done, if anything.

Jesus’ response was not offensive to the messengers.  His inaction was not insulting to Mary or Martha or even Lazarus.  His response was proportional to what He knew to be the will of God.

“This sickness is not unto death,

but for the glory of God, that the

Son of God may be glorified through it.”

(John 11:4)

This sickness was for the glory of God!  How perverted.  How can God get glory from ill health?  What benefit is it to God for us to be so weak that we cannot move, talk, or do anything?  How does God get glory from that?  He doesn’t.  It’s what happens afterwards that God gets glory.  We need to stop going around telling others that God is blessed through my sick and diseased body.  He is not!  It’s no wonder people aren’t healed more often than they are, because they believe God is getting glory from their illness and incapacity.  Nonsense, nobody benefits from sickness, except maybe doctors and pharmaceutical companies.  We don’t know why Lazarus was sick or what the nature of his sickness was, but God is about to receive the glory.  That’s what Jesus said.

“And if you hearken to these precepts

and keep and do them…

the Lord will take away from you all sickness,

and none of the evil diseases of Egypt…

will He put upon you…”

(Deuteronomy 7:12, 15 Amplified Bible)

One sure way Israel could remain worry-free from the awful diseases of Egypt was to obey God’s Word.  You need to understand that there is a covenant relationship between you and God, through Jesus Christ.  Part of that relationship is God’s promise of health and prosperity. Isaiah tells us that,

“…with His stripes we are healed.”

(Isaiah 53:5 KJV)

The lashing that Jesus took was for our healing, physical and spiritual.  The soldiers battering Jesus’ body with whips didn’t realize He was bringing healing to the children of God. The next time you are sick, don’t grovel in the depth of pity and sympathy.  Instead, claim your healing through the stripes of Christ.  Being sick is some-times the only way we can get attention.  Stop milking it!  God gets no glory from you being ill.  Receive your healing and then God will get the glory!

Sorrow and grief are the breeding grounds for the glory of the Lord.  After hanging out for a couple of days, Jesus invites His disciples to go with Him to Bethany.  Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem.  The last time Jesus was in Jerusalem He was almost killed.  The disciples probably thought Jesus hung out a couple of days because of His concern about being so near Jerusalem.  Not on your life.  Do you really believe the Giver of Life is afraid of being killed?  No, the delay was to serve a purpose for Mary and Martha.  Thomas, the disciple, resigned himself to the probability of impending death and invited the other disciples to come and die with him and Jesus.  What an invitation.  That’s what they thought their trip to Bethany would result in, their deaths.  Pretty brave men.  Reminds me of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.

It took them two days to get to Bethany and when they arrived they were told that Lazarus had passed.  If only Jesus had not delayed leaving for two days He might have gotten here in time.  Martha commented:

“Lord, if You had been here,

my brother would not have died.”

(John 11:21 )

A day was coming when Jesus would be everywhere present at the same time.  Jesus, temporarily, gave up His omnipresence when He became a man.  Upon ascending to heaven He gave us the Holy Spirit so that He could be present with us all the time, everywhere.

Matthew records, in chapter eight of his gospel, the story of the Roman Centurion whose servant was taken ill.  He informed Jesus of this situation.  Jesus said He would come and heal him.  The Centurion declined the offer and, instead, asked Jesus to simply speak the word and his servant would be healed.  A Roman Centurion, of all people, recognized the power in the word of Christ.  Just speak the word.  Martha, did you hear that?  It wasn’t necessary for Jesus to be present to heal your brother.  There is no distance in prayer!

After spending a few minutes with Mary, they proceeded to the tomb where they had placed Lazarus’ body.  Upon their arrival Jesus instructed them to take away the stone.  In those days a hole would be cut into the face of a cliff to make a tomb.  They would lean a round stone against the hole to seal it.  As the men began to remove the stone, Martha protested saying that it had been four days since he was buried and that he would stink.

The common belief among the Jews was that when a person died their spirit “hung” around the body hoping to gain reentrance.  The spirit gave up hope after the fourth day and left.  Jesus knew what He was doing.  His restorative powers were not going to be misunderstood because of some superstitious belief held by the people.  Since it was the fourth day this was going to be proof positive of the resurrection power of Christ.  It would truly glorify God!

Jesus took a few minutes to speak to His Father concerning what was about to happen.  He didn’t do this because He didn’t know what He should do.  The stone had been rolled away, and an awful stench was coming from the tomb.  No, Christ had everything under control.  Have you ever lost control of a situation?  Perhaps a meeting you presided over got away from you.  People began to ignore courtesy and protocol, and it was on the verge of becoming a free for all.  If you’ve ever been there you know how tough it is to regain control.  Jesus did not lose control of this moment.  In fact, He was never more in control than at this moment.  He’s about to give a tremendous gift to Mary and Martha. He’s giving them their brother back.

God is a God of specificity! Have you ever wondered why Jesus,

“…cried with a loud voice,

“Lazarus, come forth!””

(John 11:43)

Also, in those days several people could occupy the same tomb, especially if they were poor and couldn’t afford additional ones.  Remember, Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb.  Tomb rentals!  It must have been a thriving business because there were so many poor people.  Perhaps there were one or two others buried with Lazarus.  Jesus had to call the name of Lazarus because, if He didn’t, anyone in that tomb might have arisen.  He cried “loudly” because, I believe, He wanted to shake Satan up a little when he heard His voice.  It was sort of a pre-warning of things to come.

The next minute, a mummy exited the tomb.  Death, which had gripped Lazarus’ life, released him without a fight.  No fighting with God.  He speaks, and everyone listens and obeys, at least they do in the spirit world.  Paul tells us that Christ,

“…must reign till He has put all enemies

under His feet. The last enemy that

will be destroyed is death.”

(1 Corinthians 15:25-26)

It is the believer’s joy to know that,

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?”

(I Corinthians 15:54-55)

If death has no grip on us, and the grave cannot hold us, what could happen in our lives that would keep us from enjoying the good life in Christ? Nothing! Not disappointment! Not sickness! Not poverty or plenty! The Giver of Life is here, let’s party!

One last thing, Lazarus was not totally free.  It was difficult for him to get around with those bandage-like wrappings, and besides, he was ugly in those clothes.

Jesus told the people around him to,

“Loose him, and let him go.”

(John 11:44)

Jesus ordered a new set of garments for Lazarus and ordered him to go and live life to the fullest.  This was beneficial to God.  God got glory from this resurrection.

Do you need to be set free?  Let me introduce you to the life-giver, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who declared that He was,

“…the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever

believes in (adheres to, trusts in,

and relies on) Me, although he may die,

yet he shall live; And whoever continues

to live and believes in (has faith in,

cleaves to, and relies on)

Me shall never (actually) die at all.

Do you believe this?”

(John 11:25-26 Amplified Bible)

Chapter 11

The Whirling Waters

John 5:1-9

“Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)!

By His boundless mercy we have been born

again to an ever-living hope through the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

(1 Peter 1:3 Amplified Bible)

This was a miracle about hope.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome these words.

“But if we hope for what is still unseen by us,

we wait for it with patience and composure.”

(Romans 8:25 Amplified Bible)

For thirty-eight years a man who was lame waited for someone to help him get into the whirling waters at the pool of Bethesda.  He hoped to realize his dream of being able to walk normally again.  In the beginning he waited patiently for help, but it never seemed to come to him.  No one wanted anything to do with him.  No wonder, everyone else at the pool was likewise needy and concerned only with their own lives and well-being.  The superstition was that periodically an angel would stir the water in the pool, and then the first to get in would be cured of their ailment.  You had to be a sprinter if you ever hoped to be cured.  The mad dash would begin, and this lame man would simply watch, hopelessly.  In the beginning he would make his feeble attempt to get to the pool, but after consistently losing the race he gave up and resigned himself to a beggarly lifestyle.  He abandoned hope!

This is how Jesus found him.  The man had given up all hope a long time ago.  He gave up on his dream.  Other people disappointed him time and time again.  He experienced, firsthand, the selfishness of the human race.  He took a deep breath, sighed, and settled in at the infirmary at Bethesda, resigned to live and die in his condition.

Looking at the man, Jesus asked him a question designed to do what submarines do best, go deep.  He asked,

“Do you want to be made well?”

(John 5:6)

Now what kind of a question is that?  Jesus asked him this to remind him of his dream, to live a normal life.  Life happens and it has a way of hardening our hearts, if we let it.  Circumstances have a way of clouding our minds and hearts.  They cast a dark shadow over our possibilities, so we need to be reminded of what can be done.  Jesus was merely breaking up some fallow heart ground and restoring the man’s dream to him.

Is what you’re reading or watching enlarging your dreams or destroying them?  Is how you’re spending your time contributing to or deterring you from reaching your full potential?

Another reason Jesus asked the man this question was to shake him up.  He built himself a cozy life.  He doesn’t have to work, and he has people waiting on him.  He’s co-dependent and loving it, or at the least he’s grown accustomed to it.  He goes to sleep, wakes up and whatever he will have for the day is given to him.  He doesn’t have to do a thing.  Why jeopardize this by being able to walk again?  He has become a prisoner of his own making.  If he could walk again he would have to find employment.  He’s been in this condition for thirty-eight years; I doubt he took correspondence courses to develop a skill.  What could he do?  Being cured may be too much for him to handle.

Most of us find it difficult to believe that someone, given a different option, would want to remain in this condition.  Think of what he’s missing.  Yet, there are millions of people just like this man.  They have no means to better themselves, and more shockingly, they don’t want to.  Like the lame man, their condition has become their security, and they just want to be left alone.  This question “do you want to be made well?” reawakens our dream within us.  That’s the first step; restore your belief in your dream.

We see the depth to which this man has sunk, because he doesn’t even get the question.  He doesn’t know who Jesus is, so he assumes Jesus isn’t familiar with his story and begins to explain it to Him.  Years of adversity have hardened his mind.  He’s no longer capable of thinking clearly enough to answer a simple question.  “Do you want to get well?”  Just a simple “yes” or “no” will do.  Christ is offering this man something no one else has ever offered him, a chance to really live again.  He doesn’t know what to do with such an opportunity.  He’s focused on his condition and challenge.  Sometimes we cannot see the heavens, because we are focusing on the moon.  We lose out on opportunities, because we don’t recognize them when they present themselves to us.

Even when we do recognize an opportunity we are ill prepared to take advantage of it.  If we will, we must believe that we can!  That’s what Barnabas was good at, recognizing ability when it’s not readily apparent.  When people had concerns about the apostle Paul, Barnabas spoke up on his behalf, and Paul became the most effective missionary of his day.  While we do need more Paul’s in this world, we also need more people like Barnabas!

Success is nothing more than preparation meeting opportunity!  The time we spend in preparation enhances our chance of being successful when we seize the opportunity to do so.  “Carpe Diem,” is a Latin expression meaning, “Seize the day,” and seize we must.  It’s not enough to be prepared.  It is also not enough to recognize an opportunity.  We must seize the moment!  The lame man could not do that.

Nonetheless, Jesus gave him an instruction,

“Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

(John 5:8)

We don’t find Jesus doing this very often.  In most situations, Jesus commended someone’s faith for the reason for the miracle.  Not here.  There was no faith evident in this man’s life, just despair and despondency.  This is a clear example of the compassion of Christ to those who cannot help themselves.  Whenever Jesus saw crowds of people, He is often described as being moved with compassion.

“FOR God so loved the world…”

(John 3:16 KJV)

Jesus was speaking to this lame man because of the compassion of God.  In fact, the only reason Jesus came to earth was because of the compassion of God.  This is not merely an act of God but is the very nature of God.

“for God is love.”  (1 John 4:8 KJV)

In Acts 3, Peter and John are going to the daily prayer meeting at the temple, when they see a lame man sitting at the entrance.  The man has sat in the same place, at the same time, every day for years.  How is it that this is the first time Peter notices him?  Peter and John had experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit of God and it sensitized them to the needs around them.  When Peter told the man to look at him the lame man did so with great expectation of receiving money for his support.  God did one better!  He gave him the opportunity to make more money than he had ever made begging.  He healed him!  This lame man seized the moment!  With Peter’s help, he got to his feet and ran throughout the temple courtyard screaming with joy.

Christ was presenting a similar opportunity to this lame man at the pool of Bethesda.  Would he seize the day or would he remain as he was, commiserating in his own misery?  What will you do with the opportunities God gives you?  The Word describes what took place next.

“And immediately the man was made well,

took up his bed, and walked.”

(John 5:9)

No longer did he need to watch while others were being successful.  His life had been radically changed and hope was restored to him.  He too, was blessed.

This is a story of hope, once lost but now restored.  Restored by Christ who in Colossians 1:24, is described as our “hope of glory.”  This is also a story of opportunity.  I’ve had my share of lost opportunities.  What I have found, is that they were lost more times than not, because I simply didn’t recognize them as opportunities.

What a miserable place for Christ to be in.  The pool of Bethesda held nothing but weaklings and infirm people.  They couldn’t offer any benefit to Him.  It was not even a good labor pool from which to get capable workers.  What could such a dismal and depressing place have for Christ?  While it wasn’t a prime choice, Jesus recognized that there was a need to which He had the supply.  There was a problem to which He was the solution.  He gave of Himself there for the life of one man.  It brought Christ pleasure to bless this man.

You are one person.  I am one person.  Our thinking is “why would God go out of His way…”  There is never an “out of the way” for God.  It’s all part of the journey.  Think of the revival in Samaria in Acts 8.  Crowds were gathered to hear Phillip, the deacon, preach and yet God carried him into the desert to speak to one man, an Ethiopian Eunuch, about Jesus.  That eunuch was saved and baptized that day.

I was sitting in a church with about 300 other people when God spoke to me and called me to salvation.  His Spirit has laser precision and can zero in on one person, even in a crowd.

Why didn’t Jesus bless others, some perhaps even more needy than this lame man?  We can only speculate.  What we do know is that one man’s life was changed, forever. Yours can too!

Chapter 12

The Born-again Baby

John 3

Someone once said “To be born once is to die twice and to be born twice is to die once.”  As we ponder that statement we get a slight sense of what Nicodemus must have been thinking when Jesus told him,

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one

is born of water and the Spirit,

he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

(John 3:5)

Under the cover of darkness, one of the religious leaders, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, came to Jesus.  For what purpose we are not told because, before he could state his purpose, Jesus told him he needed to be born again.  Jesus set the agenda for this meeting!

Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, a group of seventy men who sat in judgment.  He was also an Aristocrat by birth.  During the war with the Romans, in 63 B.C., Aristobulus, a leader of the Jews, sent a man by the name of Nicodemus to Pompey, the Roman Emperor, as his ambassador.  As a Pharisee, Nicodemus had pledged himself, before three witnesses, to give his life to the keeping of the Law.  Doing this was a lifetime commitment.  For example, while the Law was the five books of Moses, in the Jewish Mishnah, the codified scribal law, there are twenty-four chapters just about the Sabbath.  There is a story about a certain Rabbi who spent two-years studying one of those chapters.  It was a pretty intense lifestyle.

In addition to being a Pharisee, Nicodemus was a wealthy man.  We know this because it was Nicodemus who brought a hundred pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes to anoint the body of Jesus. (John 19:39)

This was not just any ordinary, blue-collar worker seeking a meeting with Jesus.  He was the crème de la crème, the best of the best.  One could understand why he would want to meet Jesus at night, away from the crowds and out of sight.  Was he ashamed, scared?  Did he want to avoid the notoriety of being seen with Christ?  Was he jeopardizing his leadership position by sneaking in to see Jesus?  Some would think that, and if true, it can only be said that it’s better to come to Jesus at night than not to come to Him at all.

There may be a more legitimate reason for this time of day.  The rabbis declared that the best time to study the law was at night, when a man was undisturbed.  Or maybe Nicodemus just wanted Christ’s undivided attention as they discussed his spiritual questions.

Nicodemus began the conversation by acknowledging the ability of Christ to teach because of the signs that He was doing.  At least for this man, the purpose of miracles was understood.  Jesus, however, pointed out that the signs, in themselves, were not what were important.  The effect they had on a man’s inner being was.  Every act of Christ was deliberate and done to accomplish a specific purpose.

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

(Isaiah 55:11 NIV)

The Amplified Bible clarifies it further by saying,

“So shall My word be that goes forth out of

My mouth: it shall not return to Me void

(without producing any effect, useless),

but it shall accomplish that which

I please and purpose, and it shall prosper

in the thing for which I sent it.”

In other words,

“…the Word that God speaks is alive and

full of power (making it active, operative, energizing, and effective); it is sharper

than any two-edged sword, penetrating

to the dividing line of the breath

of life (soul) and (the immortal) spirit,

and of joints and marrow

(of the deepest parts of our nature),

exposing and sifting and analyzing

and judging the very thoughts and

purposes of the heart.”

(Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible)

Jesus told Nicodemus that keeping the law, even to the degree he was committed to, would not give him any hope of seeing the kingdom of God.  He needed to be “born again.”  This was perplexing to him.  In the Greek, the word “anothen” has three meanings,

“from the beginning, completely, radically”,

or “again, for the second time”,

or “from above, from God.”

Obviously, Nicodemus had the second meaning in mind when Jesus said he must be born anew.  Jesus was using the third definition.  That is, to be born from above or from God.  When our lives are changed from above, its impact is like a new birth.  Paul captures it well when he says:

“Therefore if any person is (engrafted)

In Christ (the Messiah) he is a new

Creation (a new creature altogether);

the old (previous moral and spiritual

condition) has passed away.

Behold, the fresh and new has come!”

(2 Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Bible)

This is what I’m talking about.  A brand new start!  A clean slate!  A new game!  Nicodemus, this is the way you are going to get a glimpse of heaven.  You need to understand this and let it get ahold of your soul, friend.  Everything we design, and commit to doing, will not work unless it starts with being reborn from above!  That’s your ticket to the Promised Land!

The Jew knew about rebirth.  This wasn’t something new to Nicodemus.  When a man from another faith converted to Judaism he was said to have been “reborn.”  According to the rabbis, a proselyte or convert, who embraced Judaism “is like a new-born child.”  The Jew knew the idea of a rebirth, but how did it work for a Jew to embrace Christ?

The nature of this rebirth was not physical.  There was no umbilical cord to be cut.  No labor pains and pushing to be done by the mother.  No slapping of the baby to get him/her to breathe on their own.  In his sense of humor, my Dad told me that when I was born the doctor slapped my mother.  In spiritual rebirth there are no mistakes.  God doesn’t make junk!

Jesus compared this rebirth to the wind.  We can feel it and we can see the result of its presence, but we cannot know where it comes from or where it’s going.

One thing is for certain; this birth from above is similar to the human birth in that we have to develop the spiritual man.  Just like a baby boy or girl, we do not exit the womb as an adult.  We have to grow into adulthood. The same thing is true of our spiritual man.  We must, as Paul said,

“…grow up in all things into Him...”

(Ephesians 4:15)

Peter said something similar,

“but grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

(2 Peter 3:18)

Jesus emphasized to Nicodemus that this rebirth wasn’t just for the elite of society.  In fact, they would be less likely to subscribe to this teaching as evidenced by Nicodemus’ reluctance.  He said that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, He must be lifted up so that,

“…whoever believes in Him should

not perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:15)

The intelligentsia has difficulty understanding the concept of being born again by the Spirit, because it doesn’t require anything more than simply “believing.”

“…God so loved the world, that

he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should

not perish, but have everlasting life.”

(John 3:16 KJV)

It can’t be that simple, just believe?  The reality seems to contradict this simplicity as evidenced by Paul’s statement to the church at Corinth,

“For ye see your calling, brethren,

how that not many wise men after the flesh,

not many mighty, not many noble, are called…”

(I Corinthians 1:26 KJV)

Nicodemus struggled with this idea because his experiences didn’t mirror this.  Remember, he committed his life to keeping every “jot and tittle” of the Law.  What Jesus was offering was so simple it boggled his mind.

Sometimes we complicate life more than it really is or should be.  We seek God’s will for our lives and look for it in some thunder-clapping event, which doesn’t happen.  God doesn’t always work in that way.  Sometimes He can be heard in the “still small voice,” which is why we have to practice being still.  As David says,

“Be still and know that I am God…”

(Psalms 46:10 KJV)

It seems that Nicodemus did experience a rebirth in Christ and became a Christ follower or Christian.  His helping at Christ’s funeral indicated his affection for Him. Imagine what it would be like to be brought to the faith by Christ in the flesh?  The teaching session Nicodemus sought from Christ became the doorway to eternal life.  He did not find it by keeping the law, no matter how detailed, but by his simple faith in Christ.  He will die only once because he was born twice.

The first death is physical death.  Where our bodies return to the earth.  We are separated from family and friends.  Our pursuit of happiness is over.  Our toil is ended.  Whatever our circumstances were, they matter no more.  Death levels all differences.  It didn’t matter that Nicodemus was wealthier or nobler than others.  In death he was no different than the poorest slave.

Contrary to some opinions, when we die it’s over!  Everyone has eternal life because we are a soul.  The question is where will we spend eternity?  There are only two choices, heaven or hell.  For some, that’s too simple.  There’s must be more choices.  I’m sorry to disappoint you.  But it’s that simple!  What’s not simple is the means Satan will go to in order to distract you from this truth.

The second death is more severe than the first one.  It’s not just separation from friends and family, but from God!  We ignore God’s call at our own peril.  Jesus made it clear to His disciples that He was,

“…the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

(John 14:6)

There’s no escaping the second death. No leader, past or present, can help you see the kingdom of God.  Only through Jesus can you be born-anew.

To be born once is to die twice;

To be born twice is to die once.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what

the Spirit saith unto the churches;

He that overcometh shall not be

hurt of the second death.”

(Revelation 2:11 KJV)

Conclusion

I know many of you are thinking, “Yeah, well that’s great, but these miracles happened thousands of years ago. What about now? How can I utilize what I just read in my life now?” You’re the only person who can answer that question. Think back on your life, what have you been witness to? Have you seen a person’s health restored instantly? Witnessed an event that is unexplainable?

I had a small thing like that happen one day when I was out with my family. A ragged looking homeless person came up to me in a large open area and asked me if I had any money. I did, but it was the last $10 I had in cash on me and besides he’s just going to drink it away or he makes a living off of pandering.

I politely lied to the guy and said no. As I turned to go, I thought, “Oh, why not,” and I turned to give him the $10. He was gone and when I say gone, I mean gone. I was in the middle of a large open area. Nothing was near us for 50 to 60 feet, but he was gone. I knew then it was an angel and that God had been testing me. I failed miserably. It doesn’t matter that I decided to give the money, it’s that I hesitated.

If God had hesitated when Mosses asked for the miracle to save God’s people the Jewish people would have been slaughtered. God’s test taught me not to hesitate or to shy away from the things I don’t fully understand. Learn from the tests God puts you though.

Have you been there when a love one’s hardened heart softened toward the Lord? Where you ever the answer to someone’s prayer, but didn’t know it at the time?

Have you ever asked God for something that would take a miracle to accomplish and he provided it?

On Christmas Eve in 1995 I owned a print shop and worked a full time job on the graveyard shift. I had hardly seen my family during the 8 years that I was doing both. That year on Christmas Eve I had to leave the family get-together to go to work. On my way to work I prayed that God would relieve me from the burden of this business because I didn’t want to miss any more of my children growing up. You have no idea how much it hurts to see that you are not in any of the family videos because you were busy working.

I remember driving over a bridge as I was praying and an amount of money popped into my head. At first I didn’t think anything about it until 2 weeks later when a man walked into my print shop. He asked if I wanted to sell the business.

The prayer I prayed came into my mind. I said, “Yes, if the price is right.” I knew I would accept whatever his offer was, I was too weary to negotiate, and I just wanted the burden lifted from me.

What he said next astounded me and I instantly knew it was an answer from God to my prayer. He offered the exact amount that had popped into my head on that bridge while I was praying. God took away the burden I had and helped me financially at the same time.

God is ready to help you. Be faithful to Him, He is there for you. Be there for Him. Find your spiritual way by knowing God’s Spirit.  Pray and be immersed in Christ’s Spirit. Learn to identify His voice within your spirit.

He is willing and able to do for you what you need Him to do no matter how hard or impossible you may think it is. Trust Him, trust his timing, and obey His instructions and watch Him work on your behalf.

One of God’s instructions is to read his word. But don’t read it like it’s a novel, read it to gain knowledge. God’s miracles and Jesus’ parables contain great knowledge.

Need help with your relationships?  God talks about that in his word.  Need to get rid of some bad habits?  Get in the habit of reading God’s Word.  Having trouble with your kids?  Let the Word show you how to deal with children.  Need help controlling your finances? Jesus talks plenty about money and its proper use in your life. Looking for the meaning for your existence?  Look into God’s Word and see His plan for you.

God did many more miracles than we’ve covered in this book. Read them and see if you can determine whether they were used to Glorify God, authenticate Jesus’ ministry, or were they done for the good of man.

Don’t forget, not every miracle is a river splitter. God does small miracles every day. Seek them out and dwell in the pleasure and meaning they give your life.

Acknowledgements

Anytime you undertake an endeavor such as this, you recognize that without the support of your family and others success would be difficult.

Naturally, if God hadn’t infused a 15-year old boy with the call to go into ministry this book would have never been written.  No matter what I accomplish in my life the glory goes to Him.

I want to thank my wife, Linda, for her ongoing support and understandibnng during the writing of this book. My thanks go out to Linda Caplow and Kathy Martin for their hard work. They were instrumental in reviewing the manuscript and offering their wisdom for the book’s format and in cleaning it up, making the book even better.

I thank the many others who have unwittingly contributed to this book over the years, even though they may not know it, by allowing me to teach them God’s Word thereby gaining insight through preparation to be faithful to the Word.

About The Authors

Bob Weigand

Bob left New York in 1974 to attend Southeastern University, in Lakeland, Florida, where he majored in theology.

Bob experienced his own miracle at the age of 6, when God healed his years of stuttering instantly at a home group prayer meeting.  This was just a prelude to God’s calling on Bob’s life.

In 1965, at the age of 15, Bob received his call into ministry.  He spent 12 years during high school and college sharing the gospel.  His faith grew as he watched God save souls and perform tremendous miracles, including the greatest miracle of all, the miracle of a new believer being born again.  Even after becoming a pastor at Calvary Temple, in Florida, God continued to prove Himself omnipotent in the lives of church members.

Miracles have always intrigued Bob, and some of his favorite scripture stories include God intervening in the laws of nature on Israel’s behalf.

May the messages in this book challenge you to increase your faith in the God of miracles. He has one for you if you’ll believe and obey.  You are no different than Elijah, Daniel, or the Hebrew children.  Grow your faith in Him.

Michael Kelly

Michael was raised in the Catholic Church, attended a Catholic school, and like every Catholic boy, thought about becoming a priest when he grew up. But God sent him in a different direction when he developed an interest in Girls, Aircraft, and Writing.

In his late thirties he attended a Pentecostal church and was born again. His oldest son was 13 at the time and several months later commented that he had noticed a great change in his dad. One of Michael’s favorite sayings is, “I’d rather be the janitor of heaven, than the King of Hell.”

As a former staff writer for a major publisher of self-help books, Michael has written stories on health, food, finance, medical cures, and bargain hunting.

Michael has also written 8 children’s mystery novels and 12 education workbooks for Gallopade International, a major publisher of fiction and non-fiction books for children.

He is currently working on two other books. One of them is an adventure/thriller titled, Last Deadly Hour, which uncovers a plot to destroy all Christian artifacts that prove the existence of God by an ancient Secret Society. The other is titled Faith and Family: Short Quirky Stories to Lighten Your Heart. You can reach Michael Kelly at: mkellyauthor@comcast.net.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

About The Authors