Revival

"For we know, brothers loved by God,

that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power,

with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. . .your faith in God has become known everywhere. . .

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,"

1 Thessalonians 1:4,5,8,9

Man is an animal.  God is dead.  There is no God.  Science makes God unnecessary.  Truth is what I believe it to be.  Love is love, I don't see the difference whether it is lesbian, homosexual, or heterosexual.  Ending a life is a choice.

These are statements that are floating around the Internet and are easily accessible to anyone spending any time in cyberspace.   If I am searching for God, it is easy to read about these beliefs and start doubting.  Once uncertainty creeps into my mind, it is a small step to simply turn my back on God.

But God's not dead!  He's alive.  Take a moment and watch this video from the Newsboys to see what I mean.

Maybe I'm not seeing God's Hand in my life because I'm looking in the wrong place.  Maybe I'm not giving Him a chance to work in my heart because I've hardened it against Him.  Maybe I'm immune to His miracles because I'm dead on the inside.  

God is not the problem.  I am the problem, and the real evidence of God's existence is in what takes place inside of me once I give my life to Him.

Alive 

Anyone who has experienced the convicting pressure of God's hand upon them knows that God is alive and He is living within them.   All who have witnessed the transformation of a hard, stubborn heart into a soft and pliable spirit knows that God is with them.  Every person who has felt a peace that makes no sense in the middle of turmoil or trial knows that God lives inside of them.  

God is not an object carved from wood or stone.  He is not a myth created by man.  Neither is He an impotent being.  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is alive. . . and He is living within me.

The only way to know for sure, however, is to give the living God a chance for yourself.  As David said in Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."  The evidence of God's living existence is found in the changes He has wrought within me.  I am not the same person I was before I met Him.  

God has left His imprint upon the hearts of all those who give their lives to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

Powerful

Whenever I witness a thunderstorm, I ponder the power of God.  As I cower under this tiny sampling of His might, I think about how His power was never more evident than in the creation of all things.

 My God has the authority to speak the world into existence!  He said the word, and light came into being.  He uttered one syllable and the newly formed earth was teaming with creatures.   It took only one breath blown into the nostrils of man, and Adam came to life. 

This kind of power is unlimited.  Combined with His perfect justice, love, grace and mercy, it becomes evident that this is a God who is able to help me in all situations.  Whether I am facing cancer, divorce, death, loss, or calamity of any kind. . . God is powerful enough to save me.

Once again, David as a man after God's own heart knew a little something about the power of God.  He said, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.  Our God is a God who saves." (Psalm 68:19-20)

Over the course of several years in my past I worked in three different gyms.  Even though each facility was different, there was one thing they all had in common.  The guys who were the strongest and lifted the heaviest weights were the ones who were the most inconsiderate, leaving their big plates and heavy dumbbells out for someone else to put away.  They used their strength for their own good but not for the good of anyone else.  

Thankfully, this observation does not apply to God.  He is mighty and merciful, strong and loving, great and gracious.  The Lord acts in great power coupled with amazing love.  As the Apostle Paul said to the church at Ephesus, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

The Lord is a powerful God who is able to do all things.  He can mend a broken heart, repair a estranged relationship, or give hope where none exists.  As the missionary Andrew Murray said, "Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation."

The evidence of the power of God in my life is in the amazing feats and loving acts that are meant for my good and the good of those around me. 

Sovereign 

Anyone who believes God does not exist has not really examined the intricacies of life.  Imagine the timing and amount of planning it takes for a single life to intersect with another at just the right moment.

A friend of mine was recently telling me about how she was taking her car in for repair.  She didn't have much money and was grieving over the high estimate.  Knowing she needed to have the work done, she headed over to the shop, trusting God that He would make it all work out.

As she was driving, she came upon a friend of hers who waved her down.  He hopped in the van and proceeded to direct her to a friend of his who was able to do the work for half the cost in a fraction of the time.  God had orchestrated this chance meeting and turned it into a huge blessing for my friend.

Each of us has experienced similar incidents that showcase the dominion of God.  The Israelites certainly witnessed many events that demonstrated God's control over all things.

When they were still slaves in Egypt and God sent Moses to ask Pharaoh to let His people go, God sent plague after plague to afflict the natives.  Then He sent this message to the king of Egypt through Moses. "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that  I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."  (Exodus 9:16)

Every meeting God orchestrates, every need He meets, every calamity He prevents, is done in order to lift up His name throughout all of creation.

God's sovereignty is made known through every breath that I take and every miracle that occurs, whether or not I recognize it.

God is not dead, He is surely alive and it is time for a revival of sorts.  It is time for my heart to be revitalized toward the One who made made me, who will live within me if given the chance, who has the power to do all things and who is in control of every aspect of every life.  

No, God is not dead.  It is I who is dead. . . . and it is time for me to wake up!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will look for evidence of God in the details of my life.

How do I explain away the miracles that God orchestrates each day?

When do I fail to recognize the gift God has given me with every single breath that I take?

Stealing Praise

“I am the LORD; that is my name!
   I will not yield my glory to another
   or my praise to idols."

Isaiah 42:8

No one can argue that Oprah is an influential woman.  Many turn to her for guidance and advice, even if its only to learn about her latest "favorite thing", or to know what they should read while on vacation. Her position as advisor to the people only makes the following that much more alarming.  America's favorite girlfriend and talk show host has long been promoting a worldview that is counter to a Christ-centered belief, and she advocates more of a self-centered spirituality.  Back in her late 20s, Oprah started to question her Christian beliefs and the idea that God is a jealous God, a God who expects to be first in our lives, above all things.  She was sitting in church, listening to a sermon, and she thought,  "How can this God who is all loving and all powerful, why would God be jealous of me?"*   Completely misunderstanding the character of God, she then left the faith of her childhood and began a quest of New Age spirituality.

Influence  What makes this so alarming is that Oprah is trusted by so many.  I wouldn't be surprised if she is responsible for leading more people away from the truth of the gospel than any other person in history.  But why are we so willing to accept her ungodly philosophy?  Maybe we don't really understand the character of God for ourselves.  What does it mean for God to be a jealous God?

God is not jealous of me.  Rather, He is jealous for me.  We find this teaching smack in the center of the second commandment, where God is commanding us to hold nothing in importance above Him.  "You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods."  (Exodus 20:5 NLT)   He is a God who expects to be given his proper place above all things.  He deserves to have the first place in my affections, my thoughts, my agenda and in the way I spend my time.  

God needs nothing from me.  He has a plan and doesn't need me to carry it out.  Mordecai knew this characteristic of God, as he illustrated when advising his niece, Queen Esther.  The Jewish people were in danger of being annihilated at the hand of the evil Hamman.  And Esther, as the wife of the King, was in a position to do something about it.  So he said to her, ". . . if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)  In other words, if Esther didn't step up to the plate, God's plan would still go forth but Esther would not be a part of that plan.  God did not need Esther to carry out His plan.  And He does not need you and me, either. 

God's plan is all about Him.  When the people of Israel were held in bondage under Pharaoh in Egypt, God's plan was to use Moses to release them from their misery.  God used plagues and miracles in the process of releasing them from slavery and leading them toward the promised land.  Many times He stated the reason for these shows of power were so that, "you may know that the earth is the Lord's" (Exodus 9:29) or that, " you may know that I am the Lord." (Exodus 10:2) Years later, under the reign of Ahab, the evil king of Israel, God was all about bring glory to His name.  Ahab was given a chance to see this truth when God sent a prophet to deliver a message of military success so that, "you will know that I am the Lord." (I Kings 20:13).  Everything God does is to draw attention to His might, power and glory. Who am I, the created being, to steal glory from the Creator, even in thinking that it was my hard work or cleverness that brought about my success?   

All Good is From God, Not from Me!  If this world is all about God, created for God and by God, why do I have such a hard time giving God the glory and honor which is rightfully His?   I am quick to take the credit or accept compliments and praise for all kinds of good things in my life, thus stealing praise from God.  It is easy to believe others' compliments instead of giving credit where credit is due.  I must remember that, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." (James 1:17a)

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I would let nothing steal praise away from the Lord my God.

Where am I taking credit for something that God did in my life?

How am I putting other things, thoughts or activities in a position of higher importance, above God?

*Oprah's quote from:  http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Finding-Your-Spiritual-Path-Webcast-Transcript/6#ixzz1ezwxWdMH