Tag: Spiritual wisdom

Do you ever wonder if you have the time or ability to make an impact on the lives of others? Is it too late? This past winter I heard a quote on a television show. The quote was attributed to US President Roosevelt and when I researched it the quote was accurate. The quote said, “Do what you can with what you have where you are.” While I am sure we could all think of examples of people effectively walking in their gifts and callings I will highlight one example from scripture. The thief on the cross.

So, a look at what the thief on the cross could do with what he had where he was. Below are the accounts from both Matthew and Luke, beginning with Matthew.

³⁸ Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

³⁹ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ⁴² “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. ⁴³ He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

⁴⁴ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Matthew 27:38–44 (NKJV)

³³ And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots. ³⁵ And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

³⁸ And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

³⁹ Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

⁴⁰ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

⁴³ And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:33–43 (NKJV)

We know from the text in Matthew that the two men were robbers (Matt. 27:38, 44) while Luke simply refers to them as criminals (Lk. 23:33, 39). In his passage Matthew informs us that as Jesus is hanging on the cross He is being mocked by the crowd, the religious leaders and the two criminals. Luke however has the one criminal, popularly referred to as ‘the thief on the cross,’ defending Jesus and rebuking his fellow criminal.

Obviously something happened in the heart of the one criminal as he hung there dying. He went form mocking Jesus to defending Him and asking for His grace in the next life. Returning to our theme, doing what we can with what we have where we are, this man clearly had limited options. He couldn’t go anywhere as he was fixed in place on an instrument of cruel torture. It was a struggle to simply draw a breath and it would have made sense for him to have simply remained resigned to the inevitable outcome. Yet in spite of his circumstances, or perhaps because of them, the thief on the cross underwent a transformation. He began to speak on Jesus behalf. He had begun by mocking Jesus but then something happened in his heart and he recognized Jesus as Messiah and King. What is usually presented regarding this story is the ability to gain salvation at any moment, up to our last breath. However, even while right near death the man went through repentance, a change of mind and heart, and began to be a witness for Jesus. He asserted Jesus innocence, defended Him from false accusation and recognized Jesus as king.

The result of him doing what he could with what he had where he was? Jesus tells us, that very day while his fellow unrepentant thief was going to step from time into eternity and encounter horror, this man received the following assurance from Jesus, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Lk. 23:43).

So, as it relates to being effective in and for Jesus kingdom let us reflect on what we have in terms of our abilities and do what we can with them where we are.

I am part of the prayer movement and a common teaching in the prayer movement is that intercessory prayer is engaging or partnering with Jesus in His prayer ministry as the High Priest who ‘always lives to make intercession.’ While I firmly believe in that last phrase, I also firmly believe we generally misunderstand and misapply it. Frankly, if I believed Jesus was praying for what is happening to and through the church in the world it would lead me to question how effective His prayers are. Thankfully, I don’t believe there is any lack on His end.  

Let us look at the phrase ‘make/makes intercession.’ We find it in four places in the New Testament. Once in Hebrews and three times in Romans 8.

²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26–27 (NKJV)

On the surface these three verses seem to indicate that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are praying for us. With a little deeper digging we find that the phrasing and tense in Greek in verse 27 refer to a meeting or conversation – Makes intercession for (ὑπερεντυγχάνει). Only here in the New Testament. The verb ἐντυγχάνω means to light upon or fall in with; to go to meet for consultation, conversation, or supplication. So Acts 25:24, “dealt with,” Rev., “made suit.” Compare Rom. 8:34; 11:2; Heb. 7:25.^[1]

The idea is that the Holy Spirit comes upon us to help us and pray through us. Therefore, it says He ‘helps.’ He does not pray apart from us; He prays through and in union with us. Jesus and the Spirit are part of the Godhead and in unity. Jesus was clear that after He went to the cross, He would no longer pray for His followers.

²⁶ In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; John 16:26 (NKJV)

Given Romans 8 is about the Holy Spirit helping us in our prayers and Jesus said He would not be praying for His followers after the cross we need to look at Hebrews 7 and the context to see what it means that Jesus ‘always lives to make intercession.’

I will not quote the chapter but the context in Hebrews 7 is showing that Jesus priestly role is in the line of Melchizedek not the Aaronic priesthood. For the Aaronic priests their priestly duties were ended by death. Jesus priestly role never ends because He never ends. That is the focus of the idea of Jesus always living to make intercession. The ‘always’ is about His endless priesthood.

²⁴ But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Hebrews 7:24 (NKJV)  

This leads to needing to understand what intercession means in this passage if it is not about Jesus praying for us. While in many sectors of the church we use the term intercession to refer to prayer, which it often does, the intercessory role of those who functioned under the Aaronic priesthood was not focused on prayer. It was about the offering of sacrifices to set aside sin so people could be right with God. This is what Isaiah prophesied about Jesus intercessory role and Paul affirmed. 

¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 (NKJV)

³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:34 (NKJV)

Jesus is our High Priest at the Father’s right hand. Paul described His priestly role in a very similar way to Isaiah.

⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NKJV)

Jesus priestly intercessory and mediatory role is His presenting Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf and His sacrifice is eternally efficacious because His life is eternal. This means that we may at any time come boldly to the throne of grace through a new and living.

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 (NKJV)

Let us therefore embrace Jesus intercessory priestly work. He has made a way for us to come and present petitions for ourselves and others before the throne of grace at any time and for any need. Let us place our trust not in in His praying for us but rather discern how He seeks to pray through us.  

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^[1] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 95). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

The last symbol I want to address in this brief series is the idea of Jesus coming on the clouds. There are references to the clouds Jesus mock trial prior to His crucifixion, His comments to those who saw Him depart after His resurrection and the broader scriptural context including Daniel and Psalms. First Jesus trial.

⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” Matthew 26:63–66 (NKJV)

Here Jesus is accused of blasphemy. What did the high priest and others understand from what Jesus said? The answer is in Daniel’s vision and the Psalms.

¹³ “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. ¹⁴ Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13–14 (NKJV)

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. Psalm 68:4 (NKJV)

³ He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Psalm 104:3 (NKJV)

There are other references as well but these serve to illustrate the understanding held by the high priest and others at Jesus trial. When Jesus spoke of coming on the clouds and being at the right hand of power their minds went to Daniel and the Psalms. Yahweh was the one who moved in power in the heavens and the one who held authority. In fact the phrase ‘power’ was a Jewish expression used to avoid pronouncing the sacred name Yahweh. When the heavenly court scene was displayed in Daniel the one being given authority over the earth came on the clouds to demonstrate that He had the power and authority of Yahweh.  

 So now we look further at what Jesus had to say about Himself and clouds.

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29–31 (NKJV)

⁹ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9–11 (NKJV)

If in our minds eye we see Jesus gently floating down out of heaven on a cloud we are missing Jesus message. Jesus ascended on a cloud, again demonstrating His authority over nature. His return on the clouds of heaven will be both a demonstration of power and judgement. The clouds speak of His deity, power and authority, an everlasting dominion. That is what we need to see as well. I close with two more cloud references from scripture.

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (NKJV)

⁷ Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7 (NKJV)

Here we will look at an agricultural symbol pointing to Jesus. It starts with a question that Jesus asks the Pharisees, trying to get them to think beyond their preconceived religious ideas. Had they understood the symbolism in the scriptures they revered they would have been able to see Jesus as the Messiah or at least they may have had the humility to seek clarification from Him. This exchange took place in the days leading up to Jesus arrest and crucifixion.

⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

⁴³ He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ⁴⁴‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

⁴⁵ If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. Matthew 22:41–46 (NKJV)

These the last questions the religious leaders asked of Jesus prior to His arrest and subsequent crucifixion. The Pharisees were both puzzled and silenced by Jesus question. Yet Jesus gave them a clue in the paradox between the Messiah being David’s son and yet David referring to Him as Lord. The answer lay in the scriptures they studied. First we have Isaiah, and later a clearer exposition of this verse in Revelation.

            ¹ There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1 (NKJV)

In context it is clear for us looking back that that Isaiah was prophesying about Jesus and it is made very explicit in Revelation from Jesus Himself.  

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16 (NKJV)

The clue to answering Jesus question to the Pharisees is seeing Jesus as both the source (root) and outcome (branch). They lived in an agricultural context with olive trees and grape vines being very important in their daily lives. The Hebrew word translated as ‘stem’ could refer to either a stump or stock but clearly pointed to a source. It is humanly impossible for someone to be their own ancestor, thus the need for spiritual revelation.

Jesus was quoting Psalm 110 when He asked His question about David calling the coming Messiah Lord. The Pharisees knew it because Psalm 110 was a well known Messianic reference. While it is obvious to us, the answer was still available to the Pharisees had they understood the symbol of the Messiah being both root and branch.

Here are further clues, also made explicit by Jesus.

⁴      Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.’ ” Isaiah 41:4 (NKJV) – see also Is. 44:6, 48:12

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)

As both the beginning and the end Jesus was the root and branch, the source and outcome. As such we can celebrate His work in our lives as Hebrews presents Him.

¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV)

We can have confidence that no matter what we are walking through in this season, He is faithful.

⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Oftentimes when we read some of the things in scripture, particularly symbolic things in books like Revelation or Daniel we are left shaking our heads. It is easy to simply move on to something easier to grasp. Yet if we see the scriptures as a unity, 66 books inspired by one divine author and penned by many human authors, we can draw wisdom from these symbols. There are patterns that we can see across scripture if we look. Once we see the repeated patterns some of the symbols are easier to understand. An example is the image of Jesus as the Lamb in Revelation. However understanding the symbols in Revelation requires a solid foundation in the Old Testament (OT).  

⁶ And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6 (NKJV)

Here we have Jesus depicted as the Lamb. The word ‘midst’ is used twice in this verse showing that the Lamb is the focal point of the attention of John as the observer. Earlier in 5:1 we have the Father on the throne holding the scroll. Then we see the Lamb in the same place. In my mind’s eye I see this lamb as superimposed over the image of the Father on the throne and at the same time in the Father and the Father in the Lamb. 

The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. The passage tells us that the eyes are the seven spirits referred to earlier in 1:3, 3:1, 4:5. The point is not that Jesus is an actual lamb but that He was the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of humanity. The fulfillment of the OT type. Seven in scripture is the number of completion or fulfillment. Some refer to it as perfection. I prefer the idea of completion or fulfillment as Genesis refers to seven days to complete creation and seven days complete a week. The seven eyes mean that Jesus has complete access to see everything. Nothing is hidden from Him.

The seven horns. Horns represent power or authority because they represent the power of horned animals. We see examples in the OT of horns that represent power and authority, both good and bad.

² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

⁴     “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn. ⁵ Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ” Psalm 75:4–5 (NKJV)

¹⁷   For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted. Psalm 89:17 (NKJV)

¹⁰   But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. Psalm 92:10 (NKJV)

⁷ “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. ⁸ I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. Daniel 7:7–8 (NKJV)

Now back to the Lamb with seven horns in Revelation. What the image communicates is that the Lamb has complete authority. We see this in The Great Commission.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18–20 (NKJV)

The message of the Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes is that Jesus sees and knows all and that in the events about to unfold He has complete authority. If we know Him we can rest in this reality in scripture.

²⁸ 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. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

This use of symbols may seem like a roundabout way to get to the message of Romans 8 but John knew the OT so the message of the horns, eyes and seven would not have been mysterious to him. Instead they would have brought assurance, as they should for us. 

I will continue looking at symbols in scripture in future posts.

Let’s take a fresh look at the brief battle between Davie and Goliath in 1 Samuel. This battle is generally presented as the underdog achieving victory against overwhelming odds and has become a cultural icon. It is true that if David had fought Goliath on the terms that Goliath anticipated he would have been easily defeated. However David didn’t do what everyone else expected. David’s key to victory was thinking about the battle differently and thinking differently about who he represented and was. Below we see some different perspectives.

⁸ Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 1 Samuel 17:8 (NKJV)

¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” 1 Samuel 17:10 (NKJV)

²⁶ Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26 (NKJV)

Goliath referred to the Israelite army as the servants of Saul and the army of Israel. David saw Goliath as defying God’s army. Furthermore, David saw the source of deliverance as the Lord not his own skill or strength.

³⁷ Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” 1 Samuel 17:37 (NKJV)

I recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s 2013 book David and Goliath. It is not a Christian book but what I appreciate about Gladwell is that he thinks differently and examines his topics in a way that most don’t. His book was about people who overcome against all odds. It is also a book about seeing things differently, like the biblical account of David and Goliath.

In looking at what happened with David and Goliath he references the three kinds of warriors in ancient battles, Calvary (horsemen and chariots), Infantry (foot soldiers in heavy armour) and Projectile warriors (those who used arrows and slings). The battle between David and Goliath would have been quickly over with David dead if David had tried to fight Goliath as an Infantry soldier. However, David fought as a Projectile warrior, not on Goliaths’ terms or the terms all the spectators from both armies were anticipating. Gladwell said a ballistics expert from the Israeli Defence Forces calculated that in less than two seconds David could have fired a stone at Goliath that would have hit his forehead with the force of a bullet from a modern small handgun – a rock traveling at about 200 kilometres per hour. It could have easily penetrated his skull or minimally rendered him unconscious.

David’s key to victory was twofold. First, he trusted in the Lord. Second he did the unexpected and met the enemy from a positon of his strengths and skills. David did what he was good at not what Goliath wanted. In thinking about this I wonder about thinking differently and being a bit paradoxical in our approach.

David took what he had. We can to do the same. He is clear that His ways are not ours. For example He sent Peter the uneducated fisherman to the Jews and Paul the educated Pharisee to the Gentiles. The opposite of what we would expect. So whatever He has called us to do let’s bathe it in fervent and frequent prayer and then we follow His leading based on what He has given us.

A brief breakdown of spirit, soul and body is helpful as we continue our study. Our body is obvious as we see, touch and interact with it. I understand our soul as our mind, will and emotions. We think, reflect, exercise choice and feel emotions. Our spirit has three functions as well – conscience, communion and intuition. My point is not to create fine distinctions as much as to identify processes. At the end of the day the Lord designed us to function as an integrated whole. With our spirit we encounter Him, we feel joy at His presence and open our lips and raise our hands in worship. A wholistic response to encountering His presence.

In looking at our spirit we grow fruit in it (Galatians 5:22-23), we commune with Jesus with it (Romans 8:14-16) and our conscience and discernment develops as our spirit is nourished by a daily diet of His word (1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:13-14). Thus, if we are walking in the Spirit, we will experience the growth and maturing of the fruit of Jesus character in our lives, a deeper sense of His presence leading and guiding us and a clearer sense of the decisions He would have us make.

In my own life I remember a few years into my walk with Him I was going to do something, the what is not important and frankly I don’t remember exactly what it was I had planned. However, I had been feeding my spirit on His word. In the course of making a decision I very clearly heard inside of my spirit the following verse.

⁸ This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. Galatians 5:8 (NKJV)

I didn’t do whatever it was I was going to do. This demonstrated to me the very obvious fruit of being in His word. I wasn’t sitting reading scripture when this happened, I was walking around somewhere but He used my time in His word to guide my decision making.

At other times I have had the sense to do or not do something but not from a scripture verse. It is more of an internal sense or leading. It may be an inner prompting to call someone or to pray for someone. Many of us have probably had the experience of thinking about someone and they call us or vice versa, we call them and they say, “I was just thinking about you.” He is very practical in how He leads us and as we pay attention to these inner promptings our relationship with Him deepens.

I have had dramatic examples of His leading over my 35 years of walking with Him. Yet most of the time it has been the simple promptings, a scripture or person coming to mind. I am committed to being in His word and find that out of that I grow in my knowing of His presence and purpose. I have things I am still seeking direction on, some that I have been holding before Him for many years. In cases like this I seek to trust that His direction will be revealed in His timing. It doesn’t mean I never question of wonder; it means that when I pause and reflect, I come to a place of rest in His faithfulness.

So, let us pay attention to His leading and promptings, let us nourish our spirits on His word and let us desire what Paul gave expression to, our whole being given over to His purpose.

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV)

In this post I am continuing to focus on our heart focus. To that end here is something significant that David wrote.

Psalm 86:11 (NKJV)

¹¹   Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your name.

The note in my bible says the alternate translation of the phrase ‘unite my heart’ is ‘give me singleness of heart.’ In essence David was praying for his heart to have a singular focus on the ways of Yahweh so that he could walk in truth. If we study David’s life it is obvious that he had a few failures on this journey. I am confident we have all had failures. Yet if we want to walk in Yahweh’s ways, which are truth, we need only look to David’s approach and emulate it.

In addition to the above verse David is also recorded as the author of the following two verses.

Psalm 103:7 (NKJV)

⁷     He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the children of Israel.

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

⁴     One thing I have desired of the Lord,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

And to inquire in His temple.

We don’t know the order in which David wrote Psalms 27, 103 and 86. However, what is evident is his possession of a singular desire to pursue God with all his heart, a recognition of the need to go beyond His acts to His ways, and an awareness that he needed God’s help to succeed. If we examine David’s life both the failures and successes are evident. While David only receives a passing mention in the hall of faith chapter in Hebrews 11:32, scripture testifies about two commendations that David was given that no one else in scripture ever received.

David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart in 1 Samuel 13:14 by Samuel and in Acts 13:22 by Paul. David is the only one in scripture described in this way. The description was given before David was anointed and called to be king because God knew his heart, both the coming failures and the continual pursuit of God’s heart. The other commendation is that Jesus is seated on the throne of David even though Saul was Israel’s first king. The throne was seen by God as being truly established by David and was prepared for Jesus (Luke 1:32).

In relation to our hearts the message of David’s life is twofold. First, it isn’t about whether we fail, we all will to some extent, it is about the desire of our heart before and after we fail. Secondly, it is about the reality that God’s final analysis of our lives is based not on our failures but on our pursuit of His heart. David had some major failures but each time his eventual response was one of repentance and a renewed seeking of God’s heart. Should we choose to do likewise we too can look forward to a commendation from the Lord on that great day. 

Let’s ask Him to help us to be people after His heart.

The first line in Song of Songs 1:4 is very powerful.

Draw me away! (Song of Songs 1:4 NKJV)

Sit with that heart cry – Draw me away.

When Jesus trod the dusty streets and hills of Israel He didn’t walk around with a sign that said “I am the Messiah!” So what drew people to Him and what drew Him to certain people? I think these are important questions to consider because I think they can teach us a good deal about what will deepen our walk with Him today. We can assume it was His miraculous ministry but if we start at the beginning we find it isn’t the case. In John we read the following.

³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone). John 1:35–42 (NKJV)

We can infer from the passage the Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist possessed a hunger for more because they were already following John the Baptist when Jesus came on the scene. When Jesus asked what they wanted there answer clearly pointed to their desire to be wherever Jesus was. At this point the only major thing that had happened were the events at Jesus baptism. Yet they saw something in Jesus and He saw something in them.

When we consider this we know that Jesus lived on earth but that He also lived in and from another realm. He simultaneously dwelt in the presence of people and before His Father in communion with Him. For the spiritually hungry this was what drew them, they sensed the fragrance of that realm. Here is how Jesus put it.

⁶     Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NKJV)

I believe it is our hunger for reality that draws Him to our hearts. I have known people who regularly saw and smelled things in the spirit realm, both good and bad. I know in my own life I have had a couple of experiences of smelling a wonderful fragrance during worship. On another occasion while a few of us were worshipping in a sanctuary there was a beautiful singing accompanying us from high up in the corner of ceiling in the sanctuary. I think at those times the veil between the natural and spiritual realms was simply lifted a bit and what was really real, the spiritual realm, broke through.

As we enter into a new year it seems wise to ask Him to draw our heart away, to increase our hunger for Him and to deepen our awareness of the heavenly realm we are called to, to pull back the veil so that we might function more fully in the two realms the born again are called to walk in.

More to come.