james mcdonald - denied for me. pt1
james mcdonald - denied for me. pt2
james mcdonald - crucified for me. pt1
james mcdonald - crucified for me. pt2
james mcdonald - risen for me. pt1
Sunday, April 12, 2009
james mcdonald - what do you do when....
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 James 3:2 says that we all fall in many ways. It's true, isn't it? No one could ever say, "Well, I've never failed the Lord."
But what do you do when you're confronted with your sin? When God uses a messenger, a circumstance or His Word to hold up a mirror to you, what do you do in that critical moment?
Because we all do fail the Lord, the issue then becomes, how do I respond when my sin is revealed to me? That is the great dividing line in all of humanity.
In 1 Samuel 15, the life of King Saul is under the microscope. We meet him at a pivotal moment when he is confronted with his sin. Tragically, rather than admitting what he did was wrong, he attempts a major cover-up. First he blamed it on the people. Then, he rationalized, "Yeah, I did most of that, but then I sacrificed to the Lord."
In essence Saul's strategy was, I'll do what I want and then I'll ask for forgiveness.
But there are some things you can't recover from. We like to kid ourselves by rationalizing, I'll do my thing until I get what I want and then I'll tell God I'm sorry and He'll receive me back. Will God forgive you? Yes, but you will bear the consequences of that decision for the rest of your days on earth. Did God forgive Saul? Yes, but Saul lost his opportunity to be king and nothing would change that. We live with our choices.
You say, "Well, what should I do when I realize I've sinned?" Unlike Saul, when you see your sin, be broken about it. Deal with it God's way. Welcome His deepest work within you. Choose sincerity over religious ritual. Choose repentance over rationalization. Choose brokenness over boasting. Choose a right relationship with Him over your own pride.
God waits for that moment when He sees you turn around. When He sees your repentant heart, He runs to you and loves you.
This could be your moment right now.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
david wilkerson - holy boldness.
HOLY BOLDNESS AND SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ, in purity, holiness and love. In turn, his pure walk produces in him a great boldness for God. Scripture says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). The word for bold in this verse means “secure, confident.” That’s just the kind of boldness the synagogue rulers saw in Peter and John as they ministered (see Acts 4:1–2).
In the previous chapter (Acts 3), Peter and John prayed for a crippled beggar and he was instantly healed. The healing caused a great stir around the temple, and in an attempt to stop the disciples from sharing their faith in Christ, the religious leaders had them arrested and put on a public trial.
Peter and John met with the synagogue rulers but the Bible doesn’t go into much detail about this scene in Acts 4. Yet I can assure you, the religious leaders orchestrated it to be all pomp and ceremony. First, the dignitaries solemnly took their velvety seats. Then the high priests’ relatives followed. Finally, in a moment of hushed anticipation, the robed high priests strutted in. Everyone bowed as the priests passed by, walking stiffly up the aisle toward the seat of judgment.
All of this was meant to intimidate Peter and John. But the disciples were not intimidated at all. They’d been with Jesus for too long. I imagine Peter thinking, “Come on, let’s get this meeting started. Just give me the pulpit and turn me loose. I’ve got a word from God for this gathering. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to preach your name to these Christ-haters.” Acts 4:8 begins with: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost…” and this tells me he wasn’t going to deliver a lecture. It wasn’t going to be quiet or reserved. Peter was a Jesus-possessed man, bursting with the Holy Ghost.
God’s servants are secure in their identity in Christ. And they stand confident in Jesus’ righteousness. Therefore, they have nothing to hide; they can stand before anyone with a clear conscience.
The more someone is with Jesus, the more that person becomes like Christ, in purity, holiness and love. In turn, his pure walk produces in him a great boldness for God. Scripture says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). The word for bold in this verse means “secure, confident.” That’s just the kind of boldness the synagogue rulers saw in Peter and John as they ministered (see Acts 4:1–2).
In the previous chapter (Acts 3), Peter and John prayed for a crippled beggar and he was instantly healed. The healing caused a great stir around the temple, and in an attempt to stop the disciples from sharing their faith in Christ, the religious leaders had them arrested and put on a public trial.
Peter and John met with the synagogue rulers but the Bible doesn’t go into much detail about this scene in Acts 4. Yet I can assure you, the religious leaders orchestrated it to be all pomp and ceremony. First, the dignitaries solemnly took their velvety seats. Then the high priests’ relatives followed. Finally, in a moment of hushed anticipation, the robed high priests strutted in. Everyone bowed as the priests passed by, walking stiffly up the aisle toward the seat of judgment.
All of this was meant to intimidate Peter and John. But the disciples were not intimidated at all. They’d been with Jesus for too long. I imagine Peter thinking, “Come on, let’s get this meeting started. Just give me the pulpit and turn me loose. I’ve got a word from God for this gathering. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to preach your name to these Christ-haters.” Acts 4:8 begins with: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost…” and this tells me he wasn’t going to deliver a lecture. It wasn’t going to be quiet or reserved. Peter was a Jesus-possessed man, bursting with the Holy Ghost.
God’s servants are secure in their identity in Christ. And they stand confident in Jesus’ righteousness. Therefore, they have nothing to hide; they can stand before anyone with a clear conscience.
i surrender.
wow.. oh wow.. this is the topic God is speaking to his people. Surrender everything. We talked about surrendering yesterday in Passion Church.. meaning surrendering everything. I came across david Wilkerson's blog and read the most recent post. it was called. "The Surrendered Life". OMINAR! I was like dude, God you're crazy. What the heck. This is exactly what He wants me to do everyday.. even with what will come in the future.. chaos, destruction, and God's wrath.. to surrender all that I have. This is what was written.. For those who have ears to hear, listen to the spirit!
THE SURRENDERED LIFE
“Surrender.” What does this word tell you? In literal terms, surrender means “to give up something to another person.” It also means to relinquish something granted to you. This could include your possessions, power, goals, even your life.
Christians today hear much about the surrendered life. But what does it mean, exactly? The surrendered life is the act of giving back to Jesus the life he granted you. It’s relinquishing control, rights, power, direction, all the things you do and say. It’s totally resigning your life over to his hands, to do with as he pleases.
Jesus himself lived a surrendered life: “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). “I seek not mine own glory” (8:50). Christ never did anything on his own. He made no move and spoke no word without being instructed by the Father. “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things…. For I do always those things that please him” (8:28–29).
Jesus’ full surrender to the Father is an example of how we all should live. You may say, “Jesus was God in flesh. His life was surrendered before he even came to earth.” But the surrendered life is not imposed on anyone, including Jesus.
“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17–18).
Jesus was telling us, “Make no mistake. The act of self-surrender is totally within my power to do. I’m choosing to lay down my life. And I’m not doing it because some man told me to. Nobody’s taking my life from me. My Father gave me the right and the privilege to lay down my life. He also gave me the choice to pass up this cup and avoid the cross. But I choose to do it, out of love and full surrender to him.”
Our heavenly Father has given all of us this same right: the privilege to choose a surrendered life. No one is forced to yield his life to God. Our Lord doesn’t make us sacrifice our will and give back our lives to him. He freely offers us a Promised Land, full of milk, honey and fruit. But we may choose not to enter that place of fullness.
The truth is, we can have as much of Christ as we want. We can go as deep in him as we choose, living fully by his word and direction.
POSTED BY DAVID WILKERSON
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
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