Jesus taught us to pray, “lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13). This is one of the most important things we are to pray for. The word temptation in Greek is peirasmos which means an experiment, trial, attempt, proving, or testing. It comes from a word that means to pierce through with a spear or a spit (which roasts meat over the fire). Tests are hard and often painful. 

We know that God leads us. He leads us by his word and he leads us by his Spirit. He can give us leadership through other members in the church. God leads us so that he can bless us. Sometimes he leads us into tests. However, Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God will not lead us into tests. 

We’re supposed to pray that God would not lead us into testing, as a group. The challenges that one of us face are faced by all of us. We need to bear each other’s burdens and pray for each other. Sometimes the entire church will be tested, and Satan will challenge us all as a unit. God will help us get through these seasons of testing as we remain faithful to God and keep loving and supporting each other.

The Bible says we’re supposed to be happy when we’re tested (James 1:2). It also says that tests do positive things in our lives like purifying our faith, helping us grow spiritually, and preparing us for spiritual responsibility. 

But if we’re supposed to be joyful when we’re tested and tests do so many positive things in our lives, why would we pray that God would not lead us into testing?

Testing is something that we all need, but it’s not something that we all should be eager to find. We don’t need to go out looking for tests. Tests are hard. We want to lead a quiet and peaceful life (1 Tim. 2:2), and tests can get in the way of that. We also need to be humble. Let’s not be overconfident in our spiritual abilities, because we know the weakness of our flesh. Tests expose our weaknesses, and we might fail a test. Although we are confident in the Lord, we don’t want to rashly face tests. Students don’t usually rush up to a teacher, eager to take a test. Soldiers don’t run out looking for war, because they know how hard war is.

But once the test comes we can be joyful in the midst of it. God will get us through. We know that God will not let us be tested beyond what we are able to bear, but he will give us a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). When tested, we can find a way out and get through. God will be with us in the test, and the test will work good things in our lives. 

And so we need to do two things: pray that God doesn’t lead us into testing, and be joyful when we are in testing.

Along with the prayer to not lead us into testing, Jesus told us to pray that God would “deliver us from the evil one.” These two prayers are connected, for Satan is often involved in our testing. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Matt. 4:1). The Holy Spirit was doing the leading, and Satan was doing the testing. Job was tested by God when Satan created all kinds of trouble in his life.

Testing is a time of spiritual warfare. Satan is like a roaring lion seeking to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). He often creates problems in our lives. Powerful fallen angels seek to harm us (Eph. 6:12). God has given us all the spiritual resources we need to be victorious in these struggles, but these tests are hard. We need to draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit to overcome. Satan tempts us and entices us to sin. However, God can bring good out of all these tests and spiritual struggles, causing them all to turn around for good in our lives (Rom. 8:28).

James tells us that God does not tempt us to evil (James 1:13). This is the same word peirasmos. Let’s not blame God for the problems we face. God never tempts us to moral failure because he is completely holy and good, and he wants only good for us. He never puts evil in front of us in order to entice us. This would be contrary to his nature. God never induces us to sin, entices us to sin, or traps us in sin. 

James explains that we are tempted by the lusts within us (James 1:14-15). We are drawn out from our place of moral of safety and enticed by something external to ourselves. Then lust produces evil thoughts and evil desires and creates sinful action. Sin ultimately produces death.

Temptation does not equal sin. We can be tempted without sinning. Jesus was tempted in all points like we are, but he never sinned (Heb. 4:15). Because Jesus was tested in all points like us, he is able to sympathize with us when we are tested. Because Jesus overcame all testing, he can help us. He gives us an example of victory, he intercedes for us, and he gives us strength to overcome by his Spirit.

We must pray that God would not lead us into testing. Testing is hard, and we want to avoid it. But when testing comes, and it will, we can be confident and joyful in God. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and the Holy Spirit will help us overcome. Through the test, we will emerge stronger spiritually, closer to God and to each other.

We are living in a time of testing. The entire world is facing challenges that have not been faced before. God is looking for people who will overcome these challenges. It’s not easy. God is proving our faith so that we are spiritually strong and able to overcome. God is raising up a generation who will put Satan under their feet through the power of Jesus Christ.

In Genesis 22:1-14, God gave a shocking test to Abraham. He told him to take his only beloved son Isaac and go to a mountain and kill him. 

This was a big test – not only because it would mean the death of his son, but because it seemed to contradict the word of God. Earlier, God told Abraham that his descendants would come through Isaac (Genesis 21:12). Now God was telling Abraham to kill Isaac. Isaac had no children yet. If Isaac died he couldn’t have any children. So not only would his beloved son be dead, but the promise of God on which Abraham had based his life would be unfulfilled.

Abraham had to reconcile two apparently contradictory words from God – Isaac’s death, and Isaac having many children. Abraham had to believe that his descendants would come through Isaac, even if Isaac was killed. 
Abraham reconciled these words from God by coming to a higher level of faith. He told the people with him and he and Isaac would return down from the mountain again (Gen. 22:5). He believed that even if he killed Isaac, God would raise him up from the dead (Heb. 11:17-19). Isaac would bear children, and nothing could stop it. Abraham knew that the word of God would conquer death.

By believing in the power of resurrection, Abraham passed the test and became the father of our faith.

The goal of testing is not to torment us. God was not trying to torment Abraham by asking him to kill his beloved son. Instead, God was inviting Abraham to come to a higher spiritual level.

During testing, Satan lies to us and says that God hates us and is trying to torture us. This is not true. God tests us because he loves us and wants to do good to us (Deut. 8:16). He wants us to grow spiritually and become strong. Satan lies and says God doesn’t love us. But the Bible says that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:38). Satan says that God has left us. But the Bible says that God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). During a test, Satan tries to flood our mind with lies. We need to throw out these lies with the truth of God’s word.

Tests give us an opportunity to master a subject. Whenever we pass a test, we go to a higher level. We gain new responsibilities and have increased favor. 

In school tests show that students understand a subject – if they pass they go on to the next level, if they fail they have to repeat the material.

Physical tests determine health – if someone fails a health test, they will need treatment until they pass.

Spiritual tests reveal our spiritual condition. The Bible tells us to be happy when we face spiritual tests because they are opportunities for growth (James 1:2-4). Tests can strengthen our faith and produce patience. When we are patient, we will go through a test successfully and bear up under challenges. God will work it out. We don’t have to figure out everything ourselves because God is working in us. Patience produces maturity and completeness in our lives.

When our faith is tested, it is purified (1 Pet. 1:7). Tests purify faith because they cleanse our faith from other things. Before we were tested, we were relying on ourselves, our possessions, or our relationships. Our faith in God was mixed up with faith in other things. The test removed those other supports and we found out only God could get us through. Tests purify our faith because it helps us to trust in God alone. This leads to peace because God never fails. 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3). 

Job knew about testing. He said “What is man, that you should exalt him, that you should set your heart on him,  that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18). 

Job went through very hard tests. But in the midst of his testing, Job said that he would come forth like gold (Job. 23:10). What a man of faith! Job believed that God was good, even in the midst of horrible trials. He knew that the testing would purify him.

Once Jesus gave a test to Philip (John 6:5-6). Jesus asked Philip how they would feed a huge crowd. Philip said that they didn’t have enough money to buy that much food. Jesus already knew what Philip was thinking, but he wanted Philip to understand his own thinking. Philip did not pass this test because he was thinking about natural resources rather than looking to God and his infinite resources. Soon after this, Jesus multiplied a few loaves and small fish to feed thousands of people. Jesus showed Philip a better way to think about problems.

God tested the Israelites with manna (Ex. 16:4). Manna tested Israel in multiple ways. They could only gather enough manna for one day. This tested their faith. Would they trust that God would provide manna for them tomorrow? Manna tested their obedience. Would they obey God when he told them only to gather a specific amount? Manna tested their contentment. Would they be satisfied with God’s provision? Most of the Israelites failed the manna test. They didn’t believe in God, they disobeyed his word, and they murmured.

The Bible gives us all the wisdom we need to pass the many spiritual tests that will come to us. 

When circumstances change and we face unexpected problems, we need to keep looking to God and his word. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). We need to look at unseen things, not things that can be seen (2 Cor. 4:17-18). Magnify God, don’t magnify circumstances. This will help us overcome worry.

One key to getting through a trial successfully is to not blame God for something he didn’t do. Many things that happen in the world are not God’s will. For example, God wants everyone to be repent (2 Pet. 3:9), but everyone doesn’t. He wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), but everyone isn’t. God didn’t want Adam to sin, but he did anyway. He doesn’t want us to sin, but we still sometimes do. When we recognize that many things that happen in the world are not God’s will, we will stop blaming God for problems we face. Blaming God for things that God doesn’t do is a demonic trap.

God is so powerful, that he can turn all these bad things around for good in our lives (Rom. 8:28). He can use these challenges to strengthen our spiritual walk. He can use them to test and purify our faith. God did not cause these problems, but he is able to bring good out of them.

There is a Biblical solution to every problem. For example, when other people choose to do bad things to us, we can love them and pray for them (Matt. 5:44). We can overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21). We can draw strength from God to overcome evil. In every test, God will make a way for us to pass (1 Cor. 10:13).

Although we live in a time of testing, this is really nothing new. Throughout history God’s people have been tested. As we face these tests in faith, drawing on the strength that comes from God, we are able to pass these tests and come to a higher level in our spiritual walk. The current and future challenges in the world demand us to rise up in our faith. We must be spiritually strong. The current tests are preparing us to be ready for the revelation of Jesus Christ. We can pass these tests successfully through the power of the Holy Spirit.

How can Christians live in unity? This is a question many of us have asked in 2020. The Bible says that the desires that battle within us, in other words ‘sin’ is at the root of divisions in the church (James 4:1). Our sins are taken away in Christ, and so can our disunity be taken away in Christ. The ultimate purpose of Jesus’s death on the cross is to reconcile all things to God and restore unity in all of creation that was lost at the fall because of sin (Col 1:19). So, unity is not our meager human attempt at friendliness but it is the work of Christ in us. Let us look at some verses to understand better the biblical foundations for unity in the church.

Eph. 4:1-6

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

I. Walking In Unity Is Demanded By Our Common Calling in Christ (Eph. 4:1)

We Have All Been Summoned To A “Heavenly Calling” and We Have the responsibility to live worthy of that calling.

Eph 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love

Rom 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Eph 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

All believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, not for fulfilling individual desires, but to participate in God’s grand plan of restoring all creation unto Himself. We are all members of one another, with a diversity of gifts to serve one another. The demand for unity is not amidst uniformity but in diversity. It cannot come about by the actions of some members but by the actions of all members, as they recognize how best they fit in relation with the whole body. The word, “equipping,” katartismos, used as a noun here in Ephesians 4:12, has an interesting medical history in classical Greek. “To equip often meant to put a bone or a part of the human body into right relationship with the other parts of the body so that every part fits thoroughly. It means to realign a dislocated limb.” Only as each part does its work in harmony with other parts, in submission to the Lord, will we see unity in the church, and thereby the church can grow into maturity to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

While we are called to eagerly desire individual spiritual gifts, it is not the spiritual gifts in themselves that produce unity, but it’s humble submission to God and other members of the body in love, that leads to unity. Just as in a human body, where every part that is connected to the brain influences another part of the body, every believer living in unity with another, acts like a joint of supply for life-giving power for spiritual maturity when connected to the head who is Christ. Paul exhorts us to pursue both love and spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1) as we can have spiritual gifts, but without love the gifts are useless (1 Cor 13:1). When we live in unity and also possess spiritual gifts, there will be a greater impact toward the witness for Christ (Acts 1:8). So, what we need is spiritually mature Christians living in unity, helping each other mature, to attain corporate maturity in Christ. When we act together as Christ’s body, the world can see Christ through us (John 17:21).

A spiritually mature Christian lives a life worthy of the calling, a walk that conforms to our new position in Christ and not to our old position in the world. A worthy walk is to conduct ourselves in such a way that it adds weight to the gospel and the cause of Christ. We are his representatives on earth, and our lives must show it.

Eph 2:2: in which you once walked cording to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience

2 Peter 5-8: But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

II. Walking In Unity Is Displayed In Our Common Character (Eph. 4:2-3)

Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

As we renew our mind daily with the word of God, our character is slowly reshaped; our thinking changes, our opinions, values, and attitudes are changed to comport with the nature and character of Christ. The Spirit of God leads us into all truth revealed in the Word of God (John 14:26).

1. Character for Christian Unity is produced internally

THE 1ST FOUNDATION STONE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY IS HUMILITY

Phil. 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others

THE 2ND FOUNDATION STONE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY IS GENTLENESS

Gentleness (or meekness, strength under control) goes hand in glove with humility. Gentleness is consideration towards others; not insisting on our own rights (meekness); not asserting ourselves at the expense of others. The strong use their rights in such a way as to not cause the weak to stumble in their faith. 

1 Cor 9:12 If others have this right to your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

THE 3RD FOUNDATION STONE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY IS PATIENCE

To be patient is to be willing to wait, to be “longsuffering”, just as God waits in patience, holding back his judgement on this world, waiting for people to turn to him.

Our patience is to be expressed by bearing with one another in love, by tolerating one another’s faults out of love for one another. Love is the underlying virtue upon which both “patience” and “forbearance” are based. 

2. Peace should be the overriding character of unity among Christians

Ephesians 2:14–16: For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

God has already established peace through our Lord Jesus Christ and our role is to maintain that peace. This kind of peace is not accomplished through forced external conformity, but by conforming to Christ internally, and ministering to each other in love. As we decrease, God increases in our lives, and the peace of God that Jesus bought comes forth. 

III. Walking In Unity Is Driven By Our Common Confession (Eph 4:4-6)

Paul reminds us of our common confession of faith as brothers and sisters in Christ as he exhorts us to keep unity. 

• Unity Of Formation: “One Body” And “One Spirit”

1 Cor. 12:13: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

The Holy Spirit in us is the basis of our oneness. There is one body (the church), which is comprised of all believers.

• Unity Of Destiny: “One Hope Of Your Calling”

Tit 2:13: looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ

We all have a common hope – namely, the hope of being with and like Christ. 

• Unity Of Headship: “One Lord”

Rom 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The church’s primary confession is that Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord, the head of the body

• Unity Of Belief: “One Faith”

Phil. 1:27: Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

Faith of the gospel (in a nutshell): For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)

• Unity Of Ordinance: “One Baptism”

Romans 6:3-6 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 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.

Christians may differ as to the ‘form’ of baptism but there is only one baptism in the sense that true baptism expresses one truth – namely, faith in, and union with, Christ.

• Unity Of Godhead: “One God And Father”

The unity of the church is most fully expressed in the unity of God himself. It is through our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that Christians participate in this unity.

Application

Rom 15:1, 7 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves…Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

We have been called to “walk in Unity” through our common calling, common character, and common confession. We are not to reject those whom Christ has already accepted. Whether a brother is weak or strong in Christ, we accept them, because we are all called to walk together in unity. 

This does not mean that all the other teachings in the Bible that are not in the common confession are not important. Nor does it mean that we don’t try to strive for theological clarity from the word of God on other issues. There however seems to be an implicit distinction between doctrines of primary and secondary importance both in the words of Jesus and Paul. In Matt 23:24-25, Jesus Himself suggests some errors are gnats and some are camels, and some are weightier than others. Paul likewise speaks of truth of first importance (1 Cor 15:3). The “first principles of the oracles of God” (Heb. 5:12) are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, and these are starting point for Christian maturity (Heb. 6:1).

We must certainly take stand against false teachings, especially those that go against the common confession and those that are very clearly defined in the Bible. However, when there are disputable matters that lack biblical clarity, it is an opportunity to bear with one another in love with those who share our common confession. In situations, where Paul made judgements about what constitutes a weak and strong Christian (Rom 14, 1 Cor 8), he still did not pass hard and fast rules about the disputed matters but called the church to accept each other in Christ and reminded that our accountability is before the Lord. Until we see God face to face, we will not have perfect knowledge (1 Cor 13:10). We are not to destroy the work of the Lord for the sake of secondary minor differences (Rom 14:17-20). So, though we may not agree on every secondary detail of understanding, we can be united on the gospel and work toward unity and maturity in Christ, both individually and corporately. This is not easy and can only can be done by the strength of the Holy Spirit. As we refocus on our identity in Christ, he will help us toward that healthy balance of valuing all his teaching while still walking in love with his people.

To walk worthy of our calling means (1) to live by what is demanded of our position in Christ; (2) to display our new character in Christ; and (3) to be driven by our confession of faith in the gospel. Spiritually mature Christians living in unity, helping each other mature, to attain corporate maturity in Christ.

In his book Mark of the Christian, Francis Schaeffer writes “We cannot expect the world to believe that Jesus’ claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians”

Abraham is called the father of our faith (Romans 4:1). Abraham was justified by faith, not by works. He didn’t do anything to deserve righteousness, but he received righteousness by believing in God. It’s the same for us. We can’t work our way to God. We believe God’s word, and then he gifts us with salvation and we are born again.

After being born again, we begin a spiritual journey of walking with God. in this spiritual journey God calls us to follow the steps of Abraham (Rom. 4:12).

Come Out of Babylon

Abraham’s journey began in Babylon (Ur of the Chaldees). God revealed himself to him and told him to get out from that land, from that culture, and from his relatives (Acts 7:2-5; Gen. 11:31-12:1-3). 

Babylon represents the world system that is contrary to God. God calls us to “come out of Babylon” (Rev. 18:4). He calls us out of where we are into where he wants us to be. He wants us to forsake sin. He wants us to stop dead religion and vain worship. He wants our thinking to change and line up with the Bible. This is a process, and it doesn’t all automatically happen the moment we are born again.

Abraham left Babylon and went out, not knowing where he was going (Heb. 11:8-10). Obeying God takes faith. We won’t immediately see how everything will work out. Sometimes we may not really know what we’re doing. But this feeling of uncertainty means that we are walking by faith, not by sight. Our certainty is in God, not in ourselves. We are trusting in God’s word, not our circumstances.

Abraham was looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. The city of Babylon is going to be destroyed (Rev. 18:5-8). This world system will fail; it’s already decaying. But the city of God will last forever. The city of God is not yet completed, but it’s being constructed now as God’s people are faithful to him. We need to live with an eternal perspective and expend our lives for that city which will endure forever, seeking first the kingdom of God.

Believing God’s Promises

God promised Abraham that he would have many descendants and that his descendants would have a great land. 

God has also spoken promises to each one of us. He’s given us the general promises in the Bible, and he’s given specific promises to us as individuals.

To see the fulfillment of God’s promises, we must overcome challenges. The fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham depended on him having a child. But Abraham had no children, and his wife was barren (Gen. 11:30). This seemed hopeless, but with God nothing is impossible. That particular point of weakness gave God an opportunity to work in Abraham’s life. God delights in taking weak people and making them strong. Jesus said, “my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). 

There are weaknesses in us. These weaknesses may be in direct opposition to the fulfillment of God’s word in our lives. But we shouldn’t be discouraged. These points of weakness may be the very points that God will use to bring forth supernatural fruit in us. We cannot bring forth the fulfillment of God’s word by our own power. God will bring forth his word by his Spirit, often through our weakness, for his glory.

Patience

Abraham needed patience in order to see the word of God come to pass. Abraham wasn’t perfect. Once he tried to overcome Sarah’s barrenness by birthing Ishmael through Hagar. This seemed to solve his main problem – it gave him a son – but God said this clever plan wouldn’t work. We can’t hasten the fulfillment of God’s word with our own good ideas. Often our own human attempts to bring God’s word to pass will only create more problems. We need to wait for God.

Finally, after 25 years, when Sarah was too old to have children, Isaac was born. This miracle boy was a result of faith. “Through faith Sarah received power to conceive seed” (Heb. 11:11). Faith gives us supernatural power to overcome barrenness and see God’s word happen.

Ultimately, Isaac became an ancestor of Christ. And through Jesus Christ, all nations of the world have been blessed. All who believe in Jesus become the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29). As Abraham’s seed we have been blessed, not with an earthly land in the Middle East, but with the spiritual riches of the Holy Spirit and of heaven. Someday, the kingdom of God will dominate the world and Christ will reign as king over everything. The promises of God to Abraham were greater than his wildest dreams.

As we follow the steps of Abraham, we learn not only to be justified by faith, but to walk by faith. We will come out of Babylon, leaving things behind that do not please God. We will be patient for the word of God to come to pass, and we will trust in God to overcome our weaknesses. We will lay down our own good ideas as we look to the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s word. And through faith and patience, we will inherit the promises of God.

The word of God contains power to completely transform our lives. The book of James reveals some important spiritual hacks – tips on how to do something more easily or effectively. James shows us how to unleash the power of the word of God in our lives and see a harvest.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-8).

The goal of the word of God is to produce a spiritual harvest. The Bible says the word of God will not remain empty, but it will produce fruit (Isa. 55:11). Fruit requires patience. The word of God will not produce fruit immediately; it will take time. Just like a gardener plants seed in his garden and then waits until it produces a harvest, so we must patiently tend the word of God in us until it brings forth fruit.

The word of God is able to save our souls (James 1:21). This salvation is more than a one-time event when we are born again. Although we are secure in heaven after being born again, we need to grow in our faith and experience more and more of the salvation of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. This will happen as the word of God grows within us.

The kingdom of heaven is like a seed planted in the ground (Mark 4:26-29). The Bible gives us the pure seed of God’s word. We shouldn’t add to or take away from the word of God. The word of God is like DNA. If we add something to the word or take something from it, we genetically alter the word of God. Such alterations pervert our understanding of Christ and will create corrupt fruit. We need the pure word in order to have the fruit that God intends.

The seed of the kingdom of God is currently growing within each one of us. The growing word brings change. Maybe the word of God has affected us in ways we didn’t expect. We are not the same people we used to be. Our thoughts and desires changed. These changes are not bad. They are signs that the word of God is growing in us and taking over ground in our souls. The bigger the word of God becomes within us the closer we are to a harvest.

Israel was a largely agricultural society. They had two seasons of rain. The early rain fell after the seeds were planted. It caused the seeds to sprout and begin growing. The latter rain fell before harvest time, and it enabled the plants to bring forth fruit.

This is symbolic of church history. Water symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and rain represents an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of the church, the Holy Spirit was poured out powerfully upon God’s people. The Book of Acts is full of the revelation of the Spirit of God. This was like the time of early rain. At the end of the age, there will be another outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is called the latter rain. This outpouring will cause the church to grow into maturity (Eph. 4:13; 5:27). 

It is similar in the lives of believers. When we first receive a word from God, we may feel the powerful presence of God. This is like the early rain, which accompanies the planting of the word in our hearts. After this we enter a season of growth. The word of God begins growing within us. Then, when it is almost time for harvest, God pours out his Holy Spirit upon us again in order to bring forth a harvest.

We must be patient in between the planting time and the harvesting time. The word will bring forth fruit in us as we are patient (Luke 8:15). The little plant is tender, but it carries great promise. Don’t give up on the word of God. If you do, you will not see the harvest. The time of growth is when the roots of the word go deep within us. This time of growth is also a time of pruning, when things that are not according to God are removed out of our lives.

James gives us several spiritual “hacks” to help us grow during this time.

He tells us to “establish our hearts” (James 5:8). This means to turn our hearts in a specific direction and fix them there. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). We must fix our hearts on God and on his word, and not allow them to be moved away from the word by the pressures and circumstances of the world.

When David faced great challenges and his own people turned against him, he established his heart. He encouraged himself in the Lord. Literally, he “seized God” (1 Sam. 30:6). When we face challenges, we need to fix our hearts on God so that we are not moved by the winds of circumstances.

James gives us another tip. He tells us to “not grumble against one another” (James 5:9). We need our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ to help us grow. We are all growing in the Lord together. We need each other. We may not understand each other, and we may not like the way other people do things. But complaining against our brothers and sisters will bring division into the body of Christ. This will weaken others, and it will weaken ourselves. Murmuring against others in the body of Christ is self-destructive. When we tear down the body, we ruin our own spiritual life. If we want the word of God to be strong in us, we need to build up the body of Christ. This is because we need the body of Christ in order to fulfill our own spiritual potential.

James also tells us to learn suffering and patience from the examples of the prophets (James 5:10). The prophets suffered because they spoke the word of God. This word was often not popular. They spoke against sin and called people to holiness. They also spoke out against vain religious traditions that had crept in among God’s people. There are vain traditions in the church today. These are enemies of God’s work. God is looking for prophets who will speak out against these things. Prophets sometimes must suffer, because their messages are not popular.

Prophets must be patient. The word of God takes time to grow. An impatient prophet is a fruitless prophet. Truth must be balanced. A prophet must wait to see the word of God take root and bring forth fruit. It won’t happen immediately.

James gives us another “hack.” He tells us to endure. This means to stay under the word. Don’t get out from under the word that God has spoken to you. If you leave the word, you will leave the harvest. There is no joy in abandoning your spiritual position in God. Hold onto the word of God, and see the harvest in faith. This will lead to happiness, because it will lead to fruit. And where there is fruit, there is joy. Live prophetically, with the end result in mind.

Finally, James exhorts us to remember Job (James 5:11). This is a final exhortation to patience. Job was patient. Even though he saw much trouble, he also saw the goodness of God. None of us will have to go what Job went through. But even though Job went through something so hard, he still saw the goodness of God at the end. This shows that we will see the goodness of God too, when we get through our momentary troubles.

Job started out with 7 sons, 3 daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 donkeys (Job 1:2-3). Then he lost everything.

But Job remained faithful to God. He didn’t give up. He was patient. And God blessed him. At the end of the book, Job had 7 sons, 3 daughters, 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 donkeys. God blessed Job abundantly. Everything he had was doubled, except the number of his children.

The reason the number of Job’s children was not doubled was because the first children were not really lost – they went to heaven when they died. Now, Job is with his 14 sons and 6 daughters in heaven. So, his children were actually doubled too.

Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose. The Lord is compassionate and merciful. He sees what we are going through as we hold on to his word. He wants us to get through the difficult phase of growth. And when we do, we are going to see an abundant harvest.

“Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given you the former rain faithfully, and he will cause the rain to come down for you – the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:23-25).

Our God is full of love and power, and he wants to bless his children. He wants to do great things in our lives. There is no limit to what God can do. “With God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). God is all we need, and he is the solution to all our problems.

But we can limit God. We can put boundaries on him that prevent him from blessing us. Psalm 78:41 says that the Israelites “limited the Holy one of Israel.”

How can a finite person limit an infinite God? The reason we can limit God is because we have free will, and God respects our free will. Jesus has all power in heaven and earth, but he’s not going to force his blessings into our lives if we don’t want them.

Jesus told the Israelites that he wanted to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they didn’t want to be gathered (Matt. 22:37). A hen gathers her chicks to protect them, provide food for them, and lead them to shelter. Why wouldn’t a little chick want that? Even though Jesus wanted to bless Israel, they refused his blessing. They rejected him. They limited God and blocked him from working in their lives.

We can limit God too.

1. We can limit God through lack of faith. This happens with the issue of salvation. God wants every person to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), but most people reject his salvation. God is not going to force people to be saved against their will. He’s not going to force people to spend eternity with him if they don’t want to.

Lack of faith will hinder us after we are born again. Jesus said that he will work in our lives according to our faith (Matt. 8:13; 9:29). Without faith, we will not see miracles. There were times Jesus was unable to do many miracles because of the people’s unbelief (Mark 6:5). 

Solution: Increase our faith. Our faith is built up when we hear God speak. Our ability to hear from God increases as we spend time in his word (Rom. 10:17). Read the Bible and let God speak to you. This will increase your faith. in the meantime be patient. Sometimes God’s word takes a while to happen. God is probably working in your life to bring you to maturity as you wait. Don’t get impatient and run out and birth an Ishmael. Don’t murmur and complain. God will come through at the right time, and his word will never fail.

2. Another way we can limit God is through fear. The Israelites feared the giants, so they didn’t go into the Promised Land (Num. 32:7-9). The Jews feared their enemies, so they stopped building the wall around Jerusalem (Ezra 4:4). Fear blocks us from doing what God has called us to do. It stops us from moving forward. Fear cripples us and then defines our reality. When we are afraid, we won’t see God work in our lives.

Solution: Get rid of fear through love (1 John 4:18). When we recognize God’s love for us and receive it, then we have nothing more to fear because we know God has us in his hands. Then we can love others. Love casts fear out from our lives.

3. We can limit God through disobedience. Once Israel experienced a famine of hearing the word of God (In Amos 8:11). They couldn’t hear God’s voice. This was because they disobeyed God (Amos 8:13). When we refuse to do what God has told us to do, God will not give us more revelation or instructions. God is waiting for us to do what he told us to do, and then he will give us more of his word.

Solution: Do what God has told you to do. Don’t put it off or procrastinate. When we love God, we will obey him (1 John 5:3), and then we will see his blessing in our lives.

4. We can limit God through sin. “Your sins have separated between you and God” (Isa. 59:1-2). God wants to work in our lives, but sometimes sin is a barrier between us and God. In Israel, there was a time when there was no open revelation (1 Sam. 3:1). This was because the priests were all corrupt and they were leading the people into sin. 

Solution: Confess your sins (1 John 1:9). When we confess our sins to God, he takes them away. Then our fellowship with God is restored.

5. We can limit God through self-reliance. God is not going to help us if we don’t want him to. If we think we can handle it all ourselves and don’t need God, then God will step aside and let us try. The Bible says “cursed is the man who trusts in man, who makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord” (Jer. 17:5-8). The Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). 

Solution: Walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh (Rom. 8:4-5). This means relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us rather than trusting in our own abilities.

6. We can limit God through problems in prayer. Sometimes we don’t pray at all. “You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2). When we don’t pray, we limit God because we don’t open a door for him to work. Other times we pray with doubts (James. 1:6-7), and this limits God because God responds to faith. Other times we pray for our own will to be done rather than God’s will to be done, and this limits God because he works according to his will, not ours.

Solution: Pray for big things, pray in faith, and pray without doubt. Submit to God’s will in prayer; don’t try to force God to do your will.

7. We can limit God by not seeing our identity in Christ. When we understand who we are according to the word of God, then we will be able to live as God has called us to live. But when we don’t recognize who we are in Christ, then we limit God from working in our lives because we are believing lies about ourselves that bring us into bondage.

Solution: Saturate yourself with the word of God so that your image of yourself is defined by God, rather than by Satan.

8. We can also limit God through lack of fellowship. We need each other in order to move forward into all that God has for us. As the days become more evil, we need each other even more. We are a body, and we can each fulfill our full potential in God as we are vibrantly connected to each other in strong fellowship. 

Solution: Seek out fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, both on Sunday mornings and throughout the week.

If you are limiting God, it’s time to remove the limitations. There are practical steps to take in order to experience more of God. God is infinite and all-powerful. When you remove the shackles, you will unleash him to do all the wonderful things that he wants to do, both in your life and in the world around you.

We are like travelers going through this world on our way to our heavenly home. This journey is sometimes hard because this world is like a wilderness or desert, but we don’t need to be discouraged because there are awesome spiritual resources to get us through safely.

Our journey in some ways is similar to the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness into the Promised Land.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

God gave the children of Israel powerful baptisms, manna, a rock, and water to get them through the wilderness.

The Israelites were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the Red Sea. These two baptisms represent the Christian baptisms in water and in the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:2).

The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for many years. At the Red Sea, they were freed from slavery, and their enemies were destroyed. It’s similar for us. There was a time in our lives when we were slaves to sin and to Satan’s kingdom, but when we believed the gospel, God set us free, and we were born again. Then we were baptized in water, which was similar to crossing the Red Sea.

The Israelites were also baptized in the cloud. This cloud is the presence of God. It gave the Israelites direction (Ex. 13:21-22). It also gave them protection from their enemies (Ex. 14:24). For us, this cloud symbolizes baptism in the Holy Spirit. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit, God’s presence becomes fuller and more real to us. We begin hearing God’s voice more clearly. We understand his word better and can witness for him more effectively.

Baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit are necessary so we can grow into spiritual maturity.

Manna was another resource. Manna was supernatural food. It was small, lying on the ground, and each person had to gather it each day (Ex. 16:4, Num. 11:7-9). Manna is called “angels’ food” (Ps. 78:25). It is “bread from heaven” (John 6:31). Manna gave the Israelites the strength they needed for each day.

God has a word for us in due season to strengthen us just like the Israelites had manna. He has fresh revelation to encourage us. We might get these words through the Bible, through prayer, or through fellowship with other believers. We need this word. We will not live by bread alone, but by the word of God. The provision of the world will leave us dry and dead. Only God’s word can give us life. We need to gather this word daily for ourselves so we can be strong spiritually.

Another spiritual resource for the Israelites was a spiritual rock that went with them to give them spiritual drink. This rock was Christ. Christ went with the Israelites through the wilderness to give them water. They were hundreds of thousands of people and many animals. They needed a lot of water to survive. Christ gave them all the water they needed. They had water in the middle of a dry and hot desert. Other nations had no water there, and if they tried to take this journey they would have died. But the Israelites had a miraculous supply of water. 

Water symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “living water” (John 7:38-39). He said that if we drink of the Holy Spirit we would never be thirsty but would have a fountain of water inside of us (John 4:13-14). God said that he would pour out water upon us in the wilderness (Isa. 41:17-18). This means that in the difficult and dry parts of our lives, God will pour out his Spirit upon us and bring life out of death. God said that if we are thirsty, we can come to him and drink, and that he will satisfy us (Isa. 55:1-2). Everything else will leave us empty, but God will fill us. Whatever we are going through in our journey, Christ is with us. He said he would never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5-6).

Christ is a Rock. He is our rock of safety. He is our rock of defense. He is our shelter in the storm and a covering from the heat. Our rock gives us strength and guides us (Ps. 18:31-32). Our rock delivers us from our enemies (Ps. 18:46-47). Our rock defends us and is a refuge for us (Ps. 62:6-7).

We are a holy nation. We have resources that other people don’t have. We might do things that don’t make sense to other people. This is because we are trusting in God. We don’t need to look to the world for provision or help, we need to look to God. He will help us supernaturally because we are his children. The experiences of water baptism and Spirit baptism, the daily supply of the word of God and the Holy Spirit, and the presence of Christ our Rock, are ample provision for us to overcome the spiritual challenges of our journey. No matter what we are facing now or will face in the future, we will be well-equipped to get through it all because of these amazing heavenly resources.

God commands us to be thankful. “in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

It is healthy to give thanks. Scientific studies prove the health benefits of thankfulness, showing that thankfulness can fight depression and heal us physically. Thanksgiving will heal our souls and strengthen our spirits.

Thankfulness is connected to humility. When we are thankful, we acknowledge that we did not do it, but someone else did. This cuts down our pride. God is doing wonderful things in our lives and blessing us. We aren’t doing these things, but God is. Let’s humble ourselves before him and thank him.

Thankfulness shows we have a testimony. Whenever we thank God, we acknowledge that God did something powerful for us. We need to remember what God has done for us and thank him for it. Through our testimonies we overcome Satan.

Thankfulness boosts our faith in God. When we thank God for what he has done in the past, our faith is built up to believe he will do similar things in the future. God is not dead, but he is alive, and he is actively working in our lives. As we thank him we boost our faith.

The opposite of thankfulness is complaining. Just as thankfulness creates a positive environment and shows a healthy attitude, so complaining creates a negative environment and shows an evil heart. Complaining erodes our spiritual life and damages our bodies. 

The children of Israel often murmured and complained when they wandered in the wilderness after they left Egypt.

They murmured about the dangers. When they were stuck between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, they thought they would die. They thought God brought them out of Egypt in order to kill them and bury them (Ex 14:11).

Even after God split the Red Sea, they still didn’t believe him. The journey was not what they expected. Instead of going into the Promised Land full of milk and honey, they were wandering around a desert. With their expectations unmet, they found plenty of things to complain about.

They complained about the food. They remembered the huge pots of meat that they used to eat in Egypt. They pined after the garlic, leeks, and cucumbers. They were slaves in Egypt, but at least they had plenty to eat (Ex. 16:1-2; Num. 11:1-10). Like Esau, they valued a bowl of soup over their spiritual birthright. They longed to go backwards rather than forwards. They were living tied to the past instead of moving forward into their future.

They murmured about God’s provision. Manna was small, like coriander seeds sitting on the ground. Each person had to go out and gather it every day. God’s provision required a little work, and they didn’t want to do any spiritual work. It was easier to eat what their slavemasters provided back in Egypt. Besides, the manna was so small. It was not as big as the Egyptian pots of meat. The manna was so monotonous – the same thing, day after day. They were tired of all of this. They wanted something new and exciting.

They complained about their leaders, Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:1-3). They didn’t like where Moses was leading them. Where was this Promised Land? Would they ever get there? They were sick of trudging around on hot sand. They wanted some better leaders who would take them back to Egypt. Even though they would be slaves again, at least they wouldn’t have so many problems.

They murmured about their enemies. Those giants looked impossible to defeat. They were bigger and stronger than they were. They thought there was no way they could defeat them. If inheriting the Promised Land meant fighting such strong enemies, they would rather not be a part of it. 

Why did the Israelites complain so much? There were several reasons.

They didn’t believe God. They didn’t think he would keep his promises. They didn’t believe he would keep his word, bless them, protect them, and give them victory. Complaining is a symptom of unbelief. Whenever there is murmuring, you can be sure there is unbelief.

They were ignorant. They didn’t understand the situation. If they had known the future, they would have been happy. They would have known that God was carrying them into a glorious land flowing with milk and honey. But they were stuck in the wilderness because they didn’t believe the prophetic word of God. Their unbelief blocked them from knowing God’s victory and inheriting God’s promises.

They were impatient. They didn’t want to wait for God’s timing. They had their own schedule, and if God didn’t do things when they wanted him to do things, then they were going to get upset, give up, and run back to bondage.

They were fearful. They were afraid of the Red Sea, the Egyptian army, lack of food, lack of water, and huge giants. Any one of these things might kill them. They magnified their circumstances rather than magnifying God (making him big). This fear of death brought them into bondage (Heb. 2:15).

What was the result of their murmuring?

God was angry with them. Their unbelief opened them up to sin and disobedience. All their murmuring and complaining cut them off from God’s blessing and blocked them from the Promised Land. They brought destruction on themselves. They had to wander in the wilderness until they all died.

These things are warnings for us. All these things that happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness are written in the Bible to warn us (1 Cor. 10:6-11).

“Do all things without murmuring or complaining” (Phil. 2:14).

Murmuring and complaining will block us from fulfilling our calling. It will create an unhealthy and negative environment that is devoid of the Holy Spirit. Miracles will cease. People will not hear from God. Murmuring will harm us, both physically and spiritually. 

We need to get all complaining out of our lives.

One of the best ways to get rid of murmuring and complaining is to thank God. Be thankful for all he has done in the past. Be thankful for what he’s doing now. And be thankful for what he’s going to do in the future. God has done awesome things. He’s going to do many more amazing things. Let’s recognize this fact and praise our mighty God.

The Bible is like a mirror that shows us who we are in the light of God’s holiness (James 1:22-25). This spiritual mirror can help us grow into the image of Jesus Christ.

When we look in a mirror, we see our actual appearance. Mirrors don’t lie. We may imagine certain things about our appearance, but a mirror will tell us the truth. We see the condition of our hair, our face, and our clothes. In response to looking in the mirror, we change things. If our hair is out of place, we comb it. If our face is dirty, we wash it. 

Jesus said unless we become like little children, we can’t enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:4-5). Children know that they need help, and they accept help. Their parents help them tie their shoes and comb their hair. We need God’s help in order to grow spiritually. This means we need to approach the word of God like little children. Spiritual growth happens when we are honest with the word of God. Humility before the word of God enables us to repent and change.

It’s often easier to look at others to criticize them. We can see blemishes more easily in others than we can in ourselves. But God gave us the mirror of his word primarily so we can see ourselves, not others.

God is greater than we are. He knows more than we do. The Bible is supposed to be over us, not the other way around. Sometimes we may not like something in the Bible. We may say, “I don’t really like that part of the Bible.” This is a wrong attitude. The Bible is the  word of God. It is perfect. It is a perfect reflection of God himself. If we don’t like part of the Bible, then we don’t like part of God. We need to change ourselves, not criticize the Bible.

When a mirror tells us our hair is messy, there is no point in hating the mirror. 
Throughout history, God raised up prophets to reveal his word to his people. He told his prophets to be bold, because people would hate them (Jer. 1:17-19; Ezek. 2:3-7). The people of God often stoned the prophets. They persecuted them. They dumped Jeremiah down a muddy well and left him to die. The reason they hated the prophets is because they hated God’s word. They didn’t want to repent.

Jesus Christ is the word of God made flesh. He was hated too. Rather than repent when God’s mirror showed them their need, the Pharisees tried to smash the mirror. They didn’t expect Jesus to resurrect.

The Christian life is a big calling. Jesus commanded us to be as perfect as God (Matt. 5:48). Peter said we should be as holy as God (1 Pet. 1:15-16). James told us to be perfect (James 1:4). Paul told us to be perfect (Col. 4:12, 2 Cor. 7:1, Col. 1:28). The word perfect is the Greek word ‘teleios’ which means to become mature or full-grown. It means to fulfill one’s purpose. This basically means becoming like Jesus (Luke 6:40).

Growing into the image of Jesus is a process. We are not yet perfect. We are not yet like Jesus. No one throughout history has reached this point. Paul was probably the greatest Christian in the New Testament, but he had not yet reached the great goal of the Christian life which is to be conformed into the image of Jesus. He was pressing on to get there, through the power of the Holy Spirit (Phil. 3:12-15).

We grow into the image of Jesus as we look into the mirror of the Bible and apply it to our lives. We need to not just hear the word, but do what it says. As we obey the Bible, we are changed into the image of Jesus. Obedience causes us to go from one degree of glory to a higher degree of glory (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Obeying the word of God means to take up our cross. As we do this, our flesh is crucified. The crucifixion of our flesh enables us to walk more strongly in the Spirit. 

God has given his word to us so we can grow into spiritual maturity. Look into this mirror daily. Read it. Listen to it. Be in fellowship with other believers. And do what the Bible says. This is the secret to a successful Christian life and to growing into spiritual maturity.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:2-3).

To find peace in this time, we need to focus on God. The world is full of noise about bad things, but God is full of life and goodness.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:1-2).

A refuge is a place of safety where we go in times of trouble. A strength is what we rely on when we are weak and facing challenges. God is both our refuge and our strength.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Ps. 91:1-6).

Psalm 91 is full of promises that God has made to his people. We unlock the power of these promises when we believe them. God’s word carries infinite power, and this power is unleashed in our lives when we believe what God said. This is the power of faith.

Our place of safety is in God. It is nowhere else. If we have God, we have all that we need. According to Psalm 91, we don’t need to fear disease, war, darkness, destruction, or demonic powers.

Part of dwelling in the secret place of the Most High means focusing on God, not on the world. We are able to focus on God and not on the world because we have died to the world.

“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

Through the cross of Christ, the world does not have any hold over us anymore. We are dead to the world, and the world is dead to us. It does not control us. We are controlled by the Spirit of God, not the spirit that is in the world. We are controlled by the word of God, not by information from the world. 

When Jesus died on the cross, he took away all our sins. This is not a cliche, this is a powerful spiritual fact. Every single one of our sins is gone. Jesus died, and that’s why our sins are gone. All guilt and shame are gone.

With our sins gone, the world’s grip over us is broken. Now we have peace with God.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

The world gives peace that is based on circumstances. When life is good, people have peace. When life is hard, people lose their peace. Peace from the world is unreliable.

Jesus gives peace differently than the world. His peace doesn’t depend on circumstances, it depends on the eternal God and our relationship with him. His peace remains with us regardless of circumstances. This is why Christ is a sure foundation for our lives – a solid rock that will keep us safe.

In the midst of difficult times, let’s remember that our only hope is found in God. It is not found in the world or the things in the world. All these things in the world are going to pass away, but God and his word will endure forever. Let’s focus on God, not on the world, and let’s live as children of God, shining as lights in the darkness.

According to the Bible, there will be two main signs that will happen before the Day of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:1-3). The first sign is apostasy. Many Christians will fall away from the truth and go into error. The second sign is the Antichrist. 

We see apostasy today. False teachings and false prophecies are widespread within the church. However, we don’t yet see the Antichrist. This means that the Day of the Lord has not yet come.

There is no virtue in believing that the Day of the Lord is here if it’s not. Throughout history Christians have been deceived about when the Lord would return, and they became foolish in the process. In the 1800s, William Miller led a large group of sincere believers onto the top of a hill because he said the Day of the Lord had come. After waiting a while, it became obvious they were wrong. They went down from the hill, depressed. Ellen G. White came along and created the Seventh Day Adventist church out of the broken pieces of this group.

We need to be aware of what the Bible says about the end times so that we are not deceived.

Before the Day of the Lord comes, the Antichrist will appear. It’s important to recognize what the Bible says about the Antichrist so we don’t think the Antichrist is someone he isn’t. Some Christians believed Ronald Wilson Reagan was the Antichrist because he has 6 letters in his first, middle, and last names – 666. Others believed that Barack Obama was the Antichrist, while others believed that Juan Carlos King of Spain was the Antichrist. There is no virtue in believing such things.

The Bible shows us what the Antichrist will be like.

In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Antichrist is called “the man of sin” – he will be characterized by sinfulness and the promotion of sin. He is called the “son of perdition” which means he is totally lost. He will oppose the worship of anyone or anything except himself. He will claim to be God. He will be inside “the temple of God.” The temple of God is the church (Eph. 2:19-21). The Antichrist will be a false Christian.

The Antichrist is called the “lawless one.” According to Jesus, “lawlessness” is the condition of those who hear God’s words but don’t obey them (Matt. 7:21-23, 26-27). Lawless Christians call Jesus “Lord, Lord” and may even work miracles, but they don’t do what Jesus says. The Antichrist will be a false Christian who will not obey the word of God.

The Antichrist will work miracles. He will be very deceptive, claiming to be someone he isn’t.

John warned that many antichrists had already come (1 John 2:18-19). These little antichrists were false teachers and false prophets who opposed God’s work. They began in the true apostolic church, but went out from there, forming their own denominations. At the end of time, the big Antichrist will come, and he will be worse than all the little antichrists who came before him.

John gives us a test to discern the spirit of the Antichrist. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist” (1 John 4:2-3).

This test can mean two things. 1. The Antichrist won’t admit that Jesus Christ came in human flesh. 2. The Antichrist will not confess (say the same things as – in Greek) the true Jesus Christ who came in the flesh 2000 years ago. He won’t have the same doctrine. We can test the Antichrist through the teachings of the Bible, because the Antichrist won’t follow the Bible.

Daniel describes the global government that will dominate the world at the end of the age (Dan. 7:23-27). This government will be different from any government before it, and it will be very destructive. It will rule the whole world. The Antichrist will arise and take over leadership of this government. He will speak against God. He will drastically change times and laws. He will persecute Christians.

Daniel gives more details about the Antichrist (Dan. 8:23-25). The Antichrist will rise in a time of great sin. He will have fierce features, understand dark plans, and through promises of peace he will destroy many people. He will be empowered by Satan, be proud, and be deceptive. Further details about him are given in Daniel 11:36-45.

It’s important for us to be aware of these characteristics so we can identify the Antichrist when he appears.

The book of Revelation says the Antichrist will speak great things and blaspheme God. He will dominate the world for 3.5 years. He will war against the saints. He will rule every nation and demand worship from everyone. Everyone in the world who is not a true Christian will worship him (Rev. 13:5-8).

The Antichrist will do great miracles, deceive people, and control everyone in the world so they receive a false spirit. He will force people to receive a mark in their right hands or foreheads so that no one can buy or sell unless they have this mark (Rev. 13:11-18). He will try to kill anyone who refuses to get this mark.

Revelation says that anyone who receives the mark of the beast will go into hell (Rev. 14:9-11). People go into hell when they don’t believe in Jesus. The mark of the beast may somehow block people from believing in Jesus; it will be a means of control.

Finally, when Jesus returns, the Antichrist will be thrown “alive into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). He will be “tormented day and night forever” along with Satan (Rev. 20:10).

It is important for us to understand what the Bible says about the Antichrist so that we can recognize him when he appears and not be deceived by him. Furthermore, we don’t want to believe that someone is the Antichrist who isn’t. And we know that until the Antichrist is revealed, the Day of the Lord has not yet come.

The Bible tells us all we need to know in order to be safe, regardless of what what we will face in the future. And as we follow Jesus, he will protect us from evil. Let’s remember his promise, “Greater is he who is in you, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). When we are hidden in Christ, we have nothing to fear.

As Christians, we have some basic responsibilities towards the government. First of all, we should pray for our leaders.

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

God wants us to pray for our political leaders so that we can lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence. We want to live free from violence, and we want to openly practice our Christian faith. 

Today, in many countries around the world, governments persecute Christians. In China, Christianity is illegal unless it is practiced in government-recognized churches. These churches are under the control of the Communist Party. Many Chinese Christians reject the false gospel taught in these churches, and they risk their lives to meet in house churches, illegally.

In Saudi Arabia and many other Muslim countries, it’s even worse. There the government prohibits people from owning Bibles, meeting as a church, or sharing the gospel. If someone converts to Christianity, the government says he must die.

In some Western countries, a few politicians are pushing to classify some Christian teachings as hate speech – like speaking against sin, talking about hell, or saying that Jesus is the only way to God. If such basic Christian teachings ever become criminalized, persecution will follow.

In the USA, we are blessed with freedom as Christians. We should not take this freedom for granted. We must pray for our political leaders so that this freedom continues and we can continue to live in peace. 

Origins of Government
In the beginning Adam ruled the world on behalf of God. When Adam sinned, he handed the political power of the world over to Satan. This is why Satan is called “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30), and the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). The Bible says, “the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19). 

When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, he showed Jesus all the governments of the world and said, “all this authority I will give you, and their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Satan told Jesus that all the political power of the world had been give to him, and he gives it to whomever he desires.

Satan rules the world through fallen angels – the “world-rulers of this present darkness, wicked spiritual beings in heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Once Daniel was praying, and a good angel was sent from God to answer his prayer. On the way, this angel was confronted by an evil angel called the “prince of Persia” (Dan. 10:13). When the good angel finally fought through the evil angel to reach Daniel, the good angel said he would have to again fight with the “prince of Persia” and then with the “prince of Greece” (Dan. 10:20). Today, we wrestle in prayer against these fallen angels (Eph. 6:12).

Fallen angels still dominate many aspects of the world today, including political systems. This is why Christians must use spiritual weapons like prayer to bring change to the world, and not  use guns and bombs (2 Cor. 10:4). As we wield spiritual weapons, we manifest the victory that Jesus already won on the cross.

At the end of the age, when it is time for the kingdom of God to come in fullness, the church will reveal the victory of Christ against the fallen angels, and they will fall from their places of authority (Eph. 3:10). Then the kingdom of God will take over the earth, and the glory of the Lord will be everywhere (Hab. 2:14).

Submit to the Government
In the meantime, Christians are instructed to submit to earthly governments.

Paul commanded the Roman Christians to submit to the government in Rome (Rom. 13:1-7). At that time, Nero was the Roman Emperor, and he was probably one of the most anti-Christian rulers who ever lived. Nero burned Rome, and then he blamed Christians. He tortured them mercilessly by setting them on fire.

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, saying that earthly governments are “ordered by God.” Evil rulers like Nero, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were mass-murderers who ruthlessly slaughtered tens of millions of people. Were they put in charge by God?

When the Bible says that rulers like Nero are “ordered by God,” it means that God is the ultimate authority in the universe and that he even allows mass-murderers to rule, and that without his permission they could not rule.

Why does God allow Satanic mass-murderers to dominate nations? Why does he allow fallen angels like Satan to have so much power?

God gave people free will, and they chose to allow Satan to dominate the world. God could have stopped Adam from sinning, but he did not. People today choose to give Satan power whenever they sin. God can stop them from sinning, but he does not. God respects human free will; we are not robots. We are called to love God, and we cannot love him if we are forced. Because God values love, he values free will, and free will has sometimes disastrous consequences. God’s respect of free will allows sin to multiply and enables sinful leaders like Nero and Hitler to dominate nations. 

More Responsibilities
Some further responsibilities that Christians have to the government are given in Romans 13:6-7.
1. Pay taxes.
2. Pay customs duties.
3. Give respect to political leaders.
4. Give honor to political leaders.

We need to pay taxes. Jesus told us to “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” We need to honor to political leaders just because of the office they hold, even if those leaders are not nice people.

Limits to Obedience to Government
There are limits to our submission to earthly governments. If a government commands us to do something that is contrary to the Bible, we must disobey that government. If a government commands to not do something that is an essential part of the faith, we must disobey that government and do what God commands us to do anyway.

There are several examples in the New Testament of Christians disobeying the government.

In Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John were arrested by the government. The government told them to stop teaching in Jesus’ name. Peter and John said they had to listen to God rather than to the government, and they kept preaching. They didn’t allow the government to stop them from doing what God commanded them to do.

In Acts 5, after getting out of prison, Peter again disobeyed the government. He was arrested again. Peter then said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

The government’s authority over a Christian is ultimately defined by the Bible. The word of God is the highest law for a Christian. We must obey the Bible, even if it brings us into conflict with an earthly government.

After WWII, the Nazis were put on trial in Nuremberg. They defended themselves by saying that they were just following orders – Hitler’s government told them to kill people, so they did. This argument was rejected by the court at Nuremberg. The court said that there was a higher law that the Nazis were accountable to – the law of God. Even though the Nazis were obeying the German government, they broke God’s law and therefore had to be punished. 

Antichrist
At the end of the age, the Antichrist will rise. He will dominate the world and demand allegiance from every person. He will command everyone to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead (Rev. 13:16-17) in order to buy or sell. He will command people to worship contrary to the Bible. The Bible says that all those who accept the mark of the beast will go into hell (Rev. 14:9-12).

At some point in the future, Christians all over the world will have to disobey the government because they will have to reject the Antichrist. Their path of resistance will follow the footsteps of countless Christians before them who disobeyed the government in order to obey God. As we obey God, he will be our light and shield, and his kingdom will come. The kingdom of God is greater and more powerful than any other government. It is destined to dominate the world. This is the kingdom we seek.

Whenever there have been great breakthroughs among God’s people, there were also great challenges. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the government ordered the murder of the male babies. When Moses was born in Egypt, Pharaoh issued the same order. Before Jesus began his public ministry, he went into the desert where he was tested for 40 days by Satan. When Nehemiah rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem, the builders had to hold a weapon in their hands to defend themselves against their enemies. If they wanted to build, they would have to fight.

We live in a time of challenge. Governments are changing, societies are changing, and we are facing many pressures that have never been faced before because of the rise of technology, information exchange, and global government. 

While these challenges seem daunting, the Bible gives us the hope that Christ and his people will ultimately triumph. In addition, considering what has happened in the past, the rise of these challenges probably means that we are living in a time of spiritual breakthrough.

Do our current challenges indicate that Jesus may return soon?

The Bible wants us to be aware of the season that we are living in. When Jesus came into the world the first time as a baby, the religious leaders of Israel were unaware of the season they were living in. They didn’t understand the prophecies in the Old Testament, and therefore they didn’t recognize Christ when he was standing among them. They were blind, and therefore they murdered God’s Son.

We don’t want to be blind, especially as we get closer to the end times. Jesus wants us to be alert and aware. Although we cannot know the exact day Jesus will return, we can know the season.

In Matthew 24 Jesus gave us 8 different signs to help us recognize what the world will be like when he returns to the earth. 

1. Deception and False Prophets. Jesus warned that before he returned there would be great deception, both in the world and in the church. This deception will be so great that Christians would be in danger of being snared. As we look out into the world and in the church, it appears that we live in a time of deception. There are many false teachings and false prophecies today.

2. Wars and Rumors of Wars. Jesus said that another sign of the end would be hearing about wars and rumors of wars. Today, we often hear about wars and rumors of wars. The news of a war halfway around the world speeds all across the globe in seconds. Centuries ago, such information would not have reached most people, whereas today it is very common. In addition, the war with the most deaths the world has ever seen – WWII – happened only a generation ago.

3. Famines. We don’t see a lot of famines today, but throughout history, there have been famines that killed millions of people. Famine might increase in the future, but it is less today.

4. Pestilences. We see the increase of some diseases today, and a disease (Covid-19) is currently dominating many aspects of our nation.

5. Earthquakes. It appears that earthquakes are increasing. This is partially because there is more seismic measuring equipment all over the world, and more earthquakes are being recorded. Even so, scientists tell us that within the last 10 years there have been more earthquakes than normal.

6. Persecution. Today Christians face much persecution, especially in China, the Muslim world, and India. Christianity is illegal in many countries like Saudi Arabia, and if anyone converts to Christ in countries like this he will be killed. According to some sources, more Christians have been killed for their faith in the last century than all preceding centuries combined. This is partially because there are more Christians in the world today, but it is also because there is widespread hostility to the gospel. This persecution will increase as we get closer to the end of the age.

7. Love of Many Grows Cold. Today we see the love of many growing cold, both inside the church and outside. There is rudeness, coarseness, and harshness. Jesus says the reason for this loss of love is because lawlessness will increase, with people disregarding the commands of God. To counteract this trend, we should keep our love strong. Love, love, love! Keep loving and being kind, even when others aren’t.

8. Abomination of Desolation. The abomination of desolation is probably connected to the rise of the Antichrist. We do not yet see the Antichrist, and therefore we don’t see the abomination of desolation. When the Antichrist appears and the abomination of desolation is revealed, there will be great tribulation.

To summarize, we see many of these signs of the end times coming to pass before our eyes, like deception, earthquakes, wars, persecution, love growing cold, and pestilence. Some of these signs we have seen throughout history, but they seem to be increasing now. Other signs (like famine) we actually see lessening. One of the major signs, the abomination of desolation, we do not yet see.

In conclusion, we must stay alert and spiritually strong. Many signs of the end are being fulfilled in our time. This means there are many challenges. But as challenges increase, so do opportunities. Let’s focus on Jesus, and make the most of these opportunities, for we will see spiritual breakthrough.

“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:31).

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).

Meekness is an important quality for Christians. Meekness is similar to humility and gentleness in the Bible.

Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). Biblical meekness is not a natural personality trait, but it is a supernatural quality that is produced in us by the Holy Spirit.

Christians are commanded to pursue meekness (1 Tim. 6:11). We are commanded to show all meekness to all men (Tit. 3:2). We are instructed to behave with meekness (Eph. 4:2). We are told that meekness is very valuable to God (1 Pet. 3:4). 

In today’s world it is hard to find good examples of meekness. There is a lot of roughness and coarseness in the world’s conversation. For many ancient philosophers and cultures, meekness was not a virtue, just like today. For Aristotle, meekness was almost a vice. Beethoven ridiculed meekness when he said that “power is the moral principle of those who excel others.” Meekness is often not valued by the world.
Jesus said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all” (Mark 10:42-45).

The leaders of God’s kingdom are called to be meek. This is opposite the way the world works. The people of the world lead by asserting human power and force of personality. God’s leaders are to lead in a different way. The best leaders are meek.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he was a very good leader. At the same time, he was the meekest man on the earth (Num. 12:1-3). Moses was meek because he trusted in God’s power, not his own power.

There was a time in Moses’ life when he was not meek. When he was the prince of Egypt, he tried to do things through the power of his flesh, and he became a murderer. This did not work, and he fled from Egypt. Then after 40 years in the wilderness, he became a meek man. He trusted in God, not in himself. He became a successful leader who overthrew Egypt, the mightiest nation on earth.

Some people misunderstand meekness and think that meekness equals weakness. This is not true. Meekness means trusting in the strength and power of God, and resting in him and waiting for his mighty hand to work. It means not taking things into one’s own hands, but waiting for God to do awesome things. Meekness is relying on God, not on oneself. 

Jesus Christ was meek (Matt. 11:29, Matt, 21:5). He trusted totally in his Father and operated in the Spirit. There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus showing strength when he spoke to others and interacted with them. He was not weak, nor was he rude. He did not lash out at others in his flesh. John 18:23 is one example.

Paul was another meek man (2 Cor. 10:1). Although Paul spoke up for himself, for truth, and for God, he didn’t fight for his rights or struggle in his flesh against his persecutors. He certainly did not cower in defeat. He was strong in faith, trusting in God. One example of this is found in Acts 16:37. Paul accomplished many amazing things in the earth because of his meekness.

Meekness is not weakness. On the other hand meekness is not quarrelsome or argumentative. It does not get angry suddenly. It does not harbor malice or bitterness in the heart. Meekness enables the heart to be full of the infinite power of God and rest in him.

The wicked are not meek. When they are persecuted or offended, they release many bad things out of themselves. This is illustrated in Isa. 57:20 which says the wicked are like “the troubled sea that throws up mire and dirt.” When the wicked are disturbed, they respond by throwing up mire and dirt – harmful words or actions. When this happens, they and the people around them have no peace.

Meekness turns the other cheek (Matt. 5:39). This takes strength. It takes strength to turn the other cheek after one cheek has already been hit; it is easier to cower on the ground in fear or run away. To stand tall and turn the other cheek takes supernatural strength. This shows thatit is not easy to be meek. Meekness does not come naturally; it comes from the Holy Spirit.

Meekness is willing to endure hostility from sinners (Heb. 12:3).

Meekness is willing to allow itself to be defrauded and not fight back (1 Cor 6:7).

Meekness does not avenge itself. When mistreated, meekness trusts in God to make things right. In doing so, meekness leaves place for God’s wrath to come and rectify injustice. When we avenge ourselves we take away the opportunity for God to act on our behalf and bring justice (Rom. 12:19). God does not want his children to be mistreated or abused. He is a just God. When we don’t fight for ourselves, God will take just vengeance for us. God will defend us.

Meekness does not shout back when it is shouted at. Meekness does not threaten others when it is threatened (1 Peter 2:19-22).

Meekness is necessary when teaching Christian truth to others – whether to believers or unbelievers (2 Tim 2:25).
Finally, Jesus promises that the meek will inherit the earth. An inheritance is not gained because of a person’s energy, skill, or power. An inheritance is gained simply because the owner of a possession died. By virtue of a close relationship with that owner, a person became that owner’s heir and was included in his will or testament. Death causes the inheritance to pass on to the heir.

The earth belonged to Jesus from the beginning of the world. He died on the cross. Now all his possessions, including the earth, become our possessions because we are his heirs. The reality of our ownership of the earth will become clear in eternity, after Jesus comes back.

Let us pursue meekness. It is the pathway to peace in this life, and to glory in the next.

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3. We have learned a lot from these churches. Church is the most important organization we are a part of on the earth.

One lesson we learn from these 7 churches is that churches can be deceived. 

A recent poll taken of evangelical Christians in the United States reveals some shocking things:

30% of evangelicals don’t believe that Jesus is God. 

65% of evangelicals believe that Jesus was first and greatest being created by God.

According to the Bible, both of these statements are false.

The first way to avoid deception in the church is to avoid deception about Jesus. Jesus is the head of the church, he is the church’s cornerstone, and he is the church’s husband. We need to understand who Jesus is in order to understand church.

As we believe in Jesus as he is, we will experience him as he is. We don’t want to limit our experience of God through unbelief or through distorted perceptions of Jesus.

Here are some verses that show that Jesus is God.

• John 1:1
• Colossians 2:9-10
• 1 John 5:7
• Acts 20:28
• 2 Peter 1:1
• 1 Timothy 3:16

Because Jesus is God, he is eternal. He existed before the foundation of the world. He was not created. He has no beginning and no end.

What did Jesus do in the past?

In the beginning, Jesus created the world. Everything in the universe was created by Jesus. Jesus wrote all laws that govern physical and chemical interactions.

• John 1:3
• Col 1:16

Jesus is part of the Trinity. There are three persons in the Trinity, but there is only One God. These three Persons are One. 

Jesus was involved in discussions with the Father and the Holy Spirit about Creation (Genesis 1,2) and about the scattering of languages at Babel (Genesis 11). The Bible uses plural “us” to describe these discussions within the Trinity.

John 8:56-58: Jesus said, “Before Abraham was I am.” Jesus is the eternal God, who is “I Am That I Am.”

Jesus appeared on the earth in the Old Testament.

Throughout the Old Testament, Jesus often appeared as the Angel of the Lord. The “angel of the Lord” refers to himself as God.

• Gen 17:1
• Gen 22:11-18
• Ex 3:2-6
• Judges 6:11,14

1 Corinthians 10:4 reveals that Jesus accompanied the Israelites through the wilderness.

Melchizedek is a mysterious person in the Old Testament who was probably Jesus, because the Bible says Melchizedek had no beginning or end.

• Hebrews 7:3
• Genesis 14:17-19

Although Jesus appeared throughout the Old Testament, he had not yet taken on human flesh and bones. Only when he was born of the virgin Mary did he take on flesh and bones and become a man. He did this so he could go to the cross and die in our place, for our sins. During his earthly ministry as a man he worked miracles and gave the teachings of the Kingdom of God. Then after his resurrection, he poured out the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is alive now.

Where is Jesus now?

Jesus is at the right hand of God.

• Mark 16:19
• Hebrews 1:3

The right hand is a place of authority and power. It is the place where someone represents someone else, and where someone acts for another. Jesus represents the Father to us, and Jesus acts in the world for the Father.

Jesus is among his people when they gather together in his name.

Jesus is inside us through his Holy Spirit.

Jesus can be in multiple places at once because he is God.

What is Jesus doing now?

• Heb 10:12-13 Waiting for enemies to be made his footstool
• Heb 1:3 Upholding the universe through the word of his power
• Matt 16:18 Building his church

What does Jesus do now for us?

Jesus intercedes for us.

• Heb 7:25
• Rom 8:34

Jesus is praying for us. When we go through challenges and need prayer, we know that the first person praying for us is Jesus. His prayers are very effective.

Jesus mediates for us.

• 1 Tim 2:5

A mediator resolves conflict between two parties. Sometimes we sin and do things that are contrary to God. This creates tension in our relationship with the Father. This conflict is resolved by Jesus. His mediation is perfect. We can come boldly to the Father because of Jesus, and the Father accepts us completely.

Jesus advocates for us.

• 1 John 2:1

An advocate represents us before a judge. The Father is the judge, and Jesus advocates for us before the Father. Jesus is a perfect advocate. This means we are perfectly accepted by the Father.

Jesus is with us all the time.

• Matt 28:20 Jesus is with us to the end of the age.
• Heb 13:5 Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.

Sometimes we feel that Jesus is not with us. This is a lie from Satan. Jesus is always with us. Sometimes we feel something is a little ‘off’ in our relationship with him. Jesus hasn’t left us during this time. Instead, this may be a sign that we need to change something in our lives (repent) so that we can be restored to intimate fellowship with him.

Jesus is our shepherd.

• John 10:11

Jesus leads us to abundant life, provides all that we need, and protects us from enemies. He leads us to green pastures and still waters. Sometimes a shepherd must lead the sheep through a challenging place in order to get to a green valley. As we keep following Jesus, he will lead us through the challenges to get to a place of blessing.

Jesus is our light.

• John 8:12

Light shows the way. When we don’t know where to go or what to do, we need Jesus to guide us. Light overcomes darkness. A cubic centimeter of light can overcome many cubic feet of darkness. Light causes growth and life.

Jesus is the Perfector of our Faith.

• Heb 12:2

Jesus began working in us, an will continue working in us. He causes us to grow spiritually. Like a sculptor works on a slab of marble to bring forth a statue, so the Lord works on us to bring us forth into his image. Sometimes this work feels painful, but it will ultimately cause us to be blessed.

Jesus works with us, confirming our ministry (sharing the gospel) with miracles.

– Mark 16:20

When we share the gospel or the word of God with someone, Jesus will work with us and confirm what we share to people by working in their hearts or in their circumstances. We step out in faith to speak the word of God, then Jesus works with us to establish his word in hearts and minds.

Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven.

• John 14:1-3

We are saved by grace through faith. This is a free gift. Then, according to our faithfulness to the Lord on the earth, Jesus is preparing our eternal home. Our rewards in heaven will be based on our level of faithfulness to the Lord in this life.

What will Jesus do in the future?

Jesus will judge the world.

• Matt 25:31-32
• 2 Cor 5:10

At the end of the age, all people will be gathered before Jesus’ throne and he will judge everyone.

Conclusion

Jesus is God.

Jesus is eternal.

Jesus is the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega.

Believing and experiencing all these wonderful blessings from Jesus today depends on us believing that Jesus is God. Only if he is God will he be able to do all of these wonderful things in our lives.

When we believe fundamental facts about Jesus, we will be free from many forms of deception. We will experience Jesus more and more in our lives. We need to read the Bible to understand more and more of what Jesus is doing in our lives. As we believe in what the Bible says about Jesus, we will experience more of his love and presence.

Judge not that you be not judged.

Matt. 7:1

To judge means to decide whether something is right or wrong, good or bad. Jesus told us not to judge.

James also told us not to judge.

He who speaks evil of his brother and judges him, speaks evil of the law and judges the law

James 2:8

Paul told us not to judge.

Judge nothing before the time

1 Cor. 4:5

We should not judge because we cannot do so properly. We are imperfect and make mistakes. We have faulty perceptions and deductions, and our knowledge is incomplete, which is why our judgements are often wrong. 

God is the judge, not us.

Even Jesus didn’t judge others.

And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

John 12:47-48

Jesus said that doesn’t judge, but his word will judge. The word of God is the eternal standard of judgement that will judge everyone.

As I hear I judge

John 5:30

Jesus heard from his Father, and on that basis he judged.

Isaiah prophesied of Jesus that he would judge not according to the ability he had as a man, but according to revelation from his Father.

He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
But with righteousness He shall judge

Isa 11:3-4

Jesus didn’t look at things from the outward appearance, but he based everything on the revelation or word of God.

All judgments must be based on the word of God. God’s word must be the standard, not our own thoughts.

God is the judge. His word is the judge.

With this background in mind, we can look at some verses which actually command us to judge.

But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 

1 Cor. 5:11-12

Here it says that we are to judge our fellow believers. We must recognize if they are in bondage to sin, and then separate them from the fellowship of believers so they do not corrupt the church.

Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

1 Cor. 6:3

We are going to judge angels. This means that we are much more able to judge the things pertaining to this life.

We must not judge based on our own fleshly abilities or thoughts, but we must judge based on the word of God. We are able to judge correctly when we are guided by the word and Spirit of God, not by our own minds.

Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

John 7:24

We are commanded to not judge according to how things seem to be to us, but according to the eternal word of God.

So yes, we do need to judge, but we must do so according to the word of God.

In ancient Israel there was a small bush that grew in Gilead. This bush occupied about 25 acres of land. This bush didn’t look like much. It was scraggly and small. But when its wood was sliced with a knife, sap oozed out. This sap would dry and become a medicine. This medicine was famous throughout the ancient world. People would come from all over and pay a lot of money to obtain it. To some, this sap seemed supernatural. They thought it could heal anything. It was called the balm of Gilead.

The balm of Gilead is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 37:25. Midianite traders, carrying the balm of Gilead, bought Joseph from his treacherous brothers. These Midianite merchants took Joseph to Egypt along with the balm of Gilead. The balm of Gilead would heal bodies; Joseph was destined to heal nations.

When Jacob went into Egypt to meet his son Joseph, he carried the best things from Canaan (Gen. 43:11). The first thing on his list was the balm of Gilead.

The balm of Gilead was such a famous medicine, that it became symbolic of the healing power of God.

A Sick Nation

Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet” was almost overwhelmed by the sick condition of Israel.

When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country. Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? “Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?” The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.

Jer. 8:18-21

God’s people had turned away from God. They had made up an empty religion that was devoid of God’s presence and power. They had grown spiritually cold. They didn’t pray like they used to. Idolatry had crept in.

As a result of their apostasy, they faced many problems. Their minds were tormented. Their hearts were sick. They no longer enjoyed the blessing of God.

After expressing his sorrow at the condition of Israel, Jeremiah asked a question. 

“Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?”

Jer. 8:22a

This question was rhetorical. Of course everyone knew there was balm in Gilead. 

Then Jeremiah asked, 

Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Jer. 8:22b

If there is balm in Gilead, why not be healed?

Spiritual Surgery

Healing sometimes hurts. A knife is often needed to cut away a disease, and as it does, it slices through nerves and causes pain.

The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). We need the word of God to excise evil and sin from our lives. When we apply the word of God to ourselves, we repent and submit to God. We turn away from our sins. Repentance is the first step toward healing.

Repentance sometimes hurts, for it crucifies our flesh.

Elijah was a spiritual physician who came from the mountains of Gilead (1 Kings 17:1). He was armed with the word of God. He was unafraid to speak to kings and rulers, calling them to repent. He boldly spoke the word of God to an apostate nation and called them to turn away from their sins.

Sometimes we need to hear a prophetic word that will take us out of our comfort zones. Such words can be uncomfortable.

Elijah was a rough man. (See 2 Kings 1:7-8). He was hairy. He had a leather belt around his waist. He kind of looked like those scraggly bushes from his home country.

Like a careful surgeon, Elijah took the sharp knife of the word of God and excised the corruption that was eating away at Israel.

Centuries later, John the Baptist came. 

He came from the wilderness, where he ate locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4). He wore camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. 

He came into the desert outside Jerusalem, preaching repentance to Israel. He applied the sharp knife of the word of God, calling people to return to God’s word. His cleansing baptism of repentance prepared the way for Jesus to come.

Jesus Christ

Jesus was like a root out of dry ground.

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” 

Isa. 53:2

Like the bushes of Gilead, Jesus wasn’t very attractive to human flesh. But he was the Great Physician, the Savior of the world. 

When Jesus walked the earth, he released the healing power of God. 

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

Wherever Jesus went, life from God flowed out from him into the earth.

At the end of his earthly life, when Jesus was falsely accused and brutally tortured, he didn’t become hard or bitter. Instead, like the bushes of Gilead he gave forth life. When Jesus was killed, it was for our sins. As he hung on the cross, he cried out “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Blood ran down from Jesus’ lacerated body into the earth. From his wounded head, blood flowed. Out from his pierced hands and feet, life flowed. When Jesus was on the cross, a soldier ran a spear through his side, and blood and water gushed out (John 19:34). 

Jesus was executed for crimes he didn’t commit. But he didn’t cry out for vengeance. He wasn’t full of bitterness and rage. Instead, forgiveness and mercy flowed out from him. Because Jesus was killed, his blood and the Holy Spirit were poured into the earth.

This healing flow from Christ brings healing and salvation to the world. 

It’s the true balm of Gilead.

Jesus is alive today. His anointing is freely available to all who come to him. If we ask him, he will apply this balm to our lives.

Jesus can heal inflamed minds. He can soothe hurting souls. He can heal hearts that have been burned by evil.

Jesus is like the Good Samaritan, who saw us bleeding and dying on the roadside. Other people may have ignored us, but Jesus didn’t. He came to us in our brokenness and poured in the healing oil and the wine. He bound up our wounds and put us in a safe place. Then he said, I’ll keep taking care of you until you’re 100% well.

By his stripes we are healed.

Jeremiah’s Frustration

When Jeremiah spoke of the balm of Gilead, he was upset. He was upset not only because of the apostasy of God’s people, but because there was a solution to their problems and they were not healed.

If there is balm in Gilead, then why not use it? Why not apply the healing power of God to your life?

The medicine is stronger than the disease.

The solution is greater than the problem.

In those days, sick people might have had a reason not to apply the balm of Gilead to their lives. It was expensive and hard to obtain. Maybe they couldn’t afford to buy the balm of Gilead.

But today, we are without excuse.

The balm of Gilead is freely available to anyone who wants it. There is no limit to the salvation that is available in Jesus Christ. He can do anything. He has infinite resources. He is a well that will never run dry. And his salvation is available for free without money and price.

We have all that we need for complete spiritual healing and victory in Jesus. He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. We can receive this salvation in faith, forsake our sins, and receive healing from Christ. I’m not primarily talking about physical healing (although Jesus can heal our bodies). I’m talking about the sicknesses of sin that separate us from God.

Obtaining a Testimony

Gilead means the hill of the testimony. 

In ancient Israel, testimonies rang from the hills of Gilead. “I had a terrible disease, but I went to Gilead, got some balm, applied it, and now I’m healed!”

There was joy in Gilead, as people spread the good news of its powerful balm all over Israel.

We overcome Satan by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11).

If we’ve been set free by Jesus, we have a testimony.

Today the world should be full of the testimonies of God’s people, telling others about how they were lost, and then Jesus found them. We were broken, and Jesus healed us. We were falling apart, and God put us together. The blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit are most potent healing resources in the world, and the results of their application are always miraculous.

The spiritual balm of Jesus is freely available to everyone. We apply it to our lives through faith.

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Rev. 22:17

There is a balm in Gilead. It’s the healing and salvation of Jesus Christ. Let’s apply this healing balm to our lives, and tell others of Jesus’ grace, love, and power to save.

In the Bible, symbols are often used to represent spiritual truth. For example, the lamb is Jesus, the bread is God’s word, the water is the Holy Spirit. 

The Old Testament has many symbols that represent the spiritual truth that was revealed through Jesus Christ.

The law, [has] a shadow of the good things to come.

Heb. 10:1a

The Old Testament, particularly the law of Moses, contains symbols, shadows, types, or examples of New Testament truth.

One such symbol is incense. Incense symbolizes prayer.

Let my prayer be set before You as incense.

Ps. 141:1

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev. 5:8

As a symbol, incense helps us understand prayer. 

God told his people to make incense in a very precise way.

And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

Ex. 30:34-36

Four ingredients went into incense: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense.

These four ingredients reveal four aspects of effective prayer.

Ingredient #1: Stacte

The first ingredient of incense was stacte. Most ancient sources say that stacte was myrrh.

The word stacte is natap in Hebrew, which comes from the Hebrew word nataph. This word means to speak, especially to prophesy (Ezek. 21:2, Amos 7:16, Mic. 2:6). 

We are called to pray according to the word of God, by the Holy Spirit. As we do, we pray according to God’s will. We are not just praying for whatever we want according to our own mind. We are praying for what God wants by the leading of his Spirit.

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. 

Rom. 8:26

Real prayer is authored by God. God himself is praying through us for God’s will to be done. We are praying according to God’s word – which was revealed to God’s servants as they prophesied. 

When someone prophesies, he speaks the word of God by the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

As we pray by the Holy Spirit, we become more and more sensitive to God. If we learn to be truly led by the Holy Spirit in prayer, we will pray according to God’s mind. His heart will become our own. His burdens will be ours. God will pray through us. Our prayers will be prophetic. 

There is often only a small step between praying and prophesying. As we learn to pray by the leading of the Holy Spirit, we might begin to prophesy.

True prayer is to be prophetic, authored by the Spirit of God. It must be according to God’s word.

Ingredient #2 Onycha

Onycha is the Hebrew word shecheleth. This word comes from the Hebrew word shachal which means lion.

Lions are bold. They are unafraid.

A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any

Prov. 30:30

When lions roar, fear strikes their enemies. When we pray by the Holy Spirit, demons tremble.

We need boldness in prayer.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb. 4:16

in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Eph. 3:12

As we become bold in prayer, we will gain victories. We need to pray for big things, lay hold of them in faith, and keep persevering in prayer until they become earthly realities. Through prayer we will defeat spiritual enemies.

Look, a people rises like a lioness,
And lifts itself up like a lion;
It shall not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.

Num. 23:24

And the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the Gentiles,
In the midst of many peoples,
Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Who, if he passes through,
Both treads down and tears in pieces,
And none can deliver.

Mic. 5:8

Prayer is of infinite power because it is based on God. It demolishes the devil’s strongholds.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Mark 11:24

We need to bold in prayer, claiming the promises of God and believing for his will to be done.

Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Prayer is a declaration that Jesus is King. Prayer in the name of Jesus is stamped with the power and authority of Almighty God. And when God speaks, other voices are silenced.

Ingredient #3 Galbanum

Galbanum is the Hebrew word chelbeneh. It comes from the word cheleb which means fat or finest.

When we pray to God, we should give him our best. Prayer is not an afterthought, something we do when we are exhausted at the end of the day. It’s not the last thing we do after everything else has failed. Prayer is the first and most important thing we should do.

Prayer was one of the three fundamentals of the early church.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:42

The early church prayed, and they saw God move.

God’s people are commanded to pray all the time. Their spirits are to be in continual communion with God.

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thess. 5:17

God’s house is his people. God’s people and their gatherings are to be characterized by prayer.

My house shall be called a house of prayer.

Matt. 21:13

When prayer is our priority, we give God the best part of our time and energy. When God is the main one we look to, we will see powerful results.

Ingredient #4 Frankincense

Frankincense is the Hebrew word lebonah which comes from the word laben. This word means white or pure.

When we pray, we need holiness and purity. God will hear our prayers when we have clean hands and a pure heart.

Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 
He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart

Ps. 15:1-2

If we want to come into God’s presence, we need to confess our sins and repent (1 John 1:9). Then God will cleanse us from evil, and his ears will be open to our prayers. 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Ps. 34:15-16

Our righteousness comes from Christ. Through faith we are clothed with his righteousness (Rev. 19:8). Because of that, we are able to come boldly into his presence.

When these four ingredients are combined together – prophecy, boldness, our best, and purity, our prayers will become powerful.

Fire: The Catalyst

Incense by itself will not produce anything. It will just sit there, dead. Fire must touch the incense in order for it to fulfill its purpose.

Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When the first disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit, he appeared to them like fire and sat on each of them. They were transformed into powerful witnesses of God.

Our prayers must be ignited by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the flame that kindles our prayers makes them spiritually alive.

When incense is touched by fire, the incense is transformed into fragrance and smoke.

Result of Burning Incense #1: Fragrance

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ

2 Cor. 2:15

Incense gives off a smell. In the Old Testament, God was pleased with the smell of the properly compounded incense that was offered to him in the right way. In the New Testament, Jesus is the fragrance that pleases God. Whatever we do in Christ pleases God because it is touched by the fragrance of Jesus. When we pray in Jesus’ name, according to his will and by his inspiration, then God is pleased.

God delights in the prayers of his people. When we pray we commune with God, and he loves to have fellowship with us.

Result of Burning Incense #2: Smoke

Smoke is often a sign of God’s presence. When God led the Israelites through the wilderness, he did so by a pillar of cloud. When he came down on Sinai, the mountain smoked.

Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace.

Ex. 19:18a

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isa. 6:4

When God’s presence comes, a cloud or smoke is often revealed.

The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power

Rev. 15:8

Prayer brings the presence of God. When two people gather together in his name, he is there. When they agree together for something to be done on the earth, his presence and power is released. Prayer opens the door for God to work, and it causes the earth to be impacted with heaven.

We can learn many truths from the symbolism of incense in the Old Testament. We need prophetic, bold, pure prayers that are offered to God as our best. With all these ingredients in our prayers, our spiritual life will rise to a higher level. Our prayers will please God, and his presence will be revealed on the earth.