What Is It The Lord Requires Of You

                                                     When The Door Slams

What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin? Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.                        Micah 6:6-8 

         God never conceals His expectations from us. We never have to guess how we should live. In response to the misguided ways in which people sought to please God, the prophet Micah clearly explained what God does and does not expect. The people asked: Should we come to God with many offering? Should we bring a thousand rams and ten thousand rivers of oil? Would God be pleased if we gave our firstborn child to Him to express our devotion (Mic. 6:6-7)? Micah's response was straightforward: "He has told you what is good."

        Think about this: Micah listed three things God desires. First, He wants us to show justice. The desire to receive justice is not enough. We must also be absolutely just in the way we treat others. If we have given our word, we should keep it with complete integrity. If we have people working for us, we should treat them as fairly as Jesus would. We should act justly in every relationship.

        Second, we are to love mercy. The knowledge that we have received underserved mercy from God should motivate us to show mercy to others. We must resist the temptation to retaliate against those who have wronged us, choosing to show them mercy instead. 

       Third, God requires us to walk humbly with Him. God does not ask us for spectacular acts of service-He asks for humility. At times we try to make the Christian life far more complicated than it is. We may hide behind questions about the Bible or uncertainty about the second coming of Christ. We can allow ourselves to become distracted in order to avoid confronting what God has clearly told us do today. If we strive to be completely obedient in the basics, the more complex assignments will become clear. 

May I put away all of these things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from my mouth (Colossians 3:8). Grant that I may be used to open the eyes of others and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Jesus (Acts 26:18).      

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

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Your Sin Will Have An Impact On Others

                                                     When The Door Slams

"Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart.             Joshua 7:13  

        Just as the obedience of one Christian can bring blessing to others, the sin of one Christian can bring harm to many others. The children of Israel were rapidly advancing into the Promised Land. They had experienced a miraculous victory over the city of Jericho, and they were continuing toward their next conquest. To their surprise they met decisive defeat as they attempted to capture the small town of Ai. They sought God's explanation for their failure, and God provided it. God revealed that someone among them had disobeyed His clear command not to keep any possession from Jericho.

        The disobedience of one man and his family had paralyzed an entire nation! Achan thought he could conceal his sin and it would not affect anyone else. God chose to demonstrate the destructive power of one sin to His people. One act of disobedience cost Achan and his family their lives. It caused his countrymen to lose the battle; innocent soldiers were killed.

        Think about this: Your sin had serious repercussions for others, denying them the blessing, power, and the victory of God. Your sin will have an impact on others. Choosing to disobey God may cost your family God's blessing. The power of God may be absent from your church because you are living in disobedience. Your friends may suffer because you are not living righteously. You must diligently seek to obey every word from God, for you do not know how your disobedience could affect those around you. Scripture promises that if you will obey the Lord God, your life will be a channel of blessing to others (Ps. 37:25-26). 

May I not enter the path of the wicked Or walk in the way of evil men  (Proverbs 4:14).

The first man is of the dust of the earth; the second Man is from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the Man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have bore the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly Man (Corinthians 15:47-49). May I be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, may I let my requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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You May Not Want To Be Healed

                                                      When The Door Slams 

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"                                             John 5:5-6  

        Jesus asked a man a question that appears to have had an obvious answer! He came upon a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years and who was sitting beside a pool of healing water. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. Why would Jesus ask such an obvious question? Perhaps the answer was not so clear. Bartimaeus was blind, yet when he cried out for Jesus to have mercy on him, Jesus asked "What do  you want Me to do for you?" (Mark 10:51). 

        It would have seemed apparent that the foremost concern of a blind person would be to receive sight. There were times, however, when Jesus considered it important for people to express in words their need and specifically when asking Him for healing them.

        Think about this: Just because we are spiritually sick, or just because we are near a place of healing, does not necessarily mean we want to be made well. We may attend church regularly, but choose to remain in our sinful state of mind. Our generation has taken many of the activities that the Bible identifies as sin and labeled them as addictions or character flaws or the result of an abusive upbringing. We act as if having an addiction or just lying, is sufficient excuse for disobeying God's commands. As true Christians, we are no longer helpless victims of our sin. There is no sinful habit or past hurt that is beyond the healing touch of our Lord. 

        You may have gone for years without receiving spiritual healing. You may have become comfortable in your sin. It maybe hard for you to obey God's Word, because you may not want to be healed. God is capable of freeing you, if you really want to receive spiritual healing, God can give it today, right now. He wants you to ask Him.  

May I trust in the Lord and do good; may I dwell in the land and feed on Your faithfulness. When I delight myself in the Lord, You will give me the desires of my heart. I will commit my way to the Lord and trust in You, and You will bring it to pass. You will bring forth my righteousness like the light, and my justice like the noonday. May I rest in the Lord and wait patiently for You; I will not fret because of him who prospers in his way, with the man who practices evil schemes (Psalm 37:3-7).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord God and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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We Can Quench The Holy Spirit Activity In Us

                                                     When The Door Slams

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every from of malice                                                                                                                                                 Ephesians 4:30-31 

        We cannot prevent God from accomplishing His work in the world around us, but we can quench His Spirit in our lives. God has given us the freedom to withstand the Holy Spirit's activity in our lives. When we ignore, disobey, or reject what the Spirit is telling us, we quench His activity in us. Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah who described the result: "You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look; yet never perceive. For this people's heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn back--and I would cure them" (Matt. 13:14-15; Isa 6:9). 

        Think about this: When you sin, the Holy Spirit will convict you of your need for repentance. If you habitually ignore Him and do not repent, your heart will grow hardened to God's Word. If the Spirit speaks to you about God's will for you, and if you refuse to take action, a time will come when the Spirit's voice will be muted in your life. If you continually reject the Spirit's activity, a day will come when you no longer hear a word from God. If you repeatedly suppress God's Word to you so that you are no longer sensitive to His voice, He will not give you a fresh word. Be careful of resisting the voice of the Holy Spirit in your life. You may not always be comfortable with what the Spirit is saying to you, but His words will guide you to abundant life. 

We are looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works (Titus 2:13-14).  

The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever (Timothy 4:18). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                

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Knowledge Can Easily Lead To Pride

                                                     When The Door Slams

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." Yes, Father for this is what you were pleased to do.     Luke 10:21

        One hindrance to hearing a word from God may be our own wisdom. Wisdom, like success, can delude us to think we should take the role of teacher rather than student. Our knowledge lulls us into thinking we have sufficient wisdom to meet any challenge. Leaning on our own understanding and  believing we are wise temps us to evaluate the shortcomings of others, and yet we are unaware of how much growth is still required in ourselves.

        The Pharisees were the religious experts of their day. They possessed much information about God, but they had no personal relationship with Him. Their knowledge clouded their view of their condition before God. Jesus thanked His Father that it was not to these "experts" that the Father had revealed spiritual truth, but rather to those who were humble and who recognized their need for God's revelation. 

        When religious leaders experience spiritual failure, their downfall is often met with surprise. It shouldn't be like that. Religious people with the most knowledge are sometimes the ones least responsive to God's Word. Knowledge can easily lead to pride, and pride impedes us from seeking God's wisdom.

        Think about this: How do you know if you are a "Pharisee"? When you do not have a teachable spirit. When you become defensive if a fellow Christian shares a concern about your spiritual condition. When you do not seek to hear from God, believing you already know what He thinks. When you feel that you are capable of helping others in their spiritual lives, but no can teach you anything. Don't allow the limited knowledge you now have blind or deceive you to the great truths God still wants to reveal to you. 

Once I was alienated from God and was an enemy in my mind because of my evil works. But now He has reconciled me by His fleshly body through death to present me holy and blameless in His sight and free from reproach (Colossians 1:21-22).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:13). 

The God of hope will fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in Him, so that I may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord Jesus and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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God's Will Is Not Hard To Understand

                                                       When The Door Slams

This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach.                                                                                                                                            Deuteronomy 30:11

        The Christian life is not difficult. The same Christ who lived a perfect, obedient, and sinless life stands prepared to live it again through you (Gal. 2:20). God 's will is not hard to discern. He has given us the Scriptures, which reveal His will, and He has placed His Holy Spirit within us to guide us to His perfect will in every situation (John 16:13). Our greatest challenge will be to commit our lives to follow God's will obediently as He reveals it.

        Moses gathered the Israelites around Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim before they were to enter the Promised Land. There, God described what they had to do in order to obey Him. God gave detailed instructions so there was no misunderstanding what was expected of them. Then God asked them to make a choice. If they chose to disobey His commands, they would face His wrath. If they chose to obey, they would receive His blessing.

        Think about this: God's Word comes to you in the same way. It is not too complex to understand. You don't have to struggle to discern God's will about adultery or forgiveness or lying and honesty. God's Word is perfectly clear. The question is, how will you respond? Nowhere in the Scripture did God excuse disobedience because His instructions were too vague or complex. Condemnation came because they knew exactly what God wanted them to do, yet they chose not to do it! God, through His Holy Spirit, will always give you sufficient revelation and strength to take the next step with Him. If you are uncertain about what God is asking of you, make sure that you are obeying to all that you do know; and through your obedience, God's next instruction will become clear.

My struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, I will put on the full armor of God, so that I may be able to resist in the day of evil, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6:12-13).  

Since I have been raised with Christ, I should seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. May I set my mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth, for I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:1-4).

Your grace is sufficient for me, for Your power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I can be content in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2Co.12:9-10). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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Confession Is A Command, Given To Every Christian

                                                      When The Door Slams

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.                                                                               James 5:13-16 

 

        Confession is God's provision to clear obstacles that hinder our relationship with God and with others. Confession is not just for those who don't mind admitting their faults. Confession is a command, given to every Christian, James advised that when we sin, it is important for us to confess not only to God but also to our fellow Christians. There is a tremendous freedom that comes as we openly acknowledge the stupidity of our actions to others.

        If confession does not come out of repentance, it is nothing else but admission, and not true confession. It is important to confess your sins specifically and not hide behind generalities. It is one thing to pray "O Lord, forgive my sin." It's quite another to identify your sin specifically in painful honesty. Whenever possible, confession ought to be made directly to those whom your sin has hurt. You are not to confess the sins of others but only your offenses. Confession is not a sign of weakness; it is evidence of your refusal to allow sin to remain in your life.  

        Think about this: James linked confession with prayer. Your prayers will be hindered if you hold on to unconfessed sin. When James promised that "the urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful," he did so in the context of confession. If you wish to have a powerful prayer life, you must regularly confess your sin. Only when there are no obstacles separating you from God and others will your prayers be effective. Pride will discourage you from admitting to others the stupidity of your heart. True Christian will  have a desire to please God, and compel you to confess your sin and rid yourself of its oppressive burden.

In the past God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given assurance of this to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                                    Never Rest Ministries