"Money Changers"

"And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Matthew 21:13

Most churches have lots of programs, entertainment, fellowships, social gatherings, music concerts, counseling sessions and so on, but the main thing that Jesus said that His church/house was to be is rarely found in it. The only time He ever defined the purpose of His house He called it a "house of prayer". So I wonder, "Why isn't there prayer in His house?". Some churches have no prayer time and others have very little. A thirty minute prayer meeting once a week or month equates to no prayer at all. Where are the prayer meetings? Where are the all night prayer vigils? Where is the prayer time around the altar? Prayer is the engine that runs it all. Prayer is the communication lines to the Head of the church- Jesus. In prayer is where the will of God and His direction is discovered. A church without prayer becomes a place for the money changers to set up business.

The money changers represent many things: dead religious practice, greed, compromise, insincere worship, fleshy work, etc. When a church does not pray, the "money changers" come in and "set up business". At that point it ceases to be about the One whose House it is and becomes about self and promoting our "business" instead of "His business".

Let me put this on a more personal level. The Bible says that every born again believer becomes the dwelling place of God- His temple, His house. So the result of prayerlessness that we are talking about in the physical church can take place in the "spiritual" church as well. (Just because you pray a quick prayer when you are in trouble, or spend ten minutes in prayer a day, does not constitute a prayer life.) If your life is prayer-less then the money changers will come in and set up "business" in your life. Without prayer you become selfish, greedy, compromising, offering up insincere worship, no praise comes from your lips, the joy is gone, the peace isn't there, confusion enters in and you are reduced to living by the dictates and desires of your own flesh.

When Jesus entered the temple, He drove the money changers out. It is time for you to start driving them out too. He gave us the answer as to how to do that--- "My house shall be called the house of prayer". Start praying again. Start setting aside time for prayer. Set up a prayer altar in your life. Go into your prayer closet. Make your life a "house of prayer" again.

Have a great day. Prayerlessness opens the door for the money changers to set up business.

For further reading:
Matthew 21:12,13; 6:5,6
Mark 11:15-17
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19

"He Leads"

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Romans 8:14

As the children of God we are led by His Spirit. His leading does not always take us where we may want to go. There are times He "leads us besides the still waters"; there are times when He leads us "in paths of righteousness"; but then there are times when He leads us "into the wilderness". We like the thought of Him leading us into places of rest, joy, abundance, prosperity and so on. But we don't like to think about Him leading us into dry places of testing and trial. And we even reject the thought that He would lead us into such a place.

We don't want to believe that God has anything to do with us being in a place of "suffering"- we immediately think that it is the devil doing it to us. But that is not always the case. It was the Spirit who "led" Jesus into the wilderness. It was the plan of God for Joseph to be in the palace in Egypt, but the route there was through the pit, Potiphar's house and the prison. Even Jesus went the route of the cross at the will of the Father to bring redemption to the world.

Let me clarify something, the accounts in Jesus' life and Joseph's life that we have talked about was not God doing it "to them", but God was doing something of great and eternal value "through" them which involved going an "unpleasant route".

We have to keep three things in mind when we are being led into places that are not of our liking or desire: 1) All things will work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. 2) He loves us and we can trust His love for us- so it will be well. 3) He will never leave us but will walk every step of the way with us.

Have a great day. The Lord doesn't always lead us in the way we desire to go, but we can trust His leading regardless.

For further reading:
Psalm 23:2,3
Luke 4:1
Acts 9:15,16
Genesis 45:5
Isaiah 53:10
Romans 8:28
Job 13:15
Hebrews 13:5

Burn Out

"...when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19b

I hear so many talk about being "burnt out" in their Christian walk. They get tired and weary to the point where they feel they can't go much further or they want to give up and quit. It doesn't have to be like that. Sure we get tired in our bodies. Yes, we often have numerous responsibilities and demands upon us. But that is no reason to give up. Jesus had more demands on Him than any of us. He was always about His Father's business. Crowds were always flocking around Him hoping to at least touch the hem of His garment- they were always "pulling" on the anointing. Often He did not have time to even eat or sleep. Even when He and the disciples tried to leave the crowds and get some rest, they still followed them.

Did He get tired physically? Yes, He was a man. Did He "burn out"? No, He knew what to do to prevent it. And He left us an example to help us in those times when we feel as if we are under too much pressure to be able to go on. The answer is found in the verse above- it's called "times of refreshing". Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. Too often we look for that place of refreshing in other areas- relaxation, entertainment, change of scenery, etc.- and neglect the true source where refreshing comes.

If we are always doing the "work" of the Lord but aren't spending time in His presence, we will get "burned out". When I talk about being in His presence, I am not talking about a ten minute prayer. I am talking about going into your "closet", shutting the door behind you and being still until His presence "rains down" on you and "floods your soul". How long has it been since that has happened? It should be a daily occurrence. Jesus knew that. This is why we "often" saw Him depart into a place to get alone with His Father. We can't think that we can make it if we don't do the same.

In His presence is peace, joy, refreshing, regained strength, revelation, clarity of mind, healing for your body, the place where cares seem to melt away, mountains are removed, impossibilities are viewed as possible and hope is restored. Today, you need to find a place to get alone with Him and let the rain of His Spirit satiate the dryness and bring life back into the burned out places in you.

Have a great day. The solution for "burn out" is the presence of the Lord.

For further reading:
Luke 6:12
Mark 6:30-32
Psalm 16:11

"Sober and Vigilant"

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

The word sober here means to not be under the influence of intoxicants. This has a two-fold meaning. It literally means to not be intoxicated with alcohol or any other substance. But it also means not to allow anything that will influence you and cause you to become spiritually disoriented and complacent because that leads to compromise. The word vigilant means to be watchful. The scripture admonishes us to be sober and vigilant because we have a very real enemy who is out to destroy us.  (This enemy is not flesh and blood.)

The King James translation says the devil goes around "seeking" whom he may devour. Another translation say that he is "sneaking" around looking for someone to destroy. He actually does both- he is seeking whom he can destroy and he does so by sneaking around trying to catch you off guard. So the warning above is for us to stay alert and stay on guard. Don't let down your guard for a moment, and don't let anything cause you to let down your guard.

Do we have to walk around in constant fear of the enemy, afraid that he is lurking in the shadows or hiding under every rock? Of course not, but we do have to maintain an awareness that he is out there and he is trying to destroy us. The Bible tells us that we are not ignorant of the devil's devices. So at the first inclination that what is coming your way resembles his devices make sure you are soberly vigilant and don't "shrug" it off- in other words watch that thing and don't take your eye off of it.

If we stay sober and keep watch we will not be destroyed or defeated by the enemy. Instead, we will be victorious over his scheme to destroy us because we saw him coming.

Have a great day. Stay sober and vigilant!

For further reading:
Ephesians 6:
John 10:10
2 Corinthians 2:11

"Barabbas"

"Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." Matthew 27:26

Have you ever wondered what Barabbas did with his life after he was released and given a second chance?  The Bible doesn't say anything about him after his release so we don't know what he did or what he became.

Let's look at Barabbas for a moment and see what the Bible does say about him. The scriptures are very plain about what kind of man he was. He was notorious, a murderer, a rebel and a thief- he was the worst of the worst. He was sentenced to death and awaiting his time of execution. He was released from prison, not because he deserved to be, not because of his own goodness or righteousness, and not because he was found to be innocent- he was guilty of every crime brought against him. The only reason he was released and set free was because Jesus was crucified in his place... he was given a second chance.

Barabbas represents us all. We are the "worst of the worst"- we are all sinners who have come short of the glory of God. We are all under the death sentence and awaiting punishment. Like him, we too deserved death but Jesus died in our place. It was through Jesus' death that we were pardoned and set free- not by our own works of righteousness and not because we deserved to be. We have also been given a second chance.

We may not can answer the question about what Barabbas did with his second chance and new lease on life, but we can answer the question as it pertains to us. Jesus died in our place and gave us a second chance. Have you taken advantage of that chance to be free from your sins? Are you putting your faith and trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord? If so, the question then becomes personal- "What are YOU doing with your second chance?" Are you living it for self or for the One who freed you?

Have a great day. We have all been given a second chance at life because Jesus took our place in death. What are you doing with your second chance?

For further reading:
Romans 3:10,23; 6:23
Isaiah 64:6
Ephesians 2:8,9
Titus 3:5
1 Peter 3:18