Open Doors

Isaiah 58
Verse 10-11 "Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring."

Mother Teresa said "We are never more powerful than when we help the powerless" God said the secret to being refreshed is to refresh others who are hungry and in trouble. When we help the helpless, we model true Christianity and portray to the world the image of Christ. But relieving the natural struggle without ministering to the spiritual need is to abort the ministry of Christ and abandon the supreme call and ministry of Jesus Christ. He said he came to "seek and to save those who are lost". Feeding the hungry and helping those in need are open doors of evangelism, meeting the felt need is the access point to ministering to the genuine need of every heart, which is having a right relationship with Christ. If we feed the hungry, but do not share Christ with them, then they go to Hell with full stomachs.

What's Your Number?

Isaiah 57
Verse "I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way."

The greatest punishment that can happen in a persons life is to be separated from God's presence. His presence is the key to every good thing that happens in our lives. Hell will be Hell because people will be separated from the presence of God, life totally separated from the presence of God is a living death. Imagine a life without joy, without peace or without love. A world so full of darkness and pain that your own breath annoys you, imagine a world where suffering knows no end, no limits and no restraints. Imagine a flame continually burning your body but never burning you up, this is just a glimpse of what hell will be like. Know imagine every person you know that doesn't have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ spending eternity in that place. Imagine their faces as they are tormented in a place without relief and imagine their thoughts about you. As they spend eternity agonizing in the darkness, separated from everything that was good or gentle in their lives, imagine your face crossing over and over in their minds. Every conversation that you had with them, every time you were with them, laughing, playing or just hanging out. Imagine them reliving every moment you had with them looking for that one time, that one moment when you loved them enough to tell them about Jesus, when you loved them enough to warn them about an eternity separated from God. Will they find that moment will they be able to replay the time you shared Christ with them, will they be able to remember the burden you felt for their soul or will there be nothing. Nothing of any real value, not one memory of you sharing Jesus with them, not one memory of your concern for their eternal soul, not one.

The question today and everyday is do we really believe Hell is real, Eternity is forever and Every person that has never accepted Christ is going there. If we really do, then I ask you; how many memories do your family, friends and co-workers have of you sharing Christ with them. How many of them know that you have a genuine concern for their eternal soul. Take some time right now and count, yes I said count how many people in the last year that you have personally share Jesus Christ with. How many, this count may be the most important number in your life. Because this number measures you heart and beliefs about life and death, heaven and hell, and eternity. So I wonder, what's your number?

The Blessing

Isaiah 51:2 "Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. "But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.” 

Think about it, one man became a mighty nation, because of the blessing of the Lord. God's blessing produces more than man's mind can even comprehend and yet most people seek the blessing of man more than the blessing of God.

Man's blessing is limited and temporal and can change in a moment without us even being aware anything has happened. God's blessing is unlimited and eternal and is not determined by emotions but by our own decisions. We by our faith and decisions either accept or reject God's blessing upon our lives. In Matthew 5:3-11, Jesus teaches what is called the beatitudes, in these verses Jesus tells us nine things that release the blessing of the Lord upon our lives. These blessing are open for whosoever will, so why don't you be a whosoever and grab hold of God's blessing and let his blessing empower you to be a mighty nation for his glory.

The Lesson

Verse 25 "They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson."

The fires of adversity contain the lesson of God. God doesn't put us in the fire to teach us a lesson, the fires of adversity come because we have strayed from the path of life that God has laid out for us. When I find myself in the fire it is because of the choices and decisions that I have made apart from God, the lesson of adversity is always the same, return to the Lord. That is the lesson, when you life is spinning out of control and the fires of adversity are burning your life, return to the Lord.

There are really two types of adversity in our lives. One comes from living a righteous life; the world, the flesh and the devil rise up in opposition to you and attack your life because you are walking in righteousness. The other type of adversity comes from living an unrighteousness life and is probably the most common adversity that people experience. You go through a divorce because you were unfaithful to your spouse, you suffer financial ruin because you lied on your taxes, you battle poor health because you abuse your body. The list goes on and on, but the lesson is always the same, return to the Lord.

If you are in the fire ask yourself what is fueling the fire, are you suffering persecution because you are living a righteous life or are you suffering the repercussions of unrighteousness. If you are suffering for righteousness sake than rejoice and persevere, God will give you grace and strength to win the battle. If you are suffering because of unrighteousness, then learn the lesson, repent and return to the Lord, he will have mercy and grace. He will forgive you and help you to come out of the fire

You Qualify

Isaiah 40:29 "He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless."

Have you ever been refused a loan or turned down for a job because you didn't qualify. God's word has great good news, if you are weak or feel powerless to change the course of your life, then you qualify for God's strength and power. The world qualifies us by our strength and successes, but God's power and strength are given out, not to the strong or successful but to the weak and powerless. If you feel overwhelmed by life or even to weak to fight, then cry out to God; because you qualify for his help and he awaiting an invitation to engage in your life and give you his strength and power to overcome the obstacles that have come against you. He delights in your deliverance and he has already pre-approved you for his strength and power

God's Army

Isaiah 37:35 "That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers"

God's power and his army is more powerful than anything we could ever imagine, one angel killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. God is a warrior and he knows how to fight for his people and he knows how to destroy his enemies. He can make the strongest foe like grass that can easily be trampled upon, nothing can stand in his way. And when we stand with him we stand as an indestructible army able to conquer our greatest challenges and the strongest foes.

Hezekiah cried out to God when his enemies came against him. Stop warring in your flesh, trying to figure out how to win the battle and cry out to God in prayer, invite him into your battle and watch him work in your life to bring the victory. You may be surprised at how quickly God can turn the tide of the battle, he can do in one night what you could never do in a lifetime.

Freedom

Galatians 5:13 "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love."

Over and over in scripture we are reminded that we are saved to serve, God rescued us from the bondage of sin and brought us into an incredible place of freedom, so we could serve others and minister to them what God has given to us. I am free to serve, free to live and free to give my life for something greater. The secret to lasting freedom and satisfaction in life is serving others. Jesus the ultimate example said, "I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life a ransom for others".

Refuge

Isaiah 25
Verse  4 "But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat.
For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall"

The question is never will there be storms, storms come to every heart and every life. The question has always been where will you seek refuge from the storm, Isaiah gave us the answer to that question, O'Lord you are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. Storms reap there greatest havoc in our lives when we run to the wrong refuge, pride causes us to think we can weather the storm alone or fear causes us to hide in unsafe shelters trusting in things that will fall apart around us in the midst of the storm, increasing our pain and reinforcing the stronghold of fear. But God is a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the scorching heat that trys to beat us down and consume all of our energy and strength. The question is not will the storms come, but where will you run for refuge, run to the Lord.

Psalm 61:3 "for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me."

Redemption

Isaiah 15:22 "The Lord will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them."

Even in judgement God's heart is redemptive, Egypt was experiencing the judgement of God because of their sins, but in the midst of that judgement they turned to the Lord and God healed them. Everything that God does is done for the purpose of redeeming humanity and drawing a lost world back to himself. When he allows us to feel the sting of our sin, it is so we will come to our senses and return to the Lord

Drink Deeply

Isaiah 12:3 "With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!"

Joy is the key of evangelism and the fruit of the spirit. God told Isaiah that with joy the nation would drink deeply from the fountain of salvation. How deep have you drunk from that fountain? Many Christian stop drinking from the fountain of salvation the moment they are saved, but salvation is much deeper than the initial work of the spirit that happens when a person gets saved. That drink is just the first of many drinks from the fountain of salvation that God desires us to have. The work of salvation is a progressive work that takes time and consistency at the fountain. We are saved in a moment, but the completeness of that salvation in our lives is something that happens as we continue to drink from the fountain. Don't stop drinking until all you see when you look in the mirror is Jesus. When his image has been full marked upon your life you can push back from the fountain, but as long as there are areas in your life that lack his image keep drinking and drink deeply because the water is good

Send Me

Isaiah 6
Verse 5-8 "Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” then I said here I am send me."

How did Isaiah go from "it's all over, I am doomed" to "here i am send me"? The answer is forgiveness and the removal of guilt from his life, when the angel touched him with the coal and removed his guilt and forgave his sins something changed. And it is that same something that has to happen in our lives, as long as a person is still dead in their sins, consumed by the guilt of their past they are doomed. But the forgiveness and grace of God cleanses us from our sin and removes the guilt so that we too like Isaiah can have the courage and faith to boldly declare to God "here I am send me". Many Christians are still bound by the sins of their past and held prisoner by guilt and shame, but Jesus's blood is greater and more powerful than all your sin, guilt and shame. Cry out to him today and he will remove your guilt, heal your heart and forgive your sins and like Isaiah you can boldly say, "here I am send me

Boundaries

2 Corinthians 10
Verse 13 "within the boundaries of the work God has given us..."
We have boundaries, areas of authority and grace which God has given to us. As Christians we should always be enlarging those boundaries but always staying true to the calling, authority and grace that God has given us. When we step outside of those boundaries we step into trouble.If you are consistently frustrated by your life and specifically the area of ministry you are working in, you need to evaluate what your doing and make sure you are within the boundaries of your calling and God's grace for your life. Maybe a few simple adjustment can remove the frustration and free you to serve again with joy

The Invitation

Isaiah 1:4-5 "Oh, what a sinful nation they are-loaded down with a burden of guilt.
They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why do you continue to invite punishment?"

Sin is an invitation for punishment, sin is an open door to the enemy that destroys our lives, families and finances. Satan power is sin, he uses sin to steal, kill and destroy our lives. Sin becomes the open door that allows demonic strongholds to be formed in our lives. God's cry to the children of Israel was, why do you continue to invite punishment? Every choice unlocks a door into our lives, sin opens the door of destruction and righteousness opens the door of blessing, so we all need to ask ourselves this question. What are you inviting into your life?

Your Mouth

Ecclesiastes 5:6 "Don’t let your mouth make you sin" ,shutting our mouths may be the solution to saving ourselves a lot of trouble. Your words matter, if you don't believe me ask Jesus.
He said (Matthew 12:36-37) that we would have to give an account for every idle word we speak and that by our words we would be condemned or by our words we would be justified. So think about what you are saying, don't use harsh words or make vows that you can not keep. Set a guard over your mouth and bless yourself and others by controlling and think about your words before the run out of your mouth.

The Right Question

Job 40:8 “Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right?"
Isn't it amazing how far we will go to prove we are right, Job went so far to prove that he was right that he condemned God. But it shouldn't surprise us because we too are guilty of playing the "I'm right and your wrong" game. Think about all the time, energy and effort that you have spent trying to prove that you were "right". The problem with this game is that it doesn't solve the problem it just places blame. I believe that we have allowed the enemy to deceive us into asking the wrong question, when something goes wrong we ask, "who's right and who's wrong" and that question typically leads to more problems.

The right question is "what's wrong and how do we make it right", this question helps us resolve the issue and begin to move forward together again. So I challenge you to stop playing the "blame game" and start asking the right question, so that you can work through the problem that has confronted you and find a solution that benefits everyone involved