Changed by the Glory

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
just as from the Lord, the Spirit (II Corinthians 3:18).

As this Scripture declares, we are changed as we behold the glory of the Lord. Almost every Christian knows this, but it is remarkable how many get it backward in practice. Instead of seeking to see His glory so that they can be changed, they think that they have to change in order to see His glory.

As we have observed previously, when Adam and Eve first sinned they took the course that is a natural reaction to sin—they tried to hide from God. They also tried to cover up their own nakedness exposed by the sin. When the Lord called them out, they tried to blame shift to put the responsibility for their own failure on someone else. This is also a natural reaction to sin—hide, and then when exposed, blame shift. This is the path to darkness and further corruption.

However, the way of escape from both sin and the consequences of sin is to resist doing what seems natural. We must learn to run to God instead of away from Him. We must also seek to take responsibility for the sin, and not try to blame someone else. The Lord will forgive our sins, but He does not forgive excuses. When we make excuses for our sin it is obvious that we have not really repented of them. As we are told in Hebrews 4:16:

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

If you take the first two chapters of the Bible, and the last two, you have a complete story. Everything between those four chapters deal with one essential subject—redemption. The Lord is in the redemption business. He seeks to take every failure and turn it into a victory for us. That is why the failure of the first creation led to the establishment of a new creation that was even greater than the first, enabling man to partake of the heavenly nature through Christ. However, the way we do this is through the cross. We must die to all that we are in order to partake of the new and greater life. We die in order to live; we lay down our lives in order to be raised up.

That is why we must learn to boldly turn to the throne of grace when we stumble, instead of trying to hide or blame shift. We do not have to wait to become perfect in order to enter into His presence, but rather entering into His presence perfects us. In all things, even our sin and failures, we must learn to turn to the Lord and seek to behold His glory. Then we will be changed. When we behold His glory we will begin to reflect His glory, because we will be changed into His same image. This is our ultimate calling—to be like Him and do the works that He did.

When we think of seeing His glory we think of everything from beautiful colors to some perception of His nature. The story about Moses when he asked to see His glory gives us some insight into what we will see when we behold His glory.

Then Moses said, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!"
And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you,
and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you;
and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"
Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me,
and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about,
while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock
and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
"Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back,
but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:18-23).

When Moses saw the Lord's back, what did he see? I believe that he prophetically saw the stripes that were on His back. Remember, the Lord was crucified from the beginning. When He created the world He knew that He would also have to suffer and even die for it, yet He continued. There is nothing else that will ever more fully reveal His glory. When we truly behold what He did for us we will be changed.

MorningStar Ministries

Wake up Grandfather!

As I look out my window I can see Grandfather Mountain. It was named that because it looks like a man lying on his back sleeping. That is the perception that many have of their grandfathers. I have heard it said a number of times by the elderly that they just could not sleep during the daytime until they reached that age. The older we get we probably do need more sleep, but spiritually it is the most important time of all to wake up. We are in our greatest time of need for the wisdom and leadership of our grandfathers and grandmothers.

First, I believe we need to have the wisdom to be "spiritual grandfathers and grandmothers." This was a mandate for the Levites under the Old Covenant. They were prepared for ministry in the tabernacle or temple from birth. They then performed this ministry from the age of thirty until they were fifty. Then they retired from ministry in the temple, but entered into what may have been their most fruitful years serving as elders. As elders they sat in the gates as judges, and they discipled the younger Levites who were preparing for service. Let's take a moment to ponder the wisdom of this system, and how the church could desperately need it today.

In I Corinthians 6:5 Paul wrote, "I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren." In the previous four verses he admonishes the Corinthians because they were called to judge angels, but could not even decide minor matters in this life. It seems that possibly the greatest cause of the shame that repeatedly comes upon the church in our time is because we lack elders who will take their authority as judges.

As we read in Psalm 89:14, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne." It is right to emphasize righteousness, but we will never be able to walk in the full authority that we are called to, representing the throne of the Lord, until we also give an equal emphasis to justice. Presently the church is filled with unrighteous judgment. Because those who are called to be judges in the church have not taken their responsibility in this area, some have assumed the position of being a judge in the church without the calling from God.

Most of the people who I have heard referred to as spiritual fathers were in fact spiritual grandfathers. We tend to think of men as spiritual fathers when they are old, but like in the natural, most men become fathers when they are young. Almost all of the leaders of truly dynamic churches that are still on the cutting edge of advancement, and are involved in further church planting, are led by those who are under the age of fifty. There are exceptions, but not that many. Just as most men start becoming grandfathers at around the age of fifty, if we have done our job well, those we have raised up should be the most dynamic producers in the church by the time they get to that age. Why not let them take over then? Most likely, there is nowhere for us to go.

When I inquired of the Lord about how to start a movement that would not stop moving, His reply was that I must use the wisdom of the geese. Geese fly in "V" formation for aerodynamic reasons. The geese that draft behind the lead bird use 20-35 percent less energy than the lead bird. Therefore, the lead bird can only stay in the lead for a short period of time before it will need to let another bird take its place, or the whole flock will start slowing down as the lead bird tires. This is why most churches and movements start losing their momentum so quickly. We do not know how to change leaders gracefully. Neither do we have a place for those who move out of being the point man in a congregation or movement. This one thing does bog down the momentum of a huge portion of the church.

For the church to make a place for its true elders we must also recover and fulfill the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers. This was the commandment that contained the promise "that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives to you" (Deuteronomy 5:16). Not doing this is why many churches and movements do not remain long as a vibrant, relevant force in the earth. Most effectively die with the death of their founder, or before, as they become a bottleneck to future advancement. If we will learn to transfer responsibility in the right way and at the right time, our churches and movements will keep growing in strength and spiritual authority.

The last days of a person's life should be their best and most fruitful. To do this we must know the time to turn over the reigns of the day-to-day ministry in the church, and give ourselves to a higher calling. Just as Paul the Apostle wrote most of his letters near the end of his life, that is the time when the wine of wisdom is the best. As Alex Haley once said, "Every time an old person dies it is like a library burning down." We should not be letting any of the great saints pass until they have left us all that they have to give.

We should also make a place for the true elders of the church in teaching and training of the youth and children. These are the most important ministries in any church. We will not be bearing fruit that remains unless we are imparting our vision and our values to the next generation. Like the patriarchs of Scripture, we should not depart until we have prophesied over the coming generation, imparting destiny and vision for their future. Those who attain the promises will also be those who esteem the prophetic blessing of their parents enough to do whatever it takes to get it.

MorningStar Ministries

Where is Justice?

Because I have something of a prophetic reputation I am continually asked my opinion about current events. This is a serious problem because I can give my opinion and it is often related as being a prophecy even when I make it clear that it is an opinion and not a prophecy. I do not presume to know the Lord's perspective on everything, or even many things that relate to current events. I used to take His silence as rejection, but now I feel that there may be a message in it.

The last time He would not speak to me on a matter that I earnestly sought Him about was the Y2K matter. For months I inquired of Him with no response. Finally, when He did speak to me about it, He merely said that He was not speaking about it because it was not going to be anything. That, of course, turned out to be exactly right.

I have learned that many things in my personal life that I can be consumed with usually turn out to be insignificant, and therefore just a waste of my worries. I have also learned many things that capture the interest and concern of the world do not even cause a ripple in heaven. Usually it is for the same reason; these matters turn out to be unimportant. Because of this, I try to pray every day to see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and understand with His heart. I do not claim to be anywhere close to this now, but I believe that this is the calling of every Christian, not just those who are called prophetically.

I also like to watch the news, and follow politics and business because they can reveal the heart of the people that we are called to reach. However, it is crucial that we are able to separate what the people are saying from what God is saying. These two are often not only different but in opposition to each other. Even so, we can be thankful for democracy, as it is obviously the best form of government on earth. We can have the most perfect form of government but it will be no better than the men and women who are in it.

Democracy is supposed to be the rule of the people. In such a form of government there will always be dissent. But if those who are in dissent are the minority, they must work to be more convincing to take their position before they have their way. This is how it is supposed to work. The courts have an enormous authority to dictate the actual application of the laws passed by the majority of people. Many shrewd people who understand this try to dictate policy by setting legal precedents. Precedent law is one of the widest open doors for injustice that can tragically pervert justice and the will of the people. Even so, our system of justice usually does remarkably well considering that it is run by people. All people are fallible, even the best Christians.

We must understand that the practice of law is an art, not a science. One can be dead wrong but still win in court by being able to articulate a more persuasive argument, or by seizing a technicality. Because it seems that the entire presidential election was really decided by the Supreme Court, what should be our response to this as Christians?

First, we must keep in mind that even the most perfect government of man will not be perfect. The United States is not the kingdom of God, and will have its flaws until the King returns. Half of the people in America not only felt that their man lost the election, but that they were cheated out of it. We were thrust into a situation in which either way it was decided would not be fair to the other side. We were simply caught in that terrible place where perfect justice was humanly impossible. It is time that we wake up to the fact that we have always been there. Perfect justice and perfect government are not humanly possible. Even so, because I have traveled much of the world and have seen the alternatives with all of their flaws, I am profoundly thankful to be an American and to live in a democracy.

I was once astonished as I watched the former owner of the Washington Redskins football team make a statement after his team lost a playoff game by what the cameras clearly showed was a bad call by the officials. He said simply, "The world is not fair. We should not expect to be treated fairly." He then talked about how it was their job to come back next year and play well enough so that the game would not be decided by officials.

I was personally thankful for the outcome of the election, but I also know if the good people in this country do not determine that they are going to work hard enough next time so that the outcome is not in danger of being decided by the officials, we are likely to find ourselves in the same situation again. If we are not happy about the outcome of this election, and feel that it was stolen from us by a bad call, let us not become bitter, let us determine to work harder next time.

Let us also realize that even the greatest works of man are fragile, but we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. As Isaiah 33:22 states, "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." Here we see that the Lord Himself will fulfill all three branches of government: the judicial (judge), the legislative (lawgiver), and the executive (king). He is not sitting in the heavens and wringing His hands in worry over any election. He cannot lose—He always wins. He has also given us this great promise:

Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war (Isaiah 2:2-4).

MorningStar Ministries

Hesitating Between Opinions

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word (I Kings 18:21).

Our recent presidential election dilemma seems to be an accurate depiction of the spiritual state of the country. We are divided almost exactly right down the middle. Like the Mississippi River that divides the nation, and continually drifts from one side to the other, public opinion is generally so centrist that the extremes on either side can push it a little to one side or the other. It will then resist the pressure and swing back toward the middle. Is this good or bad?

The economic interests of this country consider it a good thing. Wall Street leaders stated that their hope for the election was "continued gridlock in Washington." Wall Street is doing fine just the way things are, so they do not want the boat rocked in either direction. They prospered when one party controlled the White House and the other one controlled Congress. They like the huge budget surpluses, they want them to keep piling up, and they do not want anyone to come with enough influence to start spending it.

For the moral interests of America, gridlock seems to be a bad thing, but is it? It can be either a great tragedy, or a great opportunity. It will be a tragedy if the good people of this nation continue to sit back and wait for the government to do what they are called to do. It can be a great opportunity if the good people arise and take the moral and spiritual leadership that they are called to take.

My prayers will always be for the Lord to give us leaders who will stand for righteousness, truth, and justice. However, I do not believe that the destiny of this nation, or any nation, is found in its civil government, but in the church. Prayer can accomplish more than any election. One little prayer meeting can have more power than the United States Congress and United Nations Assembly combined. Prayer can move the hand of God in a way that no one can resist.

The world has been shocked by just how fragile the government of the greatest democracy in the world has proven to be. The whole nation voted, but it seemed for a while that it would be just a few people who lived in a single county, or even a single local judge who would decide who would sit in the most powerful political office on earth. Circumstances set the stage so that when either one prevailed one half of the nation would feel that they were cheated. That set the stage for one to potentially sit in the most powerful office in the world, without much power. Wall Street may have liked it for a while, but even their prosperity is based on the faith of the people in the system, and that faith was close to being seriously eroded. The result of this shaking was an economic decline.

It does seem that much of the remaining morality in America is based more on civic morality than a true faith in God and His standards. The stage is being set for the true heart of the nation to be revealed. We will not like what we see. Many who thought that they had been worshiping the true God will find that they have in fact only been worshiping the idols fashioned by our culture. We are in desperate need for the church to arise with the prophetic resolution of Elijah to stand for the one and only true God, and have the power to demonstrate it. This is not the power of the vote, but the power of the Holy Spirit. As we are told in I Corinthians 4:20, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power." Before the church will be released with this desperately needed power, we too must stop hesitating between all of the worldly opinions.

The Lord is not a Republican or a Democrat. He is not coming to take sides, but to take over. He is not going to come back because of the will of the people, but because of the will of the Father. The church in America does not need the ability to win votes, what we need is a return to our true Source of power. Then, as the great apostle declared in I Corinthians 2:4, we too will be able to say "And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." We need the ability to supernaturally demonstrate His power to men so that all who worship other gods can come to clearly understand that He alone is the one true God.

My main concern is not the indecisiveness of the American people as much as it is the indecisiveness of the church in America. If the church in America had voted for moral truth rather than their idols, and their pocket books, this election would not have even been close. The last church that the Lord Himself warned in the Book of Revelation, represents the last day church. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).

As a citizen I was concerned about the outcome of the election. I am thankful to be an American. I believe in voting and praying for my country, but I am far more concerned about the general lack of prophetic resolution on the part of the church in America. My first citizenship is to another kingdom, of which I have been made an ambassador. I am more concerned about those who are called to be a part of the "holy nation" than I am this nation. Even so, I know that when the church awakens from her own moral depravity and spiritual stupor, there will be a witness of the one and only true God. Then the "prophets of Baal" will be silenced.

MorningStar Ministries

The Beauty of Holiness

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in
your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all
your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (I Peter 1:14-16).

Holiness has almost become a bad word among many Christians in our time. This is usually because it is associated with movements and teachings that are legalistic in their approach to holiness. Even so, not only is holiness fundamental to true Christianity, we are exhorted in Hebrews 12:14: "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Sanctification is a word that is often interchangeable with holiness, which means to be set apart, purified, etc. As this Scripture declares, we must be holy if we expect to see the Lord.

Recent studies indicate that there is no longer a measurable difference between the morality of those who claim to be born again Christians and non-Christians. Christians are now sliding into debauchery so fast that soon Christians will, when measured as a whole, be less moral, and have less integrity than unbelievers! What is even more shocking is that there are not alarms being sounded from every pulpit and meeting place in the land!

There are now grounds to justify calling Christians hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who claims to believe or do one thing, but does another. Let us also not forget that Jesus Himself reserved His most fierce denunciations for hypocrites. If we are going to church and claiming to be Christians, but are doing the things that we know the Scriptures condemn, we are the ones that He was talking about. We are the ones who are bringing shame to His most glorious name.

However, the Lord is full of grace and mercy to those who humble themselves and repent of their iniquity. Even when King Ahab, one of Israel's most evil and idolatrous kings, repented near the end of his life, the Lord immediately responded to him with mercy (see I Kings 21:20-29). If we have been caught in the snares of evil, we must run to the Lord, not away from Him. He will have mercy and help us.

The Holy Spirit, who is the personification of the holiness of God by His very name, is also the Helper. God does not require us to do anything that He will not also empower us to do by His Holy Spirit. However, we must understand that this is His name for a reason. If we want the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we too must be holy.

The true key to living a holy life is not just determining that we are going to stop doing what we know is wrong, but to simply return to our first love, God. That is why the Lord summed up the entire Law of Moses with the two commandments: to love the Lord, and to love our neighbors. If we love God, we will not worship idols or do the things that offend Him because we are the temple of His Holy Spirit. If we love our neighbors, we will not murder, steal, or even envy them. If we live a life devoted to loving God and our neighbors, we will not do wrong things, and will therefore fulfill the Law. True holiness is not motivated by fear, but love.

The true holiness to which the church is called is not that of a bride who is afraid that if she is not perfect her bridegroom will punish her. True holiness is that of a bride who is so passionately in love with her Bridegroom that she wants to be perfect for Him in every way. Therefore, the first step in recovering any spiritual ground that we have lost by falling into sin is to pray for God to have mercy on us and restore to us our first love. To then stay on the path is a simple devotion to growing in love for Him and our neighbors.

MorningStar Ministries

The Great Ministry

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-19).

The ministry of reconciliation is a ministry that is given to every Christian. Once we have been reconciled to God through the cross, it is our basic calling to help reconcile others to Him. The primary way that we do this is through the proof of a life that is reconciled to God. Just what does such a life look like?

The first thing that was lost by the Fall of man was his relationship with God. Therefore, the first thing that should be restored by redemption is our relationship with God. The Lord created man for fellowship, and our primary purpose is to fellowship with Him. If there was a way to measure the degree to which redemption has worked in our lives, it would be by how close our relationship is with God. If we walk with God, we will become like Him, as we are told in II Corinthians 3:18:

But we all, with an unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

We cannot walk with God without beholding His glory. If we behold His glory we will be transformed into His same image. We can therefore ask ourselves: Are we becoming more Christ-like? Are we growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Are we growing in the gifts of the Spirit? All the gifts are aspects of Him. Is this transformation noticeable to others? If so, they too will be compelled to be reconciled to God. When Jesus is lifted up, all men will be drawn to Him. If they are not being drawn to Him through us then we have somehow departed from the course.

This drawing to the Lord can be for Christians as well as non-Christians. There are many who have "come to Jesus" but all that they ever received was a religion. The Lord did not save us so that we could become members of a church. That is one of the benefits, and true church life should be one of the most fulfilling things that we can do on this earth, but we must have a greater vision than that. We do not serve God by serving the church, we serve God as members of the church. There is a difference. If we try to serve God by serving the church, it becomes an end in itself. As the Shulamite maid said to her beloved in the Song of Solomon 1:7:

"Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where do you pasture your flock, where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?"

When we are only content to be in someone else=s flock, instead of developing our own relationships with Him, we veil ourselves. Then we will not be changed into His image, but rather someone else=s. This is why we are told that we must behold the Lord "with an unveiled face" (see II Corinthians 3:18) in order to be changed into His image. There are many veils Christians can put on that distort His image causing them to be changed into a distorted image of Him. One of those veils can be the church itself.

We cannot be content to have a relationship with the Lord through anyone else, or through the church. The Lord does not have any grandchildren. We are all first generation sons and daughters to Him. Ministers are friends of the Bridegroom who are called to help prepare the bride for Him.

When there is a spiritual intimacy between the Lord and His church, she will bear fruit and souls will be born into the kingdom. How would you feel if all of your children looked like your best friend? Why is it that so many Christians are conformed to the image of their church, denomination, or movement, rather than into the image of Christ Himself? It is because they are more focused on these than on Him. They are being changed into the image of what they are beholding.

When the church becomes what she is called to be, there will be nothing we want to do more in this world than go to church meetings. This is because we will be coming together to serve the Lord, and to behold His glory. There is no one in the universe more interesting than God. Just as the highest calling of the priesthood in the Old Testament was to minister to the Lord, the highest calling that we can have is to minister to Him. Ministry to the people was a secondary calling. It is still important, but not as important as the ministry to the Lord.

If we do not draw near to Him we will be little more than a form of religion to minister to people. Our goal should be to stay so close to Him that His glory is reflected from us like it was Moses. People knew when Moses had been with the Lord. Do they know when we have been with Him? It should be said of us as it was the Lord=s first century disciples in Acts 4:13:

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

When we have been with Jesus we too will cause men to marvel. When the church again gives her highest devotion to drawing near to the Lord, she will be changed into His image, and the whole world will marvel.

MorningStar Ministries

The High Calling of God

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have
been created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).

This Scripture makes it clear that we were created by the Son and for the Son. This is carried a little further in Romans 8:29:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.

By this we must ask one of the ultimate questions: Would Jesus have come to the earth if there had not been a Fall? I think so, because as glorious as the redemption of the cross is, the Lord made it clear that He came to do more than just redeem the earth—He came to begin a new creation, which we become a part of after our redemption. Consider Ephesians 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 blameless before Him, in love.

We were known by the Lord before the foundation of the world, and He was crucified before the foundation of the world. The Lord knew the end from the beginning, and He knew that man would fall and require redemption. But there was also a higher purpose for man in God=s heart before He created him. He obviously had the new creation in His heart as well as the redemption of the former one.

This new creation was the intention for man to ascend from the natural realm to the heavenly nature. Man was to be the bridge between the natural creation and the heavenly, or spiritual, realm. Through the Holy Spirit we have this treasure in earthly vessels, but we are called to take on the nature of the spiritual realm. When we are born again by the Spirit we actually become a new species. We walk the earth, but by the Spirit we can now dwell in the heavenly places with Christ.

Even if there had not been a transgression, it was always the Lord's intention for man to partake of a heavenly calling and be united with Him in a special way through His Son. When we are born we are just beginning life; when we are born again we are just beginning the process of spiritual maturity. Our goal is to be like the Lord, and do the works that He did. He was the first born of many brethren. He came to redeem us, but also to show us how to live in the new creation nature. That nature has authority over the things that were the result of the fall, such as sickness, and the host of hell that has inhabited the earth through the gate of hell opened by the fall.

Again, this is in no way to belittle the glory of the redemption that we have through the cross, as it will always be the centerpiece of our very comprehension of the glory and nature of God. The cross is the only door through which we may enter the purposes of God. However, we must also realize that our purpose is more than just being forgiven of our sins, as great as that may be, or even to be returned to our intended state before the fall, as glorious as that may be. Redemption is a gift of unfathomable value, but we must press on to the attaining of our ultimate purpose—to walk in the nature of the new creation. When we do, we will be walking as Jesus walked, which is the calling of every Christian.

MorningStar Ministries

Witnessing to Principalities and Powers

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:8-9).

How does the church make known the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places? First, we must understand the boast that Satan maintains before the throne of God.

When the Lord was about to destroy Israel in the wilderness, Moses interceded by reminding the Lord that if He destroyed Israel now the whole world would say that the Lord had the power to bring Israel out of Egypt, but He did not have the power to bring them into the Promised Land (see Numbers 14:13-16). Satan maintains a similar accusation against God concerning the church. He maintains that the Lord can forgive us for our sins, but He does not have the power to deliver us from our sinful nature, which is, of course, the work of Satan. In this way he maintains that his evil power is stronger than the Lord=s because he controls mankind, even redeemed mankind. However, as we are told in Ephesians 5:25-27:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

Before the end comes there will be a church that is a worthy bride for the Lamb of God. She will be without "spot or wrinkle or any such thing . . . holy and blameless." She will be a testimony to the entire host of heaven for all time that truth is stronger than lies, and the goodness of the Lord will always ultimately triumph over evil.

The bride of the first Adam lived in a perfect world, and yet she chose to sin. Before the end comes the "last Adam," (see I Corinthians 15:45) Christ, will have a bride who lives in the darkest of times, a most imperfect world, and yet chooses to obey God. She will follow the light, and walk in truth, holy and blameless before her Lord. She loves the truth more than she loves this present world, or the acceptance of this present world. Because of this, for all of the ages to come, she will be known as worthy to rule with the King of kings.

Whenever we choose to walk in the light, even when the whole world follows after darkness, we are a testimony to the power of the light. Whenever we do right, even when the whole world does wrong, we are a testimony of the power of right. That power will one day overcome all of the wrong on the earth.

In this age, the greatest testimony of the power of truth and light is that it is willing to suffer and even die rather than compromise truth and light. The testimony of those who know the truth and light will be to live for that which is eternal, not just for the temporary. The willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness is the ultimate testimony that one has the ultimate devotion to righteousness. This witness is even marveled by the angels, who will one day cause all to bow the knee to truth, righteousness, and the grace of God—He is the Source of all truth and righteousness.

MorningStar Ministries

Truth in Preaching

Yesterday we studied about how there has been a great perversion of the Gospel in our times. The gospel has been changed from "Jesus came to save us from our sins" to "Jesus came to save us from our troubles." There is an eternal difference between the two.

The preaching of a gospel that implies that the Lord came to deliver us from our troubles often compels us to wait until a person is in desperation before we share the good news with them. Jesus did not send circumstances to lead men to Himself; He sent the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin. If a person must be in desperate personal circumstances before coming to the Lord, then their purpose for coming to the Lord will be their circumstances rather than the conviction of their sin by the Holy Spirit. Just as those who were called by the Lord when He walked the earth were not in desperation because of personal circumstances, neither should a person's circumstances determine whether they are ready for the gospel or not.

The power of the gospel is not external. Its effectiveness is not dependent on the circumstances we are in, but on the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit convicts someone of their sins, they will bow the knee to the cross regardless of how well or poorly they are doing. If He does not convict them of their sin, and their desperate need for the cross, then they are coming to Christ on a wrong pretense, and a wrong foundation.

Whatever is built upon a weak foundation will likewise be weak. Is this not a primary reason for the weakness of Christians today? Is this not why there is such a meltdown of morality and integrity among Christians today—studies reveal that there is no discernable moral difference between Christians and non-Christians? When there is no moral difference between Christians and non-Christians then somehow Christ Himself is not in the Christian's life.

Could this reveal why Peter was sent to the Jews and Paul was sent to the Gentiles? Peter, an unlearned fisherman, was an offense to the Jews he was sent to. On the other hand, Paul, a "Pharisee of Pharisees" was an offense to the Gentiles that he was sent to. The only way that either of them could be successful in reaching those to whom they were called was to depend on the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit did not come, neither would anyone come to the Lord because of the messengers. All true messengers will be but "earthen vessels." It does not matter what the vessel looks like—what does matter is what is inside. When we have to spend too much time dressing up the vessel it is because of the weakness of what is in the vessel.

In many schools of evangelism there is a philosophy imparted that we must try to identify with those to which we are called to preach the gospel. This has caused many evangelists and missionaries to become neutralized in their work, and I have witnessed this to be the case with many who are in the field. However, if we are to be truly effective we should understand that the Lord will probably send us to those whom we cannot identify with, and who will not identify with us, just as He did with Peter and Paul. Therefore, they will not come to Jesus because of us, but because of Him! They will come because the Holy Spirit touched their lives, not us.

There is a place for studying customs and cultures for the sake of not being unnecessarily offensive to people, but if many of the missionaries I have met spent as much time studying the Lord, the truth of His Word, and seeking the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as they did studying cultures, they would certainly be reaching far more people with the true gospel.

I thank the Lord for all who are in the field devoting their lives to reaching people for the Lord. I have also met many who are doing what I consider to be true apostolic works. Even so, the very fabric of Christianity is being weakened by many, here and abroad, who are preaching a gospel of easy problem solving, or a pseudo philosophy of identificational sensitivity (This should not be confused with identificational repentance for national and cultural sins). If people do not come to Jesus because of the desperation of one thing—their sinfulness and desperate need for the forgiveness that can come from the cross of Jesus alone—then they have come by way of "different gospel" (see Galatians 1:6) and they have come to another god who is not the real Jesus.

But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ (II Corinthians 11:3).

When Jesus is lifted up, on the cross, He will draw all men to Himself. If we lift up any other message for the sake of leading people to salvation, we are preaching another gospel.

True Discipleship

As Steve Thompson related in one of our leadership team meetings, there have been scientific studies made which indicate that the way that we are born can affect our whole lives. One example that was given is a procedure developed called "drug them and tug them," which was to drug the mother and tug the baby out. That generation became the one that turned to drug use in mass. Drugs are used as an escape from the pains of life.

It seems that there has also been a parallel to this in the church. When the gospel of an "easy salvation," or an easy new birth, began to be preached, Christians in mass seemed to become easily addicted to spiritual drugs, or doctrines that make you feel good while escaping reality. This message of an easy salvation was basically "come to Jesus and He will save you from all of your problems," rather than the biblical gospel that we come to Him to be saved from our sin, and to enter a life of radical discipleship and self-sacrifice.

I was given a prophetic word over twenty years ago that "the saved needed to get saved." This word continues to ring in my ears as I have watched a veritable meltdown of morality and integrity in the Western church. The weakness of Christians to stand against temptation and deception continues to grow rapidly. There is something fundamentally wrong with what is generally happening in Christianity today. When something starts going fundamentally wrong, it is the result of a problem with the foundation. We need to reexamine the very foundations of our gospel message, and the method, or lack of one, that is being used to disciple those who are coming into the church.

Because of excesses in the past with shepherding and discipleship, many believers now have a knee jerk reaction just to these words. As I have studied those movements, trying to understand what went wrong, I do believe that the methods that were devised by them promoted weakness and immaturity in believers rather than maturity. I am certainly not proposing a return to them, but there is a true discipleship, and there is a desperate need for true shepherds who will lay down their lives for the sheep, and not just try to use them for their own selfish gain. The

Apostle Paul described the gospel that he preached in I Corinthians 2:1-5:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

A question that we must ask is: Are people today really being converted by the cross at all? Are we merely converting them to our denominations, to our doctrines, and to us? Are we even converting them to shallow promises of an easier life and deliverance from their problems? Following Jesus will not deliver us from all our problems— it will even give us some of the biggest ones, possibly even calling for our lives! He did not come to deliver us from our problems, but from ourselves. He did not come to change our circumstances—He came to change us! Jesus is not coming cap in hand begging men to "accept Him." He still calls men to come to Him the same way He called them when He walked this earth.

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23).

When Jesus called His disciples, it was for total commitment. They had to be willing to leave everything to follow Him, and so do we. If He is not the Lord of all, then He is not our Lord at all. As Paul also wrote:

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (II Corinthians 5:14-15).

Nothing less than this is true discipleship, as the Lord Jesus Himself made clear:

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:21-23).

When we modify the message of the cross in order to make it acceptable, we destroy the power of that message to truly save. There are many "gospels" that are being preached today that have made multitudes feel safe in a spiritual condition in which their eternal lives were in jeopardy. Those who preach such a diluted gospel, and who promote such an easy Christian life, may be the biggest stumbling blocks living today. As Paul said, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void" (I Corinthians 1:17-18).

Before we can preach the true message of the cross, we must be delivered from the fear of man, the compulsion to be accepted by men, or the motive of wanting to receive anything from them. As Paul declared in Galatians 1:10: "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."

If we are to walk with Christ we cannot be controlled by the fear of man, or the compulsion to be accepted by men. If we are controlled by these fears and desires, we will not be bond-servants of Christ. We do not preach in order to please men, but to please God. Our goal must not be to get people to respond to our message, but to the undiluted gospel of Jesus Christ. Only when we walk in this way are we truly walking under His Lordship, and only then will our message be true.

MorningStar Ministries

Possessing the Promises

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:11-12).

I am thankful for the great emphasis that many ministries have put on faith over the last few decades. However, as the text above declares, it will take faith and patience to inherit the promises. Isn't it strange that we have this huge "faith movement," but have never heard of a "patience movement?"

It takes two wings for an eagle to fly. If an eagle were to try to fly with just one wing he would only spin around in circles on the ground. The same is true of many people who are trying to soar spiritually on their faith, but have not added patience. These just keep going around in circles, getting more and more frustrated and kicking up a lot of dust. Any truth that we teach without the counter-balancing truth will lead us to frustration, not fulfillment. As we read of Abraham, who is called the "father of faith":

In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness (Romans 4:18-22).

True faith does not waver over time, but becomes stronger. Therefore, patience is the proof of whether one's faith is real or not.

I meet many discouraged Christians who feel that God gave them promises that have not been fulfilled. If any promise of God is not fulfilled, we can be sure that the entire fault is on our side, not His. He is always true to His word.

So what is it that we could be doing wrong? In most cases it seems that we are confusing faith with an emotion, and not joining it with patience. There are conditions with every promise of God. If we are not seeing His promises fulfilled it is because we are not meeting the conditions. Having faith is one condition—having patience is another. If we get discouraged with the passage of time while waiting for a promise to come to pass, then we do not have the true faith of God. True faith always gets stronger with the passage of time, not weaker.

Between the place where the children of Israel were given the promise of a Promised Land, and the Promised Land itself, there was a wilderness that was the exact opposite of what they were promised. The wilderness proved whether they would trust God, or doubt Him. The same is almost always true when we are given a promise. There is often a wilderness to go through to get to the fulfillment of the promise that is the opposite of what we have been promised. It is in this place that we must choose either to believe God, or give in to discouragement and self-pity.

Self-pity is one of the primary destroyers assigned to keep God's people from walking in their purposes. If we allow self-pity or discouragement into our lives, we will wander in useless circles just as the first generation of Israelites did who left Egypt. If we believe God, we will in due time attain the promise. If we believe God we will even rejoice in the wilderness, being thankful to have been called by God.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (II Corinthians 2:14).

MorningStar Ministries

The Path to Fulfillment

As we studied yesterday, the "Great Commission is not just making converts, but making disciples. The word disciple means "student." It also means "disciplined one." Both apply to our lives in Christ.

When we come to the Lord we become a lifelong student. As we read in I Corinthians 2:10, "... for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." Because this is the Spirit's nature, if the Holy Spirit is leading us we too will always be searching to know the Lord deeper. We will be compelled to know His ways, not just His acts. True Christianity and shallowness are contradictory to each other.

Because the word "disciple" also means "a disciplined one," II Timothy 1:7 declares, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." Few think of discipline as a fruit or gift of the Spirit, but it is very basic to the nature of the Spirit that we have been given. If we live by the Spirit we will be a disciplined people. This denotes controlling ourselves with focus and purpose. That is why "self-control" is listed as a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-24).

In I Timothy 4:7-8 we are told to "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." Nothing of significance has most likely ever been accomplished without discipline. If we will discipline ourselves in Christ we will accomplish things that will bear eternal fruit. If we want to do anything of significance we must seize and apply the great power that is released through discipline.

I have been told a few times by friends who have known me from childhood that they cannot understand how I ever accomplished the things that I have. I understand their perplexity. Many of them are smarter than I am, and much more gifted, yet they languish in jobs they hate while I am doing the kind of things they dream about. Why? Though I was a failure in school, and seemed destined to a life of failure, when I was born again I was given the gift of discipline. Something gripped me so that I knew there was nothing more important or more fulfilling than getting to know the Lord. While others were out having fun, I stayed home and studied for years. To them it looked like I was wasting my life, but now it looks like they are the ones who were wasting their opportunity to do something significant.

It does not matter how old you are, or how many years you may have wasted, it is not too late to change. All discipline will pay off. Our discipline in the Lord will bear eternal fruit. Many would begin to live lives of great fruitfulness and fulfillment if they took just the time they now spend in front of the television and instead spent it in front of the throne of God, seeking to know Him, giving themselves to His service. The following verses can change lives from one of defeat and discouragement into powerful demonstrations of the kingdom of God. Read them. Ponder them. Pray over them. Obey them.

and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him;For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives."It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Do not waste your trials. They are more precious than gold. As the Lord said in Revelation 3:19: "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent."

The Great Commission

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

We have often confused the good news of our salvation through the cross with the message of the Great Commission. Of course this is included in the gospel, but the gospel is much more than personal salvation. The foundation of The Great Commission is that all authority has been given to Jesus, in both heaven and earth. The Great Commission is not just a proclamation of our salvation, but of His authority.

Of course, our redemption is so wonderful, and the message of the love of God that is established by it is so profound, that it is easy to understand why many have a difficult time seeing beyond it. However, if we are to fulfill The Great Commission we must see beyond it. We were not commanded to go into all of the world with the gospel of salvation, but with the gospel of the kingdom, as we read in Matthew 24:14:

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."

The gospel of the kingdom is the good news that Jesus is the King who sits above all rule and authority and power. He can at anytime reveal to the whole world that He is the King by peeling back the heavens. However, until the time of His return, He is seeking to call those who so love God and His truth that they will live in His kingdom now, even though they are opposed by the whole world that still lies in the power of the evil one.

We first proclaim Him as our own King by submitting our lives to His leadership and dominion. Then we seek to proclaim the good news of how much more wonderful it is to live under His dominion rather than under the domain of this present evil age. However, our message will be hollow and empty unless we are in fact living under His dominion.That is why the Great Commission was not just to make converts, but to make disciples, teaching them to observe "all" that He has commanded. The most important step in any journey is usually the first, but we must acknowledge that the first step is just the beginning. As wonderful as it is to be born again, when one is born again they are as far from their ultimate purpose as an infant is from being the President of the United States. I use this example of the President because a Christian is called to something much higher than that—which is ruling and reigning with Christ.

The author of the Book of Hebrews laments that he cannot give his readers solid food, but can only give them milk because of their immaturity. Hebrews is one of the deepest theological books in the Bible, with few Christians even comprehending many of its teachings such as that about the Melchezedek priesthood, yet the author says that this book is only milk! (see Hebrews 5:11-14) Where does this leave us? How do we go on to maturity so that we can partake of solid food spiritually?

The Lord spoke something to me nearly twenty years ago that so jolted me that I have since been on a quest trying to understand it. What the Lord said was that many multi-level marketers understand kingdom principles better than the present leaders of the church. An important insight about this statement came to me recently from a friend of mine, who has been one of the most successful multi-level marketers. I asked him what he considered to be the secret of his success. He replied quickly that it was the fact that when someone entered their business they were immediately shown how far they could go, and that each step toward their goal was clearly defined so that they always knew where they were in relation to their goal, and what they needed to do next to go higher.

How many Christians can say that in relation to their purposes in Christ? How many even know the next step toward pressing on to maturity? In poles I have taken in our conferences it seems that less than 5 percent of Christians even know what their own purpose in Christ is. This must be one of the great and tragic failures of the modern church.

When I had the prophetic experience that I wrote about in The Final Quest, I had to climb a mountain. Each level on that mountain represented a biblical truth. As I climbed higher, I received more authority to defeat the enemies who were attacking us, and I also began to see more of the glory of the Lord. Since that time I have sought the wisdom of the Lord as to how to best implement the climbing of that mountain into our ministry and our message.

It is for the reason of trying to impart this systematic spiritual progression that I am writing this kind of book. Even though it is a daily devotional, I think that you can see a systematic progression in it. I am already writing the next one, which I believe can help show the way to an even higher realm on the mountain of the Lord. As Proverbs 4:18 declares, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day." The light that we walk in should be getting continually brighter.

MorningStar Ministries

The Place of Miracles

For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power (I Corinthians 4:20).

When the Lord fed the thousands with just a few fish and loaves, what made this miracle so great was that so much was done with so little. The Lord gets more glory when we have less in our hands to do His works with. One of the greatest hindrances to our seeing the miracles of God is when we have too much.

When the Lord calls us to do a task, we must resist looking to our resources for the ability to carry it out, but rather look to God's resources. Having much may actually hinder us from doing great things for Him. When the Lord set about to change the world He did not start accumulating a large treasury for the task. He just looked for twelve men that He could anoint. Even the men that He chose were lacking in the natural gifts and abilities to carry out such a purpose. However, the Lord did not need their abilities. He only needed a few who would be willing vessels for the Holy Spirit.

Years ago the Lord said to me that money was my least valuable resource. It is a resource, and has some value, but it is the least of what we need to carry out His purposes. We need the Holy Spirit. There are a couple of crucial factors about the Holy Spirit that we need to understand if we are going to be used by Him. These are highlighted in the very first mention of the Spirit in Genesis 1:2:

And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Here we see that in the first mention of the Holy Spirit, He is moving. In almost every mention of Him in Scripture He is moving. In John 3:8 we are told, "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Those who are born of the Spirit will also be moving. The Christian life is not static—it is always moving, flowing, going somewhere. This is the nature of those who are born of the Spirit.

The second major factor we notice about the Spirit in Genesis is that He brought forth this glorious creation out of that which was formless and void. He still loves to do this. We do not have to be perfect for Him to use us. We can actually be over-organized and over-prepared for Him to be able to use us. The Lord is not against organization, but in our pitiful little human perspectives our organization is often the result of majoring on minors. We want to get things ready, but He wants to get us ready. Our readiness is not dependent on the material realm, but on a heart that loves, trusts, and obeys Him.

It was for this reason that the Lord of the universe was born in a stable, the most humble, unlikely place He could have chosen. The only way that He could be found was by revelation. The same is still true of those things that are truly born of God. The Lord is not waiting until our building is big enough, for us to have enough money in the bank, or even for us to get a certain degree. He is waiting for us to have faith in Him, not in ourselves, and not in our stuff, but in Him.

A Time for Miracles

And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, "The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" (Matthew 14:15-16)

I was told that this coming year was going to be a year of miracles for us, and that we were going to see some of the greatest miracles we have ever witnessed because we are going to need them!

Many want to see miracles, but how many are willing to be put in a place where they need one? Miracles are not given for our entertainment, neither are they given to build our faith. They are the result of our having faith. Almost every miracle was the result of a desperate need. The greater the need, the greater the miracle.

How great would the miracle have been to feed the five thousand if the disciples had hundreds of fishes and loaves, and just needed a little more? It was a great miracle because they had so little in their own hands with which to do what they were asked by God to do.

When we are called by God to do a task, we often begin to look at what resources we have to perform it. This can be the beginning of our fall from the faith that will be required to do the true works of God. It is at the point that we see our resources running out that we will experience the power of God. What we need to do the true works of God will not be found in our own resources, or our own wisdom, but in the limitless resources of God.

We know that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (see James 4:6). However, there is a false humility that is an offense to God, and can keep us from being useful to Him. It was this kind of false humility that Moses displayed when God first called him at the burning bush.

When the Lord told Moses that He was sending him back to release His people from bondage, Moses responded by saying that he was not adequate for this great task. This seemed humble, but it caused the anger of the Lord to burn against Moses. The Lord was angry because this seeming humility was actually an ultimate form of pride, and an affront to God. Moses was saying that his inadequacy was greater than God's adequacy. He was focusing on himself instead of the Lord. This is the one thing that may have caused more people to fail to fulfill their calling than any other single factor.

We will never be adequate within ourselves for what the Lord calls us to do. In our flesh, which is our natural strength, we cannot accomplish one thing for the Lord. That is why Paul the Apostle told the men of Athens that the Lord is not served by human hands. Only the Spirit can begat that which is spirit. We are utterly dependent on the Lord to do His work. We will never be adequate within ourselves for His work, and if we ever start to feel adequate we will almost certainly be in the midst of a fall from grace.

True faith is not a feeling of adequacy in ourselves, but rather of our focus on the adequacy of God. True faith is not a faith in our faith, but a faith in Him. The greatest faith is that which can see and believe in His provision in the time of the most pressing need. We need to see every circumstance that is beyond ourselves as an opportunity to see a miracle. If we are faithful in the little opportunities, He will bless us with greater ones. And yes, those blessings are trials.

We are about to see great miracles, because He is going to allow us to come into places where we are going to need them. Let us determine now that we are not going to focus on the need, or ourselves, but on Him. Let us prepare for these opportunities by focusing on Him today.
Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called

"Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;while it is said, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me" (Hebrews 3:12-15).

The Zone

"The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee (Isaiah 26:3).

A few months ago I was on a retreat with several dozen NFL and NBA players. Many of them were All-Stars or All-Pros. For years I have studied leadership and tried to understand what enables some to excel while others with seemingly more talent do not do as well. Just sitting around talking with some of these players led to some of the best answers I have received yet to this question.

One term that you will often hear around sports is "the zone." It is a state when mind and body seem to be in perfect harmony, and it allows a player to rise to a level of performance that is beyond his or her usual level. When a player is in "the zone" they seem unstoppable. I started questioning some of these players about "the zone" and they all used the same terms to describe it. To them it was basically a state of mind where they were able to tune out all of the usual distractions and focus completely on their task. When they could maintain this focus, they would have the feeling that no one could stop them, and usually they were right.

I then happened upon a magazine article written by a psychologist who had spent his professional life studying sports, and he too was especially interested in "the zone." He described it as basically "the ability to focus under pressure." The factors that he felt most affected players negatively were interestingly anger and fear. As stated previously, studies have shown how just a moment of rage could sap the same amount of strength as many hours of hard labor. Likewise, just a moment of terror or even thirty minutes of a subtler anger, or general worry, can sap us of the same amount of strength as many hours of hard labor. Therefore, for athletes to enter "the zone" they must stay completely focused on their task without giving way to either anger or fear. To the degree that they can do this is the degree they will be able to rise to greater heights of performance.

This is not just true for athletes. Anger and fear are two of the deadliest enemies of any purpose or task. How much of our energy is being sapped by anger or anxiety? How many potentially great accomplishments were derailed by unforgiveness or bitterness? How many great works of faith were derailed by fear?

Just as an athlete becomes a "superstar" when they perform their best in the biggest games, the greatest acts of faith are the result of being able to focus on the Lord in times of the greatest pressure. This is the result of learning to focus on Him more and more each day. If we do not see Him in the little things we will not be able to see Him in the great ones.

Our goal should be not only to do everything that we do for Him, but with Him. When we live by beholding the One who is above all rule and authority and dominion, when we live our lives focused on the One who is so all-powerful that He upholds the universe with the word of His power, we too will rise above the usual to live in the realm of miracles.

Today while you are on the job, or with your family or friends, and something comes up that could anger or discourage you, look to the Lord immediately. Determine that you are not going to have your life sapped by anger or fear, but that you are going to use every opportunity to grow in faith and the peace of God. Determine that you are going to be a vessel for the Lord to use in those circumstances to impart faith and peace to others. Your life will change. Your performance will rise to previously unknown heights, not because you are staying in "the zone," but because you are abiding in the Spirit.

MorningStar Ministries

Anxiety Versus the Kingdom

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:33-34).

This passage states that if we are seeking His kingdom we will not be anxious for tomorrow. If we are anxious it is because we have been distracted from seeking His kingdom.

Anxiety is not a fruit of the Spirit, and if we allow anxiety to lead us, the Spirit will not lead us. Anxiety is a deadly enemy. It is one of the primary ways that we are led astray from our purposes. We are therefore exhorted in Philippians 4:6-7:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace of God is the counter to anxiety. His peace will guard our hearts and minds so that we abide in Christ Jesus. As we see in this text, His peace is the result of taking our cares to Him in prayer. How would our lives be changed if all of the time that is now consumed by worry wasinstead used for prayer? Most of our lives would be radically different because God answers prayer, not worry. When we pray He changes things. He also changes us. We would see the world very differently if we saw it through the eyes of faith instead of fear.

Isaiah 6:1-3 is now one of the most important Scriptures to me, but when I was a new believer I could not understand these verses. It reads:

In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."

Of course, I did not have a problem believing that the Lord was holy, but with all of the wars, poverty, oppression, child abuse, sickness, and death, I could not understand how these seraphim could say that the whole earth was filled with His glory. Then one day the Lord spoke to me and said, "The reason that these seraphim see the whole earth filled with My glory is because they dwell in My presence. If you will dwell in My presence you too will see My glory in everything."

Dwelling in the presence of the Lord helps us to see beyond the temporary circumstances to His eternal purposes in His kingdom. This will change the way we see, the way we live, and the way we are.

MorningStar Ministries

Out of Control and Into Faith

Each morning as I pray over the different ministries in MorningStar, I am confronted by the truth that what we are doing is far beyond my ability to control. I could spend all of my time with any one of the eight major ministry divisions and it would not be enough, yet I can only give each one a tiny fraction of my time. I am also challenged by the fact that each of these ministries can have an impact on Christians around the world because of the influence that we have. As I was pondering the weight of this responsibility, I began to think of my family, and how I can only give a fraction of my time to them. The burden and guilt of this was getting heavy on me until I felt the presence of the Lord. It was as if He was putting a hand on my shoulder. He then reminded me that He upholds the universe with His power; this little ministry and my little family are no problem! I have come to believe that all human responsibilities are beyond human ability. That means that there is nothing that we can do right without God. It is because I cannot micro-manage our ministry that it leaves plenty of room for Him to move. It also leaves room for others to grow in the ministry. This is not to promote irresponsibility on my part, such as not spending the right amount of time with the ministry or with my family, but the right amount is found in each of these areas by following the Lord and being obedient day by day. I will not get anything right if I do not get this part right. The Lord said in Matthew 11:29-30:
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls."For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."When I first read how the Lord will reward His faithful servants by giving them cities to rule over in the kingdom, I was shocked. That did not sound like a reward to me, but punishment! I did not even want to oversee a neighborhood, much less a city. If I could do just what I wanted to do, it would be to spend all of my time in prayer, study, and with my family. I love the fellowship of the church, but overseeing even a small church is beyond any desire that I have, much less a large ministry with a growing number of churches. However, I have found that it is in the place of responsibility that we can have very close fellowship with the Lord. He is the King of kings, so responsibility is what He does. We are in training for reigning with Him. The reigning may not be the reward, but the fellowship with Him in reigning will be our reward. If we want to abide with Him we must learn to find fellowship with Him in all responsibility, and in all authority. The year of 2000 was a sabbatical year for our ministry. Although we greatly reduced our activities to honor it, I do not ever remember being busier. However, the true issue of a sabbatical is not just resting from work, but it is learning to abide in the Lord and His rest. The Lord helped us to enter His rest by giving us so much to do that we could not possibly do it without Him. I was reading an article on what separates people like Tiger Woods and other star athletes from their peers who sometimes have more talent. The conclusion was that it was their ability to stay focused and to stay calm under pressure. This is also probably a key issue that separates those who bear much fruit from those who are bearing little or none. However, our focus is not just on our tasks, but also on something infinitely greater—the Lord Himself. We are not just trying to stay calm, but abide in the peace of the Lord. Studies have shown that one minute of rage can sap the strength of a normal eight hour period. Just being angry for a few minutes can do the same thing. Worry also drains our energy at an amazing rate, even much faster than hard labor. How much more effective could we be, and how much more energy would we have, if we would abide in the peace of the Lord? Could this be why Paul wrote that "...the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (see Romans 16:20)?This is also a reason why elders in the church cannot be "quick tempered" (see Titus 1:7), or given to outbursts of anger. There are few things that can sap our effectiveness like anger, or fear. In contrast, faith releases the power that created the universe. We often think of great faith as something that happens spontaneously so that we can be used for a miracle or healing. However, the greatest faith of all, and the most effective, is to live day by day trusting Him. It is by trusting Him so much that we look at every problem as an opportunity to see His work in our lives. It is not worrying, but rather trusting and abiding in the peace of God that will crush anything that Satan tries to do to us. If the Lord created the world out of chaos, He can easily deal with any problem that we have. I have heard many Christians say that they know the Lord can do miracles, but they just do not know if He will. However, He has said that He always will do miracles if we believe Him. Therefore, as we read in John 6:28-29:
They said therefore to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."Our main job is not to build a church, or a ministry, but to grow in the Lord and to grow in faith. As a ministry we are just now being moved into position to begin our ultimate mission. When we look at the task we will always be overwhelmed because it will always be much bigger than we are. It is at the point where we cannot do it that He takes over. Our goal is not the work itself, but to grow in faith in the One who alone can accomplish it. We have been promised that we are entering a time when we will see great miracles. We need to also understand that this is probably because we are being thrust into a place where we are going to need them. Even so, that is what most of us have signed up for. We want to be a part of what God is building, not men. Let us continue to prepare for our purpose by seeing every problem, every obstacle, as an opportunity to see a miracle. Let us determine to abide in the peace of God so that we can see the God of peace crush Satan under our feet (see Romans 16:20). We must also recognize anger and wrath as the great enemies of our purposes. We cannot allow them to gain entry into the fortress of faith that we are called to build. They are the primary enemies who will seek to drain us of our faith, our focus, and even the physical energy that we have been given.

MorningStar Ministries