“I am going to give you a car.” This is a wonderful promise, but does not give any details whatsoever. All I know is that I am promised a car. Will it be a new car or an old car? Will it be blue or green? Will it be an automatic or a stick shift? Will it have electric window and door locks or will I have to use my own strength to roll down a window or unlock the door? Will it be a model that I like or will it be something designed for my grand parents? Will it get good gas mileage or bad?

Each general promise like this that we receive leaves so many unanswered questions. And as we have all been informed by the byline of one magazine, “Inquiring minds want to know.” Yet so many times when God speaks to us it is in such a general way that we are often left scratching our heads and wondering what that means.

Abraham was in that type of situation that Abram (Abraham) was in when God spoke to Him in Genesis 12:1-2. God told Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And will make you a great nation…” Wait! Where is the land? How big is it? Is it good land or bad? All he had was God’s command to arise and leave everything behind and the promise of a land he would be shown. Abraham gives us a perfect example of one of the secrets to possess the Promised Land.

Immediately obey

God’s command

and He will give you

the next step.

The author of Hebrews gives us this incredible insight into Abraham and his thought process. He says that, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go our to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not know where he was going” (Hebrew 11:8). Could you do it? Could you leave everything behind because God spoke to you, told you to pick up roots and leave everything behind? Could you trust God and obey without having a complete picture of God’s plans for you and every detail and every step you need to take? You will have to if you want to possess your promised land.

I would like to suggest some thoughts that can help us as we walk with the Lord and move toward possessing the land He has promised us.

• God has a purpose and a plan for our lives. Be assured that God knows the plans that He has for us (see Jeremiah 29:11). His promises are based on His plan. He has created each of us uniquely for His specific purpose.
• God’s plans for us are good.  The Bible describes God’s plans or will as being for our welfare and giving us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11); it is good, acceptable, and pure  (Romans 12:2); His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). God has way bigger plans than we have for ourselves.
• God is faithful and we can trust Him. The reason Abraham could leave everything behind was because He trusted God. He believed God and moved out at His command without having the entire scenario laid out for Him. God promises to be with us wherever we go. He will not leave us or forsake us.
• God will lead us and guide each step of the way. Here is something to consider. Why should we expect God to give us step two when we have not completed step one? Craving to know future steps stands in the way of taking the next step. If we will do what He has already shown us, He will give the next step.
• Faith is required to possess the land. We are going to have to trust the Lord every step of the way. He is very willing to show us how to do the things we need to do to possess the land. When he shows us it will ALWAYS require a step of faith. We will have to obey His directions over and over again until we see the fullness of His promise.
• Obedience guarantees out possession of the land.  There is only one way to fully possess the land. Only one. It is through fully and completely obeying God. God promises over and over that if we will obey His words our ways would be prosperous and we will have good success (e.g. see Joshua 1:8).
• Even when we mess up, God remains faithful. Wow! Even if we have messed up and failed to obey the Lord, He gives us another chance to say yes to Him. That is an amazing thing about God. His thoughts and plans for us are unchanging. Even when we fail He remains faithful. If you are off the path, repent and get back on it. He will take you from where you are to where you need to be.

Does it seem like you are not entering your promised land? Are you stuck in place and not seeing any movement of the promises of God? Is God strangely silent? Step back and ask yourself, “Is there anything the Lord has shown me to do that I have not done?” If so, identify it and do it. Then you can be assured that the Lord will give you the next step.  Thank You, Lord, that You direct the steps of the righteous.

What is your next step?

“I promise!” “I give you my word.” “Cross my heart and hope to die.” “Let’s shake on it.” All forms of a promise that someone desires to keep. It is a pledge, a vow, a statement of intent, and a declaration of what one will do. It can be one-sided where a person makes a promise to another. It can also be a joint agreement where two make promises to one another. We hear and receive promises on almost a daily basis.

 Some promises are kept while others are broken. A promise is only as good as the one giving it. A promise is only as valid as the promiser’s ability to do or provide what is promised. The character and the ability of the one making the promise becomes the key issue in our expectations of a promise being fulfilled. A promise is only as good as the promiser.

 In Joshua 1:2 we see God speaking to Joshua and telling him to go into the Promised Land. He declared,

 Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. (Joshua 1:2)

  The children of Israel were about to enter into the land that God had promised to Abraham about 500 years earlier. God never forgets a promise. He always seeks to bring about His promises and purposes on the earth. Listen to the words that the Lord spoke to Abram (Abraham):

 Now the LORD said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those that bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed
                                                                         (Genesis 12:1-3)

 I want to focus on one portion of the promise of God in the above scripture. God said “…to the land I will show you….” There are many great insights we can get from looking at the beginning of God’s promise to Abraham. These insights can help us as we walk with the Lord in our daily lives.

 1.       Remember to trust the Lord. Sometimes when God first gives us a promise it does not come with a full description of the promise. When Abraham left Ur he did not know where he was going. He did not know the land God was giving him. The Bible tells us that “he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). He stepped out at God’s promise.

2.       Remember that God is faithful. When we receive a promise from God that seems so vague but requires action, remember who is making the promise. God is faithful. He always keeps His word.

3.       Remember that God has your best interests in mind. “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for your welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11). God is for you!

4.       Remember that some promises take time. We see it throughout the Bible. God makes a promise and it seems that just the opposite happens. Abraham, you are going to have a son, and twenty-five years go by. Joseph is shown in a dream that his parents and brothers will bow to him. The next thing he knows he cast into a pit and then sold into slavery. But don’t forget that Abraham had Isaac and Joseph became second in command to Pharaoh.

5.       Remember to remember. There might be some old dust-covered promises from God that you have casted upon the shelf of your mind. Promises that you feel the Lord has forgotten or has failed to complete. Take them down, dust them off, and bring them before the Lord who made them.

6.       Remember to thank God. Take some time to thank God for His precious promises to you. Begin to look at all the things that the Lord has done in your life. Look at what you have, not what you do not have. Thank Him that He will bring about His promise to you in His time and His way. “For as many as are the promises, in Him [Jesus] they are yes…” (1 Corinthians 1:20).

 Take some time and get before God. Review His promise to you. Ask Him to renew hope and vision in His promise to you. Don’t have a promise? Read His word and let Him speak His promises to you.

Got an awesome promise from the Lord? Why not share it with the rest of us?

Related articles

• 2012: The Year of Possessing the Land (ttuinder.wordpress.com)

. . . the Lord spoke to Joshua the Son of Nun, saying . . . (Joshua 1:1)

The Lord spoke. God made Himself known to Joshua. He personally spoke to Him in the midst of His situation. God is a speaking God. He is not silent. He wants us to know Him and His heart.

The good news for us is that God still speaks today. He wants us to know Him and fellowship with Him. He is the one who initiates contact with us. We would not be able to know God apart from the greatness of His creation, unless He willing makes Himself know to us.

God created us for fellowship. He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to understand His ways and participate in His great plans for us (Jer. 29:11). He doesn’t want us wandering in the wilderness, but wants us to enter into our Promised Land. With that in mind consider the following:

God is speaking, so take time to listen.

It is part of what we call prayer. Prayer is a two-way conversation. It is not just us speaking to God. It is God speaking to us. We must take time throughout our day to listen to God.

One action of a Bible college teacher remains in my mind today even after 27+ years. One day in class Terry Anderson was telling us how he just stops at various times during the day just to listen to see if God is speaking anything to him. He wants to make sure that he takes the time to see if God is speaking. It does not take long and God does not speak every time, but it ensures that his heart and attention are turned toward God.

Later I was attending a weekend retreat where Terry was the main speaker. It was at a camp that had a bunch of enclosed showers and many sinks and mirrors. I was taking a shower and was tall enough to see over the top of the shower stall. I saw Terry over by one of the sinks shaving. In the middle of shaving he paused, bowed his head and put both hands on the sink and just listened. It only lasted for about thirty second, but it changed my life and actions forever.

God is speaking, so listen for Him today.

I was deeply impacted by that simple action. I remembered his words and now saw it in action. This man took time to stop what he was doing to listen. Here are some encouraging thoughts for each of us as we go through our day today:

1. The God who created the heavens and the earth wants to speak to you. Yes it is true, he wants to be with you and speak into your life.
2. God has wisdom that He will willingly give us, if we will simply come to Him and ask. James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:1).
3. In the midst of a busy and hectic day, stop for a few moments and listen. God maybe He has something He wants to say to you.
4. In the midst of confusion, indecision, or struggle; stop and listen. God wants to give you peace and guide your steps.
5. God never speaks to you? Quiet your heart, open your ears, and listen. Don’t say a word. Just listen. That still, small voice in your head might just be God speaking to you.

Have an awesome day. May you hear the voice of the Lord loud and clear, even if it is a whisper.

Any great insights on hearing the voice of God?

Related articles

• 2012: The Year of Possessing the Land (ttuinder.wordpress.com)
• Learning to Hear the Voice of God (ttuinder.wordpress.com)

God has given us a wonderful theme for 2012: Year of Possessing the Land. This is a wonderful, promise-filled word from the Lord. It is exciting to see that God wants us to possess the land that He has promised to us. He wants us to see and experience His salvation in our lives. He wants us to participate with Him in the process of possessing the land He has declared.

The theme verse for this season in our church is Joshua 1:3, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you….” I want to point out that God was telling Joshua that wherever he put his foot to receive God’s promised land, it was God that was giving it to him. In Joshua 1:4 God lays out the dimensions of the land. Every part of the land was available for them to possess. The question is, would Joshua and the people have faith in God to step out and put their foot on all that God had promised?

There are some great themes that we will be looking at this year as we focus on possessing our promised land.

• The dimension of our “Promised Land” is already laid out in God’s plan. It is called the Promise Land because God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the children of Israel, Moses, and Joshua. God has promises that He has given to us. Remember them and write them down. (Josh. 1:4)

• God promised to be with Joshua and the children of Israel. He said that no one would be able to stand against him his entire life. A great promise for possessing the land. He will be with you as you pursue your promised land. He will not leave us or forsake us. (Josh. 1:5)
• God encouraged Joshua multiple times in chapter one that He would have to be strong and courageous in order to possess the land. He would have to believe and trust God and move ahead in faith as God led him through possessing the land. (Josh 1:6-9)
• The Lord told Joshua that his success would take place as he meditated on God’s word night and day and did everything that He directed. He would prosper as he did things God’s way. (Josh. 1:8)
• The Lord showed Joshua that the possession of the land would require everyone. He required the Ruebenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Mannaseh to enter into the battle. God would not let them rest in the land He had already given them until everyone was able to enter into the rest that He was giving. Possessing our land will require everyone, great and small, to be active and participate. (Josh. 1:10-15)
• Even though God “gave” them the land, Joshua and the Israelites had to take it by force. They were required to fight battle after battle to posses the land. The great part is that God directed them in every battle and even went before them and sometimes drove the enemy out without a fight.
• We must work this year to possess our promised land. It will require listening to the Lord and doing what He asks us to do. It will require effort and spiritual warfare, but He will go before us and we will see His supernatural work on our behalf. (Josh. 6)

Keeping all this in mind, the Lord has given us three phrases to focus us in our pursuit of possessing the land:

Hearing His Word

Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses. (Joshua 1:3)

Walking by Faith

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses My servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)

Warring in the Spirit

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Hearing His word entails looking for and listening to the precious promises and direction the Lord gives us to possess the land. He will give us the Dimension and the Direction to take the land.

Walking by faith requires us to Observe His ways and Obey His commands. It is only as we walk in His ways that we will be able to completely possess the land He has promised.

Warring in the Spirit means that we will have to Fight for the land and Finish the battle. The children of Israel did not possess all of the land due to their unwillingness to fight some of the people in the land or allowing them to remain once they were conquered. God want us to fully possess the promised land.

I look forward to another year of serving the Lord and look forward with anticipation at what He will do. Arise, oh army of God, and possess the land that the Lord has promised us!

Know anyone this post might encourage? Click below and send it to a friend.

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The Lord has revealed that 2011 will be The Year of Inheritance. The key verse comes from Ephesians 1:11, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance…” God has given us an inheritance to Discover, to Live, and to Give.

It is not that the theme is new and cutting edge, for it has always been ours and available. Yet God desires for us to have a deeper understanding of His incredible inheritance that we have already received.

This is the year where God is issuing an invitation for us to search out to Discover the incredible riches of our inheritance. He wants us to know who we are and what He has actually given us as an inheritance on the earth and in heaven.

Our wonderful Father wants us to Live in the fulness of His provision. He has freely provided to us gifts that are beyond cost and unobtainable any other way.

He also wants us to Give to others of the amazing wealth that He has given to us.The inheritance we have from God will never run out, no matter how much we give away.

There are a few key words that come to mind as I ponder the inheritance God has given to us.

It Was Costly

The immense cost of our inheritance was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In His life, Jesus lived victoriously over the curse. In His death, Jesus became a curse for us, bearing all of our sin and shame, In His resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of death and now we can be born again and walk in victory.

It Was Planned

The Bible informs us that before the foundations of the world the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit planned the death of Jesus as the only hope for our salvation. Christ’s death on the cross is not an afterthought  of a God caught off guard by mankind’s sin. The cross, the grave, and the resurrection were the only plan that was ever fashioned. The motive and action behind our inheritance is the inexhaustible love of God. The depths of God’s love can be seen His willingness to provide Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

It Was Free

The price of our inheritance was costly for God but given freely to us. You don’t earn an inheritance. You receive it as a gift of love. Our key verse reminds us that it is in Jesus that we receive this inheritance. We are actually called “joint-heirs” with Jesus Christ. Everything that God freely gives to Jesus, He gives to us.

It Is Available

The fullness of our inheritance awaits the return of Jesus. We must wait for death and hell to be cast into the Lake of Fire, for our resurrected bodies, and for the new heavens and new earth. Despite this we have a great inheritance while we walk on this earth. We will be investigating this throughout 2011. May the wonder of His inheritance rise up every time you read the Scripture this year. I want to whet you appetite for the truths we will be discovering and applying to our lives this year by showing you the following Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:11
in Him we have obtained an inheritance.

Ephesians 1:14
who [Holy Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.

Ephesians 1:18
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 3:24
knowing that from the Lord you will receive an inheritance as your reward.
giving thanks to the Father

Hebrews 9:15
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance…

1 Peter 1:4
an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

It seems all to often that when I hear the word “grace” being used it is on the wrong side of sin. It is a being used to condone sin which was or will be committed and saying that God is gracious to forgive us. We use grace as a security blanket because we are convinced that we have to sin and continue to be ruled by the power of sin. John Bevere says that many people have grace as “the great cover up.” They casually sin and expect God to cover it with His grace.

This is the exact opposite attitude of the Apostle Paul. He was dead set against sin. He took every opportunity to destroy the idea that we are trapped in sin once we come to Christ. We are to be overcomers through the grace of God and not allow sin to rule or reign over us. Look at just a few of the passages that Paul uses to convince those in Rome that Grace empowers us to overcome sin not entitles us to sin. The emphasis in the following verses is mine:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin live in it? (Rom. 6:1-2)

…knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Rom. 6:6)

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 6:11)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but grace. (Rom. 6:14)

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Rom. 6:17-18)

But now having been and enslaved to God, you derive benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

If you read the highlighted words above the message is clear. It is beyond dispute that we have been freed from the power of sin to rule over our lives and we are now free to choose to follow after God as slaves to righteousness. When we choose to obey God He empowers us to walk in His ways.

It is when we try to walk in the Christian life in our own power that we fail miserably and become convinced that God’s way does not work. We must always walk in sin. We can never overcome. Seeking to do God’s will in our own strength will always lead to failure and feelings of inadequacy. But agreeing with God and choosing His way, the way of truth, and trusting in the empowering work of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome, we will begin to overcome.

God’s grace is never available outside of His truth. We cannot walk in our ways and expect to experience God’s grace. God’s grace enables to walk the walk and become like Christ. We are changed into the image of Christ as we submit to God’s will and walk in God’s ways.

Convinced that you need to sin? Then begin to read the sixth chapter of Romans over and over until the truth that Paul is communicating gets into your spirit. You are a son or daughter of God who has been saved, born again, brought into the family of God, and given the Holy Spirit so that you might walk in newness of life. Therefore stop agreeing with the lies of the enemy that you are helpless to overcome sin and believe God who calls you to be an overcomer.

Arise and shine!

Until next time.

Terry

In my years of ministry, I constantly come across those that struggle with the call of God in their lives and the feelings of inadequacy that generally accompanies such a call. After all, who feels worthy to be called by God to do His work and ministry? If someone thinks they are great and God cannot do without them, watch out!

Tozer was a humble man that knew the call of God was way beyond his ability. Yet he made the following commitment to God as part of his covenant. He said:

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness or my unfitness for this work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou hast said, ‘I knew thee – I ordained thee – I sanctified thee,’ and Thou hast also said, ‘Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.’ Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

This simple understanding sure saved Tozer a lot of time and trouble. If God called me, he must know what He is doing. The same holds for you. If God has called you it is not an accident and it is not a mistake. God choices whomever He desires to do His will.

I encourage you to step into the call of God in your life. Now is the time. Now is the season. God has called. All we can do is obey. Go ahead agree with God and refuse to look at what you have to offer God, but depend upon what God has proclaimed about your life.

Terry

It has been a while since I have posted anything, but I thought that this segment of a book by Francis Frangipane might help some of my friend work through issues with disappointment. So here is what he has to say:

One may argue, “But I know people who were good Christians who have fallen away.”

Yes, but in most cases you will find that, at some point, they fell into deep disappointment about some failed spiritual expectation. Disappointment is not just a sad, emotional state of mind; it actually can sever our hearts from faith. it is the enemy’s work. Demonically manipulated disappointment can actually “dis-appoint” a person from God’s destiny for their lives.

I have know many who were doing well, moving toward their appointed destiny. The future God had for them seemed almost close enough to taste. Then they became disappointed in someone or something. By accepting disappointment  into their spirits, a bitter cold winter took over their souls, and their faith turned dormant.

When someone is disappointed, he or she is cut off from a scheduled appointment with destiny. The appointment remains in the heart of God, but the individual cannot connect with it because the offense filled his or her soul with unbelief. As a result, the person becomes dis-appointed.

I remember a time of disappointment i endured. Indeed, the promise of God  was so distant that it seemed like a foolish spiritual fantasy. For nearly three years I had not been involved in pastoral ministry. No doors would open. God was doing a work in my soul, but I did not see it. Then, in what felt like a moment of abject homesty, I prayed, “Lord, You promised that those who believe in You would not be disappointed. Master, you know all things. Look at my heart. I am full of disappointment.”

The Lord simply replied, Your life is not over.

Of course, I knew that. I was a healthy young man with most of my life ahead of me. Yet the spell of disappointment had flooded my soul with darkness, causing me to conclude erroneously that God was done with me.

The only way Satan can stop our destiny is if we accept the power of disappointment into our lives. Often, if is not blatant rebellion against God that causes backsliding; it is the acceptance of dis-appointment into our hearts. Dis=appointment cuts us off from our vision, and without a vision people perish.

Beloved, are you carrying disappointment in your heart? Renounce it. Forgive those who disappointed you. Pluck out of your spirit the paralyzing sting of disappointment! Today the Spirit of God has come to release you from the effect of this attack. He sent me to tell you, “Your appointment with your destiny is still set.”

(taken from pages 90-92 in This Day We Fight!: Breaking the Bondage of a Passive Spirit by Francis Frangipane)

Hope this has encouraged you to stand up and take your place in God’s kingdom. The time is getting too short to let the little things of life get in the way of what God wants to do.

Terry

As a pastor, friend, and brother I hear many painful situations. It is easy to get overwhelmed and get stressed out about all the situations that people are facing. That is the time I must remember the comforting and instructive words of Psalm 121.

I lift my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and evermore.

When all the weight of problems crashes in on me, I must remember to look to the Lord. He is the only one who has a solution. He is the only one who can help. When people need a miracle only God will do.

I can bring every situation to the Lord. I can seek His intervention in the lives of those I love. I can cry out to God and invite His answer to their problem. Prayer changes things. Prayer invites God’s answer. Prayer releases His power. What people need is a miracle. Let’s pray!