Harbor Rock Tabernacle

The reality of Who Jesus is and what He calls us to forces every person to have a conviction about Him--whether it's 2000 years ago or right now. Issues like sin, death, eternal existence and faith cannot be ignored. Those around Jesus in the midst of the highly charged setting in which He was crucified had to decide in that moment what they really believed about Him. Even those closest to Him wavered, while others rejected Him....but there was one unlikely person who openly stated his faith in Jesus as the Saviour. 

As David was running from Saul's threats on his life, the natural fear and despair he felt was offset by his strong and certain conviction about the Lord's faithful help. He learned that God's goodness is "stored up" for those who take refuge in Him--a hidden treasure of security in His presence. The Lord's love is extraordinary and beyond our comprehension, and He promises to hear and watch over His own. These amazing realities cause us to evaluate whether we are still feeling defeated because we're depending on ourselves, or living with power and confidence in the Lord's extra provision, 

At the start of the week of the most amazing events in human history, Jesus had a simple request: He needed a donkey. Both the two unnamed disciples He sent and the unidentified donkey owners understood this was important to Jesus, without knowing how significant it would be. Rather than balking at the level of expectation on them, they understood that obedience is not optional, and that we must be willing to give Him anything, without conditions. When we make ourselves available to the Lord, He works in powerful ways. 

Significant life transitions are all throughout the Bible, and our experience. While exciting, they require faith and sacrifice, and also open us up to spiritual attack. So the Lord calls us to "take heed"--to see and perceive what's really happening, and examine it in order to act wisely. as we do this, we need to protect our heart so we don't fall away from the Lord, and protect HIs Church and His work, because we represent Him to a world that desperately needs Him. 

In order for believers to continue to mature spiritually, every thought, word and decision must be assessed as to whether it is honoring Jesus and making us more like Jesus. This is not only essential in our relationships and ministry, but especially as we strive to reach people with the Gospel. In light of that, Peter calls us to eliminate 5 toxic attitudes and actions that hinder our effectiveness. When we follow Jesus' instructions instead of allowing these dangerous decisions in our lives, there will be tremendous opportunity to reach people searching for God. 

The recent revivals have highlighted the reality that there is immaturity in the American Church that has hindered our effectiveness in impacting our culture. So spiritual maturity must be our highest priority--moving on from the elementary basics. We will know this has taken place when we see 3 marks that highlight the fact that we are aliens--citizens of heaven. When we are walking in maturity we experience the fullness of Christ, and recognize that our values and purposes are divergent from what the world values. 

Like the Jewish remnant in Nehemiah 8, the American Church needs to remember God's warnings about spiritual indifference, but also find hope in the potential of His work when our hearts are right. The recent revival at Asbury University and other campuses has shown the impact of a fresh hunger for the Lord. This should not only be normal, but the simplicity of what is happening causes us to evaluate that our conformed methods in churches hasn't produced spiritual change. God's people have to return to a hunger for God's Word, an awe of the Lord, repentance over sin, joy over His mercy, and a new obedience to reach people for Christ. When we do this, revival will consistently take hold. 

Insecurity is an odd emotion. In one sense, our sense of inadequacy moves us toward humility and brokenness, but in another, the feeling of being unappreciated is subtly rooted in pride. This is exemplified in a man named Naaman, a well-respected Aramean army captain who was also a leper. This stigma led people to want to help him, but when the Jewish prophet Elisha offered a simple method of healing, Naaman's pride was offended that it wasn't what he expected or wanted. This is a call to us be teachable, denying ourselves instead of defending our stubbornness. 

One of the most amazing promises the Lord gives believers is that He will "go before us". This is proven all through the Bible, from Israel at the Red Sea, to David at Baal-perazim to the Lord's vow to restore Israel to HIs Spirit's presence and armor. God's literal movement of the cloud ahead and behind Israel is a beautiful picture of HIs faithful willingness to lead and protect us, while giving us the victory Jesus secured. 

One of the great challenges of walking by faith is discerning the voice of the Lord...especially because the devil is constantly working to deceive us and destabilize our faith. Jesus emphasized this concept after healing a blind man, and compared His followers to sheep who know His voice. Sheep have characteristics that definitely parallel who we are as humans and even believers. As our Shepherd, Jesus directs us toward holiness, alleviates our fear and erases doubt, so we can always know when it is Him speaking.