Dear friends,
I pray that you are increasing in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord. I want to revisit something today that is on my heart. It is an area that I have had to deal with in my own life and feel it may be a key in the lives of many of God's children. I pray this will minister to someone today.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31
Many years ago in a conversation with a Christian brother, there was something said that caused a reaction inside me. He had simply said that the Christian life was not that complicated, that all we had to do was love God with all our being, love ourselves, and love our neighbors. The part that caused a rising up in me was the thought of loving ourselves. It was only after I had prayed and meditated on the word of God that I saw that reaction for what it was, a religious spirit. There needed to be an adjustment in my thinking. There needed to be repentance.
Growing up in the church there was much emphasis on salvation, but not nearly so much on discipling. We heard how we were filthy, rotten sinners and that even after we were saved our hearts were still desperately wicked. Most of us lived with a spirit of rejection any way, because of our fallen state and even after we were saved we didn't measure up. I don't know about you, but I felt it was spiritual to hate oneself.
For some of us hating ourselves was not something we had to attain to; we already did. Growing up I didn't like the way I looked; I had big ears and a long skinny neck and in the fifth grade I found out I had a big nose, too. A spirit of rejection not only sets us up for rejection by others, but is really rooted in self rejection.
I am convinced that many of the issues people are dealing with today both in the church and the world is rooted in self-hatred. How can I say that? Foundationally speaking, this is what God showed me: how can I love my neighbor as myself, if I don't love myself. I cannot love others if I don't love me. So many relationships are destroyed by the fact that we can't love others if we don't love ourselves. Look at the marriage relationship; can the husband truly love his wife if he hates himself. If we don't love ourselves all relationships are just surface. We live with a sense of shame, believing we are flawed and believing that if you really knew me you would hate me, too. It causes one to throw up a wall that know one can get through.
So many of the health issues of our day are brought on by self-hatred. Obesity is often a result. In extreme cases depression, suicidal thoughts, death wishes, destructive habits, addictions, and abuse. Sometimes it manifests itself in anger toward God like the clay saying to the potter, "Why have You made me this way?"
So when we talk about loving ourselves, what are we saying? First, we are not talking about egotistical, "How wonderful I am kind of thinking." Loving yourself is being able to receive yourself as God's creation fearfully and wonderfully made, not deriving one's self worth by appearance, ability, intelligence, or any other measurement of man, but by the love and worth that God has given you.
Years ago when my son was collecting baseball cards, he asked me how much a certain card was worth and I replied, "It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it." How often I have thought of those words in reference to what God was willing to pay for us! If your value is determined by how much someone is willing to pay, what was paid for you?
Sometimes when I am writing or teaching, the more I get into it the more it grows and there is so much in this that I am not even scratching the surface. I do want to include some scriptures that I believe are applicable and maybe make a comment or two.
Proverbs 18:9b (Amp. Bible) and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide. Now why did I put that in there? Because if we have a healthy love for self we will take care of our bodies which are, after all, temples of the Holy Spirit. As we said earlier much of the abuse many inflict on their bodies is due to self-hatred.
Psalms 139: 13-16 For You formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me. when as yet there were none of them. You are not an accident. When God made you He didn't say ,"Oops." God wasn't having a bad day; He doesn't have Mondays. You are a unique creation of a loving God.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Rejected, no more, you are accepted.
Romans 15:7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Know that you have been received, receive yourself, and then you can receive others.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you: I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. In the new covenant you have been given a heart transplant; you don't have that old deceitfully wicked heart anymore.
May you be ever encouraged by His love extended to you and shed abroad in you by the Holy Spirit.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I sought for a Man
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. In recent weeks there has been an intensifying of spiritual warfare in our area. I have felt it personally and seen many who are being affected by it. I know a number of marriages that are in trouble. Crime has seemingly increased. Our church has been broken into a number of times and people close to me have experienced loss due to burglaries. Yesterday, our mayor committed suicide. I am not a prophet of gloom and doom, but one might ask the question, "What in the world is going on?". The truth is that the kingdom of God is advancing and there is going to be an acceleration of what God is doing here. In a war there is no advance without conflict. As I was praying this morning the Lord laid some things on my heart, I would like to share. It is a call to war.
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30
1. God is looking for men and women to stand in the gap. God is calling out intercessors. There are some who have been so beaten down that they have pulled back. They have become pew sitters or bench warmers, but there is still a small ember, a little spark that won't die. There is an unrest in your spirit that can only be satisfied by His presence and being who He called you to be. The Lord says to you today, "Be healed, it is time to take your place on the wall. Little spark feel the bellows of God that you might burn brightly again."
2. Awake from your slumber, Oh church, it is time to arise and conquer. The tyranny of the comfortable has kept us bound in apathy and complacency. The assault has come because we have not taken our rightful place. North Korea and Vietnam were lost because we only tried to maintain a line instead of conquering. Imagine what kind of football team you would have if you only played defense. The gates of Hell are not to be attacking us. We are to be attacking the gates.
3. Difficulties are bringing purity. The intensity of the battle is increasing and it is time to seek the Lord. Pressure brings forth the precious. Loss often reveals that which is truly important. There must a prioritization of what is really important, an extracting of the precious from the worthless, if you will. There must be a purification of motives, a purification of thought and actions. Only the pure in heart can be trusted with true power. It is the pure in heart to whom God reveals Himself.
We are being conformed to the image of His Son. Jesus was and is the Intercessor of intercessors. He stood in the gap for us all. God looked for a man and He found Him in His only begotten Son. Not only did He take our place, but we are being saved by His life. He didn't stop interceding, but ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus is interceding for us and the Holy Spirit is interceding for us; how can we fail?
Desperate times call for desperate measures and I know God is calling us into the fray. There are some who have been so discouraged that you have felt like giving up. There were times you wanted to quit, but the Holy Spirit in you sustained you. We must be like the woman with the issue of blood, for though she was weak, sickly, and broke she pressed through a crowd to get to Jesus. God is calling you to Himself to be healed, refreshed, equipped, and given new orders.
Some are being greatly shaken; hold fast to the King for when the shaking is over only that which is of His kingdom will remain.
Perilous times may lie ahead, but this is destined to be the church's finest hour. We must respond to the call, for we are not yet prepared for the glory the Lord wants to release on us and in us. The intensity of the struggle is an indicator of the prize to be gained. Rise up, church.
This writing may be an accumulation of random thoughts, but I believe it is addressed to several groups of people. I pray that you will be encouraged and that you will be drawn into deeper intimacy with Him.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
I hope this finds you well. In recent weeks there has been an intensifying of spiritual warfare in our area. I have felt it personally and seen many who are being affected by it. I know a number of marriages that are in trouble. Crime has seemingly increased. Our church has been broken into a number of times and people close to me have experienced loss due to burglaries. Yesterday, our mayor committed suicide. I am not a prophet of gloom and doom, but one might ask the question, "What in the world is going on?". The truth is that the kingdom of God is advancing and there is going to be an acceleration of what God is doing here. In a war there is no advance without conflict. As I was praying this morning the Lord laid some things on my heart, I would like to share. It is a call to war.
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30
1. God is looking for men and women to stand in the gap. God is calling out intercessors. There are some who have been so beaten down that they have pulled back. They have become pew sitters or bench warmers, but there is still a small ember, a little spark that won't die. There is an unrest in your spirit that can only be satisfied by His presence and being who He called you to be. The Lord says to you today, "Be healed, it is time to take your place on the wall. Little spark feel the bellows of God that you might burn brightly again."
2. Awake from your slumber, Oh church, it is time to arise and conquer. The tyranny of the comfortable has kept us bound in apathy and complacency. The assault has come because we have not taken our rightful place. North Korea and Vietnam were lost because we only tried to maintain a line instead of conquering. Imagine what kind of football team you would have if you only played defense. The gates of Hell are not to be attacking us. We are to be attacking the gates.
3. Difficulties are bringing purity. The intensity of the battle is increasing and it is time to seek the Lord. Pressure brings forth the precious. Loss often reveals that which is truly important. There must a prioritization of what is really important, an extracting of the precious from the worthless, if you will. There must be a purification of motives, a purification of thought and actions. Only the pure in heart can be trusted with true power. It is the pure in heart to whom God reveals Himself.
We are being conformed to the image of His Son. Jesus was and is the Intercessor of intercessors. He stood in the gap for us all. God looked for a man and He found Him in His only begotten Son. Not only did He take our place, but we are being saved by His life. He didn't stop interceding, but ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus is interceding for us and the Holy Spirit is interceding for us; how can we fail?
Desperate times call for desperate measures and I know God is calling us into the fray. There are some who have been so discouraged that you have felt like giving up. There were times you wanted to quit, but the Holy Spirit in you sustained you. We must be like the woman with the issue of blood, for though she was weak, sickly, and broke she pressed through a crowd to get to Jesus. God is calling you to Himself to be healed, refreshed, equipped, and given new orders.
Some are being greatly shaken; hold fast to the King for when the shaking is over only that which is of His kingdom will remain.
Perilous times may lie ahead, but this is destined to be the church's finest hour. We must respond to the call, for we are not yet prepared for the glory the Lord wants to release on us and in us. The intensity of the struggle is an indicator of the prize to be gained. Rise up, church.
This writing may be an accumulation of random thoughts, but I believe it is addressed to several groups of people. I pray that you will be encouraged and that you will be drawn into deeper intimacy with Him.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It is to You Advantage
Greetings,
There is awakened in me a great need of being led by the Spirit. Jesus, did only what He did by the power of the Spirit. So it must be with us as well. He told the disciples He was sending them someone just like Him. He said it was to their advantage that He went away so that the Helper could come, the one just like Himself. It is of necessity that God's people be filled and continually filled with the Spirit of God. We cannot walk in the government of God unless we are led by the Spirit. The kingdom of God is in the Spirit, so if we are to walk the kingdom walk we must walk in the Spirit. The kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. So if we allow ourselves to be led by our flesh, we do not experience His government which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.
The absence of power in the church is due to the Holy Spirit not being given proper place in our lives. the kingdom is in the Spirit and Paul says that the kingdom of God is not in word, but power. Jesus told His disciples that there were many of them who would not die until they saw the kingdom of God come in power.
There are many today who have projected the coming of the kingdom far into the future. If that is so, some of those guys must still be alive somewhere. In Acts one Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Luke 24, He told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power, so obviously the kingdom came in power at Pentecost. We don't believe in tarrying much anymore, but whatever it takes we must be filled with His Spirit. In Acts chapter 6 those who were chosen to wait on tables had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Should any less be expected of us who serve the Lord and especially, we who preach the word.
What would happen in the church today if everyone from the nursery to the greeters at the front door were filled with the Spirit? Look at what happened immediately after they set the deacons apart. Act 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
I have shared many times how I asked the Lord one morning to give me something from His word that day and He led me to 1 Samuel 16. It's a great chapter and one I was extremely familiar with. In my pride I kind of thought, "what can the Lord show me in that passage?" I had not finished the first verse when a sentence in the very middle of the verse leaped off the page. "Fill your horn with oil, and go." How many times have I gone out to minister and the horn was empty. The Lord showed me that intimate with His Spirit was necessary in keeping my horn full. He has made provision for us to be continually filled to overflowing, that there is a river. Jesus timing and choices all flowed out of intimacy with the Father.
Our communication, our fellowship is with the Spirit. If you do a careful study of God speaking in the new testament, other than Jesus speaking to Paul on the road to Damascus, it was always the Holy Spirit that spoke to them and gave instruction. The scripture was written by holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a person. He is not a force or power. He can be insulted;He can be grieved; He can be quenched; He can be blasphemed; He can be ignored. As I said earlier, the reason for the absence of power in our people is because we have not given the Spirit His proper place. We have forfeited our advantage and quenched Him by our ignorance and fear. The Spirit is Lord and we must submit ourselves to the Spirit of God in us and bring this flesh under subjection. If you touch a live wire you are in for a shock, unless it is adequately insulated. We have so insulated the Holy Spirit with our flesh that the power is not being released. Many cannot tap into the Spirit's power because they are so afraid to be out of control. Oftentimes we have more desire to be respectable than powerful. Many times Jesus offended minds to reveal hearts.Jesus, being Who He was was dependent on the Spirit. How much more so should we be? It takes more than programs and rhetoric to change the lives of people.
Too long, we have brought men's methods into the church to make up for the absence of power. We have come to a time in the church where we must return to the power of the Spirit. We cannot do the work of the ministry apart from Him. We must return to the basics. Whatever we need to do to be clothed with power from on high we need to do. We are being summoned. There is a lost and dying world crying for help. If
Now is the time to seek the Lord. Repent of those things which have quenched the Spirit, remove hindrances, and ask Him to fill you up. Fellowship with Him; He is your friend, the one along side, the comforter, the Helper, the enabler, the standby, your counselor, your guide. He is your advantage.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen 2 Cor. 13:14
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
There is awakened in me a great need of being led by the Spirit. Jesus, did only what He did by the power of the Spirit. So it must be with us as well. He told the disciples He was sending them someone just like Him. He said it was to their advantage that He went away so that the Helper could come, the one just like Himself. It is of necessity that God's people be filled and continually filled with the Spirit of God. We cannot walk in the government of God unless we are led by the Spirit. The kingdom of God is in the Spirit, so if we are to walk the kingdom walk we must walk in the Spirit. The kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. So if we allow ourselves to be led by our flesh, we do not experience His government which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.
The absence of power in the church is due to the Holy Spirit not being given proper place in our lives. the kingdom is in the Spirit and Paul says that the kingdom of God is not in word, but power. Jesus told His disciples that there were many of them who would not die until they saw the kingdom of God come in power.
There are many today who have projected the coming of the kingdom far into the future. If that is so, some of those guys must still be alive somewhere. In Acts one Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Luke 24, He told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power, so obviously the kingdom came in power at Pentecost. We don't believe in tarrying much anymore, but whatever it takes we must be filled with His Spirit. In Acts chapter 6 those who were chosen to wait on tables had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Should any less be expected of us who serve the Lord and especially, we who preach the word.
What would happen in the church today if everyone from the nursery to the greeters at the front door were filled with the Spirit? Look at what happened immediately after they set the deacons apart. Act 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
I have shared many times how I asked the Lord one morning to give me something from His word that day and He led me to 1 Samuel 16. It's a great chapter and one I was extremely familiar with. In my pride I kind of thought, "what can the Lord show me in that passage?" I had not finished the first verse when a sentence in the very middle of the verse leaped off the page. "Fill your horn with oil, and go." How many times have I gone out to minister and the horn was empty. The Lord showed me that intimate with His Spirit was necessary in keeping my horn full. He has made provision for us to be continually filled to overflowing, that there is a river. Jesus timing and choices all flowed out of intimacy with the Father.
Our communication, our fellowship is with the Spirit. If you do a careful study of God speaking in the new testament, other than Jesus speaking to Paul on the road to Damascus, it was always the Holy Spirit that spoke to them and gave instruction. The scripture was written by holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a person. He is not a force or power. He can be insulted;He can be grieved; He can be quenched; He can be blasphemed; He can be ignored. As I said earlier, the reason for the absence of power in our people is because we have not given the Spirit His proper place. We have forfeited our advantage and quenched Him by our ignorance and fear. The Spirit is Lord and we must submit ourselves to the Spirit of God in us and bring this flesh under subjection. If you touch a live wire you are in for a shock, unless it is adequately insulated. We have so insulated the Holy Spirit with our flesh that the power is not being released. Many cannot tap into the Spirit's power because they are so afraid to be out of control. Oftentimes we have more desire to be respectable than powerful. Many times Jesus offended minds to reveal hearts.Jesus, being Who He was was dependent on the Spirit. How much more so should we be? It takes more than programs and rhetoric to change the lives of people.
Too long, we have brought men's methods into the church to make up for the absence of power. We have come to a time in the church where we must return to the power of the Spirit. We cannot do the work of the ministry apart from Him. We must return to the basics. Whatever we need to do to be clothed with power from on high we need to do. We are being summoned. There is a lost and dying world crying for help. If
Now is the time to seek the Lord. Repent of those things which have quenched the Spirit, remove hindrances, and ask Him to fill you up. Fellowship with Him; He is your friend, the one along side, the comforter, the Helper, the enabler, the standby, your counselor, your guide. He is your advantage.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen 2 Cor. 13:14
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Spiritual Synergy
Dear friends,
I hope all is well with you. You are loved. I'd like to share a few thoughts today on spiritual synergy. It is a time where the body of Christ needs desperately to come together. Ben Franklin once told the leaders of the American Revolution ," We must all hang together or we, most assuredly, will hang separately." That is true in the body of Christ as well. A kingdom divided shall not stand. I pray this teaching will be an encouragement to you,
A few years ago at a horse pulling contest, a single horse pulled 4500 pounds. The horse was later teamed with a weaker horse and together they pulled over 13,000 pounds. What made the difference? It's a principle called synergy. Ecc. 4:9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. That was an illustration of synergy in the natural, but there is also synergy in the spiritual. Let's look at spiritual synergy for just a moment. Spiritual synergy combines not only the joint effort of the participants, but the supernatural power of God. Look at Deutoronomy 32: 30 How can one man chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them and the Lord had surrendered them? The answer to the first part of the question is the Rock. God can deliver the enemy into your hands.
Synergy mutiplies the abilities of the participants. In synergy the sum of the whole is much greater than the sum of the individual parts. There is a synergistic effect in unity. It is the power of agreement. "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. Matthew 18:20. Individual praise times are good, but get in a group of people of one heart and mind praising God and intensity is magnified. His presence is magnified. It is the same way in corporate prayer. There is power in agreement. Looking back at the horses, they had to pull together for the synergistic effect. What if one horse had dug in his hooves and refused to pull? The other horse would be pulling not only against the weight, but the resistance of the other horse and his output would be greatly diminished if not negated. This happens in so many churches. There is not like vision; some resist where leadership is headed and the ministry of the church is ineffective. It happens, also, in marriage. If the two are pulling together there is great strength, but if they are pulling against each other it cannot stand. Children sense this division and it often leads to destructive patterns. Unity is the place of blessing. Productivity is found in that place of pulling together.
We must pull together or we will be pulled apart. The heart of Jesus is that we become one as He and the Father are one. He wants us to be yoked up to Him. He said,"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." It could be today that you have been pulling by yourself and your burden has been heavy. You are weary from the load. Jesus wants you to yoke up with Him. If you are yoked to Him, you can far exceed any thing that you thought was possible, because when you are yoked to Him there is spiritual synergy and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20. That power is the Spirit of God.
There is much going on in the spiritual realm right now and it is important that we lock our shields and stand together. We have an old testament promise that when the enemy comes against us one way, he'll be scattered 7 ways. Let's stand together yoked with Christ. Be blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean
I hope all is well with you. You are loved. I'd like to share a few thoughts today on spiritual synergy. It is a time where the body of Christ needs desperately to come together. Ben Franklin once told the leaders of the American Revolution ," We must all hang together or we, most assuredly, will hang separately." That is true in the body of Christ as well. A kingdom divided shall not stand. I pray this teaching will be an encouragement to you,
A few years ago at a horse pulling contest, a single horse pulled 4500 pounds. The horse was later teamed with a weaker horse and together they pulled over 13,000 pounds. What made the difference? It's a principle called synergy. Ecc. 4:9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. That was an illustration of synergy in the natural, but there is also synergy in the spiritual. Let's look at spiritual synergy for just a moment. Spiritual synergy combines not only the joint effort of the participants, but the supernatural power of God. Look at Deutoronomy 32: 30 How can one man chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them and the Lord had surrendered them? The answer to the first part of the question is the Rock. God can deliver the enemy into your hands.
Synergy mutiplies the abilities of the participants. In synergy the sum of the whole is much greater than the sum of the individual parts. There is a synergistic effect in unity. It is the power of agreement. "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. Matthew 18:20. Individual praise times are good, but get in a group of people of one heart and mind praising God and intensity is magnified. His presence is magnified. It is the same way in corporate prayer. There is power in agreement. Looking back at the horses, they had to pull together for the synergistic effect. What if one horse had dug in his hooves and refused to pull? The other horse would be pulling not only against the weight, but the resistance of the other horse and his output would be greatly diminished if not negated. This happens in so many churches. There is not like vision; some resist where leadership is headed and the ministry of the church is ineffective. It happens, also, in marriage. If the two are pulling together there is great strength, but if they are pulling against each other it cannot stand. Children sense this division and it often leads to destructive patterns. Unity is the place of blessing. Productivity is found in that place of pulling together.
We must pull together or we will be pulled apart. The heart of Jesus is that we become one as He and the Father are one. He wants us to be yoked up to Him. He said,"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." It could be today that you have been pulling by yourself and your burden has been heavy. You are weary from the load. Jesus wants you to yoke up with Him. If you are yoked to Him, you can far exceed any thing that you thought was possible, because when you are yoked to Him there is spiritual synergy and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20. That power is the Spirit of God.
There is much going on in the spiritual realm right now and it is important that we lock our shields and stand together. We have an old testament promise that when the enemy comes against us one way, he'll be scattered 7 ways. Let's stand together yoked with Christ. Be blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Having done all, stand
Dear friends,
I pray that you are well. As I have opportunity to meet people, I've found that if we get beyond surface conversation that they have a story. Too often, we never get to know people well enough to hear their story. Some have great stories of perseverance and encouragement, others have lives that have been continually marred by wrong choices, and some through no fault of their own have been ambushed with life's problems. There are so many people that are hurting. Some need help, but they all need hope. Hope comes from experience with the faithfulness and character of God. Some find themselves in situations where they don't know what to do. Even as Christians we find ourselves asking, "What do I do?" Today, I would like to offer a few thoughts on "what to do when, I don't know what to do."
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 4:13
It is easy enough to say that when you don't know what to do, stand! What does it mean to stand? This reference in Ephesians is a very familiar passage and gives keen insight to spiritual warfare. Many have gotten up for years and symbolically put their armor on. There is nothing wrong with that, it may well encourage some people's faith, but you really don't have to put on what you never took off. All of those things have to do with being in Christ. He is the truth; He is our righteousness; He is our peace; Faith comes by His spoken word; He is our salvation; the sword is His spoken word. We are in Christ. We see Moses could not view God's goodness (glory) except he be hidden in the cleft of the rock. That rock is Jesus. If we cannot handle even a glimpse of His glory in our flesh, neither can we withstand the full onslaught of the enemy except we be "in Christ".
In the passages of Ephesians 6:10-19 The word "stand" is used 3 times. We are not to run; we are not to fall; we are to stand. It is interesting that Paul describes us being all suited up in Christ (our armor) and what is the command? Stand. When people get suited up in armor, it is for going to war. Did Paul say go into battle? One might say no, but in verse 18, Paul says, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". Prayer is the battle.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is pray. It seems that when in a crisis we tend to exhaust all human possibilities before we turn to God in prayer. Paul is saying that when the onslaught of the enemy comes, stand in Christ and pray in the Spirit not just in tongues, but all prayers. We are suited in Christ and Christ is in us and greater is He in us than he that is in the world. So when trouble comes knocking, let Jesus answer the door. So what do I do when I don't know what to do? First, I must stand. Do not back up or back down. Do not quit. Secondly, I must pray, but thirdly I must praise.
1. Stand
2. Pray
3. Praise
We looked briefly at the first two, now let's look at praise. I have written many times about 2 Chronicles 20 because it has been so meaningful in my life, but allow me to visit part of it again today.You know the story; three enemies were about to attack Judah.(Our enemies are three as well, the world, the flesh, and the devil.) There was no way they were prepared for such an attack. Jehoshaphat called a solemn assembly to fast and pray and seek the Lord. God responded by speaking through a prophet. I won't go into the whole prophetic word, just the first part of verse 17, "You will not need to fight in the battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Who is with you O Judah and Jerusalem!"
The next day they sent the praisers out first and the Lord ambushed their enemies and a great victory was won against impossible odds. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5 that it is the will of God for us to give thanks in everything and Ephesians 5:20 to be giving thanks always for all things to God the Father.
There may be someone in the pit of despair today. Self-pity will not deliver you. It will only get worse. There are times when a simple prayer of "help me" will be answered, but I have found for those who are walking in a measure of maturity, that God sometimes says, "Get up off the ground! Stand up and be who I called you to be." I remember a time a few years back when there were several situations working against me in my life. I became more and more discouraged until I was wallowing in self-pity. The Lord basically said,"Stop it, get up and fight. I began to pray and take authority over the things He had given me authority. I prayed His word and began to praise Him. Not only was there an immediate lift in my spirit, but the situations began to change. From time to time I have visited the valley of despair, but my visits have been fewer and shorter since I learned to stand. I have shared this before, but it applies "If you want to escape the low places enter into God's high praises." Stand and see the salvation of the Lord.
May the knowledge of God's love encourage your heart today. He is faithful. Don't give up or give in. You are sons and daughters of the king.
In His love,
Herb Dean
I pray that you are well. As I have opportunity to meet people, I've found that if we get beyond surface conversation that they have a story. Too often, we never get to know people well enough to hear their story. Some have great stories of perseverance and encouragement, others have lives that have been continually marred by wrong choices, and some through no fault of their own have been ambushed with life's problems. There are so many people that are hurting. Some need help, but they all need hope. Hope comes from experience with the faithfulness and character of God. Some find themselves in situations where they don't know what to do. Even as Christians we find ourselves asking, "What do I do?" Today, I would like to offer a few thoughts on "what to do when, I don't know what to do."
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 4:13
It is easy enough to say that when you don't know what to do, stand! What does it mean to stand? This reference in Ephesians is a very familiar passage and gives keen insight to spiritual warfare. Many have gotten up for years and symbolically put their armor on. There is nothing wrong with that, it may well encourage some people's faith, but you really don't have to put on what you never took off. All of those things have to do with being in Christ. He is the truth; He is our righteousness; He is our peace; Faith comes by His spoken word; He is our salvation; the sword is His spoken word. We are in Christ. We see Moses could not view God's goodness (glory) except he be hidden in the cleft of the rock. That rock is Jesus. If we cannot handle even a glimpse of His glory in our flesh, neither can we withstand the full onslaught of the enemy except we be "in Christ".
In the passages of Ephesians 6:10-19 The word "stand" is used 3 times. We are not to run; we are not to fall; we are to stand. It is interesting that Paul describes us being all suited up in Christ (our armor) and what is the command? Stand. When people get suited up in armor, it is for going to war. Did Paul say go into battle? One might say no, but in verse 18, Paul says, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". Prayer is the battle.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is pray. It seems that when in a crisis we tend to exhaust all human possibilities before we turn to God in prayer. Paul is saying that when the onslaught of the enemy comes, stand in Christ and pray in the Spirit not just in tongues, but all prayers. We are suited in Christ and Christ is in us and greater is He in us than he that is in the world. So when trouble comes knocking, let Jesus answer the door. So what do I do when I don't know what to do? First, I must stand. Do not back up or back down. Do not quit. Secondly, I must pray, but thirdly I must praise.
1. Stand
2. Pray
3. Praise
We looked briefly at the first two, now let's look at praise. I have written many times about 2 Chronicles 20 because it has been so meaningful in my life, but allow me to visit part of it again today.You know the story; three enemies were about to attack Judah.(Our enemies are three as well, the world, the flesh, and the devil.) There was no way they were prepared for such an attack. Jehoshaphat called a solemn assembly to fast and pray and seek the Lord. God responded by speaking through a prophet. I won't go into the whole prophetic word, just the first part of verse 17, "You will not need to fight in the battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Who is with you O Judah and Jerusalem!"
The next day they sent the praisers out first and the Lord ambushed their enemies and a great victory was won against impossible odds. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5 that it is the will of God for us to give thanks in everything and Ephesians 5:20 to be giving thanks always for all things to God the Father.
There may be someone in the pit of despair today. Self-pity will not deliver you. It will only get worse. There are times when a simple prayer of "help me" will be answered, but I have found for those who are walking in a measure of maturity, that God sometimes says, "Get up off the ground! Stand up and be who I called you to be." I remember a time a few years back when there were several situations working against me in my life. I became more and more discouraged until I was wallowing in self-pity. The Lord basically said,"Stop it, get up and fight. I began to pray and take authority over the things He had given me authority. I prayed His word and began to praise Him. Not only was there an immediate lift in my spirit, but the situations began to change. From time to time I have visited the valley of despair, but my visits have been fewer and shorter since I learned to stand. I have shared this before, but it applies "If you want to escape the low places enter into God's high praises." Stand and see the salvation of the Lord.
May the knowledge of God's love encourage your heart today. He is faithful. Don't give up or give in. You are sons and daughters of the king.
In His love,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Escaping the Boundaries of Human Limitations
Dear friends,
I hope you are well this morning. I woke up this morning thinking about God's calling me into the ministry years ago. As a good many of you know, when God called me, I ran. I was a timid individual who found it difficult to stand before groups. I ,basically, told the Lord I could not do it and ran for ten years. As a broken man at the end of those ten years, "I heard the Lord say, you were right all along; you can't do it, but faithful am I Who calls Who will also do it." This morning as I thought on these things, I began to think about the response of those in scripture to the call of God on their lives. Some of their experiences were not that far removed from my own. I want to look at a few of those this morning. Maybe someone out there in cyberspace is wrestling with a call from God.
Too often we place limitations on our ability because we see the frailties of human flesh. What we don't realize is that when we place these limitations on ourselves we place them on God as well. One of the first verses I memorized when I was five or six years old was: I can do things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13. I could quote it, but it would be many years later before I would enter into the good of it. In fact, it brought me little comfort when God called me to preach. How many people have rejected the call of God because of their perceived limitations? Really, it comes down to a matter of faith. Can God do through me that which He has called me to do? If we reject the call of God, we reject His grace to be what He called us to be. Your limitations are not established by your inabilities, but by your rejection of God's ability. Neither is your potential limited by your inability. Your potential is found in God's ability. Let's look at some of the men God called in scripture. I want to look at not only their response, but God's response to them.
1. Moses- When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and told him he was going to pharaoh to deliver God's people, Moses' response was,"Who am I that I should go to pharaoh....?" Later in the conversation Moses says to the Lord,"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." God's response,"Who made man's mouth? ...... Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore ,go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." Moses, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. He was still not convinced and angered the Lord. You can read the whole conversation in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. You can see the reluctance of one of God's choice servants.
2. Gideon- The angel of the Lord called him a mighty man of valor. At that moment he was hiding in winepress threshing wheat. Gideon's first response was to moan and groan about being forsaken by God. The angel gives him God's call and his response was,"O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
3. Saul-Samuel prophesied that Saul was the desire of Israel. In other words, he was saying you are chosen to be king. Saul's response,"Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?"
Are you seeing a pattern? The children of Israel didn't enter the land because they saw themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of the people of Canaan. If our perception keeps us from the call of God, we have trusted only in the arm of the flesh.
4. Jeremiah- God's word to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah's response, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." God's response to Jeremiah, " Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
If anyone knows our ability, it is God, and yet He refuses to accept our excuses. He does not look at our strength; He looks at His own. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power working in us. Ephesians 3:19 What is that power working in us? It is the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the same Holy Spirit who was brooding over the face of the waters when God said let there be and there was. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Are you too hard a case for Him to use? Absolutely not! You can do all things through Christ Who is your strength. You've heard it said that God is not interested in our ability, but our availability. Paul said that when He was weak, then he was strong for His strength is perfected in our weakness. God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. I believe that grace is not just unmerited favor, but it is God's ability. His grace is more than sufficient to enable us to do what He has called us to do. He delights in showing Himself strong in the lives of those who totally trust Him.
Friend, don't set your boundaries according to your ability. God wants to take you far beyond where you thought you could go. Don't limit God. Don't limit God in you. God can do whatever He wants to do and He can do it in you.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
I hope you are well this morning. I woke up this morning thinking about God's calling me into the ministry years ago. As a good many of you know, when God called me, I ran. I was a timid individual who found it difficult to stand before groups. I ,basically, told the Lord I could not do it and ran for ten years. As a broken man at the end of those ten years, "I heard the Lord say, you were right all along; you can't do it, but faithful am I Who calls Who will also do it." This morning as I thought on these things, I began to think about the response of those in scripture to the call of God on their lives. Some of their experiences were not that far removed from my own. I want to look at a few of those this morning. Maybe someone out there in cyberspace is wrestling with a call from God.
Too often we place limitations on our ability because we see the frailties of human flesh. What we don't realize is that when we place these limitations on ourselves we place them on God as well. One of the first verses I memorized when I was five or six years old was: I can do things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13. I could quote it, but it would be many years later before I would enter into the good of it. In fact, it brought me little comfort when God called me to preach. How many people have rejected the call of God because of their perceived limitations? Really, it comes down to a matter of faith. Can God do through me that which He has called me to do? If we reject the call of God, we reject His grace to be what He called us to be. Your limitations are not established by your inabilities, but by your rejection of God's ability. Neither is your potential limited by your inability. Your potential is found in God's ability. Let's look at some of the men God called in scripture. I want to look at not only their response, but God's response to them.
1. Moses- When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and told him he was going to pharaoh to deliver God's people, Moses' response was,"Who am I that I should go to pharaoh....?" Later in the conversation Moses says to the Lord,"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." God's response,"Who made man's mouth? ...... Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore ,go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." Moses, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. He was still not convinced and angered the Lord. You can read the whole conversation in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. You can see the reluctance of one of God's choice servants.
2. Gideon- The angel of the Lord called him a mighty man of valor. At that moment he was hiding in winepress threshing wheat. Gideon's first response was to moan and groan about being forsaken by God. The angel gives him God's call and his response was,"O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
3. Saul-Samuel prophesied that Saul was the desire of Israel. In other words, he was saying you are chosen to be king. Saul's response,"Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?"
Are you seeing a pattern? The children of Israel didn't enter the land because they saw themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of the people of Canaan. If our perception keeps us from the call of God, we have trusted only in the arm of the flesh.
4. Jeremiah- God's word to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah's response, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." God's response to Jeremiah, " Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
If anyone knows our ability, it is God, and yet He refuses to accept our excuses. He does not look at our strength; He looks at His own. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power working in us. Ephesians 3:19 What is that power working in us? It is the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the same Holy Spirit who was brooding over the face of the waters when God said let there be and there was. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Are you too hard a case for Him to use? Absolutely not! You can do all things through Christ Who is your strength. You've heard it said that God is not interested in our ability, but our availability. Paul said that when He was weak, then he was strong for His strength is perfected in our weakness. God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. I believe that grace is not just unmerited favor, but it is God's ability. His grace is more than sufficient to enable us to do what He has called us to do. He delights in showing Himself strong in the lives of those who totally trust Him.
Friend, don't set your boundaries according to your ability. God wants to take you far beyond where you thought you could go. Don't limit God. Don't limit God in you. God can do whatever He wants to do and He can do it in you.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Be Not Weary In Well Doing
Dear friends,
I pray you are walking in God's blessing. Have you ever felt like giving up? If you are like myself, you have.
As a pastor I went through a time where every Monday morning I was ready to resign. I am reminded of the cartoon where a woman is standing over someone in bed who has a sheet pulled over his head. The person in bed keeps crying, "I don't want to go to church!" The woman responds, "You have to go, you're the pastor." There can be difficult seasons in our lives where we just don't feel we can continue to go on. I want to encourage you today, that there is a harvest coming. Don't give up!
I usually post a verse each day on facebook and this morning I posted Galatians 6:9, " And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint. Then as I was reading my e-mail a minister who sends out a word for today used that same verse. I heard the Lord say this morning as I was praying,"with persistence comes reward." We have talked about it before, but all the promises to the churches in Revelation were to those who overcame. Let's look again at some who persevered until they reaped.
1. Abraham was 75 when he was promised a son, 100 when he received the promise.
2. Jacob wrestled all night with the angel, part of which was probably in great pain because his hip had been disjointed, refusing to let go until he received a blessing.
3 Joseph was given a dream at 17. He went from the pit to the prison to the palace where he stood before pharaoh at age 30. He was probably 40 or more before he saw the fulfillment because it was in the third year of the famine that his family bowed before him.
4. David was anointed king of Israel as a teenager. He spent years fleeing for his life living in caves and Philistine territory and at his lowest point at Ziklag he was just a few days from becoming king of Judah. At age 40 he would reign over all Israel.
5. Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law and go back to her land. She remained faithful to Naomi and was rewarded with a husband and though she was a Moabitess was included in the lineage of Christ.
In the parables of Christ, Jesus told about the unjust judge and the widow. The judge gave in because he knew the widow was persistent. Then there was the friend with a visitor late at night. He sought his neighbor for food, but his neighbor had gone to bed. Jesus said he would not rise and give him bread because he was a friend, but because of his persistence, he would rise and give him all he needed. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart). Luke 18:1 In Luke 11:9, Jesus says, " So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened to you. Ask, seek, and knock are present imperative in the Greek which means a continuous action. In other words ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking. There are some who would say to ask more than one time is not faith. I say ask until you hear from God, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the rhema (spoken word of God).
" I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Isaiah 62: 6,7 The Lord wants us to be persistent, unwavering. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Friend, don't give up. I could give you all the cliches like it's always darkest before the dawn, or breakthrough comes right before breakdown, but the truth is God has given us a promise, "with persistence comes reward." "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of god, you may receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36
You might ask, "Haven't you written this same thing before?" I have written very similar teachings, but I have found I need to be reminded from time to time that my efforts are not in vain. There are some of you who have prayed and prayed; you have expended great energy for little results and you wonder at times, "Is it worth it?" or "Am I counting for anything in the kingdom?" You cannot measure results by what you see. Be faithful pilgrim, there is a harvest coming. Be encouraged today in His love.
Blessings,
Herb Dean
I pray you are walking in God's blessing. Have you ever felt like giving up? If you are like myself, you have.
As a pastor I went through a time where every Monday morning I was ready to resign. I am reminded of the cartoon where a woman is standing over someone in bed who has a sheet pulled over his head. The person in bed keeps crying, "I don't want to go to church!" The woman responds, "You have to go, you're the pastor." There can be difficult seasons in our lives where we just don't feel we can continue to go on. I want to encourage you today, that there is a harvest coming. Don't give up!
I usually post a verse each day on facebook and this morning I posted Galatians 6:9, " And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint. Then as I was reading my e-mail a minister who sends out a word for today used that same verse. I heard the Lord say this morning as I was praying,"with persistence comes reward." We have talked about it before, but all the promises to the churches in Revelation were to those who overcame. Let's look again at some who persevered until they reaped.
1. Abraham was 75 when he was promised a son, 100 when he received the promise.
2. Jacob wrestled all night with the angel, part of which was probably in great pain because his hip had been disjointed, refusing to let go until he received a blessing.
3 Joseph was given a dream at 17. He went from the pit to the prison to the palace where he stood before pharaoh at age 30. He was probably 40 or more before he saw the fulfillment because it was in the third year of the famine that his family bowed before him.
4. David was anointed king of Israel as a teenager. He spent years fleeing for his life living in caves and Philistine territory and at his lowest point at Ziklag he was just a few days from becoming king of Judah. At age 40 he would reign over all Israel.
5. Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law and go back to her land. She remained faithful to Naomi and was rewarded with a husband and though she was a Moabitess was included in the lineage of Christ.
In the parables of Christ, Jesus told about the unjust judge and the widow. The judge gave in because he knew the widow was persistent. Then there was the friend with a visitor late at night. He sought his neighbor for food, but his neighbor had gone to bed. Jesus said he would not rise and give him bread because he was a friend, but because of his persistence, he would rise and give him all he needed. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart). Luke 18:1 In Luke 11:9, Jesus says, " So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened to you. Ask, seek, and knock are present imperative in the Greek which means a continuous action. In other words ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking. There are some who would say to ask more than one time is not faith. I say ask until you hear from God, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the rhema (spoken word of God).
" I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Isaiah 62: 6,7 The Lord wants us to be persistent, unwavering. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Friend, don't give up. I could give you all the cliches like it's always darkest before the dawn, or breakthrough comes right before breakdown, but the truth is God has given us a promise, "with persistence comes reward." "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of god, you may receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36
You might ask, "Haven't you written this same thing before?" I have written very similar teachings, but I have found I need to be reminded from time to time that my efforts are not in vain. There are some of you who have prayed and prayed; you have expended great energy for little results and you wonder at times, "Is it worth it?" or "Am I counting for anything in the kingdom?" You cannot measure results by what you see. Be faithful pilgrim, there is a harvest coming. Be encouraged today in His love.
Blessings,
Herb Dean
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