Listening to the Word

Zechariah 7-9; Luke 13   “…He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:10 “…He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.’” Luke 13:23, 24 The peace of Christ is the victor’s peace; the peace that is found when the harassing voice of the enemy has been stilled and his presence driven out. Jesus proclaims peace to the nations; those who respond to him experience the freedom and peace of Christ’s rule. The world’s peace is a false peace that cannot transform hearts and minds. When we live and proclaim the Gospel of peace, we, too, extend Christ’s rule to others. His kingdom requires surrender of our sin and our will to the will of the Father. This narrow door means that most do not find peace with God and the peace of God in their lives. Are we trying to find peace some other way than Christ’s offer of m...

Zechariah 4-6; Luke 12    “’When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.’” Luke 12:11, 12 Our degree of dependence on the Holy Spirit when we are being opposed or confronted by authority is a measure of how well we know the Holy Spirit. Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit’s anointing when facing the schemes and traps of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. His wisdom came from the Holy Spirit and so can ours. The seven-fold Spirit of God is full of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:2). As we learn to listen and respond to the promptings of the Spirit, we, too, will be taught “at that time” what we need to say in the tests we will face. When we worry about defending ourselves, we give in to fear, rather than living by faith. The Lord who has called us to himself and his mission will defend us and teach us through the Hol...

Zechariah 1-3; Luke 11   “’Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people…I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.’” Zechariah 2:10-13 The coming of the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his second coming waits. No one understood at the time of Zechariah, that God’s redemptive plan to join many nations to himself through the great commission over the past two millennia of the Church-age was actually the fulfillment of this prophesy. Now we wait for Christ’s second coming when he again inherits Judah and chooses Jerusalem. God’s prophetic word will be fulfilled, but we must cooperate with it through our obedience an...

Haggai 1-2; Psalms 129; Luke 10   “’Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves…When you enter a house, first say, “Peace to this house.” If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.” …The seventy- two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’” Luke 10:3, 5, 6, 17 Jesus sends “lambs” on a mission among “wolves.” Yet it is the lambs that carry Christ’s authority to drive out demons and heal the sick. When welcomed into a home, these lambs declared Christ’s peace in that home. More than words, this peace is the reality of Christ’s presence and kingdom rule. The peace we carry will ‘rest’ on those who welcome this peace. This peace is Jesus! The demonic manifestations the disciples encountered testified that Christ’s powerful peace caused even wolves to flee! Are we living under the authority of Christ and his peace? Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the presence of Christ and his kingdom wh...

Ezra 4; Psalms 113, 127; Luke 9   “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.’” Luke 9:1-3 Jesus sent out his disciples, in faith and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit. What do we rely on in our ministry? Without money, these disciples relied on the generosity of the “man of peace” (Luke 10:6) in the community who would open a place for them to stay and offer food. Without ‘project funds,’ these disciples relied on prayer and preaching as their gifts. What Jesus clearly gave his disciples was power and authority. Are we receiving from the Lord the most essential resources of the Spirit of God for the ministry-call we have received? There is no other way to advance the kingdom of God. “Lord Jesus, may your kingdom advance this day throug...

Ezra 2-3; Luke 8   “When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” Ezra 3:10, 11   Foundations are important. The laying of the foundation of the temple was supervised by priests and celebrated with worship. The goodness and love of God was sung over the foundation. We, too, are being built together into a holy temple in the Lord, with the apostles and prophets establishing the foundation and Jesus Christ as our chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20-22). The apostolic and prophetic ministry of the Holy Spirit continues to extend and establish the witness of the Church in ...

Ezra 1; Psalms 84-85; Luke 7   “I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints – but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.” Psalm 85:8, 9 If we are not listening to the Spirit of God through the Word, we will stumble into folly rather than dwell in peace. As we humble ourselves before the Lord and others, we experience God’s salvation and presence. Through the Lord’s discipline we grow in the fear of the Lord and his glory is reflected through our lives. Israel’s restoration and our restoration come through listening to the Lord in humility and repentance for all folly in order to know deliverance, freedom, peace, and to experience the fear of the Lord. It is the fear of the lord that causes our hearts to grow in sensitivity and receptivity to God’s counsel. Folly leads to death, while listening-obedience leads to life. “Lord Jesus, I humble myself before you and...

Daniel 11-12; Luke 6    “’Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:37, 38 Jesus empowers his disciples to be initiators in changing culture. We are to take the initiative in not judging, not condemning, in forgiving, and in showing generosity. When we show mercy and forgive our enemies, we look like our Father in heaven and testify that we are his children. The principle of reciprocity reminds us that initiating kindness is a better way to live and will be rewarded. We cannot out-give God! Our generosity releases God’s generosity to us. Where is the Lord inviting us in new levels of kindness, forgiveness, generosity, and mercy? How do we understand God’s nature or character toward us in all these areas? ...

  Daniel 9-10; Psalms 123; Luke 5 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes…’At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.’” Daniel 9:3; 10:2, 3 Fasting was a regular part of Daniel’s worship and prayer life. His public duties continued while his body was humbled before God. Are we valuing communion with God with the same intentionality? Fasting, or abstaining from certain things, can take many forms. The most basic is abstaining fully or partially from food for a set period of time. Daniel’s revelations came both during periods of fasting, and during prompted fasting. As we humble ourselves before the Lord our flesh is subjected to our spirit, and the Holy Spirit receives our full attention. In a world full of distractions, noise, entertainment, and pride, the Lord invites us to humble ourselv...

Daniel 7-8; Psalms 137; Luke 4    “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’…When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:1-3, 13 The enemy of our souls, Satan, tempts and tests us after our spiritual victories and defeats. He tested Jesus when he was full of the Spirit and when he felt weak after forty days of fasting. The devil is always looking for his “opportune time” to cause us to stumble and fall. Our times of greatest vulnerability to temptation often come when we are feeling strong, or very weak. If Jesus was tested and tempted by Satan, so will we be. Our weapons, like Jesus,’ are the authority of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. We, too, can resist t...

Daniel 5-6; Psalms 130; Luke 3   “…’For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’” Daniel 6:26, 27 The Lord allowed his servant Daniel to be tested in a lion’s den so the entire Persian/Babylonian kingdom could receive a testimony of the living God. This Gospel of God’s rescuing, saving, revealing nature needed someone through whom to communicate. Darius was the messenger, but Daniel was the illustration. How do we view our tests and “lion’s den” experiences? Are our lives available to God as his message to the world that he rescues, saves, and reveals himself? Jesus is the fullest revelation of God this world has received, and his tests demonstrate the gospel. He, too, overcame all the power of the enemy, including sin and death. We authenticate this gospel as we, too, live by...

Ezekiel 47-48; Luke 2 “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live…Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail…” Ezekiel 47:9, 12 Where the river flows, everything will live! Jesus said to thirsty, religious people, “…come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him [them] (John 7:37, 38). By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Are we thirsty for this life of God’s Spirit and presence? As we are daily filled with the Spirit this infilling is not just for our strengthening and encouragement. We carry rivers of living water so that life would be experienced by all who meet us this day. Salty people will be refreshed! Fruit will be enjoyed, a...

Ezekiel 45-46; Luke 1   “The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:35-38 The Holy Spirit continues to birth life in God’s people for his kingdom advance and glory. Mary conceived because the power of the Most High rested upon her and the Holy Spirit filled her with new life. In the womb of intercession for the Church, do we pray as Mary prayed? Even an older woman like Elizabeth with a barren label over her life conceived because of the promise of God. Even in our “old age” will we pray for our older churches to conceive and birth new churches with new Christ-followers? Will we, too, believe...

Ezekiel 42-44; Revelation 22   “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city…Whoever is thirsty let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:1, 2, 17 Clean water is essential for life. Companies make lots of money bottling clean water for sale. The purest water, full of life, is available for free as a gift to those who are thirsty and ask God for life. Jesus said this living water would flow from the inner most being, the belly or womb of people as the Holy Spirit filled them (John 7:38). Living water is accessible now, not just in heaven. This river of life flows down the middle of the great street of the city, accessible and available to all. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is available to all who ask, seek and know (Luke 11:10). Are we thirsty for the reality of God’s presence in our lives? Religion is fo...

Ezekiel 40-41; Psalms 128; Revelation 21   “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.” Revelation 21:23-26 The unique cultures of the nations will be expressed in heaven. The splendor and glory of the nations and their leaders will serve the greater glory and splendor of the Lord God Almighty. As ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom, this kingdom of heaven is now.   What are we doing to bring our nations and culture into alignment with the kingdom of heaven? Even as we pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying for the fulfillment of Revelation 21. When we oppose laws and policies which are contrary to God’s ways, we are standing f...

Ezekiel 38-39; Psalms 145; Revelation 20   “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made…the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.” Psalm 145:13, 18-20 Entering Christ’s kingdom through salvation by faith in Christ’s forgiveness brings us under the authority of a new King. The Lord Jesus is the King of kings, and his promises are sure. Our access to his throne is in prayer through the blood of Christ and the enablement of the Holy Spirit who allows us to call on the Lord in truth. Are we crying out to the Lord with the real issues in our lives? Do we believe the Lord is watching over us today for our good? Are we experiencing the Lord’s nearness to us? David knew these realiti...

Ezekiel 36-37; Psalms 110; Revelation 19   “The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.” [Your young men will come to you like dew]. Psalm 110:2-4 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him…” Revelation 19:11, 14 Jesus is leading the armies of heaven in the advancement of his kingdom, and the gates of hell will not prevail against his army. We, the Church, participate in this advance by offering our lives to the service of Jesus Christ and his mission to make disciples of all nations. Our weapons are the Word of God, a sword, and the blood of the Lamb, our atonement. We share the...

Ezekiel 33-35, Revelation 18    “’Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.’…’My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words, but do not put them into practice.’” Ezekiel 33:7, 31, 32 The Lord is still raising watchmen and watchwomen who hear his Word and who speak that Word. This Word must be digested in our lives before we share it with others. When the Word has not transformed the life of the watchman or watchwoman, those who listen can focus on the eloquence or even entertainment value of preaching rather than on hearing the voice of the Lord. Spiritual renewal comes through hearing, digesti...

Daniel 3- 4; Psalms 81; Revelation 17   “Hear, O my people, and I will warn you – if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Psalm 81:8-12 This Psalm was to be sung at the temple’s ceremonial days when Israelites came to Jerusalem to worship. The Lord was reminding them that there was better food than their festival sacrifices. God wants to fill our mouths with his Word. Our responsibility is to surrender our hearts - often stubborn - to him. “Open wide your mouth” symbolizes a posture of receiving like hungry children who need assistance getting food to their mouths. Are we eager listeners in prayer, or just eager talkers? Are we willing to repent of all the distrac...

Daniel 1-2; Revelation 16   “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days…’I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.’” Daniel 1:8, 14; 2:3 Daniel’s life in Babylon included a series of tests that God allowed to determine his capacity to walk with authority. Physical temptations, addictions, and the capacity to control our own body are the first level of testing. Fasting is God’s gift to break habits and distractions the Lord is convicting us of. Nebuchadnezzar’s test for all wise men seemed impossible and some of our circumstances might feel the same way. However, as Daniel cried out to God for revelation and wisdom, he experienced what only the Holy Spirit can bring. Like Paul, we can ask the Lord for the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:17) so that we, too, can pass the tests in front of us. Knowing God is the key to passing our tests with his grace, humility, wis...

Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15   “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’ You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’ O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:55-58 God’s response to Jeremiah’s cry to the Lord from the depths of a pit into which he had been thrown by the angry leaders in Jerusalem is recorded for our encouragement. In the lowest circumstances of Jeremiah’s life, when all alone and near death, God spoke to him and said, ‘Do not fear.’   Have we heard those words in our spirit during the tests of life? God’s Word to us is of deliverance from the accusations of the enemy. God’s word over our lives is the final word in the courtroom of heaven. When the Lord takes up our case, it is the finished work of Christ on the cross that has paid our debt of sin and redeemed our life from the pit. We, too, need not fear! These are life-giving word...