Look at Jesus, and You Look Away from Yourself

 

 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

We are not supposed to look at ourselves.

But the problem for so many of us is that we focus on "not looking" at ourselves.

We need to look at Jesus!

The word "looking" is ἀφοράω aphoraó in the original Greek, which means "to look away from all else."

We want to look at Himself, not at ourselves.

It's not about us. It's never been about us, our feelings, our thoughts, our trials, our troubles.

Jesus, who holds the Universe and everything in it altogether (Colossians 1:15)

There are lots of noises, fears, premonitions, concerns, regrets, bitter feelings, bad memories, worries, outrages that can well up insde of us.

For me, there was often drama in the back of my head. That's the locus for those distractions. For other people, they may sense something in front of their minds, on the side, etc.

All of these fiery darts can distract people in such terrible ways.

But again, the solution to these distraction has to be more than a mere negation. We need to look at something, or better yet SOMEONE better!

That Someone is Jesus!

He is the Author and Finisher of Faith! He is the one who inspires our trust, and causes us to rest from all our painful toil and self-serving slavery.

It's all about seeing Him at work in and around us. He is our life. He is our health, He is our new identity before God the Father:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2:4-6)

and

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

We have a new identity in Christ. We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

It's all about him.

We no longer look at ourselves, as though we have to compensate for God missing something or overlooking a need in our lives:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

Too many Christians are not looking to Jesus. They look to Jesus and something or someone else. They look to Jesus and their problems. They look to Jesus and other people in their lives. They look to Jesus and the church, their traditions, their past, the opinions of others, their memories.

All of this is doomed to fail. Jesus is our success, our life, our new Gospel hope. There is no reason, no right for us to look to anyone or anything else to see us through.

For this post, and I hope for all future posts, there will be less focus on myself, but more on Himself.

I will add this part, though: for a long time, I was quite confused about what the thoughts, drama, issues, hurts, worries that would emerge in the back of my mind. For too long, I was convinced that I had to do something about them.

Today, I realize how all of this is just focus on self. That is precisely what Daddy God frees us from when we look at Jesus!

We look to Him, and we look away from everything else, including ourselves!

All of the negative thoughts and feelings, all of the pains and the hurts, all of this mess just falls away as I look to Jesus!

He is indeed the End of all our Struggles! YES!

What is the Biblical Definition of Faith? By Pastor Paul Ellis

 

What is a Biblical Definition of Faith? by Paul Ellis What is faith? We talk about faith all the time, but what is it? Do you know what faith is? Of course you do, right? Are you sure? Maybe a better question to ask is, “Do I have a Biblical definition of faith?” Contrary to what you may have heard, faith is not wishful thinking or some sort of spiritual currency that you trade for heavenly favors. Nor is faith something you manufacture through sheer determination. So what is faith? Here’s my definition: Faith is knowing and trusting your Father’s love. Faith is resting in the confident assurance that God is good and he longs to be good to you. What, too gushy? Not Greek enough for you? In the original language of the New Testament, there is a family of words that are translated as faith (pistis), believe (pisteuo), trustworthy (pistikos) and faithful (pistos). Then there is another family of words that can be translated as unbelief (apistia), unbelieving (apistos), disbelief (apeitheia), disbelieve (apeitheo), and unpersuadable (apeithes). All these words derive from a common word (peitho) that means to convince, win over, or persuade. Abraham “was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:21). That’s faith. Faith is being fully persuaded or convinced that God is good and trustworthy and that he cares for you. Abraham’s faith Manmade religion preaches blind faith, but Biblical faith is based on knowing God. Faith is not a leap in the dark, it’s walking in the light of God’s love. Again, consider Abraham. God said go and he went (Gen. 12:1). When Abraham got to Canaan, God said stay and he stayed. That’s faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise… (Hebrews 11:8-9) Then God said “I will bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars,” and Abraham said “okay.” Also faith. We tend to overthink faith, but faith is saying yes to God. When we pray the prayer of faith, we are simply saying yes to the Lord. [Sidebar: When you agree with God that’s called confession. Agreeing with God makes you right with God and that's called righteousness (Rom. 3:28). Good things happen when you agree with God.] Where does faith come from? Manmade religion says you have to faith your way into heaven, but that’s not how faith works. True faith is always a response to something God has said or done. We might say that faith stems from hope which comes from love. It’s the unfailing love of God that inspires us to trust him. Here’s a verse that explains the proper order: We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. (1 John 4:16) God loves us (that’s the first bit), then we come to trust in his love (that’s the faith bit). His love for us inspires our faith in him. And since the love of God is revealed in Jesus Christ (John 17:26), we can also say that faith comes from hearing the good news of Jesus: Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Rom. 10:17) We don’t get faith from hearing a good sermon; we get it from hearing about Jesus. When we hear about the love of God that is revealed in Jesus, our faith is activated. “Wow! God is so good! How can I not trust him?” In the Bible, believing in Jesus is called the work of God. Are you starting to see what faith is? Let’s finish with some quick contrasts: Religion says, “you need to believe,” without giving you a reason to believe, but the gospel declares “God is good and completely trustworthy.” Religion says “impress God with your faith,” but the gospel says we have been justified “by the faith of Christ” (Gal. 2:16). We love because he loves us, and we believe because God believes in us. Religion says “faith comes from within,” but the gospel reveals Jesus “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). He is truly the supplier of our faith, hope, and love. Faith is… Tradition portrays faith has damp ticket to heaven that may or may not be valid for entry, but the faith that God gives us is nothing like this. Faith is not just the means by which we come into union with Christ; faith is the very flavor of our relationship. Faith is living each day in total dependency on the One who spoke the universe into existence and flung the galaxies across the heavens. Faith is knowing your heavenly Father has great dreams and good gifts for you. Faith is an invitation to smile at the storm, stride over the mountains, and live supernaturally here and now. How boring life would be without faith. Those are my thoughts; I'd love to hear yours. How do you define faith? What does trusting God mean in your day-to-day life? Let me know in the comments. ----- If you liked this, you will love Paul’s rapidly-expanding Grace Glossary. Learn the language of the new covenant by discovering the treasures hidden within words like grace, faith, and forgiveness.

The Problem Is Not the Left: It's the Lack of Righteousness -- BY FAITH!

  Dennis Prager loves to say "The Left ruins everything it touches."

I disagree.

The Left can touch anything it wants. People can choose to "touch back", to push back, to fight back.

And right now, we have seen too many people not do that.

Why? Cowardice, lack of boldness. Remember what Edmund Burke said:

And yet, telling people that they are cowardly does not help people. Shaming people does not get them to break free of the bondage of fear. What does?

God's perfect love:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

This perfect loves gives a perfected standing of righteousness in Christ Jesus!

"Herein is our love made perfect [lit. love perfected among us], that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

What do we believe about Jesus? That He is our RIGHTEOUSNESS:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

and

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This righteousness makes us BOLD:

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1)

and

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

Righteousness is not something that we do, but something that is done to us! Righteousness frees us fro oppression and fear, because we know that God is with us!

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

When you know that no weapon that people use against you will be successful, then you know that you can speak out, step up, speak up, and not fear what man may do to you (Hebrews 13:6)

That's the boldness that is needed, and it comes when we receive--and keep receiving--the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17)

And that is "the faith" that Paul writes about to the Corinthians:

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

We need to get back to the Gospel:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

BAM!

When the revelation of righteousness by faith is restored in the Body of Christ, then the boldness to stand up to evil will be restored fully in the land. The Left is not the problem. The problem is the lack of righteousnesss, particularly the revelation of righteousness by faith in Christ!

YES!

The Worst Abomination: Trying to Earn Rather Than Receive God's Favor

 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

In the last post, I wrote about how Christ Jesus became sin, an abomination, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In that post, I wrote how the first mention of "abomination" in the Bible refers to what the Egyptians felt is an abomination. 

I shared that the Egyptians worshipped sheep, and they saw the Israelites as an abomination because they herded sheep and sacrificed them.

In this post, I want to revisit this stark difference, how the Egyptians related to lambs, and how the Israelites related to lambs, and how that plays into what is a greater abomination to God, beyond merely sexual perversion.

First, let me reprint the verses which use "abomination" in the Old Testament the first few times:

"And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians." (Genesis 43:32)

The Egyptians find the Israelites to be an abomination. Why?

"That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians." (Genesis 46:34)

The Egyptians found the Israelites to be an abomination because they were shepherds. Rather than worshipping sheep, they herded them. They domesticated them, they ate them.

And why else did the Egyptians find the Israelites to be an abomination?

"And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us?" (Exodus 8:26)

Not once but twice "abomination" is listed in the passage above. The Egyptians could not abide the idea of the Israelites sacrificing lambs to the LORD!

So, we have a window into the word "abomination", in that the Egyptians saw animals as something to be worshipped, whereas the Israelites used these animals to feed themselves and to atone for their sins before the LORD.

There is deeper revelation here, I believe, that I want to draw out for everyone.

God does not want us to come to Him in our efforts, serving Him in our own ways.

Consider what happened when Cain brought fruits from the ground, while Abel brought a lamb to atone for his sins:

"3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect." (Genesis 4:3-5)

They both offered sacrifices, but Abel sought forgiveness of sins the right way: through the blood of the lamb. Cain did it the wrong way, taking cursed produce from the ground--and not even the firstfruits!

Blood is needed to atone for our sins, not self-effort.

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)

In contrast:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)

and

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

Let's also draw further revelation on what is an abomination:

"Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen." (Deuteronomy 27:15)

We already know that the Egyptians worshipped the rams, lambs, sheeps, etc., while we in the Body of Christ we worship the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)

The Egyptians worshipped lambs, in their self-effort, hoping to earn forgiveness. In Christ, we receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17), because Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the Cross, taking all our sins, and granting us redemption through His Blood.

There is no greater abomination than to think that we can earn God's favor. Grace is undeserved, unearned, unmerited. We receive all things from God our loving Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

Let us worship the Lord, because He is Good! We do not, cannot, and should not think that we can bargain or buy God's favor. Such actions are indeed an abomination. Let's rest in the perfect gift of salvation which He has given to us. Amen!

God Tests Us, So that He May Surround Us With His Grace

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am." (Genesis 22:1)

First, it's important to get the proper meaning from this verse.

The word "tempt" is not accurate, at least as we understand that word today. God did not tempt Abraham, in that he was seducing him to commit a sin.

The better rendering is "test", or rather "prove", so that He could see that Abraham had attained a robust faith in God.

God later asked Abraham to offer up his son Isaac:

"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." (Genesis 22:2)

Indeed, the LORD was asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Of course, what was really playing out here was the type and shadow of God offering His Son, His only Son, the Son whom He loved, for all the sins of the world.

Moreover, here we see Abraham's faith in God fully flourishing. The writer of Hebrews confirms this:

"17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Abraham trusted God so much, that he knew that God would bring His Son back from the dead. After all, God had promised earlier:

"3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

and

"And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir." (Genesis 15:4)

God promised Abraham a son, and an heir, and that through this heir all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Now, what are these tests really all about?

Peter explains in his First Epistle:

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 1:7)

God wants us to believe in Him and thus receive all things from Him:

"31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32)

Keep in mind, that we are called to grow in grace! (2 Peter 3:18), and our grace grows in our greater revelation of Christ Jesus (2 Peter 1:2). In fact, grace is something that we receive from God by faith:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8)

God wants us to reign in life, and we reign in life as we receive--and keep receiving--the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17).

So, what is all this testing about? What does God test us, try us, and thus prove our faith?

He wants us to receive more of His grace, His favor in our lives!

The word "Test" in Genesis 22:1 is the Hebrew word נָסָה

"Nasah" in Hebrew.

Here are the three letters for that word, and the meaning of those letters:

נָ -- Nun, which speaks of the Son, Jesus
סָ -- Samech, which speaks of surrounding, or the sun (the light of the sun)
ה -- Heh, which speaks of God's grace

So, when God tests us, tests our faith, He is doing this so that His Son can surround you with his favor!

God wants us to live from faith to faith (Romans 1:17) for that is how the righteous live. He wants us to see more of Himself, and to receive more from Himself. When we face trials, hardships, and difficulties, we should never think that God does not love us or favor us. In fact, what God is doing is guiding us to see more of Himself, His love for us, so that He can extend more favor to us.

He Makes Your Enemies Your Footstool, Not You

"A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." (Psalm 110:1)

The more that I understand how real, how vibrant, how living Christ Jesus is in my life, the more that I understand, that I receive the promises which He has purchased for us.

This verse stands out considerably for me.

It all began with one of Pastor Joseph Prince's earlier sermons "Have a Throne Attitude". We are called to rest in Christ Jesus and His Finished Work first, then watch God take care of all the other problems which face us.

What I have learned recently, however, is that God can and wants to be in the business of taking care of our enemies, our foes, those who oppose us. However, if we insist in having a part in it, we frustrate His grace.

Paul writes to the Galatians, who wanted to go back under law, who wanted to trust in their flesh, their self-efforts, rather than rest in His Spirit:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)

Jesus is our Life, and He is very much alive in us (Colossians 3:4, Colossians 1:27). For the longest time, though, I could not give over to Him the power, the authority, the trust to make my enemies my footstool. This release was hard for me.

Why? Because I did not see Him as active, involved in every aspect of my life. I was determined, insistent on seeing the clear and convincing outcomes of His judgment waged in my life.

And I must admit, the other side of it is that I wanted to have a hand in it. I wanted to make it happen. Like David holding the sword over Goliath, I wanted to be intimiately involved in the demise of my enemies.

In other words, I wanted to make it happen in my effort, on my time, my way. I still had confidence in my flesh, and certainly more than in God's grace and power.

Consider what Paul has to say about this:

"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3)

To be honest now, there is no way that anything that I accomplish to avenge myself would be appropriate, effective, or worthwhile.

God is very clear about to whom vengeance belongs, as well:

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans 12:19)

When it comes to our flesh, God is also quite clear:

"And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Corinthians 1:28-29)

No flesh shall glory in God's presence. He deserves all the credit since He is the one is doing the work. He is working within each of us who believe in Him, after all! (Philippians 2:13)

I wanted that self-gratification, I admit. For a long time, I wanted to be front-row center watching my enemies get taken down.

But there is a promise of this vindication taking place for me:

"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." (Psalm 91:8)

I will see it, but I won't be up front to see it. Besides, what joy really is there in seeing the wrong of my enemies brought onto their heads? I want restoration and promotion far more than mere vengeance.

In fact, that is exactly what God promises to me, and what He accomplished for me through His Son Christ Jesus!

"For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them." (Isaiah 61:7)

Here's a prophecy about what Jesus did at the Cross for all of us:

"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away." (Psalm 69:4)

Jesus knew no sin, did no sin, had no sin in Himself. Yet He restored everything that we had done wrong, and He has provided the restoration for every wrong done to us.

I know longer live a life of trying to make other people pay for the wrongs that they have done to me. God has overpaid my sin debt, and His grace is superabundantly blessings me now!

Today, I recognize that it is not my job to make my enemies pay for the wrongs they have done to me. In fact, I don't have to do anything to them, since I have seen, and continue to receive, great recompense and reward from Christ Jesus for all that He has done, is doing, and will do for me in the future. I both know and believe in His love (1 John 4:16), and that is all that matters.

God is making my enemies my footstool. My job is simply to believe that He is handling the situation. After, it's faith that pleases Him! (Hebrews 11:6)

Walking With God Means Letting Him Flow Through You, Letting His Spirit Carry You, Move You

"And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:" (Genesis 5:22)

I have been meditating on this passage, and the concept of "walking with God" for quite some time.

What does it mean to "walk with God"?

In the past three months, I have gained a greater awareness of how real God is, how magnificent and present His live, His love is for us. God's presence, His grace in our lives is no contingent on us. He is ever-present, regardless of how we are thinking or what we are feeling.

Now, let's look at this phrase "walking with God", and I will share with you what God has revealed to me in His Word. This is a wonderful revelation, and I hope that it blesses you immensely.

First, I want to explore the word "walk" in the Original Hebrew.

הָלַךְ

The word is "halak", and it is made up of three letters:

He -- grace

Lamed -- a picture of a shepherd's staff, a picture of Jesus, certainly, but also a picture of leading, or being lead.

Kaph -- which is an open hand, or a hand of blessing, like the hand of the priest blessing the people.

So, "to walk" indicates how God's grace leads us to blessing.

WOW!

Strongs Concordance references "halak" with the nunber 1980, the same year that I was born. Another wow!

But now it gets really interesting.

The first mention of a word in the Bible often unfolds the spiritual insight which God wants us to receive about the word.

Where does "halak" first appear?

"And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates." (Genesis 2:14)

"Goes" is the word which translates "halak" in the above verse.

But a river does not merely "go" ... it flows!

Go with the flow, man!

Check out other translations of the above verse:

"The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates." (New American Standard Bible)

"The third river is named the Tigris— it flows to the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates." (International Standard Version)

A river does not "walk" in the sense of the word in English. A river flows! 

So, consider this meaning in light of Genesis 5:22:

"Enoch flowed with God."

Another use of "Halak" in the Book of Genesis brings forth greater revelation!

"And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 7:18)

"The ark went", the verse above reads. "Went" is the word "halak".

OK, sure, the Ark was going along the water. But what's another word, one that is just as precise? 

The ark floated!

"The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water." (New International Version)

So, one could read Genesis 5:22 also as "Enoch floated in God".

Yes, I know these literalist readings are acquired, and the context argues against such uses, but still the first mention of "halak" is flow, not necessarily "movement by placing one foot in front of the other."

The Lord then showed me some incredible insight into this.

How do we walk with God?

The writer of Hebrews explains:

"5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

So, Enoch pleased God. That's what it means to "walk with God". But we need more information.

The writer does not stop there:

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Do you see that? It's about faith! That makes sense, of course, since the entire context of Hebrews 11 is about faith. Faith is about receiving from God, believing that He is a rewarder. Just to affirm that it's about receiving from Him, I want to expand briefly on "diligently seek".

God is not far away, or somehow hiding from us. Even in the Old Testament, before Jesus' blood was shed for us, the Lord declares to His people:

"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:" (Isaiah 59:1)

Jesus promises to those who believe on Him:

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:20)

and also

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;" (John 14:16)

Above all, the writer of Hebrews affirms:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

So, what does "diligently seek" mean? In the original Greek, it is ἐκζητέω, or ekzeteo. "ek" implies intensity, and zeteo does mean "seek", but also "want"  or "desire." In other words, those who want Him, who desire to receive Him.

It's not about going on a quest or a long journey. It's about wanting to receive from Him as much as possible, much like what Paul had prayed for the Ephesian Christians in particular and the church in general:

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 4:14-19)

The desire to know Jesus more, to receive from Him more, is as simply as asking Him--and that is what faith is all about! The reason I went into this extensive explanation is that many people have torturned or twisted "walking with God" to mean living an obedient life, following the Ten Commandments, following God's orders, rules, etc. They have turned into quite a work!

What the Lord has shown me, however, is that "walking with God" is all about letting God flow in and through you. It's about letting God

For years, ever since I heard about "walking with God", or when people would ask me "How is your walk with God? How is your walk with the Lord?", I always pictured myself literally walking with God, trying to keep up with Him, or making sure that I was going the way that He was going. Underlining this picture was the notion that I could be walking the wrong way, or going to the wrong place. A further underpinning of that initial idea of "walking with God" was this notion that He is separate, outside of me.

And yet throughout the New Testament, because of all that the New Covenant has enacted by Jesus' Finished Word, Jesus is not just outside of us holding everything together (Colossians 1:17), but He is within us, too!

Paul writes to the Colossians:

"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27)

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1:29)

How about these verses, too?

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

and

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

Christ Jesus lives in us! He is not walking outside of us, and we are somehow trying to keep up with Him or maintain our stance, our standing, our location with Him!

OK, so then what does "walk with God" mean?

It means that as God is flowing in us, His Spirit is guiding us by peace (Colossians 3:15), we let Him carry us! We float in Him!

Consider what Paul writes to the Galatians:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)

Walk, or rather "flow in the Spirit", and you won't want to engage in, indulge lusts of the flesh in your body. We are regenerated in our spirits when we believe in Jesus, but our minds need to be renewed to the truth as we read God's Word (Romans 12:1-2), and we still have the flesh, although it has been condemned (Romans 8:3), and therefore holds no more condemnation over us. "Reckon yourselves dead to sin ..." (Romans 6:11)

The big revelation for me about "walking with God" is that it's not about what we do for or with Him, but rather letting Him work, do, flow in us!

The first criticism that will come up to this is "So, we just sit back and do nothing, then? We rest, and let God work through us, do all the work, right? Why don't I just sit and be lazy?"

That makes no sense at all! If you place a boat in a river, the river carries the boat where it is flowing. Consider mills along a river. The wheels that grind flour, which propel turbines are "working", right? Yet the power that propels them is in the water, not the wheels, not in the turbines. That's how God works in and through us, and how we in turn produce works.

Look back at Genesis 7:18. The Ark floated on the waters, right? An ark in the water isn't going to stay in one place, but move with the waters. The same holds true in the first mention of "halak" back in Genesis 2:14. A river does not stay anywhere, so to speak, but moves. So too, whatever is resting in the waters, will move with the waters.

Therefore, we who believe in Jesus, who rest in Him, who allow His Spirit to flow within us, will find ourselves guided by His peace, go places, say words, do works as He is guiding us.

There is a perfect example of God working in those who believe in Him in Acts 8:

"26And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. ... Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?" (Acts 8:26, 29-30).

Notice that Philip received guidance to go Gaza, and then to join with the Eunuch who served Queen Candace of Ethiopa. After Philip ministered to the eunuch, who then received the Gospel and believed in Jesus, and after Philip baptized the eunuch, look what happened afterwards:

 "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." (Acts 8:39-40)

Notice how the Spirit guided Philip to the right place and the right person to minister to, and then "caught him away" and took him to Azotus!

Now that's "walking with God"!

In the Body of Christ, we need to see that God is constantly flowing, moving, carrying us! He is providing everything for us, and all we have to do is receive from Him all things. All that our loving Father is asking us to do is to rest in Him, to let Him carry us by His Spirit, to guide us, to direct us! It's not about trying to keep up with God our Father, but rather allowing Him to keep us!

Now, we can try to go against the currents of His love and grace, we can strive in our own efforts to produce results or manage the outcomes, and we frustrate His grace. Paul counsels the Galatians about this:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)

Notice that Paul lives by faith, and not just any faith, but the Christ's own faith. Our loving Savior lives in us, moves within us!

The promptings of God's Spirit, the will, the desires He creates us our guiding us! We do not have to stress ourselves out by trying to keep in step with God, as though He is outside of us.

With this revelation in mind, let's look another mention of the phrase "walk with God":

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)

"Do justly" is better rendered "do judgment" or act based on Wisdom. "Love mercy" is also "love grace" since the original "chesed" speaks of God's loving kindness and favor. Then we come to "walk humbly".

The first mention of the Hebrew word for "humbly" appears here:

"When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2)

Walking humbly speaks of dependence, not merely looking down on the ground while striving to keep pace with God.

In fact, where else do we read being humble, and the rewards that come with it?

"Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly." (Proverbs 3:34) James repeats this promise in his epistle, too:

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." (James 4:6)

Walking humbly with God, walking with God, is all about receiving from Him, depending on Him for everything, letting His Spirit carry you and move you!

After all, did not Jesus say:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

Jesus is our life and He is the WAY. Do we not understand that He is preparing our path, that He knows where He wants to take us, and that He is prepared to take us there? Consider that He declares Himself "The Life".

Look at the question Jesus was answering in that passage:

"And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5-6)

Just as today people often wonder "How do I walk with God? Where is He going? I want to make sure that I am in step with Him", so too Thomas was already doubting, as if to say "How can we go where you are going?"

Jesus made it very clear: "I am the Way."

We need to understand, therefore, that walking with God, with Jesus is all about resting in Him, letting Him flow through us, carry us, guide us! He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He knows where to take us, He is taking to a place filled with His grace and truth, and He is our Life, the power that moves us where He wants us to go.

This revelation was beyond profound. It was so staggering for me, that I shared it with a number of my friends. I am now compelled to share it with you in this post. Now I understand why pastors today are telling us "Get a bigger revelation of Jesus" as the answer to everything that we face. I recognize now how alive, vibrant, active He is. I no longer worry myself with questions like "How will I face this problem?" or "God, where are you?"

I recognize that He is fully carrying me, guiding me, causing me to flow with Him. I don't have to work, strive, or stress out to make sure that I am going the right way, doing the right thing. It's all about resting in Him, receiving from Him!

It's not a rhetorical nicety or a personal sentiment. It's the truth! Jesus is our Life. Let's just let Him flow through us! Let's receive from Him, and let's believe for all things from Him! That's what it means to "walk with God".

What Pleases God: Believing in Him, and Coming to Him

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

This morning, I was meditating on a very powerful question, and a very powerful truth.

"How can I please God?"

Why? Because He so pleases me! He has ravished my heart in a way that is just unprecedented in my Christian walk.

"Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." (Songs 4:9)

Before, I did not think that He was present unless I was thinking about Him, manifesting Him through my efforts, my thought-life. Such a drain, such a burden that was for me!'

He is actively loving us, and in fact our Loving Father has been loving us when we weren't even paying attention!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

and

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

and also

"9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

And of course:

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

God our Father sees us just like Jesus, for we are in Christ (Ephesians 1:6) and Christ is in us!(Colossians 1:27)

I could not help sharing how much He loves us - how much He loves me!

So, I am so brimming over with His love, I ask "God, how can I please you?"

Then Hebrews 11:6 came to mind.

"Without faith, it is impossible to please God."

We have to have faith -- We have to believe in Him:

"This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29)

Now, we need to believe that He exists.

We also need to believe that God is a rewarder. Indeed, He wants to provide more good to those who diligently seek Him.

What does that mean? I struggled with that phrase for a long time. Was I supposed to "look for God"? I mean, is He not everywhere, and ever-present? Does He not comfort us with "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"? (Hebrews 13:5)

There is another verse which talks about seeking God's face, too:

"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek." (Psalm 27:8)

What does "seek His face" mean? Many commentaries render this Hebraism to mean "Seek His presence." Well, waht is that supposed to mean? Once again, is He not ever-present, ever-available?

Then I read the New Living Translation of Psalm 27:8:

"8My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”

And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”

"Seek His Face" means "pray to Him", or "come talk to Him."

God rewards us when we come to Him, when we pray to Him, when we talk to Him!

That is exactly what God was looking for when He had created Adam and Eve to begin with! He wanted us to come to Him, to fellowship with Him, to depend on Him!

In Hebrews 11;6, we read "He that cometh to Him ..."

In this verse "come" is literally "proserchomai". Here is the full exposition on this Greek word:

proserchomai: to approach, to draw near

Original Word: προσέρχομαι

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: proserchomai

Phonetic Spelling: (pros-er'-khom-ahee)

Definition: to approach, to draw near

Usage: I come up to, come to, come near (to), approach, consent (to).

This verse made me think of Genesis 45:4, in which Joseph invites his brothers "Draw near to me."

But this verb "draw near" ("Nagash" in Hebrew) appears sooner than that in the Old Testament:

"And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23)

In the first mention of "Draw near", Abraham comes to God asking Him to spare the righteous in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Notice that Abraham believes that God exists, and that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. God answered Abraham's prayers every time he asked.

Would that Abraham had asked "If there is ONE righteous, will you spare the city for that one?"

At any rate, what pleases God?

That we believe He exists, and that we come to Him! That we ask from Him, that we come to Him, toalk to Him, call on Him in time of need!

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 14:6)

God wants us to come to Him.

God wants us to depend on Him.

That's what pleases Him -- Not what we can do for Him, but that we let Him do for us!