“I know that You love me.”

Such are the words from the song by Jesus Culture, Your Love Never Fails, which I listened to this morning. They’re part of the chorus that goes like this,

“And when the oceans rage, I don’t have to be afraid, because I know that You love me. Your love never fails.”

I immediately thought of the words of Jesus, who in John 16 said this,

“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father” (25-27).

“For the Father Himself loves you”–that is, the Father Himself loves me. I don’t know as I really get hold of this. Not that I don’t want to! The love of God, for me, should make all the difference.

It’s not as if I haven’t seen or experienced it. All I need do–which I do fairly regularly–is look around me and see what God has done. Wow! If this isn’t God’s love, I don’t know what is! There are the things He has given me, and the people in my life! My goodness! There is Barbara! And my children and grandchildren!

And there are the experiences I have had with God, deep ones, intimate ones. Times when in such proximity to God I don’t know as I could be closer.

Then there is His words, personal words spoken to me not once, not a few times, but countless times over the span of 43 years. If ever there were a sign of His love, it’s that He would take me into His confidence and share His heart with me.

There are the Scriptures, which from beginning to end tell of the love that God has for man, and the lengths to which He has gone to get this across to him. Over and over we see His love and kindness demonstrated in miraculous interventions, supernatural–as well as natural–provisions, military victories, great and powerful deliverances, business successes, as well as in tender moments and words of compassion.

The greatest exhibit of His love, of course, is seen in the Person of His Son. “God so loved the world that He sent His Son.” The fact that He came is one thing; that He (Jesus) perfectly revealed the Father, that would be enough. But overwhelmingly is the proof of His heart toward us in that Jesus died on our behalf. “We know love by this,” John writes, “that He laid down His life for us.” He was saying the same thing Jesus Himself said, in that, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). And that He did.

I realize that many of the things we see or experience may cause us to wonder, may cloud our thinking. ‘If God loves me, why is this happening to me.’ Or, ‘If God is love, why does He allow such things?’ Which is why we have as historical fact the demonstration of His love. We can always get our bearings, no matter our circumstances, by looking to the cross of Christ. Too, what you experience, though hard–even traumatic, may well be the love of God playing out in your life (see Hebrews 12). Whatever we go through, we have the added assurance that, because He loves us, He causes everything to work together for our good. That is, God will move heaven and earth–and everything in them–for you, for your ultimate good. It may not seem that way for a time, maybe a long time, but when you get on the other side of your troubles, you’ll see it if you hold firmly to your faith.

Again, as the song goes, “when the oceans rage I don’t have to be afraid, because I know that You love me.”

It’s like what David says in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”

I personally find no greater comfort in my struggles and petty afflictions than the Presence of God assuaging me; experiencing Him is all I need. “The nearness of God is my good.” I know in my head He loves me. I know by reason of Christ’s death and resurrection that He loves me. I know He loves me because others love me. And I know He loves me because the Bible tells me He loves me. Yet it priceless to really and truly experience His love when He chooses in love to allow me the indescribable pleasure of His manifest presence. This, in addition to His personal words to me–even if they’re corrective in nature, I crave.

Finally, we know the love of God because He calls us His kids. I am, by nature, a child of God. “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NLT). We should never let it escape our thinking, that God is our Father and we are His child. No matter how old you are, albeit in age or Christian maturity, you are still and always will be, His kid. If this isn’t love, then I don’t know what love is.

“A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,at the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the Lord will dwell there forever” (Psalms 68:15-16).

I cannot help but pause to consider the mountain of which the Psalmist speaks. It is the mountain of God, where God will dwell forever.

Is it Mt. Sinai? No. Is it the mountain of Bashan, which at first glance you would assume from this passage? No, because the mountain of many peaks, the mountain of Bashan, is looking enviously at the mountain of God’s abode. Is it Mt. Zion, to which the writer of Hebrews says we as believers have come? This cannot argued. However, we have in Scripture another revelation of what this mountain is: it is none other than the house of the Lord.

“Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3).

That this refers to that future occasion when the Lord Jesus will have established His earthly reign for a thousand years is evident, for it goes on to say that, “He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:4).

But what I wish to point out is the phrase, “the mountain of the house of the Lord.” That is, put a different way, the Lord’s house is a mountain; and not only a mountain, but the chief of mountains. Here is the truth to be seen here: we the church, are His house. The church then, in this day, is the mountain of God.

Again, from the book of Hebrews,

“Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end” (Hebrews 3:5-6).

The “chief of mountains” captures my attention. It is said the are seven mountains of influence. These ‘mountains,’ deemed to be those areas or divisions of society that shape culture, are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion. Revealed at first to Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission, and then to Francis Schaeffer, these are the mountains which they say Christians must ‘scale’ to influence the world around us for Christ.

For the sake of clarity, at least in my mind anyway, while religion is listed as one of the seven, I do not consider it to be the church of Scripture, but rather those ecclesiastical organizations that most would render ‘religious.’

Here’s where I’m going with this: the church is not among these. The church, rather, is intended by God to be–and is in fact–chief of these. The church of Jesus Christ, the house of God (Hebrews 3:5-6), the mountain of God, the chief of mountains, is by nature and calling intended to be the supreme culture-shaper. And, though I’ve not time to present here proof, a brief overview of history will demonstrate that it has to a large degree done so. Yet it is a truth to be laid hold of in our day lest it be lost upon us.

(The book, How Christianity Changed the World, is a good place to start.)

Paul writes concerning the church, that it is the pillar and support of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). It is not a fraternity, nor a social club, nor even just a gathering place where people of like mind come together to worship God. While indeed it is the latter, what I mean to say, what Scripture tells me, is that the church of Jesus is the principal agent of change in a fallen world. It is, in the words of Jesus, the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” It is intended to be this “city set on a hill,” with the word of exhortation being, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Where we are at in this equation ought be the question every serious Christian should ask himself. Then, having answered this question and seeing that he comes short, seek God as to how he might get to where God wants him to go.

“For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent (dwelling)” (Psalm 91:9-10).
It is striking, that in just two Psalms the writers speak of dwelling in God, of God as being the place of dwelling. I am reminded of Paul’s words in the book of Acts, where he says, “In Him we live and move and are (or have our being).” Yet what the Psalmist speaks of is not general in nature, as pertaining to all men; but specifically points to a man who has entered into a unique and rare relationship with God. You actually live in God.
It is true, that for the New Testament Christian, we are in Christ. God has taken us as it were, and inserted us into the Lord Jesus. That is so, yes; but as to how a man lives it may not be. Truth is one thing; recognizing it and living it is quite another. God is a Person for sure, but He is also a place. The actual word means an abode, or home; specifically, a retreat. It is a place to which a man goes, and in which he spends his life.
Deeper still is the word from which maween is derived; and this I think best describes what the writer means. The word is ona and apparently means “to dwell together; sexual (cohabitation)–as in the duty of marriage.” Perhaps this captures it best because it paints a man’s relationship with God as one of intimacy. That the church is the bride of Christ, that we have been joined to Jesus as in a marriage (Romans 7:4), further proves the point.
What then does dwelling together look and feel like? The example of marriage answers these questions.
First of all, you are committed to one another; it is “until death do we part.” It is “in sickness and health, for better or worse.” Dwelling in God begins with a firm, life-long commitment; one from which you hold fast and protect.
Second, you live together; you’ve everything in common. You share a home, responsibilities, and resources. You look out for one another, take care of one another. You eat and sleep together. You share not only your hopes and dreams, but your struggles. There is a mutual attitude of trust, acceptance, and forgiveness. Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians describes your modus operandi. Each of you has the other’s best interest in mind. You lay down your life for each other.
Third, you share an intimacy that is strictly reserved for marriage–that is, sexual intercourse. Designed by God both for procreation and pleasure, intercourse is where the two of you come together in a physical union that can only be described as a oneness. In fact, it may be that the Scripture, in saying the “two shall become one,” actually refers to this act.
These things being said, dwelling in God is not necessarily something you do just in your morning (or evening) devotions; it’s not to be found only while in prayer or worship. No, it is a lifestyle, a manner of life. It is a heart condition, a mindset, a state of being. Everything characteristic of a marriage characterizes life in God.
It is interesting to consider for a moment dwelling in God as a verb rather than a noun–as in a place you live.
By definition, as a verb to dwell on something or someone is to be thinking, speaking, or writing with a focused attention. It is to linger. Thus, with God as your dwelling place, it is on Him you’ve set the eyes of your heart. It is “looking to Jesus.” It is keeping Him foremost in your thinking throughout the days of your life.
I think as well of Jesus words in John chapter 15, where our Lord says, “Abide in Me.” Kenneth Wuest rightly renders Jesus’ saying as “Maintain a living communion with Me.” The Amplified Bible picks up more the meaning as seen in Psalm 91, translating His words as “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you” (verse 4). A few verses down Jesus says, “If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me} . . . ” Here again is the idea of a vital union with God–you live in Him, with Him, and for Him.
The wonder of Psalm 91 goes further in describing the security of such a place in God. It promises deliverance, health, safety, and help–all of which derives from making God your habitation, your place of refuge. These things are desirable, for sure; but I told the Lord this morning that being with Him tops all these. Just let me live with You as these words describe and I shall be satisfied. Do I need and want the benefits? You bet I do, yet these are outcomes not goals. The focus is the Lord Himself.
I know I’ve not scratched the surface of what God intends here, neither in thought nor–especially–in the real time of life. But this is what I want, this is what I choose. Not as in just today, but as in a marriage, which during a few moments a lifetime is charted. When you finally say the “I do” you know with whom you will live until the day you die. This is what I mean. Not as if I’ve never before made this commitment, because I have. Plus I’ve reiterated it many times over. But let me say it again today; allow me to restate my vows. Today I choose You, O God. Today I say, “I do” to You. Therefore, You are my Dwelling Place, the One in whom and with whom I shall live the balance of my days.

“God also wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from him, and when they touched the sick they were healed, and the evil spirits departed from them” (Act 19:11-12).
Pastor Kevin Berry tells of his recent trip to the island nation of Cuba, where people brought the clothing of those who were sick, that he might pray over them and that they might then take the articles back to their children, and they would be healed. He recounts how hungry the people were for spiritual things, traveling great distances by foot or in the back of dump trucks to hear the word of God. How on Sunday for church services, there not being enough room in the building for the masses, they stood outside in the sweltering heat to worship God.
This hunger for God is not seen in America—not often, anyway. Berry shared how one person did not come to church on Sunday because it was raining. How Mt. Hope’s attendance went down when during the renovation of the main sanctuary people had to sit on plastic chairs in the event center (converted gym). Quite the contrast.
Our Constitution speaks of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and I believe God wants us happy. In fact, Scripture speaks of His giving us all things richly to enjoy. But more that this He wants us saved, and I think personal happiness has gotten in the way. I think it may have become our god.
Jesus tells the parable of a certain rich man, who land had been very productive, “and he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ The he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”
And then our Lord gives us the moral of the story: “So is the man who stores up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21).
Pastor Berry also told of the pastors they visited in Cuba, the home of which he described as being but three rooms with dirt floors. It makes me think of how I’ve been planning to replace the carpet in our family room because its 15 years old. Better than dirt!
The point is we are all so caught up with our comforts. Our collective goal in life is happiness, peace, and contentment. All this while just on the other side of the big lake people face terrorism, war, homelessness, political upheaval, Sheriah Law, horrible natural disasters, disease, and extreme poverty. Berry told us the other night that the average wage in Cuba is $9 per month. For a doctor its $25 a month.
I wonder at Jesus’ statement about storing up treasures for ourselves, if in our day this looks like investments in stocks, bonds, precious metals, and the like. The goal for most men like me is to be retired with a healthy nest egg so that they can live happily ever after without any need. I don’t decry such things, as many of my friends and associates are retired—several on the church board are retired. But if that is the goal, and if pensions are the security, and if personal happiness is what we serve, is it not evil? Might God show up one day and say, “You fool! This night your soul is required of you!”?
My goodness! I want to be happy. My wife is happy. But I testify to the truth of God that nothing makes me happy; the only thing that makes me happy is experiencing the Lord and His word. Its knowing, really knowing, God’s love and God’s presence. That makes me happy. Its being used of God to impart into someone else’s life something of the Lord; that makes me happy. Its giving, that makes me happy.
I want to be content, but I want it to be like Paul’s contentment, whether I’ve enough or not enough — “I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Of course, I desire nice things, and God has blessed Barb and me with a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood. We’re well fed and have nice clothes, and really can have most things we want. But these things are like dung compared to the nearness of God, to intimacy with God, to hearing His voice and experiencing His presence. I’d rather give than having what funds I have tied up in a second mortgage or paying on debts for toys that can never satisfy. We’ve been praying about a place on a lake, how we’d love to be able to get away for rest, for peace and quiet, for me to write. But to do this would eat up the extra monies we have for being generous, and I don’t want this.
The Lord Jesus prefaced the parable above with this remark, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (verse 15).
Solomon’s book Ecclesiastes tells of how man’s pursuit of happiness through things is “vanity and striving after wind.” He concludes his treatise by saying, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1)
“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
It is only fitting that on the first day of this new year that these should be the words the Lord puts on my mind. It was the latter that came first, from the time I woke up until now. A new year, a new thing. I find in Scripture that God is always at work, always creating, always doing something that hasn’t been done before. Life in the natural reflects this. Take technology for example; almost daily there is something new and extraordinary coming out. In the auto industry, there is constantly new innovations to what is simply a vehicle to get you down the road.
With God however it is a new chapter in the book of your life that you’ve not read before, because it hasn’t been written. Well, it has been written by God, you just haven’t lived it yet—it is new to you.
God knows the story-line for the coming year. You may still have the same job, look the same, live in the same place, and be married to the same woman (you’d better be!). And you may well hold to the same routine as you did this past year. But this year will be unlike any other, because Jesus makes all things new. For you, His purpose further unfolds in your life. As a follower of Christ you will grow—maybe leaps and bounds, or perhaps in small, subtle ways. No doubt you will face challenges you’ve not faced before, these will be new, as well as the means you employ to overcome them.
My sense, though, is that what God means as He brings this to my attention is something new new, as in really new. As in a “new thing.” A new endeavor. A new modus operandi. A new creation. A new perspective. A new, life-altering revelation. A new relationship or ministry. A new kind of fruit you’ve never bore before. A new work. Something brand, sparkling new. Maybe even a new you.
I like new. I like new technology and always want the most updated device. I especially like what God does, as what He does is lasting, is permanent. He is a builder, and what He does is add on to what He has previously built. He renews, refreshes, embellishes. Sometimes He tears down and then reconstructs, but always, always on the firm foundation He has already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
These words birth expectation in my soul. God is up to something and I incline my ear to hear and my heart to receive. Like waiting for the light to turn green or the water to boil (for coffee) or the meal to be served when super hungry. Jesus makes all things new. Perhaps it is just that—the day-to-day, the things you always do, your life all-inclusive, He’s going to make it like new. There’ll be a newness to everything—everything.
THEN there is life in the shadow. When I first laid eyes on those words I pictured being close to Jesus, near Him. In proximity to Jesus His shadow is cast upon us. He is big and we are small, so being nearby we can enjoy what is really His presence. I think of abiding, being in close relationship with Him—a “living communion” as Wuest would put it. There is peace there, shelter from the heat of the day, and the comfort of knowing God is close by. The thing is, to remain in His shadow you’ve got to move with Him. When He gets up to go, you get up to go also. When He pauses, you pause. It’s like the yoke He speaks of. You’re on the one side, and He is on the other; you’re joined to Him and you go when and where He goes.
It is a safe place. No matter your circumstances or what is going on around you, in the shadow you’re secure. It’s like having a big brother; when he’s around no one touches you. Like a mother with her newborn; he never leaves her embrace, never is he out of her sight.
You have to keep step with Him though. You can’t let up. Life in God’s shadow is up to you. It’s a dwelling place, a place you live, a responsibility you have to stay put. Don’t let Him out of your sight. Don’t hang back and let Him get ahead of you. You have to stay near Him; this is your job.
I am thinking the two are linked—life in the shadow and Jesus making all things new. In proximity to God there is this dynamic, this power, this creative force that is constantly flowing. As Paul writes, “God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Not just able, but He does it in the life of the one who believes He will do it.
I begin 2017 with this expectation, that God will indeed do something way, way beyond what I’ve asked or believed Him for to date. By the grace of God I’ll find my spot in His shadow and stay there. In this place I will experience in this new year what I’ve never experienced before, something completely new, something absolutely good. Amen.

The apostle Paul lets us know how we’re to interpret the Old Testament. In Romans 15:4 he writes, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
One thing we learn from the ancient writings is that things don’t always happen at once. For sure, there are suddenlies. In fact, there are a lot of suddenlies. But not when it comes to nation-building. Or character.
In Exodus 23 God is speaking to Moses, telling him what he’s to say to the children of Israel. He’s telling them what they can expect when they enter the land promised them. He’ll give them victory, He’ll drive out the inhabitants of the land–that’s something to get excited about. But wait, He says something else. It’ll be little by little; it’s not going to happen all at the same time.
“I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:27-30).
For the zealous believer this can be annoying. We want everything God has for us, and we want it now. The problem with that is that we can’t handle everything God has right now. Like the beasts of the field, we’d get eaten alive or otherwise ruined of God gave us everything we wanted, right now.
Graham Cooke tells us God is a God of process, He loves process. You could say He is all about incrementalism; what He does, what He is, comes to us incrementally. He knows what we can and can’t handle. Before promises are realized, He’s work to do.
The one thing that builds muscle is resistance. Imagine God giving Israel the promised land without a fight; Israel would remain the bunch of weak grippers and complainers they were in the wilderness. Imagine if everything were free; there would be nothing then of value. Think of an army without and training whatsoever; they’d be a pushover.
Personal examples come to mind.
I deal with physical things almost constantly and I have to on my game to resist them. I remember the day when I didn’t have any; the idea of healing rarely entered my thinking. I didn’t memorize healing Scriptures. I didn’t make healing declarations over myself. Now, my faith is being built in this area, my thinking is changing; there is resolve on my part. Little by little I am overcoming these things. I have to, lest I be overcome.
I thing too of years ago, when week after week I heard the voice of a God calling me. The words and the visions were so grand, so big I couldn’t bear them; I almost felt crushed under the weight of them. I didn’t reject them; no, I just couldn’t handle them. That 30-35 years ago, and I have grown in faith and in character. Now the words come back. Now I’m getting assurance from God that these will be full-filled.
Nothing that comes quick and easy is of lasting value. We learn war by having to fight. We grow in faith by having it challenged. The promises come little by little so that we appreciate them when they’re realized.
There is another passage in the Bible that brings home these principles. In Judges 3:1-2 it is written, “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).” God left some of the people groups in the land of Canaan in order for the Israelites to have to fight them. In other words, God allowed enemies for a reason.
The thing is, everything God does has a purpose. What we’ve to grasp as Christians is that what God is doing in each one of us is conforming us to the image of Jesus. We don’t get there all at once, and it doesn’t come easy. There are steps to be taken, hurdles to overcome, and enemies to fight. We make our way little by little, and once we gain ground we’ve got to have the wherewithal to keep it. It’s one thing to win a battle, another to win a war. It’s one thing to get a breakthrough, another to hang onto it.
Little by little is the way of God–at least it is ‘a’ way. We shouldn’t be surprised that there are still enemies in the way of the promises God has made. They are there for a reason.

My Bible opens to James 2:26 this morning; apparently I had been on that page last night, but I had no intention of reading here this morning. But landing on these words bring conviction to my soul; it seems it is the word of the Lord for me today.
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
As the spirit to the body, so are deeds to faith. Faith and works are inseparable; you cannot have the one without the other if faith is to be valid at all.
Of course, a man can have works—there are all manner of people doing good works, and many of these works far outdo those of Christians. But their works cannot save them; they will go to hell doing good things. Faith in Jesus Christ saves a man, but let that man have actions that demonstrate his faith.
An example is the matter of giving in the Corinthian church. It is apparent they made a commitment to participate in an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. At the tail end of chapter nine, Paul writes, “Men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ” (9:13).
Better yet what Abraham did. “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together.”
Hmmm. . . faith and actions, working together. This is an accurate picture of biblical faith.
A man can say he believes in Jesus Christ and yet by what he does you would never know it. Another man may not say anything at all, but by his deeds you will know he is a Christian.
What sort of deeds go together with faith? I would say any action that faith either requires, the Bible commands, or that expresses what you believe. It may be large or it may be small, but if it is an outworking of your faith, if it is inspired by faith and done in faith, it is a valid deed.
It is amazing the statement, “his (Abraham’s) faith was made complete by what he did.” Or, as the NASB puts it, “as a result of the works, faith was perfected.” The thing is, faith grows by reason of the things we do with it. Christians want to grow, and to grow your faith has to grow, and for your faith to grow, there has to be some action on your part. Like I said, faith and works are inseparable.
It is interesting that when the disciples asked Jesus to increase our faith, the conclusion of His answer was, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we had done only that which we ought to have done’” (Luke 17:1, 10).
I said I am convicted by James words.
For sure, I have much to verify my faith—I could list the things I do that demonstrate that I believe in Jesus Christ. But there are many things on the table, things I believe, things I believe the Lord has said to me, which I have received, that I have not done. Yet. The thing is, my faith with regards to these things is quite worthless unless there is corresponding action on my part.
This not to say that waiting for the unction of the Holy Spirit is invalid—for example, I believe I am to go to Israel. Yet I am waiting until I have that inner witness that now is the time and this is the venue. I think this is okay. I believe I am to make disciples, and by God I am going to—God knows I will. I am, and I will. I believe I am to teach, and to write, and to be generous. And I am and I will. Yet I am convinced there is far more that I can and should be doing in these regards.
Dead faith is completely action-less. There is nothing accompanying it. I think it can describe a professing Christian whose profession is not seen one iota in actions, or it can describe a person like me who has many deeds to testify to my faith, but who has faith for such and such but does nothing with it. There is dead faith as it relates to salvation, and there is dead faith as it pertains to a particular thing—like a trip to Israel, or paying off a mortgage, or fasting. Either way, faith without works is dead.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are my Father; You have adopted me through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  I believe with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I believe He died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.  He is my Lord and Savior–really, my All in All.  

I thank You that You, Father, have accepted me in the Beloved.  You have reconciled me to Yourself, given me of Your very own righteousness, and have given me a purpose in life.  I belong to You; You bought me, paying a very high price for me, placing worth on my life.  It was the Blood of Jesus shed for me; I believe in the Blood of Jesus, one drop of which destroys all the power and work of the evil one.  

I believe in the Name which is above all Names, that all-powerful Name, the Name Jesus, Yeshua, Jehoshua,  Iesous. I believe in the Holy Spirit–Your very own Spirit, Who is with me and in me, Who leads me and guides me. 

I believe Your Word-I believe You, Father; all Your Words are truth.  I believe the Bible is the Word of God, Your Word.  The whole of it is truth, as well as every single word.  It is inspired, living, active, and powerful, and I build my life and work upon it. 

Heavenly Father, I believe You are good, completely and utterly good.  You are unchanging, reliable, and trustworthy.  I trust in You–Who You are and what You are like.  You are sovereign, totally in control, and You know me inside and out.  Father, I know You have my best interests at Heart.  I am at rest in You, knowing and believing, as I do, these wonderful verities about You. No matter what happens to me, whatever befalls me, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that You are with me, You love me, and You are for me. This gives me great peace and comfort.  

Heavenly Father, I am the most thankful that I can come to You at any time, regardless of where I’m at or what I’m doing.  I can speak with You and hear You speak to me.  Our relationship is my most prized possession.  

I could go on, Father; I could tell of my faith in all Your benefits-like forgiveness, deliverance, cleansing, prosperity, healing, and health.  Suffice it to say, however, I believe in You, I trust in You, my life and all it represents belongs to You; I am Yours.  And because I am Yours, everything You have belongs to me; I have this wonderful inheritance, all because You have made me to be Your child.  You Word is true. My future is bright, because You are my Future.  What I have to look forward to is all wrapped up in You.  You are my Exceeding Joy.   Amen.

I am not a natural entrepreneur. An accurate picture of my experience in business would be of forcing a square peg through a round hole. That’s the point; to a large degree the time I’ve spent in business has shaped me into the man I am today.

Life in God is all about process; we begin at new birth and grow from there, our environment and experience molding us into the person God intended. It’s important we see things that way, by faith seeing the hand of God at work; otherwise, we give up and go, abandoning God’s purpose for us.

I’ve had to make this choice many times in my life. Though I believe God led me to start a business, it wasn’t my choice. I wanted to serve God through ‘ministry,’ and didn’t make the connection. As a result, I struggled for decades with the seeming dichotomy of sacred and secular work.

Thankfully, I had a mentor, whose life and work combined the two. Business for Jim Russell was his ministry; it was not only the means to an end, it was the end. It was was his service to God.

Jim would tell me, “Terry, your business is central to God’s call on your life.” I would agree outwardly, but inwardly I had my doubts. Time has taught me the truth of his words. God knew that this square man needed to be round in to fulfill his purpose. I am a different person than I was 30 years ago. Through loving pressure, the Master has forced me through the hole, making me a vessel fit for His use.

Business not only has been the means to this end, it has been the end itself. That’s the amazing thing about life in God; it’s all about the process. It’s more about the process than it is the end. Abraham’s experience is a classic example; he was a square peg too – Abram, but God called him to be Abraham. And so began the process. The result? He believed God, and “He credited it to him as righteousness.” The means was the end from the outset.

The will of God for every person is to be conformed to the Person of Jesus Christ. This doesn’t happen by osmosis; it comes about through heat and pressure. The process is the most important part; the outcome assured if we submit to the process. That’s how a man whose life and character was antithetical to God’s can become a man of God. And he might just use business or some other means to produce just that.

I’ll not forget sitting on the deck of my in-laws cottage on Lake George. It was early morning and I was reading my Bible–Romans 12 that day. I was fairly young in the Lord at the time and hungry to change. When I came to verse 2, the words “be transformed” jumped out at me. I could be different–totally transformed! How? By renewing my mind.

Since that day I have prayed most days as I open my Bible, “Father, thank You for Your Word. Please speak to my heart, renew my mind, feed my spirit, and heal my body. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Learning to think differently has everything to do with everything in God. You will never be who God wants you to be, you will never do what God wants you to do, and you will never get where God wants you to go, apart from mind renewal. It is the means to total transformation. Success in God, albeit in relationships, health, finance, or ministry, hinges on a godly mindset.

The amazing thing about Romans 12:2 is that it points us to who were are on the inside.

Kenneth Wuest’s translation of Romans 12:2, a more literal rendering of the Greek, paints a picture we all need to embrace.

“Stop assuming an outward expression that does not come from within you and is not representative of what you are in your inner being but is patterned after this age; but change your outward expression to one that comes from within and is representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your mind.”

Pastor Dave Williams says that your outer kingdom is a reflection of your inner kingdom. Here it is in Scripture! The apostle Paul tell us we’re to be on the outside what we already are on the inside. What needs to happen is a change in our outward expression, and this happens by learning to think differently.

This simple truth has revolutionized my life. I have come to realize who and what I am in Christ; God has made me to be a completely new person, a new creation. My responsibility is to lay hold of this and work out in the day-to-day what God has already worked in me. I’m to be on the outside what I already am on the inside.

Transformation for the believer is akin to Jesus’ transfiguration on the mount. In fact, transformation and transfiguration are the same thing! Jesus was transfigured before the disciples. What He was on the inside showed up on the outside. This is God’s plan for us, and it all plays out as we learn to think about ourselves differently.