Devotions

For many believers, sinking to the bottom means the end. They become so overwhelmed by their failures that they develop a sense of unworthiness. Over time, they feel trapped beyond any help. Isaiah wrote of such believers, “Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted…” (Isaiah 54:11 NKJV).

Some eventually get mad at God. They grow tired of waiting for him to move, so they cry accusingly, “Lord, where were you when I needed you? I cried out to you for deliverance, but you never answered. I’ve done everything I know to do, yet I’m still not free. I’m tired of repenting and crying, without ever seeing any change!” Many such believers simply give up trying and give themselves over to hopelessness.

Others fall into a fog of spiritual apathy. They are convinced that God doesn’t care about them anymore. They say, “That’s it. I give up. I am invisible to God.” Consumed by sadness and defeat, they tell themselves, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God” (Isaiah 40:27). “The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me” (Isaiah 49:14).

Still others end up focusing all their attention on the failure, trying to keep themselves in a constant state of conviction, guilt and hopelessness. Yet this only causes confusion! They cry, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” (Ezekiel 33:10).

The fact is, recognizing and feeling sorry for our sin is not an end in itself. We aren’t supposed to rest in those feelings. They are meant to drive us to the end of ourselves, toward the victory of the cross. God does not want us to languish in defeat and despair. He is eager to lift us up! When we give our sorrow to Jesus, he has promised that he will hear our cries and bring us into a life of purpose, hope and joy in him.

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7).

“The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14).

When God says to humankind, “Believe,” he demands something that is wholly beyond reason. Faith is totally illogical. Think about it. The book of Hebrews says faith is the substance of something hoped for, evidence that’s unseen. There is no evidence, yet we’re asked to believe. Believers will face discouragement in this life, yet I believe if we understand the illogical, unreasonable nature of faith, we will find the help we need to get through.

Consider the faith that was demanded of Noah. He lived in a generation that had spun out of control, and God finally said, “Enough! Man is set on destroying himself. It must end.” (see Genesis 6).

Imagine the faith required of Noah. God was going to send a cataclysmic event that would destroy the entire earth, and Noah was simply to accept God’s words by faith. He was given a mammoth task to build a huge ark, surrounded by dangerous unbelievers, without further direction from God for the next 120 years. Despite all this, Noah did as God said and kept trusting the word he’d been given. For his obedience, Noah “became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).

In Genesis 12:1–4, God similarly told Abraham, “Get up, go out, and leave your country.” This was a ridiculous, unreasonable demand, yet Abraham obeyed. Faith demanded that he act on nothing more than a promise.

One starry night, God told Abraham, “Look up into the sky and try to count the stars. That’s how many descendants you’re going to have” (see Genesis 15:5). Abraham must have shaken his head at this. By now he and his wife, Sarah, were old, yet here was God promising him that he would become a father of many nations. The only evidence he had was a word from heaven: “I am the Lord” (Genesis 15:7).

Abraham obeyed, and the Bible says the same thing of him that it says of Noah. “And he believed in the Lord; and he accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Once again, one man’s faith is translated into righteousness.

What God asks of us may sound unreasonable, but he has proven that we can trust him in every situation. Even when the situation seems hopeless and impossible, he always comes through with perfect Holy Ghost timing.

“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat’” (Luke 22:31 NKJV).

Satan sifts only those who threaten his work. He goes after the tree with the most potential to bear fruit. Why was he so anxious to test Peter? Well, for three years Peter had been casting out devils and healing the sick. Satan had heard Jesus promise the disciples another baptism, one of Holy Ghost power and fire, and he trembled! Now the devil knew God’s ultimate plan for Peter. He realized that the past three years would be nothing compared to the greater works to come. Satan was searching for a weakness in Peter to build on that would destroy his faith.

Perhaps, like Peter, you are being shaken and sifted right now. Don’t despair! Rejoice that you have such a bad reputation in hell. Satan never would have asked God’s permission to sift you unless you were a threat to him. He is sifting you because you play an important part in God’s kingdom in these last days. The greater your gifts and potential, the more severe your sifting will be.

When someone is going through the fire of sifting, what should those around him do? What did Jesus do about Peter’s imminent fall? He said to him, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32).

I look at this wonderful example of Christ’s love and realize I know almost nothing about how to love those who fall. Jesus saw both the good and the bad in Peter and concluded, “This man is worth saving. Satan desires him, but I desire him more.”

Lord, give us that kind of love! When we see brothers and sisters heading for disaster, let us love them enough to reach out and say, “I am praying for you.”

Today we have yet another “It is written” with which we can do battle against Satan. It is this: “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” You can tell the devil, “You may have gotten permission to sift me, to try to tear down my faith, but you need to know this: My Jesus is praying for me!”

As soon as the disciples heard about receiving a baptism of power, they asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel”? (see Acts 1). Jesus answered in no uncertain terms, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority” (Acts 1:7 NKJV).

Stop and think about what their question implied. “Lord, do you mean that beginning in that room, with just us, you will restore the kingdom of Israel? Will we bring down Herod and Rome? Are we the ones to cleanse the land, set up the kingdom and bring you back?”

We know that Jesus had to deal with some lust for leadership and authority among his disciples, but I sense something in their question here beyond a thirst for place and power. It speaks of a human need to be involved in a great and final destiny. It was a need to be special, to be the right people at the right time!

In their hearts the disciples may have been saying, “Lord, where are we in your prophetic schedule? It would be a great spiritual incentive to know that we are ministering in a day of destiny, that a new dawn is coming, and you are using us to wrap it all up.”

Now all of us, to some degree, have this same need to be people of destiny. However, Jesus’ response was blunt: “It is not for you to know the times.” Jesus is not looking for men or women of destiny. He wants only witnesses unto himself. He is saying, “The issue is not the ‘prophetic hour’ or some great moment in time appointed to you. I need people to share the good news of the gospel to this present generation.”

This deeply convicts me. I also want to know where we are at this very minute on God's prophetic clock. Are we about to enter the great tribulation? Is God gathering the final remnant of believers? “That is not your concern” Jesus says. “It's not for you to know. Be filled with the Spirit, then go.”

We are to live in a state of watchfulness and expectancy. We are to look for his appearing and warn of his judgments, but first and foremost we are to be his witnesses!

Many Christians are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith, myself included. We’ve been taught that there is a set of rules on how to lead people to Christ. We’re worried sick that sharing our faith means “cold calling,” like we’re God’s sales force, buttonholing perfect strangers with sweaty palms and awkward conversation.

The result is that most Christians clam up. “I don’t want to share my faith.” “I’m not prepared.” “I’m an introvert.” “I haven’t shared my faith in ten years.”

People everywhere are seeking peace; the world is in chaos, and they want and need God as never before. Many are surrounded by Christians, but the Christians are too timid to share God’s goodness! Why? Because we’re trying to formalize a spiritual, human, connective experience. We are focused on method and outcome when we are supposed to be focused on people.

Jesus challenged the rule-makers. He showed us that sharing the gospel isn’t a formula; it is a connection between the human and the divine.

We have to begin by practicing God’s presence, becoming intimate with him through time spent in prayer, worship and the Word. As we are infused with his presence, it will naturally flow out to someone in our sphere of influence. Jesus, our example, spent time with people and got to know them; he just waded right in. They could feel his love and compassion toward them and his attentiveness to their needs.

This connection, then, is how we share our faith. We practice the presence of God, and we practice the presence of people.

The Holy Spirit is vigorous and dynamic, constantly moving among us. You may not be a “people person,” but the Holy Spirit most definitely is. God seeks out hurting, lost, discarded people, and we are the link.

Ask yourself this as you go about your day: Do I feel God’s presence? Do I even notice the people around me who would love to feel it too? Will I partner with God and reach out to them, or will I turn away, pull out my phone and check the latest newsfeed?

Jesus embodied the simplicity of the Great Commission. God and man, together, embracing a lost world. “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV).