Most people are aware that they have 5 senses. Some become greatly skilled at one or more, but have we developed our 6th sense? With this sense we touch the unseen realm. With the 6th sense we see what others cannot see and expect what others think is impossible.
The 6th sense is the FAITH sense. Jesus encouraged people to use this sense. He said, “Only believe,” all things are possible to those who believe.
The unseen God is a faith God. Without using faith we cannot please Him, but it is possible for all to please Him. Your heart knows things your hands, taste, eyes, ears, or smell cannot understand. Before you die make sure you see at least one miracle, but really go for it and see one a day!
PEACE is not resignation, but RESILIENCY. Psychological resilience is defined as an individual’s ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity. A scattered mind is, like the bible says, a wave tossed by the wind of the sea (James 1:6).
Where does life find you today? You may be in the midst of a hurricane or a financial storm—perhaps you are facing other issues. Remember, peace is not the absence of turmoil. Peace is the rudder of the soul that provides solitude in the midst of turmoil. God promises to keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)!
I’d like to share a story with you about a man from the Congo who was only one step away from a very tragic decision in his life. However, in just a matter of moments his world was changed instantly.
How? He heard words. Simple words of Good News opened the door to a new world. Do you need doors opened in your life? Today is your day!
In one of our meetings in the Congo, a young father was distraught and very upset about how life had treated him. I don’t know what situation you are facing—maybe you find yourself like this young father.
He had just purchased poison at a local pharmacy and was on his way home to take his and his family’s lives that night. As he walked, he heard words in the distance over loud speakers and decided to see what was happening. As he listened, he heard a new idea. The words began to penetrate his heart, and he had an overwhelming sense of God’s love and presence.
This young father later made his way to the platform to tell the audience what had happened. He stood weeping before 100,000 people, telling them the evil he had planned and how God had freed him and forgiven him. Suddenly, the crowd began to part as a woman with several children made her way to the platform. She was crying and shouting, “Honey, honey! We are here too!”
The couple embraced on the platform, forgave each other and committed their lives to the LORD. In an instant the question of who God is was answered—God is love! God is forgiveness, peace and restoration!
Do you need God’s presence? We have seen Him touch the masses around the world. Jesus is here for you right now. Wherever you are, just stop and turn your thoughts to God. He loves you. He believes in you. And today, He offers you forgiveness!
It is as natural for a human to pray as it is for a fish to swim. We see that strong atheists are more a product of unanswered prayer than of intellectual conviction. It is to our benefit to discover how we can tap into a spiritual source for all we want to accomplish in life, rather than rely on the whims of man or the limited knowledge we have.
Let me encourage you to ponder one thing. We are without a prayer without the blood of Jesus shed for us. His blood still speaks for us from the mercy seat of heaven. God looks at that blood shed by God the Son and will respond. How can He not respond to what Jesus did? He washes our sin with that blood. He heals our body with that blood. He keeps us from the accusation of guilt that our enemies use by the blood. We are without a prayer if we don’t understand that HE established the way, not us by our goodness, piety, or eloquence.
Do we pray? Yes. Why? Because God answers.
Why does He answer? The BLOOD.
Think about that the next time you pray!
If you have lost your purpose, there is always a way back. Even the prodigal son found himself after he ate with the pigs. You can’t get much lower than eating corn on the cob with a hog on the other end of it! Scripture tells us that he came to himself:
The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger!” Luke 15:16 (NLT)
What can you do when you find yourself that disconnected with yourself, your dreams, your past, and your family?
You have been left with a letter from heaven; a voice from a place that is unchanging, a book of ideas that are confirmed to all who choose to believe them. Locate yourself in scripture and preach the word to yourself. After you discover yourself once more in the pages of the ancient text, then find others that are as lost as you were and help them on their journey back to the Father.
Never stop growing! When we stop growing spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally we begin dying. If we get into a boat and just sit there in that stream or river, what is going to happen? We might want to go upstream, but if we sit there with our oars inside the boat, we’re simply going to flow with wherever the current takes us. If we really want to go somewhere new or different, we have to put the oars in the water and start rowing against the current!
Many times it is tempting to rely only on the spiritual. “Wherever the spirit takes me…it’s so wonderful…” But then we have no idea where we might end up, and 20 years later realize that we’re still just floating around!
To accomplish something we have to set some goals…when we start rowing, we start growing!
Have you ever had the question arise in your heart of why something happened to you that you did not want or expect? Does God want our hearts to be broken or our energy diminished? No, He does not. He said that in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, He has overcome this world. It is clear that the world with all its circumstances and people can throw unexpected curve balls at you, but be of good cheer!
All that you are is not based on all that you have. Your value is based on the image God has of you as His righteous, holy, empowered son or daughter. The great apostle Paul went through shipwreck, near drowning, and two weeks of being tossed like a ball on the ocean before he was finally delivered and made it to land. You would think angels would have started a chorus of praise as Paul arrived safely on the shore, but instead he gets a snake bite! What does he do? Should he get mad at God for adding insult to injury? No, he just shook it off! He had places to go and people to meet!
Whatever happens to you, SHAKE IT OFF!
After we have accepted Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation and are enjoying the freedom of the redeemed, we would be wise to do a little checkup to make sure we haven’t unconsciously slipped in any way from redemption into religion.
The following are 5 differences between Redemption and Religion:
- RELIGION is a “got to” way of life; REDEMPTION is a “get to” way of life.
- RELIGION is a door you must pass through in order to get into God’s presence;
REDEMPTION is an open door that is held open by Jesus, and no man can
shut it.
- RELIGION is man’s attempt to satisfy a holy God; REDEMPTION is God’s
attempt to make us holy by the sacrifice of a holy substitute.
- RELIGION is a shadow of the things to come without substance or power;
REDEMPTION is the reality of things to come through the substance of our
flesh and our words.
- RELIGION is form, a ritual, a tradition that acts like an empty shell, containing
no life or revelation within itself; REDEMPTION is an inner realization of the
Kingdom of God in the temple of our bodies that needs no form, ritual, or
tradition, because the King Himself resides within us!
James 3:4
“Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”
There are very few Christians that would blatantly ignore the will of God if they knew what He wanted them to do. Does God speak to people? Yes! Have people heard His voice? Yes, I believe they hear His voice. Why then do people often say they knew what to do but just didn’t do it? The problem is not in the speaking or in the hearing—the problem is in the doing.
If we believe that the God has a destiny for each of us, then it is important to connect with Him and not waste our time. Once we connect it is important to hear the direction, desire, peace, word, counsel reading, or whatever other way you picked up His signal. The third part is the hard part: acting out that direction.
James the Apostle says we are like ships at sea. When we get instruction on where we are to go then we are to set sail for it. But if the rudder on our ship is broken, then we are at the mercy of the wind and water. Most people live at the mercy of the immediate circumstance. They rarely reflect on where they want to be 10 years from now, or what their heart is calling them to be.
We must fix our rudder in order to reach what is in our heart. What is the rudder? James says the tongue is the rudder of your ship. Broken rudders speak of today’s problem and today’s bad news. Use your rudder (tongue) to guide you to your destination. Shipwrecks are not in God’s plan!
As a young person my father would often take us on hikes into the forest. I was always intrigued by the difference in the landscape of a northern and southern exposure on a hill or mountain. How could it be that this same mountain had such different types of vegetation or such different climates? Hiking up the northern slope was complicated because the paths were laden with slippery moss and wet rocks while the southern side was typically dry and easy to maneuver. As a child, I remember that I couldn’t wait to crossover from the hot, dry, southern exposure to the lush, cool, green northern exposure. It was refreshing and provided an entirely different perspective.
Embarking on a new opportunity may be like navigating a slippery northern slope. It’s worth the climb, but it will take concerted effort to enjoy the journey. Today, are you willing to stretch beyond your comfort zone? Will you take a hike up a different side of the mountain? You may discover a new exposure that lies just ahead of you!
