As you wait in faith, He will meet your need.

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?” In Matthew 20 Jesus tells a story now known by one and all. A man hires workers at different hours of the day; some work a long day and others a short one. In the end, every man gets paid the same. However, those that worked from the beginning were expecting more than the late men got, and they were rebuked, for the Master was free to pay what he wanted, and what was it to them if he wanted to be generous? Every man, from the one that arrived early to the one that arrived late, got exactly what he needed! The Master was much fairer, compassionate, and generous than anyone imagined; he knew the need was the same for every man, so he met the need accordingly. Since the first men were in need of a job, wouldn’t they have worked for less than their need? Couldn’t the Master have squeezed them and given them less than was needed? I believe so. The Master was generous with his initial offering to the men who worked the longer day. All the men were looking for a job; some found it in the morning and some in the afternoon. Which would you rather be? I would want to be the one that found it in the morning and knew my need would be met. Think of the stomach turning that the men hired last had gone through wondering if the day would end and their need would go unmet. Think of their having to go home to hungry children. These men of the afternoon were rewarded because they had a greater faith. They’d had to learn to trust in God and lean on Him all morning, while the others worked in the fleshly confidence that they would feed their families through their own labors. God rewarded the faith of the men who worked only a few hours by meeting their need, also. The story centers around men who had to wait with faith in God. “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” As you wait in faith, He will meet your need.

No one can be born again by the will of the flesh, insidious in its ability to take the eyes off of Jesus.

Job 34:15, “All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.” John 1:13, “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
No one will be born of the will of the flesh. It is impossible. For in the flesh are the senses of man that constantly need feeding. One may think of them as instinct gone amuck. Senses in the body are given attention either by pain or reward, feeding or starving, or consciously avoiding or obsessing on. Either way it is in being activated that they are kept alive and in charge. The greater truth is that the senses want to be activated; the lesser truth is how they are activated, which is by eating from the tree of good and evil. The desire for food (wish fulfillment or fantasy) will keep senses alive just as much as condemnation from eating too much. Look at the anorexic or observe the obese, and both scream “flesh in control.” An overwhelming desire for sex or the condemnation of looking at porno both scream that the flesh has regained control. Thinking of oneself as intelligent or stupid are both still flesh. Again, flesh is simply the senses in control. The east denies the flesh in an attempt to appease it and the west feeds it in an attempt to appease it. Of course, the west doesn’t have a choice in that nothing is enough to satisfy it, nor does the east really choose, since there is ultimately no way to withhold from the flesh. Nevertheless, the flesh is flesh and is hostile to God. Now, why does flesh desire to be in control? It is because flesh desires man to be flesh-centered. If man becomes Christ-centered, the senses of flesh would not be fed but would be sublimated to Christ. The flesh can never be more than a slave, and a rebellious one at that, for by the works of the flesh will no flesh be justified. No one can be born again by the will of the flesh, insidious in its ability to take the eyes off of Jesus. The flesh constantly screams for attention and has a thousand methods at its disposal to get it. Believers and non-believers alike have flesh. The saddest thing is to witness someone who has abandoned his will to flesh. Like a tick, flesh will feed until it explodes and destroys itself. I meet many Christians that struggle with the sin of homosexuality but are not homosexual, and if you were to meet them, you would never guess what their particular deed of the flesh is. However, meet someone who has, by choice, yielded to that area of the flesh, and it is evident in his or her body. Just a few minutes with that person reveal to what they have yielded their flesh. Now, why would God put us in flesh? I am not talking about a physical body, but the desires of the senses that reside in the physical body. Well, it has been said that the greatness of a man is not determined by what he does but rather by what he refuses to do. The man who feeds his flesh through adventure and the procession of praise for victory or the mockery for defeat is not as great a man as he who says, “Not my will but Thy will be done.” Having flesh and its senses allows man the unique opportunity of choice, of living on the earth but not being of the earth, of living to God and not to senses, and the discovery of something higher in this life, spiritual fulfillment. Flesh, or rather the call of the senses to stay alive, is a constant reminder that we must move our eyes to Jesus. It is another stronghold allowing us to stay focused. If God is for us, then who can be against us? Again, the flesh is never a friend; you may buffet it and make it a slave, but it will never be a friend. The flesh is a strange thing in that it cannot live on its own but must live on something that is living. It adapts to resemble the thing on which it lives, but it isn’t really a living thing. When man dies, the fleshly condition of the man dies. It is weird.

The lesser gives way to the greater.

Philippians 3:8, More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him. Wow, what a statement: “I count them but rubbish.” I wonder if we believe that. What has brought you to Christ? What has been the event that took you deeper? Was it a rebellious child, an unbelieving mate, a handicap, financial difficulties, a failed marriage, or an unfulfilled dream? What was it? Did it take you to Jesus or are you stuck on self? Have you been able to count it as rubbish? Sometimes when someone is telling me his problem, I just look at him and say very sternly, “Rubbish, it is all rubbish!” It really is. The event that brought us to a deeper walk with Him is not as important as the walk. The lesser gives way to the greater. Some are just stuck at their disappointment because they have not admitted that the whole thing is rubbish. Yes, divorce is a tragedy. It is a failure on someone’s part, but we do not let a failure define us. The Lord defines us, and if He is for us then who can be against us? Simply let Him define you. Paul’s comment comes out of deep losses, and yet when he could see Jesus, those were rubbish.

His faith will be the faith out of which I live.

Often I read with amazement the stories of the great men of faith: Abraham and the sacrifice of his son, Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, and Noah and the building of the ark. How could these men stand? How did they have the faith that could be counted to them as righteousness? To even think of building an ark when there had never been a flood boggles the mind. I must admit that after close examination, I just don’t have that kind of faith. Because of the recognition of my lack of faith, Galatians 2:20 means so much to me. I like Darby’s translation that gets closer to the meaning of the original, “20I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live, I,_ but Christ lives in me; but [in] that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the [faith] of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness [is] by law, then Christ has died for nothing.” What a blessing to know that I can live out of His faith. His faith is even superior to that of Abraham, Moses, and Noah. Again, the lesser truth will give way to the greater truth. He is the greater truth. If I move in my recognition that I am in Him and He is in me, His faith will be the faith out of which I live. He is the Vine, I am a branch; if that is true, then the faith of the Vine must flow into the branch, thus allowing me to live out of His faith. It is refreshing that I don’t have to generate faith, and I can simply live out of His. Amen!

“And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Gen 20:2

For those of you who are married, what are some of the words and concepts that stir in your mind when you hear the words “wife” or “husband”? When I say that I have a wife or call Betty “my wife,” many things come to mind, for there are myriad issues associated with the term “wife.” I think of the children, finances, the home, the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of our relationship, future and past events, good and bad, commitment, oneness, pains and joys, holidays, babies, ultimate goals, and more. After all, she is my wife.

There is much written on the relationship of husband and wife. However, I want to investigate an overlooked aspect of marriage, that of brother and sister in Christ. This is a greater relationship than marriage. In heaven there will be no marriage, for the earthly relationship of marriage will end on earth. “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)

When I look at my wife and call her sister, everything changes. Just as the word “wife” brings with it a multitude of feelings, situations, and actions, so does the word “sister.” She is my sister in Christ; I am her brother in Christ. Those two words, “sister and brother,” move us to a different realm with completely different issues and goals. Once I call her “sister,” I acknowledge that she is not my own; she has a Father and is a member of a family. As my sister we have a goal that goes above and beyond that of a married couple. God is the goal and the desire of our hearts; we must encourage each other in Him. Who did what and said what is not of ultimate importance; He is. All of the little annoyances of the day don’t matter. Earthly mistakes are not the issue. Security is not in finances or who was wisest with the money. Together, He is our goal. When offended, we recognize that we deserve to be offended until we cannot be offended, for of what use will we be in the kingdom if we still get offended? I can’t judge my sister, for, ”Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Rom. 14:4)

There is something higher than marriage for a couple, there is another dimension, and there is a better place from which to relate. Sometime today, turn to your wife and call her “Sister,” or to your husband and say “Brother.” For too long we have only seen our mates as wife or husband, and there is more.

“And as for you, you meant evil against me, {but} God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
Gen 50:20

I really dread bringing up my bible college days, those days when we sat around and discussed how ignorant congregations were, how they didn’t do what they knew was right, and how they could be so stupid. I can’t stand those memories primarily because all my judgments befell me.

It is so easy to stand on the work of others, carnal or spiritual, and make judgments. For years I actually believed that my thinking was my thinking, that I owed no one. I would read the anti-nicean fathers and think, “How could they believe that?” It was easy to look back through history and assess what was right or wrong with those believers.

Well, I am getting older and see that I stand on their shoulders, that what many did, in the light of what they had, has brought me into a greater light. I am not independent of them. I am not smarter. I was born in this age, with this education, all for a time to come. It is easy to look at some doctrine that a Luther or Calvin believed and judge them. However, I stand in my reality and judge them in theirs.

My point is twofold. First, all that the believers did before me, good and bad, has helped to make me what I am. I am indebted to them and not as independent as I would like to think. Second, I should never despise the work of God, which can be accomplished through the good or the bad in a saint.

Many are angry over the bondage that they lived under in legalism. They despise those that taught it to them, manipulated and controlled them through it. Don’t! Their teaching didn’t bring you into bondage. Their teaching revealed that you had a righteousness of your own. Only a self-righteous person would attempt such a journey with such a teacher. It’s your fault you were in bondage. You went along with it. God permitted it because He knew that you needed it! It was being in bondage that made you long for freedom. It was bondage that makes your freedom today so precious.

Therefore, bless those that used you, abused you, and brought you under bondage. God used them to make you long for a contrast.

It is believed by those who need to make a choice that they cannot. We believe that it is impossible in certain areas of our lives to choose to be different. Many simply believe that they are stuck with their obsessions, addictions, anger, self-righteousness and all the other deeds of the flesh.

They are like the person standing outside of their house in the snow, holding the key to the locked door, and screaming, “Would someone please let me in!” How can the believer be stuck, be locked out of victory, when they are the only one holding the key?

Let me illustrate. One man said to me, “I am addicted to porno!” At that, I responded, “I bet your family is sick of watching porno with you!” He replied, “Oh no, I never look at it around them!” My question is simple, how can he be addicted if he can choose when and where he watches the porno? How can a drug addict not be able to choose against the drugs when he chooses to purchase it and chooses to do it out of sight?

We hate to be confronted with this truth but we are doing exactly what we want, exactly what we choose to do! We are not unable to choose; we simply don’t want to choose the right thing. We are in unbelief and are constantly choosing. We have to pick between the words of Jesus and the voice of the flesh.

We CHOOSE the flesh. It is an inescapable fact. We are where we are today, all because of personal choice. Some will argue, “It wasn’t my choice to be molested, to have an alcoholic parent, to be emotionally and verbally abused, to be abandoned, to be unloved, and more.” All quite true and at first you reacted out of instinct. However, after maturing you have chosen what your reaction/lifestyle toward the event will be. After getting the proper information we may choose to remain victims, to not see God working, to blame others, to make those around us miserable, to make others pay, to live in self-hatred, to try to undo the past by duplicating it.

Two people have a common, horrific, event in their lives. Years later, one is sweet and the other sour. Why? We want to avoid the obvious, we want to give excuses but the fact is choice. One believed choice was greater than the past. The other did not.

“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and {yet} God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!” Luke 12:24

I had to laugh one day when a brother questioned an old prophet of God, “How are you supported?” The old man responded, “Why are you asking? Did God tell you to give me something? If He told you to give me something, even if I am covered in gold and jewels, you had better give it. If He told you not to give me something, and I am in the ditch, naked and starving, don’t give. So what did He tell you to do?” At that the man went silent and looked at the ground. The old prophet said, “So you were just being nosy!” And he walked off.

I have often been asked the question, “How are you supported?” It should be obvious. There are no tricks, gimmicks, endless mailings and appeals, or manipulation. I am supported by those who have heard from the Lord and responded accordingly. I often answer the question by saying, “I am a bit embarrassed. I have a friend, I tell him my needs, he has a father that is very rich with many contacts, he calls them, and the money is sent to me.” I can see the look in their eyes as they go from wondering how I could be ministering in such a small ministry to thinking how lucky Mike is to have such a friend. “My Friend,” I continue, “is Jesus. His father is the Father, and His children are my supporters.”

Many just can’t believe that God provides. Often an engaged couple will tell me they are calling off their marriage because of finances. My response is always the same, “Did God tell you to get married? If He told you to and you don’t, you will have worse problems than unemployment!” The lesser gives way to the greater. If God tells you to do something, do it. With the call will come the provision. Don’t shame yourself by being unbelieving.

Back to our question of why God plays in the dust. The weakest creature is the one that needs the most support. The river can live without man, but man cannot live without the river. In fact, the whole earth can live without man, but man cannot live without the earth. Everything on the earth, in this sense, is greater than man. Man is made of dust, not dirt or soil that have nutrients in them; dust has nothing to offer. From the beginning God made everything to support the weakest and most precious thing to Him–man!

I used this example in Brazil at the end of a conference, followed by the question, “Who is the weakest person here?” I answered my own question, “The person who needed the most support to be here! Who is that person? Mike! I needed people to donate money to buy my plane ticket, others to organize, several interpreters, electricity, artists, editors, drivers, and more.”

It takes so much to support this little bit of dust that I am left with nothing to boast in, save Christ. I then asked the people to pray that night, not for the speaker who is dust, but for all those who support the dust. It was a great revelation for all of us.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ” Matthew 6:33NASB

My partner, Ray Andrews, says this: “If you are depressed, you should first ask what it is that you are doing that you know you should not be doing. The second thing to ask is what you would like to be doing that you should not be doing.”

It is a good point, for depression often (not always) has its roots in the desires the flesh is exercising or wants to exercise. The way of the flesh is to do what you like and hate what you are doing. This all causes depression. Depression, then, can have its root in desire. We seek God for what we desire (our will), and if we don’t get it, we get depressed. If we get it and then discover that it was not really what we imagined it to be, there is more depression.

Do you know that if you have ever prayed, “Thy will,” then “Thy will” is exactly what you are getting? But you thought that “Thy will” would be something spectacular, comfortable, and blessed as defined by the world, including harmony in marriage, obedient children, and more.

Let me explain. He is bringing to each of us the revelation of Christ that we NEED. To prepare us for that revelation so we will not be exalted and destroyed, He is giving us what we are getting today. The revelation of Christ can completely destroy us if not preceded by His will. Paul says so. He explains that a thorn was given him so that in the abundance of revelations, he would not be destroyed.

What you are getting today in “average” life is everything you need to precede His revelation. Remember, the purpose of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to give you peace as you come in line with His will. This is the greater time, wherein He is going to use the lesser (in the worldly churches’ view) believer, and this is how you are prepared.

Stand fast. Don’t be discouraged. Today’s hiccups, rejections, conflicts, abuses, and concerns are what are needed to prepare you.