STILL Standing: The WORD of My Testimony!

STILL Standing!

 

"...This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him...."

**Lamentations 3:21-25 KJV

 

I'm sure you will agree with me that there are PLENTY of people, places and things seeking and/or threatening to hurt us in some way! Frankly, if we are not careful, we can do lasting damage to ourselves without the harmful advances of others. The truth of the matter is simple: We are at war each day of our lives with our own thought-life. War is raging in our minds everyday, perhaps even regarding other people, places and things already identified as dangerous to us.

 

Jeremiah was clear about having to "...RECALL to his mind...." This is where the true fight is being held. Like Jeremiah, I was able to find hope in the deep places of my mind while enduring a huge enemy called "cancer." I'm sure you too have experiences that you can use to identify with Jeremiah; a sickness, personal loss, an abusive relationship, a lack of increase/work/finances or the like.

 

My friends, I would like to encourage you today through a WORD that God gave to me when I was battling cancer - a WORD that allows me to convey to YOU a charge to your own faith, that you too might say to the world... I'm STILL Standing!

 

There are three (3) simple things that we need to glean from the Lamentations Writer, Jeremiah. It was these 3 things that GOD spoke into my spirit while laying in a hospital bed in September of 2011.

 

The FIRST thing that God spoke into my spirit from this Jeremiah passage was refreshing to hear....

 

1). I AM Your COVERING!

 

You see, what Jeremiah recalled to his mind was...

 

"...It is because of The Lords Mercies that we are not consumed...."

 

I will be the FIRST to acknowledge that many things were going through my mind prior to this word about what I could have done to "ready myself" to enter eternity. Frankly, I thought I was sure to die and ONLY wanted to die without pain and go to Heaven. I didn't want to go to hell. However, condemnation was SET in my mind about the decisions and mistakes I made, the sins I committed and the people that I hurt or haven't forgiven. All I could think about was NOT having the chance to "fix" my life the way I thought I should have, and God had begun His plan to "punish" me.

 

What is so interesting about this, is I KNOW God is NOT a God who "punishes". Thats NOT Who He Is! He is a LOVING, FORGIVING and TENDER God. I knew this, but only those who experience the darkness of living can understand why someone (like me) who often preached the Love of Christ, would begin to doubt Christ and His Love. It reminds me of John The Baptist, who when he was thrown into a dark prison cell - seeking to be rescued by Jesus Christ and wondering where He was in the time of what seemed to be his GREATEST need, John sent a question to Jesus asking, "...are you The ONE or shall we look for another?...." Matthew 11:3

 

Jesus, in a way that ONLY He knows how to do, said to me, "...I AM Your Covering...." This WORD was place on my mind and dominated my thought-life! You see, in that moment, I knew HIM as "...The Father of Mercies and God of all Comfort...." 2 Corinthians 1:3

 

Secondly, NOT ONLY did the Lord speak His Mercy into my spirit, but He also spoke another WORD....

 

2) I AM Your CONQUEROR!

 

From the same Jeremiah passage, God made me aware that HE WINS! HE IS CONQUEROR and will conquer for me! His WORD was clear to me: "...My Compassions FAIL NOT and they are NEW EVERY morning...." WOW! This told me that I didn't have to wake up in the hospital bed in doubt, wondering if I ws going to make it! The Lord showed me another part of His Nature: Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord Who IS Victorious and MY Victory! I knew HIM in that manner at that moment!

 

You see, I was at war within my own own mind, and doubt was winning! Fear was controling me! The Lord showed up and WON my battle! When God wanted to execute HIS Love upon me, He FIRST had to defeat my own doubt! AND HE DID! When God wanted to impart HIS Mercy upon me, He FIRST had to defeat my own dispair! AND HE DID! Why? Because His Compassions FAIL NOT... They ALWAYS WIN!

 

My friends, please see the experience here! God FIRST spoke to and defeated the enemy within ME. This seemed to be greater than the cancer itself! And God Knew it! How many of us can identify with this mental disposition? How many of you who will read this WORD, be honest with yourslef and conclude that you are in your own way! You, in and of yourself, can NEVER win, because you need The UNFAILING COMPASSIONS of a Merciful God! Receive it today!

 

Finally, NOT ONLY did The Lord speak His WORD to me saying, "...I AM Your COVERING...." and "...I AM Your CONQUEROR....", but HE FIXED my inner-man FOREVER with this last WORD....

 

3) I AM Your CONFIDENCE!

 

My friends, please hear me today! The Lord spoke this WORD to seal what HE done within me! He said through the Jeremiah passage, "...GREAT is My Faithfulness....Therefore, I can HOPE in HIM...."

 

I wonder if you're being bless yet? You see, The Lord proved His Faithfulness in His Work in my spirit! He defeated me and the way I viewed my medical situation. He LIFTED my head and showed me who the WINNER IS! He Embraced me with His Love and told me to let go of all condemnation! My friends, THIS IS CONFIDENCE that endures into eternity! My friends, I can HOPE in HIM now. Yes, "...Hope that is seen is NOT hope...." Romans 8:24, but herein is the blessing... I can, through what Jesus did in me, look at EVERY situation in my life and conclude myself A WINNER who can NEVER lose even though it doesn't "appear" that way!

 

My friends, you too can look upon your situation and conclude yourself WINNERS! Its not about what YOU did, but ALWAYS about what Jesus Christ did for you!

 

The Lord is also your Portion... Therefore, you too can HOPE in HIM! He too is YOUR COVERING, YOUR CONQUEROR and YOUR CONFIDENCE! If you receive this by faith, you can also agree with me, and testify with ONE accord: I AM STILL Standing!

 

"...And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death....."

Revelations 12:10-11 KJV

 

Many Blessings

Roc

Your Brother & Friend

Spiritual EXPECTATION!

Spiritual Expectation

“…My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my EXPECTATION is from him.….”

Psalm 62:5

 Are you and I in complete EXPECTATION of God? Do we really have the kind of “expectancy” that many of us say we do? This seems like a simple question, with a simple answer for most Christian trying to be honest. Perhaps if we truly understood the correct application of Spiritual Expectation, we would be forced to look at this again for a more conclusive personal assessment.

Before we look at our companion text for this lesson, I’d like to attempt to stimulate your thought further with a few more verses. Proverbs 10:28 says, “…the hope of the righteous shall be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked shall perish….” Proverbs 11:7 says, “…when a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish, and the hope of unjust men perishes….” He [the Proverb writer: Solomon] further says in verse 24:14, “…so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when you have found it, then there will be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off….”

These verses beg the question: What is it about having “expectation” that has such great importance to human living? These verses seem to suggest that (both) a “Just” and an “Unjust” person carries a very personal “expectation” of life with them throughout life. The wicked has an expectation, and the Righteous has an expectation. Another ringing question seems simple: who will or will not experience what they are expecting and why?

Expectation comes from the Hebrew word “Tiqvah” (tik-vaw) derived from its root, “Qavah” (kaw-vaw) which is to have an eager hope that causes a binding together. It also means to linger for as in resting and seeking for as in collecting. Both words are VERY passive and feminine, which means that is carries heavy emotional factors. The root word “Qavah” is aggressive, which means that is carries heavy active factors. In other words, there is an emotional impact that “expectancy” has that cause action and movement. It also connects us to what we are in expectation of due to this impact.

Look at what the Psalmist said, “…my SOUL wait thou only upon God….” The human “soul” is (among other things) our self-consciousness. This is how we relate to ourselves. It is essentially our EMOTIONS, THOUGHTS, and FEELINGS. Therefore, the Psalmist was really saying, (paraphrase) “…my EMOTIONS wait only on God….” The Psalmist is essentially saying that he will NOT allow anything or anyone to dictate to his EMOTIONS but God! What an awesome statement!

So then, if we are connected to what we are expecting – being bound together with it, then we can understand why the wicked man perishes with his expectation. It is because he is connected to wrath, and seeks only destruction – being collective of only that and those who do wickedness, whereas the Righteous is connected to God, and doesn’t allow his EMOTIONS to send him away from God’s instructions. Remember again Proverbs 24:14, “…so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when you have found it, then there will be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off….”

So then, well did the Psalmist exclaim, “…my soul wait thou ONLY upon God, for my expectation is from Him….”

Grace & Peace,

Roc

The Power of Self-LESS-ness!

The Power of SELF-LESS-NESS

“…We then that are strong aught to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification….” Romans 15:1-2

 We are living in a world that has become increasingly selfish. It seems that everything we do is ALL about the “individual.” We grow up with a “me” first disposition, and allow this disposition to transcend almost everything we do. Many are already aware that the divorce rate in the Christian community has sky-rocketed to an all-time high, why? Selfishness!

Selfishness is seen in children as they play with their toys. They grow up saying “this is mine – not yours.” Even in the church, people allow themselves to drift into a vacuum of selfishness. Many Christians take on their work in the Church with a selfish attitude. They’ll say, “this is my ministry”, and poke their chest out with utter pride. Ministry efforts, as a result, become the center-piece of their Christian experience instead of Christ Himself! Even Church membership is a selfish act. Many people seek out Churches with the inward quest: What can this church do for me, not what can I add to this Church to help it become more productive.

Our text allows us to see the opposite of selfishness in its true form: SELFLESSNESS! The first thing we see here is the strength of the Christian experience being found within responsibility we have towards other people. “…we then that are strong aught to bear the infirmities of the weak….” The word “STRONG” here is the Greek word, Dunatos (doo-nat-os), which is the adjective form of its parent root: Dunamai (doo-na-my), which is where we get the English word “Dynamite.” Dunatos is more than merely having might or ability, but to have changing influence within the soul (our self-consciousness). In other words, this “strength” is to have the kind of INWARD power as to maintain control over yourself.

The text continues to help us with a directive: “bear the infirmities of the weak.” First, we should already know that in order to do this, we MUST FIRST have strength for ourselves. Ten, we can have strength to help other people. The problem is that many WEAK people are trying to help WEAK people – they have NO inward control, but seek to offer their “deceptive strengths” to other people. To BEAR infirmities here is very significant as well. The Greek word Bastazo (bas-tad-zo) is literally the willingness to take on something as your own – to take something away from another person that they will NEVER see again.  

While this lesson is short, it begs a few serious questions: Does the strength of your life (if you believe you have strength) directed and lived out within the realm of reaching other people? Is your Christian experience that which is ONLY gratifying to you? What happens to others around you after you leave Church on Sunday morning – having heard a “great” sermon?

“…For even Christ pleased not Himself; but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me….” Romans 15:3

 Grace & Peace,

Roc

Spiritual GREATNESS

Spiritual Greatness

“…Call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your Father which is in Heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your Master even Christ but he that is greatest among you shall be your servant, and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted….”

Matthew 23:9-12

 I am sure that you would agree that the measure of “greatness” is a measurement that has heightened relevance to “positional power”, material gain and socio-economic status. The humanistic position of greatness has a very large following, in that; many envision greatness to be something that places you in a self-promotional place of exalted prominence.

The notion of this kind of “greatness” communicates a position of pride, ownership, and self-righteousness to so many others (including ourselves), and creates a kind of dominance over others that is NOT in the image of God whatsoever. If we notice in the Matthew passage, Jesus dealt with three structural & authoritative positions of both the Scribe and Pharisee: Rabbi, Father and Master. The Scribes and Pharisees were seen as religious leaders, as well as religious “authorities.” However, they were also groups who greatly oppressed the people with their positional and self-exalted dominance.

The way these groups attain much of their status was by being seen as the largest, heard as the loudest and feared as the greatest. They demanded that others called them by their positional expletives. Therefore, Jesus was really teaching his disciples to NOT accept this example, but to follow HIS living example of true greatness.

“…One is your Teacher [Rabbi}…One is your Father…One is your Master even Christ….”

 Greatness, in this passage, is defined (from the original language) as large, strong, eminent, virtuous, highly esteemed and splendid. It comes from two Greek and Aramaic words: “Meizon” & “Megas” (where the English word “Mega” is derived).

So then, for a person to become large, strong, eminent, virtuous, highly esteemed and splendid, the quest for material gain is not the answer. Positional prominence is not the way to achieve true greatness, nor is any kind of self-promotion. Jesus said that we MUST become servants! What a striking contrast. While the “common” notion is to attain greatness by trying to exalt myself, the Righteous notion is to bring ourselves to the lowest point – to do what the so called “large” people are unwilling to do because it is to “little” for them.

In this Righteous way, we therein become LARGE to God, and highly esteemed: He exalts us! Time does not permit me to teach on the purpose of being exalted, but I’ll say this: Divine Exaltation is NOT merely a reward for service, but an opportunity for God to be seen through what we do for HIM - to attain GLORY for himself. Being Divinely Exalted is an act of trust placed upon the life of the Servant of God to accomplish for God what other people what to accomplish proudly and selfishly. Therefore, true GREATNESS is when we serve other people to the point of becoming as nothing that Glory and Honor would be ascribed to our God! This is GREATNESS!

Grace & Peace,

Roc

Self-Denial

Self-Denial

 

“…Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple….”

Luke 14:27

 All of us might conclude that one of the most painful, yet rewarding lessons to endure learning within the Christian experience is the lesson of “Spiritual Denial.” After we have bumped our (personal and collective) heads against every seemingly difficult obstacle and have stumbled over every apparent hindrance to life, we finally come the understanding that the authentic Christian experience is one that calls for us to follow Christ in every way.

However, the humanistic problem is that we tend to want to follow Jesus Christ on our own terms – within our own understanding of “productive living.” Oh but if we would dare follow Jesus on His terms, then we must hold fast to a reality that is NOT so simple – a responsibility that presupposes our deepest desire: To deny myself of myself!

To understand the Luke 14 passage is to also understand (among other things) a great fight of spiritual significance. It is really the fight of our lives with the Shepherding of Christ at stake! Jesus not only requires that I “…come after him….”, but He also requires that I bring something with me: My own Cross!

I’m sure we’ll agree that the Cross of Christ represents the deepest suffering, humiliation and anguish, but in addition, it represents the greatest sacrifice that one can ever make in fulfilling a divine purpose: The denial of self! Within the application of self-denial is the realization and feeling of spiritual separation from what you have always (humanly) known.

The word translated “Carry” is the word “Bastazo” (bas-tad-zo), which means to take up with your hands (as to work with as well as walk with) – to bear upon your entire being something specific that is completely burdensome to you, but must be fully and willingly supported. Saints, in other words, I must fully support, work with, walk [live] with, as well as allow upon my entire being something that is painful to me! Yes, this sound completely crazy and utterly stupid, but if I am to know Christ and be His “Disciple” then it is an extreme must!

The word translated “Disciple” in the Luke 14 passage is the Greek word, “Mathetes” (Math-ay-tes), which is a learner, pupil and supporter! Wait a minute here, what Jesus is essentially saying in this passage is for me to “support” something that will become increasingly painful to me in order that I might be able to “support” Him (as his pupil)! WOW! Please think about this. It is in this that I am truly a Christian! It is in this “Christian experience” that I “hold up” Christ in support of Him as I hold up the support of my own Cross – my own pain! This is how I truly identify with Him, and how I know Him as He knows me! My friends, this DENIAL will afford me the fellowship that I need in order to Come to Him.

So well did the song writer pen his words….

“…Goodbye world, I stay no longer with you. Goodbye pleasures of sin, I stay no longer with you. I’ve made up my mind to go God’s way the rest of my life…”

 Grace & Peace,

Roc

Christ... IN YOU! The Hope of Glory!

The Hope of Glory!

“…The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations - has now been manifested to His saints… to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory….”

Colossians 1:26-27 NASV

There is nothing in the world comparable to the intimate fellowship that only God gives and initiates. I often marvel at the fact that the very God who created the sun, the moon, the stars, the land and seas (whom I worship and adore) is the same God who lives inside of me. Such wonder is too difficult for me to fathom, much less communicate. It is humanly mysterious, yet spiritually revealing

How many of us have longed for a greater experience of God – an experience that transcends mere worldly “matter” and socio-relational status? How many of us participate in the “traditional routine” of Sunday morning service, but have yet to see our “Sunday mornings” from Monday through Saturday? Why is it that we can’t seem to grasp and strengthen our hold on the transforming truths of God’s Word from day to day? It seems (now more than ever) that our world tinkers and toggles on the brink of serious chaos - the kind of chaos that we have never witnessed in the entire historical human experience. Today, even the Salvation experience and lifestyle has become a mockery to many people. In some respects, it even viewed as a “fade” or fictitious idea that is conjured within sensational human thought. As a result, spiritual transformation is often dramatized and “faked” in our churches – giving many a false sense of hope.

Oh, but thanks be to God, who has made it a priority to reveal Himself to His creation! Accordingly, His revelation has offered us the opportunity to experience Him in ways never imagined – giving His people reasons to HOPE! Our text has much to say about this idea – more than we can communicate in this short study. However, a few points from this passage rings loudly true for our spiritual motivation and endurance. Firstly, Paul says that God has “…manifested a mystery….” that was hidden for generations. The word translated “mystery” here is the Greek word, Musterion (moos-tay'-ree-on) which are spiritual secrets obtained by secret spiritual counseling and the introduction to an image, form or vision.

So then, God has manifested something that is only received through counseling (being with Him alone), whereby we see HIS FORM and VISION (WOW… I wish I had time to elaborate this point further). Ah, but what is the “mystery” or secrets that God gives us in HIS presence while being counseled by Him? Paul says it is “…Christ in you - the hope of Glory….” Who can fathom the idea of Christ, who walked on the sea, who healed terminal diseases, who fed the hungry and who set captives free residing on the inside of human beings. This experience of the indwelling Christ, Paul says, will offer us the “hope of Glory.” The word “Hope” here is the Greek, Elpis (el-pece') which is the anticipation of joyful promise and the expectation of intimate goodness for the purpose of productive service.

The “Glory” is something to really think about. It is the Greek, Doxa (Dox’-ah) [in the feminine tense] which gives a different meaning than the popular knowledge of “Glory.” It means the fullness of splendor, brightness, honor, dignity, grace, and preeminence of Godly perfection and Godly ordination. In other words, This “Glory” is something that God designs within us while we are shown Himself in counsel, vision and fullness. It is something that we give to Him because we have no choice in the matter. We didn’t design it, we didn’t see it without Him and we couldn’t know it without His revelation. This is why it’s a secret, because without Christ in us, there is not even a thought in our feeble minds to clue us on the idea of what His presence really means.

“…You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever….” Psalm 16:11

Grace & Peace,
Roc

Hosanna! The Cry of Hosanna!

The Cry of Hosanna!

“…much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,  Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord….”

John 12:13-14

 If there is one season of the year that has the most impact upon me, it is the Easter season. Without taking anything away from the other “Christian holidays”, Easter causes me to reflect upon the work of God in my life to the point of entering into a deeper cry for His working presence in my life so much more! The Resurrection story is definitely compelling and demands the kind of attention that ignites personal change, but the days leading up this great day is often over-looked and under-appreciated.

Affectionately known as “Palm Sunday”, Christians ALL over the world will traditionally and symbolically take branches of Palm from their respective congregations as a kind of memento of Resurrection anticipation. It has been my prayer for several years now that I would celebrate this season within the context of a genuine cry that I hope to keep deeply placed within my spirit/heart: Hosanna!

Hosanna! The great cry to Jesus during his triumphal entry into the City of Jerusalem was given by those who were of great need and help. Hosanna, although in the New Testament, is really NOT a Greek word, but a Hebrew/Aramaic word Yasha’ (yaw-shah) meaning “save us we pray” or “save us we plead with thee.” In the John 12 passage, one thing that we dare not overlook is the fact that Jesus was coming to the City of God – The City of David – The City of the King: Jerusalem!

Prior to this, the passage tells us of a woman who broke open her very own (and very expensive) box of Alabaster – using it to honor Jesus by pouring it on and washing His feet. She, in her indigent state, used all that she had to ensure that her honor was her best! As we see further in the text, the people of Jerusalem also gave honor to Jesus by placing Palm Tree branches before Him (which is ONLY done a King). They wanted to acknowledge Him as the King who was coming home (to the City of the King)!

While they celebrated the entry of Jesus, they also cried, Hosanna! Save us! Their condition, even in the City of God – Jerusalem, was poor, needy and of great desire. I believe this says so much to our present condition – our current lives. Notice that they went out to meet Jesus upon learning of His approach to the City, and cried when they saw Him.

My beloved family of God, with tears I continue to grope and yearn for the Salvation of God, even while in the “City of God” – The Church! I have witnessed His approach and His entry into my life, yet I continue to cry: Save Me! I have witnessed many others follow Him. I have seen others bless Him with the best of their valuables, and others with the best of their “poverties”, and now it is my turn. Therefore, I must turn away from my own feasting (verse 13) and honor the ONE who has come…to be my King – my Lord: Jesus Christ! The text uses the phrase, King of Israel – “Yisra'el” (yis-raw-ale') meaning, God prevails!

 Therefore, I am thankful for Him who will PREVAIL in my life, having heard my cry: Hosanna! Save me!

“…Oh Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord….” Romans 7:24-25

 
Grace & Peace,
Roc