Tag: christian

God is Speaking—Are You Listening

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to the year 2024. Here’s a short little joke:

A man was speaking to God and he asked, “God is it true that to you a thousand years is a second?” “That’s true,” God replied. “And is it true that to you a million dollars is like a penny?” “That’s true,” God said. “Well then, would you please give me a penny? asked the man. “Sure,” said God, “in just a second.”

It’s funny, but true. The way we see time and God’s timing are not always the same. If you follow certain Christian circles this time of year, the million-dollar question is, “What is God going to do in 2024?” Certainly, there is much uncertainty in the World these days. Times are changing rapidly. We have experienced a major World-wide pandemic, escalating racial tensions and injustices, wars, political unrest…just to name a few. Surely, many are curious of what will happen in 2024.  

As you may know, many Christians, churches, and ministries, have encouraged a time of corporate prayer and fasting in the first part of each year. Tracy and I have also set apart this special time of prayer and fasting for many years now. I want to encourage you today with this message by telling you that you can hear directly from the voice of God with confidence. Your enemy (satan) wants to keep you distracted, but you can overcome and be effective, and have peace and joy in your life.

Whatever this year brings, God is not surprised by any of it. Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see that you are not troubled (don’t be alarmed!) these things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come.” Matt 24:6 Additionally Jesus also said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt 6:34

Jesus also said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27. As well, Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Don’t let the noise of the world keep you from hearing the voice of the Lord. If you are a Christian, satan knows the only thing he can do is distract you—thereby—making you less effective as a disciple. We need to be reminded that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (see James 4:8).

Hearing Gods Voice

I love the story of Samuel. Samuel was a great man of faith who functioned as a prophet and a priest. When he was young, he had not yet learned to hear the voice of the Lord. In 1 Samuel 3, we read that Samuel was hearing a voice calling him, but Samuel mistakenly thought it was the voice of his then mentor, the elderly priest Eli. Samuel ran to Eli three different times after hearing the voice, before Eli told him, “Go and lie down again, and if the Lord calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” There is much to glean from this story, but what I want to call attention to is that Eli, as the priest, purposely instructed the young soon to be priest, that he too could hear personally from God.

In the Old Testament times God spoke primarily through prophets and priests (particularly the Levitical priesthood). In Jesus’ time, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life. The temple was the place where animal sacrifices were carried out and worship according to the Law of Moses was followed faithfully. Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

Jesus Changed Everything

At the very moment Jesus died upon the cross, an amazing event took place as we entered into a new covenant with God. The Bible says, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.” See Matt 27:51).

Above all, the tearing of the veil at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins. It also signified that now the way into the Holy of Holies was open for all people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile. We no longer have to go through the Levitical Priesthood to hear and have direction from God. The book of Hebrews explains this in glorious detail, but make no mistake, Jesus Christ, through His death, has removed the barriers between God and man, and now we may approach Him with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:14-16). Hallelujah!! It is imperative that we remember this when we come before the Lord in prayer.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

There are many voices trying to speak to us every day. These days one can log-on to get a daily prophetic word much like a non-believer would get a daily horoscope reading. We live in a time that I believe the Apostle Paul was warning his protege Timothy about. He said, “For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires.“ 2 Tim 4:3. This is so prevalent in today’s modern society. People will find a way to justify their own agendas. Additionally, they will find teachers to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. As Bible believing Christians especially, we need to be cautious of who we allow to speak into our life.

Pastors, teachers, mentors, and those who humbly move in the prophetic are invaluable, but no other person or ministry should replace our own hearing from God. It’s so easy to be distracted by social media and the plethora of on-line ministries. “Who you follow” is actually very important—especially during a specific time of prayer and fasting—when we may be seeking direction. Let’s not get distracted, let’s keep the main thing the main thing—loving God and loving people—this is what Jesus commissioned us for and should be how we filter all outside voices (see Matt 28:19-20). We don’t always need to know the why, the how, and the who, the more important thing is that we trust Him.

Being Purposeful

Friends, if you are seeking God today, and perhaps you too are setting aside a special time of prayer and fasting, I am praying that we all hear Him clearly and are effective in all that He has planned and purposed for our lives. I am convinced that the key to our effectiveness is focusing on Him and His voice above all others.

I am so very excited for all that God has for us all in this new year. I look forward to seeing Him move like never before, and I look forward to hearing testimonies of Gods blessings and faithfulness. He is so good…so amazing! Blessings to you all in 2024.

Blessed by The Best,

Mark

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Rom 15:13

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jn 15:11

*Want more info on various ways of hearing from God? See “Hearing God’s Voice” from the menu of topics on this same website.

Christmas from Gods Perspective

The Christmas story as told from the Bible has been told in many different ways—from professionally Hollywood productions to children dressed in bathrobes on living room floors. Many times, the story is conveyed through the eyes of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, or the wise men. But have you ever thought about how God, The Father, felt as the very first Christmas was taking place? After all it was his plan being carried out, as ordinary people responded in obedience to bring about the Savior of the World. Words cannot explain the Joy He—God Himself—must have felt when Jesus was born. I was ecstatic when our kids were born. I can’t begin to understand how God felt at that moment, knowing what it meant for the future of mankind?

I recently read a statistic finding that 90% of Americans say they celebrate Christmas. Also, that 95% of Christians say they celebrate Christmas. I wasn’t too surprised that 10% of Americans don’t celebrate Christmas. I live and work in a major city where there are people of multiple ethnic backgrounds and other religions. But the lingering question for me was why, if you were a professing Christian, would you NOT celebrate Christmas? Especially that 5 out of every 100 Christians, do not celebrate the birth of their savior. How can that be? After all, the greatest event in the history of the world is the incarnation as God became man in the birth of Jesus.  

Upon further investigation, there are a few reasons why some Christians are not celebrating Christmas.

One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there may be pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.

Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.

The Bible does not indicate that we should celebrate Christmas as a Holy Day (As with other Jewish Holiday’s I’m guessing??), nor is Dec the 25th the accurate day of Christs birth. As it is true that the Bible does not give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians, there is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior. Also, the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us the actual date of Christ’s birth, is not proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth of His son as the most important event in the history of mankind.

Christmas is nothing but a commercialized holiday that draws people away from the holiness of Christ. I would agree that Christmas is overly commercialized, and that Santa and his reindeer do sometimes seem to take center stage. But there are also many Bible believing Christians all across the globe who do celebrate Christmas and see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as “the reason for the season.”

The bottom line: There is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. As well, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, it is a personal decision. So, back to my original question: What is God’s perspective of Christmas? Here are some further questions to ponder:

1) Do you think God appreciates it when we celebrate His ultimate gift to the world? And do you think He works in us and through us when we give and receive (whether through a gift, special time with family and friends, sharing meals, and celebrating)?

2) Do you believe God works on hearts especially at Christmas. Does he delight in manger scenes, Christmas songs, and bright lights? Does He pay attention to children laughing and enjoying Christmas treats and feeling the love of family and friends as they gather together for special meals and games?

3) Does He delight in special outreaches to the poor and needy in the Christmas season? What about the smiles and greetings given freely as people say “Merry Christmas” to strangers in the street.

4) Does He enjoy reenacted manger scenes played out by our children dressed out in bathrobes and paper-towel beards? Is that precious to Him, even though it may not all be done exactly correct?

5) Does God feel honored as we gather in churches and our homes as we recount the Christmas Story?

6) Is God expectant and are the angels waiting in anticipation to celebrater the multiplied hearts, lives and families that will and accept Jesus—the savior of the world—this very Christmas season?

Yes, yes! I believe he does delight in all of these things and more. People become aware of the story of Christs birth more so at Christmastime than at any other time of the year. Interestingly, Google reports that the word “church” is the top word searched for during Christmas and Easter of each year.

Of course, it is important to separate the reality of Christmas from the clutter.  Not everyone who comes to the party will be there for the right reason, but that is not reason to cancel the party. Christians all over the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas, let’s let our love shine brightly as we celebrate with one another. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

How about you? Do you have joy? Do you have peace in your heart? Are you right with God? Friend, that is why Jesus came. No matter where you are in life or what you are going through, God has not turned His back on you. His arms are wide open to you. The Bible states in Rev 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” That door is your heart. Will you let Him in? You too can celebrate Joy that is unspeakable and peace that is ever lasting, and you too can embrace the true meaning of Christmas.

From our home to yours—Merry Christmas!

Blessed by The Best,

Mark & Tracy

*As always, If you have further questions or comments, we would love to hear from you.