"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:" (Ezra 1:1, ESV)
This scripture announces God's active involvement in history and our lives. God is not a spectator. He is not passive. Everything God does is with purpose. They are not by chance. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Cyrus was the King of Persia. What does it mean to be stirred in the spirit? It means to be awakened, aroused and incited. God stirred the spirit of Cyrus to think of, desire, and act. God did this! It was God's response to a prophetic word He had given Jeremiah years ago. It was time to keep His promise to His people, so He incited Cyrus to decree that Israel would return to her home and rebuild the temple. Not only did He stir up Cyrus, but he also stirred Judah and Benjamine. He stirred both Priests and Levites to think about returning to the land. To desire the land and to go and rebuild the temple. God still stirs people to action today. Maybe you have been stirred by God to sow an offering, do an act of kindness, or love well. Maybe God is stirring your heart now. A random thought suddenly becomes a desire that prompts you to act. Next thing you know, you are making history!
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"Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright." (Genesis 25:34, ESV)
Jacob slyly tricked Esau into giving him his birthright (the rights and privileges granted to the firstborn.) When Esau came home from hunting, he was famished. Jacob had made his favorite stew. At that moment, craving food, Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. He gave up what was his by promise—all for a bowl of soup. He did not just give it up but also 'despised' his birthright. To despise means to treat with contempt or to make someone or something less valuable to you. So worthless that you walk away from it. Did you know that you have a birthright? You have a birthright through the New Birth! When you were born again, you were given an excellent birthright! You are a joint heir with Jesus Christ! Everything He has, He shares with you. He is alive, and you are alive in Him. You have been raised up with Him and made to sit together in heavenly places. You have access to healing, deliverance, and provision all through your 'birthright!' You have peace! You have the wisdom of God! You have the Holy Spirit, a helper, comforter, companion, and friend. You have access to the Father's House and everything in it. Set your face like flint to not sell out your inheritance. Jesus paid a great price for us to be joint heirs with Him. Don't despise your birthright; discover, know, and treasure it! "...Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other." (Nehemiah 4:17, ESV)
Every work of God requires that we build and fight simultaneously. We use the grace of God to establish the work of God. And, we use who we are in Christ to wage war on spiritual rulers in high places that seek to stop or hinder the work of God. Because of the threats that were made against Nehemiah and the people of God, he organized them to be ready to work or fight, depending on what was needed. Satan always resists 'God's movements' in the earth. This is why it is essential to understand this principle of spiritual warfare while building the work of God or doing what God has called you to do. It is a 'given' that the enemy will threaten you and the work or that he will attack you while you are doing the work. You have to be ready for him, and Nehemiah was ready! Christ's disciples must learn how to build and fight in the spirit. This is our life. There is no need to complain, only the need to forcefully advance the Kingdom of God by overpowering our adversary, the devil. Learn to worship while you work! And let your worship fight for you! Build with one hand and fight with the other! "So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work." (Nehemiah 4:6, ESV)
Something always seems to happen when we are halfway done with a job or task. It was no different for Nehemiah and the people of Israel as they were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. The first half of the project always has strength, joy, and a sense of accomplishment. Then it happens! You find yourself halfway done! It looks as far forward as it does back. Then the enemy begins to torment you with fearful thoughts and threats. Nehemiah and the people voiced their prayers to God and posted a watch night and day because of the threats coming to them. Prayer is a critical part of every task we undertake for God. Nehemiah realized that! Another thing that happens when you are halfway through. You find you are working in lots of rubble. "In Judah, it was said, "The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves, we will not be able to rebuild the wall." (Nehemiah 4:10, ESV) Sometimes we must stop in the middle of the project to remove the trash, clear the rubble, and put things back in order. Isn't it amazing how clutter can make you weary? If you are halfway into a task or project, take time to clear the clutter and refocus. You will then be ready to finish! “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10, ESV)
God is amazing in how He supplies! Again, we have to note that our God is a generous God! There is none like Him! Paul states in verse ten that God supplies seed to the sower, not to the keeper. If God will keep you supplied with seed to sow, you will have to learn to live with an open hand towards God and others. Living with an open hand allows God to fill our hands with both seed and bread! Not only will he supply, but He will multiply our seed for sowing so that we will have even more seed to sow. Since the poor are always upon the heart of God, every time we give to the poor, it is considered a work of righteousness. Paul says in verse ten that in sowing, we increase in righteousness. We shine like God! The scriptures are full of promises to those who give to the poor. God keeps His loving eyes upon those who are generous to the poor. Living with an open hand to others creates a heart like God in us. He makes giving easy to do when we know that He will supply more seed and multiply that seed as we give. Start farming! Get your seed in the ground! “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:7, ESV)
How do you become a cheerful giver? Well, Paul asks the Corinthians earlier to prepare their offering in advance. By preparing your offering in advance, you can pray and hear God as to what to give. When you have heard from God, you give in confidence. You can look at your budget when you prepare in advance. When you prepare in advance to give, you will not give under pressure or compulsion. A cheerful giver is one who enjoys giving to others. They take pleasure in seeing others be blessed. A cheerful giver has a generous heart. Giving is not a problem for them. It is a joy. You become a cheerful giver by studying the generosity of God. When you see how generous God is, it makes you want to be a happy giver too. A cheerful giver also knows that God rewards our generosity bountifully. Therefore he gives in faith, knowing that God sees what we give in secret. A cheerful giver knows he will abound in every good work because the Word says, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” (2 Cor 9:9, NLT) Check your heart next time you give an offering. Make sure you are becoming the cheerful giver God loves. "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6, ESV)
The Apostle Paul is preparing the church in Corinth to sow an offering he will receive for the persecuted church in Jerusalem. He makes them aware of what he is doing and asks them to pray in advance, hear from God, and prepare to sow their offering. Just hearing what Paul says in the verse above makes one want to open their heart and wallet to give! He reveals the nature of God as he opens up the revelation of God's generosity. He appeals to them to sow generously because he who sows generously will also reap generously! It is almost as if Paul says, "Avoid 'sparingly!' You can give sparingly, but it is to your disadvantage. Take the generous route and give a big measure!" When God sees a large measure being given out, He is moved to be generous back to you so that you reap a big harvest. I encourage you to live a life of generosity. Open up your eyes and look for a place to sow an offering. It could be to a missionary, a neighbor, a son or daughter, a stranger, a child, a widow, or maybe even a spouse or friend. Keep track of what you sow and watch God return the seed to you and more besides! You can't outgive God, practice living a generous life! "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17, ESV)
Patrick Henry, one of our founding fathers, said, "Give me liberty or death!" Praise God for the men who laid down their lives and fortunes to see the birth of the United States of America. Men who loved freedom more than their lives carried the dream of freedom in their hearts until they saw it bloom before them. Jesus Christ, another man, the Son of God, also carried a dream in His heart. It was a dream that all men would live free from the power of sin and sin's effect. He laid down His life so that we, through faith, would be raised up to freely serve the living God. It is a joy for the believer to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and know that they are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in us! Where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom! Freedom is freedom from sin and freedom from death. Sin carries death within it. Death is sin’s poison, and power. Existing in sin makes us its slave, and the end result is anarchy. But Christ has set us free from sin and death! Therefore, where the Spirit is Lord, there is freedom and liberty!!! Give me liberty! Forget about death! According to John 8:36. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Our founding fathers prized individual freedom. Revisionists are taking God out of our classrooms and rewriting history. When you take God out of our history, you miss the entire heart of what the Founders believed, lived, and died for. When you take God out of our history, you significantly affect four things our founders worked to create so that generations could live safely and firmly. Those four things are:
Did you know that the revolutionary ideas, that graced our founding documents, were first preached in pulpits in America? 29 of the 56 signers of the Declaration held seminary or Bible school degrees, and many others were bold and outspoken in their Christian faith. Not one single signer was secular in orientation. "Thomas Paine (certainly the least religious of the Founders) openly acknowledged God and announced his belief in his personal accountability to God, and he also directly advocated teaching creationism in the public school classroom." [source: WallBuilders.] "... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20, ESV)
Jesus said, "I am with you always..." These words are Jesus' final encouragement to a group of disciples who followed Him to the end and were now entrusted with the Kingdom of God. He knew what they would soon face. He was aware of the difficulties they would have to overcome. Therefore, He promised them: "I am with you always, to the end of the age." Those are words of comfort. Sometimes we may be tempted to feel alone and wonder whether God is there and if He may have forgotten us. He wants us assured of the promise of His presence with us. The promise He gives us sustains us. His Spirit in us reminds us we are not alone, never! The Bible is overflowing with encouragement and assurance that God is always with us. He never wants us to experience life without Him. Psalm 46:1 "...God is a very present help in time of trouble." Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." Joshua 1:9 " For the Lord your God is with you where ever you go." We know God as Immanuel, God with us. His promise of His presence to always be with us empowers us to endure and to overcome. Take a few moments to memorize the last part of Matthew 28:20. Behold! Mark these words! Treasure them. "...I am with you always, to the end of the age." |
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