Dependence Day

The River Church

Independence Day, with all its traditions — fireworks, cookouts, family get-togethers — is a happy time, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in our nation. 

God celebrates freedom, too.  He wants all people to be free.  2 Corinthians 3:17 assures us, “… Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” But in His kingdom, we achieve freedom through dependence, not independence.  When we depend on Him, we find true liberty. 

This is so hard for our natural minds to understand. That is why man-made religions all promote saving ourselves by doing good works.  We naturally think we should be able to save ourselves, if we just strive hard enough.  Even in Christianity, where we understand depending, by faith alone, on Jesus’ death on the cross for our salvation, we tend to let Jesus take care of the salvation part, but then we try to control our lives, make our success happen, and “do our thing” for Jesus – and then expect Him to bless it. 

Derek Prince comments, “God brings us to the place of total dependence upon Himself to demonstrate that He is totally dependable.”  God wants us to know He will always come through for us, and so He takes us through some shaky situations to show us just how trustworthy He is.  He will never let us down. 

Think about how little children are.  They are totally dependent, yet they live in carefree innocence.  In a normal home, it doesn’t occur to children that their parents would not feed them, clothe them, and meet every need.  They have true freedom.  God wants to restore this freedom through dependence to the rest of us.  It was the dependence issue Jesus was addressing when He said, “Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter into it” (Luke 18:17). 

Again quoting Derek Prince, “The more completely I depend on God, the more He surprises me by the results that follow – results that I could never have achieved as long as I depended on my own efforts.” 

People of God, it’s time to rise up into true freedom – the freedom found only in complete dependence on our Father in heaven. 

* Derek Prince quotes taken from his book, Rules of Engagement. 

The River Church

Are You in the Pressure Cooker?

The River Church

I can’t remember the last time so many of my loved ones were going through as much pressure from distressed circumstances as they are now.  I am feeling it, too.  And for most of us, it is through no fault of our own.  Perhaps you are feeling the weight of difficulties as well, and if you are not, be assured that at some point you will. 

I have good news: God will not allow more pressure to be applied to you than you are able to withstand.  There is a principle laid out in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you other than what is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to handle.  He will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.”  It is true not only of temptation, but of any pressures that come our way. 

The trick is understanding God’s absolute commitment to not let us go under, trusting Him with ourselves, and refusing to collapse beneath the weight of circumstances when we don’t have to.  We don’t have to.  Sometimes we think we have had all we can take, and we crumble – not because we have to, but because, in our weariness, we let ourselves. The key is to lock eyes with Jesus, watch expectantly for His next move, and then press forward, putting one foot in front of the other with Him. 

The Christian life-race is not a sprint.  It is a marathon.  God is looking for long-haul runners who will endure to the end and obtain the prize.  He doesn’t expect us to do it alone, though.  He’s there at our elbow, raising us up if we stumble, picking us up from the dirt if we fall flat on our face, but always cheering us on: “You can do it.  It’s not too hard for you.  I have made a way for you, and I will take care of you.” 

He said it in His Word this way: “… Fear not, for I have redeemed you.  I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,; and through the rivers they will not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned … because you [are] precious in my sight …”  (Isaiah 43:1-4). 

Keep pressing through.  You will make it.

The River Church

Rebuilders of the Wall

The River Church

Some time ago, I had a dream. The setting was the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, after the Babylonian exile, in the days of Nehemiah.  In the dream, Nehemiah, the governor of the people, needed a word from the Lord.  A woman brought Nehemiah the prophetic word that he needed. She and her husband were servants of Hanani, a relative of Nehemiah mentioned in Nehemiah 1:2. 

In the dream, the woman and her husband, along with other servants of Hanani, worked on the wall to rebuild it, making sure there were no breaches through which the enemy could get in.  They were nameless, faceless people, but very important in getting the job done. 

Nehemiah 7:2 says of Hanani that he was given “charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.”  He was in charge of the gates – decreeing what was to come in, and what was to go out, deciding when the gates were to be open, and when to be shut. 

God is looking for prophetic people of the household of Hanani, who, like him, will be faithful men and women who fear God far above the majority.  They are nameless and faceless, unconcerned about establishing a place of recognition for themselves, but they are committed to rebuilding the broken walls of our society.  And they will do it, all the while having the prophetic word of the Lord in their mouths – answers for the nation.  They will, in both the spirit and natural realms, have influence in what is allowed in the gates and what is not. 

Hanani means “gracious,” and it is only as we learn to speak the Lord’s word graciously into our world that we will be heard.  

Who among us will be of the household of Hanani – faithful, fearing the Lord above many?  Who will rebuild the walls, releasing the word of the Lord to our hurting society while we build?  Who is willing to lay down the desire for recognition, and just get the job done?  Who?

The River Church

Not Just in November

The River Church

One of the most difficult things to do in the midst of hardship is to retain our thankfulness.  Yet, we absolutely must, if we wish to honor God.  Why?  He is worthy.  And, He commands and expects us to be thankful: “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).  Thankfulness is an essential component of worship.  It pleases the Lord greatly and keeps us in His light.

A lack of thankfulness (usually accompanied by murmuring and complaining) displeases Him and causes spiritual darkness to creep in.  “When they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, neither were they thankful, but their thoughts became nonsense, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). 

Our natural inclination is to thank God after we see our prayers answered.  But, oddly enough, God wants us to be thankful before we see the desired results.  Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not be care-filled about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  Thankfulness before the answer materializes indicates sincere trust and genuine faith.  We know that the moment we begin to pray, the answer is on the way (Daniel 10:12). Therefore, we can already be thankful, knowing our Father has heard us.

Worshipful thanksgiving acts as a booster rocket to push our prayers past spiritual opposition, right on through to the third heaven and the throne of God.  This is another reason to accompany our prayers with thanksgiving.  It is the propellant to ensure victory. 

Thankfulness is closely tied to having inner peace, as we see in both Colossians 3:15 and Philippians 4:6, 7: “Do not be care-filled … by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”   

Thanksgiving – the antidote to lack of peace and a darkened mind, a propellant to boost our prayers to heaven, and an act of worship most pleasing to the Lord.  Sounds like a pretty good thing to concentrate on, wouldn’t you agree?

The River Church

Shut the Door

The River Church

Not all that rarely, I talk with people who exhibit evidence of a hindrance in their spiritual lives, something that isn’t quite right, especially in their ability to hear God purely.  I’m spotting a pattern – a connection with the occult in their past. 

I am not necessarily talking about deliberate dealings with the devil.  Many of us have dabbled in things during our growing-up years that we did not realize the seriousness of at the time – Ouija boards; ESP games; fortune telling; mental telepathy; levitation; horoscopes; movies and TV programs about ghosts, the paranormal, and Eastern religious practices; children’s cartoons involving magic.  Some of us still connect ourselves to the occult through ignorance by engaging in yoga relaxation techniques and the like.  All of these, even if we have long since quit doing them – maybe even having forgotten about them – leave a door ajar for demonic activity in our lives. 

Frequent nightmares, inability to forgive, a constant barrage of dark or tormenting thoughts, chronic depression, confusion of mind, consistent lack of peace, and inability to hear God accurately can be indicators of an occult foothold.  Sometimes our inaccurate “words from the Lord” are more evident to others than they are to ourselves.  Although everyone makes mistakes in hearing God along the way, consistently impure prophetic words are often due to occult activity in the past. 

How can we achieve freedom from such things?  How can we be certain we are hearing from the Lord and not some other source?  What has happened to many of us is that when we gave our lives to Jesus, we repented of sin in a general way, but occult ties were never specifically addressed, repented of, and broken.  We must ask the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance those occult dealings of the past.  We then repent of them, forever renounce them, and ask Jesus to deliver us from any demonic ties formed through them.  He promises us complete freedom, if we will just ask, for “whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32, KJV). 

It’s not something to be ashamed of and keep hidden in the closet.  Just face it honestly, get it out in the light, and get rid of it.

The River Church

In the Garden

The River Church

Remember the hymn, In the Garden? The garden represented a place of communion and fellowship. It was a place to draw close to the Lord. The Bible talks about two gardens. They were also places of fellowship. 

The first garden was called Eden. Genesis 2:8 says, “And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”  Man had the perfect setup with God. God came in the cool of the day to hang out with him. It was the very reason that God had made man, to have someone to commune with. But, “they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). When man sinned, the fellowship was broken. 

The second garden brought restoration to what was forfeited in Eden. It was called Gethsemane. Even though the second garden was also a place of fellowship, it was a place of agony for our Lord Jesus. It was here that He wrestled with the decision to do the right thing, to walk in obedience in spite of the cost. In Hebrews 5:8, the author tells us, “Though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” Just imagine for a minute what could have happened if Adam and Eve had wrestled with their decision in the garden. The destiny of their descendants may have had a completely different outcome. 

Hebrews 12:4 tells us that we have not yet gone to the extremity that Jesus did in fighting temptation and sin.  “You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” As we make our daily decisions, let’s remember the two gardens. Will we follow the example of the second garden, where Jesus decided to be obedient at all costs? He knew the stakes were very high: the eternal fellowship of all of His creation. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.

The River Church

Thirsting for Answers

The River Church

“God, I need help!  It’s pretty desperate down here!  I pray and pray, and it just keeps getting worse.  Are You ever going to rescue me, or are You going to let my life go down the tubes???!!!”

In the Bible account of Israel’s journey from Egypt’s bondage to the freedom of the Promised Land, a consistent pattern is revealed of how God interacts with His people in meeting their needs. He sometimes purposely let Israel go hungry and thirsty to a desperate degree before answering:  

So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea … and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water …. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”  – Exodus 15:22, 24

… Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin … according to the commandment of the LORD … and there was no water for the people to drink.  And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured ….  – Exodus 17:1, 3  

Why did God make them wait to such a point of need?  He wanted to stretch and test them.  He was longing to find faith in them.  But they disappointed Him by murmuring.  Each time, He still took care of them, but how pleased He would have been if they had trusted Him, instead of whining when things got tough.

In our day, God’s people still have difficulties that go way beyond what we are capable of handling.  Sometimes we feel like the Israelites did – in a critical state of hunger and thirst for our answers.  God is always looking for a people who will put their confidence in Him and not doubt His willingness to come through for them.  Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

I need critical God-intervention for needs I am praying about, just like you do.  But I have determined in my heart that I am not going to make Israel’s mistakes of complaining and unbelief.  I know that God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  When my much-sought-after answers come, I’m going to smile at Jesus and say, “I knew You were going to come through all along.  I just knew it.” 

And He is going to be smiling right back at me. 

The River Church

Upholding the Interests of Others

The River Church

That there should be no division in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. – 1 Corinthians 12:25, 26

Some truths we acknowledge in our heads, but still find difficult to walk out in our daily lives.  We know we are to love the people in our local fellowship, but when they get on our nerves or step on our toes — Well!  It is not particularly hard to feel compassion when someone (even one of our least favorites) is going through suffering, but that other part, “if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it,” is more of a challenge.

We struggle with envy in the Church, and it is really a problem with the self-trinity — me, myself, and I.  “What about me?”  “Why don’t I get asked to ___________ (fill in with ‘sing the solo,’ ‘teach the class,’ ‘be the prophet,’ ‘go places with the pastor,’ or anything else that fits)?”  Ouch! 

James 3:14-16 tells us, “If you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, do not glory, and do not lie against the truth.   This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  For where envying and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work.” 

Envy is jealousy with an extra-vicious twist.  It not only wants what someone else has, but harbors the additional attitude, “If I can’t have it, I don’t want that person to have it, either.” 

So, how do we get rid of the envy monster?  The first step is to recognize it for what it is, repent, and crucify it.  The second is to retrain our thoughts by constantly reminding ourselves to put others first.  When we strive to get what we think should be ours (whether in outward actions and words or in our inward thoughts), we grieve the Lord. 

Kids in sports are taught that when one succeeds, the whole team succeeds.  In the Church, we must relearn the team concept.  If one of us slips, instead of using him as a stepping stone, we should pick him up out of the slop.  We should sincerely rejoice in the successes of those around us, cheering each other on. 

This is what Jesus does, and He expects us to be like Him.

The River Church

Touch the Coal to My Lips

The River Church

Then I said, “Woe is me! for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, … for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”  One of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken off the altar with the tongs.  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your wickedness is taken away, and your sin is purged.”  – Isaiah 6:5-7

It hadn’t seemed like a big deal.  I had just gotten a bit careless – a little smart remark here, a little complaint about annoyances there, mentioning friends’ weaknesses to family instead of covering them.  Yet it was a big deal, because we are to honor one another, and doing less than that grieves the Holy Spirit.

I ran across Matthew 12:36, 37, and it bothered me: “… Every idle word that men speak they shall give account of in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  I began to realize that this carelessness with my words had invaded some time ago, and I hadn’t paid attention. 

So I asked the Lord to touch the coal to my lips, and to purify my speech.  I asked Him to touch it to my heart as well, because “those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart” (Matthew 15:18). 

1 Peter 4:11 exhorts, “If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.”  This is not only instruction for when we prophesy, preach, or teach; it is a lifestyle that Jesus desires for His prophetic Bride.

So, what He would say, I will say.  What He would refrain from saying, I will refrain from saying as well.  I want a pure word of prophecy in my lips, even as Isaiah did.  That requires watching over every word that I speak with great care.  I may slip occasionally and then pick up and continue on, but this is my goal and commitment from now on.

 The River Church

What Kind of Ground?

The River Church

“God, why do some people come into the fulfillment of their promises, while others don’t?”  It was something I really wondered about. Immediately, He brought the parable of the sower to mind (Mark 4:3-20).  I had always thought of this parable solely in terms of people receiving or rejecting the salvation message, but now I saw that God sows promises in people’s hearts, and what kind of soil we are affects whether or not we obtain our promises. 

“These are the ones by the wayside, where the word was sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts” (v. 15).  Sometimes God speaks promises, either directly or through a prophetic word from someone else, and the person immediately rejects it through unbelief or wanting to hear something else instead.  It is a combination of hardening one’s heart and the evil one cooperating with that hard heart to snatch the promise away.

“Likewise are those [words] sown on stony ground, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness, and have no root in themselves.  They endure for a time, but afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended” (vs. 16, 17).  When we receive a promise from God, the enemy often brings hindering circumstances calculated to cause doubt.  He doesn’t want us to get our healings or to come into our destiny, so he throws discouraging obstacles in the way.  People who do not have a deep-rooted determination to believe God through thick and thin will give up on their promises if they don’t happen quickly, because it is just too hard to keep on believing and contending for them in the face of opposition. 

“And these are they which are sown among thorns: such as hear the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (v. 19).  Many of us begin well in pursuing our promises, but then allow ourselves to be distracted by everyday stresses or the pleasures of life.  It is easier to coast and have fun than it is to stay focused. If we don’t make our destiny in Christ a priority, it gets choked out. 

Coming into Jesus’ plans for us and producing fruit in His kingdom depends on us cherishing the promises He has given us, contending for them in prayer, and not wavering from trusting He will do all that He has said.  We are either poor or good soil, based on our commitment to actively believe until we receive the fulfillment.

The River Church