February 13, 2015

Posted on February 16, 2015 by jgarrott

Dan 10:12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”

Humbly seeking the Lord gets immediate results, even if we don’t see those results immediately. Daniel is a superb role model in so many ways. Given the circumstances of his captivity it seems quite possible that he was a eunuch, though the Bible doesn’t specify that. (We do know he never married.) That would have put him in a special subclass of people who were excluded from all sorts of things involving worship in the temple in Jerusalem, but then he was forever separated from that temple anyway. In any case, he committed himself to seeking the Lord and obeying Him as few others recorded in the Bible did. In response, God showed him things that are still being studied intensely regarding End Times. If we want to know things from God, Daniel certainly points the way. Jesus made it clear that there are things we don’t need to know (Acts 1:7), so this isn’t some magic key to the secrets of the universe. However, God would show us a lot more if we were more humbly submitted to Him.

I have always had an inquiring mind, but I haven’t always been humbly submitted to God. There are things that some people obsess over that I’m quite willing to leave in God’s hands, but there are some things I do need to know in terms of my personal ministry, so that I will make the right plans and proceed the right way. Humility is the key! I certainly need His wisdom in my various ministry encounters, counseling or presenting the Gospel or whatever. I tend to be very full of myself, sure that I have the right answer, but that in itself is the wrong answer! That’s not to say that I am to be hesitant, but it is to say that I must remember that God’s smart and I’m not, and never try to take His place in any way. His plans are certainly good, (Jeremiah 29:11) and I’m to walk in consistent submission, obedience, and peace.

Father, thank You for all You have done here over the past three days. Thank You for Your plans for today. I do ask for full anointing on the services this morning and for Your protection and guidance for everyone as they head for home after that. I do ask that there be two seats available on the flight to Nagasaki so that we may get home as planned and without exhaustion. May all that You have said to each participant in this conference be sealed by Your Spirit so that it may be performed in each life, bearing abundant fruit for the sake of this nation and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 12. 2015

Posted on February 16, 2015 by jgarrott

Daniel 5:22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.”

It is amazing how adept we are at not acting on what we know. We are all aware of assorted examples, both good and bad, yet we so often feel they don’t apply to us, that we are the exception. How foolish! Nebuchadnezzar was actually Belshazzar’s grandfather, but as Daniel said, he knew the story of the seven year hiatus in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (during which Daniel probably ran the country). Even so, he didn’t apply it as an object lesson to himself, and he lost the empire and his own life as a result. The Bible contains countless examples for us to emulate or avoid, and we all have situations much closer to us that can serve the same purpose, but too often we fail to connect the dots, to understand how our situation is a parallel of the other. God’s love for us is individual but his principles are eternal. We all have room to grow in applying His eternal principles to our individual, immediate circumstances.

I am no exception here. As a pastor I am forever expressing God’s principles to others, but I am all too capable of feeling I am some sort of exception. I won’t say “think,” because this is certainly not rational thinking. The devil is indeed a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44) and he whispers in my ear just as he does to everyone else. However, I have less excuse to listen to him than most, because I have a firm foundation in the Bible. That said, I am no better than the many pastors who have lost their ministries because of gross sin, and the minute I think I am better, I put myself in grave danger. I have got to walk in humble obedience at all times, actively seeking to hear what my Lord is saying and be instantly responsive. The great comfort is in knowing that the Holy Spirit is in me to help me. All I have to do is choose to be obedient.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for what You are doing in this conference, in me and in so many others. I pray that all of Your plans for today, and tomorrow as well, may be fulfilled in every detail. May these pastors and leaders be cleansed, healed, strengthened and encouraged, so that the Body of Christ in Japan may be built up indeed. Thank You for Mark Conner, Your anointing on him and his humble obedience to You. May we all indeed receive what You are pouring through him, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 11, 2015

Posted on February 16, 2015 by jgarrott

Daniel 4:28-29 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later …

I have considerable confidence that I’ve never written on this before, because to my knowledge I’ve never even underlined it. However, it struck me just now, so I’ll see what the Lord will say about it. The thing that stands out to me is that the fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream came 12 months after he had it and Daniel interpreted it. At the time, He was probably shaken and probably thought about it a good bit, but over the next year he forgot about it completely, which brought about its fulfillment. The prophecies of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection took hundreds of years before they were fulfilled, but they were fulfilled none the less. We have such short memories! I am reminded of the prophecies David Wilkerson gave not so many years ago. The 9/11 attack could easily be a partial fulfillment, but there was much more. Unless America repents, there is much worse to come. God usually gives an interval between a prophecy and its fulfillment to test and grow our faith. If we really believe and trust Him, the bad stuff is averted and the good stuff happens, but if we go our way and ignore him, the opposite takes place. America, and indeed the world, is in a very dangerous place right now. What happens depends on the degree of humility, repentance, and simple obedience of God’s people. God has marvelous things in store if we listen and obey, but if we fail to do so we will reap the fruit of our rebellion, and it won’t be pretty at all.

Several years ago there were repeated prophecies of a tsunami hitting Japan, but when the big one hit in 2011, everyone was taken off guard. Those prophecies emphasized that it would be a tsunami of God’s grace, and indeed many have come to salvation in an area that had seen very little fruit up to that point. However, the fact remains that there was massive devastation, and many people lost their opportunity to repent and believe. On the other side of the spectrum, I have received marvelous prophecy of fruit in my ministry, yet I have seen little of it to this point. I am to ponder what God has told me and look forward to its fulfillment, not giving up or even growing weary, but anticipating joyfully what God is going to do for His glory.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Thank You for this conference, and for getting us here safely. In last night’s session I was able to absorb very little because I felt so exhausted. Thank You for the good, solid night’s sleep. Thank you that your mercies are indeed new every morning! I pray that Cathy and I would receive all that You want to pour into us over these few days, and that we would be available for however You might want to bless others through us. I ask that You enable us both to lift our eyes to see You and what You are doing, in glorious praise, worship, and faith, to be transformed into the instruments, the representatives, the children that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 10, 2015

Posted on February 16, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.”

The Bible speaks again and again about the virtues of humility, but here we have God Himself saying that it is the humble that He esteems. That should leave no question! How many of us tremble at God’s Word? Actually, if God said it, that settles it, period. Such an attitude is very much out of style these days. People are losing their jobs and their businesses for being so bold as to insist that God’s Word trumps political correctness. The temptation, as it has always been, is to “go with the flow,” to not “make waves.” That might seem humble to men, but it’s not humble before God. Conversely, standing on the Word of God and refusing to bend is seen as proud and obstinate, but it is humility before God because it is placing Him above personal expediency. None of us is perfect; we all commit sins of all sorts, too often without even recognizing we have done so. However, a heart that is humble before God repents quickly when the Holy Spirit points such things out. That is what God is looking for.

Interestingly, God used words from my mouth to show me a sin of mine that is too common. As I was preaching this past Sunday I gave examples of sins, and one I said was entertaining ideas that we know are not pleasing to God. That wasn’t in my notes! A young man once complained to D. L. Moody, about the “impossibility” of a pure thought life. Moody’s response was, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building nests in your hair.” The world presents us with a continual barrage of impurity. We can’t stop that, but we can control how we respond to it. When our hearts are fixed on Christ, thanking and praising Him is the perfect “way of escape” from all such temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13) I know that from experience, but I’ve got to fear God and love Him enough to practice it with complete consistency.

Father, thank You for reminding me of this. Thank You for never giving up on me, never stopping work on me. I pray that I would indeed be transformed into the likeness of Christ in every respect, so that all who see me would be drawn to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 9, 2015

Posted on February 10, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Many people complain that God is distant, that He never answers them. They need to read this chapter! The whole chapter is a series of if-then statements, conditional promises. When we ignore the conditions, we can’t count on the promises! God is more than gracious and gives us much better than we deserve, but He does require us to follow His rules, His way of doing things. People think they can be religious without being kind. Frankly, that produces monsters! Others think they can get along fine with everybody but ignore God. That doesn’t work either. God was extremely intentional when He chose crucifixion as the way His Son would die for the sins of mankind. The vertical beam of the cross represents our relationship with Him, and the horizontal beam represents our relationship with those around us; both are essential. When Jesus was asked about the “greatest commandment” He didn’t stop with loving God, He followed up with the command to love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40) We cannot love God in isolation, and we cannot love our neighbor without God’s help. Anyone who genuinely loves God is going to let His love flow through them to those around them, and anyone who genuinely loves their neighbor is going to want them to have a right relationship with God. It’s said as a joke that “I love mankind; it’s individual people I can’t stand.” We aren’t going to get along equally with everyone because of personality differences, but you don’t have to enjoy someone’s presence to be nice to them, and yes, love them. Jesus’ biggest fights were with the Pharisees, who valued legalistic righteousness above everything else, thinking it pleased God. As Paul said so famously in 1 Corinthians 13, no degree of such righteousness is worth anything at all without love.

This is something I need to remember constantly. I desire to draw closer to God, but I cannot ignore those around me on the way. Jesus was very explicit in saying that we serve Him through serving those around us. (Matthew 25) I cannot be “the man of God” and think I am somehow above those around me. God is to be my first priority, but people are to be a close second. I have had very intense times of worship, glorious fellowship with my Lord, but I also know the immense joy and satisfaction of being His agent in blessing the people around me. I cannot be a conduit of His grace unless that grace is flowing to someone.

Father, thank You for the many ways You allow me to bless others. Thank You for the recent joy of blessing people through the Internet. That’s not something I imagined when I started in ministry. Thank You for the many face-to-face encounters You give me with people who need You in a variety of ways. Help me not hold back in any way, but know that Your supply is unlimited, and I don’t have to generate a thing. However I do have to be willing, and sometimes that’s a problem. Help me be fully submitted to You so that I may be fully available as well, for my blessing as well as the blessing of those to whom I minister, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 8, 2015

Posted on February 9, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 57:15 For this is what the high and lofty One says—
he who lives for ever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Here we have the Creator declaring one of the greatest miracles of all Creation, one that foreshadowed and today echoes the advent of Jesus Christ. Why would the infinite Creator choose to “dwell with” the lowliest of His creation? The answer is found very simply in the character of God. Only God who is Love would choose to do this. (1 John 4:8-10) However, it is important to recognize that God did not say He would dwell with those of superior intellect or magnificent physique or abundant resources. On the contrary, He chose those who are broken. No human dreams of grandeur can compare with the reality of Immanuel, God with us, but the devil has all too easy a time of playing with our pride to conceal that truth from us. In the kingdom of God (which is the ultimate reality) the way up is indeed the way down. Jesus addressed this issue, saying something that was probably shocking to His disciples: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28) Jesus set the example, and we can certainly do no better than to follow Him.

This is something that thankfully my parents modeled for me, though I haven’t always followed it myself. I can remember my father being called on to fix another missionary’s washing machine, because it was an American appliance and Japanese repairmen were afraid to tackle it, when he was a University Chancellor. No task is too low for someone who is in Christ, because He even washed His disciples’ feet. I have encountered “bigwigs” of all sorts over the years, and they have been all over the place on this issue. I must never think I am “too good” for anything, but at the same time I must walk in full assurance of what God has done and will do in and through me. If I am low enough, He will certainly be great enough to accomplish whatever He desires, even using me.

Father, I desire to be a comfortable residence for You, neither grieving (Ephesians 4:30) nor quenching (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Your Spirit. May I so rest in You that You may rest in me, establishing Your kingdom in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

February 7, 2015

Posted on February 9, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 38:15 “But what can I say?
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.
I will walk humbly all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.

Nothing beats personal experience! Hezekiah had been to the brink of death, and the Lord had brought him back. His response was faith and humility. Recently numbers of fairly prominent people have discarded Christianity: Christian musicians and even a pastor or two. Not included in that are the many who maintain the trappings of religion but ignore it in actual practice. Such people are not in Hezekiah’s group! God had spoken to Hezekiah through Isaiah, but He had obviously echoed it directly in his heart as well, or Hezekiah would not have had this response. Sometimes it takes real suffering to get us to pay attention and really listen to God. God would rather not have to inflict such things on us. David heard the Lord tell him something very pointed and practical: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psalm 32:8-9) An animal that is responsive to its master’s wishes has it much easier than one that isn’t. How much more then, will we have it easier when we listen to God obediently! However, too many have never opened the door to really experience God and hear what He has to say to them, because the handle to that door is repentance. As long as we maintain our pride and hang onto our sin, we will not experience the fellowship with God for which we were created, and that is a tragedy indeed.

I have experienced God to the point that I am more sure of His existence than I am of my own. However, the difficulty comes in persuading others to open their hearts to experience Him as well. As a pastor I try pretty consistently to encourage the believers in personal devotions, yet the majority of the congregation aren’t consistent, and they hold me in awe because I am. I know that God is speaking to each one of them and I desire earnestly that they hear Him accurately without having to go through something like Hezekiah did, but I see it far too seldom. This has come into sharp focus for me by the Lord’s grace, and I’m being given an opportunity tomorrow to address it in a message to the congregation. I am to allow Him to pour His heart through me, not holding anything back, so that the Holy Spirit may strip away the lies that have been barriers to repentance and faith. I cannot make it happen myself, but He can use me, and I am to be totally yielded.

Father, thank You for Your grace. It’s not often Saturday before I have Your message for Sunday, but this has been a good experience in waiting on You. Thank You for speaking so clearly. May Your Word communicate very, very clearly to each one tomorrow, in the power of Your love and grace, so that this church may be transformed indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 6, 2015

Posted on February 9, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.”

This has always been the problem with organized religion. Good order and well-considered theology are important, but they can never take the place of a personal relationship with our Creator. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were generally speaking splendid people, yet they resisted Jesus more strongly than any other group, because he challenged their man-made traditions. I’m reminded of the great Passover celebration of Hezekiah, recorded in 2 Chronicles 30, in which people who were not ritually clean participated simply because they had answered the call to return to God. When we shift our attention from God to man-made structures, either physical or social or intellectual, we risk losing it all. The argument over whether the communion elements are actually transformed into the physical flesh and blood of Christ is a good case in point. It actually matters very little, yet it has put divisions into the Church, which the Bible says clearly is indeed the Body of Christ. What irony! When we chase points of theology instead of chasing after God, we put ourselves and others in grave danger. Properly understood, theology is nothing more nor less than knowledge of God, and that is best gained by intimacy with Him. We are so prone to make systems, and they end up standing between people and God instead of leading people to God. We can be both orthodox and dead. God wants a living Bride for His Son!

Seminary was a very mixed bag for me. On the one hand it gave me fellowship with many, both faculty and students, who were sold out to God and were sincere in their love and service toward Him. On the other hand, there was a subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – push to fit into the system, to learn the forms and do them well. My class on preaching was an excellent case in point, where we were graded on how well we made use of commentaries, rather than on how well we heard the Lord and communicated what He was saying. I did learn some useful things in some of my classes, but on the whole I was further from God when I graduated than when I entered. Interestingly, my class on Systematic Theology, often one of the driest of subjects, was a glorious exception. I’m very thankful I had it when I first entered, before I cooled off. As a pastor I am to teach the foundations of our faith faithfully, but that is simply a tool for leading the believers into intimacy with our glorious God and Savior Jesus Christ. They do need knowledge, but until it works into their hearts and is expressed in their lives it is empty. I keep being reminded of my tendency to dump information on people, rather than lead them into understanding and application. That doesn’t cut it. I am to lead by example, both speaking the truth in love and helping people understand how they can apply that truth in their daily lives.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. I ask for clear guidance for this coming Sunday. Cathy was feeling You were giving her a message for a Sunday sermon, but now doesn’t remember what that was. Whether she speaks or I do, may it be what You want said, expressed in Your way by Your Spirit, so that all who hear may be drawn closer to You indeed, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

February 5, 2015

Posted on February 6, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 26:12 Lord, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

I know I’ve written on this verse before, perhaps within the past year, but its truth just shouts to me. When we get this through our hearts and minds, personal pride and conceit are completely out of the picture. Like Paul said, when everything we have was given to us by God, why do we boast? (1 Corinthians 4:7) Men in particular (as opposed to women) like pride of accomplishment. Satisfaction in a job well done is a good thing, but it should be accompanied by a deep gratitude that God provided the ability, the circumstances, and the resources for it to happen. It is when we forget that it is God who makes everything possible that we get into deep trouble. Yesterday I watched a video clip of Stephen Fry, a noted atheist, answering a question from an interviewer as to what questions he would have for God, should he die and discover He really exists. His response was quite pathetic, really, because he focused on negatives and said that if God does exist he must be a monster. I found that very ironic, because Stephen Fry is a very gifted man, highly intelligent, and yet he fails to credit God with any of that, choosing to focus instead on such things as disgusting parasitic worms. He will not, with that attitude, experience the peace that Isaiah says so accurately that God provides for us.

I write frequently about how God has rescued me from conceit, from taking personal credit for the abilities He has placed in me. I concur totally with Isaiah here. However, I face the risk of being proud of my humility! I know from sometimes painful experience that we are amazingly capable of deceiving ourselves, so I don’t try to analyze my own motives, other than to submit them to God. If I am properly submitted to Him, then I will be able to resist the devil consistently, regardless of what tricks he uses. (James 4:7) Because conceit has been such a trap for me in the past I am particularly sensitive to it, but I’m sure I have plenty of blind spots. I am to keep my focus on my Lord, in gratitude and obedience, and let Him show me how I need to keep growing so as better to represent Him to the world. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Father, thank You for all You do through me. Help me be more open, more obedient, so that You may do all that You desire. I am prone to wanting You to do something without making myself available as Your instrument. Forgive my foolishness and my laziness. May I be diligent at all that You set for me to do, making full use of both the opportunities and the resources You provide, so that Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

February 4, 2015

Posted on February 6, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 23:9 The Lord Almighty planned it,
to bring low the pride of all glory
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.

The Bible makes it very clear that it’s dangerous in the extreme to get puffed up. The examples are virtually countless (though probably someone has painstakingly gone through and counted them). We see people around us all the time who need to get over themselves, to stop taking themselves so seriously. We do need to understand that we are valuable in God’s eyes and He loves us enough to send His Son to be our Savior, but that’s true for every individual on the face of the earth; we have no room for pride of comparison. We all know people who are destroyed, or at least severely damaged, by a poor self image, but we also know people who are so focused on themselves that they are useless to anyone, including themselves. The biggest problem with fame is that we can be deceived into thinking it’s real, that we somehow deserve it. There are numbers of people today who are famous for being famous, and that’s about as empty as it comes. We have got to recognize our dependence on the grace of God if we are to experience the genuine good and blessing He intends for us.

As I keep being reminded, I have certainly had my struggles with pride of comparison, with being puffed up over one thing or another. It’s never been good for me or for anyone else in the long run. Now I take satisfaction in being able to do some things well, but there is gratitude to God for making it possible. I delight in seeing people be delighted and enthusiastic over things my wife does – cooking, crafts and a number of other things – but there is no jealousy that she can do them much better than I can. I believe that’s how God intends it to be. God pours out His blessings “on the just and on the unjust,” (Matthew 5:45) but whether we perceive that it is all grace, unmerited favor, determines in large part into which category we fall. I am to be grateful for all of God’s blessings and not deny any of them, but not think that they give me any more inherent value than anyone else.

Father, thank You for Your great patience with me over the years. In Your place, I would have given up on me a long time ago! Help me exercise that patience toward those around me, speaking Your truth to them in Your love whether they receive it or not, demonstrating Your love in practical ways so that their hearts may be opened to see and acknowledge You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment