November 6, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

The phrase, “heart of stone,” which has been used in various contexts, originates here, as far as I know. It is certainly descriptive! We can be incredibly insensitive toward God sometimes, and that is what this passage is talking about. Man-made religions focus on making people better, but the Bible speaks of transforming us from the inside out. The problem with legalism is that it depends on external rules, when God’s plan is to put the Holy Spirit in us to motivate us to follow what He has laid out for us. It’s not that rules have no place, or that we have no part in the process of our sanctification; Paul talked about that at length in Romans. However, when we focus on the rules instead of the God who gave them to us, we end up refusing the very Holy Spirit who can enable us to keep them. That is the message of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Jesus called the transformation we need being born again, when He was talking with Nicodemus, a man very familiar with the written law. (John 3) We are called to be open to the Holy Spirit and neither grieve (Ephesians 4:30) nor quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Him. If we will do that, then our hearts will be soft and tender toward God, able to hear Him and respond with joyful obedience.

I may be a pastor, but in this area I am on totally equal footing with everyone else. I can no more be holy in my own strength than I could perform brain surgery blindfolded! We have clear instructions to “Be holy, because I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:15-16) so I am never to take it lightly, but the motivation and the power are from God by His Spirit. I am to remember and teach that God never asks anything of us that He doesn’t make possible, but most of what He asks of us is quite impossible to us without His help.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be fully yielded to You at all times, as a carrier of Your presence by Your Spirit, so that my own life may be pleasing to You and many be brought to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 5, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 20:32 “`You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.'”

It is amazing that God’s people could want to be like those who are not God’s people, but it has happened time and time again, and it still happens today. We see a hedonistic lifestyle and imagine it to be liberty, when in actuality it is bondage. We see blatant rejection of God’s laws in various areas and likewise think that is liberty, when it is really running blind in a minefield. Thankfully, God doesn’t let us get away with it for long. God desires that those who bear the name Christian, that is, “Of Christ,” should live appropriately to that label. Around the world, God is allowing circumstances that make it very clear who is truly Christian and who is not. That’s not very comfortable for either camp, but it certainly clears the air! God does not want people who go to church on Sunday and surf porn on Monday. Through the cross of Christ, God has done everything necessary to raise up a holy people who are indeed worthy of His Name, but we have to accept and submit to what He has done, for it to be operative in our lives.

As a pastor, all of this applies doubly for me. As I have learned to walk in closer obedience when I am not being observed (by anyone but God) I find that God manifests Himself through me more frequently when I am being observed. This trip has had various interesting incidences of that. I am to walk in personal purity, and I am to encourage others to do likewise. That does not mean running around pointing fingers, but rather speaking into people’s lives as God gives opportunity, always modeling what I am talking about, always making it clear that I am as I am only by the grace of God, and that grace is available to everyone.

Father, thank You for all You have done and are continuing to do on this trip. Thank You for the pastor who wants to meet me on this leg. Keep me from pontificating! Thank You for the fresh insights You have given me in various ways, particularly in the message I heard on Sunday. Guide as I prepare the message You want me to deliver on the 10th, right after we get back. I will be in a fog from jet lag, but that’s all the more opportunity to let go and allow You to be in full control. May all I do delight You, causing others to draw closer to You as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 4, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Lamentations 3:39-40 Why should any living man complain
when punished for his sins?
Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.

What an enormously logical statement! Sadly, few of us respond this way when things happen to us. With the entitlement mentality that is so prevalent, we expect the world to be handed to us on a platter, with no consequences for “bending the rules.” Such an attitude is asking for disaster! I would lean toward putting the blame for such an attitude on poor parenting. Discipline is a forgotten art, and society is reaping the fruit of that. Proverbs 13:24 is blunt, but demonstrably true: “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” When children grow up with no expectation of discipline, they are shocked when God is not Santa Claus. God is our perfect heavenly Father, but when we have not experienced a father who loves and cares for us enough to be fully present in our lives, we don’t know what that means. No human father is perfect, but by the grace of God we can do a fairly good job, if we will seek God enough to understand the guidelines.

I didn’t have a perfect father, certainly, but he certainly loved the Lord and wanted his household to run on Biblical principles. In turn I have been much the same. My failures produced some negative results in my children, but they are responsible, productive, and happy members of society. However, as a pastor I encounter many, many people who did not have such a home environment, and the younger people are, the less likely they are to have been disciplined properly, and so they are less likely to respond to circumstances the way Jeremiah did in this passage. I can’t go back and correct their past, so I need God’s grace, wisdom, and patience to speak the truth to them in love, living it out myself so that they may eventually absorb it and make their way out of their self-centered pity parties. I need to help them understand that God is never mean, and He does delight to bless us, but ignoring His rules brings consequences that are not pleasant, but are intended to turn us back to Him.

Father, I have seen some examples of horribly indulgent parenting on this trip, and I grieve. Keep me from coming across as holier-than-thou, but help me speak Your truth in love, so that generational curses may be broken and families set free to enjoy the abundance of Your grace, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 3, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the LORD Almighty,
though their land is full of guilt
before the Holy One of Israel.

I can only pray that this verse will prove to be true of America. The line about the land being “filled with the sin of rebellion against the Holy One of Israel” (which is how the Japanese puts it) is certainly applicable. At this point I see many parallels, not with Israel but with Babylon. Taken that way, the instructions to “flee from Babylon,” expressed in the very next verse, apply not in terms of physical location but of participation in the sins of Babylon. Right now America is the world’s chief pornographer, and sadly, many Christians are snared by that. Television is hardly better, and the addicted are beyond counting. Individuals and whole churches have forgotten that the One they say they worship is the Holy One of Israel. Any true Christian who finds himself in such a church needs to find one that doesn’t fit that description! Even more importantly, they need to examine their own lives to see how they have compromised with “Babylonian” values. As we are told very clearly, God cannot be mocked. (Galatians 6:7) Many Christians and churches today are so taken with the love of God that they forget that He is holy, and they are called to be likewise. (1 Peter 1:15-16)

This is something I have been slow to really walk in. All along the way I have looked down on those I saw as less holy than I thought I was, while excusing the filth that I enjoyed. The only answer to that is repentance! Going back to the original passage, I am normally not physically located in America, and this visit is certainly confirming to me that the land is “filled with the sin of rebellion against the Holy One of Israel.” However, I am also encountering Christians who are waking up to the state of things, and that is encouraging. Far more waking up needs to happen, and I pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will make the “Great Awakening” that happened just before the American Revolution pale in comparison. I need to remember my own path and not look down on anyone, but rather pray like Daniel, including myself in intercession for the nation.

Father, thank You for all You have done throughout this trip, and for what You will do in the days that are left. Thank You for the encouraging things I have seen. Even my wife was surprised to find how many ministers she has among her relatives! I do pray that Your children would repent, believe, and rise up as a mighty army, coming out of the Babylonian system to walk in holiness and victory, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 2, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 33:3 “`Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'”

I have heard this verse quoted numbers of times, mostly by people who had little idea what they were talking about! That’s because most of them were either casual Christians or speaking to casual Christians. In such cases, I really don’t think it applies, or else it applies in a negative sense, that is, “You’ll not understand what I tell you.” The Lord said this to Jeremiah because Jeremiah was committed to listening to God whatever He said, and on top of that, to obeying whatever he was told. Frankly, most people aren’t that way. God speaks to receptive hearts, but those that are set on doing their own thing don’t hear much from Him. None of us can grasp the totality of what God is doing, much less the totality of God Himself, but if our hearts are committed to obedience, He reveals more and more of Himself and His plans, if we will ask. God doesn’t want to “keep us in the dark,” but He speaks to those who are listening.

Sometimes I want to know what God is doing, and sometimes I think I’m better off not knowing! For example, I don’t think I could handle knowing ahead of time the details of when and how I will leave this life. However, I do desire to know whatever God wants me to know to be more effective in His service. I have experienced the “word of knowledge” (1 Corinthians 12:8) quite a few times, and every time it has made ministry easier and more effective. Just recently I have had a Christian relative try to say that such moments, which they also have experienced, are “ESP.” To me, that dishonors God. I don’t think that person can expect much deeper revelation than knowing whether or not to pick up the telephone (which is what they were referring to). I want to know whatever is necessary to motivate me to do whatever God wants me to do, and I want to know whatever I need to know to do it right. I believe this verse promises me that.

Father, You have shown me many things over the years, and I’m sure You will continue to do so. Help me seek You more than the revelations, You more than the blessings, so that I won’t be distracted from what You have for me. I remember times when I’ve gotten that backward; help me learn from those experiences. Help me communicate that which You want me to share, but not do so in a prideful manner. Help me be silent when the time is not right for sharing. That’s a hard one for me! May my focus be on You, first, foremost, and always, 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!

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November 1, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”

I love this interaction between Jeremiah and the Lord. Jeremiah has been obedient to the Lord, but in verse 25 he essentially says, “Are you kidding me?” He starts his prayer in verse 17, repeating various formulaic truths about God that had become so familiar as to become platitudes, before building to verse 25. Then the Lord comes back at Jeremiah with the very truth with which the prayer started. He is asking Jeremiah, “Do you believe what you have just said?” The longer we are in church, so to speak, the more easily we can say the standard things, but the question is always whether we really believe them to act on them. That was the problem with Job’s friends: they repeated platitudes whether they applied or not, and ended up misrepresenting God in the process. It’s not whether the platitudes are true on the face of it, it’s whether we have genuinely internalized the truths expressed, to live them out.

This has been a major issue all my life. I learned the essential truths of Christian faith very early, and my life since then has been a succession of experiences to teach me how true those really are. God hasn’t been mean to me, I’ve just been dense! Living out the truth we speak is a problem for every minister of the Gospel, as it is for every Christian. Of course, James’ statement, that failing to live out the Word is deceiving ourselves, is justly famous. (James 1:22) One thing that stands out to me about the Jeremiah passage is that Jeremiah was able to have this very personal conversation with God because he had been obedient. What God had told him to do made no sense at all to his intellect, but he was obedient anyway. That’s the attitude I need to have. I tell people regularly that when we seek guidance from God, we need to be committed to obey that guidance before we know what it is, or we aren’t so likely to hear correctly. I need to live out the truth I already know, with an obedient heart. Then I can rest assured that God will guide me in each thing I don’t yet know, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this very clear Word. Thank You for Your patience with me as I have been so slow to really learn it. As I share it with others, help me do so with gentleness and respect, never talking down to anyone. Those around me are facing some major decisions right now. Help me be quiet unless You tell me to speak, but be available for whatever You want to say through me, so that Your truth may be lived out in practical terms, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 31, 2013

Posted on November 2, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 31:33-34 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”

Hallelujah! I think there is hardly a more glorious promise in all of the Bible! I hardly know where to begin in writing about it. From the time of Moses we have had an external code to go by, but human nature is to try to find ways to evade or get around such things. We don’t recognize that God’s laws are for our good, so we work hard at doing ourselves harm! However, when God writes His laws on our hearts, we desire obedience rather than rebellion, and we walk in all the abundant blessings God intends for us. At this point, every real Christian is concerned to help those he cares about know the Lord, but this promise is that such concern will no longer be necessary, because all will know Him. How wonderful is that?! However, such a blessed state is possible only because God is willing and able to forgive all our guilt and forget all our sin because His Son took all of that on Himself on the cross, washing it away with His blood. That is the core of the Gospel, the good news of salvation. It is only when we believe what God has done for us in Christ that our hearts are open for His Spirit to write His law on our hearts, and we live as His people, His children indeed.

This is of course the message I preach, but it must also be the truth I live by. If I ignore what God has written on my heart, I will suffer the consequences. I am still human enough that there is an excitement to breaking the rules, but spiritual maturity teaches me how foolish that is. That said, legalism is not the answer. Legalism is all about external standards, but this passage, God’s plan, is about the Holy Spirit within us delighting to serve God. That is how I desire to live, and how I desire to lead others to live.

Father, this trip is an intensive course in the consequences of ignoring Your laws. I see so much suffering, the vast majority of which is totally unnecessary, because it comes simply from ignoring Your laws. I continue to ask that You enable me to speak Your truth in love, never condemning people but helping them see the foolishness of rebellion against You. May my words be salt and light, drawing people to You rather than driving them away, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 30, 2013

Posted on November 2, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Verse 11 is justly known and loved, but this verse isn’t far behind. It is an absolutely marvelous promise of God, but it contains a condition that is often overlooked, or at least taken lightly. That condition is the simple phrase, “with all your heart.” The Bible speaks many times about the dangers of a divided heart, perhaps most notably in James 1:8, which says that a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. God desires to be “found” by us – though He certainly isn’t lost! However, He doesn’t want to be “one of many” goals in our hearts, He wants to be supreme. That’s why the first of the 10 Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before (besides) Me.” (Exodus 20:3) I couldn’t begin to count all the Japanese who have wanted to “add Jesus to their god shelf,” so to speak, and have turned away when I made it clear that is not possible. Japan being traditionally polytheistic, they have little hesitation about making their feelings on that score clear. However, America is traditionally monotheistic, and people often aren’t even aware of their internal idolatry. Just because you don’t go to some formal “house of worship” for something doesn’t mean you haven’t set it up on the throne of your heart. To be slightly less extreme in terminology, I’ll say that the world is full of distractions. Attention Deficit Disorder didn’t start in the 21st Century, or even the 20th, but it is certainly prevalent. We have so many things clamoring for our attention that it can sometimes be difficult to get anything done at all! I believe the devil is strongly encouraging that state of affairs, because he knows this verse is true, and he doesn’t want anyone to find God. It has been said that the biggest difference between someone who is recognized as a “genius” and an ordinary person is the matter of focus. When we really focus on something, almost anyone can accomplish pretty remarkable things. That’s exactly what this verse is talking about. When we really focus on God, setting everything else aside, we cannot fail to find Him; He promises it!

Growing up with a wide spectrum of abilities, focus has always been a problem for me. I have allowed more things than I could list to crowd God out of the center of my heart. There’s nothing I regret more! However, God in His patient grace has continued to draw me to Himself, and I am learning the joys of intimacy with Him. However, when I recommend this lifestyle to others, they think they could never do it; they “aren’t that holy.” That’s a lie from the devil! None of us are holy apart from the cleansing, redeeming work of Christ on the cross, so we are all on equal footing. I was incredibly blessed by a strongly Christian upbringing, but I have known people from similar backgrounds who have “gone off the deep end” in the other direction. It’s never a matter of our ability, but rather of our availability to God. Putting God first is a choice. It is at least a daily choice, which is why starting each day with a devotional time is so valuable, but it is sometimes a moment-by-moment choice, when we are beset by temptations that touch the weakest parts of our flesh. I need to encourage others, as well as practice myself, to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to shine His light on those areas in our hearts that don’t seek God, so that we may repent and receive His forgiveness and cleansing, moving forward into ever deeper, richer intimacy with our Lord by His Spirit, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Guide in when and how I share it with others, so that it may be received and acted on, setting many free from the traps of the devil, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 29, 2013

Posted on November 2, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 26:14 As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right.

The greatness of Jeremiah rested on a clear-eyed commitment to God that made him ready for martyrdom. Tradition has it that he was indeed martyred by stoning in Egypt, because he never put his own safety, much less popularity, ahead of obediently speaking what the Lord said to and through him. In modern America, only David Wilkerson comes to mind in that category, and the Lord has already taken him home through a traffic accident. Many preachers seem more concerned with their popularity with people than their approval by God. In a number of countries, however, bold preaching of the Word continues to result in martyrdom, at a pace that has been accelerating since the beginning of the 20th Century. Few American Christians are even aware of that, much less in danger of it because of their own level of obedience to God. The past few years have seen a sharp uptick in open antagonism toward genuine Christianity in America, with even the government getting on board recently. That’s no reason to back down! God is looking for Jeremiahs today who will proclaim His truth in love, regardless of the consequences to themselves or their property. Martyrdom is no fun, on any level, but the eternal rewards are more than worth it, if we have the faith to see it. Nate Saint perhaps said it best, and he was indeed martyred: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

I find myself convicted by the words I have written. I have never faced physical danger, or even the loss of property, because of obedience to the Word of God, but I have been silent at times, not out of love but out of a fear of being disliked. That is my loss, as well as the loss of my potential hearers. When I fail to proclaim the Word of the Lord, then it doesn’t go forth to accomplish that for which God desires to send it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) I am not to judge myself by how people respond to what I say, but by how true I have been to what God has said to me. I know indeed that “The fear of man is a snare,” (Proverbs 29:25) but I get caught in it all too often.

Father, thank You for this strong Word. Forgive me for my timidity. Help me be faithful to You above all, speaking Your truth in Your love so that as many as will may receive it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 28, 2013

Posted on November 2, 2013 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 23:6 In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteousness.

This has always been a dearly loved verse, and Yahweh Tsidkenu, the name given here, is one of the few Hebrew expressions I have learned. However, it is significant that this comes immediately after several verses excoriating the “shepherds” who have devastated the people of God. In the context of the day that probably refers to political leaders, but immediately after this there is a longer section about bad religious leaders, so nobody gets off Scot free. The reason the placement of this verse is so significant is that both political and religious leaders tend to go around defining who or what is righteous, when God is the judge of that. Actually, that’s a major reason God gave us the Bible, so that we would have written guidelines for defining righteousness, but we must never forget that God is both the Judge and the definition of righteousness. Those who are in Him are righteous, and those who are not, are not. That doesn’t mean there aren’t behaviors that are inherently unrighteous, because there certainly are, and we’ve all been guilty of them. However, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:30, Christ Jesus has become our righteousness, holiness and redemption. The whole issue of being “in Christ” is huge – my father wrote his doctoral dissertation on it. However, it is an enormously satisfying and rewarding study. To get back to this verse, when God is our righteousness, that deals with the striving and the inadequacy and all of that. Rather, we seek and receive His strength to live up to what He has already made us to be.

I don’t recall being taught this specifically as a child, but I’m sure it was in there somewhere. I do know that as an adult, and particularly as I came to know more about the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, that it has been a glorious truth for me. I can’t say I live it out perfectly, but it has been a strength and comfort every time I have stumbled. It is the foundation behind Paul’s statement in Romans 8:1 that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” As a pastor, it is a truth I strive to get through to those in my care. When we try to “be righteous” on our own, we fail miserably, but when we rest in the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then we live as God’s children, with joy and peace, and people around us say, “How can you do that?” That’s the best sort of opening for personal evangelism.

Father, thank You for continuing to show Yourself faithful day by day and moment by moment. Thank You for yesterday and all it held: the places we could go, the people we could see. Thank You that we didn’t get lost a single time! Thank You for Your plans for today. Help us rest, relax, and rejoice in those plans, not trying to impose our own, so that we may be open channels of Your grace and love, enjoying them fully as they flow through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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