Wednesday Morning Devotional

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

If I had one wish that I could make for all Christians in 2017, it would be that the people who call themselves Christians would really be Christians. In 2008, one poll said that 80% of Americans identified as some form of Christian. By 2015, it went down 5% to 75%. I would love to know the percentage that God Himself would give as the percentage of Americans who truly follows Him. Somehow, I doubt it is 75%.

Now, do not get me wrong. I realize that it takes a while to grow as a Christian. I love the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. When you give your life to Christ, you are simply a seed that goes into the ground. Jesus says that birds eat some of these seeds, some seeds grow a little bit, but then get scorched, and some seeds grow pretty good, but then get choked out by weeds. What has happened in America is that all of these seeds that have never produced, are not producing, and will never produce continue to call themselves Christians.

Only the humble truly give their life to Christ. You cannot and will not come to him unless you have been made aware of the sin that lives in you. Once you are aware, Christ is presented as the only cure. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The problem is, did 3 out of 4 Americans come to Christ because they were convicted of sin? Or, were they simply convinced that they should? It only takes a growing season or two to know which is which.

I have lived both scenarios. I got saved at 16 because I was convinced I needed to be saved. I grew in knowledge, but also allowed the weeds of this world to grow right along side me and keep me from producing any real love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. (Galatians 5:22). By the time I made it to college, I still called myself a Christian, but I behaved exactly like the world. I would have been in the 80% who said, “Oh yeah, I’m a Christian”, but I was not a true follower of Jesus Christ. I thank God that a guy called me out on it. It hurt my feelings, but it led me to a place of crying out to God because I was actually convicted of my sin. I asked God to help me really live for Him from then on. I prayed that sin would no longer have dominion over me (Romans 6:14).

This year, really examine your life as a Christian. Pay attention to how you treat people, especially people you don’t like (Matthew 5:44). Do you think of yourself more highly than you ought? (Romans 12:3) If you do, then you are not humble. Do you nitpick the specks in other people’s eyes while ignoring the plank in your own? (Matthew 7:5) If you do, then you are a hypocrite. If you are a teacher and call yourself a Christian at the same time, do you follow the golden rule and treat each student like they were your own flesh and blood? Would you enjoy being in your own class? (Matthew 7:12) Do the other teachers who know that you call yourself a Christian see you as different? Or, do you have the same whining, complaining spirit as everyone else? Do you even believe as a Christian teacher, or a Christian worker, or a Christian whatever it is that you do that you should look different than those who are not Christians? Whatever we as Christians do, we are to do “as unto the Lord!” (Colossians 3:23)

I guess I’m asking: Are you different in all the right ways?

If you don’t know, find someone who will shoot you straight and ask them. You need to know if other people see you as the real deal or not. It’s the difference in being in the 75% who say they are Christian and the 5-10% who probably actually are Christians. (I completely made that percentage range up, but it is definitely much lower than 75%)

I believe this is what it looks like for us to humble ourselves. It is the first step to God hearing from Heaven and healing our land that so desperately needs to be healed.

Later

Adam

But He answered and said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” — Matthew 4:4

If you read Matthew chapter 6, you will find that Jesus expects us as His followers to do three spiritual disciplines: Give, pray, and fast. He does not say, “If you decide to (give/pray/fast)”, He says, “When you (give/pray/fast).”

Over the course of my 25-year walk with Christ, I had no problem immediately beginning to pray. Granted, they were some of the most pitiful prayers ever uttered, but they were prayers. Over the course of these past 25 years, the relationship that I have with God now through prayer is absolutely astounding. I can now honestly say that I love God. More importantly, I can say that He loves me.

When it came to giving, I had no problem putting in a few dollars here and there, but when I learned that true tithing was 10% of our income, that was insane. 10% was out of the question. Probably 8 years after becoming a Christian, I began to give, like for real give.  Over the course of the past 17 years of giving, I am amazed at how much more I have now keeping only 90% of my income and giving away 10%.  I know now that He wanted me to give so that I could actually own money. He knew if I didn’t learn how to give, money would always own me.

This leads me to the last spiritual discipline: fasting. I told my daughter one time that we were going on a fast. Of course, she said, “What’s that?” I said we were going to go a week without eating and drinking only water. Her immediate response was “You’ll DIE!!” I assured her we would not, though around the 2^nd or 3^rd day we’d probably feel like it. I talked to her about how it is a time to dedicate to God and focus and concentrate on His word. I know she thought we were crazy.

Many of you might think we are crazy. Every time, I bring up the subject of fasting, someone asks if it is possible.

It is.

Just like I started out with pitiful prayers and pitiful giving, my first fast was also pitiful. I had set my mind to fast for three days. I lasted about 18 hours. I had the worst migraine about 12 hours later. I ate something and immediately vomited. My body did not like being denied its necessary food. It made me wonder if John 4:4 was true. It made me wonder if Jesus really did fast for 40 days.

The next year, I read books about fasting. I learned that the poorer you eat, the harder a fast will be. No wonder I was doomed after half a day. I read about a Daniel fast, how you could cut meats and sweets and only eat fruits and vegetables while drinking only water. I decided to do this one for 21 days because surely it can’t be that hard. I was wrong. But, I did manage to make it through it. All I know, is at the end of that fast, I was so much more sensitive to God and His Holy Spirit. It was amazing.

Ever since then, I have given the end of December/beginning of January as a time of fasting. Every year, my goal is to make it just a little more difficult than it was last year. Every year, God seems to bless me way more than I deserve.

If you do not fast, or have never fasted, read up on it and start. Do not do like I did and think you are going to do a multi-day water only fast . . . you will probably be disappointed and insanely sick like I was. Maybe for your first fast, you only cut out sugar for a week. Believe me, it’s harder than you think; especially if you eat them as much as I do. You and God both know what would be a worthy sacrifice for your first fast.

If you have fasted before, try to take it to a new level year after year. I think it lets God know that you actually believe John 4:4.

Happy New Year!

Adam

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. – 2 Peter 1:5-7

If you love God, like really love God, then you have arrived at the pinnacle of Christianity. The greatest miracle that God accomplishes in a God-hating, sin-loving person’s heart is transform it into a heart that desires Him and His ways. I must confess, in the beginning years of being a Christian, it didn’t seem possible. However, with God, all things are possible. If you continue to pursue Him on the journey from faith to love, He will reveal Himself to you and you will fall in love with Him.

Someone asked me the other day, “Why did God create us just to watch us die?” I said, “Who did God actually create with His own hands and His own breath?” They said, “Adam and Eve.” I said, “You are correct.” We then discussed how there was never an intention for us to die. We discussed how pure love does not exist without the choice to love. Adam and Eve made the choice to try life apart from God. They divorced Him so to speak. What was on the price tag of this choice?

Death.

Yet God, in His infinite Wisdom, and out of His infinite love, made a way for death to be reversed. Jesus Christ came down from Heaven and lived the only sinless life that has ever been lived. Then, He willingly gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sinners. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Oh, if we could only grab a hold of that truth. Entitled Americans look at it as something else that was done for them for absolutely nothing. “I said the sinners prayer and I believe this, therefore I’m going to Heaven when I die.” That person has one more question to answer: “Now that you know He loves you, do you love Him back?” The truth is, God does want something in return, and it isn’t a ton of religious activity that you really don’t enjoy. It is the restored relationship with man that He had at one time in the Garden of Eden. If you really think about it, the fact that this is even possible is absolutely amazing.

You have to be brutally honest in assessing your love for Him. I said that I loved Him for years, but then turned around and played golf, watched television, and played on the Internet probably 100 times more than I actually spent pursuing Him and learning His ways. When I was a teenager, I remember getting saved and then around the same time getting a girlfriend. Church and God took quite the backseat, though I never would have admitted it. The right answer was still to say that I loved God more than anything else. But, He knew, and deep down, I knew.

Years later, I do remember pursuing Him really hard for a season of my life. I was at the adding knowledge to what little virtue I had stage. Out of nowhere, in the middle of a ride to work, He just showed up. His Presence filled my little Ford Ranger. I was simultaneously filled with pure joy and at the same time had this awareness of my sin like I could not believe. My immediate response was to say, “Turn that off, Lord, I can’t take it.” He turned it off.

That moment changed my life. He had made Himself known to me . . . like really known. He revealed to me that as I grew in Him, I would be able to withstand higher and higher degrees of His Presence.

He was right.

I hope in reading about the journey from faith to love that you have found where you are in your walk with Him. More than anything, I hope you are pursuing Him like never before. In pursuing Him, you find Him. In finding Him, you fall in love with Him.

I didn’t realize that I’d end this little series on the Wednesday before Christmas. The truth still remains that He is the greatest gift that this life offers. He is the gift that keeps on giving.

Merry Christmas

Adam

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. – 2 Peter 1:5-7

Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6) Godliness is an awareness of His presence with you regardless of where you are, what you are doing, or what you have. Once you have gained Godliness, you have achieved the ultimate Christian goal as far as this life is concerned. Jesus promises to never leave us nor forsake us, and if you make it this far in the journey from faith to love, you are now extremely aware of it.

Here is the thing that I’ve learned about Godliness: Every time I have received a heightened awareness of His presence, I’ve also receive a heightened awareness of how I don’t deserve it. As soon as Isaiah got into the presence of God in chapter 6 of his book, he became extremely aware of his sinfulness, particularly his “unclean lips.” I am amazed that after all the times I’ve failed Him, all the times I’ve ignored Him, and all the times I’ve refused Him that He still loves me, uses me, and manifests His presence to me.

It is because of this very awareness of not deserving Godliness that one is able to move into a brotherly love. Now that your love for God is increasing, it is now time to love people. “Love God, love people” is the slogan of a vast amount of churches in the U.S. I don’t think there is a thing wrong with this, but it sure is easier said than done. Peter is teaching us here that there are a lot of steps involved before you can truly love people.

Why do Christians love people? Love isn’t something you can fake. You either genuinely do or you don’t. I was unable to for years despite the fact I was supposed to. I’ve learned that when you have any degree of God’s presence on your life, you actually begin to see a person for why they are instead of who they are.

I will give you an embarrassing example that I hate to admit. One time, we got a kid at the alternative school that I just didn’t like right off the bat. I can’t really go into the details about this kid, but let’s just say he had plenty of problems. Well, because of a mistake that I made, he missed his bus. I called home and got permission to bring him home because I felt horrible. He was worried they would blame him for missing it, but I assured him that I’d take all the blame, which I did. After one ride with this kid and one conversation, I understood everything about why he was the way he was. I immediately had a brotherly love for this kid. All he needed in his life was some breaks to actually go his way and he would have been just fine. I went from resenting him and avoiding him to really making a focused effort to help him, get to know him, and pour into his life.

I almost hate to admit this because it sounds so bad, but without God being so good to me, I’m not sure I would have ever chosen to be good to him.

If you are a Christian, show kindness today to someone you don’t think deserves it.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

Later

Adam

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  – 2 Peter 1:5-7

At this point in the journey from faith to love, everything changes.  After you have persevered with God for a really difficult season, you become extremely attractive to Him.  I know people say “God is all around us, “ and in a sense, He is, but what I’m talking about here is a whole new ballgame.  He may be around us, but very few are truly aware of it.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.  – 2 Chronicles 16:9

When you persevere, I mean when you have made up your mind that you will trust Him regardless of any and every “what if” situation that could possibly come your way, He actually shows Himself to you.  I remember the moment like it was yesterday.  I was at Free Chapel Worship Center in Gainesville, GA.  After some really difficult times in my life, I had to decide whether I was going to continue to devote myself to Him.  I had to fully make up my mind to persevere, or in other words show my heart loyal to Him.  He more than showed Himself strong on my behalf.  He gave me what I know now as a very small dose of His Presence, which was as much as I could have taken at the time.  This amazing awareness of His presence was the very beginning of Godliness.

My fancy bible software defines Godliness as this:  Reverence for or devotion to God, producing a practical awareness of God in every aspect of life.

When God knows that you can be trusted to choose Him for better or worse, in sickness and in health, and for richer or for poorer.  Yes, when you make the same covenant with Him you would make in marriage, you begin to receive the greatest gift that this life offers:

Him.

Not His presents, but His presence.  The diligent faith, the doing right, the studying, the putting into practice of what you’ve learned, the controlling of yourself, and the sticking with Him no matter what becomes more than worth it.  Once you get a taste of Him, the very best of anything this planet offers pales in comparison.  There is absolutely nobody and no thing like Him.

Later

Adam

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  – 2 Peter 1:5-7

Every person who confesses faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will come to some huge moment in their life where they will have to choose to continue with God, or turn away from Him altogether.  If you choose to continue on with Him, you will have graduated from self-control, to perseverance.

In John 6:66 the Bible says, “from that time many of his disciples went back and followed him no more.”  Thousands were following Jesus because He had just performed the miracle of feeding them all.  Jesus let them know quickly that He was way more interested in them loving Him as opposed to loving what He could do for them.  They didn’t like that very much, so they walked away from Him.  Herein lies the problem with an overwhelming majority of American Christians.

I remember being in my late 20’s and arriving at this point.  I had professed faith at 16 years old, added virtue at 21 while really starting to devour the Bible and gain knowledge.  I had begun to put this knowledge into practice and develop self-control and say no to a lot of old friends and old ways.  Then, it seemed all of a sudden I had the greatest temptation to go back to my old life.  All I could see was the “fun” my old friends were having.  All I could do was wonder if the entire Christian thing I had been doing up until that point had been a rip-off.  I did not have the luxury of hindsight like I do now.  I had no idea that my greatest blessings were just beyond this wall of perseverance that I was now being tested with.

I would be faced with the same question the original twelve disciples was faced with after watching all those thousands of people follow Jesus no more:  “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67)  Their answer was my answer, “To who else shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  (John 6:68)

It really was that simple for me.  I could quit and live for the very, very temporary and fleeting pleasures of this life, or I could persevere and live for something eternal.  I chose and still choose Him.  He has blessed me since that day far beyond measure.  I could almost cry at the very thought that I almost left the only one who loves me so purely and completely.

If you haven’t experienced it yet, it is coming.  Some prayer won’t get answered like you think it should.  Some “minister” or other person who claims to be a Christian will say something that offends you greatly or hurts you immensely.  Something will happen and you will be so mad at God because He did not do what you thought He would do.  He will take something of yours that was “off limits” and you will be disappointed with Him.  Up until this moment, you have built on your faith and you have worked so hard in learning about Him and learning to do right and controlling yourself.  But, the next step remains:  Will you keep on keeping on?  Will you persevere?

I read somewhere that the majority of the “Biggest Losers” gain the majority of their weight back.  They made a commitment to lose the weight, they learned about training and nutrition, and then even developed the self-control it took to execute the program properly.  But, real life got really difficult and they eventually quit living and abiding by those principles that they learned and went back to their former state.

Will you do the same in your walk with God?

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:” – Job 13:15

Later

Adam

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. – 2 Peter 1:5-7

So you’ve taken the step from faith to virtue.  You have actually begun to do the things you believe with all your heart that God wants you to do.  I remember the three things I was to do:  Stop telling lies, stop hanging out with a certain group of friends, and actually start studying the Bible.  It sounds so easy doesn’t it?  It was five years after my profession of faith before I finally made the move from faith to virtue.

The next transition from virtue to knowledge took 15 months.  My plan was to read the entire Bible in one year.  It actually took three months longer.  I didn’t beat myself up if I missed a day; I just picked up where I left off.  I also wasn’t that discouraged when I hadn’t finished after 12 months.  I just kept on reading until I finished.

In no way did my reading of the Bible mean that I knew everything that I needed to know.  I have found after reading it several times now that the more I learn, the more I realize there actually is to learn.  At the same time, I don’t want to take away from just how valuable that first read through of the Bible actually was.  There are still things that speak to my spirit by reading the passages that I highlighted my first time through.

The best part of it all was the fact that somewhere in the middle of those 15 months, God had changed my heart and I didn’t even realize it.  I went from having to stop lying, having to stop hanging out with my friends, and having to read the Bible to actually wanting to.  I now had a brand new outlook on life in general and what it looked like to love God and actually be conformed to His image.  I wasn’t even close, but I felt like I grown leaps and bounds toward it.

If you have systematically never read through the entire Bible, this is probably the best way that you add knowledge to your virtue.  Get a really good study Bible that will help you understand a little of some of the more difficult stuff.  Learn how the Bible is laid out.  Go to a church where the Bible is taught and God’s Word is highly revered.  Test the pastor and ask yourself, “Does this person actually love God?”   Watch carefully the way they live their lives and pay very close attention to how they treat people, especially people who can do very little or even nothing for them and “their” church.

Read Christian books, but read with caution.  We do not lack for wolves in sheep’s clothing simply looking to get rich quick off of their book sales.

Many churches put their sermons online.  Find some good ones that you like and add knowledge to your virtue by simply listening to them.  Just remember, pray constantly for a discerning spirit.  I have had spells of being led astray because I liked the way a pastor spoke.  I have put more stock in the man rather than the Word he was preaching.  This is usually not a problem if you are actually reading the Word for yourself.

If you have placed your faith in God and are doing the things you believe He would have you do, how are you now adding knowledge?  If you don’t really have a plan, develop a plan and start today.  If you are winning and gaining knowledge in the place of devotion, you will begin to win in the next step that we will talk about next week.

Later

Adam

From Faith to Virtue

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. – 2 Peter 1:5-7

Virtue: Behavior showing high moral standards

I am typing this right after a 4 am gym session. See, I have gotten slack about my workouts. For the past probably year and a half, I have been hitting the gym at least four days a week. I usually make myself go on Monday and Tuesday, then one more day Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, then one day on the weekend. As long as I keep that pattern, I feel great, am healthy, and seem to have all the energy I need to do everything that I do. I have faith that if I work out and eat right, then I will be healthy. But what good is my faith in working out and eating right if I don’t actually do it? None whatsoever.

Faith without works is dead. — James 2:17

When I am counseling people who are far from God, I go through a two-step process. First, I want to hear their salvation story. When did you get saved? Describe it to me. Take me back to the time and place where it happened. Tell me who in all was involved. How did you feel? By hearing these answers, I know whether or not the person has had a genuine salvation experience.   They have either placed their faith in Jesus Christ or they have not.

The follow up question is one of my favorites. I constantly ask myself this question even today. It is a question that can be worded for believers and non-believers. If they have faith, I say “Since you know God is real and He has saved you, loves you, and wants the very best for you; what do you think He would want you to start doing or even stop doing?”   If the person has not placed their trust and hope in Christ, I plant a seed with a hypothetical question: “Suppose there really is a God in Heaven who really does love you and wants the very best for you, what do you think He would want you to start doing or stop doing?”

Here are some answers that are often repeated:

“He would want me to start treating my mom better.”

“He would want me to start trying in school and bring my grades up.”

“He would want me to have a better attitude at work.”

“He would want me to spend more time with my family.”

“He would want me to start reading and learning the Bible.”

“He would want me to stop _________________” (partying, cussing, lying, cheating, stealing, watching porn, sleeping around, etc.)

Then comes the final follow-up question: “If you were to start this new way of behaving, who would benefit the most?” The person always says that they themselves would benefit the most in the long term. We then figure out one simple thing they can actually do to get started. I realize that if the person doesn’t have faith, then they haven’t really added virtue to faith, but maybe, just maybe, they will do it and realize that God was the source of the blessing that came afterwards. After all, they changed their behavior because it is what they believed God would have them do based on the assumption that He does exist and actually loves them and wants the best for them. They just might begin to think, “well maybe He does exist!”

If you are a Christian who has faith and adds this behavior of actually being obedient to The One whom you claim to believe in and trust . . .

You have just gone from faith to virtue.

Later

Adam

If you want a really cool assignment:

Read Luke 5:1-11.

Find the specific moment when Peter went from faith to virtue.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. – 2 Peter 1:5-7

I like reading the epistles of Peter. We so often think of him as the one who denied Jesus three times. I guess it makes us feel better about ourselves to remember all the negative stuff about people. We so often forget that Peter was re-instated by Jesus after His resurrection. Jesus asked Peter if he unconditionally loved Him two times. Peter was completely honest and said, “No, I only have a brotherly love for you.” Jesus then asked, “Do you have a brotherly love for me?” Peter said, “You know all things . . . You know my love for you is only at a brotherly type love.” Jesus said, “then feed my sheep.” In other words, “Get back to work with that kind of love in your heart, even though it might be less than what you want it to be. Be diligent in your faith and you will grow to an unconditional love for me.”

By the time Peter writes these epistles, decades have gone by. He has been diligent and he has grown leaps and bounds in his faith. In fact, he gives us the information we need to know to go from faith to love. He figured out the hard way early in his life that you don’t just believe in God and then magically have an authentic love for Him. Believing this very thing had caused him the greatest heartache of his existence.

So, do you have a real deal, authentic, and unconditional love for God? Ponder that question and really answer it for yourself.

I asked my children this last night. One said “no” and the other said “yes.” I asked them if they believed that I loved Him unconditionally. They both said “yes.” I said, “Then why do I sometimes obey and get it right, but then other times disobey and get it wrong?” They didn’t know what to say. I told them that I wasn’t there yet, but I’m closer than I was when I got started as a Christian. I also told them that it was more than okay that they weren’t there yet. I read them this verse from the Bible and told them it was many years before Peter got there, and he had Jesus himself as a personal teacher.

Throughout the course of the next few weeks, I want to write about the journey from faith in Christ to real love for Him and a genuine love for other people. It all begins with faith in Jesus and what He did at the cross of Calvary to save anyone and everyone who would call upon His Name. Faith in Him is only the starting point. At this point, so many would recommend that these new believers “love God and love people.” This is the church motto of many, many churches. This is also what Jesus calls the greatest commandment. Do you think that right after faith, we as new believers are capable of obeying God’s greatest commandment?

I’m still not there, but I have fallen in love with the pursuit. I am so thankful Peter starts off by saying, “giving all diligence.” This lets me know that it will take time. I have been a Christian now for 25 years. Thanks in part to this verse; I know where I am in the journey to really falling in love with the King of Kings. I hope that over the course of the coming weeks that you find where you are as well.

Later

Adam