Believing is Seeing

“BELIEVING IS SEEING AND TO OBEY IS TO RECEIVE.” Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour (Matt. 8:5-10 and 13). So, just what was it that made Jesus marvel? Was it the fact this man understood the spiritual realm of authority or could it have been the simplicity of this man’s understanding of Jesus’ power, or maybe both? The true answer, I believe, lies in both. We know Jesus was moved by this man’s faith because He says so, but that faith was deeply rooted in the understanding of spiritual authority. You see, the centurion knew Jesus was the Son of God, and additionally, he knew everything was under His rule–now that is faith. Mind you, it wasn’t just faith: it was the kind of faith that impressed Jesus Himself. Imagine that, being able to impress Jesus with your faith! So, what is it that is stopping you from exercising the kind of faith we see exhibited here? Are you 100 percent convinced God is the Creator, Jesus is our Savior, and the Holy Spirit is the helper sent by God to assist us every day, in every way? If your answer is yes, then walk by faith. However, if you say your answer is ‘yes’ and you have no ability to exercise faith, then I would say your answer is actually ‘no.’ You see, this is all either real or not–there is no in-between. I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me and to many of you, “I wish I had your faith.” My answer is this: “Pray for my belief and you will.” Great faith is the result of total belief in what we cannot see yet believe (Hebrews 11:1), so the latter leads to the first. I know my God is King. I know He has authority. Therefore, I believe His will shall be done, and I likewise believe I am commanded to pray for and submit to His will. Here’s the thing, if I am listening to His voice, seeking His will, spending time in the quiet with my Lord, when I pray I am simply asking that which God has placed upon my heart by Him to be done. The result is, of course, answered prayers. However, if I have placed roadblocks up to hearing His voice, I cannot pray His will, for I don’t know it. Oh, I’ll get lucky once in a while if I pray enough, but that isn’t really faith now, is it? The roadblocks are the real issue, things like: pride, unconfessed sin, bitterness, anger, fear, rebelliousness, and lack of confidence in redemption. These and issues like them must be dealt with if we want to live lives truly filled with faith. Are there any roadblocks in your life? MY PRAYER Father, I come before You today and ask You, “Is there anything in my life preventing me from hearing Your voice, from knowing Your will, and if so, I ask You to reveal it to me now that I might confess it as sin and be in communion with You? In Jesus’ name I ask these things. Amen.

For the Sake of the Sheep

When I was in the third grade, my father decided it was time for me to become a shepherd. I started with an ewe (mother sheep) and a lamb, and before too long, I had a small flock. Little did I know that in the later years of my life, the time I spent as a shepherd would someday play such as significant role in my life. You see, sheep are a very unique animal: very peaceful, loving, needy, and not as stupid as many people accuse them of being. They are, no doubt, the most trusting of animals. Once they bond with you, there is little or nothing you can do to break that trust. Recently, I was being reminded by the Lord what my responsibilities as a shepherd are, and one duty, in particular, came to mind: to "protect the flock." In the mid '80s, I was asked to preach on the 23rd Psalm, and as I did my research, I learned many interesting facts, some of which I personally experienced as a shepherd. For instance, every night when I would bring the sheep in from our mountain pasture into the protection of their corral and pen, they would rub against me as I stood by the gate. It was rather irritating at times. Often they would push very hard, and, on occasion, when I was dressed to go somewhere special, the smell of lanolin from their wool would permeate my clothing. During my studies, I realized shepherds are aware that this practice is the sheep's way of acknowledging their trust for their shepherd—it is both a greeting and a proclamation. As I look back on those days and this twice-daily interaction, I now understand much deeper the great responsibility I bore as the shepherd. As I stood at the gate, I knew every animal that came in. I knew them well: their habits, their tendencies, and their needs. I also knew nothing other than my sheep could enter that sheepfold, as did the sheep. You see, neither coyote nor lion was allowed in, and if one attempted to, I would stop it at all costs. If anything or anyone meant harm to my sheep, they had to go through me. Even at that young age, I would let nothing past me, for more often than not I was armed just for that reason—to protect my flock and myself. As the Lord has led my wife and me to once again shepherd a flock, this action has returned to the forefront of my mind, and the Lord has led me to reflect upon it with inspired intensity. This morning, I was reflecting in John, chapter 10, as Jesus described Himself as the door to the sheepfold and that no one may enter the gate except through Him. He goes on to say the "thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." I was also reminded of 1 Peter 5:8 where we are commanded to shepherd the flock and to be aware "the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." With over 34 years of serving in ministry, I have seen many instances where the enemy has been allowed untethered to enter the flock and lead people astray. Under the guise of grace, mercy, or fear of judgment, we sit by and say nothing of people who have entered the church not to be transformed by the renewing of their mind, but rather to fulfill their own desires and satisfy or justify their worldly passions. Before you get mad at me, let me say that I am not saying we should judge people before they can enter the church. I am, however, saying there are wolves that have entered the church leading people astray. As a shepherd of God's sheep, I am suddenly very serious about the intent of the hearts of those who desire to remain in the church. I desire to know the sheep by name, to have them trust me, and to respect and honor that trust. I desire to protect the flock from the devil, the roaring lion: the wolf that seeks to devour and feed upon God's people. As a young shepherd, if a predator attempted to enter my sheepfold, I stopped it at all costs; again, as a shepherd of God's flock, I shall do likewise. How often do we truly know those who are caring for our babies, teaching our children, singing on our worship teams, ushering us in the isles, sharing with us from a place of authority, the pulpit? Prayerfully, we know them well, but are we able to when the immediate need is met by energized, well-spoken individuals? What are some signs of those who seek to destroy? The first, I believe, would be a rejection of authority; lack of submission to the will and transformation brought about by allowing Jesus to be Lord of your life. If your church were opposed to such things because they oppose the Word of God, why then would you allow those who do not oppose them to infiltrate your church? It is not as if yours is the only church, there are plenty out there that will allow these folks in with open arms. After all, it is not about how many sheep you shepherd; it is, however, about how well you shepherd the sheep God has entrusted to you. Mind you, I am not making any accusations or insinuations; I am, however, raising the point for my own reflection, to remind myself and other leaders that our duty, our responsibility, and our commitment before God is to protect His flock, just as He would. Yes, all are welcome in the church, yet not all are welcome to remain, unless all are willing to be changed. Tough words, I know, but true for the sake of the sheep. Pastor Gene Burroughs, Missio Dei Ministries, Navarre, FL www.missiodeinavarre.org

Intelligent or Foolish?

“People who are too smart to change are often too foolish to understand.” “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 7: 24–27). Notice Jesus did not say, ‘he who follows a prophet, pastor, or charismatic leader.’ He said, “these sayings of Mine,” which is referring to His Word. God is saying we must follow the Word, not man. One of the hardest things to witness in ministry is when people begin to follow people rather than God. All too often, charismatic leaders either intentionally or unintentionally will, by their very nature, cause others to become enamored with their personality. This can lead to far too many negative consequences such as affairs and disappointments, and yes, even separation from God as a consequence of worshipping man. Men are human; we too are broken. And yes, even pastors are sinners. While it is completely appropriate to follow godly leaders, to worship man is to worship flesh and very much inappropriate. We all have people whom we enjoy listening to more than others; some are equipped to be intellectually challenged, while others are more stimulated by the visual; still others prefer both, and so on. This is a perfectly natural behavior of mankind. Don’t follow man, follow God. Don’t worship men, worship God, and you will avoid a major pitfall. Remember, what Jesus is saying is, once you have heard what is written in the Word, you must then do it. If you need to check it out, do so, but don’t get so caught up in the intellectual that you never really decide to believe the truth of the Word. You see, when Jesus says to love your neighbor, no matter who teaches the message, Jesus is saying, “love your neighbor,” so start practicing loving your neighbor. Far too many people want to justify their own weaknesses or unwillingness to change by overanalyzing, dissecting, and searching out the root meaning of every word in the Bible, when all they need to do is take the Word at its Word. When Jesus says to love, whether it is in the King James, the Hebrew, or the Greek version, He is still saying to love. If He commands us to forgive or have mercy or to extend grace, or whatever the action, could it possibly be what He says is exactly what He means? For example, should we be more afraid of extending too much grace to people or should we not extend any for fear of overdoing it and causing them to be blessed or take advantage of it? What does the Word say? Maybe a little more time spent doing the things we are commanded to do and a little less time figuring out why would be beneficial. After all, for some, the intellectual meaning of the Scripture has become an excuse for not obeying it. Sound a little like a Pharisee to anyone else? † Father, help us to remember to follow Your Word and to obey Your commands. Teach us to trust You, serve You, and to surrender to You, and if we have become too smart for our good, reveal our foolishness that we might repent. In the name of Jesus our Lord we pray, amen.

His Fame, Our Gain

“His name, His fame, our gain.” “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:21–23). The power of the name of Jesus transcends all borders in both the physical and spiritual realms. People who have tapped into this power are not always doing so with the proper motivation. From the time of the fall of man until the birth of Jesus, demons had a free hand to do as they pleased upon this earth. Their only active enemies were those who served the God I Am, our God, all the time doing so without the influence of the Holy Spirit and the covering of the blood of Jesus. The demons were having a heyday and it showed. Just look at Saul! However, once Jesus came on the scene, everything changed. Suddenly, the power of His name alone became enough to cause the demonic realm to tremble at the very mention of it. On one of my many trips to the inner city, I had my first of many experiences seeing this power manifested before my very eyes. As I was preaching at one of the stages in Golden Gate Park, a man who was obviously demonized in one form or another approached the crowd with one thing on his mind—to disrupt the work of God. As he began getting louder and louder, I felt compelled to point my hand at him and command that he be quiet in the name of Jesus. It was as if he had been hit with a bolt of lightning. As soon as I mentioned the name of Jesus, the man hit the ground and was totally unconscious until the very moment our event ended, at which time he calmly rose to his feet and marched off down the street. It was immediately apparent to me the power was in the name, not me, and I have used that name for His glory many more times since. However, there are many out there who have recognized that power and have and, possibly still, are using it for personal gain. Those who do such things are those whom Jesus is speaking of, and they have their own reward, for they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. And even worse, they will hear these words from the very one whose name they used: “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Can you imagine the pain, the hurt, and the hopelessness that will fill their souls? Again, a tree will be known by its fruit. When you see people who espouse to be one thing in public and they are another in private, red flags should be going up everywhere! Flee from their very presence, and pray about what, if anything else, you should do. If the Lord leads you, then go with two witnesses and confront them privately. The works of darkness have been allowed to run rampant for long enough, and anytime we can, we should use the name of Jesus to reveal their deceit and glorify our King. If blasphemy or heresy is taking place, expose the works with the Word and prayer, then allow God to take care of the situation. He is able to defend Himself. † Father, please give us the ability to see and the strength to stand up to those who wrongly use the name of Jesus to lead others astray. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

WIde or Narrow?

“Choosing your own path is not a popular decision; however, this is not a contest.” “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13–14). Having been a believer since the age of seven, I must confess being a follower didn’t happen until my twenties. You see, that’s when I accepted the fact being a believer was a more difficult way. In order to maintain this walk, one truly must purpose to take the hard way—to take the step away from the popular accepted belief and choose to be different. In my younger days, I worked for many cattle ranchers, some very talented, others not so talented. The most experienced man I ever worked for had been ranching all of his life. He was at least a third-generation rancher, if not more. We would push large herds of cattle from private lower lands in the spring up to the higher public lands where better grass was growing. Along the way, we would find lead cows, ones others seemed to follow. Once we had them pinned up, we gathered those lead cows and placed bells on them. The bells would help us find the cows any time we desired, and as well, they served as a way of letting the other cattle know where the herd was headed. In the fall, we simply located the lead cattle (by the sound of the bells), and then we very slowly pushed them to where we wanted all of the cattle to gather. Sure enough, by the time we got to our corral (or gathering place), the majority of the herd had followed the bells and joined up with the others. When I read this passage, I am very much reminded of those lead cows and the sound of those bells ringing in my ears. Far too many people today have chosen to follow the pack, to listen for the latest buzzword or join the latest craze, and never even know what or whom they are supporting or following. Our lives are far too important and cherishable to allow others to determine what is right for us, especially if we haven’t even checked out the facts. The gate to death is wide because far too many will accept what others say without checking it out; they will, unfortunately, believe the media or a friend or accept an unfounded opinion. But those of us who choose to follow God, and are willing to be persecuted for it, will walk a lonely road. We’re not here for the fire insurance. We’re here because we believe, because we’re convicted and committed, because we have no choice, for the truth is engraved upon our hearts. That’s why I’m here. How about you? Anyone hear bells? † Father, give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we may not be deceived, that we might not be pleasers of men but rather pleasers of You Oh, God. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Forgiveness

“THE ROOTS OF BITTERNESS RUN DEEP AND DEADLY; YET TRUE FORGIVENESS WILL KILL THEM ALL.” “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:14-15). The word trespasses here refers to transgression or violation, so in essence, Jesus is warning us in order to receive grace freely, we must freely give grace. All too often, we hear from the wronged they deserve the right to be angry; they are, after all, the victims. In the church today, I believe we have far too many who are walking in unforgiveness, which results in a loss of pure fellowship with God. This means, due to their lack of forgiveness, He is unable to forgive them–a vicious and nonproductive circle. Another result of lack of forgiveness is it can lead to bitterness, and bitterness, like a weed, takes root quickly and is very hard to destroy. The crop of bitterness is torment, which grows all too quickly; it multiplies with little help, growing in the slightest of cracks. Beware of bitterness! I personally believe mental institutions all over the world are filled with bitter, tormented people, most of who don’t remember why their anger runs so deep. So here we sit, wondering why God is not speaking to us, getting angry with Him, when all along we are the ones to blame because of our unwillingness to forgive those who have offended us, and, all too often, they don’t even know or remember they have. Then, others bind us up both in the spirit and in the flesh, when freedom is only a prayer away! Recently, a person very close to me shared how, after years of being influenced by the pain inflicted upon her by a former stepmother, she came to terms and decided to openly and directly seek her forgiveness. After a few moments of sharing with her, the former stepmother said, “Pardon me, but do I know you?” All of the pain, the hurt, and the fears suddenly made no sense–this woman didn’t even remember! Don’t let your enemies hold you in bondage; take away their power with the same forgiveness and grace Jesus used to take away your sins. MY PRAYER Father, help us to not hold onto the hurt, pain, and bitterness heaped upon us by others, and if I have a root of bitterness, please show me Lord that it may be uprooted forever. Help me Lord to walk in the freedom of forgiveness. Amen.

The Untamed Tongue

“KNOWLEDGE IS A FRESH WIND WAITING TO BE BLOWN, OFTEN STOPPED BY THE UNTAMED TONGUE.” And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Matt. 4:18-22). Here we see an amazing example of communicating to people in a language they can understand as opposed to expecting people to understand our message as we present it. Jesus knows what kind of people are on the shore–fishermen. Therefore, He speaks to them as fishermen, not as future disciples. Imagine this: four guys are standing on the shore, you want them to be your disciples so you stroll up and tell them something like this: “Hey, I’m the Son of God, and I’m going to do great things on earth, so how about leaving your family, your money, your warm bed, and come hang out with me for a while. Then I’ll be beaten and killed, come back in three days, give you instructions, and send you out to spread the gospel and be persecuted and killed as well.” You wouldn’t be very successful at gathering disciples now, would you? Of course we know the Lord influenced their hearts, and it was more than a statement that brought these guys along, but that isn’t really Jesus’ point. His point was, ‘If you like fishing, how about going fishing with Me? We’ll catch men.’ Do we communicate to people in a language they can understand, or do we communicate with people in the language we understand? Maybe this will help: do you know people who talk all of the time, and it appears they just do it to hear themselves talk? Do you listen? If so, when you do, I would suggest it isn’t long before you tune them out. I had a second uncle who was by far the most intelligent human I have ever met. He was off the charts on his IQ score, and he knew something about everything; however, he literally never stopped talking. I used to wonder how and when he breathed; he would move from one subject to another without a break and seemed to be more robotic than human. The little dirty trick was when a new friend was visiting; we would introduce him to Wolford and walk away, leaving him in the grasp of Wolford’s well-exercised vocal cords, sometimes for hours on end. However, as I grew older, I began to understand what a terrible waste his intense knowledge had become. If only he had learned to communicate: his knowledge would have benefited others greatly, his reputation would have been honored rather than joked about, he would have been sought after rather than avoided, and his contribution to this world would have lived on. This was not the case; when he died, much of his knowledge died with him. Will your life be wasted because of your pride, arrogance, low self-esteem and insecurity, or are you able to watch and wait, seeking the right method and words before speaking your piece? MY PRAYER Father, help us to be people who draw others to us rather than people who others avoid. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see that we may affect the world around us for Your glory Lord. Amen.