Who Am I Lord?

“But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  Exodus 3:11

Who am I that I should go?

 The Lord does not make mistakes in His calling of anyone and Moses was no exception despite his feelings of inadequacy. In fact, it is in the very moments of inadequacy, fear, doubt, and insecurities that God can truly use us the most. At one point in time, Moses had all the qualifications of a confident leader. He had power (being adapted by the Pharaoh’s daughter). He had acquired an understanding of the Egyptian culture and the inner workings of their court. Moses had been raised in the Egyptian customs for 40 years. It was all he had ever known. He could have weaseled the Israelites right out from under the hand of Pharaoh. However, God doesn’t work that way. He will consistently use the weak to bring down the strong, the foolish things to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27) and meek to inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). God moves no differently in the life of Moses. He could have easily used Moses when he was in a predominant place of influence and power, but he chose to wait until Moses found himself in a place of humble position. By the time God calls Moses to deliver His people, Moses had spent 40 years in the desert laboring as a shepherd and raising a family. 

I can only imagine what was going through Moses’ mind...

“But Lord, I am a man who was forced out of my country in Egypt into exile in a foreign land for 40 years. I am a poor shepherd of which the Egyptians find detestable (Genesis 46:34). Yes, there was a time when I was known to Pharaoh, dwelt in his court, and had great influence and authority in that place, seeing that I was adopted as a son to the king's daughter, but now I am completely unknown in Egypt. Besides, the current Pharaoh has tremendous power, possesses an immense army, and will surely prevent me from walking the unarmed, defenseless Israelites out of his country. What the heck am I supposed to do with that Lord?!?”

“So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12

I love God’s response… “I will certainly be with you.”  If God had said nothing more to Moses, that would have been more than enough assurance for Moses to move forward on God’s commission. However, Moses continues…

“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Exodus 4:1

Moses still doesn’t believe that “I will certainly be with you” is enough. I heard it said one time that when we say “what if” it’s like saying I FEAR. (The IF stands for I Fear) In other words, Moses is saying "What I fear is that they will not believe me or listen to me. I fear they will tell me the Lord did not appear to you.” 

Isn’t that just like us? Instead of trusting God when He says “I will certainly be with you” and taking him at His word we reply back with “Who am I Lord” or “I fear…” 

God continues to show patience with Moses by showing him the weapon He has placed in his hands. God points out to Moses that his staff will be used to show Pharaoh and all of Egypt God’s supernatural power. (Exodus 4:2-9)

Again, Moses still full of fear and insecurities replies… 

“Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4:10

Moses replies this way as if to say again “Who am I Lord?”

Finally equip with his brother Aaron, his staff and most importantly the Lord who had promised “I will certainly be with you”, Moses went to Egypt.

Talk about a man full of fear, doubt and insecurities! But as I have read this story of Moses, I have only found myself penciled out in the pages of scripture. A woman full of fear, doubt and insecurities. "Who am I Lord? What if… I have never been eloquent in speech, Lord." Yes, those phrases seem to repetitively echo in my ears. Those phrases have kept me awake at night. How ironic it is for a woman like myself to be sent to “Egypt” (aka Liberia) to free God’s people from their bondage. How ironic it is for a woman full of fear, doubt and insecurities to find herself smack dab in the middle of Egypt. I have to chuckle sometimes at God’s sense of humor. How funny it is to use the insignificant in very strategic ways. When God uses people who ask the question “Who am I Lord?” we can rest assured that it is God’s hand doing the work and not our own. Praise God for that! So, just like Moses, we can stand back and watch the Lord do the supernatural through an unqualified people.

For more reading connected with this topic read: Believe and Not Doubt, Who Am I?

Dear Heavenly Father, how humbling it is to know that in the face of all our weaknesses and shortcomings, you can still use each and every one of us. Thank you for showing yourself faithful. I pray that each one who reads this will see that you desire to use them in a mighty way to showcase your glory in and through their brokenness. Thank you for using our weaknesses to bring down strongholds, our foolishness to confound the wisdom of man, and our meekness to inherit this earth and grow you kingdom. We pray that you use each one of us to make your name famous. In your precious name we pray. 

Do you love me?

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21: 15-17

I find it interesting in this passage of scripture that Jesus would ask Peter three times in a row if he loved Him. As you study out the original Greek and Hebrew of this word love you realize why. In the English language we just have one word for love, but many definitions, or expressions of the word love. However, in the Greek, there are six different words for love with six very distinct meanings and expressions. In the Hebrew, they have three different words for love, each conveying a very different weight and connotation to it. I feel like the original language does a better job of helping us to see into the heart of Peter in this passage better than our current English translation can. 

The original Greek
I wanted to take some time and examine the Greek words used in this passage. When Jesus asks Peter the first time if he loves Him (vs 15). That word love in the Greek is agape. This word carries a unique weight to it because it is the word used in scripture time and time again to describe the way God loves. Agape love is an all-consuming passion for the well being of the one being loved. It is a love that esteems, elevates, prizes, and delights in others expecting nothing in return. It keeps loving when the love is not reciprocated when the one being loved is unkind, unlovable, unworthy and rejecting the love being given. It is an unconditional love that only desires the best for the one being loved and nothing less. Doesn’t that just sound like our Heavenly Father? Agape love is God. That is the very definition of who He is. Agape love is how He loves us! 

Now that we understand the weight associated with this word agape, let’s return to Peter. When Jesus asks “do you agape me?” I can just picture Peter squirming a bit and somewhat getting defensive as he answers… “you know I love you.” But here is where it gets interesting. Peter does not respond with the word agape. He responds with a completely different word for love and he says... “you know I “philos” you Lord.” 

This word philos has an entirely different meaning and carries a much lighter weight than the word agape. It is a word that means brotherly love, a friendship kind of love. It is a fondness or a liking for another person. I read one definition that actually went as far as to say that this type of love can collapse in times of crisis. When I read this it made me stop and wonder if Peter was unknowingly foreshadowing his coming denial of knowing Jesus (Luke 22:54-71) when he said... of course I philos you, Lord. 

If we keep reading Jesus asks Peter a second time “do you truly agape me?” Again, I can picture Peter still squirming and feeling a bit perturbed with Jesus’ questioning… “Yes, Lord, you know that I philo you.” Now, for a second time in a row, Peter did not answer with the same word. I wonder if that word agape had such weight in the original Greek that it was too much for Peter to even speak? 

Finally, Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved Him, but this time instead of agape He used philo, love of the friendship variety, a brotherly kind of love. Peter again replied with… “you know that I philo you.” Finally, Peter’s answer was lining up with Jesus’ question!

I don’t believe Jesus was trying to exasperate Peter here by repeating the same question over and over again, but I do believe Jesus was trying to make a point. We serve a God that loves us with an all-consuming kind of love, a love that cannot be broken, weakened or taken away. What Christ was showing here is His desire for us to love Him with that level of passion. As I studied this out I found myself asking...Do I really agape the Lord? Do I really love Christ in the manner He desires for me to love Him? God desires an all in composing, all-consuming kind of agape love. Do I even remotely give that type of love to Him or is it more of the friendship variety?
Just like Peter, I can honestly say that I absolutely philo the Lord, but agape Him is a whole new dimension, one that I wonder if I have remotely come close to.  

Call to action
How about you? Do you love the Lord with the weight of an agape kind of love, or does it lean more towards the philo or friendship type? I know there are some of us out there who can honestly answer that we love the Lord in an all-encompassing, all-consuming agape type of love. But for those of us whose love for the Lord leans more towards the philos variety, we have some work to do.  I wish I could say I have answers for moving from one level of love to another, but I do not. I will be seeking the Lord to reveal to my heart how to make that transition. I am just thankful that the Lord brought me to a place where I noticed there was a difference. 

To read more on the topic of love visit the series on love.

Father, thank you for showing me the difference between the agape love that you shower upon me and the philos love that I end up returning. My heart’s prayer is that you bring me to a place where I can love you and others with an agape love, one that does not have expectations involved. I pray for anyone reading this post that may need to make a change in their level of love for you, that you deal with their hearts compassionately and gently. Lead them to a greater understanding of agape love. Show us, Lord, how to love like you! Show us how to agape others!

The Power Of The Testimony

I want to share with you today the power that we have in the simple words of sharing our own testimony, our own God story. Let’s start with scripture shall we…

Acts 21:20-40, Acts 22:1-30, Acts 23:1-11

If you would prefer to listen to these sections of scripture click on each chapter below.
Acts 21, Acts 22, Acts 23

Background on Paul

As we read this portion of scripture we see that Paul stood up in front of a persecuting crowd and powerfully gave his testimony. This hostile crowd Paul was speaking to was ready to kill him on the spot, but because of Paul’s faithfulness to share, the Lord supernaturally protected Paul. There are some very significant things we learn about Paul from this portion of scripture. We learn that he was born a Jew in Tarsus in Cilicia, but he was brought up in Rome (Acts 22:3). This is significant for Paul because not only does he have the understanding of the Jewish culture, but he has the citizenship of a Roman. The Jews hated anything and anyone having to do with Rome. So, needless to say, Paul found himself  in a precarious situation with the Jews yet still having somewhat of an edge by being a Roman citizen. Paul finds himself  in a tug of war battle between two extreme worlds and to make matters even more complicated, Paul has converted to Christianity, a group of individuals more despised by the Jews then the Romans! His conversion itself is one of a peculiar nature because Paul had spent so much time and energy persecuting the very group of people he now has become apart. He persecuted Christians for what he saw as “blasphemy” and now he has joined them. Talk about a complicated life! I give you this history so you understand the significance of Paul’s testimony and the audience of which he was speaking.

Paul’s Testimony

If you examine this story closely you will notice that Paul was “all things to all men that he might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul was an extremely educated man in his day. He spoke several languages. To the commander of the Roman army he spoke Greek in order to prove that he was a learned man and not just someone wanting to start a riot in the streets (Acts 21:37). He spoke Aramaic to the crowd when he gave his testimony not only to speak the language of his audience, but to also show that he was in deed a devout Jew. By doing so, he showed respect for the Jewish customs and laws (Acts 22:2). Paul was speaking to a very hostile audience and yet was still willing to stand and share the miracle that Christ had performed in his life.

Testimonies

I love hearing the testimonies of fellow believers. These testimonies always seem to encourage my heart so deeply. I recently watched a video of a testimony given by a married couple that are acquaintances of mine and it brought me to tears. I knew these individuals before they were saved and to watch the Lord move so powerfully in their lives is nothing short of an absolute miracle. The change in their lives is completely night and day. Their outlook on life, the way they communicate, the things to do and the things they no longer do have all changed. Even the countenance on their faces have changed. They love the Lord, love life, they love each other more now than before, and they are so enthusiastic about  going to church. In fact, so much so that they won’t miss a single event that the church has going on. If there is something at the church, you better believe they are there. It has been such a blessing to hear the testimony of this precious couple as they grow in the things of God.

My husband and I do a lot of traveling. We often get the beautiful honor of sharing Sunday mornings with different congregations. Every once in awhile we get the blessed opportunity to soak up a testimony or two. One particular Sunday on the road we found ourselves witnessing a baptism. We had the opportunity to hear this man’s testimony. Our Lord instantly delivered this man from a life long addiction to crack cocaine. When God got a hold of his heart he never once had the urge to return to that addiction ever again. He is now a member of his local church, serving God with all he has and sharing the love of Christ with whomever will listen, and even those who don’t want to listen he still will respectfully and lovingly share. He also has had some open doors to share with the very people that he had was getting high with before he was transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about this for just a moment. Those of us who would not be caught dead even thinking about doing drugs would never in a million years have any influence on that group people, but this man who was delivered from that addiction still has inroads into their hearts. The power of this man’s testimony can influence an entire group of people that you or I could never reach because so many of us would never consider walking down that road towards that particular group of people. I love that our Lord uses our life stories to influence the very people He has placed on our path.  

The above examples I shared are examples of how the Lord changed someone’s heart for the very first time. They are stories of hearts rescued from the kingdom of darkness and established in the kingdom of light. There are other realms of testimonies that have the ability to influence the heart and lives of others outside of our conversion story. I have listed just a few examples of different kinds of testimonies and each one is linked to an example from previous posts, please feel free to revisit each one for a dose of encouragement.

Testimonies of...

God’s faithfulness and goodness  -  “Unchecked Emotions And God’s Faithfulness”

God’s provision - “The Faithfulness Of God”

God’s teaching - “Precious Moments”

God’s protection - “Family History With Liberia”

God’s healing and deliverance - “Miracle Working God”, “My By Faith Shoes”

The beautiful thing about a shared testimony is the fact that as that testimony is being shared, faith is being imparted, deliverance and healing are being deposited into the hearts of those who are listening through the work of the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing.” So when we share our testimony we are allowing others to hear the message of God and as I just mentioned, faith is being imparted in their hearts. Every time I hear a testimony I inevitably walk away feeling as if I have just gotten a double dose of faith. I feel encouraged and so deeply blessed! This is why we should never underestimate the power of our God story, we just never know how deeply it will affect the hearts of those who are listening.

The power behind  shared testimony is found

in the book of Revelation.

“They overcame over him (satan - the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:11 (quoted from 1991 edition of the NIV, emphasis mine)

When we share our testimony not only are we imparting faith into the hearts and lives of others, including ourselves, we are also sending a message to the devil. We are proclaiming that our lives belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in doing so we are gaining victory on the spiritual battlefield. Satan does not like to be reminded of whom our loyalties belong. It does not make him feel good to bring to his remembrance that he is a defeated foe. Every time we share our testimony it is one more defeating blow to satan’s big and overgrown ego. Each blow brings an empowering to us and a weakening to him. Don’t be ashamed to share your God story! Besides, if Paul can stand in front of a hostile crowd and share his God story, then surely we can share our story to a willing ear. God has given you a story to share for the strengthening of the body of Christ, the changing of hearts and the overcoming of the enemy! When you think about these three things, our God story truly is a powerful tool that God has placed in our hands. What a tremendous responsibility we have to share it with the world!  

Call To Action

What is your God story? There are people out there who need to hear your God story. Don't be ashamed of the work that God has done in your heart. Find a listening ear and share.

Also, feel free to share in the comments below something God has done in your life. We would love to share in the joy of your testimony!  I guarantee it will bless and encourage someone who hears it!

Feel free to revisit “My Testimony” if you want to know about my God story.

Lord, thank you for writing us a God story! Thank you that you continue to write new chapters and pages each and everyday. Help us to be as bold as Paul and be willing to share even in the midst of turmoil all around us. Help us to be a blessing and encouragement to those around us because we are not ashamed of sharing the beautiful things you have done in our hearts and lives. We love you Lord and we do not want to keep our story hidden away. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

The Father's Heart

Our Heavenly Father’s heart is filled up with so many truly amazing and wonderful things. I sometimes find myself wondering why it is that He desires so deeply to pass those things on to us. Yet in His infinite wisdom He so liberally shares of His heart. This is the beauty of our Heavenly Father. His deepest desire is for us to grow, to prosper and to expand His kingdom. Our Lord is not stingy. He does not withhold from us the things we need to know to further His kingdom. Since this is our Father’s heart for us then shouldn’t we have that same desire for those who come behind us? Shouldn’t we desire to train others up in kingdom living? Shouldn't it be our heart’s desire to train others in kingdom expansion?

As I find myself asking these questions I also have to ask, “Am I preparing the next generation to take over for me when I’m gone?” How about you? Are you training up anyone to take over for you?  It is so important that we have the type of heart that is preparing the next generation to take our place. Far too often in our competitive, capitalistic society we keep the next generation at arms length rather than training them to know everything we know in hopes that they will exceed us and do a far better job than we ever could. We push our young people aside just so we ourselves can get ahead, and for what? We can not take our jobs, houses, money, cars, or even the physical things we did here on earth to further the kingdom with us. All of those things we leave behind for the next generation to carry on. Rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, we should be training them up to take over the family business. What is the family business you ask? The family business is simply “kingdom expansion.” Are we training others to expand the kingdom? Are we training the next generation of believers to grow the kingdom or are we carrying this load all on our own?

When I look at fathers in the Bible who trained up their children in the family business Paul is my most favorite example. Now, as far as I know Paul did not have any natural children of his own, but that does not mean he did not raise up others to take over the family business once he left this earth. Paul poured into so many lives during his ministry, but the one life Paul poured into which stands out for me, is Timothy. Paul didn’t simply look after Timothy. Paul made opportunities for Timothy to grow, practice, and live out the very things he himself was doing. Paul gave Timothy a chance to see what Paul did, do what Paul did, and put into practice what Paul was doing both right along side Paul, as well as sending Timothy out to practice on his own without Paul being physically present. (To read more on this concept click here.) Paul knew and understood the importance of training up the next generation in kingdom expansion.

“If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.” 1 Corinthians 16:10-11

I love that Paul trusted Timothy enough to send him out on various missions. Paul trusted the time and energy he had invested into the heart of Timothy. Paul trusted the fruit that Timothy was producing and therefore had no problem with sending him out to carry on the family business. It is so important that we invest deeply in the lives of other believers so that they will carry on the torch of spreading the gospel. We can not carry the gospel to the ends of the earth on our own. We need others to help carry the load. God has designed His kingdom for us to pass along to others the things we have learned. The wisdom that has been imparted to our hearts is not meant for us to hoard away in the recesses of our hearts and minds. The wisdom that God has given us has been placed in our possession for the short time it takes for us to grow from it and then it is our responsibility to pass it along to the next person or people who are in need of that very slice of wisdom that has enabled us to overcome our obstacles. God’s kingdom is designed around the principle that “freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

Paul also made certain that others understood that Timothy was carrying on the work of the Lord just as Paul himself was doing. Paul spelled it out in black and white that they were to receive Timothy as if they were receiving Paul himself. How many of us as parents would want others to accept our children in the same way they would accept us? If I poured out my heart soul, mind and strength into the spiritual upbringing that Paul poured into Timothy, you better believe I would want people treating them with a certain level of respect. So, that is exactly what Paul was doing. He was telling the Corinthian church “Hey look, I have trained this young man up myself and I have full confidence in him. So, because I have complete confidence in his ability I would like you to treat him with the utmost respect. He has my personal stamp of approval upon him. If you do not accept him as you would me, I will come and deal with you directly!” Paul meant business and rightfully so. If we spent the amount of time and energy pouring into Timothy that Paul did we would react the same way. I’d like to think that as Paul was sending Timothy out, he was having a “proud daddy” moment. He was probably so proud of the man that Timothy was becoming that he just could not wait to watch Timothy get his wings under him and start to soar. Paul was launching Timothy into the tremendous responsibilities of ministry and he was excited and proud to have the privilege of doing so.

This is exactly how we should be with other believers. We should be so excited about their moments of soaring. We should be proud of them for stepping out in faith and going about the Father’s business. Like Paul, we should want to bring others up in the family business and watch them bloom. God desires for us to encourage and strengthen one another in this way, to hold up each other’s hands and fight the good fight of faith together. We can not do it on our own. We must be willing to adopt the Father’s heart and bring others along with us, while at the same time allowing others to bring us along side them. We can learn and grow from one another.

Lord, help us to have your heart for others. Help us to shower upon others the gifts that we have so freely received. Help us not to hide away the lessons we have learned on our walk with you. Show us what it looks like to teach one another with all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). Keep us from wanting to make advancements in the kingdom on our own, but rather bring others along with us so we can learn from them and we can aid in raising them up. We need help from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Keep our hearts from getting a superiority complex because we know that there is no room for a proud spirit in your kingdom. Thank you for the example of Paul who so diligently raised up others in kingdom living. Give us the kind of faith that expands the kingdom like never before. In Jesus precious name. Amen.

Can I lay My Isaac Down?

I want us to think of the one thing we hold more dear to our hearts than anything else in this world. Is that one thing our husbands, our children,our house or some other material possession? What If God asked us to give that very thing up to Him? Would be able to lay it all down at His feet with a willing heart or would we fight God for it?

Abraham's Story

Most of us are familiar with Abraham’s story of Isaac. Here we have a man who had been promised this son and it wasn’t until he was 100 years old that he saw this long awaited promise finally come to pass. Now, all of the sudden God was asking Abraham to give up the very thing he had waited his entire lifetime to get, something he treasured probably more than his own life.

The faith that Abraham possessed was wrapped up in the fact that God was going to stay true to his promise. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4), that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore (Genesis 15:5 & Genesis 22:17). In remembering this promise Abraham could walk forward in faith knowing that Isaac's life would not end before this promise would come to pass. God would and always will stay faithful to His promises. To read God’s covenant with Abraham go to Genesis 15:1-21.

Am I able to lay down my most prized and cherished thing, my Isaac? Am I able to trust God enough that when I am asked to give up my Isaac that God is going to stay true to His promises? These are some tough questions to consider and I find it difficult to even begin to imagine putting myself in Abraham’s shoes. I’m sure some of you can relate to the hesitancy I have in my own mind about this whole area.

My Husband's Story
My husband shared with me how God had brought him to a place where he could lay down his Isaac. He shared how he was able to relate on so many levels to Abraham when I faced life and death from my stroke. God brought my husband to a place where he was no longer afraid of giving up his most precious belongings for the sake of Jesus Christ. My stroke was such a blessing in the fact that it caused him to rely more on his God then on the temporal things of this life. My husband’s faith grew through that season of our lives. So just like Abraham, my husband came to a place of being able to lay down his “Isaac” and trust that God knew better than he did.

My Story
I had an interesting moment that helped me to see a slight glimpse into whether or not I could lay my own Isaac down.  My husband being the forward thinker that he is, decided it would be a good idea to get the insurance plan on my engagement ring. This means that every six months I have to take my ring to the jewelers and for an inspection. As long as I do this the insurance stays valid and we do not have to pay extra for the cost of any repairs, even if I would lose a diamond out of it. Thank goodness for this because I have had  my ring fixed several times over the years. One of these particular times that I had it repaired, I went to pick it up. I took one look at it and stated “This isn’t my ring.” The woman behind the counter became flustered and assured me she would track down my ring. My husband and I walked out of the store and talked about the situation that had just transpired right in front of us. The conclusion we had come to was that it is only a piece of metal and a rock, a material thing. Not having the ring did not erase the precious memories I have associated with it. It just meant I did not have the tangible evidence on my finger that is linked with those memories.

Ever since that whole experience I have looked at everything I own in a very different light. All that I possess is simply temporal. I could lose all of it tomorrow. Am I putting my trust in the Lord that He will carry out His promises in my life, or am I clinging to my Isaac and not being willing to let go? For those of you who are still wondering at this point if I ever get my ring back, yes I did. The diligent woman at the jewelry store tracked down my ring very quickly and it was back on my finger in no time. Now, I realize that there is no comparison between laying down a ring and laying down the life of your child or family member, but sometimes the Lord works on our hearts in steps rather than taking us to the altar to lay it all down all at one time, and other times He asks for it all. This just happened to be one of those “small steps” times for me.

The Lord's Story
When the Lord asks us to lay down our Isaac down, please keep in mind that He is not asking us to do anything He has not already done Himself in this department. God laid His one and one and only Isaac down for our sake. His name is Jesus Christ. So, the next time the Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts and asking us to give up something we hold dear, remember that He has already done that too.

Lord, I thank you that you have our best interests at heart. I thank you that you desire us to lay our Isaac down, not to make us suffer, but make us more like you each and every day. You laid down your Isaac in the form of Jesus Christ. Thank you for setting the ultimate example of what it looks like to lay down our Isaac. We are so grateful that you laid Him down for us, because without Him we would never have the promise of eternal life. Thank Lord for all you have done for us.  

To read more related posts visit: Facing Our Giants and The Faithfulness Of God

The Disciples

Jesus calls a rather eclectic group of men together to help Him in launching His work on this earth. They were a mismatched group of men that upon closer examination leaves us scratching our heads in wonder as to why Christ would ever have assembled such a seemingly clashing group of men. They rebuked children (Mark 19:13-15), they argued over who was the greatest (Matthew 18:1-5), they were riddled with doubt (John 16:21-22, Luke 24:25-27) and they continually questioned Jesus on everything (Mark 13:3-4, Mark 10:10, Matthew 24:3).

Upon closer examination of the 12 disciples and their backgrounds I had a understanding as to why Jesus would frequently rebuked them for being of little faith. It was so interesting to compare the disciple's the personality traits one against the next. Jesus truly had an intriguing group of men to train up in sending forth His gospel. I hope this background picture of each disciple helps you better understand the unique dynamics that Jesus was working with during His three years of teaching and ministry.

Background facts

One thing I found interesting in my research of these men was the uniqueness surrounding the names of that time period. It was common in the Middle East during the time of Christ for men to have two names. Many of the disciples had more than one name as you will see below.

11 of the 12 disciples were Galileans. Judas was the only one who was not, he was a Judean.   

Peter, James and John were the three disciples who were considered to be in Jesus' “inner circle.”

Andrew

Andrew was a fisherman by trade. He was an original disciple of John the baptist (Mark 1:16-18). He often times stood in the shadows of his brother, Peter. Andrew died a martyr by being crucified on an X shaped cross. He was bound but not nailed to the cross.

Bartholomew/Nathanael  

Bartholomew means "son of Tolmay" or "son of the furrow," which could mean he was the son of a plowman or a farmer. Nathanael means "God has given" in Hebrew. We don't have an abundance of information on him from scripture, but he did died a martyr. He was put to death by knives.

James (the older of the two James’)

James was inseparable from his brother John. In fact his name is never mentioned in scripture without his brother’s name being mentioned as well. He was labeled as a man of courage, great strength, full of forgiveness, a man without jealousy, and a man of great faith. He was the first of the twelve to become a martyr.

James (the younger of the two James’)

He was the brother of Jude. He wrote the book of James. Some scholars believe him to be the brother of Matthew the tax collector. He was a man of strong character, full of fire and exuberance. He died a martyr by being sawed into pieces.

John/Boanerges

John was the older brother of James. John was a fisherman. He was known as the beloved disciple. He wrote John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelation. He was held was prisoner on the isle of Patmos. He was known as an ambitious man, and a man of action. John’s second name, Boanerges, means Thunder and he lived up to this name in his younger years. He was quick tempered, easily angered and explosive in his expression of his anger. As he got older he learned to embrace a Christ like attitude. John died of natural causes in his old age.   

Judas Iscariot

Judas was labeled as the traitor, because of his blatant betrayal of Jesus. He was the treasure. He committed suicide by hanging himself.

Jude/Thaddeus/Lebbeus

Jude is referred by different names in different parts of scripture. Thaddeus means “the man with three names.” He was thought to be a fisherman. He is the brother of the younger James. He died as a martyr by being clubbed to death.

Matthew/Levi

Matthew was a tax collector. Jew’s abhorred tax collectors. The tax collectors were notoriously unjust and dishonest. The Jews believed the only one they should give monetary tribute to was God. Matthew became the first man to write down the teachings of Jesus when he wrote the book of Matthew. He died a martyr.

Peter/Simon Peter

Peter was a fisherman. He was the only disciple that we are certain was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), because he had a mother in law. Peter was the leader among the twelve. He was strong willed and outspoken. He was known for asking some reckless and challenging questions. Peter died a martyr by being crucified upside down on a cross.

Philip

Philip was thought to be a fisherman as well. He had a warm heart but a skeptical mind. He wanted things done for others, but did not see how they could be done. He died a martyr by being hanged.

Simon the Zealot

Simon was a fisherman, devoted to the law. He hated Rome and anyone who would compromise with them. He did learn to overcome this hatred. He was a man of faith who died a martyr.

Thomas/Didymus

Thomas was also called Judas at times. We call him “Doubting Thomas” because he is the disciple who said unless he sees the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and his pierced side, he would not believe. Thomas was a man who did not believe until he saw. He was a pessimist by nature. He died as a martyr by the spear.

Can we see the vast differences that Jesus had to work with here? With these vast differences in personalities I’m not so sure I would have been as patient as Jesus was in training this group of men. In fact, it truly baffles me how He ever trained them at all. This just goes to show us that Christ never gives up on any of us. He has plans and purposes for even the most unique of individuals. His kingdom is never too full that He doesn’t have room for us to play a significant role in spreading the gospel. I am thankful that Jesus never gave up on the disciples. He is never going to give up on any one of us either! What beautiful encouragement that is to my soul! I hope this resonates with your spirit today as well.

Lord, we thank you that you took the time to invest in the 12 disciples. You even invested in the life of the one disciple who handed you over to be crucified and you did it with love and compassion. You have set such a beautiful example of just how miraculous you can work in the hearts and lives of people. You have shown us that you love and care for each one of us just as you cared for your disciples. I thank you that you desire for us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) just as the original 12 were called to do. You are also calling us to do greater works (John 14:12). We count it an honor and privilege to be part of such a heritage in the kingdom! Thank you Lord for training us, teaching us and trusting us with spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Satan's Tempting

If we look at the story of Satan's attempt to tempt Jesus in the desert in Matthew 4:1-11, we can learn some very specific strategies that Satan will use to tempt us into sin in various areas in our lives. Please take a moment and read through this section of scripture. It will bring better clarity to the things I am about to share on this topic of temptation.

Satan tempts us by...

Exploiting our greatest area of weakness

Satan’s first attempt to tempt Jesus was to start with the place that Christ was the most vulnerable, His weakest spot. Jesus had just finished 40 days of fasting and scripture tells us He was hungry. Let’s be real here, just like Jesus, we too would be most vulnerable in this area of food after a 40 day fast! And some of us might not be so steadfast in refuting the temptation like Jesus did. I am quite sure I would waver in this particular area myself. Jesus’ response was straight from the word of God. “Man does not live on bread alone.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Jesus did not argue with Satan. He simply presented him with the written word. Satan will always start his attack at our weakest point. Rightfully so, why would an enemy try to attack their opponent at their strongest point, where their walls are the highest and thickest? A thief will not show up to our house in broad daylight with a warning phone call announcing that he is coming first. No, they will come in the moments when we least expect it, in those moments that we are not prepared for, at our weakest moments. The enemy will always look for the weakest link and attack there first! In this example food was Jesus’ weak spot. For others of us it could be in the area of jealousy, controlling our tongue, being critical, unforgiveness, not remaining in a spirit of thankfulness, being diligent, remaining in God’s word, praying, or some other area. Satan is not dumb. He knows our weaknesses and is ready, willing, and able to exploit them in the worst possible way.  

Distracting us from God’s plan/taking the easy road

In the second attempt, Satan tries to make Jesus think there is an easier road that He should be walking on, a “quick fix” so to speak. As you have heard me say before “there are no shortcuts in the kingdom,” despite what we might wish for at times. Satan tries to tempt Jesus into jumping off the the temple. I want us to think about this for a moment. Why would Jesus be tempted to throw Himself off of the highest point of the temple? Satan proceeds to quote Psalm 91:11-12. Proving that yes, even the devil knows what the word of God says. Satan knew that the hearts of many of the people were anxiously awaiting a majestic king to arrive from the clouds of heaven. In jumping, Satan was hoping that God would send his angels to rescue Jesus. The people would have seen Jesus coming down from the top of the temple arriving in a cloud of angles, the majestic king they always wanted. This in turn would have some extreme ramifications. If Jesus had jumped a couple things would have transpired. The religious people would have gotten what they expected and wanted, Jesus would have never suffered on the cross, and our sins would never have been covered by His blood. Satan would have won. This was the shortcut Satan was hoping Jesus was going to take. Satan tried to convince Jesus that God was going to protect Him no matter what. Jesus knew that supernatural protection only comes by staying in the will of the Father and His Father had not told Him to jump. Proving that Jesus never did anything without the Father’s permission. In response Jesus simply relies “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Deuteronomy 6:16

Planting a seed of doubt

Wrapped up in Satan’s second attempt was also another ploy he tried to use to tempt Jesus. It is all wrapped up in one very small word in Matthew 4:6. In fact, this word is only two letters long, but it is a word that provokes a whole lot of doubt to crop up in our minds when we mall it around long enough. The devil strategically uses the word “IF" in an attempt to plant doubt in the mind of Christ. Had Jesus taken the time to contemplate that two letter word He may very well have found Himself in a whole different situation entirely. I don’t know about you, but this little word “if” has sent my mind onto some very long winding rabbit trails of unnecessary doubt all because I began to allow this tiny little word to take root in my mind. This word “if” can be a major weapon in Satan’s arsenal when it comes to planting doubt in our minds. It is Satan’s desire to plant doubt in our minds because he knows that a seed of doubt can grow and like weeds in a garden, just one seed can take over and destroy the plans and purposes that God has for our lives. One seed of doubt can create a multitude of problems when we nurture it.

Appealing to our pride

Satan’s third attempt at tempting Jesus was to appeal to his pride. Pride can be one of our biggest stumbling blocks. We can get so hung up on the things we want and completely miss out on the things God desires for us. By this point Satan has seen that his first two attempts have failed, so he resorts to outright lying. Satan had no power to give Jesus the kingdoms of this world, and yet he still promised that it could all be his “if” Jesus would bow down and worship him. If Jesus had spent any time catering to His pride, then this surely would have been His downfall. We so often desire to have positions of authority, titles attached to our names or to be recognized for our accomplishments. Jesus did not desire any of that. The only glory he wanted to be associated with was the glory that was given to His Father! So in response, Jesus simply replies “Worship the Lord and serve him only.” Deuteronomy 6:13

These are just four things off a long list of things Satan uses to lead us down a path of temptation. I share these things because all of them I have personally struggled with at one point or another and I have no doubt that they will continue to be areas I have to guard my heart and mind from. If Satan has tempted you in any of these areas, or maybe all of these areas, know that you are not alone. The Lord doesn’t leave us to fight off Satan for ourselves without any help.

Scripture tells us…

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“...for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you have set such a beautiful example for us to follow in combating the temptations of Satan. Help us when the missiles are being launched at us to combat them with your word just as you did with Satan in the desert. Help us to be steadfast and unwavering in our battle. We know that Satan is out to rob, kill and destroy your work in our lives. Help us to keep our eyes and minds focused on you and not the things that Satan is trying to get us to focus our attention on. We know that he is only trying to distract us from the beautiful plan you have for us. Quicken our minds to be able to refute the attacks of the enemy with your word. Help us to resist the temptations that are being hurled at us.