Category: Daily Walk with Christ

Fear Not 365 – You Shall Not Die

March 2, 2017 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

Have you ever experienced the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit? Many years ago I attended a church retreat where the featured speaker was Elmer Schmelzenbach, a holiness missionary. He was in his mid-seventies and had served the Lord all his life. I had never met him, but when I saw him across the camp, I knew who he was, for the man’s face literally glowed.

I have known a few people like that, people who glow with the glory of God.

On the other hand, the glory of God is said to be so powerful that any man who looks upon His face will die. That may be what Gideon was thinking when he met the Angel of the Lord.

The Angel of the Lord, I should say here, is not an angel in the conventional sense. He is not described with wings and does not shoot arrows at star-crossed lovers. In spite of the fact that I chose the image of an angel to emphasize today’s text, the Angel of the Lord is believed to be a theophany, or a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus Christ.

In the text (Judges 6), Gideon has seen God, or he thinks he has, and he asks the Lord to stay with him while he prepares a sacrifice. When the Angel of the Lord later consumes the sacrifice with fire, Gideon is convinced that this is indeed God. He trembles with fear.
There are times when the presence and power of the Holy Spirit is so strong, we don’t know if we can bear it further. Fear Not, for we won’t die.

Father, fill us daily with your Spirit, even to the point that we think we can bear no more. And, let that Spirit flow from us, compelling others to follow you.

Fear Not 365 – Serve the Lord With All Your Heart

March 1, 2017 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

The people of Israel had gathered for the anointing of King Saul. Afterward, Samuel said his farewell to the nation that he had guided and judged. As he spoke, lightning crashed. Thunder rolled. People ran for cover and cowered in fear.

They had sinned, and God was demonstrating His displeasure, in hopes that the nation would repent.

Often, when we blatantly disobey God’s will or continuously live in sin, God allows storms in our lives. Frightening storms. Fierce lightning. Terrifying thunder.

If you’re living outside of the will of God, and storms are raging around you, then stop. Listen. God is speaking to you. Somewhere in your life is a Samuel, calling you to repentance.

The storm won’t last long, though. God may discipline us, but He will never forsake us. Return to Him. Seek God’s forgiveness. Follow in the steps of His Son.

Fear Not. Serve Him with all your heart.

Fear Not 365 -For God Hears…

February 25, 2017 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

Not long after King David turned his throne over to his son, Solomon, along with the job of constructing the temple, he died.

God appears to the young King Solomon and says, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

God is no magic genie that we should ask anything of Him, but, in this case, He does exactly that: He offers Solomon his heart’s desire.

You and I could probably not be trusted with such a wish, but Solomon had learned well from watching the failures of his father. He does not ask for wealth, or power, or love. He knows that riches may lead to evil, and excessive power could lead to abuse. Lust leads to infidelity, and sometimes to death. Instead, he asks for wisdom.

If we look back to 1 Chronicles 22:12, we read that David had prayed that God would grant Solomon wisdom and understanding. In chapter 1 of 2 Chronicles, God answers David’s prayer and grants great wisdom to King Solomon.

Much of Solomon’s wisdom was eventually recorded in the Bible, in the book of Proverbs. One proverb that catches my attention is 15:29, which reads,

The Lord is far from the wicked,

But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

– NKJV

I wonder what Solomon thinking when he wrote that proverb? Did he think of that prayer, the prayer of his father, asking God to give Solomon wisdom? Was David perhaps the righteous man Solomon thought of when sharing that piece of wisdom?

If you’ve stayed with me to this point, you may see a paradox here. In one paragraph I suggest that Solomon learned from his father’s failures, and in another I propose that David was the model for the righteous man praying.

This is really no paradox. Both may be true. You see, there exists no truly righteous man but Jesus Christ. Not David, not Solomon, not Peter, not Paul; none are righteous. With a broken heart and true repentance, David sought forgiveness for his sins. By faith, he learned to trust in God, and by faith, through the sacrifice of the Son of God, he was found righteous in God’s sight. In the same way, you and I, through faith in Jesus Christ, can be counted righteous in God’s eyes.

It took David most of his life to develop the faith necessary to live a holy life. I can relate. I’m not there yet, but I am finally headed that direction.

By the way, James refers to Solomon’s proverb, and his thoughts contain sound advice for the Christian journey:

…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

– James 5:16 NIV

FEAR NOT, for God hears the prayers of the righteous.