by George Runyan | Sep 25, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Luke 22:32 – I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
Peter thought he was ready to fully serve the Lord. After Jesus gave Peter His counsel, Peter replied “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” From Peter’s viewpoint, he had given his all to the Lord. Remember, it was Peter who had the confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). He was seen as a principal leader among the twelve. Peter thought the work in him was finished.
Jesus responds to Peter’s commitment to go to prison and die for Jesus, telling Peter in verse 34, within the next 24 hours you’re going to deny Me three times. I am sure that sent Peter into a tailspin. It is a good thing Jesus had prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. Peter was about to receive the greatest test of his life. Without the prayer of Jesus, there is no telling what would have happened to Peter.
True freedom is found in the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). As with Peter, our freedom begins in the knowledge that Jesus is praying for us so that our faith will not fail.
True freedom is found in conversion. I do not mean gaining information about Jesus and saying we believe in Him. True conversion is turning from depending on our natural life as our source to depending on the Holy Spirit as our source of life and knowledge. Peter was still trying to figure things out on his own. He thought he had surrendered all to Jesus, but he had not yet undergone the death process. Death to self is required in order to know true conversion. It is a process we learn and not a one-time experience we have. Note what Jesus said to Peter – “when once you have turned again” (verse 32). It is the again part that is difficult. Peter, like us, vacillated between his natural life and the new life the Spirit was generating in him.
After conversion we begin to turn our attention to others. An evidence of “self” being crucified is our willingness to give up our life to serve others in their need. Jesus knew Peter was not ready for the task he was destined to accomplish. The Lord pointed the way forward as He said “when you are converted” (KJV). Jesus has a purpose for each one of us, but there is a process we must go through. Many get hung up in the process. Some get burned out trying to “strengthen” others before they are fully converted themselves.
Father, I humble myself before You. Keep me from arrogance which causes me to think I can serve You out of my own strength. I am weak, but You are strong! Help me to live a lifestyle of conversion, walking in faith, being changed daily, and strengthening others in their journey.
by George Runyan | Sep 24, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Corinthians 2:1 – I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
One who is determined has their mind made up. They have decided or resolved to do a certain thing. They are resolute and unwavering in their decision. Paul’s determination came from something beyond him. It came from the power of the cross of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Watchman Nee wrote in his book, “The Latent Power of the Soul” that God put tremendous ability in man’s soul beyond what we normally use. The problem is that “soul power” belongs to the old nature and not the new. Determination for the believer must be associated with the cross of Christ and not some natural reasoning from our old nature.
A sign the Holy Spirit is at work in us is in the destroying our confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). In Philippians 3:4, Paul goes on to say that more than anybody, he could put his confidence in his flesh. He chose not to because he recognized he died with Christ and now his source of life came from the resurrection power of the Lord. If we try to cling to natural virtues while God desires to bring forth the life of His Son in us, we find ourselves fighting against God. The virtue of Christ is in the “Fruit of the Spirit” alone.
Our determination should be rooted in the freedom of Christ which brings true liberty in our life experience. The biblical order that leads to a determination to follow the Lord is found in repentance, forgiveness, conversion, and a life of trust in God.
Individuality, independence, and natural reasoning are all a part of self-preservation. True freedom comes when I let go of hurts, bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness. This includes anything which relates to “self-preservation.” Only the wisdom of God through the cross of Christ can supply the power for our human condition.
Now is a great time to embrace Christ’s cross. For some, it may be the first time. For others, it could be a renewal of a commitment made years ago. Allow the Lord to conquer more of the natural man to include your plans, efforts, and reasoning. Ask Him to release a greater degree of His Life through the Holy Spirit in your planning, your work, and, your thought process. Be determined to know less of what you know and to know more of Jesus and Him crucified. Only through this kind of determination can we know the demonstration of His power and His life released through us.
Father, let the mind of Christ be in me. I want to embrace Christ more and more. Please conquer every area of the natural man. Cause me to become as determined as Paul became in knowing Christ and His cross each day of my life.
by George Runyan | Sep 23, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Proverbs 28:13-14 – He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
When we are faced with situations in life which keep getting worse, it is time to stop and evaluate the problem and then develop a plan of action to turn things around. This is exactly what the Father did for mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must face our present condition head on. Many try to ignore the conditions that are creating havoc in their lives. Many of God’s people have issues of depression, condemnation, and feelings of being bound with no way out of their circumstances. What is needed is a new way of thinking.
Here are some suggestions to help form a new way of thinking in developing a plan of action.
Accept “The New Man” God has made you to be in Christ. It is not just a theological position, but in reality we have been made new in Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Apply biblical principles to your situation. Find out what the Bible has to say concerning your problem.
Set goals. Part of developing a plan is the setting of goals. Make sure that your goals are realistic. Pray over your goals and invite the Holy Spirit to empower you to attain what you have set.
Let others participate with you as you try to attain the goals. Your spouse or a close friend needs to know what you’re struggling with and what your goals are. It is a good idea to have a spiritual leader also involved.
Make a clear determination to what you are to give your mind. Establish disciplines and be accountable daily, weekly, and monthly.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty (Proverbs 21:5). What a helpful thought Solomon gives to us. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Solomon tells us that a plan gives us a distinct advantage. The old adage of “haste makes waste” is certainly true in the lives of many. If we have been hasty in the past, we can stop, evaluate our situation, make a plan and turn things around.
Father, I thank You for the plan You have for my life. I am sorry for any haste on my part in not waiting on You for clear direction. Help me to plan carefully, be accountable, and have a clear determination in my thoughts.
by George Runyan | Sep 22, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
Hebrews 11:1-2 – Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.
The writer of Hebrews establishes the fact, that “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). There are a number of different kinds of faith. We will consider three types in our devotional.
Natural faith is simply a mental assent. I have faith that my car will be in the location where it was parked. I have experienced a time when it was not where I parked it because it was parked illegally. Natural faith operates within the realm of natural reasoning. It is a reasonable expectation of a particular outcome.
Self-motivated faith falls into the category of “metaphysics.” Some call this kind of faith “mind over matter.” That is, if I can just believe hard enough, my circumstance will change. This kind of faith originates in the soul of an individual. It is self-generated and self-imposed on a particular area, which one believes for change to take place.
God-breathed faith is biblical faith. True faith is an operation of the Spirit of God. When the writer of Hebrews says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” he is not speaking of a manufactured faith. He understands it is God who gives faith. When one looks up into the heavens and acknowledges God as creator one has an open heart where faith can operate. The essence of faith is rooted in the cross of Christ. Paul states, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20 KJV). It is not only faith in Christ, but His faith lived out through the believer.
The Father is raising up a body of believers who will demonstrate Christ’s faith to an unbelieving world. Many try to generate faith in the things they do for God, but the Father is looking for those who will open their hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to breathe Christ-like faith into their being. In essence, this is what being filled with the Spirit is about. It is the life of God filling the believer with the presence of the Godhead so that the faith of Christ may be manifested in the life of a believer. “Not I, but Christ”! This kind of faith captures the meaning of “sincere faith”.
Father, I thank You for opening my heart to receive Your kind of faith. First, to trust You for salvation through the cross of Christ and then to receive Your Spirit so I might fulfill Your intended purpose. Daily, breath Christ-like faith into my being I pray.
by George Runyan | Sep 21, 2016 | Devotional, George Runyan
2 Corinthians 10:1 – I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!
We have discovered in previous devotions how the Lord is helping us “Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” God is working in us for His good pleasure. He tells us, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing,” because He is working a divine emptying process in our lives to bring about biblical humility.
The Holy Spirit is not at work to make us weak and spineless, He is at work to reveal Christ in us through meekness and boldness. Society has emasculated manhood. God is not bringing us to weakness, but to be strong through gentleness!
Meekness is not weakness! Meekness is yielded strength under control. I think of the great stallion that has been broken and bridled. He still has the same strength and force, but he can be ridden and his power guided.
In meekness, Jesus was willing to empty Himself and do what the Father had appointed. Jesus chose to empty Himself and be guided only by the Holy Spirit throughout His entire human life. Jesus said, “Father, I will go through this shame and all the failure.” He was willing to die, not in a hospital taking pain medicine, but on the cross in great suffering. It was cruel and humiliating. He took all the shame and all the humiliation for us. He was humiliated so we could succeed. I too must choose to empty myself and be filled with His meekness which will result in strength.
“Meekness is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting; it is closely linked with the word humility. It is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less struggle and contend with Him. This meekness, however, being first of all a meekness before God, is also such in the face of men, even of evil men, out of a sense that these, with the insults and injuries which they may inflict, are permitted and employed by Him for the chastening and purifying of His elect” (Notes on Galatians, by Hogg and Vine pp. 294 from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words).
Why not say to the Lord, “Go ahead, Jesus, finish what you started in me.” Whatever our age might be, simply yield to the Lord and allow His strength to work in you mightily. The Lord is meek, but He is strong. Paul learned to walk in the meekness and strength of Christ. It is possible to know both Christ’s gentleness and His great strength as we yield to Him in the Holy Spirit. Ask the Father today to give you both meekness and boldness as you live out your salvation.
