by George Runyan | Mar 8, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:10 – Your will be done
There is nothing more important than the will of God. His will reigns supreme above all else. God the Father has invited humanity to cooperate with His purposes. The will of God is rooted in His purpose. Jesus is the full revelation of that purpose, a new man. Jesus completely fulfilled His Father’s will through His human life. He was led by the Holy Spirit to represent God the Father and lay down His own life for the lost humanity. In His redemptive work, He made it possible for all to be reconciled to the Father. Jesus has made it possible for each believer to do God’s will through the power of His Spirit.
Just as Jesus intercedes on our behalf, we have been invited to intercede on behalf of those yet needing redemption. Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s will is that each believer be matured in Christ and give testimony of God’s salvation to others. Just think, if every believer was praying for the lost and sharing their faith, how many might be saved.
The Lord Jesus did the will of His Father when He walked on earth. He finished the work when He died for the sins of the entire world. The Father raised Him up through His surpassing power and seated Him in the highest authority at His own right hand. The purpose of our salvation is to be joined with the Lord in doing the Father’s bidding on earth. Yes, we will go to heaven and be with Him throughout eternity, but for now, it is about doing His will.
God’s will was accomplished through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only acceptable sacrifice for sin. He redeemed all of mankind once and for all. No other sacrifice is needed, only the blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given to each believer to help us to be able to do God’s will. He brought conviction for sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is bringing forth a new man in the earth. This new man is known as the corporate body of Christ. He made it possible for the will of God to be done in and through each believer’s life.
Today, examine yourself and see if you are doing His will. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of your life that fall short of the will of God. Quickly repent and renounce any of those areas He shows you. Receive the Holy Spirit in a fresh infilling of power and do the work of the Father in your life.
by George Runyan | Mar 7, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:10 – Your kingdom come.
Jesus is calling the disciples into His ministry of declaring the kingdom of God. The first advent of the kingdom after our Lord was crucified, He descended into hell, and on the third day rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit is the one who brought the kingdom to earth. He is the one that causes the will of God to be accomplished. Many believe the kingdom is a future event, but Jesus said to His disciples, “Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21). The KJV translates it this way, “the kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom was present because the king was present. Jesus is ruling from heaven. He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer. The kingdom of God is present in the believer here and now.
Paul wrote, “The kingdom is in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The kingdom of God came to earth when the Holy Spirit arrived. The will of God is being worked out through the Spirit even unto this day. We are to continue to pray for the kingdom to come, but with an emphasis of increase in the earth. From the days of the apostles to the present, one purpose of the Spirit has been to increase the kingdom of God in the earth until the whole earth is full of the glory of the Lord (see Habakkuk 2:14).
It is important to evaluate the increase of the kingdom of God in our own lives. Many receive Christ as their Savior, but neglect to receive Him as Lord in the present. We first ask for God’s kingdom to come into us. We ask the Holy Spirit to take control in every area of our life. We then begin to share the kingdom of God with others, giving them an opportunity to receive God’s grace. If they respond to the invitation, they too may have the kingdom of God reigning in their life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Each person who repents of their sins and invites the Holy Spirit to fill them receives the promise of the Father. When someone does this, they are receiving God’s kingdom. What a wonderful gift the Father has given us through His Son!
As you pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done,” pray for the Holy Spirit to enlarge the kingdom of God in your life. Pray for the power to live a life fully committed to our great king and His kingdom purpose in the earth. Thank Him, for calling you into the kingdom of God and a relationship of service.
by George Runyan | Mar 5, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:9 – Pray then, in this way, Our Father who is in heaven.
In the beginning, God intended that earthly fathers would reflect the nature of His Father’s heart. Unfortunately, disobedience got in the way and man was separated from the heavenly Father through sin. Adam lost the ability to convey God’s true nature to his wife and his children. Jesus came with the purpose of revealing the Father to humanity. He promised His disciples that “He would not leave them as orphans” (John 14:18). The fourteenth chapter of the book of John is about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Again, Jesus said to His disciples, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, all that I said to you” (John 14:26).
A major portion of our salvation is rooted in getting to know our Father in Heaven. What a blessing we have in our developing relationship with the Holy Spirit as He helps us to know the Father. We will soon be ushered into our Father’s Holy Presence to stand before His throne in heaven. In the present moment, we are invited to “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 4:16). Prayer is a work of the Holy Spirit as He guides us to know how to pray. “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit helps our weaknesses” (Romans 8:26).
An old hymn says, “I am weak, but Thou art strong.” I come to the Lord in my natural weakness, but my heavenly Father meets with me and gives me strength as I grow in my relationship with Him. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into increasing knowledge and fellowship with your heavenly Father. He loves you so much! He proved it by sending Jesus and then sending the Holy Spirit to indwell your life.
Ask the Holy Spirit to increase your revelation of the Father. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you. Ask for more of the Father’s nature to be manifested in your life. Finally, ask to be one who reveals the Father to others.
by George Runyan | Mar 3, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Matthew 6:8 – Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Spirit-led prayer is not informational. Our Father in heaven already knows our needs. Prayer is not about words as much as it is about a relationship with our creator, redeemer, and the lover of our souls. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day uttered many words in prayer. They truly were not praying to God. They prayed to impress those watching them go through their religious act. Some take prayer to the extreme of only meditating. It is good to meditate! The Holy Spirit will lead us at times to what the Psalmist taught: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Waiting and listening is a very essential part of prayer. Some have gotten so mystical they separate themselves from family and culture. They isolate themselves to meditate, trying to touch God. The Holy Spirit will lead, from time to time, to get alone with our heavenly Father. Jesus regularly spent private time with His Father. He brought back to His disciples what He had received.
As we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the Word of God, He will instruct us how to be an instrument in God’s hands by coming to know God’s will. Christian prayer is meant to be relational. It is spending time in our Father’s presence. Prayer is using the views of Scripture in our communication with the Lord. Prayer is sharing your heart’s burden. Prayer is making our requests known to God. Spirit-filled and Spirit-led prayer comes out of righteousness and relationship with the heavenly Father. “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).
Many more things could be said about prayer, but nothing takes the place of simply praying. Start today with these few thoughts I have shared. Regularly have your Bible with you in your dedicated prayer time. Let the Scriptures guide you in knowing God’s will. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to portions of God’s Word which He would have you consider.
by George Runyan | Mar 2, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Romans 12:6 – Each of us is to exercise our gifts.
In our devotion yesterday, I spoke of exercising the gifts. Paul makes the point that we are to exercise or use the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God gives us gifts, but we must receive them and put them to use. Many believers have received gifts from God, but do not use them regularly, if at all. I know of those who were prayed for to receive the gift of prophecy and then prophesied, but did not continue to exercise the gift and it fell dormant. What is the purpose of receiving a gift if the one receiving the gift never uses it?
The gifts of God are meant to be used. In most cases, they are used to benefit others by revealing God’s love for them. Not exercising the gifts which the Holy Spirit chooses to give, denies others an experience of God’s grace through our life. It is important that we seek God for how He wants to use our lives. It is equally important to develop a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, the helper, so we learn to be sensitive to His leading and gifting through us. As we increase our devotion to God, we will become increasingly sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and to His empowerment.
Father, I make myself available to Your Holy Spirit. Lord, show me the gifts You desire to give and release through my life. I ask to be used effectively in ministering Your love to others. I desperately need Your presence and Your gifts to be operating in my life.
by George Runyan | Mar 1, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Romans 12:6 – We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.
The promise of the Father as recorded in Luke 24:49 was that the Holy Spirit would be given to everyone who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we speak of grace, we are speaking of God’s gift. We receive the grace of God when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings with Him everything the Father has made available in Christ. Paul is helping us understand that we are given different gifts according to the grace in our life. Romans 12:6 list some of those gifts. Each gift operates according to the measure of grace the Holy Spirit gives to an individual believer.
As we develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we should become increasingly aware of how the Spirit of God chooses to use our lives. We should become aware of the individual grace given to us to help others in their need. The Holy Spirit desires for us to receive His grace that has been freely made available to each believer. Some think, when the grace of God is given to a believer, the gift operating in and through them is complete and fully developed. Grace is simply God’s gift, whether it is our initial salvation, the receiving of the Holy Spirit in power, or one of the gifts of the Spirit spoken of here in the Romans passage and throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14.
Each gift of the Spirit must be nurtured and developed. We grow in our salvation, learning how to apply what the Lord gives us on a daily basis. A particular gift such as prophecy must be exercised in order for us to learn how to become effective in the gift’s operation. The gifts of healing are another example. One must begin to pray for the sick in order for the gift to be imparted. The more people for whom we pray, the more experience we will gain in exercising this beautiful grace of God. Our daily walk with the Lord should be one of learning and growing in His grace.
Ask the Lord to make clear to you the grace He has and wants to give you. Ask Him to guide you in the operation of His gifts. Ask Him to help you grow in the application of His grace in your life. Pray to become increasingly effective in ministering His power to those in need of His wonderful grace.
