by George Runyan | May 14, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
As we consider the life of David and his revelation concerning his depravity and his desperate need for God’s Holy Spirit, we also observe that he confesses he had lost his joy and a willing spirit. Very few people live in joy. There is a difference between being happy and being joyful. Happiness depends on things going well in life. Joy is an inward feeling that is there whether all is well or not. Our salvation in Christ is the fountain of our joy. I had a fellow employee ask me this question one day as I entered the shop, “What gives you the right to be happy all the time?” He did not know the difference between “joy” and “happiness.” It gave me opportunity to tell him of the source of my joy that he saw as happiness.
I love how David ties together his request for restoration of the “joy of God’s salvation” and “a willing spirit.” David recognized that true salvation comes from the willingness of his inner man. A willing spirit is the foundation of true submission to the will of God. Many times people say they are willing to serve God, no matter what, in the emotion of the moment. To serve God takes “a willing spirit”! It is the health of the spirit of a person that will sustain. A willing spirit comes from God Himself.
Over many years of ministry, I have found that the root of people’s struggles can be located in “a broken spirit,” The hurts of life and the hurts caused by others can break an individual’s spirit to cause them to give up trying. God’s Holy Spirit wants to heal the broken spirit, but it begins in taking personal responsibility. First, acknowledging one’s own sin against God. Second, one must release others who have hurt them. The Holy Spirit will then begin the process of healing the “broken spirit” and creating a “willing spirit,” which will become the key to sustaining the individual. The Holy Spirit will restore the joy of God’s salvation and sinners will be converted as a result (Psalm 51:13).
Thank You, Lord, for what You did for David. For the joy of Your salvation, which is my portion as well. Heal my brokenness and sustain me with a willing spirit. Let me see sinners converted as a result of Your mighty work in me.
by George Runyan | May 13, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Psalm 51:11 – Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51 is one of the most hopeful and encouraging passages of Scripture. David, out of his own sin and brokenness, reveals what a truly repentant heart looks like. Beginning in verse 5, David identifies the root of our human problem. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; and in sin my mother conceived me.”
Many times, people are convicted over a sin, but do not identify the root of the issue as David has done. Our basic nature is one of lawlessness, which is the meaning of “iniquity.” The reason the Law of God, which is perfect, could not save us is in the “weakness of our flesh” (Romans 8:3).
David confessed to God that his conception was rooted in sin. His appeal to God was the full recognition of his absolute depraved condition. One cannot express more sincere humility than the position David took in this Psalm. David appealed to God in verse 11, asking “not to be cast away from God’s presence.” He knows the only real thing that matters is a life lived in the presence of God. David also understood that this life is a life lived in the Spirit: “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” David knows that he is in danger of losing that presence and favor of God because of his sin. This is why David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He recognized his absolute lost condition without God and his absolute dependence upon God.
When one comes to Christ, one needs to take the same posture as David in recognizing their true condition. A true confession of our need of Christ must contain these two components: recognition of my utter depravity and my desperate need for God’s Holy Spirit. A shallow confession of faith will lead to a life full of challenges and frustration, because it is not wholly dependent upon God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit led Christ to the cross. He is also leading us to our own personal cross of self-sacrifice and surrender to the Father’s will.
Today, ask the Lord to reveal your true depraved condition and to give you a desire for an absolute dependence upon His Holy Spirit. Ask for the grace to freely take up your cross and follow Him.
by George Runyan | May 10, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
1 Thessalonians 4:3 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.
Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians in their faith. Paul was concerned that they would be hindered from following Christ because of the afflictions they were suffering. The opposition was coming through their own countrymen from the very beginning of their service for Christ. Paul was concerned that they would grow weary and give opportunity for Satan to hinder their growth. In their culture, as with ours, there was much immorality. Satan uses affliction and difficulties to discourage us and draw us back into fleshly desires. Fleshly gratifications only last a short time. Paul wanted them to understand the true purpose of affliction. God uses affliction to help complete what is lacking in our faith.
Each time a believer chooses to trust God in the times of affliction by going through the difficulties and their faith becomes stronger and stronger. Paul is contrasting two opposite sides of the struggle. First, God’s will is our “sanctification.” This addresses our separation to His kingdom and to His kingdom purpose. It begins in the spirit, but is always tested in the flesh. God is seeking to raise us up as a people of sanctification and honor. This is what living above reproach really means. If we are ridiculed for a righteous lifestyle, it brings honor and praise to God. If we choose to walk in the flesh, we become a reproach to God’s kingdom purpose.
The Father sent the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name to be our Helper. We must draw from His almighty power to be sustained when afflicted. He is the one who supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. This is not just material needs that so many are claiming, but our need for His holiness, His character, and His strength when we feel like giving up. Resist the broad road of just living for the flesh and the feel-good moment. The life separated to God is the life filled with fruitfulness and fulfillment.
Lord Jesus, I know that You gave Your all for me. You lived above reproach and totally honored Your Father. Help me, by the power of Your Holy Spirit whom You have sent, to live above reproach and honor the Father by faith in Your precious blood.
by George Runyan | May 9, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
John 14:26 – The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
The fruit of revelation came with the teachings of Jesus. All those that heard Jesus’ teachings were amazed because He did not teach in the way they had become accustomed. He taught “with authority” to which Jesus was not just repeating what the writers of the Old Testament had written. He brought revelation to the Scriptures. He revealed their true meaning and fulfillment found in Him. This became revelation to many of those who heard Him. Not only did Jesus explain the Scriptures accurately, He demonstrated them through signs and wonders.
The Holy Spirit is the great teacher of truth. He does not concern Himself with theoretical views, but absolutes that will transform our lives. For the believer, He is the source of all reality. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Father sending the Helper. The Helper would teach them “all things.” The Holy Spirit is our helper too. Truth comes from the Spirit of Truth who lives in us. We study and listen to messages by Bible teachers, but seeing clearly is rooted in the Spirit of God giving us revelation power. The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to transform our thinking. When we learn the teachings concerning past revelation, it helps to establish us. For example, the “just shall live by faith” or the “priesthood of every believer” are truths that were revealed to past generations. When we hear and receive from the Holy Spirit on a personal level, it can have a great impact and bring dramatic change into our lives. That change not only changes us, but will also affect others.
George Whitefield, one of the great revivalists during the first great awakening is an example of what I am saying. God gave him a simple revelation, “preaching could be done outdoors.” It seems simple to us, but in the liturgical church of the mid-1,700’s it was not only unusual, but thought by many to be heretical. He was mocked and persecuted.
This simple revelation produced dramatic fruit. By age 24, Whitefield had preached to over 40,000 people in outdoor settings. He persuaded Wesley to do the same. Whitefield made six trips to America and once preached to 23,000 people in Philadelphia. There were estimates that during his life, he preached to half the population of the colonies, from Georgia to New England.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for the Helper to teach me all things that You would have me to know. Give me simple revelations that would have dramatic fruit in my life and in the lives of others I touch.
by George Runyan | May 7, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Galatians 5:24 – Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Jesus laid the foundation for the truth that Paul is giving to the believers at Galatia. “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ ” (Matthew 16:24-25). Part of entering into life with Christ is the putting off of the flesh which is rooted in the old nature, also called the old man. Oh, the absolute genius of our God! God becomes human in the Son. Christ lives the sinless life; He dies in our place as our substitute. God the Holy Spirit raises Him from the dead, enthrones Him as a resurrected man seated at the right hand of God the Father. The Spirit of God is poured out in the earth to bring forth a new creation. We choose to put the old nature to death and we choose to receive the new man. We live life through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. What power has been given to man! What eternal joy is ours to possess! What victory over death and hell!
Once again, the Scriptures put the onus on our choosing to “crucify the flesh”. The ability to crucify one’s flesh is utterly impossible! You can hammer the nail into one hand, but someone else must hammer a nail into the other. That is why the Lord has set us into a community of believers. It takes another to finish the job of crucifixion. Sometimes it takes more than one, a few to hold us down while others drive in the nails.
Beloved, this is a serious matter and not to be taken lightly. In a marriage, often our partner has the hammer to help finish the job of crucifixion. Many run to another hoping to escape, but it does no good because our flesh still needs to be crucified. This is a part of Christianity that none of us like, but it is so necessary if we are to attain what God has for us in this life.
As the Holy Spirit was with Christ in His time of death, so will He be with us. God promises, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, so that we confidently say, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me” (Hebrews 13:5-6)? “I will never” literally means, “I will never, no never, leave you.” David declares, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
Let us be bold in the Lord and face our cross even as Christ faced His for us. Power will be released from His death on the cross and in His resurrection. Power will be released as we step into the new realms of His kingdom. By His power, we can guide others into the glorious freedom found in Christ Jesus our Lord!
by George Runyan | May 5, 2017 | Devotional, George Runyan
Galatians 5:16 – But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Walking by the Spirit is a choice one makes on a daily basis. Once you begin to practice walking by the Spirit, it becomes something like breathing. You don’t have to think about every decision or choice you make. Supernaturally, you just do it. It is supernatural in that you know it is the Holy Spirit who is leading your decisions and lifestyle.
The Spirit desires to make us a lover of people so we will instinctively respond in love. He wants to produce in us peace so that no matter what disturbances are happening around us, we are at peace. The Holy Spirit does not automatically produce these qualities in us. We choose to allow Him freedom to work and guide our lives for the glory of God. His nature is made up of the qualities Paul lists in Galatians 5 known as “the fruit of the Spirit.”
First, we allow the Holy Spirit to deal with our issues. That include our hurts, unforgiveness, perhaps childhood wounds, and whatever others might have done in the past to harm us. He wants to heal our heart. Secondly, He wants to establish us in the Word of God. It is the “washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26), that renews one’s mind. This begins to help us think correctly. Many years ago, an early mentor of mine would say “God is a do right God and we must therefore do right.” In essence, he was teaching me to be led by the Spirit because the Spirit of God always leads us to do the right thing. Thirdly, we must establish “Spirit-lead habit patterns.” We choose to love another, we choose to be at peace and rest in God, and we choose to allow joy to be predominant in our lives. The Spirit of God will quicken our choices and empower us to live above the natural realm in His supernatural ability.
These three basic areas must be applied in our lives as we learn to be led by the Spirit. As we learn to allow the Spirit of God to lead us, the flesh begins to be brought under control. Paul expresses it like this: “You will not carry out the desires of the flesh” (emphasis is mine). Many saints struggle with “being led by the Spirit”. Many still carry unforgiveness toward people who have inflicted past wounds. There are those who read the Word of God as a religious obligation, rather than for application purposes. Finally, many have not broken old habit patterns and are still being led by their carnal, fleshly nature rather than the new nature which the Holy Spirit gives at the time of new birth.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas that are hindering you from being led by the Spirit. Forgive, forsake, and surrender to Him, as He reveals the objects which hinder your growth in the life of the Spirit.
