New Year's Revelation

As we look forward to a new year with its uncertainties, challenges and potential, the Spirit quickened to my spirit Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:16-20.

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

In his research into community transformation, George Otis identifies the perception of three major people groups in society.

1.      Conditions are stable and prosperous.

2.      Conditions are troubling but not unmanageable.

3.      Conditions are desperate and unmanageable.

Your perception of your condition and the condition of your community will determine your level of pursuit of God. Accordingly, your level of pursuit of God will determine the level of revelation you will receive. God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for us can only be fulfilled as we come to realize that our condition is desperate and unmanageable, causing us to become desperate for more of God. That desperation brings us to a place of yielding and surrender to His will and plan no matter what the cost. This Christmas season I was reminded of the cost Joseph and Mary paid to be vehicles of ushering in the King of Glory. It was not convenient, and it turned their life and plans upside down.

As we look forward to a new year may God by His Spirit birth desperation in us for more of Him -- not desperation for a job or better job, a nicer home or a new car, or a greater ministry. May the Spirit of God drive us to our knees in prayer and surrender to His will. May our spiritual eyes be opened to see what God sees and to be moved by what moves Him.

My prayer for you is that as you search for Him with all your heart that He will grant you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him and you will come to understand the awesome calling He has on your life, the riches of His inheritance and the greatness of His power that is available to you. As we become desperate for Him, God wants to move us from the natural to the supernatural that He might be glorified and, like Joseph and Mary, we can be vehicles of ushering in the King of Glory.

Andy Clark

Merry Christmas

An Enduring Kingdom Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

This is a wonderful promise! In the midst of the political turmoil and uncertainty of our day there is a kingdom in the hearts of millions of believers whose government is firmly established on the strong, unchanging, stable shoulders of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

God is calling His people to transfer their entire focus and trust from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. He is the source of everything that we need. Our economy is based firmly on His kingdom and economic principles set out in His Word. In such rapidly changing times, He is our Wonderful Counselor to whom we go and depend upon for all our advice. He is our Everlasting Father who loves us passionately and to whom we can turn in every situation and know that He is always there for us. As the Prince of Peace, peace is His nature, and as we take on His nature we can walk in constant peace no matter what our circumstances.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty WILL accomplishes this. We are not the ones to do it. He will finish the good work He has begun in you. He will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He will establish His kingdom, and no political force or military might can stop it. He simply calls us to trust Him and to become a part of what He is doing in these last days.

This Christmas season and New Year, may we rejoice that the King is born, and “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” May you find refuge, counsel, grace and strength in His everlasting arms.

Love,

Andy and Emily Clark

The Great Adventure

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

As with Abraham, God calls each of us on a great adventure with Him. Sometimes this adventure is thrust upon us by events and circumstances beyond our control. The road of security on which we have been walking is suddenly wiped away by the loss of a loved one, an unexpected sickness, the loss of a job, the collapse of an investment, a divorce, a child who has made some bad decisions, the care of an aging parent. Maybe you are not facing a challenge or tragedy, but you simply find yourself at a juncture in your life where you need to make some decisions and some changes that take you out of your comfort zone of familiarity into the unknown of the future.

Whatever the situation, God begins to stir our nest urging us to step out of the place of security we have now, off the solid branch upon which we are standing, and trust the wings of faith He has given us, no matter how small and feeble they may seem, and do what seems impossible and fly.  Flying for the first time can be scary, and there is the chance of an occasional crash landing, but it is also very exhilarating and greatly increases our vision and potential.

Like Abraham, God is constantly calling us from the security of the known into the unknown, for it is in the place of the unknown where we receive our inheritance. In Ephesians 1:18, Paul prays for the Ephesians and for us that “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Abraham, as he “dwelt in the land of promise ---waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

If we will allow the Holy Spirit to enlarge our vision, there is something God has which is much greater than we have now. Whether what we have now seems good or bad, it is temporal, and God has something which has an unshakable foundation that is designed, created, and built by God himself for you and me. So today, spread your wings of faith, do something you have never done before, and enjoy the buoyancy of the wind of the Spirit underneath your wings. Let the great adventure begin.

Andy Clark

Living With Purpose

These days in which we are living, I believe God is calling us to live life with a greater sense of purpose. So often we get caught up in the routine of life, whether it is in ministry, our job, marriage, or family. God is calling us to be more intentional in serving Him, loving our wife and family, serving our church, at work, or in our community.

To enter the promises of God we need to live intentionally. We need to intentionally hear God’s voice in the small daily decisions and activities of our life. We need to purposefully take ownership or act on the prompting of God’s Spirit. We need to purposefully meditate on God’s Word and allow it to shape our character, values, decisions, and lifestyle. We need to live on the edge, where the supernatural happens in our marriage, family, church and career. Supernatural -- such that God invades these areas and does things beyond our capabilities and we begin to see that supernatural wisdom and favor of God in our daily lives. 

I like the way Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

24        “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

25        Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

26        Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

27        No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

“Run in such a way.” There is an art to running correctly to enhance speed and endurance. There is an art to swinging a golf club. Every aspect of the swing must be intentional to be able to hit the ball right where you want it. You can not excel without first developing your skill in whatever you do and doing it God’s way. He is prepared to coach us by His Spirit.

“Strict training.” This is the discipline to achieve the goal or purpose. The New Kings James uses the word “temperate,” which has the sense of balance in what you do. We tend often to succumb to the tyranny of the urgent and fail to do that which is most important.

“Running aimlessly and beating the air.”  In the midst of the endless distractions in life we have to keep focused on the purposes of God in our lives, whether immediate or long term. Satan loves to get us caught up in daily, small challenges and activities that take our eyes and our efforts off of God’s purposes.

Let us endeavor not to run aimlessly or beat the air, but to run with God’s purposes, both daily and long term, so that we may enter into His promises for us.

Andy Clark

Transformation vs. Reformation

 2 Corinthians 3:18
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In our western culture we think more in the sense of reform rather than transform. Reform means “to improve (someone or something) by removing or correcting faults, problems, etc.: to improve your own behavior or habits. “We watch TV shows, read books, hear teachings and sermons on how we can correct our faults and improve ourselves, our marriage, our children, our job, and our church. While these are good, God desires to do something much greater than what we can produce ourselves.

The emphasis in Scripture is on transformation. Transform means “to change (something) completely.” The word in Greek is metamorphoo from which we get our English word metamorphosis, as a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. When Nicodemus came to Jesus in John chapter three, his mind was so bound by the reformation of religion that he could not grasp the metamorphosis of the new birth.

For many becoming a Christian is adopting a religious belief and lifestyle. But, from its inception Jesus demands the transformation of a new birth. The reason we embrace reformation rather than transformation is that we can reform ourselves or attempt to reform ourselves, while transformation is supernatural and requires a yielding to and submission to God. We struggle with the supernatural because it is beyond our understanding and capability, requiring faith in God to do the impossible in our lives.

The other issue we face is that transformation requires dying to ourselves. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25 Dying to self releases the transforming and explosive growth of the Spirit in our lives.

The wonderful thing about transformation is that it moves us from the natural into the supernatural, from our ability to God’s ability, and from provision to the promise. Transformation happens as we take our eyes off of ourselves, others, and the world and begin fixing our gaze on the Lord of glory, allowing His Spirit to transform us from glory to glory into His image.

Andy Clark

Receiving the Promise

In Genesis 26:3-5 God reaffirms to Isaac his covenant with Abraham, “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."

Over six hundred years later Israel stands on the bank of the Jordan River preparing to receive the promise God had given Abraham. For forty years they had walked under God’s provision in the wilderness, but now was the time to move from provision into promise. They faced great challenges of fortified cities, giants and great armies with chariots. Forty years earlier their fathers had stood on the banks of this very Jordan. But because of a bad report of ten spies, they retreated from the promise back into the comfort of provision.

Oftentimes in our lives we fail to move from provision into God’s promises for us. As I mentioned last week, we often let the promises that God gave us die in us because of time and circumstances. The challenges of entering into the promises seem often times overwhelming and impossible. God intentionally makes His promises too great for us because He wants to fulfill the promises as we trust and obey him. Notice God’s word to Isaac, “I will be with you, I will give you all these lands, I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham, and I will make your descendants multiply.” To receive the promise, we must maintain faith that He who is faithful will fulfill the promise. Because it is only out of that position of faith that we can be led by the Spirit to walk out in obedience today what God wants us to do in order to receive the promise.

God told Isaac, “I will give your descendents all these lands --- because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge.” Abraham was not some great preacher or evangelist. He was a herdsman who most of his life led a nomadic life like many in his day. But when God asked him to do something, He immediately did it whether it was leaving his home and country, or being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. In the midst of all Abraham’s wandering, he never forgot his charge, what God had charged him to do, his destiny. In all the places he traveled, all the challenges he faced and things he did, he never lost sight of the faithfulness of God and the promises God had given him.

As Joshua stood on the banks of the Jordan facing the giants of Israel’s past, the Lord appeared to him and said to Joshua, “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. --- Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you. --- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:3,6,9

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” Heb. 10:35-36

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”         I Corinthians 1:20

Andy Clark

Great Expectations

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  John 11:25-26

This was a trying time for Mary and Martha. Their brother Lazarus had been sick, and they had sent a message to Jesus to come quickly. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were good friends of Jesus, almost like family. Jesus often stayed in their home that was not far from Jerusalem. But for some reason beyond their comprehension, Jesus had delayed, and now Lazarus had been dead for four days. When Jesus finally arrives, Martha is the first one to meet him. Notice her comment in verse 21. "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”  She is declaring her faith that Jesus could have healed her brother. But now that he is dead and buried, all hope is passed.

Sometimes we are like Mary and Martha. We have received promises from God, had visions or dreams that we have prayed and believed for, and they just haven’t come to pass. Maybe we have an unsaved loved one or a child who has strayed away from God for whom we have prayed for years, and there seems no more hope. Maybe we have launched out in ministry and expected great things for God, and it hasn’t happened. Maybe we have prayed for a job or some desperately needed financial provision, and nothing has come forth. We don’t understand why it hasn’t happened. We really believed God. Over time the call, the vision, the prayer and desire dies’ and we bury it and go on with life.  Like Martha, we say, “God if you would have come through then it would have been awesome, but it is a little late now.”

Our challenge is that we live in time, bound by circumstances and situations that are beyond our control. But God is not bound by either time or circumstances. Revelations 13:8 says that Christ was crucified from the creation of the earth.  In God’s mind, even before He created Adam and Eve, Christ had been crucified for man’s redemption. It was a done deal. Neither time nor circumstances could alter it. In Eph 1:18-20 Paul prays, “that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know ….what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead.” That resurrection power is available to you to fulfill His promises to you.

The Bible says, “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Hebrews 11:11 Notice the time factor, Abraham was past age, and circumstance, Sarah was barren. What we think is past may be the present to God. What we deem as dead is not dead to God. 

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 says “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” The same one who established you, anointed you and sealed you by His Spirit will do it through you. “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” Hebrews 10-35-36

May God by His Spirit rekindle the great expectations that you once had.

Andy Clark

(To be continued next week. “Receiving the Promise”)

Heirs of God

“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,  "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”  Galatians 4:1-7

Paul refers in this Scripture of our “adoption as sons.” We think of adoption as being born into one family and adopted into another. The problem with this concept of adoption is that even when we are adopted we still carry the character traits of our birth parents. But as Christians we are born again, our old nature has died, and we have taken on the nature of Christ. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

The concept of adoption Paul lays out in this Scripture is from Roman and Jewish culture of his time. It refers to when a child is young, he was no different than a slave in that he had no rights as a son but was under guardians and stewards. But at the time appointed by the father he would come into the full right as heir. Not that the father had died, but everything the father had also became his.

Paul in speaking to Jews who understood this was teaching that under Old Testament law, even though they were heirs of the promise they remained as slaves to the law.  But at the time appointed by the father, God sent His Son to redeem us from the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. So now because of Christ we are heirs of God, so that everything that is His becomes ours also.

Paul goes on in Romans 8:14-17 to explain how that works out in our lives. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

If we are led by the Spirit of God, we do not have the spirit of bondage to fear as a child would, but we have received the Spirit of adoption. Through the guidance and power of the Spirit, we have full access to everything that Christ had and everything that is God’s. Children of this world have much to fear, but as children of God, we have nothing to fear. You belong to God and nothing can pluck you out of His hand. Everything that God has belongs to you. How much better can it get than that!

May you today by the Word and the Spirit come into a fuller revelation of how much the Father loves you that He would call you His child.  “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Amen and amen.

Andy Clark

Take Your Place

Psalms 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”

The table of the Lord is a place of abundance, a place of peace, and a place of communion. David draws this picture from the ancient Near East custom, where covenants were often concluded with a meal expressive of the bond of friendship. The head of the honored guest at the banquet was customarily anointed with oil. The cup running over was a sign of abundance. What an awesome picture of the relationship God wants to have with us!

Jesus reinforced this at the Last Supper with His disciples. In Luke 22:15 Jesus says, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you.” (NKJ) In the Message Bible it says, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you.”  Then just as the honored guest would have his head anointed with oil in David’s day, Jesus in the custom of his day honors his disciples by getting down and washing their feet.

Sometimes we fail to understand how much Jesus desires to fellowship and commune with us. We become so busy running here and there, trying to meet our needs and the needs of our family, when He already has a table of provision set for us. We are desperately trying to prove ourselves and to demonstrate our value or worth, when He desires to honor us. We struggle with worry and fear in an uncertain world and struggle with the attacks of the enemy, when He has already set a table for us in the presence of our enemies. We struggle in our own might to serve Him, when he wants to anoint our head with the oil of His Spirit to empower us to do what we cannot do in ourselves.

Stop struggling and running and take your place at the Lord’s table.  “In His presence is fullness of joy;

at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalms 16:11) The God of the universe “fervently desires” your presence. He has prepared a table for you and for me. He is honored to have us as a guest at his table. Even more than that, He wants to honor us. We are the apple of His eye, His joy and His desire. He wants to give us honor even before our enemies, for we are His treasured possession and he has redeemed us from every tribe, tongue, and nation by the blood of His Son.  He wants to fill your cup until it runs over.

The one thing our Lord seeks above all else from his servants, ministers, and shepherds is communion with Him. His table is vast and is never lacking. This table is a place of spiritual intimacy and is spread daily with all that we need. David said in Psalms 27:4, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”

May you be blessed, encouraged, strengthened, and satisfied in the presence of the Lord today.

Andy Clark

Ground Zero

Jeremiah 25:6-7

“Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’Yet you have not listened to Me," says the LORD, "that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.”

We all know “Ground Zero” is the place where the Twin Towers once stood as symbols of capitalism and American economic might. It should be a warning that we should not put our confidence in what we have achieved with our hands, which is temporal and can easily be destroyed.

God had an ongoing issue with His people Israel. He had chosen them, blessed them, and made them great. But instead of worshiping and thanking Him for their abundance, they began to worship the works of their hands. So, God sent His prophets to warn them, but because of the love of the works of their hands, they refused to listen and repent. As a result, God sent the Babylonians to destroy Israel and take them into captivity.

Yet those in Jerusalem and Judah thought it was impossible for it to happen to them because Jerusalem was God’s chosen city and the temple was God’s dwelling place. After all, they were the people of God, and they were worshiping God in His temple. Despite this, God destroyed His city and temple and sent His people into captivity because they continued to worship the works of their hands.

We the church, who are God’s people, must be careful that we, too, do not become deceived into thinking that because we are God’s chosen people and worship God that we will avoid the judgment that God will bring upon this world, if we, like the world, worship the works of our hands.

If we are not watchful, prayerful, and obedient to God’s Word, not only could our nation experience a Ground Zero, but we as the church could face a Ground Zero when what we have put our confidence in is stripped away. Ground Zero is not for our destruction but to cause us to make Jesus, His Word, and His will the center of our lives. It is only when we reach Ground Zero that we will have the courage to stand up and proclaim the lordship of Christ in our society, no matter what the cost, because we have already lost everything for Christ.

Paul said in Philippians 3:7-9, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish , that I may gain Christ.”

Andy Clark

God Apps

This past week at my home group we were discussing the importance of prayer in our everyday lives. We talked about the discipline of having times of prayer at church, in the mornings and evenings, but more than that we needed develop a habit of prayer where we incorporated God into every aspect of out lives. One of the ladies in the group was sharing about how stressful her job was and how she continually turned to God for wisdom and help in dealing with people who had terrible attitudes, got angry, and even cursed at her over the phone.

As she was sharing, another woman in the group picked up on the discussion and began to talk about how hard it is for us to understand, believe, and tap into the spiritual realm. However, we have all kinds of electronic devices, such as I-pads and smart phones, of which we have little understanding about how they work, but we constantly use them to get information out of the air and instantly communicate with people all over the world. Her husband spoke up and said, “What we need is a God app.”

The fact is that we do have God “apps,” such as gifts, fruit, and power of the Spirit, prayer and the Word. Jesus told the disciples in John 16:7-8, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” When we are born again, we receive a tremendous gift from God, the Holy Spirit, the Helper who dwells in us always. We have access to the Author of life who knows all things and has unlimited resources, but we are too busy to learn how to use our God given apps.

My children are much better than I in using their smart phone because they spend hours exploring the limits of its use. It is such a part of their daily lives that they feel they could not live without it. You only get to know the Holy Spirit by spending time with Him and incorporating Him in every aspect of your life. He needs to become such an important part of your marriage, family, work, and finances that you cannot function without Him. He is your one-stop solution to everything.

Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15) 

Don’t just use your smart phone to make emergency calls, or worse yet, leave it at home. Get to know the Author of life who lives in you. He is an awesome genius who knows everything and has infinite resources that are available to you for every situation.

Andy Clark

Seeing the Unseen

Hebrews 11:1,3

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

I love this quote from Graham Cooke’s The Faith Series. "Faith is action. It is stepping out towards what God has shown you is yours in the invisible realm. If we believe, then we must make an action consistent with that belief. So faith is an external action based upon an internal belief."

While the focus of both Hebrews 11:1,3 and Graham’s statement is the importance of faith as to what we believe and how we act on that belief, there is also a key element that we often overlook that is also an essential ingredient to the will of God manifested in our life. Faith is activated by what we see in the spiritual realm. It is the evidence or the ability to see and bring into reality things not seen. Faith is not a leap into the unknown. It is stepping out towards what God has shown you is yours in the invisible realm.

So, we may have faith but fail to receive because we lack godly vision. Many times our faith is driven by what we see in the natural and what we desire in the natural. We are not laying claim to the invisible but the visible. Our spiritual vision can become clouded by the constant visual bombardment of the world causing us to attempt by faith to lay claim to what the world has to offer rather than what God has to offer.

Paul, who in 2 Corinthians 4:7-17 encourages us to walk in faith in the midst of the challenges we face in life, concludes in verse 18 by saying, “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” We must refocus our vision, faith, and actions off of the temporary, material, chaotic, decaying world we live in and begin to see what God sees and respond as God would have us respond.

Colossians 3:1-4 says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind (or affection) on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” May you see Jesus as you never have before and find Him to be all that you need.

Andy Clark

The Cave

1 Samuel 22:1-2

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

It was God’s anointing on David’s life that enabled him to kill the lion and the bear, to kill Goliath, and bring great victory to Israel. It was the anointing that enabled David to play the harp in worship to God to quiet the tormented spirit of Saul and enabled him to become the greatest general in Saul’s army, so that the women of Jerusalem sang, “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”  It was that same anointing that protected and sustained David as a refugee in the cave of Adullam.

It was in the cave of Adullam that God begin to pull together the men that would make David’s army. David’s mighty men started out as poor, disgruntled refugees, the outcasts of Saul’s kingdom. They went in the cave defeated and came out with the shout of victory because they had joined up with David’s cause and vision. It was in the cave of Adullam that they were trained for war and galvanized together as one to become David’s mighty men who would one day conquer and subdue kingdoms.

It was in the cave of Adullam that David wrote the Psalm of praise in 2 Samuel 22.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation.

He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.”

The anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon our lives not only to enable us to worship God in the good times and to bring us victory over circumstances in life, but also the anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon our lives during our time in the cave, when no one sees us, and the enemy surrounds us and seeks to destroy our souls. It is in the cave that we truly discover God to be our rock, our fortress, our shield, and our salvation. It is here that our true character is tested and our hands are trained for war. It is in the cave that our vision is sharpened, and deep, life-long relationships are formed.

May you discover today the greatness of our God; may His anointing sustain you and  renew your strength and vision for all He has for you.

Andy Clark

In Christ

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as I look around today, I see so many facing challenges in their lives, whether it be with health, finances, family issues or ministry. I want to look at some promises today that will help you walk in victory whether facing the fiery furnace or a den of lions that seem to be ready to devour you at any minute.

Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”

This promise of overcoming circumstances and people that may come against us is based on two godly principals. First, as children of God, being more than a conqueror is our heritage. Because Christ overcame we will overcome also. He has defeated the powers of death, hell and the grave. We walk in His resurrection power. God does not promise to keep us from attack of the enemy, but the attack will not prosper because of who we are in Christ Jesus.  

Secondly, God declares that our righteousness of from Him. We do not stand in our righteousness but in the righteousness of Christ. This promise is not based on our goodness or our ability, but on who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us. We often fail to overcome because we are so aware of our weaknesses and failures, and we lose sight of who we are in Christ. Romans 8:1-3 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

I like to illustrate the principle of Romans 8:1-3 by placing a hanky over my fist. My fist represents my sinful nature, and the hanky the righteousness of Christ. The accuser of the brethren, other people, and even we ourselves often focus on what is under the hanky, while all God only sees is the hanky. I then begin to stuff the hanky into my fist to illustrate that over time as we walk in the Spirit, the righteousness of Christ that covers us begins to fill our life as we are changed from glory to glory in the image of Christ. However during the transformation process we are constantly covered by and stand in the righteousness of Christ.

Christ is our salvation, our healer, our provider, and our deliverer. God loves you not because of who you are or what you have done, but because of who He is. He is love. Victory is His because He cannot fail. Defeat is not in His nature. He has peace in the midst of conflict and turmoil because He is the Prince of Peace. As a born again believer, you are in Christ and it is out of your relationship with Him that you overcome and walk in love, peace, and victory no matter what circumstances you face.

Whatever weapon has been formed against you today cannot prosper because the God of the universe declares over you “this is their heritage and their righteousness is of me.”

Andy Clark

Old Clothes

Mark 2:21-22

“No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.”

In Mark chapter two, Jesus has just healed the paralytic man who had been lowered through the roof and forgiven of his sin, causing a stir among the scribes who teach that only God can forgive sins. Jesus then goes on and asks Matthew, a tax collector, to be His disciple and goes to a party at Matthew’s house, causing more consternation among the Pharisees. They then ask Jesus why He and his disciples don’t fast twice a week like the Pharisees and their disciples. 

It is in this context that Jesus makes the above comment about old clothes. Jesus had a habit of totally upsetting the traditions of His day in His teachings and actions. What He did and said challenged the norms and traditions of His day. To choose a tax collector hated by Jews to be His disciple and then go hang out at a party with all his ungodly, corrupt, and wicked friends, when Jesus should have been fasting with His disciples, was total sacrilege. All of this was punctuated by a demonstration of power that no one had ever seen before.

Jesus has not changed. He still wants to strip us of our old clothes, our old nature, mindset, and traditions that war against what God wants to do in our lives and our communities. We tend to cling to our understanding and experiences to define our future. When faced with new challenges in the wilderness, the children of Isreal kept wanting to go back to the familiar of Egypt. Egypt was not a good place but a safe place that they were familiar with and understood. The wilderness was a hostile environment where they were totally dependent upon God.

Jesus calls us to a radical change of dying to our old nature, ways of thinking, and doing things. We, in turn, would prefer a gradual reformation. We want to keep the old clothes of our past that we are comfortable with and just have Jesus patch the bad spots in our lives. But Jesus wants to strip us of ourselves, so that He can clothe us with himself and move us into our future. The only way from Egypt to the Promised Land is through the wilderness, where we totally lose control and become dependent on the Father.

Sometimes we forfeit future promises of God for the security of our present. We become so familiar with where we are. It is not the best, but it is comfortable. Allow God to enlarge your borders. New borders bring new challenges but also greater capacity. God doesn’t call us to be normal because Jesus lives in us. God wants to introduce you to your future while you are in your present. “For I know the plans (plural) I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Andy Clark

Rivers in the Desert

Isaiah 43:19

“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Maybe you find yourself in a spiritual desert or wilderness, whether it is where you work, live, or minister. You find yourself surrounded by spiritual apathy, no spiritual life, or actual antagonism against spiritual things. Maybe your own life feels a little dry or you feel you are in a spiritual rut. I believe God wants to do a new thing in your life, your family, your church, community, and job. But that new thing can only spring forth as we allow Him to build a road in the wilderness or bring a river into your desert.

Jesus said in John 7:37-39, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Isaiah said God would make rivers in the desert. Jesus said, “…out of our heart will flow rivers of living water.” The source of living water for your desert begins with your relationship with God. The new thing begins when you become so thirsty for God that you cannot be satisfied with anything else. Jesus said we must come to Him, we must believe in Him, and we must receive Him. The man who found a treasure in a field sold everything He had to buy the field. To come into the fullness of what God has for us we have to sell out to the River Maker.

Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as the living water that will flow out of us to water our desert. Now, in the context of this Scripture, it says the Holy Spirit had not yet come because Jesus had not yet been glorified, meaning He had not yet died, risen, and ascended to the Father. But I believe in a spiritual sense the Holy Spirit is unable to refresh our desert because Christ has not yet been glorified in us. As a believer, the Holy Spirit resides in you, but His presence, this living water, has not been manifested in your life, family, or job because Christ has not yet been glorified in you.

The key to a road in your wilderness and rivers in your desert is not only a pursuit of Christ, the treasure in the field, but a willingness to glorify Him in the midst of your wilderness and desert. Exalt His Name on your job, in your family, and in your church. Involve Him in your dry places, and rivers of living water will spring out of you, bringing refreshing into your environment. Be a cup of cold water for someone today in the Name of Jesus, and see what He will do for and through you for His glory.

Andy Clark

Empowered by His Grace

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” NKJV

The grace of God through Jesus Christ is not just good news for the lost, it is good news for every believer. We often think of grace as being soft, easy, getting a pass. But grace is the mightiest power we will ever see at work in our lives. It is also the only power that brings real fruit to our walk with God. The writer of Ephesians reminds us that we are not only saved by grace,but we are empowered by grace. Grace is what enables us to carry out the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We as Christians are often so hard on ourselves as we try to be like Christ or attain what we see in God’s Word and take on the burden of achieving what we feel God has called us to accomplish. Perhaps, we have tried and failed, or we have just given up and taken the grace card to accommodate our shortcomings. The great Apostle Paul struggled with some issues in his life and brought those issues to the cross of Christ. Jesus’ response to him was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." To which Paul responded, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

In Mark, chapter 3, a man with a withered hand came to Jesus for healing. Jesus commanded him to stretch forth his withered hand. When he did, it was healed. We often want to hide our withered hand, our weaknesses and failures. However, Jesus commands us to extend into the open our weaknesses because in our weakness he is made strong and His grace is revealed. It is not by our ability and hard work that we overcome. It is by His grace that we overcome every failure and obstacle that rises up against us. It is when we extend our withered hand that the power of Christ rests upon us. It is not by our ability but by His grace that we overcome.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” By the Holy Spirit the full nature and power of God resides in you. His grace is sufficient for whatever you are facing today. Not only is it sufficient to carry you through, but it is sufficient to empower you to demonstrate His grace to those around you.

May you be empowered by His grace and may you empower others with His grace.

Andy Clark

A Call to the Nations

“Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you." Isaiah 55:5

God is calling His church to raise their voice and call to the nations. God is calling His apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers to raise their voice and call to the nations. God is calling His people, His chosen ones, the ones upon whom He has given His spirit to call to the nations. In the midst of crisis, political and economic upheaval, it is time to raise the shofar and give a sound to rally the nations unto God and unto His kingdom.

It is time to turn aside from our daily routine of life and hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to the church. God wants to reveal Himself to us in a new way to enable us to do a new work, a work of His grace and power, “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:19 We need to see bigger than ourselves, our ministry, our program and our church. We need for God to give us a vision and heart for cities, people groups, and nations. Our hearts cry should be “GOD GIVE US THE NATIONS!”

Isaiah goes on to say that as we call a nation, that nations will run to us because the Lord our God has glorified us. We must prepare ourselves spiritually and position ourselves in ministry for the harvest that is coming and in many places is already here. Isaiah said people will run to us because the Lord our God has glorified us.  As economic, political and social upheavals happen in this world, people are going to run to us if the glory of God is in us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” It is not about us but about God. We need to lift up and exalt His Name in our lives and in the earth.

Paul said: “I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named.” Romans 15:20 God is raising up a vast army of missionaries from around the globe to take the gospel where it has not yet been preached. At one time we had a saying on the wall of the World Horizons office that said, “We are here on the behalf of the church yet to be in a world where every second another person slips into a Christ-less eternity.” Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14

I want to challenge you to step out of the quagmire of your everyday circumstances, lift up your eyes in faith to the fields that are ripe and ready for harvest, and cry out for the nations.  As you watch the news, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how to pray for the nations and people you are seeing on the news. Be open to the Holy Spirit speaking to you to go on a short missions trip or support a missionary.

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” Psalms 24:7-10

May the Lord of hosts, the King of glory be with you and empower you today to give Him glory.

Andy Clark

Kingdom Language

Matthew 13:11-13

"You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.” NLT

Jesus said in the above portion of Scripture that those of us who are born again into His kingdom “have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.” The key word here is permitted. As born again believers we have been given the privilege and opportunity to understand these secrets that those of the world cannot understand. Jesus goes on to say that there is going to be a growing dichotomy, or difference, between us and those in the world. As we pursue His teachings we are going to come into an abundance of knowledge, while the little bit of understanding and knowledge the world has will be taken away from them.

So, we see this increasing separation between us and the world. That is why the world is becoming more and more foolish in what it promotes and does. Paul describes it this way in Romans 1:21, “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” If we do not guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, we too can become caught up in this futility, foolishness, and deception of the world. Jesus warns in Matthew 24 that even many Christians will be deceived.

One of the main keys to avoiding the deception of these last days is learning the language of the Kingdom in order to hear, understand, and practice the principles of the Kingdom. When you learn a language, you have to invest time and resources to learn that language. You have to quit speaking your native language, and begin spending time with the people whose language you are learning, listening, memorizing, and beginning to speak. Book learning is not enough. No matter what your level of proficiency, you have to get out there and practice what you have learned.

If we are going to understand the secrets of the Kingdom, we have to stop watching, meditating, thinking like and imitating the world. We have to quit speaking the world’s language. Jesus, the Word, became flesh in order that we could think, talk and act like kingdom people. We have to spend time with Him, invest time in His Word, allowing it to become a part of us. Jesus said, “As we are open to His teaching, more understanding will be given, and we will have an abundance of knowledge.” They say you are really getting to know a language when you begin to dream in that language. In the same way, you will know you are beginning to master Kingdom language when you begin to have more dreams of the Kingdom than dreams of earthly things.

Andy Clark

Joy of the Journey

Psalms 16:11

“You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Our journey to the heart of God is a life-long journey of discovering the greatness of the God whom we serve. It is not a journey of works but a journey of faith and obedience that constantly yields new doors of blessing and fulfillment. The journey of works is a hard road to walk, filled with hills and valleys of success and failure. When we are successful, we feel great; when we are doing poorly, we feel discouraged, frustrated, angry or depressed.  We measure the progress of our journey by comparing ourselves to others and where they are on their journey.

The journey to the heart of God is a life-long journey of discovering who God is in all of His love, greatness, and power. It is an ongoing revelation of His awesome character and nature. This journey is not void of works, but these works are an outgrowth of relationship and not a proof of value or source of identity and affirmation. Our fulfillment and contentment is solely found in our ongoing relationship with the Father through the Spirit.

Look at the focus of the Psalmist. It is totally on God. “You will show me that path of life.” The path of life cannot be found in a do-it-yourself manual of ten easy steps to success. The path of life is found from beginning to end in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is cultivated on a daily basis in every aspect of life. The path of life is a discovery of Jesus in our marriage, family, and job. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) The path of life is found in Jesus Christ.

The Psalmist continues, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” When you are in love with someone, it impacts every area of your life. It puts joy in your heart, a spring in your step, and a smile on your face. It has nothing to do with performance but radically improves your performance. It changes your perspective on everything. You respond to people and circumstances with optimism and joy. It is contagious! When you are in love with God, you will have a growing awareness of His presence and incorporate Him in every decision, everything you say and do. He becomes the center of your life.

The Psalmist concludes by saying, “At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  It is only in His presence that we have access to His right hand, which is filled with blessings and pleasure forevermore. However, blessing and pleasure is not the source of joy. His presence is our source of joy. Pleasures and blessings are simply an outgrowth of our relationship. When we truly get to know Him, the greatest pleasure is spending time with Him. Enjoy your journey with God.

Andy Clark

Mutal Exclusivity

Mutual exclusivity is when one thing excludes something else or two things cannot occur at the same time. An example is tossing a coin once, which can result in either heads or tails, but not both. You can’t look and sneeze at the same time. It has been proven that if you focus on keeping your eyes open, it will keep you from sneezing. You can’t focus on yourself and others at the same time.

Jesus had a lot to say about mutual exclusivity in the kingdom and life with Him. Can you recognize what is mutually exclusive in each of these statements of Jesus?

 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24)

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

“The last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16)

“He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:11-12)

Jesus said that our money and his money, our life and his life, being first and last, servant and master are mutually exclusive. We cannot live for ourselves and live for God. Jesus wants all of us, not a part, or a day or an hour, but all of us. With Jesus it is all or nothing. In His relationship with the Father it was all or nothing. Jesus said He was one with the Father, and He calls us into that oneness with Him and the Father. He said when you have seen me, you have seen the Father. The world is looking for the Father in us. As the world rapidly degenerates into greed, selfishness, sin and idolatry, we will have to make a decision. Are we going to live for ourselves or for God? Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, we are going to have to take a stand no matter what the cost.

I am on a journey to the heart of the Father and invite you on this journey. I do not know where it will take me or what the cost will be, but it is a journey that I am compelled to take by the Spirit. This unexplainable appetite for more of God calls me to lay down more of myself and my desires and to pull away and spend more time with Him. I don’t believe it is only happening to me. I believe God is calling to Himself a people from all over the world who are willing to lay everything down in their pursuit of Him and are willing to stand up and declare His name no matter what the cost.

Please respond if you are on this journey, and let us together walk into the future God has for us.

Andy Clark

avclark@juno.com