Resurrection Power

We have just finished celebrating Easter, the most important celebration in Christianity, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. No other religion in the world can celebrate the resurrection of its founder. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:17, “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” But Christ has risen from the dead, and we know that if we are in Him, we will be raised with Him. Not only does His resurrection guarantee the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him, but it also promises us power for our lives today.

Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17-21,“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.”

Paul prays that we would know “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.” This resurrection power is what broke the power of sin, sickness, and death. This resurrection power resides in us by the Spirit enabling us to walk in authority over “all principality, power, might, and dominion, and every name that is named.” Christ gained victory over the enemy in order that by faith we can walk in His victory.

We cannot know this power through study, observation or experience. Oftentimes our knowledge and experience work against the operation of this power because our thinking and experience are finite. Paul says this understanding is given to us by “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Resurrection power comes in the revelation knowledge of Christ! The more we really know Him, the more we walk in His power that can change our life and the lives of those around us.

This resurrection power not only comes from knowing Him, but also from our position in Him. His power does not operate from worldly means or ways of doing things because we live and work in a world that is under the power of the evil one. That is why Paul says Christ is seated in heavenly places, and Ephesians 2:6 says we are seated “together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” God’s ways are far above our ways. To overcome, we must take on the mind of Christ and operate in His sphere of influence. May you come to know and experience “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

Andy

Be Strong in the Lord

Joshua 1:9“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 is preparing to face the greatest challenge of his life and ministry, taking a nation of nomadic people who have lived in the desert for forty years under God’s protection and provision into a land of walled cities, giants and great armies with armor, chariots and horses. The challenge is daunting and in human terms downright impossible. Even the first step of getting across the Jordan River will take a miracle from God.

Maybe you are facing what seems to be a formidable challenge or task. Maybe it is sickness, a family or financial problem, or something in your work or ministry. It might be a promise of God or something God has asked you to do that is beyond your capability. Don’t think that this is something unusual or that no one else is facing or has overcome what you are facing. The Bible and church history is filled with normal everyday people who by God’s help and power have overcome insurmountable problems and done the impossible.

Let us look at some keys to overcoming. In the Scripture we have just read, God gave Joshua a command. This is not just some advice or a word of encouragement. This is something that God Almighty is ordering Joshua to do in the midst of this seeming insurmountable challenge. No matter what you are facing today, your Heavenly Father, “the Commander of the Lord's army,” (Joshua 5:15) says, “be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, or be dismayed.” As born again believers, the Holy Spirit (God himself) resides within our spirit. When the challenge comes, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to arise in us and command out soul nature (mind, will and emotions) to come under the authority of our spirit man and God’s Word.

Paul echoes this in Ephesians 6:10-12, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” One of the weapons we are exhorted to put on is “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Paul calls these “fiery darts” because they not only pierce us, but if left alone they will consume us. These fiery darts may be fear, discouragement, doubt, depression, resentment, unforgiveness or anger.

When Joshua took on the challenge God had given him to take the land of promise, he faced fiery darts. You may be facing some fiery darts. When we walk with God and in His will and purposes, fiery darts will come. The key is to not allow them to continue to burn and consume us. We have to rise up in faith, meditate on and declare God’s Word and promises, “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

“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." May you be encouraged today to stand and believe God.

Andy Clark

P.S. I have received requests for these devotionals in French and Portuguese. If you feel led, would you be willing to translate these into one of these languages for me? If you do not have time to do it weekly, could your do one a month? Please contact me and let me know at avclark@juno.com. Thank you, and may God bless.

All Authority

In Matthew 8:6-13 a Roman centurion came to Jesus to heal his servant who was paralyzed. When Jesus said he would come, the centurion gave an astounding response.

"Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

You notice the centurion did not say that I am a man of authority but “a man under authority.” The centurion touches on the first key to authority. That authority is derived from submission to a greater authority. Jesus marvels at the centurion’s response and turns to the crowd and declares; “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” Why does Jesus associate this concept of authority to “great faith”? It comes from the second key to authority, and that is God’s authority is absolute. The centurion said, when I tell, “my servant ‘Do this,’ he does it.” There is no discussion, negotiations, delay, maybe or an excuse of any kind. When he gave a command, it was as good as done.

In our world today, we have lost our sense of authority, both in submission to authority and operating in authority. When God spoke, the worlds came into existence at the authority of His word. Great people of faith are people who respond to and operate in the authority of God. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the Bible says he got up the next morning and set off to do it. When God told Moses to stretch forth his rod over the Red Sea, he acted immediately.

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Our authority to carry out the ministry God has called us to is derived out of our relationship with Jesus who has “ALL AUTHORITY” and the degree of authority we give Him in our lives. The people in Jesus day said that “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:29

The world is looking today for a people who walk under and in God’s authority. By His Spirit He has given you authority to carry out all that He has called you to do.

Andy Clark

A Root Out of Dry Ground

A Root Out of Dry Ground

I was greatly encouraged by my recent trip to Niger to see what God is doing in this dry land. I was reminded of a picture my father had on his office wall of a parched, cracked piece of ground in the middle of which a small green shoot had sprung up. Under the picture was the Scripture for Isaiah 53:1-2.

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.”

This is a prophetic word about how Jesus was going to come in weakness and suffering to redeem mankind. But it was a constant reminder to my father that there was no ground too hard for the truth of God to take root.

Jesus said,"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.” Mark 4:26-28

I Corinthians 3:7 says, “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”

Our responsibility is not to convert the soul but to simply declare the Word, plant the seed, no matter how hard and barren the ground may seem. Secondly, we need to have an unshakable confidence in the power of the Word to convert the soul. Knowing that in God’s timing and in the right spiritual atmosphere, this seed that we have planted will spring forth into everlasting life. I’m reminded of scenes of deserts that have been dry for years suddenly spring forth into beautiful growth with a season of rain.

The twelve years that my parents sowed seed in the barren desert of an unreached Muslim people group, drenched with tears of intercession, forty-five years later is now producing a harvest.

The Bible says, “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalms 126:6

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

May God by His Spirit renew your strength and confidence in the power of His Word.

Your co-worker in Christ,

Andy Clark

A Root Out of Dry Ground

A Root Out of Dry Ground

I was greatly encouraged by my recent trip to Niger to see what God is doing in this dry land. I was reminded of a picture my father had on his office wall of a parched, cracked piece of ground in the middle of which a small green shoot had sprung up. Under the picture was the Scripture for Isaiah 53:1-2.

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.”

This is a prophetic word about how Jesus was going to come in weakness and suffering to redeem mankind. But it was a constant reminder to my father that there was no ground too hard for the truth of God to take root.

Jesus said,"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.” Mark 4:26-28

I Corinthians 3:7 says, “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”

Our responsibility is not to convert the soul but to simply declare the Word, plant the seed, no matter how hard and barren the ground may seem. Secondly, we need to have an unshakable confidence in the power of the Word to convert the soul. Knowing that in God’s timing and in the right spiritual atmosphere, this seed that we have planted will spring forth into everlasting life. I’m reminded of scenes of deserts that have been dry for years suddenly spring forth into beautiful growth with a season of rain.

The twelve years that my parents sowed seed in the barren desert of an unreached Muslim people group, drenched with tears of intercession, forty-five years later is now producing a harvest.

The Bible says, “He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalms 126:6

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

May God by His Spirit renew your strength and confidence in the power of His Word.

Your co-worker in Christ,

Andy Clark

Sifting

Luke 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

This devotional was birthed out a word the Lord recently gave me for someone who was facing some challenges. I trust it will be an encouragement to you. In the context of the above scripture, Simon Peter was getting ready to face one of the greatest challenges of his life: the arrest, conviction and execution of the man he had given up everything to follow for the past three and a half years. The man he thought was the Messiah whom Israel had long awaited. In the heat of the action, Simon, denied the Lord three times.

What caused Simon to deny his Lord? Fear definitely played a factor. He faced the possibility of being tortured and executed with Jesus. But Simon was a bold, almost brash individual who was ready to take on about anything. In fact, at Jesus arrest, he had pulled out his sword and cut off the servant’s ear. The problem wasn’t that Simon lacked courage, but in the heat of the battle he lost direction. He was ready to fight and even die for his King, but his King wasn’t fighting. The one who could walk on water, calm the seas, chase the money-changers out of the temple, and declared Himself equal with God was yielding to the enemy. This wasn’t part of the script.

Oftentimes like Simon we face challenges in life that we do not understand. Unexpected things happen out of our control. We pray, fast, claim God’s promises in faith, and nothing seems to happen. Like Peter, we become confused and disoriented. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. If we are not careful, we can become angry, frustrated, or depressed and maybe even give up. We thought we were doing the right thing, obeying God, but it hasn’t worked out.

I believe the words of our Lord to Simon Peter are relevant to us. In the midst of the confusion in the coming days, the Lord wanted Peter to trust Him. Yes, Satan was going to sift him and try him, but two things Peter needed to be aware of was that Jesus knew what he was going to go through and had already covered it in prayer. He also knew that Peter was going to make it because he said, “when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

You may be challenged in some area of your life today. Things are not going like you expected or planned. You may not understand why things are happening the way they have. Be encouraged, your Great High Priest knew that you were going to face this long before you did, and He has already prayed for you and knows that you are going to come through. He is faithful and has faith in you because He lives in you. For “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.” Be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world for you.

Andy

Declairing the Kingdom

Matthew 4:23 “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”

One of the key messages of Jesus’ ministry was the message of the kingdom. John the Baptist’s first message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matt. 3:2) Jesus continued this trend in Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” When Jesus sent out the 12 disciples, He “commanded them, go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:7-8) As you go through the Gospels, it is interesting to note that the proclamation of the kingdom was often associated with signs and wonders.

In teaching on the kingdom, Jesus said that the kingdom of God could not be confined by political or geographical locations, for the kingdom of God was in us. (Luke 17:20-21) Wherever we go in the world, we are the representation of the kingdom of God. By the Spirit, the full authority of the kingdom resides in us. Paul went on to define the kingdom not by what we possess but by the character and nature of God demonstrated in our lives. (Romans 14:17)

In the world we live in today, where nations and kingdoms are being rocked by political and economic turmoil, our mandate is to exemplify the very character of the kingdom. It is a kingdom of “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17) in a world that is becoming devoid of these godly character traits because the world is divorcing itself from the God of righteousness, peace and joy. In order to exemplify the kingdom, we must be people of the Spirit who walk under the authority of the King. We can not entertain what the world entertains. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9-10) We are not moved by the news of what is happening in our world today because the love and peace flows in and through us by the Spirit.

It is out of the very character and nature of Christ by the Spirit that we carry on the ministry of Christ that declares and announces the kingdom to a world caught in chaos and darkness. This begins with praying in the kingdom. Jesus admonishes us to pray this prayer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10) Begin to pray the kingdom over your home, your church, your job, your community, and your nation. Begin to pray the kingdom over North Africa and the Middle East, where millions are seeking to be free from the kingdom of this world. As you pray, declare God’s kingdom over these nations. “God may your kingdom come to Egypt, Libya, etc!”

As God leads by the Spirit, begin to announce the kingdom to those whom God brings into your life. It is through this process of living, praying, declaring, and announcing the kingdom that we bring the kingdom of God to bear on a world that desperately needs the life of the kingdom. May God energize you today to be a representative of the King in whatever measure He has given you, whether it is a prayer, a tweet, a text, a blog, facebook, email or in person. May He be glorified in you.

Andy

P.S. There will be no devotional next week as I will be in Niger, West Africa.