Playing the Field
Greetings! Haggai 2: 23 “‘I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you… as a sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I’ve looked over the field and chosen you for this work.'” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. (Message Bible) When I was younger, a person who did not want to settle down with one girl friend or boy friend was called a person who was “playing the field.” A person who was “playing the field” in essence was a person who wanted to leave his or her options of love open just in case (s)he discovered there was a better choice than the person (s)he was currently dating. I am glad God is not like us. Here, God tells a man whose name means Seed, that is, product, of confusion that He has looked over His entire field of options and has decided to choose Zerubbabel. Wow! That’s us! How empowering it is to know that God looked at our confused lives, then looked over His entire field (the whole world) of options, and He still chose us. In John 15: 16 Jesus stated, “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.” (Message Bible) Once this consecration’s been completed, let’s make sure we become the kind of field that will produce an abundant harvest for our Lord (Mark 4:8,...
read moreThinking Ahead!
Greetings! Haggai 2: 15-17 “‘Think back. Before you set out to lay the first foundation stones for the rebuilding of my Temple, how did it go with you? Isn’t it true that your foot-dragging, halfhearted efforts at rebuilding the Temple of God were reflected in a sluggish, halfway return on your crops…I hit you with drought and blight and hail. Everything you were doing got hit. But it didn’t seem to faze you. You continued to ignore me.’ God’s Decree. 18-19 ‘Now think ahead from this same date… Think ahead from when the Temple rebuilding was launched. Has anything in your fields…failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.'” (Message Bible) In 1980, Ronald Reagan ran for president against the incumbent, Jimmy Carter. I’ll never forget how Jimmy Carter seemed to be winning the debate in terms of articulating his argument. But Ronald Reagan made one statement that pretty much ended the debate: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” At that time, we had a double digit (12%) interest rate, hostages in Iran, athletes not allowed to participate in the Olympics held in Russia, and a litany of other things that made people not feel good about how things were going. Think ahead! How different will your life be after this consecration? How different will the Temple of your body be, and what will you do with it starting on Monday, April 18th? How different will your home be and the spirit that dwells in your home? Will the depression be gone? The laziness? The anxiety? The tension and anger? Will you be better off now than you were 21 days...
read moreA Place of Wholiness!
Greetings! Haggai 2: 9 “‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.” (Message Bible) As I was getting out of my car one Sunday, I saw a man passing the church while riding on his bicycle. What caught my attention was that he took his right hand off of the handle bar and gave the four point sign of the cross on his body. He realized that there is something different about a church building. It is a holy place! But how often do we forget that the church should be a place that God uses to make people whole! The church must be used by God to bring people mental and physical wellness. It must be a place that enlarges and fills the emptiness that’s found in so many people in these days of uncertainty. It’s our mission to restore lives that have been broken by the consequences of sin. And when God uses our hands as His instruments for healing the fractures in people’s lives, only He will get the credit for the results. Let’s keep in mind that God is not simply building a holy place but He is also building a place that provides wholeness (Matthew 14:35...
read moreNow’s the Time Make a Bold Move!
Greetings! Haggai 2: 5 “‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.’ The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.'” (The Message) The word “timid” means hesitant, slow to act, reluctant, apprehensive or modest. Some antonyms (opposite meanings) include: audacious, shameless, adventuresome, or not afraid of (anything). In Luke 11:5-8, Jesus spoke a parable about a man who “shamelessly” went to his friend’s house in order to ask for bread. However, it was at a time that was way too late to be making such a request, even if it was a very good friend. Bottom line? It was a bold move! Once this 21 day consecration is completed, what bold move will you make that you were once too hesitant, apprehensive, or modest to make? You must no longer hold back! It’s time to do something audacious for God. Be adventuresome! As Pastor Chandler stated at our conference on April 7th, let there be no shame in our game (Hebrews...
read moreGet to Work!
Greetings! Haggai 2: 4-5 “‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’-God is speaking. “‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak-high priest!’ “‘Get to work, all you people!’-God is speaking”. (Message Bible) We praise God for the wonderful prophetic conference that convened at our church over the weekend. Through His prophets, God said some wonderful things to us as individuals and as a church as a whole. And having experienced this, we can only imagine how encouraged the nation of Judah was when Haggai prophesied to the people the words “I am with you!” from the Lord. Unfortunately, God had to add another word of instruction from His prophet. And we would do well to follow this instruction as well. These three simple words will determine how quickly God’s promises will occur. And what are they? GET TO WORK! The word get means: go after it, realize, have it done, reap, come into possession, don’t quit, don’t lose, don’t give up, grasp (what God is saying). So let’s grasp within our hearts what the Lord has prophesied to us and get to work! Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas A. Edison Hard work always pay off; mere talk (prophecy) puts on bread on the table. Proverbs 14:234...
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