A Parent's Prayer

Job 1 : 1 - 5, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly. NKJV

We hear many sermons about Job; they teach us that he was a righteous man, who loved God and abhorred evil. Nonetheless, have you ever heard a sermon about how good Job was at being a godly parent? Like so many parents today, Job seemed to be very concerned about the spiritual well-being of his children. The Bible tells us that Job offered sacrifices unto the Lord on their behalf, just in case they had sinned against God. Job stood in the gap for his own children. He continually came before God for them, offering an animal sacrifice to ensure that their sins were atoned for. 

As a pastor, I can say that the most-requested prayer of our members is for physical healing. However, the prayer request that rivals the need for healing is parents' requests for their children. Christian parents carry the spiritual well-being of their children on their hearts as much as their own well-being; this should come as no surprise. After all, don't we all want the best for our offspring and shouldn't the best include them having a personal relationship with Jesus and walking in His Word? 

We're instructed in Proverbs 22: 6 to train up our child in the way that he should go; and when he is old, he won't depart from it. Paul further exhorts fathers to bring their children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. As parents, we have a small window of time to shape the morality, ethics, and character of our children by teaching them the Word of God. After they reach the age of independence, we have to release them and their decisions to the Lord. 

We read in today's scripture that there came a time when God didn't look to Job's sacrifice for his sons and daughters; it was time for them to take on the responsibility of seeking God for themselves. At that point, God released Job from continually carrying the weight of their responsibility. No parent can obey God for their child. We cannot climb on their cross and make them serve God. Paul teaches us in Philippians 2 to work out our OWN salvation with fear and trembling. Therefore, if your child is beyond your sphere of influence in spiritual matters and chooses to live for the pleasures of this world, you will need to turn him over to the Lord. 

As a parent of three grown sons, I know a bit about the subject of "letting go" and giving them to God. What happens to them as a result of their decisions after they reach independence is out of your control and is in God's hands. Are you continually "sacrificing" on the behalf of a rebellious child? Does guilt cause you to bear an impossible burden that you can't bear any longer? If you are, then cast that care on God because He cares for you and your wayward child. You can rest in knowing that God loves your child or children far greater than you ever could. As a result of His great love, He knows what is best for them and will see to it that they receive His help in their hour of need.

We have a wonderful picture of a parent's trust in God in Exodus 2. Moses' mom hid him from Pharaoh so that he wouldn't be killed by him. Nevertheless, there came a time when she had to let Moses go. His mother placed him in a basket and sent him down the river; then she told Moses' sister to follow him to see what would become of Moses. We learn that Pharaoh's daughter took Moses in and raised him as her own son. Now, let's look at a couple of truths before I conclude today's word. God caused Moses' mom to release her INFANT son into a rushing river. TRUST! Then God allowed Moses to enter the very house of the one who was seeking to kill him. It was there, in the house of his greatest enemy, that God allowed Moses to be provided for and raised. 

We might not be able to handle our children, but we know that God CAN and WILL. Even so, we have to take our hands off them. I pray that this word gives you encouragement, but more than that, I hope that you now have the faith to let your child(ren) go. Release them into God's loving care and rest.

Letting Go and Letting God,

Pastor Asa Dockery

Forsaking the Temporal for the Eternal

Philippians 3: 7 - 11, 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 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. NKJV

I thank God for the ministry and the testimony of Paul (Saul). We get our first glimpse of Saul in the Bible when Stephen was being stoned. Saul held the coats of those who carried out the stoning of Stephen, and he consented to his death. However, later, in the book of Acts, Saul has an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. After this visitation from the Lord, Saul was struck with blindness and had to be led around by others for three days. God was teaching Saul how to walk by faith and not by sight. This encounter with the Lord was the beginning of Saul's conversion. 

Even though Paul suffered many horrific afflictions as a follower of Jesus, he was passionate about his pursuit of Him. What would cause a man who was caught up in the works of the law and the accolades of man to suddenly be willing to both suffer for Christ and to lose everything that he worked so diligently to gain? I submit to you that Paul had an experience with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that transformed his heart. 

As a result of Paul's encounters with the living God and of his seeing the glory of God, Paul viewed his own works as filth. It wasn't that had God made Paul feel condemned for the things he had accomplished through the power of his flesh; rather, Paul was humbled that God would love him enough to show him the splendor of heaven, despite how he had conducted himself when he was still called Saul. 

God's goodness transformed Paul's life and set him on a hot-pursuit for Jesus that wouldn't be satisfied by anyone or anything else. Consequently, God allowed Paul to see and experience things in the spirit realm that were unlawful for him to share with us in scripture. As a result of these encounters with God, Paul developed a hunger for the things of God and lost his desire for the power and prestige associated with man's religion. Paul was captivated by the love and the grace of God; and, therefore, gladly accepted the loss of the things he once esteemed and placed value on. 

I pray that God will also visit us and allow our generation to experience the greatness of His love and glory to the point that the things of this world will lose their hold on us. Nevertheless, we can draw God to ourselves by developing a deep hunger for His presence. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that we are blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, for we shall be filled. 

If you are experiencing a dry place in your relationship with the Lord, then begin a passionate pursuit of Him that will cause you to sense the infilling of God's presence in your heart. If you already seek the Lord, but you desire more of Him and His presence, then begin to empty yourself in your prayer time; ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with more of God. God is passionately pursuing us; now we need to be in passionate pursuit of Him. God has promised that those who diligently seek Him will be rewarded. Let's lose our passion for this world's temporal pleasures and fix our hearts on eternal treasures from heaven. There is nothing on earth that can satisfy our longing like having an intimate relationship with Jesus. I encourage you to keep pressing on in Christ. 

Going After God with My Whole Heart, 

Pastor Asa Dockery

Unintended Consequences

Romans 12: 1 - 2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV

Hebrews 12: 14 - 17, Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. NKJV

When we choose to disobey God's will because we are busy satisfying our own, we may reap unintended consequences. Perhaps you have said or heard someone else make a declaration to this effect: "I never intended this or that to happen. All I wanted was to..." When I speak of "this," it usually involves the person who is making the statement, but "that" generally refers to someone else who was adversely affected by the one making the statement, "The unintended victim of the decision." Either way, there are usually regrets.

I used two scriptures today so that you could get a fuller understanding of this important Word.  Even though God calls and equips us to serve His purpose in the earth, He knows that we still have the freedom of choice. We can either choose to obey God's will, or ignore it because something else has captured our attention.  If believers decide to ignore the "calling of God" on their lives in order to fulfill their own desires, then there will be unintended consequences. For example, Jonah didn't want to obey God's command to go to Nineveh. Consequently, he got swallowed by a fish. While in the belly of the fish, he died, and his soul descended into sheol, or hell. Fortunately, God had mercy on Jonah and caused the fish to vomit him up on the shore. 

Likewise, Esau despised his birthright as the first-born male. Consequently, he sold it for some stew from his brother, Jacob. However, when the time came for him to receive his inheritance, it was too late. Though Esau sought repentance, there was none found because he had already made the wrong decision. Esau had regret and sorrow; nevertheless, he had to face the unintended consequences of his resolve to despise his birthright.

It seems easy for some people to say "no" to God when He deals with their hearts about fulfilling the calling on their lives. They may live for years and never give any time or attention to God's call. However, once He has placed them in an individual's heart, God's gifts and His calling are irrevocable; consequently, if anyone disobeys the Lord by not submitting to them, they will have to live with the regret and shame. 

The Holy Spirit specifically directed me to write this devotion today because He is dealing with the heart of someone who is running from their calling. He wants me to warn you of the fallout that will occur if you continually say "NO" to His instructions. He wants you to repent before you go too far and miss your hour of visitation from the Lord... or you wait until it's too late in life to fulfill God's call. If this is God's word to you, and the Holy Spirit has convicted you, please email me today and let me know that you have had a change of heart. Email me at passion30@whcnorth.org 

There Is Peace in the Center of God's Will,

Pastor Asa Dockery

www.whcnorth.org

Give Me More of God

Psalms 24: 3 - 5, Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. NKJV

The purpose of today's word is to call attention to our privilege of having the presence of God in and on our lives. In Acts 17, Paul tells us that "in Christ," we live, and move, and have our being. There are many daily blessings from God that are wonderful, and they enable us to live and to prosper; even so, there is no greater blessing than being able to experience the very presence of God.

When I was praying about the subject of God's presence, a question came to me: Which is worse, being born under the time of the law and not being allowed to enter into the holiest of Holies as a worshipper, or being born under the time of grace where we have full access to God's presence, but we have no desire to enter? All believers have been granted a priceless treasure. We have the ability to come into the presence of God, who created us and has redeemed us from the curse of the law of sin and death.

Therefore, since we see the favor and the love of God, and that He grants us passage into His holy presence to commune with Him, what kind of life should we live? We must choose to honor the gift of God's presence in such a fashion that we conduct ourselves the same way in the world (everyday life) that we would when we're in the secret place of God. There's one thing about entering into the presence of a holy and all-knowing God; if our conscience hasn't been purged through the blood of Jesus, then guilt will manifest in the Lord's presence. 

The psalmist wrote: "Only those who have clean hands and a pure heart will be able to ascend the holy hill of God and be able to stand in His holy presence." Therefore, it is through our faith in the work of Christ on the cross that we are made righteous in God's sight and have been granted the grace to enter into the holiest of Holies. Even though we have right standing in God's sight through our faith in Christ, we still must choose to live righteously, so that we might have the boldness to approach God's throne in prayer or worship. 

The Lord is drawing His people back to Himself. What does that mean? He's calling us (His children) back to living a life that is dedicated and consecrated to the principles of Christ. Consecration simply means that we have devoted our lives to the sole purpose of pleasing God, both in His pavilion and in the world. 

As we commit ourselves to living holy before the Lord, His presence will go with us into the world. As a result, instead of ascending the holy hill of God, we will become carriers of God's holy presence, just as Jesus did while He walked on earth. Jesus has commanded us to be salt and light to the world. Therefore, even if we are currently living a life that is devoted to Christ, we can still allow the Holy Spirit to use this devotion to challenge us to pursue the Lord at a greater level. Remember, we are being changed from faith to faith and from glory to glory. Just because we are passionate for Christ today doesn't mean that God wants us to settle at that place and become stagnate. We must follow Him continually and passionately until we cross the finish line. 

If you have a deep desire to be filled with more of God, and you want more of His presence, then I invite you to join me and many others, who are participating in Passion 30...a thirty-day challenge for believers to draw near to God, so that He may draw closer to us. For details about the challenge, email me at passion30@whcnorth.org.

Not Looking Back but Moving Ahead,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Misguided Peter

Matthew 16 : 21 - 23, From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." NKJV

Would you like to have been in the room when Simon Peter began to rebuke Jesus openly? I would not! Nevertheless, let's take a closer look at what transpired between Simon and Jesus in the above scripture. Simon rebuked God, which tells us that Simon didn't really respect Jesus as God, or he wouldn't have spoken to the Lord of glory with such dishonor. Someone might say that Simon was only looking out for Jesus' best interest because he didn't want Jesus to have to suffer and die. However, Jesus was God in the flesh. He certainly didn't need Simon to come to his rescue. 

The point that I want to bring out is that Simon was passionate about Jesus, but not according to the Spirit. In other words, he showed great affection and feelings toward Jesus about His death. Nevertheless, his feelings weren't based on God's will; they were centered on Simon's self-will or self-interest. Peter wanted to spare Jesus from death, but he didn't care that he was being an offense to Jesus and a stumbling block to the fulfillment of God's plan. 

What is wrong with this picture? Simon certainly answered God's calling on his life. Even so, at this point he had not yet learned the principle of denying self. In the verses of scripture that followed the account of Peter rebuking Jesus, Jesus teaches the disciples that if they want to follow Him, they must first deny self. Denying self simply means that we submit our whole hearts and lives to the teachings of Christ. Instead of allowing self to be our guide, we must allow the Holy Spirit to instruct us who we are to be in Christ and how we are supposed to act. 

Simon was about to learn God's way of developing a true passion for Christ, one that wasn't according to Simon's desires, but was in alignment with God's will. In Matthew 26, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and asked Peter, James, and John to pray for an hour with Him. Jesus distanced Himself from them and began to pray to the Father. However, after a while, Jesus came and found the three disciples asleep. He told them that their spirit was willing, but their flesh was weak. Where was Peter's passion for Christ? Why couldn't he find the strength and discipline to obey Jesus' command to pray for an hour? 

You see; it's easy to serve God on our terms; nevertheless, we won't possess the true power and authority that we need to overcome this world and its temptations. Only when we deny self, and then persevere in the Spirit will we have power over our flesh and be able to keep God's commands in our hearts. What was Jesus attempting to teach His disciples while they were in the garden? He wanted them to realize that only through prayer and personal intimacy with the Father would they be able to honor God's will and overcome temptation. 

There's a choice all believers must make: we can serve self-interest as Simon tried to do, or we can choose to deny self and serve God by faith. Only through a deep love for God will we find the power that is needed to crucify the flesh nature and fulfill God's plan for our lives. 

Do you seek a deeper walk with Jesus? Are there areas in your life where you desire the Lord to break some strongholds and set you free to serve Him in a greater capacity? If your answer is, "Yes," then I invite you to take the Passion 30 challenge. E-mail me at passion30@whcnorth.org and we will give you the resources needed to get you started. I look forward to hearing from you today.

Following Jesus All the Way, 

Pastor Asa Dockery  

Infused With the Life of God

John 17: 1 - 3, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. NKJV

What is eternal life? When does eternal life begin? Let's dig into God's Word today and find the answers.

God created us as living beings. Nevertheless, we did not have eternal life. If we read 1 Corinthian 15, we discover that Paul called Adam (man) a living soul; however, he described Jesus as a life-giving spirit. Therefore, we can conclude that God gave us life in order to "exist." Nonetheless, He knew that one day we would all decide whether or not we wanted eternal life. Eternal life begins when we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; we do this by placing our trust in Him as God's only-begotten Son. Only through the person of Jesus Christ can anyone be saved and come to know the Father. 

Some have suggested that eternal life begins when we are conceived... meaning that our soul never dies, even after we pass away. However, that belief isn't supported in scripture. We must never mistake "eternal existence" with eternal life. We can have eternal existence and never come to know the Creator as our heavenly Father. It's true; we will all spend eternity somewhere (heaven or hell). Nevertheless, only those who know the Father will be allowed entrance into heaven.

If we all had eternal life from the moment of conception, then Jesus came to earth and died in vain; and if Adam had eternal life from the moment that God breathed into his nostrils, why does the Bible say that he only received the breath of life? Why doesn't the Bible tell us that Adam became a life-giving spirit when God breathed into his nostrils? If we were created possessing eternal life, then why did God produce the Tree of Life? I belabor this point to prove a greater one. All that have been born of a woman must come to faith in Christ, if they want to inherit eternal life. 

God is spirit; and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. Consequently, if we were created as living souls, and God is Spirit, then we must undergo a conversion before we can truly worship or even know God. The way to eternal life is through Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus for salvation and confess Him as Lord of our lives, the Father sends His Spirit into our hearts. At that point, we are no longer living souls; we are spirit beings that have been infused with the life of God. 

I know you are a living soul, or you wouldn't be reading this devotion. Even so, have you been remade into a spiritual being in Christ? Do you know God as your heavenly Father? If the Holy Spirit is dealing with you about the condition of your spiritual heart, then simply ask Him to save you from being "just" a living soul. Allow Him to fill your soul with His holy presence, and you will receive the gift of eternal life today.

If you have prayed, and you have asked the Lord to save you from sin and transform you into a child of the living God, please let us know. We want to celebrate your new birthday in Christ with you. You may email us at prayer@whcnorth.org. 

A New Creature in Christ, 

Pastor Asa Dockery 

The Great Exchange

2 Corinthians 5 : 21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NKJV

You can't fill something that is already full. Therefore, when we come to Christ desiring that He fill our hearts with His peace, goodness, and glory, we must first be willing to give up anything that has control of our hearts. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that we can't serve two masters. He also instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

There is an exchange that takes place when we answer the call of God to follow Him. We first have to forsake any fleshly desires that might hinder us from seeking more of God in our lives. What is so good about the great exchange is that we can give God our ashes, and He gives us His beauty in return. God will never ask us to give up anything that He doesn't replace it with something of greater and eternal value. 

Whenever Jesus came to Simon Peter and Andrew, his brother, He told them to follow Him, and He would make them fishers of men. This was their opportunity to accept an exchange. If they were willing to leave the temporal world as sinners and pursue Christ, He was going to give them eternal life. Jesus was also offering them a ministry that would have everlasting rewards. When the men heard the call of God, they both forsook their careers, families, and homes in order to fulfill Jesus' command to follow Him. 

Neither Simon Peter nor Andrew asked Jesus what was in it for them. I find this very interesting seeing that they were leaving behind the only way of life they had known. However, they were answering a greater call. True faith gives us the ability to say "good-bye" to our old lives without giving any thought to any questions that our flesh nature might ask of our hearts.

There was something about Jesus that caused twelve men to forsake all and follow Him. Apparently, being in Jesus' presence filled the emptiness in the disciple's hearts. They had an assurance that everything was going to be taken care of; they didn't have to fret. Could it be that their hearts were filled with the peace of God for the first time in their lives, and this peace overshadowed any doubts, worries or concerns? Yes!

We've looked at the faith and the hunger of the disciples; they were willing to forsake all because they possessed a deep desire for Jesus and longed for an eternal reward. Now, let's look at another man who was rich: In Mark 10, there is a story of a prosperous man who came to Jesus asking what he must do to be saved. Jesus gave the man a few commandments to uphold, and the gentlemen responded that he had kept those particular commandments from his youth. After this, Jesus told him that he lacked one thing, love. Jesus instructed the rich man to take all his possessions, sell them, give the proceeds to the poor, and then take up his cross and follow Him. Jesus went on to inform the man that he would have treasure laid up in heaven as a result of his willingness to forsake this world's pleasures. Unfortunately, the rich man walked away; he was unwilling to exchange temporary wealth for eternal blessings. 

After the rich man walked away from Jesus, Peter explained to Jesus how "he" had forsaken all in order to answer the call and to follow the Lord. Nevertheless, I don't see where Simon asked Jesus, "What are you going to give us, seeing that we didn't walk away from your command to forsake all and to follow you?" Even so, Jesus answers Simon's statement with a truth that is very revealing about the heart of God toward those who make the wise choice to leave everything behind. He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife or children, or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time - houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers and children, and lands, with persecutions - and in the age to come, eternal life. 

Just imagine, these men had forsaken their careers, families, and homes to answer the call without even considering what they would get in return. Now that's faith! It was because of their extraordinary faith that Jesus could give them the revelation about their eternal reward and the hundred-fold restoration in this life. It's sad that the rich man didn't have the faith to follow Jesus until he could hear what the reward would be for those who made the choice to forsake all and follow Jesus. Only when we completely trust the Lord, and then take a step of faith to abandon this life for the life to come will we come to know the riches of God's glory and the hidden wisdom of God.

It amazes me how the disciples were willing to walk away from everything that they loved in order to pursue God and His call on their lives without knowing the benefits of such an act of faith. It's time for this type of passion to return to the body of Christ. We must not sell-out our spiritual and eternal inheritance for the temporal pleasures of this world. What will it profit us if we gain the entire world, but forfeit our souls? Nothing!

God is calling His people, you and me back to Himself. If we choose to draw close to God, He has promised to draw close to us. Are you ready to forsake this world's pleasures, and after that answer a deeper call to know Jesus as never before? It's time for your exchange...click on the link provided and learn more about accepting the "Passion Challenge" (learn more).

It's Time to Step Out,

Pastor Asa Dockery