His Word Produces Life

Isaiah 55: 3, Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; NKJV

Have you thought about the power that is required to fuel the entire world? Take a moment and think about all the things in our lives that require power from all kinds of sources. It seems that anything functional requires some type of power to make it operational. Humans require electric impulses that are fired from our brains to operate daily and to make rational decisions. Our bodies must be fed nourishment in order to maintain strength.

However, society seems to be lacking fuel; it is slowing to a screeching halt in some aspects, and economists and governmental officials are scratching their head trying to remedy the problem. We wind up clocks, plug in our cell phones, and fuel up our cars, but the world doesn't realize that man doesn't live by bread alone. No one can live independent of God for very long. Likewise, society can't flourish and prosper apart from the blessing and power of God either.  

You've probably read on a church sign somewhere that if someone goes seven days without the Word, it makes one weak. Jesus tells us in John 6 that He is the bread from heaven. The fathers of the Jews whom He was speaking to that day had eaten of the Manna that Moses gave them and were dead, but the Bread  He was offering them would give them everlasting life. He also tells us that His Words are spirit, and they are life. The point of today's devotion is to impart some wisdom from God's Word so you can both have life and enjoy it to the full. (John 10: 10)

No one can live eternally without placing faith in and living by the Word of God.  God upholds all things by the Word of His power. In other words, we don't perpetuate life as humans, but God sustains life through the power that is contained in His Word.

John 1: 1 - 5, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. NKJV

Many countries around the world are experiencing very troubling times, and the leaders of those countries are perplexed. They are dumbfounded as to how to go about rectifying their adverse situations. You see; when people neglect the Source of life and try to separate themselves from the Word of God, this negligence allows death to begin to take hold of everything that isn't plugged into the OUTLET.

The Lord is calling His people to repentance and to turn back to His Word, which is truth. The text from Isaiah 55 tells us that if we will incline our ear, turn to Him, and hear, our souls will live. Satan has worked overtime trying to separate the people of the world from the Word of God in order that he might pollute our hearts with sin and cause death to people's souls.

In the beginning, when God spoke light into existence, there was nothing but darkness and death. However, once He spoke, and there was light, it didn't take long before the world began to show signs of life. We must come out of the darkness of Satan's lies and walk in the Light of God's Word so God can empower us with life once again.

God's method of introducing life to the earth, mankind, and dead situations has never changed. In the beginning, we read, "And God said." After this, we read where God spoke through holy men to His people. "Thus says the Lord." In the New Testament, the Word became flesh, and we heard, "Verily, verily, I say unto you. Jesus taught both His disciples and us, to use the Word to speak to dead situations. "It is written." If you are living in a situation that seems hopeless, begin to speak the Word of God in faith over it, until the power of God resurrects it with new life. God has promised us that if we will humble ourselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, He will hear from heaven and heal our land. Let's speak the Word of God over the nations and watch them be resurrected in newness of life for the glory of God.

And God Said,

Pastor Asa Dockery

There is Nothing about Sin That Is Just

Genesis 3: 6 - 11, So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" NKJV

There's an old adage I've heard all my life that says, "A word to the wise is sufficient." Don't you just wish that Adam would have heeded the Word of warning from God not to eat of the tree of knowledge? I sure do, especially when I remind myself of Adam. I suppose we all turn a deaf ear to God from time to time, but the repercussions should teach us to listen the first time.

We all live on this side of Adam's decision to sin against God. Therefore, we must teach ourselves to be sensitive to God and the leading of His voice. He has promised to be a very present help in times of trouble. Since the fall of man, justice has been very difficult to find and to maintain in the earth. People constantly strive for justice and equality in the world, but only a few will find it. The only One who can give us true justice and equality is Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus never committed a sin, He willingly chose to suffer for the sins of the entire world. Where is the justice in all of that, I ask?

When we read Genesis 3 in its entirety, we never find where God punishes Satan, who orchestrated the fall of man and embodied a serpent to pull it off. The serpent was cursed. The woman received great punishment as well as Adam, but we don't see where God addresses the real culprit, Satan. Doesn't that seem a little unjust? If you said," Yes", then you have a good understanding of how unjust sin really is toward humanity.  

Here's something that the Lord revealed to me recently to help my lack of understanding of why God allowed Satan to go seemingly without punishment. Once Adam and Eve sinned, they began to blame someone else instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. Sin in the hearts of the man and woman demanded the other person receive the punishment as a way of getting justice served. They did not realize that they were just as guilty as the other party. Had God cut one off for the sin, he would have had to cut all of mankind off as well. God had a plan, and He reveals it to His babes in Christ. (Matt. 11: 25)

Even though it appears that God was being unjust in His punishment in Genesis 3, He was actually extending mercy toward the man and woman who had violated His law and deserved to perish. Whenever people are guilty of violating God's law or man's law, it seems that they demand justice more than those who are violated by those who break laws.

The world in which we now live is the result of the fall of man. Consequently, we must be willing to wait on our salvation from the curse of sin, by faith. This means we are going to have to endure hardness as a good soldier, especially when we face the fiery furnaces in this life. We can face them because we know that God is with us, and He will one day deliver all the righteous out of this world of sin. At that moment, God will dispense judgment and punishment upon the head of our adversary, the Devil.  

You see. God designed a place called Hell for Satan and his demons before the fall of man. God never intended man to enter the horrors of Hell, but we have a free will. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that many will choose the broad way that leads to destruction, and few will choose the way that leads to life everlasting. Many will choose the way that leads to destruction and eternal condemnation simply because Satan has poisoned them against the love of God like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden. Satan convinced Eve that God didn't want her to be like God, so she took on Satan's offence against God and sinned. Beware that you don't allow the spirit of offence to poison your heart thus causing you to depart from the living God through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3)

I pray that this devotion gives you a greater understanding into the ways of God and Satan so that you might be able to resist the Devil and overcome his lies through your faith in Christ.

God Is Always Good,

Pastor Asa

Pray for Your Enemies

Matthew 5: 43 - 46, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. NKJV

Have you ever wondered what would happen in the world if every Christian fulfilled the requirements that Jesus gave to us in today's text? The world would definitely be a far better place to live. When we make the decision to live according to Jesus' instructions, it frees us to live a life that isn't bound by wounded emotions or vengeful thoughts. When we choose to obey the commands of Jesus which are found in this chapter, we are also releasing God to settle the battles justly on our behalf.

In Deuteronomy, we read that it is God's will for His people (Christians) to live above and not beneath. Our heavenly Father doesn't want us to live in bondage to anyone or anything. However, in order to live above the influence of this world, we must know and obey what Jesus has said. Nevertheless, even if what He requires is hard for us to do, if we comply, we will greatly benefit as a result of our obedience.

The Lord has given me two examples to share with you of when someone prayed for their enemies while they were being violently persecuted. After the Roman soldiers had beaten Jesus without mercy, they stripped Him of His clothes and nailed Him to a wooden cross. Nonetheless, before Jesus yielded up His Spirit, He prayed and asked His Father to forgive those who had crucified Him. 

 
This very short, but effective prayer changed the course of history. In Ephesians, 4, Paul tells us that God has forgiven us for Christ's sake. Jesus' prayer on the cross released the Father to have mercy and to show us grace (unmerited favor) so that we might be forgiven. You and I have been forgiven because Jesus chose to honor the very teaching that He gave us during His Sermon on the Mount.

In Acts 7, we read that Stephen was being stoned, yet he prayed unto God and asked Him not to hold their sin against them. Stephen's love for God was displayed to all who were present when he was being stoned to death. He exemplified the very attributes of Christ in his death. Stephen made a very hard, but important decision in the final moments of his life. He chose to love his enemies and to release them from any unforgiveness. 

If you choose to forgive others and pray for your enemies, you are releasing yourself from a potential stronghold of the enemy to harden your heart against God and His Word. When we choose to bless our enemies, we are inviting the presence of God to move on our behalf, thus allowing God's will and not man's to be fulfilled in the other person's life. In so doing, we are living the life that is a reflection of God; therefore, the world will know that we are the children of God. God is love, and everyone who is born of God also loves.

Pray Your Way to Freedom,

Pastor Asa Dockery

Our Only Hope

1 Timothy 1: 1, Paul, a missionary of Jesus Christ, sent out by the direct command of God our Savior and by Jesus Christ our Lord-our only hope. TLB

I can remember when our sons were babies and learning to stand up on their own. They would crawl over to the coffee table or a piece of furniture and raise themselves up. The furniture gave them the confidence that they needed to take a step without being fearful of falling. Likewise, all of us from our earliest stages of life have learned how to depend on and place our hope in "things" to keep us safe.

We use the life lessons that we have learned, and we place our confidence and hope in natural elements for security. After a while, we begin to rely on those objects and people to support us to the point that we become totally comfortable and at rest. Unfortunately, there are times when we discover that not everything we rely on is trustworthy. Objects break, and people will fail us, causing our faith to be violated and our hope to be lost. 

Let me share a scenario with you that will demonstrate a principle about hope. Life is a lot like taking a cruise on a ship. Because of its strong structure and enormous size, it gives us a sense of safety while it's heading out into the deep. Consequently, the longer we are on the ship the more comfortable we become with its ability to keep us safe. We begin to relax and enjoy the comforts that the cruise liner offers its passengers. 

However, suddenly we realize that the ship is headed directly into a horrific storm. As the ship becomes tossed by the large waves and strong winds, the furniture that we took rest in has now become a flying object. We begin to grab onto anything that is firmly attached to the ship for stability. As the ship is tossed to and fro, we begin to lose our grip, and we are thrown around like a rag doll. 

Now the confidence and the hope that we once rested in has all but disappeared, and we begin to fear for our very lives. The more the storm intensifies, the greater our desperation becomes about our survival. In a panic-stricken moment, we realize that everything we have placed our trust and hope in has turned against us. 

Out of hopelessness, we look up to heaven and turn our focus on the Lord. Why... because He is the anchor for our soul. When this life begins to unravel and fall apart, God is our Rock in whom we can rely and know of a surety that He won't fail us. The writer of Hebrews tells us that He is a very present help in a time of trouble. Nothing in this life is eternal. Everything and everyone at one point or another will fail us. Only Jesus will be there for us when this world and the people in it fail us and break our trust.

When we think of storms, we tend to think about them only in a negative connotation because we've seen what they can do to human life and property. Nevertheless, there are some good things that the storms of life can produce. Whether they're natural, emotional, relational, or spiritual storms can break us of placing our eternal trust in temporal things and relationships. Storms can teach us that only God is the TRUE ANCHOR for our souls. 

If you have been broken because a job, a spouse, or a possession failed you don't despair; there is still hope after the storm. Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. When the world walks out on you, you can turn to Him, and He will walk in and pick you up. He is the blessed assurance that can never fail you. He will be faithful and go with you, even to the end. 

What could you be trusting in today that might be gone tomorrow and leave you devastated? Everything on this earth has been built by man has a breaking point. Even so, the Lord upholds the universe; and He will hold you when your world crumbles. Jesus is our only hope for eternal life. Are your faith and your hope in Him today? 

My Hope Is in the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery 

A Rightful Heir

Roman 8: 14 - 17, 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. NKJV

Do you have a need in your life? Have you been petitioning the Lord for a while in order to have that particular need supplied? I believe it is safe to say that all of us have need. However, the Holy Spirit has given me a specific word to share with you today so that you might have the faith in your heart to receive your long-awaited miracle or breakthrough. The Word of God declares that the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen.

As human beings, who are recovering from the fall of man and learning how to live and operate in our new identity, we sometimes struggle with faith when it pertains to us personally. I've heard people make this statement my entire life: "I can believe for someone else's need much easier than for my own need." 

Nevertheless, since God is no respecter of persons, it isn't God that makes us feel inferior, it is our own hearts that do so. Therefore, we must take our focus off us and who we are in the natural, and we must begin to fasten our attention on who we are in Christ. It is only in Christ that we are made the righteousness of God. It is also through Christ that we have become the children of God; and as His children, we are heirs of God's promises.

Christ gives us the "right or the power" to become sons and daughters of God. Jesus has made us legitimate children of God. We have a legal and binding covenant with God through Christ that gives us access to receive His promises. We have the right to be healed and to walk in divine health. It is our right to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. You and I have the right to be delivered from bondages and to walk in spiritual liberty.

As Christians, we need to know what our rights are so that we don't allow Satan to rob them from us through spiritual ignorance. Please note that we're not being arrogant to God when making such audacious proclamations. Instead, we're being bold to Satan. If Jesus needed to declare the Word of God about His identity and about God being the source of His needs, then we must be able to quote the Word to Satan as well. When we tell our adversary what Christ has done for us, and we recite the promises of God over our lives to the Devil, it lets him know that we're not standing in our strength; we are standing in faith. Without faith, we can't please God. However, when we stand on God's Word, this allows God to rebuke the devourer from our lives and to release His promises upon us. 

Therefore, if the manifestation of your healing, your deliverance, or your breakthrough has been prolonged, then allow this word to get deep into your heart and begin to declare: "In Christ, I am a child of the Most High God, and I am a rightful heir of God's promises. Christ has paid the price for my redemption and has given me an inheritance." It is my prayer that you will take a stand of faith today against the demonic forces that have invaded your life and have robbed you of God's blessings. Take back what rightfully belongs to you as an heir of God.

Standing in Faith with You,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Our Faith Opens the Door

Hebrews 11: 6, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV

Our God and the Father of our Lord is so gracious and kind to us because we have placed faith in Jesus as being the Son of God. Did you realize that from the very moment that you turned your heart to place faith in Jesus, God began to bless you? This insight gives us a better understanding into the love that God has for those who have placed their trust in Christ as their personal Savior. Let's look at faith in this light for a moment. When you came to faith in Christ, the blessings of God began to flow in your heart and life because you had realized that Jesus is the source of both this life and of eternal life. 

At the moment of faith in Christ, we are deemed blessed in God's eyes. Once we humbled ourselves and accepted the free gift of life through Christ, the grace of God was bestowed upon our lives. Can you imagine being blessed and having the grace or favor of God lavished on you simply because you believed? There was nothing that you did or could do in order to earn it, yet God freely gives us His blessing once we look to Jesus. 

Through faith, we can begin to comprehend the love that God has for those who receive His Son into their hearts. If we try and come to God in a way other than faith in Christ and try to earn God's favor and love, then we will never be able (or allowed) to experience either in our lives. Remember what the writer of Hebrews wrote in today's scripture, "But without faith, it is impossible to please God." We can now realize that faith opens the door for God's goodness to be dispensed upon us... there's nothing we can do to earn it.

If we can be saved by faith, apart from works or earning our salvation, then we must also continue to walk by faith, once we're born again. Faith in Christ will teach us how to rest in Him, and how to know that the same God who saved us by faith is the same God who will supply all we have need of now that we're in Christ. This will afford us the ability to deny self and selfish ambition in order to live our new lives pleasing the Father through faith. Faith empowers us to seek first the Kingdom of God and not be consumed with trying to work for something that we might need.  

I've made this statement before, but it bears repeating: It seems easy for people to trust in God for eternal security; so why is it hard to trust God for everyday needs and desires? The answer: We must continue living by faith after we have come to faith in Christ. This "faith walk" is accomplished by denying self and seeking the Lord. Remember, we need favor and not works to accomplish and obtain all that is needed in life. 

Resting in Christ,

Pastor Asa

Christians Must Stand for the Truth

John 8: 2 - 6, Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. NKJV

There's a huge difference between having a belief in the Bible as truth and standing on it as the truth. Jesus tells us in Acts 1 that once we become His disciples, we are to be witnesses of Him. Paul tells us that all believers have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We are to lead people who are lost in their sin into a relationship with the Father through Jesus, the Christ.

As Christians who have placed their faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will discover that our faith will often place us at odds with the world. First, they will ask you what the Bible says about a certain sin or another faith. After you give them chapter and verse, they will do to you as the scribes and Pharisees did to Jesus that day in the temple. They will ask you, "But what do you say?" Take notice that they asked that question in an attempt to use it against Him if He misspoke. "They tempted Him."

Recently, I watched an interview where the anchor was questioning the beliefs of a well-known pastor. In this particular discussion, the host brought up the teaching found in John 14: 6 about Jesus being the only way to the Father or heaven. This man was obviously concerned about this one verse, since he wasn't a believer in Christ. The host asked the pastor if he believed that John 14: 6 was true. The pastor answered very emphatically that it was and that no one could enter heaven except through Christ. After the host asked this question, he advanced the discussion in the same manner as the religious rulers did Jesus in the temple. He asked the pastor if he believed that people who rejected Jesus were going to heaven. To this, the pastor replied, "It's not my place to judge who's going to heaven and who isn't."

I only mention this scenario to bring out a very important point on the need for Christians to take a stand when the truth is being brought into question. The pastor was correct in that we aren't the final authority who will determine who goes to heaven. However, he did miss a great opportunity to take a stand for the truth by telling this man, who had rejected Jesus as being the Christ, that he was lost.

Had the pastor told the man that without faith in Christ, there is no hope for him, it would have given the Holy Spirit the opportunity to convict his guilty conscience. Now look back at what Jesus did when the religious rulers tried to tempt Jesus with the same type question. He told the men who wanted to stone the woman if they were without sin, they could throw the first stone. Jesus didn't back down when they took the focus off of Moses' law and placed it on HIM. He continued to tell the truth, though it placed Him at odds with them. This allowed the Holy Spirit to convict every man who was holding a rock of their own sin. They dropped their rocks and walked away convicted.

If we don't take a stand when our beliefs are brought into question by the world, then the world will miss the opportunity to be convicted of their sin. It's not easy, and it can cause us a lot of trouble when we stand... but we must stand anyway. What is more important, our well-being, or people's eternal souls? Jesus warns us in Matthew 10 if we seek to save our life, then we will lose it. However, if we lose our life for His sake, then we will keep it. We are to fear God, who is able to destroy our body and soul in hell; we are not to fear man who can only destroy our body. Have faith in God and take a stand for the TRUTH. The world is dying to hear it.

Preaching and Proclaiming the TRUTH,

Pastor Asa