A Sacrifice Of Worship

Exodus 10: 21 - 26, Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you." But Moses said, "You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there." NKJV

Do you feel like you’re in a place or a season of oppression? Unfortunately, all believers experience hard places in their walk; and it may seem as if it would be better to “make a deal with Pharaoh” and “cut our losses.” Nevertheless, we must remember our covenant with God. The Lord revealed something to me several years ago, and it remains just as relevant today. He said, “Men love to make deals, but God only “makes covenants.” The terms of our spiritual release from our foes have already been predetermined by the Lord; they are not up for negotiation by our captors.

If you remember, God had promised Abraham, the father of Israel that his people would live in a land for four hundred years and afterwards, they would come out with great substance. Pharaoh told Moses that he would let the people of God go so that they could worship the Lord…. However, he also said they had to leave their livestock behind. Therefore, Moses wouldn’t agree with him.  

You see; when the enemy seems to have the upper hand in a situation in our lives, we must remember our covenant with the Lord. I’m sure there are some of you reading this today that are in a situation you can’t get out of; and your adversary wants you to take a loss before releasing you.

Please note that Pharaoh was willing to let them go, but he wanted to keep their animals so that they couldn’t worship the Lord in the wilderness. What is the enemy in your situation trying to steal from you that could be used to bring glory and praise to God if it were released with you? God doesn’t want you to come out with regrets. He wants you to walk free with everything that He has given to you; it will be a witness to others of His faithfulness and honor.

God will lead you with peace. When Pharaoh gave Moses the conditions of his release, Moses didn’t have peace and, therefore, rejected the offer. So be still and know that God has your best interest at heart. When the conditions match the covenant, then the release will come without strings or regrets. Those who wait upon the Lord are renewed. The Lord waits until we can come out with our praise intact so that the world, and our enemies will know Who it was that has delivered us.  

Not Leaving Without My Praise,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

Psalms 68 : 19, Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! NKJV

The Lord desires that we celebrate His goodness in our lives. Therefore, we are instructed in His Word to acknowledge Him as the Source of all our needs. It is His good pleasure to give us His kingdom and to see that we’re provided for in every area of life.

The psalmist teaches us to bless the Lord because He loads us with daily benefits through Christ. You’ve probably noticed that life has become very demanding. Consequently, as a result of these demands, we can on occasion become overwhelmed. Nevertheless, we must always remember that it is the Lord, Who has brought us this far; and He will watch over us and keep us as we continue in our walk with Him.  

We must guard our hearts from becoming consumed by life’s challenges to the point that we ignore the hand of God that moves daily on the behalf of His children. I can’t even begin to tell you all that the Lord has done for our family, the church, and the members of WHCN. However, I can tell you that if we keep  our eyes on the Lord and allow Him to move in His time, He will show up on time.  

Even though John tells us in his gospel about the works of Jesus, he also said that there are far more things Jesus did that haven’t even been written. He goes on to say that if everything that Jesus did while He walked on the earth was written down, the world couldn’t contain the books. Amazing!

Do you have a book of testimonies where you’ve written down the times you’ve seen the faithfulness of God in your life or in your family’s lives? Will you join with me today as I celebrate the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord? Let’s tell Him that we know where our daily blessings come from… and we’re not ashamed to admit it to others.  

Bless The Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Only Be Strong And Courageous

Judges 6: 14 - 16, Then the Lord turned to him and said, "I will make you strong! Go and save Israel from the Midianites! I am sending you!" But Gideon replied, "Sir, how can I save Israel? My family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least thought of in the entire family!"  Whereupon the Lord said to him, "But I, Jehovah, will be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!" TLB

When I read this passage, it reminded me of a principle that Jesus taught His disciples about servants. He said, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.” Generally, a true servant doesn’t see themselves as great. However, it seems to me that God has established a track record in the Bible of looking over people who were famous or of a grand stature. Instead, He would pick candidates whom we would think were the least likely to serve Him.

Gideon struggled deeply with a lack of self-confidence because of his “standing” in his community and family. Even so, when God looked on Gideon, He saw a mighty man of valor, a man of strength, ability, and force. We know from the story of David that God doesn’t look on the outward appearance of a man or woman; He looks on their heart. Consequently, when God finds a person who may be considered the least of the least, but, nevertheless, he has the heart of a servant-leader or is a warrior of righteousness, He calls them into service.

You may be reading this today and saying, “I can so relate to the way Gideon felt.” When we struggle with a lack of confidence, and we can only see our weaknesses, then we need to allow God to speak His Word into our heart. God saw the hidden potential in Gideon and spoke what He saw into Gideon’s ears. We’re told in Romans 4 that God calls those things that are not as though they were.

Like Gideon, when we see what we’ve been called to do for the Lord, we can certainly be overwhelmed. Even so, we must understand that God doesn’t call us to serve Him in “our” strength, but “His” strength. This is the reason why the Lord could call Gideon a mighty man of valor and why He had full confidence that Gideon could finish all that God had instructed him to accomplish. The Lord knew that Gideon would fully rely on the presence of God and in the Words that He had spoken over him.  Gideon was assured of success because he knew that God was with him. When you and I have God’s presence and God’s instructions, we will also fulfill the purposes of God; and we will be victorious like Gideon was against the Midianites. With God all things are possible! It all begins with that first step of faith. ..Only when you step out will you know that God is truly with you.

Walking with God,
Pastor Asa Dockery

God's Infinite Love

Hebrews 8: 7 – 12, For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." NKJV

I’m so grateful that God doesn’t leave us to figure out salvation for ourselves. Will you praise the Lord with me today for His boundless love toward mankind? Even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. Let me explain what I mean. It was God who spoke to man after He had created him. He told him about the blessings, the power, and the provision that was provided for them. It was the Lord, who bound Himself to mankind through His covenant to be our Savior, Protector, Provider, and all that we would ever need.

Nevertheless, it seems that man has struggled to have a heart for God since before the fall. If we look at Adam’s actions when he was with Eve in the garden, it seems that he was more wrapped up in Eve and what she desired than what God wanted. Even so, God has never allowed our lack of love and devotion toward Him to prevent His love from freely flowing toward us, His people.

While His own chosen people rejected His covenant and Him, God declared that He would make yet another covenant; and He would see to it that it was fulfilled. However, this new covenant could only be satisfied if He could find someone who would love Him as much as He loves us. Therefore, God sent His Son to earth, and through Jesus’ love for the Father, God could make the declaration that the writer of Hebrews has made known to us, “All shall know Me.”

Isn’t it wonderful that God didn’t let man’s rejection of Him as God keep Him from accepting us in Christ? The greatest gift that God has ever given to mankind was the gift of His only begotten Son. In Christ, every promise from God has been made forever secure. We can place our soul’s trust in His Word and know of a surety that it will never fail or be altered.

You see; the first covenant included mankind and his willingness to obey God (or lack thereof). However, the second covenant isn’t that way. It is based on the blood of Jesus, Jesus’ faithfulness, and on the love of God for His people. It is steadfast and sure; and it has been confirmed through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Consequently, if you have placed your faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ, there is rest for you today.

We don’t have to work like those who were born under the old covenant. However, we are to believe and obey His voice out of a heart filled with gratitude. The new covenant is based on God’s love, not on man’s goodness. May we love God, honor His Word in our hearts, and be grateful to Him for the blessings that He has given to us through Christ.

Thank God for God,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Victory Is Sweet

Hebrews 2 : 14 – 16, Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. NKJV

It has been said by someone that sin doesn’t die; nevertheless, we are to die to sin. Long before God made man, sin entered creation through the prideful heart of Lucifer, who became Satan after his fall. Satan is the originator of sin.

When God placed man in the garden, He warned Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge, lest he die. However, Adam and Eve allowed sin to enter the hearts of men; because of their disobedient actions, sin was now “living” in them. Even though Adam refused to confess his sin to God, he was conscious of the shame and guilt of it. We know this because Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God when He approached them.

When God asked Adam if he had sinned, it was the deceitfulness of sin that kept Adam silent and in denial. If we don’t confess our sin to God, it will keep us in bondage as well. We are commanded in the Word of God to confess our sins before the Lord first, and then we are to turn away from them. 

However, many people fall into the trap of condemnation over the sin that is living in their hearts and manifesting in their lives. As a result of the condemnation, they try to stop sinning in their own power. You must remember that sin doesn’t die; it is us who’s flesh nature has to die in order to overcome sin’s strangling hold. It was for this reason that God sent Jesus into the world to die for our sin. Since Jesus had no sin in His heart, nor was any deceit in His mouth, He didn’t have to die TO SIN; instead, He had the power to die FOR OUR SIN.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus told His disciples that if they desired to be His disciples, they would first have to deny self, take up their cross, and follow His example. Jesus knew that each disciple had to come to a place in their walk of faith where they would have to choose to die to the old life of sin. We, too, as Christ’s disciples have to make the same decision to die to sin that we might live unto God. Until believers choose to die so that they can live, they won’t have the power to quit sinning. If we could stop ourselves from sinning without the power of Christ in us and working through us, then He died in vain. We are to submit to God, resist the Devil, and then he will depart from us. In other words, we must first honor God in our hearts. It is through our honor of the Lord and His authority in our hearts, that He can give us the victory over the sin in our lives.

In God’s kingdom, if you desire to receive, you must first give. If you desire to be exalted, you must first become humble. If you long to live apart from sin, you must first die to the sin nature by the Spirit of God. Victorious living in the kingdom of God will cause us to suffer for a little while, but the liberty we experience afterwards will be well worth the pain.

Dying to Live,
Pastor Asa Dockery 

An Uninvited Guest

Matthew 16 : 21 – 25, 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." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "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. NKJV

In order to live a life that is pleasing to our heavenly Father, it is essential that Christians learn how to discern between the flesh nature and the Spirit of God. I would define discernment as being able to see through deception and lies. Discernment can also be the ability to know the very intent and point of origin of a motive or thought. For example, we can see in today’s scriptures how Jesus could discern Simon’s response as a motivation or prompting of Satan. 

We can sometimes act just like Simon did in this story because we don’t always know what is hidden in our own hearts until God decides to reveal it to us through a situation. Have you ever set out to do something for someone and had your actions completely misunderstood? I’m sure we can all imagine how Peter must have felt when he tried to prevent Jesus from obeying God’s will and consequently, Jesus called him Satan?

Jesus could recognize that Satan was using Simon’s flesh nature to try to get Him to abort His assignment on the cross. Simon had good intentions. However, if Jesus had listened to Simon, no one would be saved. It’s obvious that Peter loved Jesus and wasn’t going to stand idly by and let Him suffer without a fight. Like Peter, we can respond to many things in our own strength in an attempt to keep ourselves or someone else from suffering for the sake of Christ. Nevertheless, if the situation is the will of God, then we may be opening the door for Satan to try to override the plan of God.

Why is it that out of all the disciples present, Peter was the only one who had a negative response to what Jesus had told them? The Lord used this occasion to reveal to Simon (Peter) a weakness in his life that needed to be addressed. Once again, as Christians we must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, lest we allow our flesh to get us in trouble. Trouble will occur when we respond to God’s will in the same way that Simon responded to Jesus. Simon made the mistake of thinking more highly of himself than he ought. The Lord tells us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand and in due season He will raise us up.

If we should ignore the Lord’s rebuke and become offended when we are corrected, it will only show that we have allowed pride to respond instead of humility. Jesus didn’t correct Simon in front of everyone so that He could humiliate him, but that He might show Simon what Satan was doing through his fleshly ways. Whether we admit it or not, our flesh can become an open door for Satan to enter our lives and have a voice of influence that affects our decisions.  

 Jesus never allowed His flesh to give place to the Devil, even though He walked as a Man on the earth. (John 1: 14) He was completely submitted to His Father’s will, although it caused Him to suffer and die. Peter tells us in his epistle that Jesus had no sin; neither was there any deceit in His mouth. We too can lead a victorious life, if we choose to live a crucified life as Jesus did. We have the same Holy Spirit, and the same heavenly Father that Jesus did while He was on the earth. Nonetheless, we must be willing to die to self and allow God to be glorified in our lives through obedience. May the Glory of the Lord shine through you today!

May I Decrease That He Might Increase,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Procrastination

Hebrews 10: 35 – 36, 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: NKJV

As children of God, we must learn how to obey both God’s voice and His commandments. We’re told in Hebrews 5 that even Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered. Why do you suppose obedience is so important to God? Today’s scripture gives us one of the most important reasons. Our heavenly Father works His good pleasure in our lives through the principle of faith. Therefore, God has given us His Word in "seed" form. If we place our faith in His Word and obey His will, God has promised to bless us with His promises.

If we ignore God’s Word or His will for our lives, then He can’t release His promises to us. This principle brings us to the point of today’s devotion: has the Lord instructed you to obey Him in an area, and you, for whatever reason, have put off doing it? All Words from God have a season; and some of them have a small window of opportunity to be obeyed? Consequently, if we should procrastinate past the season that was given for a particular Word from the Lord, we will have allowed unbelief to cause us to miss our harvest of blessing from that Word.

Do you have remorse or regret in your life over past opportunities when God told you to obey, but you ignored His voice? I certainly have; and many in the Bible did as well. Nevertheless, through much suffering, I have come to realize that obedience is far better than living with heartache and regret. When the Lord instructs us to obey Him, and it seems hard at the time, remember that God desires to bring a blessing or harvest in your life; however, He must have your cooperation. Even so, He loves to challenge us in the areas of our lives where the flesh nature is most dominate. As He instructs us, and we step out in faith, His Word goes to work in our hearts to cut away the power of our flesh nature that has kept us from living in the blessings of the Lord.  

Let me leave you today with an example of procrastination that turned into quick obedience through much longsuffering. Abram, the father of the faith was instructed by the Lord to leave his father’s house and all his kindred and go to a land that God would show him. Abram left as God commanded; however, he brought Lot, his nephew with him. This is called partial-obedience for those who keep score. Nevertheless, in God’s eyes, it is still unbelief and disobedience. After twenty-four years, Abraham left Lot behind and walked on with God. As a result, approximately one year later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son of PROMISE.  

In Genesis 22, after these things had transpired, God tested Abraham’s obedience once more. God told Abraham to take his only son and offer him on a mountain that He would show him. The Bible tells us that after God spoke to Abraham and gave him specific instructions, he got up EARLY the next day and obeyed. Abraham learned through much suffering the cost of disobedience. However, he also learned the blessing of obedience. As Christians, we must come to the place in our walk of faith where we understand the blessing of obedience, and we arise quickly. If the Lord is prompting you to obey, and you haven’t, ask Him right now to give you the power to submit so that you will receive His promises.  

Learning Faithfulness,
Pastor Asa Dockery