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We, who once were so foolish, selfish, self-centred souls, will learn wisdom. This is one of the many miracles that take place within us once we have given our lives to Christ and begin to drink from the wells of salvation.
So much has to change within us. After a life of deception, this is the miracle: we will learn to have “truth in the inward parts.” To the keen minister, there is so much to teach his or her congregation, especially the new converts. But here is another miracle that has very little to do with any minister or church we attend. “Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” As we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, He will teach us all things. (John 14:26) He will ‘make us to know wisdom’. He will not force us, but He will make us know. He will impress upon us and He will leave His mark upon us. Even when we have no insight and understanding, we will know the wisest thing to do in a given situation. How glorious that this is part of the promise of God for the new convert. How wonderfully reassuring for the soul who anxiously follows hard after the Lord. He will make us know wisdom: we will know the right way to act, the right words to say, and the right way to respond. The only thing that is required of us is that we are teachable. No matter how devious your nature or how wicked you’ve been, give your life, your heart and soul to Him. Not only will He purge you, He will create a new heart, renew a right spirit, give you truth in the inner core, and He will make you know wisdom. What a miracle salvation is! He takes our tangled, complex lives and fills them with simplicity and clarity. Come, drink deeply of the water of life. “Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17 NIVUK Blessed be His Name!
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How wonderful that our Mighty Saviour can cast out dark, cruel, venomous demons by the Spirit of God. Do we appreciate this work of grace?
I have witnessed this ministry in operation for many years and have been profoundly moved by the power of God at work in cleansing a soul. I prefer not to focus on the darkness and wickedness but on the Light that emerges at the end of such occasions, and even more so, the transformation in the lives of those who receive His help. It is the work of the Spirit of God. Jesus went on to say: “How can a person go into a strong man’s house and carry off his goods (the entire equipment of his house)” (29a) AMPC In other words, He asks: ‘Who is powerful enough to enter Satan’s territory?’ He answers, “I am.” He asks, ‘Who can carry off Satan’s goods?’ He answers, “I can.” And He did. “Only someone even stronger–someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” (29b) NLT Christ is the only one who is stronger than Satan. Christ is the only one who can enter his house. Christ is the only one who can tie him up. Christ is the only one who can take his belongings. He told the people He had greater power than Satan: He could tie him up. And He did at Calvary! He bound the power of Satan. He plundered Satan’s house. He set us free! Nothing is too hard for the Lord. What a Saviour we have! Take time to meditate on these thoughts. They will fill you with courage and strengthen you for your journey. Christ has now: “Ascended on high, He led captivity captive (He led a train of vanquished foes.)” Ephesians 4:8 AMPC He leads us into freedom. Hallelujah! There are several lessons to learn from this verse.
Firstly, the servant must be faithful and sensible. Our Lord Jesus didn’t need to use these exact words, and yet He chose to do so. We would expect faithfulness to be a quality of our Christian walk, but our Lord emphasises that we must be sensible. Now, this is not a quality that everyone possesses. A sensible person can make sound decisions and judgments. They are often wise, prudent, and practical. To serve God in the church means we must strive to develop all these qualities. We need to use our minds, not just our hearts. You may have a faithful dog who is as daft as a brush! However, when faithfulness and sensibility combine, you achieve effectiveness. Secondly, the servant is entrusted with the responsibility of managing other household servants and feeding them. A minister, assuming they are a faithful and sensible servant, bears responsibility in the church and often oversees a staff of workers. Different strengths are recognised, and tasks are allocated according to their skills and talents. That is expected. But here is the lovely part: the minister, or faithful and sensible servant, is responsible for feeding his staff of servants. What a privilege it is for them and for us to come and partake from the hand of the faithful and sensible servant. They should provide us with exactly what we need. The food provided will perfectly cater to the needs of our spirits, and we will be well-fed and satisfied with Christ. Isn’t it true that the best team of workers we will ever have are those who are well-fed, happy and contented with life? They will be faithful forever. Whatever position you hold today, let us try to be that faithful and sensible servant to Christ. Use your heart and your head and look after those under your care, for you will achieve the most between you for the glory of God. We all need quiet places and time to rest. If we don’t, our lives become unbalanced, our mental health suffers, and we lose that deep sense of connection with God that is vital for our spiritual well-being. Life becomes a whirlpool of activity, and we don’t know whether we are coming or going.
It is so heartening that Jesus Himself encouraged His disciples to go off by themselves to rest. It gives us the green light to take the time out with Him that we often need. However, at the same time, the church must continue to thrive. Lives must be fed and nourished in a loving environment; if not, the church can be in danger of dying. As we read on in the story, we discover that our Lord Jesus and His disciples didn’t get that time to be alone. People from many towns ran ahead of them along the shore to reach the remote place. This is where we see the difference between the Lord and ourselves. We might crack under the strain, throw a tantrum, withdraw, or even go on holiday or a long retreat, to de-stress from it all. What did Jesus do? ‘Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things’. Mark 6:34 NLT Herein lies the difference: we all feel the pressure and need to get away from it all at times. But when we can’t, because the work of God must come first, He will provide all the spiritual strength we need. Even Jesus got tired. We read, ‘He sat wearily beside the well’ in John Chapter 4. And yet, He drew strength from His God. When we are weary, tired, strained and needing a break, learn to draw strength from the One who said these wonderful words: “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6 NLT As you rely on Him, new energy will be given to you. Open yourself to draw strength from the eternal source of Life; you will be filled even as Jesus was, with compassion on those who are lost, that they may be found. Out of the centre of eternity is One, enthroned in splendour. He is majestic and humble, clothed in brilliant, unapproachable light; yet we can draw near to Him in His kindness and humanity. He is the most beautiful person we have ever seen, and one glimpse is enough to make us fall in worship and marvel at who He is. When we see Him, we forget everything else that troubles us. All troubles, criticisms, heartbreaks, anxieties and fears disappear. Nothing else can compare with the perfection of His beauty.
This is Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. He is the one we seek to know as we travel on our Christian journey. We may feel far from Him, but if we can sense even a glimmer of His beauty, it will accelerate our progress and galvanise us into action. A man imprisoned all his days does not know what freedom is like. He doesn’t yearn for it because he doesn’t know any different. A Christian man imprisoned by chains of dark bondage doesn’t understand the freedom of Light. He will never seek release from the ugliness of sin unless he glimpses the freedom and beauty in Christ. It is the Christian’s privilege to wait in meditative prayer for the revelation of the perfection of beauty by the power of the Spirit of Christ. We must wait until we catch a glimpse, absorb, and become saturated with His beauty. In the same way, Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration was changed: “As he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Luke 9:29 NLT So we wait in prayer until something of the shining perfection of His beauty touches our faces, bodies and, yes, even our clothes. Then we shall go out into the world, and others will catch a breath of heaven. In church, as we worship, others will sense what we are beginning to find, and they will yearn for the same knowledge of His shining beauty. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8 NLT We hear stories of Christians being led astray by others, whether it be a friend who has backslidden or wrong advice given by a minister. But the truth is, whatever advice we are given, we are responsible for our choices and decisions. Jesus said, “Don’t let anyone mislead you.” He knew the dangers to the young church beginning to form under His care. He wanted them to be careful.
When we are unsure what to do, it can help to speak to another older and wiser Christian, but it is simply advice and not knowledge. Even if they were to give you instruction as a word of knowledge, it is up to you to learn if that word is truly from God and whether you should act on it. We do not naively accept advice or follow it blindly. We have a Shepherd. He is very willing to support, help, and advise us when requested. We must learn to avail ourselves of His help. Take your problem to Christ in prayer. Consider the two or more choices very carefully. Imagine yourself walking down both paths. The path that brings the greatest sense of His presence will be right. There will be various signposts along the way. Bible verses, sermons, and songs will confirm that this is the right path for you. There will come a fire in your spirit, a strong sense of the rightness of His plan, and others who walk in the will of God will encourage you in the same direction. Everything will perfectly tie up together. The opposite is also true when we become myopic in our decisions. Others try to speak to us, suggesting this might not be the right way, but we ignore their advice. The Bible doesn’t live for us, but we can find verses that ‘confirm our decision,’ and we hold on to them for all they are worth. We seem to be at odds with the rest of the church. Those we have loved, respected, and who helped us along the way don’t seem gladdened by our decision and remain quietly reserved about it. Yet, we have set our course and are determined that this is right for us. However, deep down, if we listen to our conscience, there is a niggling feeling all is not right. We have a choice. We can hear the words of Jesus again: “Don’t let anyone mislead you.” And perhaps we should add, “Not even yourself.” Take time before making choices. They can take us down the wrong road for many years. We would do well to ensure everything fits perfectly together before we rush in and make a fool of ourselves. Some never recover after rushing headfirst into decisions that would have been best thought out carefully. Some never reach their full potential in Christ because they don’t wait for God's plan to unfold for their lives. We are all foolish, impetuous children. All have gone astray. Take your time; make sure every sign has been given, because you are ultimately responsible for your choices, not anyone else. ‘Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, His disciples came to him privately.’ Matthew 24:3 NLT5/5/2025 It was important for the disciples to maintain their close fellowship with Christ. With so much coming and going, they sometimes didn’t have time to eat, and there must have been times when they didn’t have a chance to talk to Him either.
Things had changed since they were first called. Three years had passed, and large crowds had gathered around Christ. On occasions, the disciples must have felt more like servants than friends. Take, for example, the feeding of the five thousand. The disciples were told, ‘You feed them.’ The days and hours of being alone with Christ must have been limited now that He was so well known. Yet, here He is, sitting on the Mount of Olives, perhaps resting or praying, but the disciples made the most of the opportunity and came to Him privately. Could nerves have been strained? There must have been misunderstandings and a need to be alone with Him. The same thing can happen in a church when it begins to grow. Our church started as a house group of five or six people. We now have a church where, on a Sunday morning, you can have over 150 people in the building. Many of those who began with us, are busy serving whether in the baby room, toddlers, Sunday school, bible class, ushering folks to their seats, door duty, serving communion, dealing with the sound system, organising words on the overhead, preparing slides on the screens in the foyer, need I go on? And all that is on a Sunday during the service, not to mention all the work that goes on after the service and during the week. We must never lose our closeness, firstly to Christ, but also to each other. We began serving as a small community, and now there are people there on a Sunday morning that we do not know, when we used to know everyone! There is always the danger that nerves can be strained, and misunderstandings occur, so we must do what the disciples did. We need to seek that time privately, and that can push us out of our comfort zone. We prefer to wait until we are invited. We must never allow spiritual distancing between those who serve in the Kingdom. If we do, the enemy will sow seeds of discord. None of us is an island. We operate as a body of believers, and each team member needs to function as part of the body of Christ. Crowds are wonderful, but so are moments of aloneness. The body of Christ must have private times to operate with strength and unity. Don’t ignore the nagging doubt about your involvement. Never allow a distance between those who have been your friends in Christ for years. As the work grows, let your love, faith, and unity grow with it so we will not wake up one day to discover that tares have been sown in our field. “And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him.” Matthew 28:9 NLT
Women were hurrying through the streets of Jerusalem before the light of day. There was an earthquake, and a huge stone appeared to move of its own accord! There was also an empty tomb and the absence of Roman guards around the site. Young men were seen calmly sitting on the huge stone or within the tomb. Strange happenings! How could these women, even through their tears and grief, not realise that something weird was going on? And as they left the confusing scene, suddenly: “Jesus met them and greeted them.” Matthew 28:29 NLT Oh Wow! And here was the most difficult thing for them to grasp and understand. This man that was dead, that they had seen and even touched as He was laid in the empty tomb, was suddenly standing in front of them. “And they ran to him.” Can we even imagine how amazing this moment was for these ladies? We read: “And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him.” They must have fallen to the ground, beside themselves with bewilderment, confused yet worshipping Him, grasping His feet as their emotions reeled as they struggled to understand the truth. We are left with these wonderful stories as each of the disciples encounters Christ and grasps the truth that He was and is the Son of God. We rely on the Holy Spirit to help us understand the phenomenal truth that once He was dead, and now He is alive. Yet, we have a witness to it in our hearts. We feel the excitement of it all on Resurrection Morning and in the following days. He is alive! The more this truth impacts our hearts and minds, the greater our faith, enthusiasm and belief. It is not some half story we believe or hope might be true. It is the greatest truth out there. He is the only One who was once dead for three days and has come back to life. He is the only One who has overcome death, hell and the grave. And He is the only One who has promised to come back again. Let this hope rise within you. Christ, who was dead, shall return. Meanwhile, let us do all we can to be about our Father's business, that there might be a wonderful harvest of souls for His glory. It is the cry of every servant of God: the ache to bring another to the Father, to find forgiveness and mercy, to see the burden lifted from the heavy laden, to see the weary soul find rest, and to hear the sound of joy rather than mourning.
How often have we wanted to gather the weary into our spiritual arms and end their spiritual miseries? We know that Christ can do everything. We are convinced of this because we have experienced it. We want others to find what we have because it is 100% true. “How often I have wanted.” Did Jesus think of this every time He made the journey to Jerusalem? Was there a point on His journey where He could see over the city and the Spirit’s longing laid hold of Him? “How often I have wanted” is the cry of every minister’s heart. How often I wanted to stop a person from making the wrong choice: the depressed from taking their own life, the broken-hearted from weeping, a marriage from splitting up, a young lad from going off the rails. And every minister or pastor can say these words of Jesus, “but you wouldn’t let me.” Our hands have been tied, our mouths silenced by the will of another. We have done all we can do and have said all we can say. There is nothing more but to watch with broken hearts at those who walk away. “And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.” Matthew 23:38 NLT Christ knew what would happen to Jerusalem. Only 40 years after Christ had expressed this longing, it was destroyed. In AD 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, with all its beauty, including its temple. No wonder Christ looked with longing at the city when He sensed what would happen. They had rejected the Messiah, which led to their destruction. Let us never reject the Messiah, the One who often wants to protect and save us from ourselves. When you feel the draw of the love of God, when you feel the magnetism of His power, let your heart respond positively. For, at that moment, the Lord is saying, “How often I have wanted to gather your children together (you) as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings.” Be gathered to Him, for nowhere is safer, happier and more blessed than under His wings. “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” Psalm 91:4 NLT The wells Isaac reopened were part of his rich inheritance from his forefather Abraham. It was not by accident that the water in these wells was not being used, the enemy had come along and filled them with dirt and rubbish.
We can have a flowing spring within us, and the enemy will try and stop it. Offence, anger, unforgiveness, hurt, disobedience, hate, fear, and shame – all these things stop the flow of living water. We must keep short accounts with God – meaning that we regularly confess our sins – as the more we allow our offences to accumulate, the more we allow the wells of living water in our lives to be stopped up. If we confess our sins to God, spend time in His word, and spend time in prayer and worship, it helps us to remove the junk that would accumulate. Throughout the Bible, the Lord calls His people to remember His past works to create faith within his people that would enable Him to do more mighty works in the present day. We were reminded at the New Year – “Because I swore with uplifted hand to give it to your ancestors, this land will become your inheritance.” Ezekiel 47:14 NIVUK We have a rich spiritual heritage that we can draw on today. Our ancestors received the call of God, and they answered that call. They were pioneers for God and broke ground in spiritual places: they dug deep wells for the generations following. Just as physical water is essential for life in the arid deserts of the Middle East, we also need the living water of the Holy Spirit to sustain our spiritual life daily. Isaiah 12:3 (NKJV) tells us, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Notice, it’s not a well—it’s wells. Our inheritance in Christ is multi-faceted and touches every part of our lives. The well of freedom in Christ, the well of joy, the well of holiness, the well of deliverance, the well of revival… The enemy wants to stop us from drinking from these wells, to halt us from accessing our spiritual inheritance. It is our responsibility to keep the water flowing in our lives! As believers, let us not settle for just a trickle or a stream. Let’s not be satisfied with a single well, but let us, like Isaac, reclaim all the wells blocked by the enemy so that we might access our inheritance in Christ! |