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In the final years of the southern kingdom of Israel, God warned that He was going to use the king of Babylon to discipline the people unless they returned to Him with a heart of worship. But the people failed to repent and the invasion of Jerusalem began.

Ezekiel was a prophet to those taken captive during the Babylonian attacks. Through Ezekiel, God explained why He was allowing Jerusalem to be destroyed. He said the people had rebelled and drifted far; but His anger seemed mostly directed at the leaders who failed to point the way: “They do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 22:26). In addition, God said the prophets were covering up the sins of the priests; “They whitewash their deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations” (Ezekiel 22:28).

God searched, but found no one who was willing to lead the people into a life of pure and holy worship – a life which recognized God as Lord of ALL and prayed without ceasing for His guidance and protection.

Ezekiel 22:30-31
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger.”

As in the days of Ezekiel, spiritual walls are crumbling all around us. We have whitewashed sin in the name of tolerance, and we have lost our passion for holiness and worship in the busyness of materialism and worldly advancement. And tragically, many of our churches are filled with compromise and fail to point the way to truth. The result is many lives filled with spiritual gaps – areas vulnerable to grave attack by the enemy.

We must repair our own walls through repentance, forgiveness, and daily drawing nearer to the presence of God. But we must also look for “gaps” in the walls of those around us and commit to standing firm with prayer, encouragement, and time, until strength returns and walls are repaired. We must be ones who live without compromise and faithfully point the way to true worship and a life which glorifies God in all we do.

Let’s continue to stand in the gap for as long as it takes the relationship of a friend to be restored, the strength of a pastor to be renewed, the heart of a loved one to be transformed, or the life of a prodigal child to return home. God’s words through Ezekiel are harsh; but God didn’t give up on the people until the people gave up on each other. It’s not too late if we continue to point the way; there is still hope if we will stand firm in the gap.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Arise And Walk” we were reminded that as God answers our prayers He does so in a manner which is “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). He answers according to our true need driven by His divine good. This is a difficult concept but God’s view of this world, and certainly His view of our life, is much grander than our own; “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

This passage in Isaiah occurs as God is calling people to trust Him in ways they do not understand; “Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live” (Isaiah 55:3). God’s path to the greater good – which we must understand is the same as the path to our very best – is the path which follows Him in absolute faith, even when we do not understand.

The story of Jesus and the young rich man gives an example of someone who could not accept this truth. In this story a rich man asked Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). After first telling the man to obey the commandments related to how he treated others, Jesus gave the man a directive which caused him to turn away.

Mark 10:21
“Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ He said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.'”

To understand this story we need to realize that terms like kingdom of God, eternal life, and salvation, do not simply refer to a ticket to heaven – they refer to that and so much more. When asked by the Pharisees about the kingdom of God, Jesus answered, “the kingdom of God is within (or among) you” (Luke 17:21). Eternal life can begin now! The kingdom can begin now! Salvation can begin now! Yes, there is also a future realization, but let’s not miss the now. The rich man accepted some of what Jesus said but refused to believe that Jesus truly knew what was best and loved him enough to call him to obedience.

God’s very best, His kingdom reality, is available right now. But it is only available through faithfully following His way of truth and not our own. When we choose to walk our own way, contrary to God’s word, we have chosen the path of a fool; “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). God’s path is never contrary to His word; He will NEVER lead us to lie, cheat, steal, dishonor, slander, or commit adultery. Choosing such a path is choosing the path of a fool and is guaranteed to miss out on God’s best!

Receiving our ticket to heaven might be a one time event, but choosing to live right now in the kingdom of God requires daily choices to live by following the ways of God. So today, and also in the many days to come, we must make the choice: Will we live as a follower or fool?

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

One day when Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, ten men with leprosy approached Him and called out; “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” (Luke 17:13). Jesus didn’t immediately heal the lepers; rather, He gave them a simple instruction; “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14).

A leper would only present himself to a priest if he believed the leprosy was gone. The priests had the authority to declare a diseased person ceremonially clean and allow them to return home (Leviticus 14). Therefore, the lepers demonstrated great faith when they followed Jesus’ command; “And as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). Notice that the lepers had to take action before they were healed – their action was a demonstration of their faith.

Though all ten lepers had been cleansed of their terrible disease, only one returned to give thanks; “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him” (Luke 17:16). Jesus responded with a very convicting question.

Luke 17:17
“Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?'”

I wonder if we really understand the degree to which we have been healed and made clean; “God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression” (Ephesians 2:5). We were DEAD, and He made us alive with Christ – that’s serious healing!! Our Heavenly Father reached down in love and provided a way for complete restoration when we did not even have the ability to cry out for help; “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) – that’s serious love!!

His Hand guided us toward healing through His Son and His Hand continues to heal in countless ways on our daily walk. Every time relationships are restored, His hand has healed; when conflicts are resolved, His hand has healed; and when He lovingly welcomes us back after we have wandered from His presence, His hand has healed.

But do we return to thank Him? Or are we as the other nine lepers who go on our way and forget the One to whom we owe our very lives.

The one leper who returned threw himself at Jesus’ feet. If we knew how deathly ill we are without Christ and how completely He has healed our soul, we would not only throw ourselves at His feet, but we would remain and refuse to ever leave. Let’s live each day in the presence of God and continually come before Him with hearts overflowing with thanksgiving and praise. Let’s remember our divine healing and ALWAYS be the one who will return to give thanks.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

The one hundred and fifty psalms in the Bible were written by several different people; we believe that David wrote many but certainly not all. The psalms were meant to be set to music and sung as a way of extolling the glory of God, but also as a way of expressing the deeply honest emotions which are certain to appear when one submits their life to the leading of God.

The psalms, as given in the Bible, represent the longings, frustration, anger, confession, and praise of the individuals who wrote about three thousand years ago. Perhaps today our psalms would express similar feelings something like this:

A PSALM OF PRAISE

1. O Lord, I will praise you through all of my day;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

2. I will praise you when I rise;
for you have given me rest and breath.

3. I will praise when I eat my morning meal;
for you have given me time before my family goes their ways.

4. I will praise you when I send my children to school;
for you have given resources and intellect for them to learn.

5. I will praise you when I work;
for you have given both ability and opportunity to produce.

6. I will praise you when I observe, though all too infrequent,
the beauty of the trees and grass, the river and the park;
for you have given a creation, though fallen, as a reminder of your majesty and love.

7. I will praise you when I return home;
for you have given comfort and a love to share.

8. I will praise you when I lie down;
for you have given me warmth and peace.

9. Yes, Lord, I will praise you through all of my day;
and I will praise you for all of my days;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

10. I will praise you in my youth;
for you have given me strength and health and energy.

11. I will praise you in my mid years;
for you have given me family and understanding of your ways.

12. I will praise you in my aging;
for you have given guidance and protected me from selfish gain;

13. Lord, you are my love, my life, my all in all;
I will praise you at the end;
for you have given of yourself so I might live.

14. So I praise you all through my day and for all of my days;
for you have given me so many reasons to praise.

A PSALM OF LAMENT

1. Lord, the heavens and hills declare your glory;
but your people wail and cry in despair;
who can blame them for failing to see?

2. Who can blame the mother who fails to see your glory,
when her child is torn from her arms and beat?

3. Who can blame the father who fails to see your glory,
when he is unable to even feed his family?

4. Who can blame the children for failing to see your glory,
when their father leaves and their mothers dies an early, painful death?

5. Who can blame the nations for failing to see your glory,
when corruption, war, and disaster strips away all hope?

6. Who can blame your people for failing to see your glory,
when the stars do shine but evil and heartache reign?

7. Who can blame anyone for failing to see your glory,
when you allow all of this?

8. Oh Lord, return your glory to this land;
what is declared in the heavens declare again among your people.

9. It is not the time for a silent God who withholds direction;
your people are lost and wandering in need of a shepherd.

10. Now is the time for the heavens to shine in the lives of your people,
for your people to be transformed, walk in your ways, and praise your name.

11. Now is the time for your voice to be heard with thunderous clarity,
for the paths to be strained until only one remains.

12. Hear our cry! Why will you not shine? Why will you not thunder and strain?
Who can blame us for failing to see?

13. And yet, Oh Lord, your glory does shine,
and I will trust in you, in you alone, though I fail to see.

From the psalms we learn about a posture of honesty before God. Yes we pray we will one day be able to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4), but it is natural for portions of our journey to contain seasons of wrestling where we cry out for understanding. So whether we are in a season of wonderful praise or a season of painful lament, God is there and would love to hear our personal psalms.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Secure In His Presence” we were encouraged to guard against anything which takes away from our complete dependence on our Heavenly Father. We saw how worldly security can sometimes cause us to close our eyes and ears to God’s leading. Becoming secure in the world means we are placing our trust in the things of the world. David made this mistake and it cost him dearly.

God described David as “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). David clearly saw God working in his life. When he went to fight Goliath with only stones and a sling, he knew to trust in the strength offered by God; “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). God continued to protect David through his trials with Saul and later led him through many military victories as the king of Israel. But toward the end of his reign, David began to trust the world’s definition of power and might.

1 Chronicles 21:1-2
“Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, ‘Go and count the Israelites. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.'”

God allowed Satan to tempt David because there was still deep rooted pride in David that needed to be revealed. There was nothing inherently wrong with counting the people. When God led the nation of Israel out of Egypt, He told Moses; “Take a census of the whole Israelite community” (Numbers 1:2). But David had become very “self” reliant and had placed his trust in his own strength and abilities. He became focused on his resources – the number of men who were able to fight – rather than keeping his eyes and ears on the true Commander of ALL battles.

David recognized and confessed his sin: “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg You, take away the guilt” (1 Chronicles 21:8). Though David’s sin was forgiven, God still enforced severe consequences; “So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead” (1 Chronicles 21:14). As the leader of God’s chosen people, David was expected to set a clear example of complete trust.

God wants and expects the total devotion of our heart. Devotion will always mean love and worship; but it also must include our sustained and unwavering trust. Our Heavenly Father establishes our path and provides all the necessary strength to achieve the victory He desires. He simply asks that we trust only in Him and continue to follow where He leads. Let’s give Him ALL the glory and honor as we keep our eyes forever focused on Christ and guard against the sin of misplaced trust.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Our life in these mortal bodies will always fall short of God’s standard. From the moment sin entered the world, we’ve been unable to satisfy God’s requirement of perfection. But, knowing our weakness, God gave His Son as a sacrifice to make perfect those who believe; “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus makes us perfect forever – this is the gracious gift of Salvation; “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

The grace of God makes us perfect the moment we are saved; but, for the rest of our days on this earth, we are in the process of “being made holy.” This is why Paul, who freely writes about the gift of grace, can also exhort us to a life free of sin; “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Romans 6:12). Paul understood that, though we have become “perfect forever,” we have also been called to a high standard of holiness. He therefore refers to his life after Salvation as a race to be won; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me” (Philippians 3:12-14).

The picture of a well-conditioned athlete straining toward the finish line can be a wonderful motivator. However, when we press and strain toward the wrong goal – or with our own strength – we will soon become fatigued and discouraged. We are in a race, but we must allow Jesus to establish the goal as well as the route to be run. The goal of a Christian life must always be to produce fruit that glorifies God; “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). And the route of fruit production must ALWAYS be through the vine of Christ.

John 15:4-5
“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

We are called to produce fruit by living a life of holiness and bringing glory and honor to God in all we do. However, fruit can only grow if we remain intimately attached to the vine – a branch cannot produce anything by itself! In our own strength we cannot produce holiness or ANYTHING esteemed by God. But when we allow the life of the vine to flow through our veins, we WILL produce a bounty of fruit.

Let’s attach firmly to the vine of Jesus Christ and allow Him to flow though every area of our life. Let’s live each day in the holy presence of God and produce baskets of fruit for His glory and honor. Let’s run to win the race as we press and strain toward the vine.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries