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Our world is full of people in deep spiritual need. Most have never placed their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and are literally starving right before our eyes. But even many Brothers and Sisters who love the Lord are desperately hungry to know Him more, or they have been wounded and are in need of long term spiritual nourishment.

God’s Word tells us to have open eyes and a soft heart such that we can recognize the needs and bring them before our Father in prayer; “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). But then we are told to carefully listen for God’s leading and fully expect to be put to work.

One afternoon, a crowd of over 5000 people had gathered to hear Jesus teach; “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (Luke 9:11). The disciples saw it was getting late and would soon be time to eat. They recognized the need of the people, came before Jesus, and “presented their request.”

Luke 9:12-13
“Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to Him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.’ He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.'”

When the disciples approached Jesus, they presented the need…but they also presented their solution. They knew the people were growing hungry, but their solution was to send them elsewhere for food. We often make this same mistake when we limit God by our own vision and understanding. Jesus’ solution to this need was to bless the few provisions the disciples could gather and then accomplished His work through their hands; “They all ate and were satisfied” (Luke 9:17).

God never asks us to do something without also providing the necessary tools to accomplish all He desires. We have been empowered by His Spirit and equipped through His Word. Yes, we must continue to pray; but our prayers ought to be with an understanding that God may very well direct US to carry His life-giving food and be a vessel for His healing.

There can be no greater work here on earth than to take part in restoring someone’s relationship to our Heavenly Father. Only God can truly heal, but He has invited us to join Him in this awesome work. Let’s continue to lift up the many needs to God in prayer, but then let’s prepare for His answer – His invitation – which calmly says, “You give them something to eat.”

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Protection of Truth” we saw that loving the truth of God is our protection against the deceptive attacks of the enemy. By knowing the truth, we can recognize the lies of “worldly wisdom,” and continue along God’s path without painful detours into the weeds. But we must be willing to faithfully apply the truth in all areas of our life and share the truth with others at every opportunity.

Prior to the final invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, God spoke through Jeremiah to warn the people of their coming destruction and their need to repent. Needless to say, this was not a popular message and Jeremiah was not a welcomed prophet. But there were other self-proclaimed prophets who provided a much more comfortable message. These prophets made people feel good by telling them what they wanted to hear – telling them they could continue down their same path without fear. But God warned about falling into their seductive trap of false security.

Jeremiah 23:16-17
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.'”

The ministry of encouragement is a vital part of our Christian walk. We all face valleys and need encouragers to provide a lift. And since we know there are many others who are walking through valleys today, we should encourage in every way possible; “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today!” (Hebrews 3:13).

However, in our zeal to encourage and build up, we must never compromise by presenting a message which falls short of the absolute truth. We must never present an “all is well” message if all is not well. When God’s children wander from His path and plant themselves amongst the weeds, there must be someone willing to “gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25).

Our task as an encourager is not always to make others comfortable or to deliver a pleasing message; we are not called to tell people “what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). Rather, our task is to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We never help when we make someone comfortable with sin.

The absolute best encouragement we can give is to help someone have a right relationship with their Heavenly Father through a surrendered faith in Jesus Christ. God’s truth can and will set us free (John 8:32)! Let’s encourage in every way possible; but let’s make certain we always encourage with a message of truth!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

There are many influences which compete for our attention; many different inputs which seek to shape our view of the world and, in turn, direct how we make decisions about our life. There is also an enemy who greatly desires to win this competition. The enemy is battling for the hearts of men, women and children; and he knows if he can win the battle of the mind, the heart will remain his.

Many of the battle lines are easy to recognize. For example, the direct assault from various forms of sexual temptation and drugs claim numerous victims every day. But there are many other plans of the enemy which place hidden mine fields along the path and destroy those who are not careful where they step. Perhaps the best disguised and most effective weapon of the enemy is that of worldly wisdom.

Since the Garden of Eden, the enemy has propagated a set of values which sound wise and appealing, but which consistently lead down a path of destruction. His “wisdom” attempts to define happiness and success – tells us we must achieve, push, and obtain in order to succeed and be fulfilled. But if we will come into the presence of God, we will see the world’s wisdom for what it truly is…foolishness.

1 Corinthians 3:18-19
“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.”

The values of the world are continually promoted in every type of media and from every possible class of people – even sometimes from those who profess faith in Jesus. But these values are lies! They are weapons of the enemy used to pull us away from God…they are foolishness!! And when we choose to live as a captive to world values, we have chosen to live outside of God’s perfect plan; “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

God’s plan will always require faith – always require us to be “sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). This often means we must have the faith and courage to stand alone. Though the world may label us a “fool,” we must continue (and continue some more) to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

We are being called to become a fool to the world, but this is not an easy task. We have been well “educated” in the world system, and now must reshape the way we think; “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This renewal process will take determined, consistent, and intentional prayer and the study of His Word; but God will provide sufficient strength for the process. Let’s refuse to live in a cloud of deception. Let’s make an uncompromising commitment to God and break free from the wisdom of the world.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

During the week before He was crucified, Jesus was asked many questions by the religious leaders. However, their questions were never asked for the purpose of education or to satisfy their true curiosity, they were asked with the intent of finding fault; “The Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap Him in His words” (Matthew 22:15). Jesus answered each of their questions, but then He warned the crowds about the hypocrisy of those who were trying to trap Him.

Matthew 23:5-6
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.”

The phylactery was a small box containing scripture, worn on the forehead or arm to fulfill the command of God as given through Moses; “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (Deuteronomy 11:18).

The Pharisees strictly followed God’s commands, but they also followed many self-created rules and “enhanced” God’s commands to make themselves feel more righteous. Jesus never rebuked them for following rules, but He greatly questioned the motivation of their heart. The Pharisees had forgotten that the purpose of everything they did was to worship God and glorify His name. Instead, they began to focus on their outward appearance as they sought to look holy and obtain the approval of others; “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self indulgence” (Matthew 23:25).

This problem was definitely not new. Over 700 years earlier, God’s children had lost their heart for worship: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13).

Unfortunately, this problem is still with us today. We’ve created a list of rules and religious activities which somehow define our relationship with God. We define our “Godliness” by our church attendance, our acts of service, or even our time spent reading His Word. But all these good and worthwhile actions do not define our relationship – they do not define our love. Our love is, and always has been, defined by the condition of our heart; “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). All our actions simply flow as an outward expression of the condition of our heart.

EVERYTHING we do must be motivated by a desire to praise and honor our Heavenly Father. Our religious acts mean absolutely nothing if not accompanied by a heart full of love and thanksgiving. Let’s become true worshipers who express our love for God in all we do and say! Let’s never allow our lives to be driven by the look of holiness.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

By the time Jeremiah became a prophet, the people of Israel had occupied the land of Canaan for about 800 years. Those years were generally characterized by a continuing rejection of God. Time and again the people turned from God and embraced the gods of the world.

Through Jeremiah God called His people to return and worship Him as the One True God: “Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way” (Jeremiah 26:2-3). His words reflect the heart of a Father longing to be reunited with His children. We can almost feel God’s heart breaking as He tells Jeremiah how far His children have fallen.

Jeremiah 19:4-5
“For they have forsaken Me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew. They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal – something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter My mind.”

When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He warned them about following the practices of the local people; “You must not do as they do in the land of Canaan” (Leviticus 18:3). The Canaanite values were evil and in conflict with the way God was calling His children to live. In fact, anytime we seek to follow the path of God, we soon discover the values of the world are always in conflict with the values God calls us to hold.

God’s chosen people not only turned their backs, but they even became involved in a local form of “worship” that included sacrificing their own children. It’s almost as if God was shaking His head in sad disbelief: “How could they have drifted so far away?” Of course, we must wonder if God is still shaking His head today.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have become children of God and can enjoy the blessings of a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. We have also been given the ability to be blessed through relationships in our family and among our friends. And yet, how often do we sacrifice these blessings to the gods of this world? How often do we follow the practices of the world – with its “rules” for value and importance – and watch as our children are sacrificed in the fire of materialism? How often do we sacrifice loving relationships on the altar of selfish pride or lustful pleasure?

Our Heavenly Father calls us to sacrifice. But His call is to a complete sacrifice of worship to Him; “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). This sacrifice involves the continual releasing of our will until we are “poured out as a drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6). Let’s bring Him our very best and worship Him with a pure and complete devotion. Let’s evaluate our actions today and carefully consider what, and to whom, we sacrifice.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Solomon was the third king of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba. And although not the eldest son, he was chosen by David to be his successor. As David was about to die, he gave Solomon some final counsel for ruling the kingdom.

1 Kings 2:2-3
“Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in His ways, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.”

David knew that Solomon would influence an entire nation – influence it either toward the good…or the bad. This was an awesome responsibility which would require a deep commitment to God.

Solomon initially established a God-centered kingdom; “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David” (1 Kings 3:3). He ruled with great wisdom and spent seven years building a magnificent temple in which God would be worshipped. Yet Solomon failed to demonstrate total commitment to the One True God.

Solomon married many women from the surrounding nations and allowed these wives to turn his heart toward other gods; “His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4). God was greatly angered at Solomon’s lack of commitment and rose up enemies who would eventually divide the kingdom and create civil war.

In a sense, every believer in Jesus has been given a kingdom. Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This kingdom is established when we believe, in faith, that Jesus died for our sins; it is therefore a kingdom of “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

The kingdom we’ve been given is more precious than ANY other. But, as with Solomon, it is also a kingdom which must be “ruled” with an absolute, undivided love for the Lord; with a commitment to walking in the ways He establishes for our life and worshiping Him with the pure focus of our heart.

If we desire God’s kingdom to remain firmly established and at peace in our life, then we must keep our heart completely devoted to Him and guard against the influences which seek to pull us away. Let’s not become distracted by the other “gods” of this world. Let’s make the necessary adjustments to our priorities and schedules which will allow us the time to continually draw closer to the one true God and prevent a divided kingdom.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries