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In the message “Reaping The Whirlwind” we were encouraged not to sow the wind of unbelief, because a life without faith and the saving grace of Jesus will one day reap an eternal whirlwind of fire. The message of sowing and reaping has critical application for the eternal destiny of many around the world. We must guard against those who sow seeds of false teaching which lead away from the true eternal forgiveness of Christ. But this message also has direct application for our daily walk with our Lord.

We know there are times when we face severe trials which have nothing to do with what we have sown. Jesus made this clear when He said: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). We live in a sinful world and often reap the consequences for what others have sown; and for these troubles, Jesus wants us to find our comfort in Him: “But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

But we must also understand that many of our trials, and the trials of those around us, are often the result of a multitude of small steps taken outside the will of God.

Galatians 6:7
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

It’s foolish to think we can continually walk outside God’s will and not face consequences down the road. God dearly loves us and is patiently waiting for us to turn our heart to Him…but God cannot be mocked. Continuous deviation from His path can lead to a long and painful time of wandering.

We must learn this lesson and clearly teach it to others: Obedience in the little things is important! There is nothing too small to justify a lack of obedience. “Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). We must learn and teach, very early in life, the importance of honesty and truth, the value of submission and respect for authority. The wind of disobedience begins almost imperceptibly small with “innocent” lies and “harmless” acts of disrespect, but over time it grows until the whirlwind of consequences becomes inevitable.

If we are currently reaping a whirlwind which we know has been sown by our own hands, we must repent and seek His forgiveness, love Him and obediently trust Him with ALL our heart, and ask for the strength to endure. The whirlwind will end, but only in God’s perfect timing. And if we know we have been sowing the wind of disobedience and yet see God’s hand restraining the whirlwind, we also must repent and seek His forgiveness, love Him and obediently trust Him with ALL our heart…and thank Him for His mercy!

Let’s honor Him by only sowing that which glorifies His name. Let’s closely examine our life and the lives of those within our care, and be absolutely determined to stop sowing the wind.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

We often consider our need to more fully submit our life to God and the leading of His Spirit – to place our life in His hands and release our “self” control. We desire to be in His perfect will and serve Him with all our heart. But does our desire to serve go so far as to consider ourselves a slave?

Romans 6:20-22
“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Slavery has many negative connotations; but, in truth, we are all born into slavery…born a slave to sin. The only way to be set free from the mastery of sin and death is to ask for a transfer of ownership and become a slave to God. Our new Master then has the grace and power to shatter the bonds of sin and give us the gift of true freedom. We are never free unto ourselves, never our own master. Many live under the illusion of freedom, but we are either a slave to sin or a slave to God. If we refuse to be directed by God, we will absolutely be directed and controlled by the sinful pulls of the world.

If we are struggling to break the bondage of sin, we must first stop fighting and submit our life to God. Sin is not a battle we can win with our own strength! The only way to be set free is to receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus…and submit. Submission is not just an optional step for the “mature” Christian; rather, it is the essence of a saving faith. A saving faith first understands we cannot save ourselves but must submit to the grace of God. It then continues in submission by daily trusting in His grace to live according to the ways of His Spirit.

Romans 8:5-6
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

God is sending out His call around the world today. In the stillness of our heart we’ve heard Him call us to a closer and more intimate relationship – a more consistently submitted life of true devotion and praise. But He is requiring us to make a choice: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). We have been offered freedom from the power of sin and death. Let’s fully embrace His gift, submit to the leading of His Spirit, continue to submit at every opportunity, worship Him with all our heart, and forever become…His devoted slave.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

God desires that we know Him in an intimate and personal relationship. He has therefore revealed Himself and provided a way to know Him through the life and sacrifice of His Son; “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father… Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?” (John 14:9-10). As we grow in our faith and begin to know Him better, it becomes essential to know the promises of His Word. But it’s even more important to believe His promises are true! We may say we believe God’s Word is true, but do our actions reflect our belief?

1 John 5:10
“Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son.”

Yes, our old nature sometimes clouds our ability to clearly see the truth; and yes, some of God’s truths can be hard to accept and actually put into practice. But, we either believe His words and begin to take steps to apply them in our life, or we do not believe and call God a liar by the way we live.

It may be a difficult process, but we must confront our beliefs and begin to make them real. When we face a trial and don’t know which direction to turn, do we believe the words, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6)? Do we really believe that as we trust Him, He will remove the confusion and guide our steps?

When our circumstances seem out of control, do we believe “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28)? Do we really believe that as we continue to love Him, God works for the good in ALL things, regardless of our understanding? And when we feel alone, do we really believe God’s promise to always be near; “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

How about the promise of being content (Philippians 4:12), or being given the peace of Jesus (John 14:27), or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23); can we really “do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13)? Parents, have we given up hope for our children or do we believe, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6)?

God’s Word is true and His promises are real!! Let’s praise Him all the rest of our days and let our lives demonstrate we REALLY know and believe. Let’s make sure our actions and decisions, fears and anxieties, hopes and dreams, are governed by truth and NOT based on calling God a liar.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Imperishable Seed” we saw our need to plant a message of truth; “no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). The Word is clear: only those who have been born of the Spirit by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin, will be given eternal life. But something as important as eternity begs another question: How do we know when we have been born again?

1 John 5:11-13
“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

John wrote this first letter to define the changes which ought to take place in the life of a Christian. The believers who read John’s letter understood that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). They knew “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). They had been told the importance of turning from their sin; “repent, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19), and they clearly understood the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross; “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:25).

The believers knew it was through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus that they were forgiven and transformed by His Spirit; but, though they knew the process, they still wrestled with knowing if they were saved.

John provided several indicators of a life which truly believes in Jesus. He said those who are born again will obey the commands of God (1 John 2:3-5), and will not continue to live in sin (1 John 3:9). He said a born again life is characterized by love: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). John also said our love should not just be with words, “but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

The born again transformation occurs in our heart and spirit, but John was stating that becoming a new creation ought to result in change. We are not the same! And while the growth of many new creations can be painfully slow, over time there ought to be some form of maturity – all healthy creatures grow!

But if the evidence of being born again is missing, please remember that we cannot generate change by trying harder. Self effort never produces eternal life. Rather, we must return to the cross and consider the darkness of our sin and the brilliance of His love; “we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:9). For only at the cross is there forgiveness and the power to transform. Let’s truly receive the forgiveness offered through faith in Jesus and then continue to grow with a victorious assurance that we are born again. Let’s trust the truth of His Word, which has been given into our hands so we may know.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Plant and Water” we considered our call to join God in His work by planting the seed of His truth and watering with encouragement at every opportunity. We were also reminded to keep our focus on God as we “work” since He is the One Who makes all things grow.

We see this same principle in the parable of the farmer who scatters seed onto four different types of soil.

Luke 8:5-8
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

Usually, this parable is considered from the aspect of the different types of soil. The farmer represents anyone who plants the seed of God’s Word into someone’s life, and the different soils represent the different types of people who hear the gospel message. There is encouragement in these verses for us to be well tilled soil, free of weeds and ready to receive the Word of God. However, let’s consider this parable from the aspect of the farmer.

In the days of Christ, fields were planted by scattering or throwing out seed over all areas of a field. In this parable, the farmer is never criticized for waste as he throws seed on the path, in the weeds or on the rocks. Planting day had arrived and it was the farmer’s job to simply scatter the seed; he was not required to evaluate the soil. And there was no special technique required for planting. As long as the seed was scattered over a wide area, it would reach the good soil and produce a bountiful crop.

We have been sent out as farmers into the fields of this world with God’s Word in our hand and written on our heart; “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). As we consider what to do with our seed, we must remember that the condition of the soil should never be our primary focus. God has entrusted us with a life changing message and it’s His desire for this message to be “scattered” to all!

There is definitely a time for tilling soil, pulling weeds, and digging out the rocks that hinder our spiritual growth and the growth of those within our care; but in the field which God has placed us today, the time is always right for planting. Let’s share His message of love and forgiveness, of Godly unity and peace. A new day has arrived! Regardless of our perception of the soil – regardless whether we believe they are ready – let’s pick up our bag, put on our boots, and be determined to scatter the seed!

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

The Apostle Paul had a definite passion to serve God. Even before his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul strictly observed God’s law; “as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (Philippians 3:6). But after being confronted by Jesus, his focus forever changed; his passion remained, but his every desire now centered around faith in Jesus and the good news of His gospel message.

Philippians 3:10
“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”

Paul pursued an intimate relationship with Jesus and sought to be identified with His death and resurrection. He knew the only way to experience the power of Jesus was to live as a new creation whose sinful nature had been crucified with Christ; and as a new creation, he continually desired to know his Creator.

Truly knowing Jesus Christ is much more than simply knowing “about” Him. We can fill our head with every possible biblical fact and still never know Christ. To know Him is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; to trust Him regardless of our circumstances, and to draw close to His side in our joy as well as our suffering. Nothing else in life has any real meaning; “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8a).

Paul’s passion for Jesus allowed him to loose his hold of all worldly attachments; “I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8b). This uncontested supremacy of Jesus allowed Paul to be “content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12). By giving himself fully to knowing Christ, Paul gained true contentment and peace.

We have the same ability to know Christ today. We are also promised the same results! Peace and contentment will NEVER be achieved through more possessions, activities, or relationships – these are ALL temporary and will fade away with time. Our life will only be truly content when we give ourselves to Jesus and love Him without reservation; we will only be filled with His peace as we seek to know Him.

We may never be asked to give up much for the sake of the gospel; but then again, we may be asked to give up everything! Either way, our heart must always hold loosely to the things of this world. Anything which cannot be released has effectively become a god and crowds the throne which MUST be reserved for the King of Kings. Let’s reconsider our priorities – where we spend our time and what commands our thoughts and consumes our energy. Let’s give ourselves fully to Him and make sure nothing has become more important than knowing Christ.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries