The Reason We Go Astray …

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It’s amazing to me how many times I find myself “off track” in the priorities God has laid down for me. There is no doubt that I want His best and I want it sooner than later. Then, it takes so little to cause me to “rabbit trail” away from those things.

Jesus talked about the sources from which people go astray and I think they resonate with us when we are honest. He pointed out two specific causes …

“Yeshua answered them, “The reason you go astray is that you are ignorant both of the Tanakh and of the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29, CJB)

  • I am ignorant of the Old Testament

So much of the heart and hope of our Father in Heaven is revealed in the Old Testament (3/4 of our beloved Bible is Old Testament). When we lack the depth of the journey of God with His people in the Old Testament, we miss the understandings of how He feels, thinks, responds, rejoices, and – yes – gets irritated with people.

Such ignorance of how He walks with His people in virtually every conceivable situation – from reverence to rebellion, creation to captivity – leaves us with understandings that change how we move forward today, in our personal paths. They focus us on the bigger picture – the reasons why I am here at this time in this place, by His design and will.

Am I rereading (or reading for the first time) the travels of God with His people long ago?

  • I am ignorant of the power of God

This is where the Old Testament shines. God has done so many powerful exploits that are recorded … the creation of the universe ought to get our attention. Since He never changes, we can see, grasp, and – hopefully – absorb into our DNA, His power that is shed repeatedly on behalf of His people.

Banishing the doubting Thomas theological position that God won’t do it again, today, we see time and again that God moved for those who trusted Him. As I reread the journies of the people of God in the Old Testament, I am reassured of God’s love, of His daily interest, and His willingness to intervene in my little segment of life right now.

Are you reading the Old Testament or are you wandering?

Are you trusting the power of God or are you going astray?

 

I’d love to hear what you have to say! Share in the comments below.

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Hope For Today – God Will Strengthen You and Help You!

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

Maybe you are in the midst of a valley right now – financially, relationally, emotionally, physically. It might even be the result of your own doing. Whatever the reason, here you are … struggling, suffering, and sinking. You’re wondering, “Where’s God?”

This is Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today because God will strengthen you and help you!

In (Isaiah 41:10, NLT) God Himself gives us Hope For Today when he says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Fear dominates, doesn’t it? It’s like a thousand zombies reaching out to destroy us in the dark. And all we seem to be able to do is retreat … slowly, daily, continuously. And with the dread comes depression.

Overpowered and incapacitated we fall on our knees and cry out to Jesus! And in that moment of surrender and humility, God replies … “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Has it been so long since you’ve experienced victory that you think that it isn’t possible? Trust me … God will strengthen you and help you! Cry out to Jesus right now! Shed tears, unburden your pain … He will hold you up! He will bring you victory!

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out Eagles In Leadership . org; that’s Eagles In Leadership . org.

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Upgrading Our Prayer Life!

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Yeshua answered them, “Yes! I tell you, if you have trust and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree; but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ it will be done. In other words, you will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.”” (Matthew 21:21–22, CJB)

When I read passages like this, I stand back in silence. I’ve never moved a mountain by speaking to it. I don’t have any official historical record of anyone else doing it. So, how am I to take such verses … I take them by faith and realize that Jesus is trying to pull us UP into a new level of faith. Remember, (check it out please) that He had just shriveled up a fig tree because it didn’t have any breakfast snacks for the One who gives life to all.

Therefore, Jesus powerfully shows that, despite what I’ve read by a lot of doubting Thomas theologians, Jesus meant what He said. In fact, He repeatedly sought to encourage His disciples with the prompt, “You’ll do greater things that I have.” Thus, it’s time to upgrade my prayer life with a boost of faith! Would you join me?

Two things pop out here to me …

  • If I have trust and don’t doubt.

Ah, there’s the rub. I often doubt that God would even want to give me what I ask for. I’ve been taught by the faithless for so long – it started when I was young and continued through my “formal education” when my professors kept talking about how this was a “metaphor for faith” and not literal. As I read comments from others “wiser than I am,” I see the same lack of faith. Doubt seems to be ingrained in much of the teaching of those who can’t get anything to happen in their prayer life.

But, Jesus calls us to put our trust in Him and our Father in Heaven. That requires us to refocus on His character. He didn’t make us so we could constantly focus on our sniveling sinfulness. Are we sinful? Sure. Does a good father keep the focus of their child on their failures or on a future filled with hope and possibility? The latter is the human tendency of a good father, and so it is for us with our Father in Heaven. So, trust Him more every day, as Jesus had already sought to ingrain in His followers:

“So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!” (Matthew 7:11, CJB)

  • I will receive everything I ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided I have trust.

What? Talk about something that scares me … this is it! EVERYTHING? Yes, the Greek for “everything” means “everything.” So, what am I asking God for? Have I become so doubt-filled that my prayer list (do I even have one) is littered with the inconsequential or infinitesimal?

Another problem I have is self-centeredness when it comes to prayer. God longs for us to move His Kingdom forward. He waits for us to pray for those around us in need. Am I doing that?

This is a powerful promise: “You will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.” 

Am I treating this promise with the power and sincerity it deserves? Am I trusting God to do GREAT things through me? Do my prayers reflect that? Have I figured out how much God has authorized and entrusted to me? Doesn’t that enliven my spirit and strengthen my faith?

Truly, it’s time to take His words to Supreme Commander Joshua Nunson seriously:

“Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”” (Joshua 1:8–9, CJB)

 

What do you say? What are your thoughts? Post them below! Encourage others!

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Hope For Today – God Gives More Grace!

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Pride. It gets all of us into problems every week. We know we are right, why can’t others see what we see? And when they don’t, we often push too hard and, in the process, show we are more interested in our own opinion than the person we are talking to. Injured feelings, strained relationships, and broken hearts often trail in pride’s wake.

This is Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and, if you feel the pain of your own pompousness, I want to share some Hope For Today because God wants to give you more grace!

In (James 4.6, NKJV) the brother of Jesus gives us Hope For Today when he says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

A friend of mine recently told me he was sick. When I asked what he was suffering from, he said, “Foot in mouth disease.” While I laughed then, I have to admit I know this plague all too well.

In the quiet moments before you fall asleep, as the darkness takes over, do you rehearse your biting words … words that were meant to “put people in their place?” Been there, done that. Have the relational scars to prove it.

While God resists us when we’re proud, all it takes is a bowed knee, a repentant heart, and a humble request for forgiveness to make things right with God – a set of actions that, when repeated to those we have injured, often brings more grace than we could imagine!

 

Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out Eagles In Leadership . org; that’s Eagles In Leadership . org.

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Don’t Fool Yourself!

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

It happens every day … mostly because we are so generous and loving. We choose to believe someone because of what they say. Then, a few days, weeks, or months later we are bitten by that same person. Their lifestyle didn’t match up to their profession. Or, as I say, “Their possession wasn’t their profession.”

Jesus made it clear that we are supposed to verify one’s profession by their practices before we place our faith and trust in them …

“The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and the evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil.” (Matthew 12:35, CJB)

Such a simple diagnostic allows us to step back, pay close attention to the actual person being demonstrated by their words and works, and then set a course appropriate to the reality within them.

Imagine how many church ministries would avoid disaster by this simple evaluation? How many couples would avoid divorce? How many relationships wouldn’t crash and burn? All because of an easy “evaluation period” of a few months of close and constant contact.

What say you? What’s your experience been? Please, share!

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Will We Ever Learn?

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

Have you noticed how many times you have witnessed a divided church, a divided family, a divided workplace?

Jesus tells us that there are only TWO bleak futures for such a group …

“However, knowing what they were thinking, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not survive.” (Matthew 12:25, CJB)

1) Divided peoples will be RUINED!

Simply stated, the end of a divided group is a massive wasteland of death and disintegration. What’s even more tragic is that these people can’t control the result without repentance and unity. Their divisiveness acts upon them, making them desolate, laying waste to their group like a plague or conquering army.

2) Divided people groups will NOT SURVIVE!

Jesus also tells us that these divided groups simply will not continue to exist. They will pull themselves apart and dissolve from the fractures they create due to their selfishness and argumentation.

Unfortunately, as we see in context with Jesus’ words here, it is often the “know it all” leadership of the local community that has been in place for decades that tear the people of faith apart.

What’s been your experience? Please share below!

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1 Vital Necessity to a Receiving Faith!

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Faith Receives After Faith Obeys

“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:4–7, ESV)

How many times have we wanted to know what’s in it for us if we choose to obey God by faith? Have you ever thought, “Yes, I know God wants me to do this; BUT, what will happen if I do it? I mean, what’s in it for me? I’d be glad to do it if God would just first tell me what He’s going to give me if I obey Him!”

Unfortunately, that is NOT how faith works. That is called, “sight.” Faith chooses to obey and then allows God to do what’s on His mind. For Abram, the directions were clear: “Go and I will show you where to live.” (See Genesis 12:1.) Now, 400 plus miles later, the rest of the story unfolds. God tells Abram, “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7, ESV) What changed?

  • The character of God did not change! God always knew He was going to give Abram the land.
  • The plan of God did not change! There was never a doubt in God’s mind that this was His will for Abram and his family. The only thing that changed was …
  • The location of the man of God! Abram had to take ALL of his family and ALL of his possessions and ALL of his livestock … ALL that he owned and step out by faith and walk the 400 some miles to get to where God could reveal His will!

The one vital necessity to a receiving faith is a willingness to obey!

If we want to receive we have to believe enough to go ALL in … to choose to obey with everything we have, then God will give us exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think!

Where do you need to go “ALL-IN” and choose to obey with everything you have?

 

Photo Credit: http://www.untilthedaybreak.com/2015/07/03/i-surrender/

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5 Character Traits Building A Confident Faith!

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Trusting the God Who Promises the Practical

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” (Genesis 12:1–4, ESV)

Stepping out into a new adventure is often scary for most of us. What will it be like? Who will like us? Who won’t? Will we succeed? Will we … fail? Questions abound when we choose to do something new.

Abram, at the age of 75 (don’t miss that!), chose to trust God and step out by faith, leaving all he knew for the One who knew all of him. In the directions of God, we discover confidence from the five truths that reveal the character of the One who calls us to greater things!

  • God knows where He is calling us to – He is our Guide and He promises to show us where He longs for us to go!

He promised to show Abram where he was to go and He will for us!

  • God knows why He is calling us – He has a purpose for risking our comfortable situation!

Like Abram, God has a purpose to the changes He is bringing to our lives!

  • God knows how to provide for us – He has already “crossed over” and set up all we need to accomplish all He desires (and more)!

There are no failures among those who do what the Almighty asks!

  • God knows whom He has appointed as our benefactors – He has already placed our benefit upon the hearts of those there!

Generosity multiplies when people see God’s hand upon us!

  • God knows what to do to those who don’t like His plans – He is active in our journey and our Defense against all adversaries!

Despite those who oppose us, God will make sure we achieve His plan!

Will we choose to say, “Yes!” to God’s call? He is backing a sure thing!

What do you say?

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Hope For Today – So That It Will Go Well For You!

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Stubbornness. You might not be, but you can see the face of someone in your family that is, right? And what happens when we are stubborn? That’s right … we often hit one of life’s immovable barriers … causing us a boatload of pain and problems. This is Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and, if you’re aching from your own contrariness, I want to share some Hope For Today so that life will go well for you! In (Jeremiah 38.20, MEV) the prophet gives us Hope For Today when he says, “Please obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you, so it will be well with you and your soul will live.” Often we grow obstinate when we don’t like the choices we have to select from. This was the situation as Jeremiah told King Zedekiah that, if he wanted to bless his people, he would have to surrender to the invading King. Who wants to surrender? I know I sure don’t! In fact, surrender isn’t even in the vocabulary of most people. Yet, when it comes to living a life that goes well for us, we all have to surrender to the will and whim of the God who is smarter and stronger than we are. Is there a place where you have chose not to surrender to God? Has He been gently asking you to do it His way? Can I echo the words of Jeremiah in your hearing today? “Please obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you, so it will be well with you and your soul will live.”   Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out Eagles In Leadership.org; that’s Eagles In Leadership . org.

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