October Devotionals
October 31, 2007
Keeping Oaths
by Os Hillman, October 31, 2007
This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath
will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them. - Joshua 9:
20
Joshua and the people of Israel were in the Promised Land. They
were winning battles and were feeling good about their progress.
One day a band of Gibeonites came by dressed as travelers in order
to fool Joshua. They wanted to make Joshua believe they were
merely travelers instead of enemies. The Gibeonites asked Joshua
to make a peace treaty with them. Since Joshua chose to believe
their story, he did just that. That was a mistake on Joshua's part.
The Bible says Joshua did not inquire of the Lord about the
Gibeonites. This forced Joshua to uphold the peace treaty with the
Gibeonites, even though it was made under false pretenses.
Keeping our oaths before the Lord is a serious matter. One might
think that Joshua had every right to consider the agreement with the
Gibeonites null and void since it was done on false pretense.
However, Joshua knew how God viewed oaths. He knew that a
man's word, once it was given, should be good as done. There was
no reversing it. He also knew that if he did not keep his oath, he was
subject to God's disfavor, which meant his ways would not be
blessed.
Whenever we become a child of God, we represent Him. When His
children follow unrighteousness, He takes this personally.
Unrighteousness opens us up to satan's attack. God's protection
shield is removed. So Joshua knew that if he did not honor his oath,
he would be subject to God's judgment.
Is there any unfulfilled oath you have made to anyone? Ask God this
morning if you have not fulfilled a commitment to anyone. Then, if
there is, go and fulfill. Otherwise, you will be subject to God's
judgment for your unrighteousness.
October 30, 2007
Fear Not!
by Os Hillman, October 30, 2007
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of
power, of love and of self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7
God calls each of us to engage in spiritual warfare at times.
Whenever satan wants to come against one of God's
children, he does so by trying to intimidate through fear.
Goliath's formidable size and arrogant boasting intimidated
Saul and Israel's army. And because God's anointing had
fallen from Saul, he was unable to respond with courage to
Goliath's charge. Fear paralyzes and torments. That is why
Saul could not respond.
The anointing had fallen on David, who was just a young
boy, but mighty in spirit. David did not cower at the size or
shouts of the giant Goliath. He saw Goliath through the eyes
of God, who saw him as a mere speck. David had righteous
indignation for an affront to the armies of the living God.
David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was
resting totally in God. That is another important factor in
overcoming fear-complete trust in God.
When the Lord began training me to confront fear, the
training grounds were a groundless lawsuit, intimidations,
and calamity that confronted my very existence. Learning
that these were merely tactics of the enemy, designed to
instill fear, allowed me to stand firm in God's power to
overcome.
Do not fear sudden calamity if you are walking uprightly
before God. It may be setting the stage for a great victory
that will bring praise and honor to your heavenly Father.
These battles are training grounds for greater victories to
come.
October 29, 2007
Moving in Presumption
by Os Hillman, October 29, 2007
Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill
country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant
moved from the camp. - Numbers 14:44
The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt to enter a new land-
the Promised Land. This land was not handed over to them freely; it
required the removing of God's enemies through battle. It required a
partnership between God and the people. As long as the people
remained true to God, they were victorious.
The people were camped at Kadesh Barnea, near the border
entrance to the long-awaited Promised Land. All the hardships of
their journey from Egypt were now culminating at this important
crossing. However, Joshua and Caleb were the only scouts who
proclaimed faith in God to take them into the land and conquer their
enemies. The other spies saw all the dangers and refused to take
the risk. The people of the camp shrank in fear because of their
report. They decided not to enter in.
God was angered at the people for their lack of faith. Moses had to
intercede on their behalf. Once they realized what they had done, it
was too late. But they thought their repentance was enough to right
their wrong. They presumed this was all that was necessary.
Moses informed them they were deceived in their presumption of
God's favor. They went to battle against the Amalekites only to be
soundly defeated. Those who returned did not understand why they
lost the battle.
It is important for us to know whether we have God's hand upon our
endeavors. Presumption leads to failure. God's favor leads to
success. Ask God to confirm His hand on your endeavors.
..."If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from
here" (Exodus 33:15).
October 28, 2007
Seeing What Others Cannot See
by Os Hillman, October 28, 2007
And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the
Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. - 2 Kings 6:17
Several years ago, a movie was made called Field of Dreams. The
story is about a man who had a vision to build a baseball field in the
middle of a cornfield on his rural farm. He did not know why; he just
knew he was to do it. To the chagrin of his neighbors, he built the
baseball diamond in the farm community. One night some players
showed up. The man realized these were no ordinary players, but
were actually the great players from the past. When the skeptical
neighbors came to view this phenomenon, they were unable to see
what the farm owner could see. This made it even worse for him.
Now he was really a lunatic in their eyes.
This fictitious story has a spiritual application for us. First, if God
tells us to "build a ball field," we should do it. It is not for us to
determine the reason we are instructed to do it. Once we are
obedient, God will allow us to see what others cannot see. It is the
rite of passage for those who are willing to risk all for God's
purposes. God increases the spiritual senses to levels we never
knew before. Those around us will observe this.
Do you want to see what others cannot see? If so, it will require a
level of obedience that will go beyond human reason. It may require
risk and ridicule from others. But you will see what others cannot
see.
October 27, 2007
Going Without Jesus
by Os Hillman, October 27, 2007
...they were unaware of it. - Luke 2:43
Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the
Passover. Jesus was 12 years old. They were evidently very
distracted by the excitement and business of the Feast. In fact, Mary
and Joseph began their return trip to Nazareth only to realize well
into the trip that Jesus was not with them. It would be three days
before they would be reunited with their 12-year-old son. It caused
quite a scare in Mary and Joseph, and they reprimanded Jesus for
"wandering" off.
As a parent, I find this story truly amazing. How can parents of the
Son of God not know their son is not in their presence? Yet this
story illustrates how each of us can become so busy that we
continue to operate not realizing that Jesus is no longer with us.
Obviously, there was very little fellowship taking place between
Jesus and His parents during the trip.
Are you experiencing daily, even moment-by-moment, fellowship
with Jesus? If not, you will wake up one day and realize Jesus is not
with you in your endeavors. It may, like Mary and Joseph, create a
certain fear in you that you may have lost a very important
relationship. Doing business without Jesus' presence leaves us
powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave
or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His
fellowship by refusing to be with Him. Do not let this happen to you.
He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.
October 26, 2007
HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD
AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.
( JAMES 4:10 *NKJV )
Sometimes our burdens seem more than we can bear,
and we wonder how we will ever get through them.
Now in times like that always remember that our
Heavenly Father is closest to us for: THE LORD IS NEAR
TO ALL THAT CALL ON HIM. HE WILL FULFILL THE
DESIRE OF THOSE WHO FEAR HIM; HE ALSO WILL
HEAR THEIR CRY AND SAVE THEM.
( PSALM 145:18-19 )
So never feel that you must face those times alone,
for God loves you, and is with you, all of the time! After all
our Heavenly Father is: GRACIOUS AND FULL OF
COMPASSION, SLOW TO ANGER AND GREAT IN
MERCY. THE LORD IS GOOD TO ALL, AND HIS
TENDER MERCIES ARE OVER ALL HIS WORKS.
( PSALM 145:8-9 )
Therefore, when you feel the pressure of one
of life's burdens, and feel that it is more than you can bear,
ask for God's help. For He is ready to lift you up and bear
your burdens for you! After all it is written: THE LORD
UPHOLDS ALL WHO FALL, AND RAISES UP ALL WHO
ARE BOWED DOWN. ( PSALM 145:14 )
Finally, remember the words of our Savior Jesus
Christ, for He said: "COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO LABOR,
AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.
Sweet Rest Indeed my friend! Amen. ( MATTHEW 11:28 )
Now have a Wonderful Weekend, and may God richly bless
you!
October 25, 2007
A Message From GOD...
"ARISE, SHINE; FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME! AND THE
GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON YOU."
( ISAIAH 60:1 *NKJV )
"COME LET US WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD."
( ISAIAH 2:5 ) "FOR ONCE YOU WERE DARKNESS,
BUT NOW YOU ARE LIGHT IN THE LORD. WALK AS
CHILDREN OF LIGHT." ( EPHESIANS 5:8 )
After all, "YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A
CITY THAT IS SET ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN.
NOR DO THEY LIGHT A LAMP AND PUT IT UNDER
A BASKET, BUT ON A LAMPSTAND, AND IT
GIVES LIGHT TO ALL WHO ARE IN THE HOUSE."
( MATTHEW 5:14-15 )
So Scott always: "LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE
BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD
WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN."
( MATTHEW 5:16 )
With Love, Your Father,
Almighty God
October 24, 2007
FOR GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION BUT OF
PEACE, AS IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINTS.
( 2 CORINTHIANS 14:33 *NKJV )
In this world today it is hard for most people to find any
peace at all. Confusion abounds no matter where we go.
Jesus warned us about that for He said: "THESE THINGS I
HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE
PEACE. IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION;
BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE
WORLD." ( JOHN 16:33 )
After all it is written that: THE LORD WILL GIVE STRENGTH
TO HIS PEOPLE; THE LORD WILL BLESS HIS PEOPLE
WITH PEACE. ( PSALM 29:11 )
Therefore when you find yourself confused, Scott,
always look to Jesus Christ for: HE HIMSELF IS OUR
PEACE. ( EPHESIANS 2:14 ) After all He said, "PEACE I
LEAVE WITH YOU, MY PEACE I GIVE YOU."
( JOHN 14:27 )
Now that is a loving caring peace that we become filled
with on our spiritual journey, and peace is only one of the
many blessings we receive on that journey, for it is also
written: THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE,
PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS,
GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL. AGAINST SUCH
THINGS THERE IS NO LAW. ( GALATIANS 5:22-23 )
So, it is my prayer that you are well on your way
down that spiritual path right now, and that: THE PEACE OF
GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL
GUARD YOUR HEART AND MIND THROUGH JESUS
CHRIST. Amen! ( PHILIPPIANS 4:7 )
October 23, 2007
Are You God's Next Deliverer?
by Os Hillman, October 23, 2007
But when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up for them a
deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother,
who saved them. - Judges 3:9
Have you ever heard of a man named Othniel? Probably not.
He was Caleb's nephew. When the people of Israel went into
the Promised Land, they were victorious through the
courageous efforts of Joshua and Caleb. As this generation
grew older, a new generation began to emerge. Israel again
fell into sin by worshiping idols. The anger of the Lord
burned against Israel, and He allowed them once more to be
enslaved by their enemies. However, the people again cried
out to the Lord and God heard them.
Whenever God's people cry out to the Lord, He hears them.
When they are truly repentant, He responds. He responds by
rising up those whom He has prepared for such a time. Every
soldier looks forward to the day he can use the training he
has received. God had been preparing a nephew for such a
time as this. He had the same Spirit as his uncle, Caleb.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became
Israel's judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-
Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who
overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years,
until Othniel son of Kenaz died (Judges 3:10-11).
Has God been preparing you for a time when you will be
called upon to deliver God's people? Millions of men and
women are enslaved to the god of mammon and idolatry in
the workplace. Has He placed you there to be a deliverer?
Pray that you will have the same Spirit as Joshua, Caleb,
and Othniel.
October 22, 2007
A Remnant That Prays
by Os Hillman, October 23, 2007
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished,
one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as
John taught his disciples." - Luke 11:1
God is calling out a remnant of workplace believers throughout the
world who understand the role of prayer in their work. These people
have learned that prayer is not a five-minute exercise in the morning
devotion time, but it is a vital strategic tool to discern and know
God's will and purposes in their work lives. You see they have
learned that their business lives are their ministries to God and
others.
These men and women have entered into covenant relationships
with intercessory prayer partners who help discern the activities
they should be involved in. Some even have paid staff, who
intercede for the decisions and activities in which they will be
involved. They are a small remnant of workplace believers who
know that skill and technique are not enough to fulfill God's
purposes.
A servant of the Lord has well said: Prayer is the rail for God's work.
Indeed, prayer is to God's will as rails are to a train. The locomotive
is full of power: it is capable of running a thousand miles a day. But
if there are no rails, it cannot move forward a single inch. If it dares
to move without them, it will soon sink into the earth. It may be able
to travel over great distances, yet it cannot go to any place where
no rails have been laid. And such is the relation between prayer and
God's work. Without any doubt God is almighty and He works
mightily, but He will not and cannot work if you and I do not labor
together with Him in prayer, prepare the way for His will, and pray
"with all prayer and supplication" (Eph. 6:18) to grant Him the
maneuverability to so work. Many are the things, which God wills to
do, and would like to do, but His hands are bound because His
children do not sympathize with Him and have not prayed so as to
prepare ways for Him. Let me say to all who have wholly given
themselves to God: Do examine yourselves and see if in this respect
you have limited Him day after day.
Is prayer a vital part of your strategic business practices? Put
prayer on the front lines, instead of making it an afterthought. You
will begin to see renewed power in your work life.
October 21, 2007
God's Double-talk
by Os Hillman, October 22, 2007
The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that
you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you
the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will
not let the people go." - Exodus 4:21
Have you ever had a boss tell you to do something only to
have him sabotage your ability to complete the task?
Nothing is more frustrating than to begin to carry out a task
and have your superior thwart your effort to do what he
asked you to do.
Moses must have felt this way after God told him to go to
Pharaoh and tell him to release the people of Israel. He said,
"I am going to give you the power to release the children of
Israel by the miracles I will do through you." Yet at the
same time, He told Moses they would not be released
because He was going to put a hard heart in Pharaoh. How
do we reconcile this?
In my own life, I knew God called me to certain endeavors.
Yet every time I turned around, a roadblock stood in my
way. It took years of plodding along before the light came on
as to why there was such a distance between what God
called me to do and the manifestation of that calling. When
David was anointed king of Israel, it was years before he
realized the manifestation of that calling. There were a
number of reasons for these delays.
In the case of Moses and Israel, God wanted to demonstrate
His power in such a way that generations would be able to
hear the story of their deliverance from their ancestors. God
wanted greater glory from the situation. God also wanted to
deal with Egypt by sending specific plagues. Finally, the
very process built character in Moses and tested Moses to
see if he would stay the course.
There is a time for everything. If God has called you to some
endeavor and you are frustrated that it has not manifested,
know that times of preparation and simmering are required
before the vision can be achieved. Seldom does God call and
manifest something at the same time. There is preparation.
There is testing. There is relationship building between you
and God that must take place. Once this is complete, you
will see the vision materialize.
October 20, 2007
David's Armor
by Os Hillman, October 21, 2007
David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around,
because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to
Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. - 1
Samuel 17:39
David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the
Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to
fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David
his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly
concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.
God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths
and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another
weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity
in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor.
What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever
tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use?
God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life.
He will not call you to use someone else's tools.
However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be
mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not
enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is
released and manifested in the physical realm.
Mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the
power of God that will be manifested.
October 19, 2007
Are You Salty?
by Os Hillman, October 19, 2007
Everyone will be salted with fire. - Mark 9:49
Jesus used parables to communicate principles of the Kingdom of
God. He said each believer's life should have the same impact on
his or her world as salt has on food. Salt gives food flavor and brings
out the best, while at the same time it serves as a preservative.
What allows a Christian to become salty? Fire. God knows that each
believer needs a degree of testing by fire in order for Christ's
fragrance to be manifested. We cannot become salty without this
deeper work of the Holy Spirit's fire in our lives. Fire purifies all that
is not of Christ. It takes away all the impurities that prevent His
nature from being revealed in us.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may
have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so
that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in
praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Are you a salty Christian? If not, pray a prayer that the immature are
unwilling to pray. Pray that God makes you a salty Christian. It will
result in praise and glory at the throne of God.
October 18, 2007
THEN I SAID, "HERE I AM, I HAVE COME--IT IS WRITTEN
IN THE SCROLL. I DESIRE TO DO YOUR WILL, O MY
GOD; YOUR LAW IS WITHIN MY HEART."
( PSALM 40:7-8 *NIV )
God has a plan for each of us, for it is written:
"I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE
LORD. "THEY ARE PLANS FOR GOOD, NOT FOR EVIL,
TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE."
( JEREMIAH 29:11 )
Now when we follow the path that God has for us, we find
that God is a very kind leader. Only He knows our future,
and His plans for us are good and full of hope! This does
not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship,
but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion!
After all, THE PRECEPTS OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT,
GIVING JOY TO THE HEART. THE COMMANDS OF THE
LORD ARE RADIANT, GIVING LIGHT TO THE EYES.
THEY ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD, THAN MUCH
PURE GOLD; THEY ARE SWEETER THAN HONEY,
THAN HONEY FROM THE COMB. ( PSALM 19:8 & 10 )
Further, IF THE LORD DELIGHTS IN A MAN'S WAY, HE
MAKES HIS STEPS FIRM; THOUGH HE STUMBLE, HE
WILL NOT FALL, FOR THE LORD UPHOLDS HIM WITH
HIS HAND. ( PSALM 37:23-24 )
So Scott, if you are not already walking the path that
God has chosen for you, why not ask Him in prayer to lead
you to it. For once you have found that path your heart will
become filled with joy, and THE PEACE OF GOD, THAT
TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD
YOUR HEART AND MIND IN CHRIST JESUS. Amen!
( PHILIPPIANS 4:7 )
October 17, 2007
The Benefits of Obedience
by Os Hillman, October 17, 2007
This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I
am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go." - Isaiah 48:17
My career has been in marketing and advertising. Early on, I learned
to distinguish the difference between features and benefits. Features
represent characteristics of a product or service. Benefits are those
things that directly profit or benefit me by using the product or
service. For instance, my new computer has incredible speed and
lots of memory (feature). This allows me to do things more quickly
and easily (benefit). People are more concerned about the benefits
than the features.
God tells us in the above verse that there are some direct benefits
to the features of His nature. He is a God who is committed to
teaching His children in the way they should go. What is the real
benefit of His teaching? He answers this in the next verse. "If only
you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have
been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Is.
48:18).
The Lord tells us that the benefit of allowing God to teach us and
lead us in the way is peace and righteousness. Here is a guaranteed
promise from God. I often use guarantees in my advertising claims.
Here is God's immutable guarantee: You will have peace like a river
and righteousness like the waves of the sea! What a great mmbvhn,
lllllkkkkhllooli bhbvxcxpromise!
Are you trusting God with the very details of your life so that He can
lead you in the way you should go? Are you allowing Him to teach
you? Seek the Lord today for what He wants to teach you and allow
Him to lead you, and you will ensure peace and righteousness in
your life.
October 16, 2007
When Insecurity Turns Evil
by Os Hillman, October 16, 2007
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15 - 1 Kings 20:28
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited
David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only
thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" (1 Samuel 18:8)
This statement caused something to snap in King Saul. From this
point on, Saul was never the leader God intended him to be. He
allowed insecurity to drive his every decision. Insecurity leads to
the need to control people and circumstances. The need to control
leads to anger once we realize we are unable to control the
circumstance. King Saul could not accept, much less rejoice, over
David's success. David's life would never be the same, because
Saul sought to kill David every chance he had. Saul had a choice; he
could have seen David as an up-and-coming general in his army who
could have become an important part of his team and made the
kingdom of Israel even stronger. Instead, he looked at him as a
threat.
When you hear good news about fellow workers or associates, do
you rejoice with them? If you find yourself comparing your life's
circumstances to others and don't feel you measure up, recognize
that this is one of satan's greatest ploys to destroy you.
Christ has given you all things in Him. He has a unique plan for you
that cannot be compared to another. He alone is your security. Trust
in the purposes He has for your life. And remember, "My God shall
supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 4:19 KJV).
October 15, 2007
The God of the Valley
by Os Hillman, October 15, 2007
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what
the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the
hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into
your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." - 1 Kings 20:28
Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It is
the best vantage point to see what lies ahead. Wouldn't it be great
to live on the mountain all the time in order to anticipate what is
ahead? God allows us to experience the mountaintop at times.
Joseph's first mountaintop experience was as a young man. He had
the favor of his father, Jacob. He was given a fine coat and even had
a dream about his future. As a young man, Joseph had a sense of
destiny about his life. God often gives us a picture of our future so
that we will remember this picture when we are being tested to trust
Him in the valley. This picture usually does not reveal how God
intends to bring about the visions for our life.
However, none of us really derive the character qualities God
desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It is in the valley
where the fruit is planted and harvested. It cannot grow on the
mountain; it must grow in the valley. God is a God of the mountain,
but he is even more a God of the valley. In the valley, it is more
difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit our
sight. Joseph was thrust into a deep valley that left him wondering if
the God of his father had forsaken him. Jesus hoped that He might
be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood. There is
a valley that each of us must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to
experience the God of the valley-and to experience His faithfulness
in the valley. Once we have spent time in this valley, we come out
with something we would have never gained if we had not entered it.
The valley brings much fruit into our lives so that we might plant
seeds into the lives of others. God does not waste valley
experiences. If we are faithful in the valley, we will enter a new
dimension with God that we never thought possible. There is a
harvest of wisdom and virtue that can only be grown in the valley.
Has God brought you into the valley? Know that the valley is a place
of fruitfulness; it is a place of testing. It is where God brings what
you know in your head into your heart. The only value of knowledge
is when it becomes part of your heart. Look for God in the valley
today.
October 14, 2007
Tested for Abundance
by Os Hillman, October 14, 2007
We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of
abundance. - Psalm 66:12b
It is nice to hear that God desires to bring us into abundance. In
fact, many a preacher has promoted the goodness of the Lord and
His ability to prosper His children. Alas, my experience is that this
gospel of material abundance has little to do with the gospel of the
Kingdom as our Lord works in the realm of the sanctified soul. The
passage above tells us that God does in fact bring us into places of
abundance. However, upon further study of the entire passage, we
learn the route to this abundance.
For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us
into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our
heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place
of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).
God's economy of abundance often has little to do with material
blessing. In God's economy, abundance is often measured in wisdom
and knowledge of Himself. It is then that we are truly blessed.
Wisdom cannot be gained through intellectual pursuits. Wisdom
comes only through experience. Real wisdom comes from the kinds
of experiences that come only through the deepest tests. Lessons of
refinement, including prison accompanied by burdens, lead us
through the fire and water. This is the territory that must be traveled
to reach that place of abundance. It would seem strange that a
loving God would use such means with His children. What we often
fail to realize is that God's measuring stick is the character and
likeness of Jesus Christ Himself in each of us. This cannot be
gained through a life of ease and pleasure. Ease and pleasure fail to
refine.
Is God using your workplace to refine you today? Has He placed you
in a prison or laid burdens on your back? Take heart if this is the
place you find yourself, and realize that if you are faithful through
the tests, you will enter a place of abundance that few will ever
attain. The darkest hour is just before daybreak.
October 13, 2007
When Plans are Thwarted
by Os Hillman, October 13, 2007
But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.
Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I
was detained there with the king of Persia. - Daniel 10:13
I left at 5:00 a.m. to fly to another city to present some possible
joint initiatives in ministry with another organization. I would have
only an hour or so to meet with the board. I got into the city and
taxied to the hotel. This is great, I thought. No glitches. I am even
here an hour early. I asked where the meeting was. There was no
record of such a meeting, even though my contact was staying at
the hotel. I made several calls, to no avail. What had I missed? I
continued trying to reach someone. An hour and a half later I
reached my wife. She located a letter that seemed to indicate the
meeting might be downtown. I took a cab and arrived at the location.
"I am sorry, sir, there are no seventh-floor offices in use yet in this
building."
"That cannot be. My letter says different." After I insisted, she let
me go up. I arrived on the seventh floor. Nothing but concrete.
Perplexed, I called my wife again. We made contact with yet another
person who gave us another number to call. Finally, we located
where the meeting was taking place. I got into the cab for another
$30 cab ride. Forty-five minutes later the cab driver was lost. We
stopped at a dry cleaners and he asked the people there, where the
street was located. I was past the point of anger. I was laughing at
this situation. A few minutes later, we arrived at our destination,
three and a half hours after our scheduled time.
Plans do not always go as we hope. Sometimes they are hindered for
our purposes. Sometimes we are dealing in a spiritual realm in
which we realize we are truly in a spiritual battle. And sometimes
we are even hindered to protect us. After looking at this situation, I
believe I was being hindered from getting to this meeting. However,
perseverance and God's grace allowed me to make the meeting.
Important initiatives resulted from the brief time I was there.
The next time your plans are thwarted, begin asking what is at the
root of the calamities. Ask God for discernment on what is taking
place. Just as He revealed to Daniel, God will show you what is
behind such events.
October 12, 2007
An Audience of One
by Os Hillman, October 12, 2007
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect
will. - Romans 12:2
What audience do you play to? Each day you are seen by many who
will make a judgment about the way you handle yourself among
different audiences. Politicians have learned to play to their
audiences, customizing messages for the needs of their particular
groups. Musicians have learned to play to their audiences.
Preachers play to their congregations each Sunday morning.
Workplace believers play to the audiences who will buy their
product.
Christ has called us to play to one audience - the audience of
Himself. When you seek to please any other audience in your life,
you become susceptible to situational ethics and motivations based
on the need for the moment. Your audience becomes a pawn in your
hands because you know what they want. Is that wrong? Sometimes
it is, sometimes it isn't.
Pure obedience to pleasing God in our lives will often meet the
needs of those around us. It is God's will that you and I love our
spouses, provide good services to our customers, and look to the
interests of others before ourselves. This will result in meeting
many needs of the audiences in our lives.
However, there are other times when our audiences are asking for
something contrary to God's will. Politicians are often forced to
appease their audiences, even though it may go against God's laws.
When we are asked to go with the flow, we discover which audience
is most important in our lives. Is it the audience of One, or the
audience of many?
Today, be aware of which audience you are playing to. Ask yourself
why you are taking a particular action. Is it to please the audience of
One? Or is it to please the audience of others who might negatively
impact you should you not play to their tune?
October 11, 2007
The Place of Obedience
by Os Hillman, October 11, 2007
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could
see nothing. - Acts 9:8a
There is a place of obedience for all of us. For Paul, it was being
struck blind on the Damascus road. God literally knocked him to the
ground with a blinding light. A voice from Heaven asked Paul why he
was persecuting Him (Jesus). When Paul arose, he could not see.
Jesus told him to go to Damascus and meet a man named Ananias.
There, Jesus restored Paul's sight through Ananias.
Each of us has a place of obedience. For some, it requires only a
nudge of pressure to gently lead us toward God. For others of us, a
lightning bolt is necessary to get our undivided attention. Many who
are hard-hearted rebel against the living God. Yet God's love for
these individuals is so great that He takes extreme measures to
gain their attention -- and their hearts. When you come in contact
with people like this, do not fear their arrogance. Instead, see them
as God sees them as people who need the Savior and who could be
a powerful force in the Kingdom if God saved them. It is a sign to
begin praying for them.
We've all heard the saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they
fall." In many cases this is true. God has called many hard cases
into His Kingdom through miraculous circumstances in order to save
their lives from the pit of hell and transform them into a sweet-
smelling fragrance. Do not let the hard exterior fool you. These are
needy people who are crying out for help in their own prideful way.
Whenever God begins this process in the life of a sinner, He has
others standing by to assist. Ananias was the person in Paul's life.
He found it unbelievable that Paul really could have been saved. An
angel had to convince him. Has God placed such an individual in
your path? Perhaps God desires to use you to be an "Ananias" in the
life of one of His wayward children. To do so requires a willingness
to come alongside that one who needs your help. Who knows, that
person could be the next apostle Paul.
October 10, 2007
Covenant Relationships
by Os Hillman, October 10, 2007
But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark
- you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. -
Genesis 6:18
The Bible is filled with covenants made between God and people.
Six of those covenants were made with Old Testament figures:
Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. The seventh was
made with His own Son, Jesus Christ. God is always the strongest
partner in a covenant relationship.
God made a covenant with Noah in order to preserve the human
race. This covenant involved Noah's participation by building an ark.
He'd never built an ark before. He'd never had a boat. It was a totally
new concept to Noah and the rest of the world. Why would he need a
boat in a dry land?
Noah did not have to invent the ark; God gave him the plans-in
specific dimensional detail. He did not have to gather the animals --
God led them into the ark. God even closed the door when they all
came on board. God made it rain to prove why the ark was needed.
The covenant provided all Noah needed to complete his mission in
life. When God spoke to Noah to do this thing, he needed only to
respond to God's call to do it. Noah could rest in knowing the
covenant made with God was going to be fulfilled if he fulfilled his
part.
If you have entered into a covenant relationship with God, you too
can be assured that God will uphold His part of the covenant
relationship. He is committed to fulfilling His covenant with you and
to fulfill His purposes in and through your life. It only requires one
thing on your part -- obedience. He will even provide grace and faith
to you to help you fulfill your part of the covenant.
Each of us has a covenant with God. But we also enter covenants
with others in our personal and business lives. How are you doing in
fulfilling covenants to others? God has given us the example to
follow. Ask God if you have any unfulfilled covenants you need to
honor. He has called you and me to be covenant keepers.
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it (1 Thessalonians
5:24).
October 9, 2007
Mount Horeb
by Os Hillman, October 9, 2007
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he
traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God. - 1 Kings 19:8
Elijah and Moses were men of great zeal. They were passionate
about their causes. Moses sought to free the Hebrews from the
tyranny of slavery by killing an Egyptian with his own hand. Elijah,
after calling down fire on the evil prophets of Baal, found himself
spent physically and emotionally to the point he asked God to take
his life.
Immediately after these two events, 500 years apart from one
another, both men were led to the same Mount Horeb, the mountain
of God. In Hebrew, Horeb means "desolation." This barren
environment mirrored the condition of Moses and Elijah. For Moses,
it was 40 years of barrenness. For Elijah, it was 40 days without
food. Elijah became tired of standing alone for God.
As workplace believers we often become so focused on the goal we
forget to meet God at our own Mount Horeb. This was the place God
met both Moses and Elijah. It was a place of renewal, a place of new
beginnings, a place of personal encounter with the living God.
Perhaps Elijah's greatest virtue was his zeal. Indeed, we shall see
that twice in his communication with God, Elijah speaks of having
been "very zealous" for the Lord. But zeal, unattended eventually
becomes its own God; it compels us toward expectations, which are
unrealistic, and outside the timing and anointing of God.
To remain balanced, zeal must be reined in and harnessed by
strategic encounters with the living God. We otherwise become
frustrated with people and discouraged with delays. We step outside
our place of strength and spiritual protection. Many of us become so
consumed with our battles that we are no longer aware of the
presence of Jesus. We have been traveling in our own strength.
[Francis Frangipane, Place of Immunity (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Arrow
Publications, 1994), 5.]
Pray that Jesus will teach us that intimacy with Him is the greatest
measure of success. Lord, guide us to the mountain of Your
presence.
October 8, 2007
A Faithful Woman
by Os Hillman, October 8, 2007
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he
praises her. - Proverbs 31:28
She was the Vice President of Household Affairs for her entire adult
life. She had a husband, four daughters, and one son whom she
managed. Her calling was not to the workplace; it was to the home.
It was a calling that she fulfilled well. She often went beyond her job
description to fulfill menial tasks like sewing clothes for her twin
girls, playing dolls, and even playing catch with the only boy in the
clan.
Things were going along well until midway in life a telephone call
came that changed everything. The caller informed her that the love
of her life had been killed in an airplane crash. She was in her early
40's, still beautiful, with five kids to raise on her own in spite of the
fact that she hadn't worked in the business place for nearly 20
years. The death of her husband removed their steady upper middle-
class income, and she was now faced with the greatest test of her
life. At her lowest moment, wondering how she was going to make
it, she cried out to God. God answered, "Trust Me, Lillian." Those
audible words became the strength that she needed to care for her
family for the next 40 years. From that moment on, she came to
know her Savior personally and shared Him with her family. Her
children came to know Him as well. Grandchildren became the
recipient of her prayers, and they came to know Him too. She was
building an inheritance in Heaven, one prayer at a time, one soul at
a time. She never remarried; Christ became her Husband.
Whatever wisdom and encouragement has come to you through
these devotionals, it is only as a result of one who answered the
call to the greatest and most important workplace there is: the
home. You can thank my mom, Lillian Hillman, for whatever grace
you have gained from these messages throughout the year because
she remained faithful to the call to invest in those she was called to
love and serve. "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praises her."
October 7, 2007
Redeeming the Time
by Os Hillman, October 7, 2007
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching
the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. - Acts 8:40
Many times I've heard a man or woman say they cannot participate
in an event, a service, or activity for God because of the time it will
take away from their job. God has called each of us to be good
stewards of our time and our resources. It is just as important to
learn how to say yes as it is to say no, and we must be faithful to
our employers if we do not have freedom to take time away.
However, many times I sense that workplace believers justify a lack
of obedience under the guise of stewardship.
Philip was one of the first businessmen who was given a
commission to preach the gospel. He was in the city of Samaria
preaching when many miracles began to take place and the crowds
came to see what was happening. Then in the midst of this great
move of God, the angel of God spoke to Philip and told him to leave
Samaria and go to a desert road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza.
Imagine how Philip must have questioned the logic of this decision
when he was seeing such results in Samaria. But Philip was
obedient to the angel. Along the road, he met an Ethiopian eunuch
who wanted to have the Scriptures explained to him. Philip
explained the Scriptures to the Ethiopian, who was the treasurer of
Ethiopia under Queen Candace, and led him to the Lord, then
baptized him in a nearby lake. A few moments later, Philip was
supernaturally transported many miles northwest of his location to
Azotus, where he preached Christ along the way toward his final
destination of Caesarea.
So often we think that if we give our time outside our work life, our
work will suffer. God redeemed the time for Philip by supernaturally
transporting him to the next place he was to be. God always blesses
those who serve Him. He can redeem lost time for those who
willingly give of themselves for His purposes. Do not fall into the
trap of believing that God cannot redeem the time you give for Him.
If He calls you to give outside your normal work life, be assured He
can make up that time. I have heard countless examples of
workplace believers who experienced God's supernatural financial
provision for time given for the sake of the gospel through
unexpected business or unusual income that resulted after they
made the commitment to take time away from their work for service
to God.
God desires that we respond as Philip did in order to be used by Him
in the life of another person. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit so
that you can go and speak when He says go and speak. Do not fear
the consequences of what that might mean if it requires leaving your
work interests for a time. God will make it up. He always takes care
of those who are obedient. He is more concerned about obedience
than the bottom line
October 6, 2007
Understanding What God Has Given
by Os Hillman, October 6, 2007
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is
from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. - 1
Corinthians 2:12
God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us. One of
the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and
purposes to us. They may be hidden for a time, but if we seek Him
with our whole heart, we can know what He has given to us.
John the Baptist understood this principle. When asked if he was the
Messiah, he replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from
heaven" (Jn. 3:27). John understood his role in the Kingdom of God.
He came to pave the way for the Messiah; he was not the Messiah
himself. His ministry on earth was very brief, yet Jesus described
his life in this way: " 'I tell you the truth: Among those born of
women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet
he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he' " (Mt. 11:
11).
Once we understand what God has given to us, we can walk freely
in our calling. However, if we strive to walk in a role that He never
gave us, it will result in frustration and failure. God wants to reveal
His plan to us by His Spirit. This requires a willingness to seek and
accept what He gives us. It may be different from what we thought.
It may require adjustments to follow His path for our lives. As we
learn from the life of John the Baptist, obedience requires death to
our own wills.
Ask God to reveal what He has freely given to you. Pray that you
receive and embrace only those things He has reserved for you to
receive and to accomplish in your life. Then you can be assured of a
life full of meaning and purpose, and you can look forward to hearing
those all-important words someday, "Well done, My good and faithful
servant."
October 5, 2007
Confrontation With God
by Os Hillman, October 5, 2007
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for
the display of His splendor. - Isaiah 61:3b
"God, is this the way You treat someone who is faithful to You?" I
yelled out loud on the top of the wooded hill where no one but God
could hear me. "I have waited and waited and now this! I hate You,
God! I have had enough!" Those were my words that day as I
wrestled with news of an event that devastated me to the point
where I broke down weeping.
As I sat there among the trees deciding what else I could say to
God, I was speechless. I was angry. I was confused. I wondered if
He even existed. If He did, I felt like He really didn't honor my faith
and obedience. I sat for hours wrestling internally with my feelings.
Finally, without answers and sensing that God wasn't answering me,
I turned to leave. I had been sitting on an old oak tree that was
broken at the base. The tree pointed toward the base of another huge
oak tree. Finally, a still quiet voice inside said, "Today, like this
broken oak tree you are sitting on, you are a broken man. But this
brokenness was needed in order for you to become this large oak
tree you see."
Months and even years had passed with many struggles. But God
was true to His word from that day. He began to replace the pain
and disappointment with an inner joy that only His grace could
provide.
Have you ever wrestled with the events of life, feeling that God has
deserted you? Have you been honest with God? He is the kind of
Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations. He won't
always change things, but His purposes will be accomplished and
peace will come if you trust. Trust Him this day with those things
that are most difficult.
October 4, 2007
A Fine-tuned Instrument
by Os Hillman, October 4, 2007
...I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call
on My name and I will answer them; I will say, "They are My
people," and they will say, "The Lord is our God." - Zechariah 13:9
My former business career was as an owner of an advertising
agency. Over the years, I had the privilege to work on many different
and prestigious accounts. One of those accounts was Steinway
Pianos, the maker of the world's finest pianos. Each piano has
always been made from scratch; it takes over a year to make one
Steinway. The most impressive scene as I toured the manufacturing
plant was the place where the soundboard is stretched to its
maximum tolerance and allowed to sit for an extended period until it
remains in the curved design. This was done in an off-to-the-corner
part of the plant. If the wood were alive, it would be crying out for
mercy.
After an extended time of stretching, the wood will never spring
back to its original state. It is permanently changed. The piano is
becoming a fine-tuned instrument. After this process takes place,
the next step requires another point of stress. It takes 11 tons of
pressure on a piano to tune it. Each step in the process moves the
piano closer to a finished product that will ultimately be played by
the world's finest musicians. These musicians desire a particular
sound that only a piano like this can make.
God looks at each of us as a fine-tuned instrument. However, we
begin as rough wood that He desires to transform into gold. Tuning
us requires certain experiences that will stretch our faith, our frame,
and our very life. Sainthood springs out of suffering. If we can stand
the strain of this intense process, we will come forth as gold-as a
sweet-smelling offering to our Maker. When we are in the midst of
these times, it feels like fire. It is painful to be stretched beyond our
perceived limits, but the Lord knows this is necessary for us to
become an instrument that can play a beautiful song that others will
seek after.
Let the master Craftsman have His way in your life today. You will
be pleased with the instrument He fashions.
October 3, 2007
The Need to Control
by Os Hillman, October 3, 2007
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said.... - 1 Samuel 13:13
The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul
was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against
the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come
against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the
prophet Samuel. Samuel instructed Saul to go ahead of him to
Micmash, and he would follow in seven days. He would then offer a
burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel.
The pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around
Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel grew fearful and
began to scatter throughout the countryside. Saul was also afraid.
Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. Finally,
Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the
burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.
..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if
you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all
time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out
a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people,
because you have not kept the Lord's command" (1 Samuel 13:13-14).
Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever
we try to take control of a situation out of God's will, we
demonstrate that we are led by fear. Many a boss is so driven by
fear that he attempts to manage by over controlling his people. This
results in co-dependent relationships in which the employees are
fearful of making the wrong decisions, and are driven to please the
manager at all costs. This results in loss of respect for the manager.
Many times the employees make poor choices just to please their
manager; as a result, resentment begins to build among the
employees due to the manager's over-control.
Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others?
Can you allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself
changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't
like? Are you fearful of failure? These are all symptoms of a Saul-
control spirit. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the freedom of
trusting in Him and those around you.
October 2, 2007
The Goal of Life
by Os Hillman, October 2, 2007
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future." - Jeremiah 29:11
For many people in the world, real meaning in life is the next
vacation, career success, or stepping up the income ladder. It is a
life based on pleasurable experiences. Many a human being has
toiled their whole life to gain a pleasurable lifestyle only to find a
life that is empty and meaningless. You only have to watch
television for one evening to discover that advertisers want us to
believe this is the goal of life. The work-to-play theme is consistent
with most advertising messages.
Solomon was a man who had nothing withheld from his appetite. He
was a great builder, a great businessman, and a great lover of
women. Every imaginable pleasure was his. Nevertheless, he was to
discover that these things alone could not satisfy the human soul.
A recent trip to a beautiful island left me grateful that God had
allowed me to understand the futile trap of the work-to-play lifestyle.
It is great to experience times of refreshing and visit beautiful
places as long as we don't fall into the trap of thinking that these
experiences equal a meaningful life. God's beautiful creation can so
easily become a prison of emptiness if Jesus is not in the center of
it. The apostle Paul said there is only one way to find meaning and
purpose in life:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which
He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the
saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe...
(Ephesians 1:17-19).
Knowing Christ brings the only real meaning and purpose to the
human soul. Spend time today getting to know the Lord in a more
intimate way. Then you will discover real meaning and purpose in
life.
October 1, 2007
Changing Our Paradigm of Experience
by Os Hillman, October 1, 2007
So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the
bush does not burn up." - Exodus 3:3
Have you ever heard someone say, "God doesn't work that way? He
would never do that." Well, there are times when God chooses to
confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience.
Moses had never seen a bush that burned but did not burn up. It got
his attention and it drew him to God.
When Jesus appeared on the water in the middle of the night during
a storm, the disciples exclaimed, "It's a ghost!" They had never
seen a man walk on water. This led to a great miracle--Peter walked
on the water, too. When Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get
the coin from its mouth to pay their taxes, you can imagine what
Peter must have thought about those instructions. When Moses got
to the Red Sea, he ran out of options. God had an unexpected
solution to the Israelites' problem--He parted the Red Sea to
demonstrate His power and allow the people of Israel to cross over
to flee the Egyptian army.
Each of these new paradigms was a stepping-stone of an encounter
with God so that the individual would experience God in a new way.
God used these times to enforce the principle that His ways are not
our ways. Whenever we try to predict that God will act in a certain
way, He changes the paradigm to keep us from becoming our own
little gods.
Have you ever been guilty of judging someone for an experience
they've had that you've never had? Did you dismiss it as extreme or
something not of God? God is in the business of changing our
paradigm from no personal experiences to God-experiences.
However, if you operate on a level of rigid logic, you may never have
the privilege of having the God-experiences. Keep your heart free to
experience new paradigms with God today.
Keeping Oaths
by Os Hillman, October 31, 2007
This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath
will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them. - Joshua 9:
20
Joshua and the people of Israel were in the Promised Land. They
were winning battles and were feeling good about their progress.
One day a band of Gibeonites came by dressed as travelers in order
to fool Joshua. They wanted to make Joshua believe they were
merely travelers instead of enemies. The Gibeonites asked Joshua
to make a peace treaty with them. Since Joshua chose to believe
their story, he did just that. That was a mistake on Joshua's part.
The Bible says Joshua did not inquire of the Lord about the
Gibeonites. This forced Joshua to uphold the peace treaty with the
Gibeonites, even though it was made under false pretenses.
Keeping our oaths before the Lord is a serious matter. One might
think that Joshua had every right to consider the agreement with the
Gibeonites null and void since it was done on false pretense.
However, Joshua knew how God viewed oaths. He knew that a
man's word, once it was given, should be good as done. There was
no reversing it. He also knew that if he did not keep his oath, he was
subject to God's disfavor, which meant his ways would not be
blessed.
Whenever we become a child of God, we represent Him. When His
children follow unrighteousness, He takes this personally.
Unrighteousness opens us up to satan's attack. God's protection
shield is removed. So Joshua knew that if he did not honor his oath,
he would be subject to God's judgment.
Is there any unfulfilled oath you have made to anyone? Ask God this
morning if you have not fulfilled a commitment to anyone. Then, if
there is, go and fulfill. Otherwise, you will be subject to God's
judgment for your unrighteousness.
October 30, 2007
Fear Not!
by Os Hillman, October 30, 2007
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of
power, of love and of self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7
God calls each of us to engage in spiritual warfare at times.
Whenever satan wants to come against one of God's
children, he does so by trying to intimidate through fear.
Goliath's formidable size and arrogant boasting intimidated
Saul and Israel's army. And because God's anointing had
fallen from Saul, he was unable to respond with courage to
Goliath's charge. Fear paralyzes and torments. That is why
Saul could not respond.
The anointing had fallen on David, who was just a young
boy, but mighty in spirit. David did not cower at the size or
shouts of the giant Goliath. He saw Goliath through the eyes
of God, who saw him as a mere speck. David had righteous
indignation for an affront to the armies of the living God.
David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was
resting totally in God. That is another important factor in
overcoming fear-complete trust in God.
When the Lord began training me to confront fear, the
training grounds were a groundless lawsuit, intimidations,
and calamity that confronted my very existence. Learning
that these were merely tactics of the enemy, designed to
instill fear, allowed me to stand firm in God's power to
overcome.
Do not fear sudden calamity if you are walking uprightly
before God. It may be setting the stage for a great victory
that will bring praise and honor to your heavenly Father.
These battles are training grounds for greater victories to
come.
October 29, 2007
Moving in Presumption
by Os Hillman, October 29, 2007
Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill
country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant
moved from the camp. - Numbers 14:44
The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt to enter a new land-
the Promised Land. This land was not handed over to them freely; it
required the removing of God's enemies through battle. It required a
partnership between God and the people. As long as the people
remained true to God, they were victorious.
The people were camped at Kadesh Barnea, near the border
entrance to the long-awaited Promised Land. All the hardships of
their journey from Egypt were now culminating at this important
crossing. However, Joshua and Caleb were the only scouts who
proclaimed faith in God to take them into the land and conquer their
enemies. The other spies saw all the dangers and refused to take
the risk. The people of the camp shrank in fear because of their
report. They decided not to enter in.
God was angered at the people for their lack of faith. Moses had to
intercede on their behalf. Once they realized what they had done, it
was too late. But they thought their repentance was enough to right
their wrong. They presumed this was all that was necessary.
Moses informed them they were deceived in their presumption of
God's favor. They went to battle against the Amalekites only to be
soundly defeated. Those who returned did not understand why they
lost the battle.
It is important for us to know whether we have God's hand upon our
endeavors. Presumption leads to failure. God's favor leads to
success. Ask God to confirm His hand on your endeavors.
..."If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from
here" (Exodus 33:15).
October 28, 2007
Seeing What Others Cannot See
by Os Hillman, October 28, 2007
And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the
Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. - 2 Kings 6:17
Several years ago, a movie was made called Field of Dreams. The
story is about a man who had a vision to build a baseball field in the
middle of a cornfield on his rural farm. He did not know why; he just
knew he was to do it. To the chagrin of his neighbors, he built the
baseball diamond in the farm community. One night some players
showed up. The man realized these were no ordinary players, but
were actually the great players from the past. When the skeptical
neighbors came to view this phenomenon, they were unable to see
what the farm owner could see. This made it even worse for him.
Now he was really a lunatic in their eyes.
This fictitious story has a spiritual application for us. First, if God
tells us to "build a ball field," we should do it. It is not for us to
determine the reason we are instructed to do it. Once we are
obedient, God will allow us to see what others cannot see. It is the
rite of passage for those who are willing to risk all for God's
purposes. God increases the spiritual senses to levels we never
knew before. Those around us will observe this.
Do you want to see what others cannot see? If so, it will require a
level of obedience that will go beyond human reason. It may require
risk and ridicule from others. But you will see what others cannot
see.
October 27, 2007
Going Without Jesus
by Os Hillman, October 27, 2007
...they were unaware of it. - Luke 2:43
Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the
Passover. Jesus was 12 years old. They were evidently very
distracted by the excitement and business of the Feast. In fact, Mary
and Joseph began their return trip to Nazareth only to realize well
into the trip that Jesus was not with them. It would be three days
before they would be reunited with their 12-year-old son. It caused
quite a scare in Mary and Joseph, and they reprimanded Jesus for
"wandering" off.
As a parent, I find this story truly amazing. How can parents of the
Son of God not know their son is not in their presence? Yet this
story illustrates how each of us can become so busy that we
continue to operate not realizing that Jesus is no longer with us.
Obviously, there was very little fellowship taking place between
Jesus and His parents during the trip.
Are you experiencing daily, even moment-by-moment, fellowship
with Jesus? If not, you will wake up one day and realize Jesus is not
with you in your endeavors. It may, like Mary and Joseph, create a
certain fear in you that you may have lost a very important
relationship. Doing business without Jesus' presence leaves us
powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave
or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His
fellowship by refusing to be with Him. Do not let this happen to you.
He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.
October 26, 2007
HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD
AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.
( JAMES 4:10 *NKJV )
Sometimes our burdens seem more than we can bear,
and we wonder how we will ever get through them.
Now in times like that always remember that our
Heavenly Father is closest to us for: THE LORD IS NEAR
TO ALL THAT CALL ON HIM. HE WILL FULFILL THE
DESIRE OF THOSE WHO FEAR HIM; HE ALSO WILL
HEAR THEIR CRY AND SAVE THEM.
( PSALM 145:18-19 )
So never feel that you must face those times alone,
for God loves you, and is with you, all of the time! After all
our Heavenly Father is: GRACIOUS AND FULL OF
COMPASSION, SLOW TO ANGER AND GREAT IN
MERCY. THE LORD IS GOOD TO ALL, AND HIS
TENDER MERCIES ARE OVER ALL HIS WORKS.
( PSALM 145:8-9 )
Therefore, when you feel the pressure of one
of life's burdens, and feel that it is more than you can bear,
ask for God's help. For He is ready to lift you up and bear
your burdens for you! After all it is written: THE LORD
UPHOLDS ALL WHO FALL, AND RAISES UP ALL WHO
ARE BOWED DOWN. ( PSALM 145:14 )
Finally, remember the words of our Savior Jesus
Christ, for He said: "COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO LABOR,
AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.
Sweet Rest Indeed my friend! Amen. ( MATTHEW 11:28 )
Now have a Wonderful Weekend, and may God richly bless
you!
October 25, 2007
A Message From GOD...
"ARISE, SHINE; FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME! AND THE
GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON YOU."
( ISAIAH 60:1 *NKJV )
"COME LET US WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD."
( ISAIAH 2:5 ) "FOR ONCE YOU WERE DARKNESS,
BUT NOW YOU ARE LIGHT IN THE LORD. WALK AS
CHILDREN OF LIGHT." ( EPHESIANS 5:8 )
After all, "YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A
CITY THAT IS SET ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN.
NOR DO THEY LIGHT A LAMP AND PUT IT UNDER
A BASKET, BUT ON A LAMPSTAND, AND IT
GIVES LIGHT TO ALL WHO ARE IN THE HOUSE."
( MATTHEW 5:14-15 )
So Scott always: "LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE
BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD
WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN."
( MATTHEW 5:16 )
With Love, Your Father,
Almighty God
October 24, 2007
FOR GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION BUT OF
PEACE, AS IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINTS.
( 2 CORINTHIANS 14:33 *NKJV )
In this world today it is hard for most people to find any
peace at all. Confusion abounds no matter where we go.
Jesus warned us about that for He said: "THESE THINGS I
HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE
PEACE. IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION;
BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE
WORLD." ( JOHN 16:33 )
After all it is written that: THE LORD WILL GIVE STRENGTH
TO HIS PEOPLE; THE LORD WILL BLESS HIS PEOPLE
WITH PEACE. ( PSALM 29:11 )
Therefore when you find yourself confused, Scott,
always look to Jesus Christ for: HE HIMSELF IS OUR
PEACE. ( EPHESIANS 2:14 ) After all He said, "PEACE I
LEAVE WITH YOU, MY PEACE I GIVE YOU."
( JOHN 14:27 )
Now that is a loving caring peace that we become filled
with on our spiritual journey, and peace is only one of the
many blessings we receive on that journey, for it is also
written: THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE,
PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS,
GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL. AGAINST SUCH
THINGS THERE IS NO LAW. ( GALATIANS 5:22-23 )
So, it is my prayer that you are well on your way
down that spiritual path right now, and that: THE PEACE OF
GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL
GUARD YOUR HEART AND MIND THROUGH JESUS
CHRIST. Amen! ( PHILIPPIANS 4:7 )
October 23, 2007
Are You God's Next Deliverer?
by Os Hillman, October 23, 2007
But when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up for them a
deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother,
who saved them. - Judges 3:9
Have you ever heard of a man named Othniel? Probably not.
He was Caleb's nephew. When the people of Israel went into
the Promised Land, they were victorious through the
courageous efforts of Joshua and Caleb. As this generation
grew older, a new generation began to emerge. Israel again
fell into sin by worshiping idols. The anger of the Lord
burned against Israel, and He allowed them once more to be
enslaved by their enemies. However, the people again cried
out to the Lord and God heard them.
Whenever God's people cry out to the Lord, He hears them.
When they are truly repentant, He responds. He responds by
rising up those whom He has prepared for such a time. Every
soldier looks forward to the day he can use the training he
has received. God had been preparing a nephew for such a
time as this. He had the same Spirit as his uncle, Caleb.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became
Israel's judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-
Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who
overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years,
until Othniel son of Kenaz died (Judges 3:10-11).
Has God been preparing you for a time when you will be
called upon to deliver God's people? Millions of men and
women are enslaved to the god of mammon and idolatry in
the workplace. Has He placed you there to be a deliverer?
Pray that you will have the same Spirit as Joshua, Caleb,
and Othniel.
October 22, 2007
A Remnant That Prays
by Os Hillman, October 23, 2007
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished,
one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as
John taught his disciples." - Luke 11:1
God is calling out a remnant of workplace believers throughout the
world who understand the role of prayer in their work. These people
have learned that prayer is not a five-minute exercise in the morning
devotion time, but it is a vital strategic tool to discern and know
God's will and purposes in their work lives. You see they have
learned that their business lives are their ministries to God and
others.
These men and women have entered into covenant relationships
with intercessory prayer partners who help discern the activities
they should be involved in. Some even have paid staff, who
intercede for the decisions and activities in which they will be
involved. They are a small remnant of workplace believers who
know that skill and technique are not enough to fulfill God's
purposes.
A servant of the Lord has well said: Prayer is the rail for God's work.
Indeed, prayer is to God's will as rails are to a train. The locomotive
is full of power: it is capable of running a thousand miles a day. But
if there are no rails, it cannot move forward a single inch. If it dares
to move without them, it will soon sink into the earth. It may be able
to travel over great distances, yet it cannot go to any place where
no rails have been laid. And such is the relation between prayer and
God's work. Without any doubt God is almighty and He works
mightily, but He will not and cannot work if you and I do not labor
together with Him in prayer, prepare the way for His will, and pray
"with all prayer and supplication" (Eph. 6:18) to grant Him the
maneuverability to so work. Many are the things, which God wills to
do, and would like to do, but His hands are bound because His
children do not sympathize with Him and have not prayed so as to
prepare ways for Him. Let me say to all who have wholly given
themselves to God: Do examine yourselves and see if in this respect
you have limited Him day after day.
Is prayer a vital part of your strategic business practices? Put
prayer on the front lines, instead of making it an afterthought. You
will begin to see renewed power in your work life.
October 21, 2007
God's Double-talk
by Os Hillman, October 22, 2007
The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that
you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you
the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will
not let the people go." - Exodus 4:21
Have you ever had a boss tell you to do something only to
have him sabotage your ability to complete the task?
Nothing is more frustrating than to begin to carry out a task
and have your superior thwart your effort to do what he
asked you to do.
Moses must have felt this way after God told him to go to
Pharaoh and tell him to release the people of Israel. He said,
"I am going to give you the power to release the children of
Israel by the miracles I will do through you." Yet at the
same time, He told Moses they would not be released
because He was going to put a hard heart in Pharaoh. How
do we reconcile this?
In my own life, I knew God called me to certain endeavors.
Yet every time I turned around, a roadblock stood in my
way. It took years of plodding along before the light came on
as to why there was such a distance between what God
called me to do and the manifestation of that calling. When
David was anointed king of Israel, it was years before he
realized the manifestation of that calling. There were a
number of reasons for these delays.
In the case of Moses and Israel, God wanted to demonstrate
His power in such a way that generations would be able to
hear the story of their deliverance from their ancestors. God
wanted greater glory from the situation. God also wanted to
deal with Egypt by sending specific plagues. Finally, the
very process built character in Moses and tested Moses to
see if he would stay the course.
There is a time for everything. If God has called you to some
endeavor and you are frustrated that it has not manifested,
know that times of preparation and simmering are required
before the vision can be achieved. Seldom does God call and
manifest something at the same time. There is preparation.
There is testing. There is relationship building between you
and God that must take place. Once this is complete, you
will see the vision materialize.
October 20, 2007
David's Armor
by Os Hillman, October 21, 2007
David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around,
because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to
Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. - 1
Samuel 17:39
David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the
Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to
fight except David. King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David
his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly
concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.
God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths
and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another
weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity
in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor.
What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever
tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use?
God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life.
He will not call you to use someone else's tools.
However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be
mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not
enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is
released and manifested in the physical realm.
Mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the
power of God that will be manifested.
October 19, 2007
Are You Salty?
by Os Hillman, October 19, 2007
Everyone will be salted with fire. - Mark 9:49
Jesus used parables to communicate principles of the Kingdom of
God. He said each believer's life should have the same impact on
his or her world as salt has on food. Salt gives food flavor and brings
out the best, while at the same time it serves as a preservative.
What allows a Christian to become salty? Fire. God knows that each
believer needs a degree of testing by fire in order for Christ's
fragrance to be manifested. We cannot become salty without this
deeper work of the Holy Spirit's fire in our lives. Fire purifies all that
is not of Christ. It takes away all the impurities that prevent His
nature from being revealed in us.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may
have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so
that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in
praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Are you a salty Christian? If not, pray a prayer that the immature are
unwilling to pray. Pray that God makes you a salty Christian. It will
result in praise and glory at the throne of God.
October 18, 2007
THEN I SAID, "HERE I AM, I HAVE COME--IT IS WRITTEN
IN THE SCROLL. I DESIRE TO DO YOUR WILL, O MY
GOD; YOUR LAW IS WITHIN MY HEART."
( PSALM 40:7-8 *NIV )
God has a plan for each of us, for it is written:
"I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, SAYS THE
LORD. "THEY ARE PLANS FOR GOOD, NOT FOR EVIL,
TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE."
( JEREMIAH 29:11 )
Now when we follow the path that God has for us, we find
that God is a very kind leader. Only He knows our future,
and His plans for us are good and full of hope! This does
not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship,
but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion!
After all, THE PRECEPTS OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT,
GIVING JOY TO THE HEART. THE COMMANDS OF THE
LORD ARE RADIANT, GIVING LIGHT TO THE EYES.
THEY ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD, THAN MUCH
PURE GOLD; THEY ARE SWEETER THAN HONEY,
THAN HONEY FROM THE COMB. ( PSALM 19:8 & 10 )
Further, IF THE LORD DELIGHTS IN A MAN'S WAY, HE
MAKES HIS STEPS FIRM; THOUGH HE STUMBLE, HE
WILL NOT FALL, FOR THE LORD UPHOLDS HIM WITH
HIS HAND. ( PSALM 37:23-24 )
So Scott, if you are not already walking the path that
God has chosen for you, why not ask Him in prayer to lead
you to it. For once you have found that path your heart will
become filled with joy, and THE PEACE OF GOD, THAT
TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD
YOUR HEART AND MIND IN CHRIST JESUS. Amen!
( PHILIPPIANS 4:7 )
October 17, 2007
The Benefits of Obedience
by Os Hillman, October 17, 2007
This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I
am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go." - Isaiah 48:17
My career has been in marketing and advertising. Early on, I learned
to distinguish the difference between features and benefits. Features
represent characteristics of a product or service. Benefits are those
things that directly profit or benefit me by using the product or
service. For instance, my new computer has incredible speed and
lots of memory (feature). This allows me to do things more quickly
and easily (benefit). People are more concerned about the benefits
than the features.
God tells us in the above verse that there are some direct benefits
to the features of His nature. He is a God who is committed to
teaching His children in the way they should go. What is the real
benefit of His teaching? He answers this in the next verse. "If only
you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have
been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Is.
48:18).
The Lord tells us that the benefit of allowing God to teach us and
lead us in the way is peace and righteousness. Here is a guaranteed
promise from God. I often use guarantees in my advertising claims.
Here is God's immutable guarantee: You will have peace like a river
and righteousness like the waves of the sea! What a great mmbvhn,
lllllkkkkhllooli bhbvxcxpromise!
Are you trusting God with the very details of your life so that He can
lead you in the way you should go? Are you allowing Him to teach
you? Seek the Lord today for what He wants to teach you and allow
Him to lead you, and you will ensure peace and righteousness in
your life.
October 16, 2007
When Insecurity Turns Evil
by Os Hillman, October 16, 2007
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15 - 1 Kings 20:28
Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited
David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only
thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" (1 Samuel 18:8)
This statement caused something to snap in King Saul. From this
point on, Saul was never the leader God intended him to be. He
allowed insecurity to drive his every decision. Insecurity leads to
the need to control people and circumstances. The need to control
leads to anger once we realize we are unable to control the
circumstance. King Saul could not accept, much less rejoice, over
David's success. David's life would never be the same, because
Saul sought to kill David every chance he had. Saul had a choice; he
could have seen David as an up-and-coming general in his army who
could have become an important part of his team and made the
kingdom of Israel even stronger. Instead, he looked at him as a
threat.
When you hear good news about fellow workers or associates, do
you rejoice with them? If you find yourself comparing your life's
circumstances to others and don't feel you measure up, recognize
that this is one of satan's greatest ploys to destroy you.
Christ has given you all things in Him. He has a unique plan for you
that cannot be compared to another. He alone is your security. Trust
in the purposes He has for your life. And remember, "My God shall
supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 4:19 KJV).
October 15, 2007
The God of the Valley
by Os Hillman, October 15, 2007
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what
the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the
hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into
your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." - 1 Kings 20:28
Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It is
the best vantage point to see what lies ahead. Wouldn't it be great
to live on the mountain all the time in order to anticipate what is
ahead? God allows us to experience the mountaintop at times.
Joseph's first mountaintop experience was as a young man. He had
the favor of his father, Jacob. He was given a fine coat and even had
a dream about his future. As a young man, Joseph had a sense of
destiny about his life. God often gives us a picture of our future so
that we will remember this picture when we are being tested to trust
Him in the valley. This picture usually does not reveal how God
intends to bring about the visions for our life.
However, none of us really derive the character qualities God
desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It is in the valley
where the fruit is planted and harvested. It cannot grow on the
mountain; it must grow in the valley. God is a God of the mountain,
but he is even more a God of the valley. In the valley, it is more
difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit our
sight. Joseph was thrust into a deep valley that left him wondering if
the God of his father had forsaken him. Jesus hoped that He might
be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood. There is
a valley that each of us must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to
experience the God of the valley-and to experience His faithfulness
in the valley. Once we have spent time in this valley, we come out
with something we would have never gained if we had not entered it.
The valley brings much fruit into our lives so that we might plant
seeds into the lives of others. God does not waste valley
experiences. If we are faithful in the valley, we will enter a new
dimension with God that we never thought possible. There is a
harvest of wisdom and virtue that can only be grown in the valley.
Has God brought you into the valley? Know that the valley is a place
of fruitfulness; it is a place of testing. It is where God brings what
you know in your head into your heart. The only value of knowledge
is when it becomes part of your heart. Look for God in the valley
today.
October 14, 2007
Tested for Abundance
by Os Hillman, October 14, 2007
We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of
abundance. - Psalm 66:12b
It is nice to hear that God desires to bring us into abundance. In
fact, many a preacher has promoted the goodness of the Lord and
His ability to prosper His children. Alas, my experience is that this
gospel of material abundance has little to do with the gospel of the
Kingdom as our Lord works in the realm of the sanctified soul. The
passage above tells us that God does in fact bring us into places of
abundance. However, upon further study of the entire passage, we
learn the route to this abundance.
For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us
into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our
heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place
of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).
God's economy of abundance often has little to do with material
blessing. In God's economy, abundance is often measured in wisdom
and knowledge of Himself. It is then that we are truly blessed.
Wisdom cannot be gained through intellectual pursuits. Wisdom
comes only through experience. Real wisdom comes from the kinds
of experiences that come only through the deepest tests. Lessons of
refinement, including prison accompanied by burdens, lead us
through the fire and water. This is the territory that must be traveled
to reach that place of abundance. It would seem strange that a
loving God would use such means with His children. What we often
fail to realize is that God's measuring stick is the character and
likeness of Jesus Christ Himself in each of us. This cannot be
gained through a life of ease and pleasure. Ease and pleasure fail to
refine.
Is God using your workplace to refine you today? Has He placed you
in a prison or laid burdens on your back? Take heart if this is the
place you find yourself, and realize that if you are faithful through
the tests, you will enter a place of abundance that few will ever
attain. The darkest hour is just before daybreak.
October 13, 2007
When Plans are Thwarted
by Os Hillman, October 13, 2007
But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.
Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I
was detained there with the king of Persia. - Daniel 10:13
I left at 5:00 a.m. to fly to another city to present some possible
joint initiatives in ministry with another organization. I would have
only an hour or so to meet with the board. I got into the city and
taxied to the hotel. This is great, I thought. No glitches. I am even
here an hour early. I asked where the meeting was. There was no
record of such a meeting, even though my contact was staying at
the hotel. I made several calls, to no avail. What had I missed? I
continued trying to reach someone. An hour and a half later I
reached my wife. She located a letter that seemed to indicate the
meeting might be downtown. I took a cab and arrived at the location.
"I am sorry, sir, there are no seventh-floor offices in use yet in this
building."
"That cannot be. My letter says different." After I insisted, she let
me go up. I arrived on the seventh floor. Nothing but concrete.
Perplexed, I called my wife again. We made contact with yet another
person who gave us another number to call. Finally, we located
where the meeting was taking place. I got into the cab for another
$30 cab ride. Forty-five minutes later the cab driver was lost. We
stopped at a dry cleaners and he asked the people there, where the
street was located. I was past the point of anger. I was laughing at
this situation. A few minutes later, we arrived at our destination,
three and a half hours after our scheduled time.
Plans do not always go as we hope. Sometimes they are hindered for
our purposes. Sometimes we are dealing in a spiritual realm in
which we realize we are truly in a spiritual battle. And sometimes
we are even hindered to protect us. After looking at this situation, I
believe I was being hindered from getting to this meeting. However,
perseverance and God's grace allowed me to make the meeting.
Important initiatives resulted from the brief time I was there.
The next time your plans are thwarted, begin asking what is at the
root of the calamities. Ask God for discernment on what is taking
place. Just as He revealed to Daniel, God will show you what is
behind such events.
October 12, 2007
An Audience of One
by Os Hillman, October 12, 2007
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect
will. - Romans 12:2
What audience do you play to? Each day you are seen by many who
will make a judgment about the way you handle yourself among
different audiences. Politicians have learned to play to their
audiences, customizing messages for the needs of their particular
groups. Musicians have learned to play to their audiences.
Preachers play to their congregations each Sunday morning.
Workplace believers play to the audiences who will buy their
product.
Christ has called us to play to one audience - the audience of
Himself. When you seek to please any other audience in your life,
you become susceptible to situational ethics and motivations based
on the need for the moment. Your audience becomes a pawn in your
hands because you know what they want. Is that wrong? Sometimes
it is, sometimes it isn't.
Pure obedience to pleasing God in our lives will often meet the
needs of those around us. It is God's will that you and I love our
spouses, provide good services to our customers, and look to the
interests of others before ourselves. This will result in meeting
many needs of the audiences in our lives.
However, there are other times when our audiences are asking for
something contrary to God's will. Politicians are often forced to
appease their audiences, even though it may go against God's laws.
When we are asked to go with the flow, we discover which audience
is most important in our lives. Is it the audience of One, or the
audience of many?
Today, be aware of which audience you are playing to. Ask yourself
why you are taking a particular action. Is it to please the audience of
One? Or is it to please the audience of others who might negatively
impact you should you not play to their tune?
October 11, 2007
The Place of Obedience
by Os Hillman, October 11, 2007
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could
see nothing. - Acts 9:8a
There is a place of obedience for all of us. For Paul, it was being
struck blind on the Damascus road. God literally knocked him to the
ground with a blinding light. A voice from Heaven asked Paul why he
was persecuting Him (Jesus). When Paul arose, he could not see.
Jesus told him to go to Damascus and meet a man named Ananias.
There, Jesus restored Paul's sight through Ananias.
Each of us has a place of obedience. For some, it requires only a
nudge of pressure to gently lead us toward God. For others of us, a
lightning bolt is necessary to get our undivided attention. Many who
are hard-hearted rebel against the living God. Yet God's love for
these individuals is so great that He takes extreme measures to
gain their attention -- and their hearts. When you come in contact
with people like this, do not fear their arrogance. Instead, see them
as God sees them as people who need the Savior and who could be
a powerful force in the Kingdom if God saved them. It is a sign to
begin praying for them.
We've all heard the saying, "The bigger they are, the harder they
fall." In many cases this is true. God has called many hard cases
into His Kingdom through miraculous circumstances in order to save
their lives from the pit of hell and transform them into a sweet-
smelling fragrance. Do not let the hard exterior fool you. These are
needy people who are crying out for help in their own prideful way.
Whenever God begins this process in the life of a sinner, He has
others standing by to assist. Ananias was the person in Paul's life.
He found it unbelievable that Paul really could have been saved. An
angel had to convince him. Has God placed such an individual in
your path? Perhaps God desires to use you to be an "Ananias" in the
life of one of His wayward children. To do so requires a willingness
to come alongside that one who needs your help. Who knows, that
person could be the next apostle Paul.
October 10, 2007
Covenant Relationships
by Os Hillman, October 10, 2007
But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark
- you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. -
Genesis 6:18
The Bible is filled with covenants made between God and people.
Six of those covenants were made with Old Testament figures:
Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. The seventh was
made with His own Son, Jesus Christ. God is always the strongest
partner in a covenant relationship.
God made a covenant with Noah in order to preserve the human
race. This covenant involved Noah's participation by building an ark.
He'd never built an ark before. He'd never had a boat. It was a totally
new concept to Noah and the rest of the world. Why would he need a
boat in a dry land?
Noah did not have to invent the ark; God gave him the plans-in
specific dimensional detail. He did not have to gather the animals --
God led them into the ark. God even closed the door when they all
came on board. God made it rain to prove why the ark was needed.
The covenant provided all Noah needed to complete his mission in
life. When God spoke to Noah to do this thing, he needed only to
respond to God's call to do it. Noah could rest in knowing the
covenant made with God was going to be fulfilled if he fulfilled his
part.
If you have entered into a covenant relationship with God, you too
can be assured that God will uphold His part of the covenant
relationship. He is committed to fulfilling His covenant with you and
to fulfill His purposes in and through your life. It only requires one
thing on your part -- obedience. He will even provide grace and faith
to you to help you fulfill your part of the covenant.
Each of us has a covenant with God. But we also enter covenants
with others in our personal and business lives. How are you doing in
fulfilling covenants to others? God has given us the example to
follow. Ask God if you have any unfulfilled covenants you need to
honor. He has called you and me to be covenant keepers.
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it (1 Thessalonians
5:24).
October 9, 2007
Mount Horeb
by Os Hillman, October 9, 2007
So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he
traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God. - 1 Kings 19:8
Elijah and Moses were men of great zeal. They were passionate
about their causes. Moses sought to free the Hebrews from the
tyranny of slavery by killing an Egyptian with his own hand. Elijah,
after calling down fire on the evil prophets of Baal, found himself
spent physically and emotionally to the point he asked God to take
his life.
Immediately after these two events, 500 years apart from one
another, both men were led to the same Mount Horeb, the mountain
of God. In Hebrew, Horeb means "desolation." This barren
environment mirrored the condition of Moses and Elijah. For Moses,
it was 40 years of barrenness. For Elijah, it was 40 days without
food. Elijah became tired of standing alone for God.
As workplace believers we often become so focused on the goal we
forget to meet God at our own Mount Horeb. This was the place God
met both Moses and Elijah. It was a place of renewal, a place of new
beginnings, a place of personal encounter with the living God.
Perhaps Elijah's greatest virtue was his zeal. Indeed, we shall see
that twice in his communication with God, Elijah speaks of having
been "very zealous" for the Lord. But zeal, unattended eventually
becomes its own God; it compels us toward expectations, which are
unrealistic, and outside the timing and anointing of God.
To remain balanced, zeal must be reined in and harnessed by
strategic encounters with the living God. We otherwise become
frustrated with people and discouraged with delays. We step outside
our place of strength and spiritual protection. Many of us become so
consumed with our battles that we are no longer aware of the
presence of Jesus. We have been traveling in our own strength.
[Francis Frangipane, Place of Immunity (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Arrow
Publications, 1994), 5.]
Pray that Jesus will teach us that intimacy with Him is the greatest
measure of success. Lord, guide us to the mountain of Your
presence.
October 8, 2007
A Faithful Woman
by Os Hillman, October 8, 2007
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he
praises her. - Proverbs 31:28
She was the Vice President of Household Affairs for her entire adult
life. She had a husband, four daughters, and one son whom she
managed. Her calling was not to the workplace; it was to the home.
It was a calling that she fulfilled well. She often went beyond her job
description to fulfill menial tasks like sewing clothes for her twin
girls, playing dolls, and even playing catch with the only boy in the
clan.
Things were going along well until midway in life a telephone call
came that changed everything. The caller informed her that the love
of her life had been killed in an airplane crash. She was in her early
40's, still beautiful, with five kids to raise on her own in spite of the
fact that she hadn't worked in the business place for nearly 20
years. The death of her husband removed their steady upper middle-
class income, and she was now faced with the greatest test of her
life. At her lowest moment, wondering how she was going to make
it, she cried out to God. God answered, "Trust Me, Lillian." Those
audible words became the strength that she needed to care for her
family for the next 40 years. From that moment on, she came to
know her Savior personally and shared Him with her family. Her
children came to know Him as well. Grandchildren became the
recipient of her prayers, and they came to know Him too. She was
building an inheritance in Heaven, one prayer at a time, one soul at
a time. She never remarried; Christ became her Husband.
Whatever wisdom and encouragement has come to you through
these devotionals, it is only as a result of one who answered the
call to the greatest and most important workplace there is: the
home. You can thank my mom, Lillian Hillman, for whatever grace
you have gained from these messages throughout the year because
she remained faithful to the call to invest in those she was called to
love and serve. "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praises her."
October 7, 2007
Redeeming the Time
by Os Hillman, October 7, 2007
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching
the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. - Acts 8:40
Many times I've heard a man or woman say they cannot participate
in an event, a service, or activity for God because of the time it will
take away from their job. God has called each of us to be good
stewards of our time and our resources. It is just as important to
learn how to say yes as it is to say no, and we must be faithful to
our employers if we do not have freedom to take time away.
However, many times I sense that workplace believers justify a lack
of obedience under the guise of stewardship.
Philip was one of the first businessmen who was given a
commission to preach the gospel. He was in the city of Samaria
preaching when many miracles began to take place and the crowds
came to see what was happening. Then in the midst of this great
move of God, the angel of God spoke to Philip and told him to leave
Samaria and go to a desert road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza.
Imagine how Philip must have questioned the logic of this decision
when he was seeing such results in Samaria. But Philip was
obedient to the angel. Along the road, he met an Ethiopian eunuch
who wanted to have the Scriptures explained to him. Philip
explained the Scriptures to the Ethiopian, who was the treasurer of
Ethiopia under Queen Candace, and led him to the Lord, then
baptized him in a nearby lake. A few moments later, Philip was
supernaturally transported many miles northwest of his location to
Azotus, where he preached Christ along the way toward his final
destination of Caesarea.
So often we think that if we give our time outside our work life, our
work will suffer. God redeemed the time for Philip by supernaturally
transporting him to the next place he was to be. God always blesses
those who serve Him. He can redeem lost time for those who
willingly give of themselves for His purposes. Do not fall into the
trap of believing that God cannot redeem the time you give for Him.
If He calls you to give outside your normal work life, be assured He
can make up that time. I have heard countless examples of
workplace believers who experienced God's supernatural financial
provision for time given for the sake of the gospel through
unexpected business or unusual income that resulted after they
made the commitment to take time away from their work for service
to God.
God desires that we respond as Philip did in order to be used by Him
in the life of another person. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit so
that you can go and speak when He says go and speak. Do not fear
the consequences of what that might mean if it requires leaving your
work interests for a time. God will make it up. He always takes care
of those who are obedient. He is more concerned about obedience
than the bottom line
October 6, 2007
Understanding What God Has Given
by Os Hillman, October 6, 2007
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is
from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. - 1
Corinthians 2:12
God desires for us to know what He has freely given to us. One of
the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit is to reveal His plans and
purposes to us. They may be hidden for a time, but if we seek Him
with our whole heart, we can know what He has given to us.
John the Baptist understood this principle. When asked if he was the
Messiah, he replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from
heaven" (Jn. 3:27). John understood his role in the Kingdom of God.
He came to pave the way for the Messiah; he was not the Messiah
himself. His ministry on earth was very brief, yet Jesus described
his life in this way: " 'I tell you the truth: Among those born of
women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet
he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he' " (Mt. 11:
11).
Once we understand what God has given to us, we can walk freely
in our calling. However, if we strive to walk in a role that He never
gave us, it will result in frustration and failure. God wants to reveal
His plan to us by His Spirit. This requires a willingness to seek and
accept what He gives us. It may be different from what we thought.
It may require adjustments to follow His path for our lives. As we
learn from the life of John the Baptist, obedience requires death to
our own wills.
Ask God to reveal what He has freely given to you. Pray that you
receive and embrace only those things He has reserved for you to
receive and to accomplish in your life. Then you can be assured of a
life full of meaning and purpose, and you can look forward to hearing
those all-important words someday, "Well done, My good and faithful
servant."
October 5, 2007
Confrontation With God
by Os Hillman, October 5, 2007
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for
the display of His splendor. - Isaiah 61:3b
"God, is this the way You treat someone who is faithful to You?" I
yelled out loud on the top of the wooded hill where no one but God
could hear me. "I have waited and waited and now this! I hate You,
God! I have had enough!" Those were my words that day as I
wrestled with news of an event that devastated me to the point
where I broke down weeping.
As I sat there among the trees deciding what else I could say to
God, I was speechless. I was angry. I was confused. I wondered if
He even existed. If He did, I felt like He really didn't honor my faith
and obedience. I sat for hours wrestling internally with my feelings.
Finally, without answers and sensing that God wasn't answering me,
I turned to leave. I had been sitting on an old oak tree that was
broken at the base. The tree pointed toward the base of another huge
oak tree. Finally, a still quiet voice inside said, "Today, like this
broken oak tree you are sitting on, you are a broken man. But this
brokenness was needed in order for you to become this large oak
tree you see."
Months and even years had passed with many struggles. But God
was true to His word from that day. He began to replace the pain
and disappointment with an inner joy that only His grace could
provide.
Have you ever wrestled with the events of life, feeling that God has
deserted you? Have you been honest with God? He is the kind of
Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations. He won't
always change things, but His purposes will be accomplished and
peace will come if you trust. Trust Him this day with those things
that are most difficult.
October 4, 2007
A Fine-tuned Instrument
by Os Hillman, October 4, 2007
...I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call
on My name and I will answer them; I will say, "They are My
people," and they will say, "The Lord is our God." - Zechariah 13:9
My former business career was as an owner of an advertising
agency. Over the years, I had the privilege to work on many different
and prestigious accounts. One of those accounts was Steinway
Pianos, the maker of the world's finest pianos. Each piano has
always been made from scratch; it takes over a year to make one
Steinway. The most impressive scene as I toured the manufacturing
plant was the place where the soundboard is stretched to its
maximum tolerance and allowed to sit for an extended period until it
remains in the curved design. This was done in an off-to-the-corner
part of the plant. If the wood were alive, it would be crying out for
mercy.
After an extended time of stretching, the wood will never spring
back to its original state. It is permanently changed. The piano is
becoming a fine-tuned instrument. After this process takes place,
the next step requires another point of stress. It takes 11 tons of
pressure on a piano to tune it. Each step in the process moves the
piano closer to a finished product that will ultimately be played by
the world's finest musicians. These musicians desire a particular
sound that only a piano like this can make.
God looks at each of us as a fine-tuned instrument. However, we
begin as rough wood that He desires to transform into gold. Tuning
us requires certain experiences that will stretch our faith, our frame,
and our very life. Sainthood springs out of suffering. If we can stand
the strain of this intense process, we will come forth as gold-as a
sweet-smelling offering to our Maker. When we are in the midst of
these times, it feels like fire. It is painful to be stretched beyond our
perceived limits, but the Lord knows this is necessary for us to
become an instrument that can play a beautiful song that others will
seek after.
Let the master Craftsman have His way in your life today. You will
be pleased with the instrument He fashions.
October 3, 2007
The Need to Control
by Os Hillman, October 3, 2007
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said.... - 1 Samuel 13:13
The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul
was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against
the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come
against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the
prophet Samuel. Samuel instructed Saul to go ahead of him to
Micmash, and he would follow in seven days. He would then offer a
burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel.
The pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around
Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel grew fearful and
began to scatter throughout the countryside. Saul was also afraid.
Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. Finally,
Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the
burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.
..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if
you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all
time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out
a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people,
because you have not kept the Lord's command" (1 Samuel 13:13-14).
Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever
we try to take control of a situation out of God's will, we
demonstrate that we are led by fear. Many a boss is so driven by
fear that he attempts to manage by over controlling his people. This
results in co-dependent relationships in which the employees are
fearful of making the wrong decisions, and are driven to please the
manager at all costs. This results in loss of respect for the manager.
Many times the employees make poor choices just to please their
manager; as a result, resentment begins to build among the
employees due to the manager's over-control.
Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others?
Can you allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself
changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't
like? Are you fearful of failure? These are all symptoms of a Saul-
control spirit. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the freedom of
trusting in Him and those around you.
October 2, 2007
The Goal of Life
by Os Hillman, October 2, 2007
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future." - Jeremiah 29:11
For many people in the world, real meaning in life is the next
vacation, career success, or stepping up the income ladder. It is a
life based on pleasurable experiences. Many a human being has
toiled their whole life to gain a pleasurable lifestyle only to find a
life that is empty and meaningless. You only have to watch
television for one evening to discover that advertisers want us to
believe this is the goal of life. The work-to-play theme is consistent
with most advertising messages.
Solomon was a man who had nothing withheld from his appetite. He
was a great builder, a great businessman, and a great lover of
women. Every imaginable pleasure was his. Nevertheless, he was to
discover that these things alone could not satisfy the human soul.
A recent trip to a beautiful island left me grateful that God had
allowed me to understand the futile trap of the work-to-play lifestyle.
It is great to experience times of refreshing and visit beautiful
places as long as we don't fall into the trap of thinking that these
experiences equal a meaningful life. God's beautiful creation can so
easily become a prison of emptiness if Jesus is not in the center of
it. The apostle Paul said there is only one way to find meaning and
purpose in life:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which
He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the
saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe...
(Ephesians 1:17-19).
Knowing Christ brings the only real meaning and purpose to the
human soul. Spend time today getting to know the Lord in a more
intimate way. Then you will discover real meaning and purpose in
life.
October 1, 2007
Changing Our Paradigm of Experience
by Os Hillman, October 1, 2007
So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the
bush does not burn up." - Exodus 3:3
Have you ever heard someone say, "God doesn't work that way? He
would never do that." Well, there are times when God chooses to
confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience.
Moses had never seen a bush that burned but did not burn up. It got
his attention and it drew him to God.
When Jesus appeared on the water in the middle of the night during
a storm, the disciples exclaimed, "It's a ghost!" They had never
seen a man walk on water. This led to a great miracle--Peter walked
on the water, too. When Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get
the coin from its mouth to pay their taxes, you can imagine what
Peter must have thought about those instructions. When Moses got
to the Red Sea, he ran out of options. God had an unexpected
solution to the Israelites' problem--He parted the Red Sea to
demonstrate His power and allow the people of Israel to cross over
to flee the Egyptian army.
Each of these new paradigms was a stepping-stone of an encounter
with God so that the individual would experience God in a new way.
God used these times to enforce the principle that His ways are not
our ways. Whenever we try to predict that God will act in a certain
way, He changes the paradigm to keep us from becoming our own
little gods.
Have you ever been guilty of judging someone for an experience
they've had that you've never had? Did you dismiss it as extreme or
something not of God? God is in the business of changing our
paradigm from no personal experiences to God-experiences.
However, if you operate on a level of rigid logic, you may never have
the privilege of having the God-experiences. Keep your heart free to
experience new paradigms with God today.