It is amazing the lessons we can learn by looking at God’s creation.    It’s been unbearably hot here in NC, with temperatures in the high 90s most days.  Each day, my beautiful flowers are all wilted, as they cry out for water.   I was watering them today, and a thought came to me.   It is not the heat that gets them; it is the lack of water.    I immediately thought of the parallels between these flowers and our spiritual life.  As Christians, it is not the heat or the problems and cares of life that get us; it is our lack of “water”.     Water symbolically reveals a vital Scriptural truth for the believer.

In John 7, Jesus used the metaphor of water to represent the Holy Spirit’s vital, life-giving nature. John 7:37–39 (HCSB) — 37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” 39 He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been received because Jesus had not yet been glorified.  The Scripture also uses water as a symbol of the Word of God, as Paul talked of God cleansing His church by “the washing of water by the Word” (Eph. 5:26)

So, in Scripture, water symbolically represents God’s life flow within us.   The Holy Spirit is life to us, just as water is life to our flowers.    When problems come, like the heat on our plants, without water we dry up, wilt, and may not survive.   We were created to exist in the Presence of God, and we can never be who we are supposed to be without His Spirit living and thriving within us.   He brings life to us, and without Him, we cannot survive in the world we are in.   And we must have the word of truth in order to walk in the will of God in trying situations.   His word keeps us balanced on the right foundation and literally cleanses us from the enemy’s deception and persuasion.

I realized another spiritual truth while watering my plants today.   I had been using a smaller, more convenient, easier-to-handle hose, and the flow was slow and inadequate.  The water came out so slowly that I thought there was a water pressure problem, so I considered calling the city to complain.   Today, I decided to switch to a larger, heavier hose, and the plants’ appearance changed almost immediately.  They literally returned to life within a short time.   The larger hose gorged the plants, even causing water to run down into the surrounding yard.

What is this revealed truth?   I realized that while using a more convenient, easier source of water, this source was inadequate for my needs.   Do we often settle for less than we need because it is easier, more convenient, or just more comfortable than what is actually required?  We must find an environment where we can experience the fullness of His Spirit and not settle for dribbles of truth.   Regardless of where we attend church, we are responsible for our own Spiritual health and development.   Yes, God has assigned teachers and pastors to help believers mature, and His Word requires these leaders to teach His truth.    But it is our ultimate responsibility to ensure we receive the spiritual nutrition we need to mature into fruitful believers.   We can only know this when we go to the source ourselves to receive the living water that has been made available.   We cannot depend on someone else to “water” us, or we could be deceived into believing that convenience and comfort indicate adequate truth.

Do we feel wilted?  Is the “heat of life” causing us to become discouraged, discontent, or disillusioned?  If so, we need to turn toward the Holy Spirit and allow His presence to saturate us with His living water.   Isaiah 55:8-11 promises that just as rain and snow fall from heaven and saturate the earth, causing seed to germinate and sprout, God’s Word will saturate our hearts and accomplish its purpose in our lives.  Don’t settle for a more convenient source of truth because it is easier to handle or more comfortable.   Allow the water of the Word to gorge your heart until you are cleansed of anything that would inhibit God’s work within you.   It is interesting that I was prepared to blame the city for low water pressure when my problem was choosing too small a resource for the water I needed.

What a beautiful picture of God’s love for us.   His Word is water that cleanses us so His Spirit can abide within and flow out of us into a powerful fountain of life.

I once read, “Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.” This is such a true statement. When we think about change, we often associate it with chaos. But even within chaos there is opportunity if we allow it. God often calls us to change for growth, opportunity, and a fulfillment of our own God-designed destiny. The enemy will also create opportunities for change, as his goal is to pull us out of our God-given assignment and into disobedience.

Max Dupree said, “We cannot become who we need to be by remaining who we are.” So, as we embrace change, we grow into the person we need to be for the new season in our lives, and God will orchestrate that change when we are living in obedience to His will.  And we cannot look at our own self-generated chaos due to our disobedience, pride, evil, etc., and pretend it is God bringing the change. But our God is faithful, and we can give that chaos to God as an opportunity for revelation and growth.

One of the greatest examples of God requiring change is found in the life of Abram. In Genesis 11, we see that Abram’s father, Terah, had already told the family he was moving out of Ur to Canaan. However, we see that Terah made it as far as Haran, and Scripture says, “but they stopped at Haran and settled there…and Terah died while they were in Haran.” (Gen. 11:31-32). And it is in Haran that God then calls Abram to leave his land, his relatives, and his father’s house. (Gen. 12:1-3).

God’s requirements of Abram are significant, and they also apply to our lives if we want to become the person we need to be for God’s purposes.

First, God told Abram to leave his land. Land is the word ‘eres’ in Hebrew and means a designated territory, and it represents our IDENTITY. The land we dwell in defines our beliefs, customs, traits, and culture. Our land is a unique branding we accept about ourselves and serves as an identifier of who we are, how we act, and even how we think. This branding may be a denominational branding that says, “we don’t believe in that”, or a cultural branding that says, “we don’t do it that way,” or even a family branding that boasts, “that’s not who we are!” Our self-imposed identities can set unbiblical boundaries in our lives and prevent us from answering God’s call for change. God was calling Abram out of his old IDENTITY into his GOD-IDENTITY.  The land that Abram and his family lived in was an idol-worshipping land, and both Abram and his father were idol worshippers.  Abram had to choose to leave his old identity and align with the IDENTITY of the only true God.   

Secondly, God told Abram to leave his relatives. Relatives are people of INFLUENCE in our lives. Most successful people are not successful because of the school they attended, their college GPA, or even the family they were born into. They are successful because of those they allowed to INFLUENCE their lives. Abram’s father was Terah, which means “delay”. God had already placed a call on Terah to come out of the idolatrous land of Ur and go to Canaan, but Terah decided to settle, or delay, in Haran. In Terah’s place of delay, he died. Terah’s decision was an unnecessary influence in the life of Abram, and it was there that Abram was called away from his remaining relatives and into God’s promise for him. Today, we can ask ourselves the question Paul asked the church of Galatia, “You were running your race nobly; who has hindered you?” (Gal. 5:7). Who might be influencing our lives that is causing a delay in our response to God’s plan for His Kingdom and for us? We must realize that our calling from God does not find its end purpose in and for our benefit, but for His purposes in the earth.  Fulfilling our purpose in God will bring fullness and satisfaction in our own lives.

Lastly, God told Abram to leave his father’s house. How did this differ from leaving his relatives? Abram’s father had died, and now Abram was the oldest living son. He would be the family patriarch, the one the family would look to for family decisions and guidance. God was asking Abram to give up the IMAGINATION of being Abram, or an exalted father, to becoming Abraham, the father of multitudes. God was asking Abram to imagine the possibility of being more than the patriarch of a single family to becoming the patriarch of multitudes of families. IMAGINATION is important because it allows us to see beyond what we can see with our natural eyes. IMAGINATION activates supernatural vision that sees beyond temporary delays, difficulties, inconveniences, and questions about the future. The Lord told Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11). The word “plans” actually means thoughts. God has an imagination about us; His imaginations are for our good, our welfare, our purpose in life. What imaginations are limiting you from seeing what God sees? Without imagination, we will limit ourselves by the roadblocks that will attempt to get us off track, or, as with Terah, delay us in our journey.  Terah stopped in Haran, which means “mountainous.” When we do not have imagination, we allow the mountains to become larger than the promise, and these mountains will block our view of God’s promise and purpose in our lives.

God told Abram to get rid of his old IDENTITY, his hindering family INFLUENCES, and his limiting imagination and begin to IMAGINE what is possible when God is involved.    Change had to occur for Abram to become Abraham. Change is inevitable, but will we allow growth to happen? When we remain victims to change rather than conquerors over it, growth will never occur.   

Change is inevitable. Growth is an option.  Choose to imagine what God will do when you allow Him to be in control!

God is doing a new thing, and many sense that God is calling His people to leave behind their old identities, negative influences, and limited thinking, and enter into the new thing that God is orchestrating for His church.   What is this new thing?   It is a renewed passion to return to the God of the Scripture and not a manmade replica of a Christ that is unbiblical.  Why does God need a new thing?   God wants His people to become the church that does the same works of Jesus. (John 14:12) God wants His people to become a people that will destroy the work of the devil. (1 John 3:8)  God wants His church to be the church that the gates of hell will not prevail against.   How do we know we need this change?   As we look around us we see a nation that tolerates and celebrates the works of darkness.   We see many proclaim Christ, but not live for Him.  A very small portion of people in our nation have a Biblical Worldview, including most pastors.

God is looking for the one that will climb the mountain to find Him, as Moses did, even while the others are below making idols of golden calves. God is looking for the one who will say, “If I perish, I perish” in order to do the will of the Lord.

We cannot become who we need to be and remain who we are. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional. Let’s choose growth!

The month of Elul is a beautiful month in the Hebrew calendar as it carries much importance being the month preceding the Jewish civil New Year, Rosh Hashanah.  Elul provides 29 days of preparation for Rosh Hashanah and then the most Holy Day of Yom Kippur.   This month allows intense soul searching and repentance, giving time to review the actions of the past year.  It is literally a time of “accounting for the soul.”     It is a time to freely approach God, as the Jews engage in the metaphor of “the King is in the field” where God has made Himself accessible to anyone who will approach Him with an honest and open heart.   The Jews feel that during the month of Elul and while “the king is in the field”, it is easier to connect with God than any other time of the year and to experience His mercy and grace.

The Hebrew letters for Elul form the acronym for “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” which says “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine.”   This is to emphasize the close relationship they have with God.   The Jews also read Psalm 27 daily which allows them to express their trust in and love for God. 

Do we understand that this Jewish celebration provides us with a beautiful picture or foreshadowing of all that Jesus has done for us.   The final chapter of this story has been completed, because as believers, Jesus has reconnected heaven and earth and we do not have to wait for that one month or those 29 days of the year to be close to God.  His Spirit lives within us and we can approach Him with boldness, as the scriptures tell us (Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 10:19-22)

Elul draws a beautiful picture of how God wants to invest in our success.   To the Jews, He comes from His throne into the fields to interact with his workers and draw close to them.   To believers in Christ, Jesus has made it possible that the fullness of all that God is dwells within us through Christ. (Col. 2:9). Because of our love for Jesus, He and the Father come and make their abode with us, never to leave us again. (John 14:23).

Too often we inherit a fear-based religion where God is untouchable and waiting to punish or condemn us for all the mishaps in our life.   But as we study the picture God gave His people, we see a God who wants to be accessible and interact with His people.  We see a God who says let me help you become that person you need to be.   We have a Father who is much like the prodigal Father who is waiting for His son to “come to himself” and return to the Father’s house.   The returning repentant son does not receive condemnation, chastisement, or rejection.   He receives a father that runs to him and gives him a robe of restored dignity and family identity. He receives a ring of restored authority.  And we see a public declaration by the father of putting shoes on his son’s feet, because only slaves went without shoes.  This is the Father we serve.

Western Christianity often paints a different picture.   It presents a repentance that requires penance and works in order to appease the Father’s wrath and anger.     It presents a salvation that requires that we grovel on our face to approach the Father. Do we understand that Jesus took that wrath and Jesus appeased the Father’s anger against us.  Do we understand that the Father so loves us that He paid our redemption price with His own son? 

Just as with the Jews during the month of Elul and the celebration of “the king in the field”, God is open to any who will come to Him with an honest, repentant, and open heart.   The freedom we have in Christ does not allow for evil manipulation or selfish indulgence with God.  But rather, it is our heart shouting “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine!”    God will never turn away a humble and repentant heart.  What joy it must bring to the Father’s heart to hear us say,  “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life..” (Psalm 27:4). Woven within the Hebrew months, feasts, Holy days, and rituals, God tells His story of His love for His people.   He reveals the importance of a people fully dedicated to Him and of His plan that was so clearly fulfilled by Christ. 

Another truth is found in the fact that Elul is also the sixth month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical year. The Hebrew alphabet for the number 6 is the “vav”. Vav is represented symbolically by the tent peg, or that which connects heaven and earth. For the Jews, Elul is a month of connecting God’s divine plan into the life of His faithful people. In this one month, the Jews are looking back into the previous year and yet looking ahead into the future New Year that is coming. It was a time of repenting and repositioning to bring their lives into agreement with God’s will while fully convinced that they could wait expectantly on the Lord to reward their faith. (Psalm 27:14)

But for us, that alignment begins by first accepting His spotless lamb for our sins. Jesus begins everything for us. He introduces us to the New Life as we let go of the old man and the old creation and move forward into a life where dignity, identity, and authority are restored. It is our father putting shoes on our feet, declaring that we are His children and no longer slaves. (John 1:12) It is God providing everything we need for life and Godliness. (2 Peter 1:3). It is God making every promise a possibility in Christ. (2 Cor. 1:20). It is God Himself making the investment in our lives for our future.

Thank God that our King is available to us 24/7 and 365 days a year. All that has been revealed in the beautiful stories of the feasts, rituals, Holy Days, and observances have been fulfilled by Christ for us to enjoy every minute of every day. We must avail ourselves of all that has been provided for us. The King is no longer in the field for just 29 days each year. He is in our hearts forever.

In today’s Christianity, we seem to forget that there is a price required of us to follow Christ. There is no price to receive eternal life, but there is a price to follow Him. My old pastor used to say, “Salvation is free, but it will cost you the world to keep it.” Jesus said it another way. He said “if we do not pick up our cross and follow Him, we are not worthy of Him.” (Mt. 10:38). Jesus said if we do not love Him more that father and mother or brother and sister, we are not worthy of Him. (Mt. 10:37). So clearly there is a requirement in being a disciple of Christ. Membership entrance is free, but there is a cost to stay in the program with Christ.

Many today have made Christianity like many of the government welfare programs where we have no skin in the game, and we just take advantage of the benefits. It does not work that way.

As I was reading Proverbs 2, it was abundantly clear of the rewards of seeking, honoring, revering, and making God a priority in our lives. How easy it is to overlook the “If…then” statements. We have a part to play. In Proverbs 2 we are told IF we…

1. Accept His Word or make a decision to believe His word
2. Store up His words or make them valuable to us
3. Listen carefully for His wisdom or block out the noise of the world
4. Direct our hearts to understanding or make decisions that lead us to His Word
5. Call out for insight or desire to find it
6. Seek the understanding of His words and commands or prioritize them

THEN He will

1. Give success to the upright
2. Shield those who live in integrity
3. Guard the paths of justice and protect our way because we are faithful
4. Give us understanding of what righteous justice is
5. Give us wisdom in our hearts
6. Allow discretion to guide our lives and watch over us
7. Rescue us from evil
8. Protect us from immoral people and adulterous relationships
9. Cause us to inhabit and remain in the land He has placed us.

This is just from Proverbs 2 and does not include the many promises of God found through out all the Words of God.

These are all blessings because we responded to the “IF” requirements of the Word of God. This is not a works mentality, but obedience to God, who clearly told Moses in Exodus 30:15-29 that if we obey, choose His path, and walk in obedience, our lives will be blessed.

This is a natural consequence in our lives because we possess and live with His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment. It is as natural and irrevocable a consequence as going out into the rain and getting wet. It must, will, and has to happen. The only thing that can stop us from getting wet is to put up a block for the rain (umbrella)

This is why in Deuteronomy 30 the Lord told Moses to tell the people, “Today I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. CHOOSE LIFE!” It is a choice we make by our obedience to God, and just as naturally as we get wet in the rain, we will enjoy life and blessing because it is a natural and irrevocable consequence of following God and His Word. The only thing that can stop the blessing from flowing is to put up a block in our lives (disobedience). Like an umbrella blocking the rain, our disobedience will block the blessing.

When we live according to God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment, we make the right choices.  And God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment allow us to see ahead of time the pitfalls that may trap us.  We gain the favor of man because we walk in integrity and we can be trusted. This is God’s plan for us.  This is the consequence of paying the price of obedience.   This is the will of God!

As I ministered on Father’s Day about the love of God, our incredible Heavenly Father, I find myself continuing to ponder the difference between the two primary loves, Agape and Phileo.

As I stated in my message, Agape is the superior love that is unconditional and sacrificial, and that operates in a person’s best interests.   But then I began to think that to qualify it truly as the “Superior Love”, our love must first operate in the best interest of God, and then we will fully understand how we are to walk in this “Agape Love” towards others.    The second love is Phileo love, or an emotional, relational, passionate, and “feel-good” type of love.   Both are very important, and the Scripture uses both words to describe God’s love for us and also our love for God and others.

Jesus actually told His disciples, if you don’t love (Phileo) me more than father, mother, son, or daughter, you are not worthy of being mine. (John 10:37)   He told the disciples that God loves (Phileo) us passionately because we love Jesus passionately (John 16:27).  So, both are critically important.   However, the issue happens when we love others, or even ourselves, more than we love God.   Passionate love should always move us to act in obedience to God’s will, even if those decisions are uncomfortable for us.

It is when we are called to make those decisions of obedience to Agape Love that the Phileo love can appear to be under attack.   When we are called to make those hard decisions concerning people we love deeply, because we know that without correction we would not be operating in the best interests of God, the Phileo love comes under attack and may even be questioned by others.  Suddenly, the “feel-good” love is offended because it no longer feels good on either side.  Often, these types of decisions are uncomfortable and carry the risk of relationship loss, misinterpretation, and even slanderous attacks.

In Mt. 16:21-23, Jesus told His disciples of the things He must suffer in Jerusalem.  But Peter’s passionate love for Jesus caused him to rebuke Jesus.  Why?  Peter did not see the big picture of God’s will for Jesus in the earth.  Peter did not like the way the information about Jesus’ upcoming trials in Jerusalem made him “feel”.  After all, they were drawing crowds and great things were being done.  Why stop now?  Jesus responded, “Matthew 16:23 (LEB) — But he turned around and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! ‘ ” You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!”   Our passionate love can become a stumbling block if it prevents us from moving forward to promote the will of God in the earth, in our lives, or in His assignment for us.

We see this type of thing in many settings.   We see parents who will not hold their children accountable because of the love they “feel” for them.   We see pastors who will not teach certain truths because they might “offend” the people, who may subsequently leave the church.   They, like Peter, become a stumbling block to the true message and advancement of the Kingdom of God.  We may see this in the work environment, where employees are allowed to get away with breaking the rules or mistreating others because they are our buddies, or we just feel we can’t afford to lose them.   Let’s not rock the boat, so we allow chaos, strife, and confusion to thrive.   What it really is about is that we no longer “Agape” the assignment from God and operate in a more “Philéo” mindset.   We allow feelings of fear to become a stumbling block to God’s plan, not just for our lives, but for His Kingdom in our lives.

This distinction is very clear and very important.   We need emotional and relational love for God and others, but it must never cause us to stumble in obedience to God’s will and to what is truly in His best interest.   Jesus shows this distinction in Matthew’s gospel.

• Matthew 7:21–23 (LEB) — 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 And then I will say to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Are these ones who seem passionate about God based on their actions?   Could these unknowingly have been motivated by reasons other than integrity towards God’s agenda? We see that based on Jesus’ response, they clearly did not do the will of God.  Could these possibly be those whose ministry is really more about them than doing God’s will?  Could they just be performers on stage who never find time or the way to the secret place to get His will?  This is a warning to all of us to move carefully and always ask God what His will is in all we do.   It is never about feel-good emotions or pleasing people.   It is about His Will and His Kingdom.  It is about loving God first, unconditionally, and sacrificially.   It is about loving people enough to say no or set boundaries where needed.   When we see these types of warnings in Scripture, it is yet another example of God’s love for and the call to look inside of our own hearts and examine our own motives.  What an incredible Father who loves us so much that He will guide us into all truth about His Kingdom!  Truth about ourselves, our motives, our passions, and His Will.  This is Agape Love!   This is unconditional love.   This is sacrificial love!  This is God!  He is Love (agape)!  1 John 4:8.