Live to Honor God

Daily Confession

I would like to share something that has helped me quite a bit over the last 15 years. As I have matured and gained knowledge about how and why I do the things I do I came to realize that I do better with some structure—some boundaries or guidelines to help me stay on track. I don't mean rules and rituals that have to be followed but an outline to provide a little structure for my prayer time. If I don't have this I will easily get distracted and neglect my prayer, meditation, or even Bible reading and study. I also include some positive and encouraging statements that are based on Biblical truths.

Once you have decided on any routine it is easy to fall into a feeling of obligation and legalism. This was something I struggled with off and on over the years. As I said before, I need some routine and structure but it can come around and be a source of struggle if you begin to see it as a requirement for favor or salvation. I do believe, for me, that God wants me to have a routine since it helps me stay focused but I also know that my salvation is not based on whether I follow a routine or any other ritual. Jesus paid the price so I don't have to follow a legalistic path to righteousness. Being obedient to God does directly affect my intimacy with God. So, for me there is a balance…I try to follow the routine that God has shown me according to what he knows is best for me but I also realize the routine itself doesn't save me, it is merely a tool to help me grow in my walk with Jesus.

So, gradually, over the years, I learned the importance of confessing Bible passages, my personal mission statement, and positive statements according to God's purpose for my life.  I would like to share what I have done as an example and share how it has impacted my life. I have seen the evidence of the work of confession in bringing about change in my life, including a closer walk with God.  

I am not saying you should do any of the specific things I do. I share this as an example that works for me. I do believe a daily confession can change your spiritual walk for the better.  I am sharing what I do as a sample of what is possible, but, the possibilities are endless.  You need to do and say what seems right to you.  A couple of guidelines are:  Does it line up with the Word of God?  Does it fit with the desires God has put in my heart?

Here is the summary of my preferred routine throughout the day. I usually try to do things in order as listed here but I try to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and let Him lead me throughout the day's routine. Also, some days are filled with other activities that limit what I do. Rather than beat myself up over it if I am not able to do everything in my routine I do what I can.

I try to start the day with my daily confession and then spend some time in Bible reading and study. Part of my routine is to follow my plan to read the Bible in a year, so I try to read several chapters every day.

My daily confession has 3 basic parts:

1. My personal mission statement.

2. Putting on the Armor of God.

3. Reading Bible verses and statements that encourage and strengthen me.

My practice has usually been to read these out loud from a sheet that I keep in my Bible.

Personal Mission Statement – about 15 years God began giving me this personal mission statement through my prayer and Bible study and meditation. The phrase in quotation marks is the exact words that I believe God revealed to me for my mission statement.

1. "Remain devoted to God above all else" – a little obvious, but an important reminder since idolatry comes in many forms

2. "Attack Satan" – Spiritual warfare in whatever form God leads

3. "Preach and teach the Gospel" – share the message to individuals, groups, crowds whenever possible

4. "Heal the sick" – healing comes in many forms through counseling and therapy and miracles – they are all the work of the Holy Spirit

5. "Allow God's anointing" – let God do through me whatever he wants to do without me getting in the way

Putting on the Armor of God as found in Ephesians 6:10-20 (I read over the different parts of armor and since I am a visual person I imagine putting each on as I read.)

1.  I put on the Belt of Truth – the truths of God holds everything together and in place.

2. I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness—righteousness of God protects me from the fatal blow.

3. I prepare my feet with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace—always ready to do God's work and share the gospel.

4. I take up the Shield of Faith to protect me from the fiery darts of the enemy—my faith in God and who God is protects me from all the enemy can throw at me.

5. I wear the Helmet of Salvation—my knowledge of my salvation protects my mind from the enemy's attacks.

6. I carry the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God—the Word of God is our weapon for offense and defense.

7. I pray in the Spirit on all occasions—I need to stay in contact with my commanding office.

Bible verses and personal statements (some are quotes from Bible, some are paraphrases from Bible, some are my statements about me). I have used all of these, but not necessarily at the same time.

• I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I am saved.
• "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).  
• I am in Christ.  I am a NEW CREATURE!  Old things have passed away and all things have become new.
• I have new life--everlasting life!
• I have been delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of My Lord, Jesus.  
• My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
• I have power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL THE POWER of the enemy: AND NOTHING SHALL BY ANY MEANS HURT ME (Luke 10:19)
• I have power over all demons to cast them out.  I can lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.  
• I am more than a conqueror through Jesus.  
• I can do all things through Jesus (Philippians 4:13.     
• "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his BENEFITS--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103, first few verses).    
• My sins are forgiven.  
• I receive healing in Jesus' name.  
• My life is preserved and strong in God.  
• I am crowned with His mercy.
• I confess that I am not afraid.
• Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL.  
• I fear not, for YOU ARE WITH ME.  
• I am not dismayed, for you are my God.  
• You are helping me.  
• You are giving me strength.  
• You are upholding me with the right hand of your righteousness.
• For God hath not given me the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  
• I have the power of the Holy Spirit working in me.  
• I have the spirit of love in me.  
• The blood of the Lamb is over me.  
• The Lord goes before me.  
• The angel of the Lord camps around me.  
• Underneath me are the everlasting arms of God.  
• Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23).  
• FEAR HAS NO PLACE IN MY LIFE.
• I confess that this is a good day.
• I am filled with the love of God today.  
• I am filled with the joy of the Lord today.  
• I am filled with the peace of God today.  
• I am filled with the wisdom of God today.  
• I am filled with the Holy Spirit today.  
• I confess that today I will help someone find the grace and mercy of God.  
• I will rejoice today that heaven is my home.  
• I will rejoice today that all of my family are coming into the fold of the Lord.
• This is my confession.  I boldly say it aloud in the name of the Lord Jesus, and God my Father.  
• I thank you, Father, in Jesus' name that I have what I say.  
• The Lord's promises are true.
• My confession rises before you based on your word.  
• Jesus is the high priest of my confession.  He makes it good today.  
• God is working out HIS purpose in my life.  
• Every day He teaches me more and draws me closer to Him.  
• My love for the Lord grows daily and my desire to sin decreases each day.  
• Satan is defeated in my life.  
• Satan is defeated in my ministry.  
• Satan is defeated in my family.  
• Satan is defeated in my finances.  
• Satan is defeated in my thoughts.  
• Satan has no authority in any area of my life and he is bound by the power of the blood of Jesus, my Savior, and in the name of Jesus.
• My ministry is successful in all ways.  
• God has anointed me and is using me to preach, teach, heal, and lead in worship.  Praise the Lord.       
• I confess that the Bible is the Word of God.  I have what it says I have.  I am what it says I am.  I can do what it says I can do.  I am one of God's anointed servants.  I have been set apart for service.  God is using me for His purpose.
• God is in control of my family.  
• God is in control of my life.  
• God is in control of my ministry.  
• God is in control of my finances.  
• God is in control of my health.  
• God is in control of my strength.  
• God is in control of my future.  
• God is in control of my thoughts.  
• I trust God to take good care of me.

As you can see there is a lot here.  Even though it is a daily confession I have learned not to get bogged down in the legalism of "having to do this every day" but I do try to do it every day. On some days I especially need the power of this daily routine.  I encourage you to pick and choose what seems right to you.  

By the way, I challenge you to match each statement in the above confession with a Bible passage.  I have given you a few and many will be quite familiar to you but there are some that might be a challenge to you.  

Please don't get bogged down in legalistic observation of this daily confession.  

Don't forget confession is good for the soul.

Blessings

Tim

Witnesses

In chapter 3 of the book of Acts, Peter is speaking to the crowd that is gathered about Jesus.  In verse 15 he says, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.” 

I want to share with you about being witnesses.  In my life as a Christian I have witnessed many things that God has done.  I have seen people healed when the doctors had said nothing could be done.  I have seen many lives changed through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have felt the Spirit of God move in my life in many different ways.  There is no doubt I have witnessed God’s work over and over again.  I rejoice in this fact and I look forward to what God will do in the future. 

There is more to being a witness than just seeing, feeling, or experiencing something.  A witness has to be wiling to share what they saw with others.  In the verse above Peter is sharing what he saw and knows to be true with others who did not see or do not know.  When I first remember hearing about someone witnessing to someone else about Jesus I was very young and wasn’t quite sure what they were doing.  Witnessing seemed like trying to convince someone they should be saved.  And in fact, there is some truth to that, but I believe it is more basic than that.  Witnessing is simply sharing what I have experienced or what I know. 

I believe God calls us to be faithful witnesses to what He has done in our lives.  This doesn’t mean I am responsible for convincing someone to believe in Jesus.  My role is to share what God has done in me and for me.  God will take care of the rest.  It is like planting seeds.  There is no guarantee that every seed planted will grow and reach it’s full potential.  That is God’s business—He is the Lord of the Harvest.  I am to plant a seed or, maybe, water it or, possibly do some weeding around it as needed but only God can make it grow. 

When I share what God has done in my life I might be planting a seed or I might be watering a seed that was planted previously by reinforcing what God is doing in their lives.  Or, I might be used by the Holy Spirit to do some weeding in the person’s life by answering some questions they have about the Christian life.  I might not talk with them at all but merely live a life that reflects Jesus in the word and my silent witness may be used by the Holy Spirit in a way I could never even imagine.

Being a witness involves doing something.  Not just anything but doing the things God leads you to do.  God wants you to be yourself—the person He is forging you to be.  He will lead you to do and say the things He wants.  Your job is to listen and be obedient when He tells you what to do. God may lead you to do something simple or He may lead you to study diligently to prepare for a specific encounter.  God may lead you to be a witness to people around you numerous times in a day by simply giving Him credit for your good mood—“God is good.”

Like Peter, we are witnesses to what God has done in our lives.  Peter saw the risen Lord and walked with him and spent time with him before he ascended into heaven.  I have witnessed Jesus in other ways but my call to be a witness is the same as Peter’s.

May you be blessed as you live your life, a testimony to what God has done in you.

Tim

Sanctification – Daily Washing

I was reading in a book about the Tabernacle this morning in my devotion time.  The book was talking about the Laver in the court of the Tabernacle and it’s significance and symbolism for us as Christians.  It was fascinating.  Let me share my summary.

Previously I read about the Brazen Altar where the sacrifice for sin was offered to God.  The Brazen Altar is about justification.  Regardless of my sin I am declared righteous because of the sacrifice made on the altar.  We do not have to continuously offer sacrifices on the the altar since Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice that pays the price for all of our sins, forever.  I am justified through accepting what Jesus did for me. 

Today, I read about the Laver which is a large pool of water fashioned out of brass.  The pool was used for washing by the priests before they entered the Tent of Meeting.  The daily washing before entering the Tent of Meeting symbolizes the daily cleansing we need for the ongoing sins in our life before entering the presence of God.  The book I read from this morning speaks of this daily washing as symbolic of sanctification for Christians.  By daily acknowledging and seeking forgiveness for sin we move one step closer to the intimate relationship we desire with God and that God desires with us.  Along with this closer intimacy is a stronger sense of God’s purpose in our lives. I believe this is a natural part of intimacy with God—understanding more and more of God’s will and purpose for us His children.  As we enter God’s presence day after day we begin to be more and more like God (more like Jesus) and this is the essence of sanctification.

The Bible tells us brass mirrors were used in the making of the Laver and I have read this caused the priests to look at themselves as they washed.  As we seek closer intimacy with God we need to look honestly at ourselves and acknowledge the sins we commit and wash them away through the forgiveness found in Jesus’ blood. 

Today, draw nearer to God—wash clean any sin in your life in God’s pool of forgiveness and enjoy His presence as you become more and more like Jesus.

Tim

Watchman

Many times over the years I have read the passage in Ezekiel 33 where God tells Ezekiel he is a watchman. Every time I read it I feel a strong conviction that I too am a watchman.

"The word of the Lord came to me "Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them; 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, "O wicked man, you will surely die; and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable tor his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself." Ezekiel 33:1-9 NIV

I cannot read this passage without feeling the conviction of responsibility. When God says, "if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin" I know in my heart that God is speaking to me. My name is not Ezekiel and I am not a prophet but I know from deep inside of me that this applies to me. I am responsible for sharing the message but I am not responsible for the harvest. That is God's responsibility. If I share the message of Jesus with someone who is lost and they do not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior then I have done what God wanted me to do. That may not make it feel better, especially if they are family or a close friend but they have a free choice as we did.

 

I want to point out to you that God did not say Ezekiel was "the" watchman, as in the one and only. God said, "I have made you a watchman…" I think that is important for us to hear. I believe God has appointed many to be watchman.

 

Another thing to think about is there are different roles that have watchman responsibilities built into them. As a father I am constantly aware of my role as a watchman. I believe one of the most important things I will ever do in this life is help my daughter be the person God wants her to be. This is just one example that is very important to me; you probably can think of others that are important to you of watchman-type responsibilities for roles you play in life.

 

It may be true that not everyone is meant to be a "watchman" the way God called Ezekiel to be but Jesus clearly tells us to share the good news with those around us and including the whole world. You have to decide if God is calling you to be a watchman for yourself.

 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20

 

As I approach 50 I would like to think my life has been meaningful and worthwhile in many ways but is there really, anything, more important than sharing the cure for the illness of sin and condemnation to the people I know and love.

 

Here is a poem I wrote 10 years ago after reading this passage and feeling the inspiration that always comes with it.

 

Watchman let your trumpet sound

All who listen will be found

Righteous in God's eyes if they

Turn from all their sin and pray

Following God in every way.

 

Watchman let your trumpet blow

Warn the people so they'll know

God will judge the world of sin

But there is one way to win

Jesus Christ--just let Him in.

 

Watchman lift your trumpet high

To the people sound the cry

Warn them of the judgment day,

The price for sin did Jesus pay,

Believe in Him--He is the way.

 

Tim Gray

1999

 

There is no doubt about it, God is honored when we do the work of a watchman and share His message of love and grace with a hurting and dying world.

Please take a moment and leave a comment and share your thoughts on being a watchman.

Tim