20-20 Blog

Scripture Focus:

Hebrews 6:11–12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Observation:

The context of these two verses is salvation. Earlier in the chapter is the sobering indictment against those who become Christians and fall away. Verses 11–12 encourage us to be diligent until the end of our lives or until Jesus returns, whichever happens first.

There’s another principle, however, that shouldn’t be missed. Just as we receive our salvation through faith and wait in patience to inherit the promises, so we are to live out our salvation in faith and patience.

Application:

I heard Patrice Tsague apply this principle to our kingdom businesses during a session at his Biblical Entrepreneur seminar. Our business success is directly tied to our belief (our faith) in the business idea God has given us, and the patience to see it through, even when we see what appear to be insurmountable difficulties. Faith and patience go hand in hand. Faith means we haven’t seen it yet, but we know it’s coming. Patience keeps us going until faith becomes reality.

Prayer:

Father God, you’ve given me an assignment. Give me the faith and patience to move ahead until faith becomes reality.

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Scripture Focus:

2 Kings 7:2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”
And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

2 Chronicles 20:5–6 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

Observation:

There are two ways to look at our circumstances—one is to see the enormity of our need and doubt that God can do anything about it. The other is to look at the enormity of our need and affirm that God is powerful enough to help us. It’s called faith. We not only affirm—we ask for help, as Jehoshaphat did. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not because ye ask not.”

Application:

What is my seemingly insurmountable problem today? Is God big enough to handle it? Yes. Then I need to ask him to handle it and believe that he will.

Prayer:

Father God, I trust in your provision for my need today, and I’m excited to see how you’re going to handle it!

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Scripture Focus:

2 Chronicles 7:11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations” in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

Observation:

Abraham and Solomon both had God-given dreams. God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations, when he was, as yet, childless. For Solomon, the dream was to build the temple and his own palace.

I remember hearing a sermon by Doug Wead years ago about the fact that God loves to give us dreams of a good future, and it’s true. You see it here for Abraham and Solomon, and you see it all through Scripture.

Romans 4:17 makes an amazing statement: God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. That means any dream he gives us, he can bring to pass, no matter how unlikely it may seem. In fact, God seems to particularly enjoy the impossible dreams!

Application:

Make sure your dream is from God. Once you have prayed through it and you’re sure it’s not just your wishing, then don’t let anything stand in your way. Believe for it like God does—as though it already exists, when it doesn’t as yet.

Prayer:

Abba Father, you’ve given me a dream. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a positive, believing attitude when I look at the facts, so help me to keep my eyes on the dream and put my faith and hope in you to complete the job you’ve started.

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Scripture Focus:

Psalm 98 8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
9 before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Romans 2:5–11 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.

Observation:

Both Psalm 98 and Romans 2 speak of God’s judgment. In Psalm 98 there is a joyous anticipation of God’s judgment. You get the sense that the righteous are excited about God’s judgment because they know he’s going to straighten things out, make things fair and right.

But what if you’re on the wrong side of judgment? Romans describes both sides of judgement, where God will “render to each one according to his deeds.” Two of the bad qualities God will judge is a self-seeking attitude and disobedience to the truth.

On the positive side are those who patiently continue to do good, the opposite of self-seeking. For them God reserves eternal life.

Application:

The Day of Judgment is coming. I realize that my salvation is by grace alone through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and that I cannot earn my way into heaven, but the Bible is also very clear that those who are saved will bear the fruit of salvation.

James puts it very clearly: the things we do demonstrate whether or not we have faith.

Prayer:

Abba Father, may my words and deeds today indicate that I’ve been born again and am heaven bound. Amen!

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Scripture Focus:

Psalm 78:40–42 (KJV) How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

Observation:

I recall a teacher I had in grade school who forbade us to say “I forgot” because it was such a common excuse. At the time I thought it was a rather harsh thing to ask of 6 and 7 year-olds, but, as we can see from Psalm 78, even adults have a problem remembering.

When we forget what God has done for us in the past we are prone to provoke and grieve him by our lack of faith and lousy attitude. As if that wasn’t enough, we limit God to work on our behalf in the present.

Application:

When I find myself in a desert, what is my first reaction? Do I begin to recount the mighty deeds God has done for me in the past, thus building up my faith? Or do I forget what God has done for me and focus only on the present, thus provoking and grieving God by my grumbling lack of faith?

Prayer:

Abba Father, remind me by your Holy Spirit to recount your faithful deeds when I’m in a desert place.

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Scripture Focus:

Matthew 15:8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?”

Observation:

In yesterday’s Bible reading, Jesus marveled at the faith of a humble Canaanite woman. In today’s Bible reading Jesus says to his disciples, who had experienced Jesus’ miraculous provision of loaves and fishes twice and should have known better, “O you of little faith,” because they thought he was upset with them for not bringing along enough food.

Application:

Faith must remain fresh. I can experience God’s provision at one or more points in my life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I now have the faith I need for today.

Prayer:

Open my eyes, dear God, to truly see you as you are—strong enough to care for every need of mine today!

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Scripture Focus:

Matthew 15:25, 28 Then she came and worshiped Him saying, “Lord, help me!” . . . Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Observation:

A Canaanite woman came to Jesus asking for healing for her daughter. For some reason, Jesus ignored her, so she tried again. This time she worshiped him and said “Lord, help me!”

Charlie tells me that the word worship is used interchangeably for the act of worship as we tend to think of it today—praising and praying—and for bowing down before someone, which is probably what she did here. Such a posture indicates a subservient relationship, where the one bowing acknowledges the supremacy of the one worshiped.

Jesus still doesn’t fulfill her request, but he at least starts talking to her, and she answers in a way that shows her humility and understanding of her position before Jesus. Jesus finally says, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”

Application:

Faith is irresistible to Jesus! When he sees great faith, he comments on it. Also on the lack of faith.
I shouldn’t give up when it feels like God is ignoring my request. Sometimes all he wants to see is that I have enough faith to press through.

Prayer:

Abba Father, I need your help, too. Give me the faith to press through to you today.

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