What Is The Key To Solving Problems? Zechariah 4: 6

What does the Bible say about solving personal problems? We all have problems such as debts, woes, worries, and fears. We try different things like education, money, bigger guns, or a louder voice, but nothing works.

"So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, 'Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.'" Zechariah 4: 6, NIV.  (Link to See other Translations).

The quote above is from the vision of the Prophet Zechariah, in which he is given a message for the governor of Jerusalem to not lose heart in rebuilding the destroyed temple. It was an awesome and overwhelming project, opposed by the enemies of Israel and discouraging since it had been languishing for forty years.

THE WORD OF THE LORD
The word may not seem like much to go on. We would rather trust in might and power, but the word of God is trustworthy. God always keeps his word and never breaks a promise. The prophet's statement implies that the Word of the Lord is not only instruction but also God's promise. It is an echo of the Genesis account, where God performed acts of creation by speaking the universe into existence.

MIGHT AND POWER
As Governor Zerubbabel would have understood, might and power were essential to ruling a city or nation. We seek our own might and power; we look for the strongest, smartest, and most advanced thing to solve our problems. God has a different way he wants us to allow his Spirit.

MY SPIRIT
God's Spirit is not something we cannot see or feel. We turn from what we can do to fix our problem to faith in God. His Spirit is not a force or positive influence, but God speaks here of his personal divine self. "My Spirit" is God saying he is the one, not us, so we must do away with our efforts and allow God to build.

SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY
We need to remember the source—this is the word spoken by the Lord Almighty, the all-powerful, all-controlling, all-loving, all-knowing creator and sustainer of the universe who holds every molecule together. He is not random but deliberate in his actions and has a loving plan.

The building's completion was a guarantee. Zerubbabel needed to believe God and trust in his word, for God said it would happen. For our problems, we need to remember that God gives us many promises in His Word, the Bible. We need to trust God, believe his Word, and allow his Spirit to work.

© Adron 11/20/12

How To Have a Perfect Church Service. Psalm 48:9

We go to church and we have expectations. We know we should have a good attitude, but we want to get something out of it too, including dynamic preaching and beautiful music. With all the conflicting needs and wants how can we ever have a perfect church service?

"Within your temple O God, we meditate on your unfailing love." Psalm 48:9 NIV. *

YOUR TEMPLE
We often forget whose temple the church is. It is not our temple or even the temple of a religion. When we come into our church service we need to remind ourselves we are by faith entering the holy place of the Lord. Not holy because of a man made building but holy in the presence of the Lord.  By faith we gather to give worship, the service of the fruit of our hearts.

WE MEDITATE
We don't go to be entertained, or even go to be preached at. We go into the worship service to direct our thoughts to the Most High.  We come to church services to remember Him who gave his life on the cross for our sins. We are reminded of how we were lost without the atoning blood of the sacrifice of Jesus. We are reminded of the wonderful God who provided salvation for us.

UNFAILING LOVE
As we who know God by faith in the blood of his son, Jesus, direct our thoughts this way we find that it does not take long before we focus on God's unfailing love.  Byhis love he saw our lost condition with our slavery to sin and hopeless future; a love that says, "For God so loved the world he gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.  We are brought face to face with a love that acted sacrificially on the behalf of rebels and sinners- a love that did not give up.

When our focus is on God and our thoughts are filled with him it does not matter if the music is off key or the preacher's socks don't match, what matters is what is happening in our hearts.  We go to offer worship in faith not in sight. If our thoughts, private meditations or prayers seem small and trivial we continue to offer them by faith knowing they are accepted by a loving God and our worship is perfected by the Holy Spirit.

To Learn more about how you can find salvation follow this link: Click Here.

*To read this verse in other translations follow this link: Psalms48:9.

(c)Adron Dozat

Will Christians Ever Get Along? Matthew 18:20

Christianity seems so divided; critics point out that if Jesus is the one way and he is the truth then his followers would get along, or if Christians were following the way of love that Jesus taught there would be only one church. The words of the Lord himself touch on this problem, as he concluded teaching on resolving problems in the community of faith* he said:

"For where two or three are gathered in my name there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

Matthew 18, where the quote is taken, is placed in the time before the birth of the New Testament church on Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit, but here we see a hint of what was to come. We see suggested the giving of God's Holy Spirit to all individuals who believe, and that Jesus would be present in the holy spirit in the lives of his church.

Will Christians Ever
Get Along? 

The Lord did not say we are gathered in the name of an organization or even of a church, but the important thing is being gathered in his name, clearly, it is not a religion that unites Christians but the person of Jesus.  We may have different understandings about Bible teachings but Jesus did not say where two or three are gathered incorrect doctrine or the right organization, he said gathered in my name.

Many ignore the thousands who set aside their differences and work together in outreach, missions, relief, camps, soup kitchens, reaching out among the poor, infirm, distressed, and needy. Those who believe know that whatever else is true the focus truth that overrules all others is that Jesus is their common Savior and Lord. Coming together in his name unites parties, race, status, nationalities and all other things.

There is a significance that the Lord endorses the coming together of two or three. We need each other. We were made by God to function in a community; we hurt ourselves and our community when we withdraw. We may have differences but it is not worth the cost of missing fellowship with Jesus by leaving fellowship with those he loved and died for. The unity of the Body of Christ depends on the twos and threes; not ecumenical counsels or declarations by church leaders but a practice of the individuals.

When we have a problem with a believer, restitution and restoration is the goal as Jesus taught in Matthew 18. As we go through the process of correcting or being corrected, we must remember the presence of Christ with us; just to think that our Savior is the present witness should put humility in all our dealings with our brothers.

* See Gospel of Matthew 18:20, a wonderful passage teaching about gently correcting someone who has sinned against you.

To read this verse in different translations follow this link: Matthew 18:20.

To learn more about how to know God personally follow this link: Click Here.

(c)Adron Dozat

Overcoming a Spirit of Fear, 2 Timothy 1:7

Is there a method to overcome fear? The Bible suggests there is but it is not a program it is a person.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7.

THE SPIRIT
God gives the believer His Holy Spirit for many reasons, listed here are just a few; courage, strength, and love. The Bible assumes that these qualities are the normal experience of all believers.

We cannot earn or deserve the gifts of the Spirit but we are given them freely.

LOVE
Love is a strange addition to the list when the question is timidity; power makes sense but not love. The Spirit of love sets us above fearing other men. Love forces us to overcome our fear. To love means that fear must be conquered, and love must motivate us to go ahead in spite of our fear.

SOUND MIND
The spirit of a sound mind gives us clear thought. We can imagine the worst case scenario and create a reason to be afraid when one does not exist. The spirit of a sound mind will deliver us from falling for our own self-deception and the lies of evil. A sound mind keeps our thoughts from running out of control.

FAITH
This Spirit of power is not just the opposite of timidity it is the unmaking of fear. The Spirit of power should free us and give us boldness, authority, control, command and even clout.

By faith we recognize and rest in the truth that those who have trusted Jesus to be their Savior have already been given the spirit of courage, love, and a sound mind. When we are tempted to give into timidity we need to claim the power of the Holy Spirit and act in faith with courage. Do not forget that, "The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us. He helps us to not be afraid of people. He helps us to be wise and strong, and to love other people." 2 Timothy 1:7 Paraphrased.

(c)Adron Dozat

How To Start A Personal Revival. Matthew 3:2

We often feel that our spiritual life is drying up and we are in a time of regression. We want revival but are unsure what to do or how to start.

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven, is near.” Matthew 3:1, 2. NIV.

CONTEXT
The beginning of Jesus' ministry to the lost world began with John the Baptist's simple but hard message: “Repent.” If we want to receive the ministry of God’s Spirit in our lives, we must lay the foundation of repentance.

SIN
No matter who we are, we have sins in our lives. We may be the smartest or most talented but there is some sin to deal with. Even in the empty uncultured place like the desert, the message of repentance was necessary. You are never too high or too low that you do not need to examine your life to see if you need to repent of something.

REPENTANCE
Repentance covers a lot of things and it is sad that today we have reduced it down to some trite truisms like repentance is going the other way. Yes, it is but that is only the beginning. Today, we say repentance is “Changing our mind,” but we think it is only like a decision between two candy bars and we change our mind between the two.

• It means we must see the wrong that we do that offends God and cease to do it.
• It is humble.
• It is a statement that God is right.

Pray For A Personal Revival

• It is to cherish sin no more.
• It is an openness to the correction of The Lord.
• It ends our previous way of thinking.
• It does not happen without God.

SEEK
If we do not repent, we are not prepared for the further work of God in our lives. The big problem
is we live in a time when good is bad and evil is good, so we no longer know what we need to repent of. We need God to tell us what we do that offends him. Ask God to show us our sins so we may take action and not do them anymore.

Pray and ask God to show you your sin, and ask him to give you the will and the power of the Holy Spirit to change.


To learn more about how to come to God, please see my other post. CLICK HERE.

(c) Adron 3/18/11

The Secret Jesus, Mark 7:24. NIV.

Jesus comes into our lives to live there, but when he comes in can we hide him in a closet?

“Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence a secret.” Mark 7:24, NIV.

Jesus was tired after ministering to the multitudes and needed rest. He came to a disciple’s house where he hoped to take a well deserved personal Sabbath. However, he couldn't hide from those looking for Him, and soon the house is a target of people with needs and problems.

If you trust Jesus as your Savior some things begin to happen, he will come in and be felt. He starts work in your life and is committed to it until the very end. You may not notice it but others will. You can’t keep Jesus hidden in a little part of your life and go on like business as usual. His being there is going to draw attention, you can’t be a secret disciple for long. People are hungry for what Jesus offers; love, peace, forgiveness, salvation acceptance with God and community, and if you have Jesus then people are going to see these things in you.

The job of His Spirit is to reveal Him to the world and the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus is in us to those around us. People are going to comment when they recognize that Jesus is living with you. Perhaps they are going to compliment you on a good deed or your changed thoughtful character. When the fruit of the spirit such as love, joy, peace etc, begins to grow they will see it and wonder.

Jesus paid a price to buy salvation for you, so is persecution too great a price for us to pay to have Jesus? Jesus brings peace to our hearts but also puts a sword in the hands of those who hate him. Following Jesus is risky, he was killed and the mindset of those who hate him is alive today and seeks to hurt Him still. To hide that Jesus has come into our lives is the same as denying Jesus, most devoted Christians consider denying the Lord worst than persecution.

One woman who came to the house where Jesus was staying was marvelously healed of a horrible illness. Could we have robbed others of healing and blessing by trying to hide our Jesus? Have our loved ones been struggling in the dark because we have kept the light of Jesus hidden?


Since he can’t or won’t be hidden let us boldly proclaim him.

(c) Adron 4/18/10

What Really Counts Anyway?

We Christians make our lives complicated; we have duties, rules, and sacraments. We need to read the Bible, pray, attend church, do the good works of our Lord. One could make a long list.

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Galatians 5:6b. NIV.

What counts before God is faith. He looks at our faith in Him and counts it as righteousness. Faith in God is essential to obtain salvation, faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus is God’s plan for saving us. Faith must have an expression. Faith is not just an idea that we keep in some closet of our philosophy it does us little good.

True faith in God causes us to love God and that love is going to spill over to people who God loves. A faith that does not express itself in love toward others is questionable and possibly not faith at all but only a creed. The love of the early Christians was the super magnet that drew the Roman Empire to Christ. However, the loveless modern Christian is thrusting many who seek to other Gods.

Active faith in God is going to change the believer’s heart. This spiritual change begins with love. Our faith should make us loving people if we do not love people we may not have true faith. If love is not growing in my heart I must consider that something is deeply wrong with my faith.

My Christian experience must bear the hallmark of Love. If my brand of Christianity is theologically correct, full of preaching, gifts, tradition, and organization but loveless it is a sad cold Christianity and does not look like its founder. Without love, our Christianity is only A culture and does not reflect Christ.

God wants us to have loving lives, but love can’t come about by a formula or a course- God's Spirit produces it. Let us daily pray that God's Holy Spirit fills us and brings the fruit of love. May we measure our actions, words, and deeds each day against the standard of love.

If you are loveless maybe your faith is not in the God of the Bible. Seek Him and pray for God to reveal Himself to you and do not give up until you find Him.

(c) Adron 3/11/10

How Your Heart Can Be A Guide, What The Bible Says, Exodus 25:2

People like to say, “Follow your heart,” or “Trust in your heart,” but the heart is fickle and generally a poor guide. So, can the heart be trustworthy guide?

“Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.” Exodus 25:2. NIV.

PROMPT
The word, “prompt,” can mean to cause somebody to act, or bring about something; it could mean to remind somebody of what they ought to do.

Many people of faith practice a daily worship and prayer time with Bible reading, prayer, and then "wait” in silence for the Lord to prompt them. The prompt may be A thought to encourage someone or an idea to do a service, sometimes it is awareness to forsake sin, and sometimes it is a sense of peace.

FALSE PROMPTING
There is a danger of false prompting because our hearts waver between the old worldly nature and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. People become fools and cause pain by following a longing of the heart that seemed to them like a spirit-led prompting.

PROMPTING IN CHECK
Moses spoke to a pre-Christian people who did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit; or God’s written revelation, the Bible, for guidance. So Moses gave specific instructions as to what to bring, gold, cloth, etc. We have God’s Word and we must weigh the “Prompt” against the Bible. The Spirit of God will never direct us to disobey the Word of God. When you receive a “prompting” ask yourself if there is a verse that supports this action; or one that opposes it? Then pray with thankfulness to the Lord for His leading and ask for His help to fulfill the command.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL
There are no formulas that promise a spiritual reward, instead, we must have a relationship with the Lord. The “seeking- waiting- and listening in stillness” for the prompting of the Lord is part of that relationship experience. May we develop the attitude of always listening for the prompting of the Lord in our hearts, not only in my daily personal morning worship but throughout your day.

(c) Adron 2/17/10