Selah for Today 10-31-2019 - Manifest

Manifest means: 1) clear or obvious to the eye or mind.  2) display or show by one's acts or appearance, demonstrate. 

Galatians 4:6-7(NIV)  Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[b] Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

We are to manifest (demonstrate) who we are the sons and daughters of God. We do this by manifesting God's love, forgiveness, and power to everyone.  

Selah for Today 09-02-2019 Responsibility

Responsibility: mature “response-to-my-ability” – The ability to act independently without supervision – A moral obligation to act appropriately in respect towards others as well as tasks

“Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will—his personal responsibility.” (1) –Albert Schweitzer
“Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.” –Genesis 17:9 (NLT)

Selah for Today 08-30-2019-Justice

Dr. Gary Allen, “The sad reality is that man’s nature desires justice for himself, yet he denies it to others.” 

 Micah 6:8 (NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 
 Matthew 22:5-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Selah for Today 08-28-2019 Be An Artist

“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman, but a man who works with his hand and his brain and his heart is an artist.” Louis Nizer The Lord Calls Us to be Artist.

Deuteronomy 10:12 (NKJV) “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,"

Selah for Today 08-26-2019-Forgive

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” (1) –Lewis B. Smedes
When you forgive, the very chemical structure of the brain changes from the negative to the positive affecting the entire thinking/memory building process (2) –Dr. Caroline Leaf

Matthew 6:14 (NKJV) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Selah for Today 08-24-2019-Leadership

True Leadership helps others to climb up the mountain.

^{Judges 5:1-3 (NKJV) Then and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:}

^{When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord!}

^{Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princess! I, even I, will sing to the Lord, I will sing praise to the Lord God of Isreal.} 

 

^l.

Selah for Today 08-14-2019-Listening

To Have God move in Your Life every Day, Spend time with God, Listening every Day. 

Matthew 6:6, 14:13, Mark 1:35, and Luke 5:16

Selah for Today 08-12-2019-Life

Your life speaks louder than anything you can say. 

The question is, "What is your life saying?" 

Hebrews 10:23-35 (NIV)Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Who Are You Part 2

In Part 1, we discussed being the servant and the attitude of a servant that keeps us from becoming who we truly are in Christ. The key to remember is that God’s grace still keeps us and God sees us as we ready are, no matter how we think and see ourselves. Abram saw himself as a servant, God called him a friend.

  This part of the teaching we shall look at ourselves as kings and priests. The scriptures for this are:

1 Peter 2:9-10 (AMP) 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…

    Exodus 19:5-8 (AMP) ⁵Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine.⁶And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation [consecrated, set apart to the worship of God]…

  These two scriptures, among many, make reference to being kings and priests. This goes back to the very beginning when God told Adam; he had dominion over all the earth. This is kingship.

A king has authority and power to establish laws and to enforce those laws. Adam only had one greater authority above him and that was God, The King of Kings.

   The kings of Israel were supposed to represent the King of Kings, the Lord God to his people. They were to be examples the goodness, the mercy, and protection of God for his people. The king was also to lead the people to God. The king was to seek the counsel of God on how to lead the people. Sadly nearly every king of Israel failed in these responsibilities.

    The priests were not only to make sacrifices to God and worship Him; they were to teach the people about God. They were to teach people that, their sin kept them from God but that God had made a way through the atonement sacrifices for their sins they could have a relationship with God. The priests were also to teach all the people of the earth God’s message of love and mercy through the atonement. God never intended that Israel were the only ones to have a relationship with Him.

  Priests and kings have a relationship with God. They are invited to do more than just make petitions in the Throne of God. They are invited into the banquet hall; share the table of God’s blessings, to eat and drink with Him. They can hear God plans and discuss those plans and with God’s help implement those plans. They are also given their own authority and power under the King of Kings to do the work they have been assigned. 

  We believers in Christ Jesus are the kings and priest of God today. We have been given authority, Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18 and the power came in Acts 2:1-4.

  As great as all this is we, as with the servant, are more than a king or a priest. In fact, we are much more as we will see in Part 3.

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

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WHO ARE YOU? Part 1

(This is older teaching republished at this time. It is as important today as then. I pray this 4 Part Series Blesses You)
 
  The question, “Who are you?” plagues many a person, including many Christian. Who you are is at the very core of your existence. Most people go through life thinking what they do is who they are. They themselves as a mailman, doctor, mother, father, minister and the list goes on. Those who think of themselves as only what they do have a crisis every time what they do changes. The man or women who spend a lifetime building their career and identity is wrapped up in that career have a major problem when they have to retire or are no longer have that career path available to them. So where do we go to find out who we are? Where do we go to “find ourselves”?

  The best place to find out who we are is God and the Bible. Who does God said you are? Let’s look and find out.

The first thing we see is the servant according to Webster’s is one that serves others <a public servant>; especially: one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer. Abram uses the first reference of the servant in his relationship to God. This now Abram saw himself in relationship to God. In Genesis 18:3 (AMP) And said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you.

   A servant is one who goes and does what the master tells him to do. A servant does things whether they want to or not. They do what they are told. Their relationship with the master is to do or be punished. There may develop a love for their master (if he is a good person), but the relationship is overshadowed by having to please the master or be punished. If the servant wants something from the master, he must beg for it and may have to extras for the master, who may or may not grant their request.

This is true of many Christians, we see ourselves only as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We go and do as the Holy Spirit tells us. Many believers never get beyond the servant level of relationship with God. We limit ourselves to the servant, as did Abram. We try to please God into granting us His blessings. The servant attitude prevails I have to pray more, fast more, read more, memorize more and do more to get God’s favor so He will bless us with finances, health, healing, deliverance and anything else we might ask.

   This leads us down the road of legalism, of having to do to get. Unfortunately, this attitude and relationship with God have been taught, by many church leaders as “The Relationship with God” and in order to serve God, we must serve them without question, as a good servant.
 
  I am not saying that a servant of the Lord does not love God because he or she does. But, the mentality of the servant position colors everything about our relationship with God. Notice that I said, “Servant position” for it is not who we are in Christ. It is what we do out of our love for God. God stated later in Genesis 18 that He saw Abram as more than a servant, and He sees us as much more than a servant, but more about that later.

                          ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

Please support this ministry, by purchasing my book,

“Adventures in the Spirit A Series of Prophetic Visions”

From Amazon.com.

The Adam Relationship

As we know, God is restoring all things. When we say this we are thinking of the restoration of the 5-fold ministry and gifts of the Spirit. Then, all members of the Body of Christ doing the work of the ministry.

 But, the Lord is restoring beyond those things. His will and purpose is to restore our relationship with Him. This relationship goes beyond the relationship that King David had, beyond what Joshua and Moses had, beyond what Enoch enjoyed. As wonderful as these relationships were, God wants to bring us back to the relationship that Adam had in the Garden of Eden.

  This a place of not only knowing the Will of God for our lives, not only knowing His Voice and seeing what He is doing and moving with Him but knowing Him intimately.  It is a place of knowing His footsteps and not only hearing His heartbeat but that we will know what it is to be in the center of His Heart.

This is the Call of Father God for each of us. This is the purpose of sending His Son Jesus Christ and the giving us the Fullness of the Holy Spirit overflowing our lives.

  Sadly, many of us never even move beyond the basics of being saved and being filled with the Holy Spirit but there is a desire for more but many never get to the more of God. This creates a sense of frustration in our spirits and eventually leads many to settle for what that have. There are others who attempt to do it in their own strength. This often leads to a legalistic life of reading so much of Word of God, and praying many hours a day. These things are good as tools and need to happen but the Word without the Spirit and prayer without the Spirit lead only to an intellectual knowledge about the relationship with God.

 

So, how do we reach the relationship that God has purposed us and created us to be in with Him. This requires a shift in the way we do things for God. It requires a shift in our attitude about our relationship with God, our Father. We must realize that relationship is more than what we do for Him.  

   Relationship comes from spending time with one another not just in the doing of things.  The time factor is key. Sadly, many do what has been mentioned above, read the Bible, some study the Bible (there is a difference) and they pray. This is where most of us stumble, we make prayer a one-way litany of our needs with a little praise and thanksgiving to top it off. Then, we are out the door, expecting an answer, but never taking time to listen or spend time with the one we are praying to.

   Listening is the beginning of relationship. Psalm 46:10 the NRSV, NIV, ESV, KJV all translate this way, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The NASB says,” Cease striving and know that I am God” and the AMP version, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.” In all of these translations, God is saying to us to “stop” realize Who I Am.

How do we be still and start listening? I started, 8 years ago, by stopping for 5 minutes at the start of each day, now this means turning off all distractions in our lives, TV, computers, tablets and yes cell phones, and I inviting God come. I would say this: “Father I want to be with you, come and be with me.” Then, I would wait, thinking on God, with expectation that He would come. This takes some training to keep your mind from wandering off to other things but you can do it as I did.

 Since then my time with the Father has grown and grown, it how goes well beyond the 5 minutes, it is developing into more and more intimate relationship with God.

  It has become a knowing that God is with me every day, all day and this fact makes my life exciting and an Adventure in the Spirit, daily.

   Salvation opens the way. Being filled with Holy Spirit gives us the power. Studying the Word of God gives us knowledge and prayer starts the communication. Taking time to invite God to come and be with us, waiting and listening for Him are the first steps in the restoration of the Adam Relationship in our lives.

 There is much more to come. You can begin to experience this relationship with God. God wants you to have it, all you have to do is willing to spend time with Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2016 RICHARD L SPANGLER

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Run Your Race with Compassion

By Richard L Spangler

Recently, I completed the challenge of walking the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I had never done anything like this before. It took two years of training and discipline, and a lot of support from family and friends, as well as mountain of prayer. So at sixty years old, this man who had a quadruple heart by-pass surgery seven years ago started the race.

   What started as a personal goal two years ago, graduated to a 13.1-mile prayer walk for the seven cities of Hampton Roads, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our nation. If that was enough, I found myself saying thank you to the police officers, firemen and women and the rescue personnel along the race route. Many of these men and women had a surprised look on their faces and smiled and thanked me in return.  Soon others, who were moving at the same pace I was also began to do the same thing. This was showing thankfulness and compassion to our first responders.

 Somewhere, close to the half way point most everyone including myself became very focused on the race. Going down this wooded road with ditches on both sides a fellow race participant caught my attention. She had moved off the road and was holding on to the speed limit sign. I passed her but felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to go back. I asked, “Are you okay?” she said, “Yes” I started to walk away and hear the Holy Spirit say, “She’s NOT okay.” I went back and asked again. This time she said, “I am having problems keeping my balance and walking straight. Can I use your arm to get me to the center of the road and to steady me?” I said, “Yes. There is a water station just down the road, I will you get there.”

 We got to the water station and she thanked me. Out of my mouth came “I Will walk with you some more to make sure your okay.” As we walked she began holding my arm again.  I asked, a couple of times if she wanted medical help? She said, “No, she wanted to complete the race.” After a short distance she said, I think I need the paramedics. “As we came out of the wooded area there sat a rescue unit. I yelled for their help and they came over to assist the lady.

 I finished the race about 20 minutes later than I would have but I still finished. As I thought about the day’s events, I realized that many running their race were so focused on their finish they missed an opportunity to show compassion to someone else. 

 We as believers are running our race for the prize of the crown of glory (1 Corinthians 9:24 and Hebrews 12:1) but we are also to run the race with compassion.  Jesus was moved with compassion, Matthew 9:35-37. Matthew 14:13-21 the feeding of the 5000 started with compassion. And again in Matthew 15:29-38 4000 fed. Luke 7:11-15 The raising of the Widow’s son and Matthew 20:30-34 the blinds eyes opened, were done as Jesus was moved with compassion. Webster’s Dictionary defines compassion:  sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

  We as believers, we will finish our race but we need to be moved with compassion as Christ was. I believe our planned works for the Lord will earn us rewards. But, it is our unplanned acts of compassion, prompted by the Holy Spirit that we hear “Will done my good and faithful servant…”  

  Run your race and run it well, by keeping your eyes and ears open for acts of compassion along your course, so that you will not only finish the race but will hear “Well Done...”

©COPYRIGHT 2015 RICHARD L. SPANGLER

Here We Stand

By Richard L Spangler

  We are standing at a crossroads as a church, a nation and the world.  We all have been hearing this from various sources both spiritual and secular. The nation is divided in a 50/50 spilt politically; we have economic problems here and in the world. We are in moral decay, we are told what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. We are under spiritual attack from those who want to remove God from our nation. There are others who would force us to submit to their beliefs and reject Jesus Christ. Yet, we are told to be politically correct in our thoughts and speech. Some have been moved to action by the Holy Spirit, CBN’s 50 Days of Prayer and America for Jesus are the most recent calls for prayer for our nation. But, the Holy Spirit kept urging me that there was more to do than gather in one place or in our homes and churches and pray. We can take action as individual believers. We can change the course of our communities, our nation and the world by answering the call of God.

   Abram was commanded as part of the covenant with God to look and see the land the Lord had given him and he was also told to walk the land. This served a two-fold purpose: first was Abram could see more and more as he walked and secondly as he walked the land God said wherever he walked was his land. Genesis 13:17(AMP) Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you.

  Then in Ephesians we read that we are to put on the Whole Armor of God and to stand, holding your ground. Ephesians 6:14 (AMP) Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,(Boldness added for emphasis)

   So there are two things that need to happen first to see the land and walk it, then the other is to hold your ground. Sadly, the church has not been doing either of these things. We hunker down behind the four walls of our church buildings and homes and prayer closets and pray for our land. We pray with an expectation that God will do all the work and take back our nation for us. This is a lie of the enemy, he wants us just to sit back and pray. The devil knows that God has chosen His people to take dominion over our communities, states and nations. So long as there no action with our prayers then devil doesn’t have to worry.

  This then is a call to action by the Holy Spirit, to get out of the four walls of churches and homes, to come out of our closets and take action. First get a friend, (Jesus sent the disciples out two by two), and go to a street corner in your city (ask the Holy Spirit which street corner He will tell you). Second, look around you and see the land the Lord has given you. Third, begin to thank and praise God for the land he has given you. Fourth, pray for the land and the people in it. Praying that the people will come to know Christ and His love (no prayers of condemnation or judgment) and for God to heal the land. Fifth, rebuke the devil.

   If, someone comes up ask what you are doing, tell them you are praying for your community and the nation and invite them to joint you. If they say, “yes” let them joint if they say, “no” ask them if you can pray for them. If you find yourselves with two or more jointing you , then you or your partner take one of them and move to another corner nearby and begin to pray. In this way, you have walked your land and have stood your ground and God will give you the land.

  A closing note, please stay on public property and do not block a sidewalk. This is not a time for a show or a display of religious exercises, do it in humble matter, but with the power and authority of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

                          ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

 

 

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Forgive, How Much?

By Richard L. Spangler

  People ask, “How many times must I forgive this person?” Or, “I can’t forgive what they did to me.”  And, “I want God to judge this person.” These same people have financial and other troubles, wondering why God is not blessing them. Some also have relationship issues with their family and others.

  I have personally dealt with people that were hard to forgive. Once I was given the responsibility of running a shop and yard crew for the water department. I worked with men, most of whom were much older than myself. There was this guy I will call Frank, who would ride my case from the time I walked in the gate until I left. Frank would curse constantly, put open men’s magazines on my desk, and relocate my Bible and my lunch. There were times I felt like getting revenge on him, but I didn’t. I continued to pray for him, asking God to save him, and to help me forgive him. This situation continued for months. 

  Then one day, Frank came into my office. I feared the worse, but to my surprise, he broke down. Frank’s life was a mess and he needed someone to talk to. He asked me to forgive him. I told him I already had and was willing to listen and help. After that, a good working relationship developed. Frank would still slip up with the language, but would quickly ask my forgiveness. This was my first lesson in forgiving someone who continually sinned against me, so I understand how difficult forgiving can be.  The question arises, how much to forgive someone? We can thank the Apostle Peter for the answer.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV).

If we analyze these figures, it is amazing. Jesus says to forgive 70 times 7, which is 490 times a day! Then when you divide 490 by 24 hours in a day it means 20.4 times an hour. Then you divide 60 minutes in hour by 20.4 and you get 2.9 minutes. So we are to forgive someone who sins against us every 2.9 minutes!

This is a lifestyle of forgiveness. It does not matter what someone does to you or how many times they may sin against you, you are to forgive. It is almost impossible for someone to reach this volume of sinning against another. If you’re counting, are you really forgiving?

  But, what about if they are breaking the law, you may ask? If they break a law of man they still have to pay the consequences and if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then they are under the judgment of God’s law, so we must leave the judging to Him.

  Forgiveness is for you, not them. Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God and leads to bitterness. Both unforgiveness and bitterness not only take their toll on you spiritually but also physically, opening the door to sickness and death. They also poison every relationship you have.

Unforgiveness also affects the blessings you receive from God.

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful^. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:32-38 NKJV).

  What caught my attention is that most of this scripture deals with our relationship with others, then comes this one statement by Jesus on giving at the end. We are to love our enemies. We are to forgive unconditionally. We are to show mercy as God has shown mercy to us. Don’t condemn or judge and finally, forgive. Forgiveness jumps out as the key to the other blessings.

So forgive, for your own sake. Then, you will have an open, unhindered relationship with God and others. When you pray for the blessings of God, they will flow to you in a far greater way than you can imagine. 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

 

 

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The King Of Praise

 By Richard L Spangler

 

 

  There have been many times in the ministry that I have led Praise and Worship during a service. During some of these times there was a mighty move of the Holy Spirit, with everyone getting caught up in worship and feeling like we were in heaven. I was in a Sunday night service recently where the Spirit of God was moving so strongly that three songs were given by the Holy Spirit. When the worship team began singing a new song, the whole congregation began to sing it as they had been singing it for years. It was an amazing time in the presence of God. Yet, there have been other times, when it was trying to breakthrough a steel reinforced concrete wall or like trying to pull teeth and not getting anywhere. I recently experienced this with the same worship team on a Sunday morning. The team was singing their hearts out, the pastor was encouraging us to enter in and there was nothing. We all, leaders and congregations, have experienced this in our services and it can be very frustrating. But Why?

  Does God on a given day decide that He wants to come and spend time with us and the time we gather He decides not today? I don’t think so, Adam was created to spend time with Father God. This was first the thing, before being given dominion over the earth, or anything else, this was first. God desired to have someone He could reveal Himself too. To enjoy the company and the love of someone that He created in His image. Even after man sinned God made a way for man to come into His presence by the work of His Jesus on the cross. Jesus paid the price for our sins and opened the way for our relationship with God.

  Then, if it is not God, it must be us. We allow the cares of this life crowd in on us. Maybe, we’re thinking about what’s for lunch or about our finances or even the fight we had with our spouse on the way to church. We could be thinking about how we are unworthy to worship God because of the sin in our lives. What are we to do when these and other fill our minds when we are trying to worship God?

   Start before you get you get to the church. Go to God and ask forgiveness. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NIV). Also go and ask for forgiveness of those who you have offended, if possible. Then forgive those who have offended you, if possible. If not take it to God and tell Him that you repent of the offence that you did or tell God the you are forgiving those who offended you. Then forgive yourself.

   This clears the way for us enter the presence of God and shuts the voice of the accuser (Matthew 5:22-24 and Mark 11:25). Next is to decide to think on God instead of the day to day issues of life (issues at work, finances, the football game after church or where to go to lunch, etc.). In other words get rid of the junk. Begin to think about how much God loves you and how much you love God before you get to church.

  The last and most important, is to have a daily relationship with the Lord not just a Sunday morning time of worship and praise. Keeping the attitude of forgiveness all the time and think on the Father daily. A personal, daily time of worship and praise is key. Invite the Father to be with you every day. Then, when it is time for corporate worship, you are already prepared to worship. You can enter His gates with singing and His courts with praise. You can enter boldly the Throne Room of God. Then you can worship  the King of Praise.

  You may ask, “Who is the King of Praise?” The answer is found in the Book of Revelation. It states, “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Rev. 5:5 (NIV). We all know this to be Jesus. We also know the lion is a symbol for the King and Judah means praise. So Jesus is our King of Praise. We should worship and praise Jesus as The King of Praise.

 

 

©COPYRIGHT 2013 RICHARD L. SPANGLER

 

 

 

 

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