Hebrews 13:3 KJV

(3)  Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

So what good does it do to put yourself in their shoes? How does it help to envision yourself in the position of someone going through great difficulty and opposition? Would it not just make you a bit depressed and overwhelmed yourself?

Whether or not they deserve to be in the situation they’re in, there is an incredible possibility and opportunity in Christ for them to experience freedom, deliverance and breakthrough in their life. They may have committed some heinous act for which they’ve received an extensive sentence. Their opposition may be the result of their own errant choices of action. The greater their failure and guilt, though, the more difficult it will be to get past the invisible wall of their own negative thoughts and feelings for self. As long as they cannot see themselves anywhere else but in their own shoes, they will remain right there, walking around in them. Even if they were to be shown mercy and reprieve for a period of time, there will be an eventual return to that set of shoes they feel they deserve.

This is where remembering them as if you were there in their shoes can make a significant and essential difference. When you are convinced of your own position in Christ and the power and freedom that is yours in him, to take a position in the bound one’s shoes brings a change-enabling perspective to a hopeless situation. Positioning yourself right there with them should awaken an otherwise dormant compassion to affect change with the application of your own resources of righteousness and right standing. To imagine yourself experiencing their discomfort and depression will bring the required motivation for effectual prayer that can see the way to deliverance and victory. It may be true that for some there would be an unproductive weight taken on in empathizing with their plight, but for the one who is fully ensconced in their own position in Christ, this will be seen as an incredible opportunity to apply resurrection power to a place where death has taken a foothold.

I’m so glad that this very thing took place for us when the very Son of God chose to walk in our shoes and experience our pain and adversity, not so that He could just be brought down by it, but so that He could affect a change and a way out to the light of freedom and deliverance. He identified with all we were so that His righteousness and His perfection could transform our prison garb into garments of righteousness. Given His life and His identity, we’ve also been given His compassion- the ability to bring this overcoming perspective into the most challenging circumstance with a faith filled prayer for the answer in Him. We’ve been enabled. Now may we identify and enable in turn.

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Ephesians 1:15,16 MKJV Therefore I also, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

You might think this mention of prayer for the ones who are already demonstrating faithfulness and love would be a bit contradictory. Communication with those that are obviously so noble and distinguished in their spirituality should really be acknowledgment of their notable virtues followed by a request that they impart and minister some of their wonderful insight and nobility. If they were really that accomplished in their walk, surely the honorable thing, and most complementary one would be an expressed desire that they share a bit about their attained ascension.

Rather, though, there is mention that thanks is given, almost as their fame was something that was expected, something possibly due to prayers already prayed. Then, there is an indication that this is also just motivation for further prayers, that any spiritual acquisition was motivation for further intercession on their part. There was no time for resting on their laurels. Though they had come to understand and walk in a portion of Christ knowledge, there could only be an attitude of pressing on towards the infinite revelation yet to be seen through Spirit opened eyes.

It could have set them back on their heals a bit, but I believe there was a motivation in this prayer that inspired them forward to the great adventure that still waited before them. If they were really so accomplished in faith and love, then humility would also be residing there in their character as a facilitator of further received blessings in prayer.

There is for each of us this day a reason to give thanks for the place we’ve been brought to in our walk with Christ. With this thanks will also be, though, a prayer that the One who has brought us this far will also take us to so very much more.

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Psalms 138:2 KJV
(2) I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Where there is worship, the Word will be magnified and given priority. Likewise, the Word exalted or magnified without worship and a face turned towards His is but mere religion. Interesting- that this verse, often referenced for the importance of his Word, begins with worship as the purpose, while His name and Word are the inspiration and motivation for it.

To become aware of God’s greatness and just how greatly He has made Himself accessible to us is to enter into a behavior-adjusting state of worship. In worship is where two aspects of God are acknowledged and honored. In His name there is recognition of all He has done and His fame has infinite verification in nature and in the demonstration of His power through creation, healings and miracles that have defined Him unquestionably as the Lord of lords, King of kings, and Master of all. In His name all the evidence of His superiority rises up to defy any resistance to the force of His will and the purpose He will accomplish.

There is something even more incredible, though, than the fame of His name-His Word. What He has declared is not just something that has happened, but His Word is an eternal impact, acting now and always to fulfill in whatever way necessary the fullness of all He has proclaimed. Everything that will ever be included in His name will have been preceded by His Word.

How precious it is to have both His name and His word to validate, empower, and propel us in our relationship. But it is most essential that as either is magnified, studied and honored, that it be a part of worship that is taking place in the presence of the very One who has spoken it. It will only be the ones that are of a lowly, contrite and humble spirit that will truly receive that full intent of His expressions, and to become elevated in one’s acquired knowledge of His Word apart from directly applying each revelation through a faith act of worship will only lead to pride and dissension. His Word will be magnified this day, but may it mostly inspire awe, reverence and worship of the Holy One whose name is great and greatly to be praised.

Jeremiah 15:16 KJV
(16) Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

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Isaiah 57:10 You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.

She had become so wearied by what seemed to be failure in every aspect of her life. Just to get up and face another day seemed to be a stretch beyond her ability. While she had dreamed of a peaceful home, fully furnished with at least everything for comfortable living, there was, instead, a continual conflict of some kind, and she would never even consider inviting someone to visit for lack of a decent place to seat them. Somehow, though, in the middle of what seemed to be a never ending struggle without hope of relief or rest, there was something in her that would never give up and just run away. She could never let herself declare the hopelessness of her predicament, because through every challenge and in every setback, there was a continual ray of hope that never failed to shine even in the darkest of days. Though she would have never thought it possible, someone of great distinction and importance had actually chosen her as a friend and her home as a place to hang out.

57:15For this is what the high and lofty One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Her car had managed to break down right in the part of town she had always considered to be a fantasyland. Massive estates, with huge gardens, expensive cars, pools, and homes that rose high and just seemed to go on and on, lined the streets. In the yards children were playing happily and peacefully with their parents, and she remembered wondering if maybe she had somehow died and gone to heaven. What kind of people actually lived in a place like this, and would they even give someone like her the time of day? She couldn’t bring herself to even approach one of them, but instead set off walking for help somewhere beyond the mote. She had barely left her car, though, when she heard the voice. She turned around slowly, hardly believing it could be her to whom they were talking. While she felt like she was in another world, there was something about the man calling to her that immediately made her feel a sense of belonging, that, incredibly, she was at home. Instead of the rejection and disdain she had feared, there was a sincere expression of welcome, that she was important enough to leave whatever important business occupying him at the moment and insure her needs were met. Though she had never really had a father, after sharing her predicament with him and hearing his commitment to help her, she felt she had found the one who was everything she’d dreamed of in a father and more.

She had expressed to him her impression of his home and how wonderful it must be to actually live there, to which he responded that she also had within her the capacity and ability to rise from her circumstances and occupy the best. To do so, though, her thinking and approach to life would require adjustments. He committed to her not to just give her a bunch of stuff that would make her appear to have risen, but he let her know that he would come to her home every day, when the family was together for mealtime and become an influence of comfort, peace, inspiration and motivation towards all that was within her potential. His presence in her home would transform conversations from those of defeat and strife to those of possibility and hope. He didn’t care about the furnishings in the least but insisted on showing up with a smile and helping hand to not be put off in the least by the state of her household, but to impart everything he could to help her rise in her belief in herself. For him to do this, to leave this incredible mansion and come spend time with her and her family in her own home was beyond comprehension. And yet, he had kept his promise, showing up every day at mealtime and even hanging out throughout the day to just smile, encourage and let the spirit that enabled his greatness touch her with its transforming power. With him around, how could she ever give in and declare anything to be ‘hopeless’?

We have someone who has left an incredibly awesome high and holy place in which He lives to come and be with us in whatever condition we may find ourselves. He is committed to mealtimes, and as much of the day as we’ll give Him access, to come and be with us in our home, to transform conversations, bring His greatness to our way of thinking and lift us up to also be a person that lives in the realm of possibility where nothing is impossible through the power He imparts. More significant and long-lasting than just dumping provisions on us, He wants to give us a much more valuable treasure in the overcoming nature only His presence can provide.

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Isaiah 50:4The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

50:5The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.

It’s all about the ability to receive instruction and process that information to accomplish something of significance.

I remember this man that came to our school way back in the ‘70s to talk about technology and the exciting new developments that we could be a part of if we would so choose. He talked about this micro chip that could process information at very fast pace, performing instructions that would enable incredible new applications for our lives. It was so hard to comprehend something so small being so powerful in its ability to process information. To look back on it, though, it was interesting that he seemed to think that this processor was as powerful as it could get, not really projecting progress that would be made in the processor itself. Today, as everyone knows, the personal computer has completely transformed the world, performing the most extensive and involved tasks at unbelievable speeds. As far as things have come since my first exposure to the computer’s power, it’s almost scary to think about where we’re going in the next 30-40 years in our ability to have these machines accomplish anything we can imagine. Yet, as powerful as they may become, they will always perform as instructed, according to the intent of the using them. Without power and instructions they are useless.

We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Not only can we process information at blinding speeds, we can be inspired, entertained, and driven to accomplish and fulfill our dreams. While an advanced processor has been an integral part of our design, we, like the personal computer, are only as effective as our ability to take instruction and perform it. When the computer is turned on, it may have all its needed components, with the highest rated processor and every necessary piece of hardware and software, but until it is given instruction it can do absolutely nothing. Even automated tasks are responses to directives given from the person who possesses it. Instruction is the necessary information that makes way for action and productivity, and the main inhibitor to a completed purpose is when there is no instruction being received.

There is instruction coming our way today to be productive in the kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead, comfort the broken hearted, and our tongues will be able to speak words that sustain the weary. Information alone won’t be sufficient, though. Like the computer, loaded with the coolest software and plenty of storage space, all the information on its hard drive is still waiting for interaction from a human, someone with a purpose in mind. It’s about a relationship with the Creative One. As long as He is given access, He will, from the moment we awake, provide us with the necessary instructions that will make each moment a God response, where He taps into the wonder of who He’s designed us to be, causing us to demonstrate His righteousness and His heart of love to a world that needs His touch. May there be no drawing back as ears are opened to the sound of His voice instructing, guiding and enabling a day of fulfilled purpose.

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Isaiah 46:6-7 CEV
(6)  Some people hire a goldsmith and give silver and gold to be formed into an idol for them to worship.
(7)  They carry the idol on their shoulders, then put it on a stand, but it cannot move. They call out to the idol when they are in trouble, but it doesn’t answer, and it cannot help.

Highly motivated by the illusion of gratification and fulfilled desires, it is easy to devote extensive resources to acquire, develop and enhance that object of worship in life. Whether it’s a job, skill, relationship, home, position, television, tool, or toy, in order to gain that thing, to have it in all its promise of fulfillment, it will require great effort. For that thing to do its thing and bring whatever it is it brings, it will have to be purchased, positioned and transported to the place where it can be placed in prominence and given the devotion it demands. It can go nowhere on its own, but will have to be carried about, totally and completely dependent upon the efforts of its worshiper for its existence. Then, at the time when it’s supposed to be there in all of its glory, it fails, blows a fuse, doesn’t show up or answer calls, leaving its devotee with nothing of substance. You would think that after all the time spent looking at it, all the money provided to acquire it, and every effort extended to lift and carry it, it could at least be there for you in the time of difficulty? It could at least respond when a cry goes out to it to gratify once more?

While the gods of this world require us for their movement and existence, there is one God that is exploding with promise of life and all its potential goodness, which doesn’t require any rides, who has, in fact, already been giving us a lift from the day we were born. Though he’s incredibly faithful to do what He alone can do, all He requires of us is that we show up at the bus stop and get on board for the destination of a lifetime. To worship Him and hold Him up in a place of prominence is to never be disillusioned by subsequent failure on His part to answer a call for help. It is His passion, desire, and ability to carry us all the way to the end of a fulfilled and gratified life in Him. How is it that any other god could take His place in the heart, or His place in time devoted to worshiping Him? Stepping off the bus at a worldly god stop only disables Him from transporting us to the place of gratified promise in Him.

Given the opportunity to be carried about by the Creator of all things, why waste time and effort on the things that will just perish and burn up with the passing of time and the onset of age. Unless those other passions include Him, they will only serve to divert from focus on the only One who will answer the call in the time of trouble. He’s at the stop right now- good time to say goodbye to those demanding loser gods and get on.

Isaiah 46:3-4 CEV
(3)  You survivors in Israel, listen to me, the LORD. Since the day you were born, I have carried you along.
(4)  I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe.

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Isaiah 49:15 NIV “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Really from the moment of conception, but especially from the time the tiny little human being begins kicking and moving around, there is this magic that begins to take place between a mother and her child. Whether or not this completely dependent life makes it through the full nine months to successful delivery, the mother’s dna is directly linked to that of this child inside. The child’s existence and identity are clearly written in the mother’s dna fingerprint in such a way that they can never be removed. While others may easily forget the name and nature of the child she bears, it will hardly be that she could ever forget someone so dependent and so directly related and identified with her. If she were ever to attempt denial, irrefutable evidence will forever be readily available to clearly state otherwise. No matter how many children may be planted in her womb, there will be this connection with each, as her very nature and being is directly imparted equally and uniquely to every one of them. And, with this connection is a caring compassion that will ever be a part of the mother’s heart to provide, protect, nourish, and love this precious part of her own body, her very existence.

As there is this physical and emotional bond that clearly exists between a mother and her child, so, in a far greater way there is this connection to the One who knew us even before we were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:5) As His offspring, as the result of what He has conceived of and brought into existence, we are much more than just independent creatures, somehow attempting to make it through life on our own. We have this direct connection to God that touches every part of our being with the dna of heaven, the very life of Christ that can never be removed or taken away. Though we may not choose to abide in His house at various times in our existence, wherever we go we take with us the imprint of His life and His nature in the very core of our being. There is also a part of us that is forever a part of Him and His glory. We have been ‘engraved on the palms of His hands’ and in His greatness He takes with Him every one of His offspring to display wherever His hand is lifted and wherever His greatness is expressed. If a mother is forever touched with an unforgettable compassion for her child, so God is touched in a far greater way with a desire to provide and care for us as His very own. And, if ever the mother’s memory could fade and her compassion wane, the connection to us from the heart of our heavenly Father would remain unchanged in its intimate motivation. He cannot and will not ever be separated from each of those that occupy His heart of love.

We will forever have our Father’s fingerprints not just on us, but in us and a part of us. Likewise, He will forever have us on His hands as a part of who He is. At which time there is a question of our identity and worth, at the point when we seem to be forgotten and insignificant, and at the time in which everything we’re attempting and setting our hand to is unnoticed, in our relationship with our Father, we can be assured that He not only will never forget, but He will ever be driven by an incredible passion to insure that His child is completely cared for. This, coming from the Creator of the universe, is something in which to take a great deal of comfort.

Isaiah 49:1-2 KJV
(1) Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
(2) And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

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Act 16:30 … Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Seven steps to this and a three step program to that. Wealth and fame, success and fulfillment lie just beyond the completion of that special list of deeds– or so it would seem. If only you can find the right combination of ways to stand on one foot while holding your tongue just the right way, then everything will turn and favor will be brought upon you. But, heaven forbid you happen to get something out of order or somehow fail to complete everything according to what the ‘experts’ would tell you.
Even though some of the actions proposed by these theories might bring a level of success, there is another way, a way to wholeness in every area of life that only has one step, one thing to do. It might appear to be an oversimplification of something that really should be much more complicated and involved, but there is something most precious to be found here in this passage from Acts. To a world where everything is based upon what we ‘do’, God comes with a little bit different approach. He says that when it comes to salvation that touches every part of life, all that’s required is that we believe.
Does this get everyone off the hook from anything else that we should or shouldn’t do? No, When the requirement of belief is truly taking place in a heart, there will be all kinds of behavior adjustments that will definitely follow. To really believe in God is to be convinced of His love, of His incredible power and might, that He is ever present and ever near, and that there is both reward and judgment that come from every single choice to ‘do’ this or that. The one step journey to salvation in Him will include every step that follows, as belief in Him will continually lead toward doing what is right and the resulting fruit of righteousness.
Today may each of us experience the answer to the question of what we must do. May worship of Him be the choice in all that is done.

Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

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2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 KJV
(11) Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
(12) That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most of us have had that dental chair experience, where communication from the jaw is shut off for the sake of repairs and adjustments. The lip and tongue lose feeling and seem to be incredibly larger than normal. All control is lost as muscle and reflex actions are no longer influenced. There is great danger during this time of biting through the lip or tongue without ever being aware of it until the drug has worn off. The ability to speak clearly is lost during this time as the mouth just sort of flops around on its own. It is made clear during the time of lost body communication that healthy existence will require the return of feeling and the ability to let the brain know when and where damage is threatening.
To exist in the body of Christ is so very similar. Communication with the Head is essential. Where the ability to speak with Him has been allowed to wane or be discontinued, there is no longer an ability to remain undamaged and healthy. The rest of the body can no longer be of help in preserving wholeness, and they can even be a part of inflicting damage. As feeling and sensitivity return during times of fellowship in worship, however, we are equipped with a power and an ability to make an incredible difference in our own preservation and that of the rest of the body. The more immediate and instant the response, the more effective will be the resolution, and this immediacy is something that is established in an uninterrupted communication. Thanks, praise, and esteeming glory to God in an unending experience is what will bring us into a state of continual communication with the God of our complete salvation and wholeness.

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2 Thessalonians 1:11 MSG
(11) Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time–pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something.

It’s not enough to be full of great ideas, and it also takes more than just working hard to make them come to pass. Though potential is great and talents abundant, there is another thing, the requisite element, that will take all that greatness into the realm of usefulness and successful productivity. Until there is fitness, no race can be run, no matter how much ability lies resident in the body.
I had high hopes a few years ago for becoming financially independent as a result of this idea I had. Musicians are frequently in need of written scores for performing, which are oftentimes more than one page and require turning from one page to the next. Especially the accompanying pianist at a recital is in need of either someone sitting next to her/him to turn the pages, or a quick hand to reach up and flip to the next page. There had to be a better way, and I came up with this mechanical device that would attach to a music stand and, by means of a foot pedal or switch, advance the pages hands free. I even made a partially working demo of it.

There was something missing, however, in my efforts to do something with the idea. Though I may have been ‘called’ to this purpose of providing the world with a widely useful page turning device, somehow I was never fit for insuring that it became more than just a good idea. All the hard work I thought I was putting into it somehow wasn’t what was needed. There were mechanical, technical, marketing, and monetary resources that were essential and greatly lacking. At one point I even responded to one of those ads for getting your idea promoted, but that even seemed to fall short- it would take more money than I could come up with at the time. Soooo, my idea got put in a folder where it stayed while someone else that was ‘fit’ for the task developed its concept to the point of utilizing display monitors that are tied into a network where the music can be accessed.

Though all our ideas may not turn into gold, there is an idea, a goal, a dream, and a purpose that is a part of our heart and who we are that is just needing an element of ‘fitness’. It may be that, like me with my page turner, there is a long and exhaustive list of reasons why this thing will never come to pass. Education, skills, and funds may create a seemingly insurmountable mountain that prohibits any progress to the valley of fulfilled purpose. There is, though, one reason why and how this resident greatness can become more than just a concept tucked away in a folder. We have made contact with the One who put that treasure and potential in us in the first place. Hanging out with Him and allowing His unbridled greatness to transform our thinking will bring freedom from limitations and open up whole new realms of possibility. Where knowledge and skill are required, He wants to fill us with hope and belief that will motivate and propel us towards acquiring and developing whatever is necessary. Where monetary resources are needed, He will give the power, through wisdom, direction, and relationships to gain wealth and remove this obstacle no matter how great it may appear.

That this simple prayer from 2 Thessalonians is even prayed is a reason to be encouraged. Paul would not have been praying for something that was wrong or for which God wasn’t capable of doing, but this is something God is more than able to accomplish in us- “that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something.” His power isn’t just about creating universes, healing the blind, and raising the dead. He is all about taking those things that are so precious to us and making them into something significant and useful in His kingdom. It’s not just our idea or dream- it’s His.

May this day have progress in it towards the necessary ‘fitness’ of our heart’s purpose. God will empower and propel as He’s allowed to be a part of whatever idea may be new or filed away with regrets. He’s all about the best and the greatest and that is where He sees us and wants to take us in this day.

Ephesians 3:20 MSG
(20) God can do anything, you know–far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

2 Timothy 2:21 KJV
(21) If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

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