hope – Page 5 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: August 4

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?” Proverbs 18:14 (KJV)

Our spirits possess the resilience in order not to sink under the weight of pressure. Once our spirits are awakened to the reality of the Eternal, its communion with the Holy Spirit will convey hope within our souls . The spirit of a man will sustain the infirmity of our body. The wounds and weaknesses of our bodies are sustained as long as our inner man is strengthened. It must be fed the nutrients required of it to increase in strength because its task is greater than we can know. There are many flesh wounds, or exterior circumstances causing the soul to be cast down on occasion, but the hope our hope in the finished work of Jesus Christ causes us to rise above all of them.

But when the spirit is wounded, it is borne down to powerlessness and helpless passivity and there is no other sustaining power to supply its need. It is when the guilt of sin has produced condemnation because what is known of God is violated. The soul is left without an anchor and wanders aimlessly towards things that merely cover up the deep pains now suffered. It requires a personal revival or renewal in order for the spirit to be directed towards its Strength. No one can heal the wounds of the spirit but God. The Spirit knows the things of our spirit.

19 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 19

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And you? Go about your business without fretting or worrying. Relax. When it’s all over, you will be on your feet to receive your reward.” Dan 12:13 (MSG)

There are places to go and things yet to be done by those who have put their trust in the Lord. None can predict the future, but we can rest assured that the outcome is in His hands. Situations can be paralyzing to those who have no hope beyond what they are able to see. Then others have completely ignored the signs and have not prepared themselves for what we have been prophetically forewarned. There is a God-given task to which the sons of men ought to be engaged. We are to occupy until He comes. The threats are real, but should not create fretting or worrying to the prepared. We have One in whom we have placed our trust. When the storms have passed us over, and the clouds have lifted, we will be standing on our feet to receive our rewards from God who rewards the faithful.

19 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 19

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.” Hebrew 7:16

The High Priest, Melchizedek was a High Priest by the sheer force of resurrection life rather than mere genealogy. This was a different class of priesthood signifying an important future event. God’s promise to us is an endless life. Jesus, who is the Begotten of the Father, was with the Father from the beginning. Those of us who are in Christ have entered into eternal life. He is our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Nothing of the law could produce it. All of its fleshly commandments could only point out to us our deficiencies. So many are yet trying to compensate for what is lacking, thus giving them a false hope of resolving issues that are too deep for them to even fathom. In Jesus Christ, we have eternal life. To know Him is to take full possession of His promises. We die to our former state and the futile efforts of reforms to preserve our souls. We then rest in Him as being our sufficiency. It is His grace alone that saves us and delivers us from bondage to liberty and life eternal.

08 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 8

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

In troubled times, we become acutely aware of our need for rescue. When the currents of life are rising all around us and it seems as if there is no way to survive, even if we are not saved from the situation, our immediate need is security in the midst of it. Jesus becomes our oasis in the midst of the desert. He is our solid rock in the midst of troubled waters. He is within reach at all times if we merely reach out to Him. In those moments of despair, when hope is wavering because of the insurmountable pressure, we should not merely cry out in pain and agony. Our cry must be directed towards the One who can save us. Oh, if men would direct their cries towards God alone as the only rock of their salvation. If they would stretch out their hands in the dark and gloom to discover that there is another Hand on the other side to lead and guide them towards a brighter future. He will pull them up from the miry clay and place their feet upon a rock. That rock is higher than any man. It is higher than any problem. It places us above the circumstances enabling us to get a glimpse of the shores to which His journey leads.

18 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Mediation: January 18

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:6-7

The people of God were discouraged because God’s Presence appeared to be withdrawn from among them. Their Temple had been destroyed for over seventy years and the workers who would rebuild it had become weakened and wearied. There are times when it may appear as if God is silent and all hope is lost; then God gives us a prophetic word that He will be restored all who put their trust in Him while all things that others relied upon will be shaken. There will be signs in heaven and signs upon the earth. Strange phenomena will happen so that the nations of the earth will be forced to look beyond themselves for help. Then there will be people of all walks of life that will look in our direction because our eyes will be constantly focused upon Him. Only the Church of the Living God, where the message of Jesus Christ is heard, will provide a sanctuary for the bewildered souls who opted to trust in other things rather than in God. Nations or people-groups will be shaken so that God’s original intent may be established among them. Then His “glory will fill this temple” says the Lord of Hosts.

03 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 3

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.” Psalm. 16:2(MSG)

To reason is a virtue. Through reasoning we embrace the truths applied to our hearts with a renewed mind and emblazoned hope. Those who have meditated upon the Word have arrived at conclusions that are vastly different from those who merely compare the spiritual to the natural. It is the reasoning that is limited to what is known, or merely natural that will lead to a great impasse. Our minds alone cannot grasp the origin of the creation of all things. Neither can we figure out their proper use and truest meaning. Only God is able to guide us into the deep mysteries that would raise even deeper questions than otherwise would be asked. However, the journey on which we are led will reveal to us His Majesty and Glory. We cannot help but worship the One who knows and reveals secret things to His children that the wise and prudent are not privy to. None of His wisdom is sensible void of knowing Him. As we pursue Him, the knowledge of His will for all things becomes sensible. Without Him, nothing makes sense.

19 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 19

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.” Isaiah 28:16

With all that the Church and the believers must suffer in these last days, doubt may enter into the minds of many. Evil appears to triumph over good and decisions to support what is wrong outweighs the support of the truth. Yet God has made a promise to His people. His foundation is sure for He knows His own. The foundation stone or touchstone of the Lord has been laid in Zion which represents the Church. It is the support of all that God is erecting. He will hold His Church together to weather the storms of adversity because His very life is invested in her. This is the hope of the believer, not to be a reactionary to the sudden storms that may arise from time to time, for our lives are anchored in the hope of His promises. God will have the final word, but we must endure to the end. The time will come when what in the past has been ignored will be greatly treasured. People will flock to hear the Word of the Lord when all that they have desired to hear has failed them. Not only will they hear but also see the glory of the Lord rising upon His people.

06 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 6

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“God’s Way (the Kingdom) is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.” 1 Corinthians 4:20 (MSG)

The power to live according to the Word must be released to us by the Spirit of God if we are ever to become a witness of Christ to the world. A powerless speech may be impressive and even convincing, but once it is realized as being mere talk disappoints as surely as it once produced hope. It is God’s will for individuals to become partakers of His divine nature; the extension of His rule over those things that otherwise would dominate the earth. It was never to be an experience of diminishing returns, but an expansion of the Kingdom over all stubborn resistance. His rule must first be established within the heart of the believer in order that for him to be empowered with the authority to use heavenly language as a weapon against external forces. What a tragedy exists when all we have is mere talk. Who would look any further into the matter if all we had was a good conversation? God releases His power among those whose hearts are perfect towards Him. This is His way of demonstrating the effect of the life of His Son, Jesus Christ. “He went about do good….” His miraculous work provides evidence that the Kingdom of Heaven has come and God now dwells among men!

04 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 4

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

This was not the initial phase of Paul’s life after meeting Jesus. After having been introduced, he was left with an indelible impression upon his soul. His whole life was spent in an attempt to fully embrace what he both saw and experienced in meeting such a man. He was intrigued by the phenomena of God in the flesh; a glimpse of the glory state of his own soul trusting that the time would come when the Christ that he saw from a distance would totally possess him. It is Christ in us that give us the hope of glory. All other expressions of life would be so futile in their pursuits after such an encounter because they become mere shadows since the realness of Christ has become so real to us. This is the place the Lord intends to deliver each of us to. Once we are there, a passion to shed all that would compete with the life in the Spirit is willingly abandoned. No longer is it the pangs of death, but rather the pleasures of willful obedience that is anticipated. A new life springs forth in the place of where the old life once occupied. Only when the old has passed will the new be realized. It is faith in the Son of God, our having that quality of faith in Him and what He has done because He of loves us that keeps us connected. Then we can glorify the Lord in our flesh through the new life now lived.

01 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 1

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1

The light that God gives illumines the way to our salvation. The darkness of night shrouds the condition of the soul. When people wander in the dark, they cannot see beyond the moment. There is no certainty of purpose or hope for the future. There are some who seek to be enlightened. Their understanding is influenced and fashioned as the result of information gained from many sources. Their hope in what appears to be sufficient enough to save them. Yet even if what they knew possessed the ability to advance them beyond their peers, it would still be lacking the power to rescue them from the testing and judgment of all things. The Psalmist proclaimed, “The Lord is my light.” Only His light can lead us to salvation. It gives reveals the nature of things that would otherwise allure us away from the eternal. It preserves, and when necessary, restores our souls. If the question of eternity is resolved as the result of walking in His light that has become our own, then whom shall we fear? Nothing within the darkness is able to frighten us because we have enough light to show us what is in fact before us. His light lightens our path enabling us to walk in the light as He is in the light.