Fire in My Bones: God Is Calling You to a Deeper Place - J. Lee Grady, Charisma Magazine

(Getty Images/E+/borchee)

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Of all the places I visited in Israel last year, my favorite was Jacob's well—the spot where Jesus ministered to the Samaritan woman. The authenticity of many sites in the Holy Land are disputed, but nobody has any question about this famous well, which is located in the modern city of Nablus in the West Bank.

Now housed inside a Greek Orthodox church, the well is carved into solid rock. Visitors are allowed to lower a container down into the well, bring up water and drink it. I was fascinated by how long it took to retrieve the water. And when I poured some of it back into the well, I waited several seconds to hear a faint splash. This well is 131 feet deep—the equivalent of a nine-story building.

I was in awe. Jesus actually sat in that same spot where I was standing! And that was where he told the woman of Samaria in John 4:13-14: "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life."

Jesus sat next to a deep well—a well that represented the faith of the Jewish patriarchs. Yet He told this woman that there was something more. Something better. Something deeper than she had ever imagined. Jacob's well was deep, but Jesus calls us so much deeper. His words to the Samaritan woman made her thirstier and thirstier. And her decision to believe in the Messiah resulted in an entire village embracing faith in Him.

You may never visit Jacob's well in Nablus, but He calls you to explore the depths of who He is. He is calling His church in this hour to leave the shallowness of superficial Christianity. Regardless of what you have experienced before, He offers more. He beckons you to go deeper.

The apostle Paul experienced miracles, received help from angels, heard the audible voice of Jesus and saw visions of the third heaven. Yet he wrote of "the unfathomable riches of Christ" in Ephesians 3:8b (NASB). The Greek word for "unfathomable" can also mean "untraceable" or "beyond comprehension."

Paul used this same imagery when he prayed for the Ephesians that they would be able to comprehend "what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:18-19). Do you desire to experience this fullness? Do you want to increase your capacity to know Christ? Or are you satisfied to stay where you are?

God is stirring my soul these days. I relate to the psalmist who wrote, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:2a). And as his passion intensified, he said in verse 7: "Deep calls to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me." When we choose to go deeper, the journey will become more intense. Spiritual growth is not easy. We must press through all resistance.

How much labor was required to bore a well 131 feet deep into solid rock? I don't know how many years or how much sweat was required, but I know the water didn't spring up overnight. Salvation is free, but a deep relationship with Christ takes time—and many Christians give up and settle for a mediocre experience.

God is waiting for a response from you. I noticed recently that Jesus did not call Peter to walk on water until Peter first asked for the miracle. Peter said: "Lord, if it is You, bid me to come to You on the water" (Matt. 14:28b). Only then did Jesus say: "Come!"

Jesus wants you to walk on the waves with Him. He invites us all to experience a miraculous adventure of faith. But He waits for us to want it. Some of us are frightened by the waves, so we live in the perpetual comfort zone and never ask for more. We are scared of more. And too often, everyone around us looks perfectly comfortable.

Many decades ago, revivalist A.W. Tozer challenged American Christians to stoke the fires of spiritual passion. He wrote: "Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain."

I wonder what Tozer would think if he saw our level of spiritual hunger. Few believers today are willing to bore deep to discover the depths of God's "more." We are smug and satisfied. I dare you to get out of your boat today and say to Jesus: "Bid me to come to You on the water." Leave your fear, complacency and selfishness behind and begin drinking from the depths.

Fire in My Bones: God Wants to Put Jonathans in Your Life - J. Lee Grady

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

God Wants to Put Jonathans in Your Life

(Getty Images/E+/skynesher)

A few days ago, I was dreading the upcoming weekend. I didn't want to think about Father's Day—partly because it was the second year since my father had died, and partly because my elderly mother's health is failing. I honestly felt like crawling in a hole. But instead of stuffing my pain, I asked some of my friends to send me an encouraging text or video to cheer me up.

You may think that sounds like a selfish request, but my friends didn't see it that way. The texts began flooding my phone on Sunday morning, and they came throughout the day. I saved every message, and I've been reading them over and over. Their words literally lifted me out of a pit of discouragement.

I honestly don't think I could survive without my friends. Yet as I travel and meet Christians all over the country, I find that the church today is actually a very lonely place. Many people have experienced total relationship shutdown. Some have walked through painful church splits, others have been betrayed by friends they trusted, and still others have closed their hearts entirely to avoid being hurt.

It's as if we forgot how to have true friends. I've met pastors who've told me they just can't risk building friendships. So they live in isolation. They bear their own burdens. They get no encouragement. Some end up in depression.

Recently, the Holy Spirit drew me to study the friendship that developed between David and Jonathan during David's early years. It is clear from the biblical record that God put Jonathan in David's life at a crucial time in his journey to the throne. And if it were not for Jonathan's covenant relationship with his friend, David would never have been able to overcome the obstacles he faced during the reign of King Saul.

The same is true for all of us. You'll never achieve your maximum spiritual potential without the help of the key relationships God places around you. Yet in order to benefit from these friendships, you must open your heart and take the risk of being a friend.

How can you move from being isolated to developing close friendships? Proverbs 18:24a says: "A man who has friends must show himself friendly." You can't wait for a friend to reach out to you. Take the first step and be willing to break the stalemate. British preacher Charles Spurgeon put it this way: "Any man can selfishly desire to have a Jonathan; but he is on the right track who desires to find out a David to whom he can be a Jonathan."

Here are six qualities I see in Jonathan that challenge me to be a better friend:

1. Jonathan nurtured a spiritual bond. After David killed Goliath and moved to Saul's palace, the Bible says "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David" (1 Sam. 18:1, NKJV). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. All Christians should experience a sense of family connection, but there are certain friends you will feel deeply connected to because God is putting you in each other's lives for a reason. Don't resist this process. Let God knit you to people.

2. Jonathan showed sacrificial love. Jonathan loved David so much that he risked his life to help him fulfill his mission. Jonathan even dodged Saul's spear in his effort to help his friend. He lived in the spirit of Jesus' words about friendship: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13, NLT). The world says we should only care about our own success. But the best way to become more like Jesus is to help someone else succeed!

3. Jonathan always offered encouragement. When David was fleeing from Saul in the wilderness, Jonathan traveled to Horesh to cheer up his friend (1 Sam. 23:16). There were times in David's life when he had to encourage himself, but in this case, Jonathan was God's instrument. We need each other! If you allow the Holy Spirit to speak life and hope through you, your words can propel your friends into their destiny.

4. Jonathan offered his friend protection. When Jonathan realized his father was plotting to kill David, he not only warned him of danger, but he concocted a plan to deliver his friend (1 Sam. 19:1-4). Friends don't let friends get massacred in spiritual warfare. If you see a friend making a foolish mistake, or if you sense the enemy is targeting him or her, God can use you to avert a disaster. Speak the truth in love.

5. Jonathan kept his friend's pain confidential. David confided in his friend Jonathan, and in some cases, he poured out his heart in frustration. At one point he said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity?" (1 Sam. 20:1a). When I'm going through a difficult trial, I sometimes just need to vent. I have loyal friends who let me process my pain—and they don't run and tell others else about my weakness. This is true friendship.

6. Jonathan harbored no jealousy. At one point in David's journey, Jonathan realized his friend would one day be king of Israel. This was actually Jonathan's inheritance, since he was Saul's son, but he acknowledged that God had chosen David instead. So he gave David his royal robe, his armor and his weapons (see 1 Sam. 18:3-4).

This is a beautiful picture of how we are to prefer and honor each other. Jealousy destroys friendship. If we have God's love in our hearts, we will want our friends to surpass us.

If you've been hurt in previous relationships, break out of your isolation and ask God to heal your heart. Then choose to be a Jonathan to someone else.

Fire in My Bones: Do You Want Deeper Friendships? Adjust Your Attitude - J. Lee Grady

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Do You Want Deeper Friendships? Adjust Your Attitude (Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus/tommaso79) I've been blessed with some amazing friends. When my father died back in January, several of my friends surprised me by showing up for the funeral unexpectedly. Two of those guys flew all the way from Pennsylvania to Georgia, rented a car and drove to my town simply to support me on that difficult day. When they walked into the church, I burst into tears because I couldn't believe they would sacrifice so much to stand with me. I've come to learn that good friends are so much more valuable than money, fame or career success. Yet many Christians I know struggle in the area of relationships. Many people I've met—even pastors—admit they have no friends. And many churches are full of lonely people who are starving for friends but don't know how to make any. The modern church doesn't always place a high value on relationships. While the New Testament commands us to "love one another deeply with a pure heart" (1 Pet. 1:22), we have developed a cold corporate culture that doesn't resemble the book of Acts. We are content to herd people into buildings for services and then herd them out. Our main concern is that they simply occupied a seat and listened to a sermon. But did they connect with each other? Even in churches that try to nurture relationships, only a fraction of the people get involved in small groups. I don't believe we will see New Testament revival power until we reclaim fervent New Testament love. read more  Prophetic Insight July Prophecy: Strategic Partnerships Deliver Multiple Births It's time to activate this word. A Voice Calling Out Biblical Keys to Hearing the Voice of God Clearly Often we don't realize God is speaking to us. With all we have going on, it's no wonder we miss the cues. Power Up! Keep Your Vision Alive With These 4 Indispensable Keys God will put us in a position and tell us to close our eyes and see into the future. More from Charisma Magazine — 12 Vindication Promises to Hang on to During the Pain

Charisma Podcast NetworkWant more ways to grow in the Spirit? Have news told in exciting new ways? Recieve reflections and revelations from Jennifer LeClaire? Hear interviews with newsmakers and storytellers that are changing our world? Find your favorite show and take the Charisma Podcast Network where ever you go. Listen now

Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Podcasts  |  Visit Our Website © Copyright 2018 Charisma Media. All Rights Reserved.  |  600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746  |  Phone: 407-333-0600

Fire in My Bones: If You Want New Wine, You Need New Wineskins - J. Lee Grady CHARISMA

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

If You Want New Wine, You Need New Wineskins (Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus/RinoCdZ) You may not have heard the crashing sound. But last week, old walls of tradition collapsed when the nation's largest Protestant denomination elected a new leader. The commotion occurred after J.D. Greear, 45, a successful pastor from Durham, North Carolina, was elected president of the 15-million-member Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Greear is the youngest leader of the SBC in 37 years, and he brings with him a fresh approach to ministry that could trigger a wave of growth as well as upset some hyper-conservatives. Greear lives outside the traditional Baptist box. His church doesn't even have the word "Baptist" in it. The Summit Church, which he started with 300 members in 2001, has now grown to 10,000 members who meet in nine locations throughout the Raleigh-Durham area. The church's worship has an exuberant charismatic flair. In a 2012 teaching series on the Holy Spirit, he told his congregation that it's a sin to restrict speaking in tongues. But most of all, The Summit is aggressively evangelistic and missions-focused. When Greear was elected on June 12, he said God is stirring the SBC and exposing "a startling amount of sin in our midst." Greear said he welcomed God's uncomfortable work "because whom the Lord loves, he chastens." He was specifically referencing recent reports that SBC leaders have at times told women in abusive marriages that they should submit to domineering husbands. read more  A Voice Calling Out Prophetic Voice James Goll: How to Guard Your Heart in Seasons of Transition Trauma and heartache can easily plunge you into wrong attitudes. Here's how to keep watch. Prophetic Insight Prophecy: 'Fight the Snakes That Are Coming Against You' "Do not let dead things grow in this house. Get these snakes out." Power Up! A Sure Way to Gain Access to God's Ear The answer in hidden in the psalms. More from Charisma Magazine — Joyce Meyer Shares the Antidote to Your Deepest Fears — Wage Spiritual Warfare With this Personal Prophetic Weapon

Strang Report podcastHot topics affecting your Christian faith. Challenge your beliefs each week with topics on U.S. and International politics, missions, Christian movements, persecution and global outreach. Join host Steve Strang, founding editor and publisher of Charisma magazine, as he discusses these topics and challenges you to know what Christians are experiencing nationally and globally. Listen now

Privacy Policy  |  Podcasts  |  Visit Our Website © Copyright 2018 Charisma Media. All Rights Reserved.  |  600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida 32746  |  Phone: 407-333-0600

Fire in My Bones: 7 Ways the Holy Spirit Transforms You - J. Lee Grady Charisma News

Want to receive Fire in My Bones by email? Sign up here

7 Ways the Holy Spirit Transforms You

11/15/2017 J. LEE GRADY  charisma news

(Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Royalty-free/eyecrave)

Last week I was preaching in Canada, and my hotel was only two miles from the host church. But it took almost 30 minutes to drive that short distance because road construction crews in Toronto had blocked all but one lane in a major intersection. Orange traffic cones were everywhere. Traffic was at a standstill.

It was especially frustrated because no workers were on site. I wanted to roll down my window and yell at the traffic cones. The lanes were blocked but nothing was happening! The delay was pointless!

When I finally got to church I was annoyed, and it took me a while to enter into worship. That's when the Lord gently corrected me. He showed me I was as impatient with Him as I was with the road crews. I had to repent for my bad attitude. And I had to surrender my life afresh to God's dealings.

Many times God creates roadblocks in our lives because He's working on us. We may not understand what He's doing, but we must trust Him anyway and accept whatever delays He is causing. The delays are always for our good.

Related Articles

• Let's Pause and Honor the Texas Shooting Victims
• We Really Need Another Reformation

He may be widening our capacity to love others, or removing a serious obstacle in our character. The Holy Spirit knows what we need. Our job is to surrender to His work in our lives. He is God. We are not!

The whole experience of sitting in that traffic in Canada made me ponder the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. He is working 24/7 to make me like Jesus. He is doing the same for you. I hope you appreciate the different ways He is transforming you:

1. He is rebuilding you. Just as Nehemiah rebuilt the ruined city of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit reconstructs your life. Nehemiah actually means "Comforter," a name Jesus used to describe the Spirit. You are under construction, and He has strategically placed orange cones and roadblocks in areas of your life. Let Him rebuild all your broken places!

2. He is teaching you. The Holy Spirit, who is called "the Spirit of truth" (John 16:13), knows how to bring us to maturity. He shines His supernatural light on the Bible and opens our minds to understand His truth. He allows us to hear His still, small voice inwardly. He reveals His mysteries so we can know Him intimately.

3. He is refining you. The Holy Spirit is a fire, and He wants to burn up anything that does not resemble Christ. Like a smelter of gold, He melts us, skims off the toxic alloys and melts us again to remove all impurities. Don't be afraid when the Spirit turns up the heat.

4. He is testing you. One man builds with gold, silver and precious gems; another builds with wood, hay and stubble (see 1 Cor. 3:12-13). Both might look good on the outside, but the testing of the Lord proves what a man is made of. The Spirit's relentless fire will test what you are building for God so that only He will get the glory for it.

5. He is renewing you. Titus 3:5 mentions the "renewing of the Holy Spirit," and we can be thankful that He offers such a blessing. He does not anoint us once and then leave us to live on one jar of oil. The Spirit sends fresh anointing when we are tired, poured out or discouraged. He opens up bottles of new wine and fills us with new joy. He pours the fresh oil of heaven on those who are desperate for more of His presence.

6. He is subduing your flesh. We don't have to grit our teeth or trust our own willpower to overcome sin in our lives. We have the indwelling power of the Spirit to help us live holy lives. Romans 8:13 says we can put to death the deeds of the body "by the Spirit." He is like a warrior who plunders the enemy in our lives. We may feel weak in the face of temptation, but He has defeated the power of sin once and for all.

7. He is revealing His glory in and through you. The apostle Paul reminded us that because we have the Spirit inside us, we are now beholding the glory of the Lord "as in a mirror." And the result: We "are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory." Don't focus on your flaws. Fix your eyes on Jesus. When you focus on yourself, you will be disappointed; when you focus on Him, you will be transformed. 

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

Charisma Readers save 50% OFF these select Bibles plus FREE SHIPPING plus a Special Bonus for a limited time! Show me the Bibles on sale!

Christmas is coming soon. Get a jump start with these great Spirit-filled bundles. Save up to 70% plus FREE Shipping! Life in the Spirit Gift Boxes, Special Book Bundles, and Christmas Gift Bundles.

A Big Promise Takes Time—Don't Give Up - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

God rewards big faith. (YouTube)

A Big Promise Takes Time—Don't Give Up

12/23/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

Most Christmas pageants focus on the principal characters of the nativity story—an innocent Mary, a bewildered Joseph, awestruck shepherds, mysterious magi and a sleeping baby Jesus. Then we throw in nonbiblical extras such as the Little Drummer Boy to spice things up. But I've yet to see a play or a movie of the Christmas story that includes Simeon and Anna, the two Jewish intercessors who prophesied over Jesus a few days after His birth.

This Christmas, I'm thinking more about Simeon and Anna—not because I've reached their age bracket yet (we know Anna was 84), but because I have more appreciation these days for people who wait patiently for God's promises.

While most of Israel was clueless about God's plan of salvation, and angry about Roman occupation, Simeon knew Jesus was coming—and the Holy Spirit told him he wouldn't die until he saw the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, Simeon took the boy in his arms and declared that He was the "light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).

Simeon finally got his prayers answered after decades of waiting. Then Anna walked into the scene. She had been praying and fasting continually in the temple, asking God to send the Savior. She looked beyond the bleak circumstances and dared to ask God for a miracle.

Like Simeon, she immediately recognized Jesus as the answer to her prayers and began telling everyone that their long wait was over. 

At that point she probably thought: "I can die and go to heaven. God has heard my cries." She reminds us that God openly rewards those who pray in secret.

I imagine both Simeon and Anna held their hands in the air—and perhaps even shouted—as they welcomed the fulfillment of ancient Messianic prophecies. But what we don't see in this happy occasion are the decades of painful groaning that these old saints endured. The joyful moment of Jesus' birth did not come without a price.

God's promises, like the birth of a child, requires a gestation period—an agonizing season of waiting. Most people in the Bible who claimed big promises did not get instantly downloadable answers. Like the childless Hannah, or the heirless Abraham or the imprisoned apostle Paul, they travailed. And groaned. And waited. And travailed some more.

Waiting is often the key to faith. And groaning is an aspect of prayer that we rarely teach about today. Yet Romans 8:26 reminds us that Spirit-directed prayer involves "groanings too deep for words."

Are you praying for something that seems totally beyond your grasp? Are you holding onto a promise from God, yet it is painful to pray because you see no evidence of His hand at work?

Take courage and keep groaning.

In the animal kingdom, big creatures often have the longest gestation periods. A baby whale is in his mother's womb for 18 months, and a baby giraffe waits 15 months. And some species of elephants are pregnant for two years. The rule, it seems, is clear:

The bigger the baby, the longer the wait. 

If you are carrying a big promise, you should be prepared for painful delays. 

I watched my wife give birth to all four of our children. Yet how quickly I forget that prayer is often compared with childbirth in the Bible. In this painful process we must press through the darkness of doubt and lay hold of God's sure promise, especially when we feel like giving up.

Many of us today are at the most intense stage of the birth process—the transition phase—in which a pregnant woman feels confused, irritable and restless. We endure similar feelings of desperation in our walk of faith. We ask ourselves, "Did God really promise me that? Did I hear Him wrong?" Everything inside us wants to quit believing.

I'm sure Simeon and Anna considered quitting during their years of prayer. The headlines in Jerusalem were depressing. The economy was awful. The political situation was demoralizing. Why pray when everything looks so depressing?

Yet these two faithful prayer warriors didn't go into retirement. They found the grace to press on. Though their hands grew feeble, their faith grew strong. They felt barren, but they shouted anyway.

And finally their groaning paid off—until they truly had something to shout about. They not only witnessed the Christmas miracle; they also got to hold the baby Jesus in their arms. As you enjoy Christmas with your family and friends, I pray the faith of Simeon and Anna will inspire you to hold tightly to all God has promised you.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.

Love For His People: 

For further encouragement 

read Steve Martin's autobiography.

Paperback only $5.95

Buy here: The Promise - One Man's Journey To See God's Word Revealed

Throughout our lives, God keeps His hand on our shoulders and nudges us on to more than what we could ever realize. I am excited to share how He did it this with me, and am confident mine will be a story you’ll be able to relate to. 

As I unveil my story, think back to those times when you knew there was some¬thing more but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. You knew deep down that life wasn’t what the TV sitcoms portrayed it to be. In our souls there is the hope, the cry for more, that someday questions will be answered and promises fulfilled if we just kept plugging away at what we know to do. 

In The Promise I share my 40 year journey with you, and show you that dreams do come true. Though Peter Pan isn’t real, the Lord, the One Who created us, certainly is, and He has a plan in place for each one of us. When you are done reading this story, my prayer is that you too will know more of that good plan and His purpose for you. 

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People