Fathom This Mystery

Every woman is a mystery. No matter how old you are, how long you guys have been married, or how wise you think you are, there will always be an element of mystery to women. Having been married to my wife for over 35 years, I know this to be a fact. In another 35 years Pamela will still have an element of mystery about her. Ladies, that doesn't mean that you've figured out the male species; I'm simply acknowledging a fact about women. The Bible is also a mystery-specifically the Epistles, letters written to the churches. What's the big mystery? One mystery is how God is able to actually live inside of us, as Christians. How does God do this? Through the Person of the Holy Spirit. You can see that from reading the books such as Ephesians, and Colossians. For instance, in Colossians 1:27 Paul, the writer of this letter to the church at Colosse, clearly states that this mystery is "Christ in you...." Christ in you. Okay, how? By the Holy Spirit. Ah, now that's the mysterious part: Christ is in me, through the Holy Spirit.

Ponder that truth for a moment: Christ is in YOU. An astounding statement, but not too good to be true. It's true, because God said it. It's up to us to believe it and act like it's so, even when we don't fully understand it.

Don't try to figure out how this is done. It's always somewhat of a mystery how God does what He does. Instead of hurting your mind by trying to figure this all out, just accept it by faith. Remember, you don't have to understand something to have it working for your benefit. I don't understand how a bumblebee flies, do you? The fact that its wings are too short for its body  doesn't stop the bumblebee from flying, or pollinating my wife's flowers.

In secular mystery books the mysteries are hidden FROM us. With the Bible, the mystery is hidden TO us. It's there for us to receive, believe, and achieve in our individual lives.

I love reading about this mystery that God has revealed to us in His Word,  something for our hearts to meditate on and put into practice.

Don't you love it when you're part of a mystery that's in your favor? How has this post changed how you see yourself as a Christian?

Run, Run, Run

The 1951 World Series featured competing rookies, such as Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees and Willie Mays of the New York Giants. Veteran Joe DiMaggio was finishing his illustrious career with the Yankees. Along with his powerful bat, Joe possessed a great throwing arm. Unknown to players and fans alike, however, Joe's once mighty right arm was mighty no more. Early in the Series an opposing runner was considering advancing on a fly ball hit to DiMaggio. Joe made a strong throw to his teammate, preventing the runner from advancing. In doing so Joe threw his arm out, rendering his once-powerful arm useless. Opposing players, not knowing this, failed to take advantage of DiMaggio's weakened condition the rest of the Series. Seeing one great throw reinforced runners' perception of Joe having a great arm.

Too many people, including Christians, perceive the devil to have power (authority) he no longer has. Like the once-mighty Joe DiMaggio, the devil has hoodwinked folks into thinking he can do something he is now powerless to do.

Had opposing runners known the truth about Joe DiMaggio's arm, they would have fearlessly run at will against their adversary. Satan, our once-feared adversary, was completely defeated by Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus's victory was then credited to us, as though we had won, which we have, in God's eyes. Now we can fearlessly advance against the devil, with the knowledge that he can't stop us from winning every game, so to speak, in life.

The next time the devil roars at you, run towards him. Run at the fear, the doubt, and the unbelief that comes from satan. He can't stop you from winning in life any more than Joe DiMaggio could stop even the slowest opponent from advancing.

What is it that the devil is trying to keep you from achieving? Salvation? Healing? Financial needs being met? Wholesome relationships? You can learn more about what Jesus has done for you through our book, Born To Win, available through Kindle or iBooks.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2013-2024

What's In Your Mouth?

A well-known credit card issuer asks the now-familiar question, "What's in your wallet", as part of its ad campaign. A more telling question for us is, "What's in your mouth?".  I'm not talking about teeth or gums; I'm talking about your words. Why is this? What's so important about the words you say?

The Bible has much to say about the importance of our words. The Bible says this about words:

1. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.  Proverbs 18:21

2. Jesus said we'd have what we say, out of a believing heart.  Mark 11:23

3. With our tongue we either bless or curse.   James 3:8-10

These verses demonstrate the importance of speaking right words. Does this mean going around saying nothing but Bible verses? No, what I am saying is that your everyday words are important; what you say on a daily basis really matters.

Some things people say, without regard to their content:

1. "That just tickles me to death"

2. "Over my dead body"

3. Concerning "flu" season, "I'll probably be the first to get it"

No one really wants to be tickled to death. No one really wants to die over some dispute. No one really wants to get the flu, at any time. Do you?

Friend, no intelligent person would want even one of these sayings to really happen in his/her life. When we learn the value of our everyday words we won't be saying hurtful words; we'll be saying things like, "I'm free from the curse of sickness-I'll never have the flu"-and so on.

If you knew that everything you said would come to pass, what changes would you make to what you're saying? If you're used to saying negative things, what's keeping you from changing to saying positive words, starting right now?

What's in your mouth? Words of life or death? Health or sickness?  Success or failure? Prosperity or poverty? Perhaps it's time for a verbal "checkup?" on your everyday words. Learning to watch what you say will make a difference in your everyday life.

What change(s) can you make in what you're saying? Do you think it will be easy or a challenge? Either way, it will be worth the change(s).

Protect Your Identity

Identity theft. It's a problem that's growing in our world today. Television, print, and social media warn of the problem and apparent ease of identity theft. What is identity theft? Identity theft is the act of assuming the identity of another for financial and/or other benefit (s). This usually takes place in the form of stolen identification cards,  as well as credit/debit cards,  The victim's assets are often stolen and a good name ruined by the perpetrator's malicious deed. Those who have suffered at the hands of an identity thief know full well the hurt, harm, and anger experienced from this experience. In some cases lives are negatively affected for years, even life.

The worst identity thief is the devil. How so? Because the devil goes around seeking to rob us of our true identity, in Christ. This means who we are in the sight of God,  Jesus purchased for us a standing with God, as new creatures in Christ. Regardless of our background-murderer, porn star, thief, atheist, or religious church goer, being a Christian means having a new identity, in Christ.

Our identity includes being overcomers, more than conquerors through Christ, and righteous in sight of God, This is what the devil tries to steal from us. The Bible says that the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). One way is by trying to steal the knowledge of who we are, in Christ. Satan tries to get us to see ourselves as unworthy, weak, poor, and sickly-unfit to do anything for God. Those who listen to the devil's lies aren't living the life God sees them having,  in Christ. That's identity theft of the worst kind.

You can't stop the devil from trying to steal your identity, in Christ, but you can surely stop him from succeeding.  The Bible says to resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). Don't let the devil take what belongs to you. Who you are, in Christ, is the real you. The devil knows that better than you. This is why he works so hard to prevent you from learning the truth of who you really are, or steal what knowledge you already have.

Protect your God-given identity with more diligence than you do with your physical identity.

Can you identity with this post? If so, in what way?

What's Your Testimony?

In Revelation 12':11, we read  "And they overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony;". The devil is overcome through a two-part application: The Blood of the lamb-Jesus-and the word of our testimony. God's part is not enough; it's takes both His and our parts to overcome the devil. Did you ever notice how often God's and our parts are necessary for us receiving the benefit of His provision and/or promises? For instance, in the sixth chapter of John's gospel, we read of Jesus feeding 5000 men, not to mention women and children. A boy's offering of 5 loaves and 2 fish supplied his part; the natural. After Jesus gave thanks for the food, the food was distributed. As this point God supplied His part: the miraculous multiplication of fish and bread.

It's the same when overcoming the devil, Satan, who is our adversary. God supplies His part-the redemptive Blood of Jesus. We, then, add our part, which is the word of our testimony. God's supernatural part unites with our natural part to bring about victory in every situation.

What is a testimony? A testimony is most often your sharing what God has done for you. In years gone by churches used to have testimony meetings. These services centered around people sharing what God had done for them in the last few days or weeks. Testimonies can encourage someone else's faith, for what God did for one, He'll do for another.

A testimony can also be your declaration of what God's says about you, in the situation you're now facing.

What's your testimony? What has God done for you? What is God's Word saying about you, in the situation you're facing? Are you daring to say what God's Word says, regardless of circumstance-as Caleb and Joshua did in Numbers , chapters 13 and 14?

I'd love to hear what God has done for you. Someone else may benefit from hearing what happened in your life. After all, what God dis for one, He'll do for another.

Are You a Thermometer or a Thermostat?

As a young boy living in Iowa our house did not have air conditioning, not even a window unit. As a result some summer nights could be warm, to put it mildly. Living in a two-bedroom house, I shared a small bedroom with my brother. In addition to any breeze from the open bedroom window my parents placed a small fan at the foot of our beds, to help circulate the night air where we slept. Although the fan didn't change the room temperature, it did help move the air some. Without an air conditioner, every little bit helps.

An outside thermometer would show the actual temperature in that location. In the absence of home air conditioning there was, of course, no inside thermostat available to initiate any changes in temperature. I hope whoever invented air conditioning did well.

A thermometer reflects actual temperature whereas a thermostat initiates changes in air temperature of a room or house, depending on what change in temperature is selected. A thermometer tells you what is.  A thermostat offers change, usually one that makes rooms cooler in summer, warmer in the winter.

As people of God, we choose to be a reflection of society as a whole (thermometer) or a reflection of what God is doing in the earth at any given point in time, including now (thermostat). It takes no real effort to be a thermometer, to be a part of what is. Being a thermostat, on the other hard, requires being changed to make a noticeable difference  to your world, starting with those around you.

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Are you a part of the status quo, flowing with those around you, or are you allowing God to bring change to your surroundings, to those within your sphere of influence? If a thermostat, how is God using your gifts and talents to bring help, healing, and life to a lost and dying world where you live, work, and play? If, at this moment, a thermometer, what event(s) would need to happen to influence you to want to become a thermostat?

Is tolerance acceptance?

Some things remain the same: the sun rises in the east, setting in the west. Roosters crow, babies cry, and too many potholes remain to be fixed. On the other hand, some things have changed in meaning. For instance, the word awful. Upon gazing at the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame, the king of France reportedly exclaimed, "My God, it's awful." When the Cathedral was completed in the 13th century the word awful meant full-of-awe, just as the word beautiful means full-of-beauty. Over the years the word awful has come to mean something bad; terrible-a far cry from full-of-awe. Unfortunately, the same is true concerning tolerance and acceptance. Once upon a time tolerance meant putting up with, without agreement, without acceptance of what's being tolerated. Not so now. Society, as a whole,  has shifted to holding tolerance and acceptance as synonymous terms. In other words, to tolerate means to accept; to be intolerant is to not accept. But, is this really true? Is tolerance acceptance?

According to the Bible we are to love the sinner, while hating the sin. Jesus did. He told the woman caught in the very act of adultery to go and sin no more (John 8:3-11). Jesus wasn't accepting what the woman did as alright-He called it sin. What Jesus did was not condemn the woman (verse 11)-and neither should we-when confronting sin. Like Jesus we tolerate the person, not the sin. We shouldn't tolerate sin in our own lives, either.

The world's view of tolerance is accept everything which they think is OK. If you don't, you're being intolerant. At the same time, those "preaching" tolerance are the most  intolerant of them all, for they are intolerant of Christians, those standing for Biblical principles of absolute truth. More and more, the world is growing increasingly intolerant and unaccepting of anyone who opposes what they believe.

Is tolerance acceptance? Not according to the Bible no, in reality, according to what the world shows towards those with differing views. Without agreeing,  I practice tolerance towards those with viewpoints contrary to the Bible. I don't agree with them, but I don't force my viewpoint on them. My manner of life speaks louder than my words. Does yours?

How about you? Is tolerance acceptance, in your life? How do you practice tolerance, without acceptance of that with which you disagree?

Where's your identification?

I flew on a few business trips last year. Each time I checked in I was required to present valid identification.  As I went through security I also had to show my ticket-proof that I was a passenger that day. Had I not already had my proof of identification out, ready to be shown, a valid question to me would have been, "Where's your identification?". Without it I wouldn't have flown. Identification. It's proof of who we are. Whether it's a driver's license, passport, student ID card, or other valid form, we live in a time where much emphasis is put on who we are. Things like opening up a bank account, obtaining a passport, or buying a house-in each case proof of identification is required. Renting a car? You'll be asked to show proof of identification.

Identification is even more important where spiritual things are concerned. As Christians we've been placed into Christ-into the family of God. We've been given new identification papers, so to speak. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Bible says that if any (person) be in Christ he is a new creature. Literally, this means that a new species of being has been created in you. If you're a Christan, there's a new "you" in you that wasn't there before. Your identification is now with Christ, not the devil and his crowd. You're under God's dominion, not Satan's.

Spiritually speaking we've been given new identities. We have new identification papers, so to speak, within the pages of the New Testament-specifically the Epistles, letters written to Christians. Examples are the books of Ephesians and Colossians. Each book paints a vivid picture of the believer's new identification with Christ, focusing on that person's  rights and privileges, in Christ.

It was some years after I became a Christan before I learned of my real identity, as a follower of Jesus Christ. I struggles to know who I was in life, my purpose, and my destiny. Having found my true identity I know who I really am. I move about in total security, without fear of detection. When the devil tries to bring up something from my life before Christ I show him my identification papers-God's Word-proving my identity in Christ. That's my true position-in Christ. Knowing my true identity affects my thinking, believing, words, and actions, on a daily basis.

Where's your identification? Is it in the natural things of this world, or in Christ? How important is it to be secure in who you really are, where your true identity lies?