Christmas isn’t a biblical celebration. It was not something that our Lord told us to celebrate. In the book of Luke we have recounted the story of Christ being born in a manger, the appearance of angels, shepherds who went to the manger to worship Christ and the visit of the Magi (perhaps a couple of years later). But there is no command to celebrate his birth or to have Christmas celebrations. This was instituted by a young church perhaps to turn nominal Christians away from a Pagan feast that happened to occur on December 25th.

But to me Christmas is a wonderful time of year; a time that I have always enjoyed. When I was young I remember considering the mystery of the birth of Christ on that special day. I would spend a lot of time considering how someone could be born of a virgin. It was beyond my imagination to consider that the Holy Spirit could move upon Mary in such a way to conceive this God child. It was a wonder to me.

In the last number of years I have encountered many people who are opposed to Christmas. They consider it a pagan festival or a corrupt secular institution. I have listened to these people as they have described all these things to me. I have to be honest I still love the Holiday.

When I was a boy I remember skating on a lake in St. John’s, Newfoundland around Christmas time. I was with my family and another family from my street. I remember that the father of the other family sang “O Holy Night” as he skated. It was one of the most incredible renditions of that song I had ever heard. This man who was an alcoholic sang from the top of his voice:

“Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices,

O night divine, O night when Christ was born”

As my friend’s father sang this song something came to life in my spirit. The wonder of the mysterious night that Christ was born came to life in me as did the knowledge that Christ was Lord. I understood the beauty and wonder of that night as if for the first time.

That man was a nominal Christian at best but he awakened within me a wonder of the things of Christ. I believe that is what Christmas is about. It is a time when nominal Christians are given a moment within the calendar year to consider the wonder of who Christ is. They may never come to a church or speak to a Christian about God, but during the holiday season they are given opportunity to wonder about our Christ and our God.

On another Christmas I was at the end of my rope and I went to a church service where my mother was playing Gabriel and my sister Mary. During that service I felt the Holy Spirit for the first time in many years and gave my heart to Christ. I have never turned from him since. That was eight years ago today…amen!

I will always honor the Holiday. I will choose to believe that while it is not found in scripture it was still inspired by our God for us to celebrate and rejoice in the birth of our Christ.

May God bless you all this holiday season.

“…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20)

Will you please read Matthew 1:18-25 first?

When something is conceived of the Holy Spirit it can take time for the authenticity of this conception to be observed by the minds of men, and then only by revelation. That which is of the Spirit can look so normal that the supernatural component of what is occurring can be lost in the minds of those observing.

Men do not easily recognize that which is conceived by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit works within the natural realm to produce that which is supernatural. It is only by revelation that the supernatural component of his work can be understood or seen.

To many Christ was just a man. They could not see past his physical appearance. Jesus was perfect God inside of a perfect man’s body. That man which was conceived by an act of God looked the same as any other specimen within the species or men, except there was something exceptional about the way this particular specimen operated.

Joseph heard Mary’s story of how the angel came to her to tell her that she would be of child from the Holy Spirit, and that what was in her was no mere man, but the Messiah himself. The story was so strange to Joseph that he had in mind to divorce her quietly. He wanted to separate himself from what was occurring because he could not understand what was being said.

But when the angel of the Lord came to him and revealed the truth of the matter, he could now walk in the freedom of the understanding that was given to him. The authenticity of the story had been verified by supernatural revelation, so that he could now align himself with the move of God that was taking place.

And so it is with many of us that when we observe a thing that is from God we condemn it because we do not see the hand of God operating within it.

The leaders of the Sanhedrin in the day of the early church persecuted Peter and John because they taught the people about Christ in the open air (Acts 5). They threw them into jail and wanted to put them to death because of their testimony of Christ, and would have had not one of their own respected leaders, a Pharisees named Gamaliel, stood up and said to the council, “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

And so it is within our own time that the councils of men aligned themselves against the workings of the Holy Spirit only to be frustrated by the power of God that is exhibited in men and women of God who believe in what the Spirit is doing.

These detractors look at the conception and see only the human element, but fail to see that under the surface is the Holy Spirit working with hearts that are open and available to be used by God to orchestrate his workings within the earth. Those who align themselves with the devil will see these machinations of the Spirit and try to stop them in vain, because that which is of God cannot be stopped, amen?

“Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12)

I remember many years ago I had a vision of Satan falling like a meteor from the heavens. I saw him enter the stratosphere of the earth and fire trailed behind him until he hit the earth. When I saw him again he was coming out of a big crater or hole in the ground. This vision reminded of what Jesus said about how he saw Satan fall like lighting from heaven (Luke 10:18).

When the Devil came up out of the earth in my vision he looked like a consuming blob.  He was black and foreboding looking. I was standing just in front of him and when he saw me he hurried toward me to consume me, but two angels came between us with fiery swords.  The enemy was kept at bay.

Another scripture says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter5:8). To avoid being consumed Peter says, “Be self controlled and alert.” Very good advice indeed!

The problem is many people are not self-controlled and they don’t meditate on the scripture to be able to recognize the devil and his schemes. How many hard battles could have been won easily had we stayed in the place of readiness before the Lord and in his word?

The Lord longs to protect his children, but when they stray from the sound of his voice it is difficult for them to be protected. When God speaks to you from his word and says that you should or shouldn’t do something, then follow his voice because that is how you remain in the place of protection.

John 15:6 says it this way, “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”  But verse 5 says, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”

When we go astray from God the enemy has a right to your life.  He tries and does consume us.  There is a Bob Dylan song that says, “You might serve the Devil or you might serve the Lord, but you are going to have to serve somebody.” You don’t want to be one of those that serve the devil. The consequences are stern.

But for those that serve the Lord there is life and liberty and freedom. There is mercy and grace in place of what we really deserve. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10), and in Christ our storms cease to have power against us because his peace runs like a river through our very veins and lives. The Spirit of God within us will sustain through every trial and circumstance.

When the devil comes, the Lord himself will dispatch his angels and give them charge over you (Psalm 91:11). He may try to consume you, kill you or destroy you (John 10:10) but he will not succeed because the Lord is more powerful than many devils.

Let me ask you this. In the process of fasting over the past 11 days, have you encountered attempts by the enemy of our souls to take you off track, to sow seeds of doubt and even to attack you physically, emotionally and spiritually?

Take heart. Rejoice.

As this last 12:12 verse of the 12:12:12 fast reminds us, his time is short, but our Lord shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 11:5) Hallelujah!

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

I recently did a conference down in Woodstock, Ontario with a ministry called Grace Ministries. There were people from all over the southern Ontario region in attendance in those meetings–a very diverse group of people. Some of them were Third Wavers and some of them were from more traditional backgrounds, but each in the end received from the Holy Spirit.

The Lord said to me recently, “Darren, do you know that my church has never been perfect?”

I have heard many people say it through the years, and never thought much of it, but when I heard the Spirit of the Lord say this to me it struck in the middle of my being. Because while such a statement can be made, and we can have understanding of it at some level, many of us do not truly believe that this is a true statement.  We sometimes look through the lens of time and see the past from an ideal state.

If we did believe it was a true statement, wouldn’t it affect the way we acted?

How many of us judge other churches or ministries because they seem different than our own, and yet God is there in the midst of them.  If we understood that the church was not perfect perhaps we would have more compassion with one another.

I remember looking with my spiritual eyes after this statement was uttered through the history of the church, and indeed I did not see one form of Christianity in that vision that was perfect in the eyes of God. But Christ is coming for a bride without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

So there must be something that is going to happen in the church before the coming of Christ into the earth. My imagination cannot even begin to picture what such a movement of the Spirit will be like.

As I was ministering the other night such a diverse crowd of people was before me–Presbyterians, United Church, Catholics, Baptists, Salvation Army and Pentecostals–the one thing that I could see linking them all was a hunger for the presence of Jesus Christ and a desire to be righteous and holy in His sight.

Yes, there are many parts to the body but it is the same Spirit that courses through that body. He is able to bring us together in such a way that we don’t even see our differences. This one wears a three-piece suit, this one goes business casual, this one smells good and this one, well, bad, and yet we are all in unity because the Spirit is with us.

I have seen places filled with the glory of God, and each time there is one thing that amazes me and that is how people will stay until late in the night talking and loving each other. Meetings that start at 6:00 p.m or 7:00 p.m are still going into the midnight hours.  People still together laughing and enjoying each other’s company, all by the Spirit of God.

It is God’s Spirit who helps us to love each other. It is His Holy Spirit who keeps us together fellowshipping and enjoying one another. We don’t even see each other’s differences any longer. They are just another soul that looks and feels like family because, well, they are your family in God.

On Day 9 of the 12:12:12 Fast, would you pray that the entire Body of Christ realizes and values how the Holy Spirit holds its many different parts together as one?

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

When you read this simple scripture closely you begin to see the Christian life within it.  The hope of Christ is our very foundation.  It was because of what he did on the cross that we have hope at all.  In Christ I am a new creation who is no longer bound by the world but now has become a Son of God just like he was a Son of God on earth, and the same peace and joy that was upon him is now upon me.

The hope that I have is magnificent.  Not only do I have a hope for a better life here on earth, but I have an eternity to come where there will be no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more death or mourning or pain (Revelation 21:4).

Without Christ there was no hope when the pain came, but now when pain comes I don’t focus on it anymore.  I know that these old things will pass away and all things will become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  In the midst of my sorrow hope arises because I know that what I am suffering is producing a crown of righteousness upon my head.  I know that the pain is killing something in the old nature and that the nature of Christ is taking its place.

And when the patience of Christ is in my heart, and affliction does arise, great strength comes to me because I do not grow weary or impatient.  I consider my impatience but then grow past it and instead of becoming angry I grow in longsuffering.  Yes, the pain and sorrow and depression and anger try to attack me, but with the help of Holy Spirit I look past it and into the eyes of the King of Peace, who assures me that this too will pass.

Prayer also becomes my greatest weapon against all the pain and lack of knowledge in my life.  I pray endlessly for assurance but also for the knowledge to live according to his word.  He opens my eyes through prayer and even teaches me to pray his prayers.

There are so many times that a question arises in my head that I do not have an answer for, so  I assume that this must be a question from the Lord and begin to pray it back to him.  He opens my eyes to see in ways I never even imagined.  The hope that comes to my heart when I hear him and see him is beyond description.

Before you know it you have walked many miles with him and look at those who do not believe in wonder.  He shows himself so strong to you, and yet, there are those that are faithless all around, that don’t believe that God can speak, let alone heal, let alone deliver or let alone bless and favor a life.

And then prayer becomes more of a weapon against the darkness all around.

You begin to cry out for faith to increase and for those that do not know him to experience a marvelous encounter of the Holy Spirit.  You pray that they will have a vision or a dream that will strengthen them, for them to become everything they were meant to become in Jesus Christ the Lord.  You pray for visitations in people’s lives, and then regions and then cities and then nations.

And before you know it your hope in Christ has been spread abroad to many hearts and you have prayed for many broken people.  They cling to you because of the hope of Christ that is in you.  They grip you and shed tears near your feet because you have become a tabernacle, a dwelling place of the Lord Most High.  He is always kind, always merciful and gracious to the sinner and when they see his reflection in you, they become undone.

On this 8^th day of the 12:12:12 fast, would you ask the Holy Spirit to show you how He would grade you on these three qualities?

• Joyful in Hope
• Patient in Affliction &
• Faithful in Prayer

So…how did you score?

2 Chronicles 12:12
“Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.”

The first part of Chronicles 12 says that when Rehoboam was established as King he became strong and then he and all Israel abandoned the Law of the Lord. The parallels to our own time are rather interesting.

We live in a time when the West has become very rich and very powerful. And it seems that in our own self-sufficiency and power we have given up on the Lord our God. And I will remind you that it was in the name of the Lord that many of the nations in the west were founded.

My friend today posted a picture on Facebook of a school in the United States. While by law you are not allowed to pray or mention the name of Christ in schools in the US, this picture showed in one school an image of the Buddha under a tree of life.  It was on display for everyone to see.  A sure sign that we have lost our Christian ways in the nations of the west when we allow such things to occur.

In our self-sufficiency we have become proud. We have turned from the living God to foreign gods and to humanism. We have become proud and obstinate. We have rebelled against the Lord our God.

However, I believe that there are coming great periods of turmoil in the near future that will become opportunities for the people of the west to turn back in repentance to the Lord their God.

When Rehoboam faced the Egyptian Army and their King, Shishak, the sheer numbers of soldiers arrayed against him was too powerful. He understood that defeat was imminent.

In that moment a prophet of the Lord came to Rehoboam with a message. He said that the Lord says, “You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.”

The response of the King and the nation of Israel in the moment was rather interesting. Instead of arching their back and trying to justify themselves, they recognized the truth of the rebuke and repented acknowledging that “God was just.” They didn’t even ask God to stop the attack, but accepted their fate.  But God saw their repentance and told them he was going to help them.

In this hour in the west I pray that in the moment of crisis our nations will once again acknowledge the Lord our God. I pray that humility will rise upon our leaders and our people when difficult times do come. We have seen some tremendous crises and uprisings occur already, but it doesn’t seem that our leaders have humbled themselves. In fact, it is safe to say that it seems that they have become more proud, allowing every form of wickedness to creep into our society unchecked.

We must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift us up. We must acknowledge that he is God and that the precedents for life and living that he has set are truth. We must repent of our wicked ways and turn to him with all our hearts and then perhaps he will spare us the cast iron rod of discipline.

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. (Psalm 10:14)

One of the greatest promises I know is the promise of God to protect those whom come to him for refuge.  Psalm 91 is my mother’s favorite Psalm.  She knows it by heart.  Many people call my mother for prayer because they know that she knows that God will help them in their times of trouble.

Even when darkness covers the earth God’s blessing and security are upon the righteous.  Even when they are being martyred for their faith the promise of his presence being with them is secure.

When we are in God we come into union with him (2 Peter 1:4).  We are one with him in spirit.  This is a mystery of heaven.  What I want to emphasize here is only that when God and man are one where God begins and man ends is not even divisible.  There is never a time that you are not linked to God.  You and God are one.

God is your very next breath.  He is never far away.  Gordon Robertson wrote “the Hebrew word behind spirit is ‘ruach,’ and it means “air in motion.” It is the same word for “breath.” It also means “life.”  When the Holy Spirit breath is in you how close to God you really are.  You can feel him inside of you.  You can feel his comfort and his peace.

Storms might and do come but when you are in the Spirit you are always safe in his arms.  His hands fold around about you and you know that everything is going to be alright.

And as the Psalmist said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth” (Psalm 31:5).  In life and even in death I am one with him.  In fact in Christ there is no death for the believer.  The promise is that you will appear before God in paradise upon the departure of your soul from your earthly tent.

Many people fear death but in Christ such a fear lacks understanding.  Death has no bite or no sting.  God is close to the aging and the dying.  There is a grace that comes in these hours for the believer to withstand the last moments of his life.  God is there with them and they are in the shelter of the most high even then.

God’s protection is not what we imagine it to be.  His protection is greater.  He offers hope to the hopeless and strength to those with no strength.  He is the father to the fatherless and the husband to the widow.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He will be there all the days of your life.

What a great assurance to have as we advance toward our destiny!

 

The promise of scripture is that if we remain in God then his blessings will overtake our lives (Matthew 6:33).  The problem with that promise is that we can do nothing to actually remain in God by our own strength although many try.

There are many trying to flee the curse of the law and live a life of obedience by their own hands when it is only the hand of God that can set you free and help you to obey.  It is the work of Christ on the cross, his shed blood on Calvary that redeems us from the curse of the Law so that we can walk in the blessings of life of obedience to the Law.

Man has no strength of his own to obey the law.  A man might see the benefits of living a life of obedience but has no power to do it and so the promise appears fleeting – just like a lottery ticket for the $50 Million prize.  The ticket is in your hand but the prize never manifests.

But the promises of blessing in Deuteronomy 28 will manifest in your life when you surrender to Christ, and these promises are greater than any lottery prize you might win.  Favor, health, prosperity, long life, family, well being are all yours when you obey Christ and live for him alone.

Christ came and died to set us free from the power of sin and death, thereby ensuring that we could walk according to the law by grace and therefore be partakers of all the riches of the Kingdom, both in heaven and on earth.

Because I am empowered to walk according to the word of God I can cry out like Jabez did and say “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request (1 Chronicles 4:10).

Therefore a sign that the hand of God is upon a man or woman’s life is because of the blessing that flows through it.  When the hand of God is upon us we have favor in every way imaginable.  Every time we turn around a greater portion and greater blessing falls upon us.

We become like Nehemiah who God set apart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  The scripture says of him that “because the hand of God was upon his life the king granted his requests” (Nehemiah 2:8). When favor is upon your life your will have favor with Kings and governors.  I regularly declare such favor over my life.

I pray that you will come to understand the power of God’s blessing through Christ.  I am not saying that hard times do not come to the Christian.  They do and will, but a part of the blessing of God is peace and joy in the midst of the storm.  There will always be blessing and prosperity in the believer’s life no matter what they go through.  This is the word of God.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

God’s right hand is filled with righteousness (Psalm 48:10).  The very nature of our God is righteousness. That is who he is. When Isaiah looked into his expression he was struck by the Holiness of God and was made aware of his own impurity. When Moses spoke to God face-to-face with Yahweh his face radiated the glory of God and his holiness. People didn’t even want to look at him with an unveiled face.

When we encounter God and hunger and thirst for him the Holy Spirit convicts us of our unrighteousness and we long for a deeper and deeper encounter. This deeper longing inevitably will bring us to our knees in confession and repentance. For when we see the holy God we want to continue with him and the only way to be with him is to be free from sin.  His Grace comes and sets us free that we may remain in that place of his presence.

The longing to be like him causes God’s grace to move in our lives.  When we cry out for him he comes and transforms our natures.  If we justify ourselves and our sins then how can he come and change us.  As long as we justify our sins and our evil natures we stop the Holy Spirit from transforming us.

Our hearts then grow cold and hard.  The longer that we ignore his voice the more we become hard.  He continuously speaks to us about our need, but when we don’t listen we stop hearing him.

Many hearts grow cold because they failed to listen to God’s voice in their lives.  If you want to hear God’s voice and have his peace in your heart you need to lean into him again.  You need to repent for not listening and turn toward him and he will heal your life.  Only when we listen should we expect his blessing to come upon our countenance and life.

Perhaps this is your situation right now.  You have been hard in your heart for a long time.  You have wondered if God is even there anymore.  If you feel a conviction in this moment confess your sins and let God bring healing to your heart.  It is amazing what the Spirit of God can do to a repentant heart.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
    her salvation like a blazing torch.
² The nations will see your righteousness,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
³ You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God. (Isaiah 62:1-3)

God is in the business of shining up his bride.  Scripture says “that just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

And then there is this scripture in Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”  When we long for the righteousness of God the promise in scripture is that we shall be filled with it.

It is not just that we shall be filled but when we long for God there is the promise that he is with us and will make our paths straight (Matthew 6:33).   Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”  God is your help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

I know what I am saying is challenging, but we are promised that if we long for righteousness we shall be set free.  The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier and helper (Ezekiel 36:26), who comes to reside within our hearts and empowers us to walk the Holy Way.  It is true that you do not have the strength of character to keep the law, that is why when Christ died and went to the right hand of the father he sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper and guide (John 14:15-16).

When the Holy Spirit comes upon our lives it is like the hand of God coming to our aid and we are able to do what once was impossible for us to do.  No longer are we bound to the chains of sin but through the blood of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit we are set free to be righteous and true.  We become a new man renewed in our hearts by the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:16).

The Right hand of God, which is really the Son of God, Jesus Christ, sets us free to become what he was in the earth.  The same peace and expression that was upon the countenance of Christ becomes our peace and expression.  As he won hearts through right living we will too.

I am not speaking as one who knows no sin in his life.  I have sinned in every way imaginable.  The freedom from sin that is in my life now was won by the work of Christ on the cross.  It was the Lord’s right hand that set me free.

I pray that you will advance toward your destiny as one has been set free by the right hand of God.