Body

Devotions

The First Step in Sharing Your Faith

Nicky Cruz

In the Old Testament we read the story of Jacob’s wife, Rachel, and her desperate desire to have a child. She could no longer bear the thought of living without knowing the joy of childbirth, without experiencing all that was intended for her as a woman in the Jewish culture. Rachel’s pain was unbearable and she cried out to Jacob, “Give me children or I’ll die” (Genesis 30:1).

Bringing a soul to Christ is very much like giving birth. The Holy Spirit conceives the desire in our hearts, and we then begin to nurture the process, praying for souls regularly. We long to see our new baby delivered and when it is born, we don’t want to ever put it down. We play and cuddle and mentor God’s new creation. We plant and water, praying that God will give the increase. All we can think about is helping our child grow and flourish and take on the image of Christ.

If only every follower of Christ felt this same sense of passion and urgency to bring a new child into God’s kingdom! If only we each decided that we could no longer live with the thought of being barren. If only the desire burned within our hearts until we could no longer contain it, until we finally kept crying out to God, “Give me a spiritual child or I will die.”

Everywhere I go I meet Christians who have never felt the joy of leading a soul to Christ. They come to me asking for advice, usually with eyes cast downward in embarrassment. I tell them not to be ashamed by this fact but instead excited that the Holy Spirit is convicting their hearts.

“The first step in sharing your faith is developing a burning desire to do so,” I tell them. We can count on the Holy Spirit to ignite this desperate desire within us, for this is exactly what he wants to do.

Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book Run, Baby, Run.

How Do We Develop Trust in God?

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

To enter into God’s rest, we must renounce our own efforts. Faith alone admits us into this perfect rest: “For we who have believed do enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). Simply put, we are to set our hearts to believe that God is faithful to deliver us in every circumstance, no matter how impossible it may seem.

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (4:10). When we are at rest in Christ, we no longer try to put on a brave face in times of trouble. We don’t pump up some phony acceptance of our crisis and we don’t worry that we might cave in to fear and begin questioning God’s love. In short, our “works mentality” ceases and we simply trust the Lord.

How do we develop such trust? We seek the Lord in prayer, meditate on his Word, and walk in obedience. You may object, “But these are all works.” I disagree. They are all acts of faith. As we observe these disciplines, we are trusting that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, building up a reservoir of strength for our time of need. We may not feel God’s strengthening going on inside us, or feel his power being built up in us. But when our next trial comes, these heavenly resources will become manifest in us. In fact, this is the foremost reason I seek the Lord diligently — fasting, praying, studying, looking to obey his commandments through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As long as you are serving the Lord, the devil will never give you rest. You will face intense warfare, surprise attacks, and in spite of all your past victories, you will always need heaven’s resources to help you endure.

Determine to be a soldier who is fully prepared for the battlefield. When the enemy suddenly comes at you, you are going to need all available ammunition. You will want to have reserves to draw on; you will have won the battle on your knees before God, prior to the conflict.

Before You Were Formed, God Knew You

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

According to Jesus, in God’s eyes Christ and his Church are one. Paul illustrates this with the analogy of a human body. He says Christ is the head and we are his body — bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. “[God] put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23). “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30).

The implication here is that when the Father loved Jesus before eternity, he loved us, too. Indeed, when man was still only a thought in God’s eternal mind, the Lord was already numbering our parts and planning our redemption: “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4).

In the Psalms, David writes that he was loved by God while still in the womb. “You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God” (Psalm 22:9-10).

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16). In essence, David is saying, “Even before I was formed, you knew me, Lord. You had all my parts marked down beforehand.”

God loved you before the world began and there is no end to that love. “We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). If we abide in God, we can expect his love to be renewed to us every day. What a wonderful thought! Even when you are in turmoil of some sort, you can know that through it all, the Father is still loving you.

Stopping the Devil at Your Heart’s Door

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

One of the great tragedies of the Church in this generation, and one of God’s greatest griefs, is that so many Christians are not truly happy. They put on a good front — singing, clapping, smiling and praising. But lurking just beneath the surface is loneliness and deep misery.

These Christians are hot, then suddenly cold. They cannot cope with fear, and depression runs over them like a steamroller. One week they are high, the next week low. Many times their marriages follow that pattern as well. One day all is well between a husband and wife, and the next day they are miserable. Some days they cannot even talk to one another. They explain, “Well, that’s just the way marriage is supposed to be. You can’t expect to stay happy and loving all the time.”

Believers caught in this up-and-down cycle should heed the words of Paul to Timothy. He encouraged the young man to help others come to their senses and “escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26), or, as the King James Version puts it, “taken captive by him at his will.” This describes many believers perfectly: Because they give him access, Satan moves in and out of their lives at his own will. They exercise no authority to stop the devil at their heart’s door and he flaunts his hold of them. “You have no power of Christ in you to stop me,” Satan says. “You are my captive and will do as I wish.”

This lack of victory in Christ is appalling! Jesus did not die so that you continue to live under the power of Satan after you have given your heart to him. Be careful not get caught in this trap. Instead, set your heart on firmly walking with God and claiming his promises. Determine to seek him with all your might and he will fill your heart with true, lasting joy.

Beyond Anything in the Past

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

As the old prophet Elijah pondered his last day on earth, he invited his servant, Elisha, to go along with him as he visited the towns of Bethel and Jericho. On this “teaching journey,” they arrived at the bank of the Jordan River where Elijah removed his mantle — a wide, loose-fitting garment or gown — and smote the water with it. Supernaturally, the waters parted and the two men crossed over on dry ground (see 2 Kings 2:8).

On the other side of the river, Elijah turned to his servant and said, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” (2 Kings 2:9). Without hesitation, the younger man replied, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me” (same verse).

Elijah appeared surprised by Elisha’s response: “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so” (2:10). Elijah was saying, “If you see me as the Lord is taking me away, your desire will be fulfilled, but if you miss the action, you’ll have to go home disappointed.”

As they walked, suddenly a chariot appeared out of heaven and in a flash, Elijah was taken up. Elisha witnessed the whole scene and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” (2:12). Elijah was gone but his mantle dropped to the ground. Elisha picked it up and placed it on his own back. Then he returned to the Jordan and did just as his master had done: he struck the water with the mantle and immediately the waters parted and he walked over on dry ground. Thus began the young prophet’s remarkable ministry.

What does this passage have to say to us today? I believe God wants to do greater things with each succeeding generation. He wants to perform miracles and provide more of his Spirit for his people beyond anything seen in the past. He longs for us to prepare our hearts and see the Lord do a new thing in these last days.