Body

Devotions

You Are a Living Message for All to See

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

“We do not lose heart … but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). The apostle Paul states that we are called to be a manifestation of the truth. Of course, we know Jesus is this truth. So, what does Paul mean by saying, in essence, that we are to manifest Jesus? 

A manifestation is a “shining forth” that makes something clear and understandable. So, in short, Paul is saying we are called to make Jesus known and understood to all people. In each of our lives, there should be a shining forth of the very nature and likeness of Christ.

Paul takes this concept of manifesting Christ even further. He says we are actually God’s letters to the world: “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men … written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

The carnal mind simply cannot comprehend spiritual things. It considers them foolish. So God chose to make his Son known to sinners in a most effective way: by revealing him in flesh-and-blood epistles, living messages that can be read by everyone. This happens only by the work of the Spirit. At the moment we are saved, the Holy Spirit imprints in us the very image of Jesus and he continues shaping this image in us. The Spirit’s mission is to form in us an image of Christ that is so truthful and accurate that it will actually pierce people’s consciences.

The Holy Spirit accomplishes this by taking hold of our redeemed hearts and surrendered bodies and continually drawing us into Jesus’ presence. There we are compelled to holy living.

As you spend more time with him, his image in you will grow and your life will become such a powerful manifestation of Jesus that those around you will be touched and moved.

Feeling Empty and Powerless

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

Moses was possessed by God. When he lived in Pharaoh’s house, he refused to be called Pharaoh’s son: “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:25-26).

There is no doubting God’s touch on Moses’ life while he was in Egypt. He knew he was called to deliver Israel; in fact, he assumed the Israelites would recognize him as their deliverer when he killed the Egyptian slave driver. Stephen testified of this: “[He] struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand” (Acts 7:24-25).

Instead, Moses had to flee Egypt because of his action. By the time he left he was totally sold out to God, although he had no idea he was about to hide on the back side of a desert for forty years.

What does this wilderness period in Moses’ life represent? It is a time that many God-possessed servants face. You may be one of them, feeling that you are stuck in a place far beneath your abilities. Moses was just such a servant. He had a mighty call on his life and he dreamed of doing great works for God, yet he was in a wasteland with no apparent future.  

While Moses was convinced he had no voice and no message, God was working behind the scenes. One day he set a bush on fire and spoke from it, “Take off your shoes, Moses. You’re on holy ground! Now you are about to see great things in your service to me.” 

That burning bush was the fire of the Holy Spirit moving through a natural object. Likewise today, God wants to reveal more of himself to you so that others around you will realize, “That person has been with Jesus.” As you seek him with renewed intensity, you will be turned into a new man, a new woman. Just as it was with Moses, your best days are still ahead. 

Can We be with Christ Apart from His Body?

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

The apostle Paul instructs us, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In another place he says more specifically, “The body is one and has many members, but all the members … are one body, so also is Christ” (12:12).

Paul is telling us, in essence, “Take a look at your own body. You have hands, feet, eyes, ears. You’re not just an isolated brain, unattached to the other members.” It is the same with Christ. He is not just a head; he has a body and we comprise its members. We are connected to Jesus, our head, but we are also joined to each other.

Paul drives this point home, saying, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). Simply put, we are all fed by the same food: Christ, the manna from heaven. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33).

Some Christians do not want to be connected to other members of the body. They commune with Jesus but they deliberately isolate themselves from other believers. But a body cannot be comprised of just a single member and Christ’s body cannot be made up of a head alone. We simply cannot be one with Christ without being one with his body.

Believers are knit together not only by their need for Jesus, but by their need for each other. Paul states, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Corinthians 12:21).

Our head says we are all important, even necessary, to the functioning of his body. This is especially true of members who may be bruised and hurting. The Lord himself says, “I have need of you. You are a vital member of my body and absolutely necessary for it to function.”

God-Given Burdens

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

Have you been challenged to step out in a new direction that demands supernatural faith? Do you need God to work a miracle in your life so that you can realize your dream?

In God’s eyes, true faith has nothing to do with the size of a work you aim to accomplish. Rather, it has to do with the focus and direction of your life. You see, God isn’t as concerned with your grand vision as he is with who you are becoming. Indeed, no work, regardless of how great, is of any value to the Lord unless the lesser, hidden matters of faith are being done.

“If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16:12). Jesus is saying to his disciples, “You say you want a revelation, something to enable you to do greater things. Yet, how can you be entrusted with that kind of faith if you’re not reliable with the things others have given you?”

Jesus’ words must have left his disciples scratching their heads. The Master knew they didn’t own anything and they had forsaken all to be his disciples. So what does Jesus mean when he says, “that which is another man’s” (16:12)? He is speaking of our bodies and souls, which he purchased with his own blood. “You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Jesus is telling us, “Your body doesn’t belong to you anymore, and if you don’t take care of that body — if you don’t allow me to look inside you, deal with your sin, and sanctify you — how can you expect me to entrust you with something greater? I want you to step back and look at what you’ve done with the things I have already given to you.”

I thank the Lord for heaven-sent visions and God-given burdens. Yet, many burdened believers don't realize that before a dream can be brought to pass, God often does years of stripping and breaking. Jesus wants us to just bring our faith, he will bring about a true vision.

Convinced

Gary Wilkerson

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38).

Paul gives us a helpful word to cling to here: convinced. It is the key to being freed from every doubt about God’s favor toward us.

Even when we have lingering doubts, God’s grace flows freely to heal us. It happened for the disciple Thomas, who doubted his friends when they said Jesus was alive. Thomas represents a lot of Christians today. They once believed in Christ and rejoiced as they saw God transforming lives. But then came a lingering trial that dragged on for years.

These Christians still go to church and hear sermons about God’s goodness. But something inside them has died and they can’t resurrect it. The lingering disappointment of their long, dismal setback has beaten them down too far.

Is this you? Jesus wants to come to you just as he did to Thomas. He wants to show you his scars from the worst possible trial. He wants the power of his resurrection to raise you to life in a way you could never do for yourself. He comes to convince you of his eternal Word — to demonstrate through his resurrection that nothing will ever derail you from his kingdom purpose: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:39).

Because of Jesus’ loving grace, Thomas believed again and became one of the most impactful of all the disciples. Jesus withheld nothing from Thomas when his friend needed to believe again. Jesus also calls you his friend, and he has withheld nothing to keep you in his love. He brings resurrection life to you in the midst of your trial and, like Thomas, you will see his glory again and be amazed.