Category Archives: God’s Will

Access, Asking, Bible, Cleansing, Cross, Direction, Escape, Forgiveness, God's Will, Heaven, Salvation, Scripture

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

ZECHARIAH 5:10

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘Where are they taking the ephah?’”

If you have children, you have probably put up with “explorations.” We put up baby gates and all sorts of contraptions to try to keep the little buggers contained. But lo and behold, they would find ways to escape. I can remember sitting and watching my children trying to figure out how to get loose. I would jokingly ask them, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Zechariah just watched the two winged women swoop down and pick up the ephah with the woman (wickedness) inside and fly away. His first thought was “Where are they going?” I don’t think he was concerned about the woman’s welfare. He was just curious about their destination. By this time, Zechariah wasn’t afraid to ask anything of that angel. (Come back tomorrow to see where they take her.)

APPLICATION

As I was thinking of an application for this verse, the thought came to me – what happens to our sins? Where does God carry them? We have the answer right in Scripture. Psalm 103:11-12 says, “11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.”

That’s a long way! You can’t get to the east by traveling west or vice versa. You just keep traveling in the direction you are going, whether that be heading east or heading west. In other words, you can’t get back that sin once it has been forgiven. It’s gone. Now, you may choose to sin again, but it won’t be that same sin. It will be a brand new one.

God could pile all our sins up in one big heap in heaven (mine would be mountainous) and show them all to us when we get there. But no, He removes them. So, we don’t have to ask that question I asked earlier. We know where He carries our sins – to the cross, where they are forgiven forever. Amen? Amen!

Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Calvary, Calvary
Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near

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Commands, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Bible, Scripture, Evil, Redemption, Flesh, Deceit, Devil, Sin, Choices, Cleansing, Boundaries, Wickedness

PUT A LID ON IT

ZECHARIAH 5:8

“Then he said, ‘This is Wickedness!’ And he thrust her into the middle of the ephah and threw the lead weight on its opening.”

Put a lid on it! You may have heard that expression in regard to asking someone to be quiet, to stop talking. It is usually used when someone keeps rambling on about something until someone gets tired of hearing it. Has that ever happened to you? Have you been told that or told someone else that? It happens to the best of us.

Zechariah watches as the angel “puts a lid on it.” He calls the woman “Wickedness” and shoves her back into the ephah and slams down the lead cover. Obviously, when the angel raised the lid in the previous verse to show Zechariah what was in the ephah, the woman tried to stand or escape. But that was not happening here. Slamming of the lead cover showed that God could and would restrain the sin of the nation. He was in control, not the wickedness symbolized by the woman.

APPLICATION

We need to “put a lid” on sin. Our sinful nature is more prone to let it run free. I remember all too well how sin controlled me. It truly is wickedness. But we can gain control of that if we allow the Holy Spirit to slam the lid on it. We are actually told to do just that.

In Romans 6:12-14 we are told, “12 Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.”

Well, you can’t argue with that, can you? We are not under the Law. We are under grace. Praise be to God! Sin has no more control over my life through Jesus. He paid the price. He paid off our debts to sin and its master. We are free to live a life away from sin. We still have that sinful nature in us, but the Holy Spirit can restrain that, if we let Him. Will you?

Lord, use Your Holy Spirit in my life to restrain me from sin, to put the lid on it.

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Answers, Asking, Bible, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, God's Will, Scripture, Teaching

HERE WE GO AGAIN

ZECHARIAH 4:13

“So he answered me, saying, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ And I said, ‘No, my lord.’”

A large part of my ministry career involved supervising people. I felt like I have been a pretty good coach over the years. I tried to answer everyone’s questions. Better yet, I tried to get them to ask the right questions. I wanted them to think for themselves. We teach men in our ministry of Every Man A Warrior to think for themselves and to teach their children to do the same.

That is what the angel is trying to get Zechariah to do – think for himself. This is the second time in this vision that he has given this answer to him. In fact, if you look back at verse 5, this verse is identical to it – the same words. That is not a mistake. Repetition is important for learning. The angel was repeating himself on purpose. Think Zechariah, think!

APPLICATION

Often, in our walk with the Lord, He will not give us the answer immediately. He wants us to grow. He wants us to learn. He is helping us mature as believers. It is like Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:2, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to consume it. But even now you are not yet able,…”

Can you imagine living your whole life only drinking milk? You would not be very strong physically. You need other foods to grow. In the same way, God will not spoon feed you all your life. He wants you to grow strong, spiritual muscles, so He allows things in your life to stretch those muscles. He will give you the strength you need, but you will need to push yourself as well.

Now, don’t be afraid to keep asking Him for help. He is always there. But be patient when the answers come slowly. There is a reason for that. He may give you the exact same answer you got last time. That’s okay. That’s for a reason as well. Trust the process He has you in. He is building you into a beautiful vessel.

Lord, I do have to admit that I am impatient sometimes when I ask You for something. Give me more faith, Lord, to trust the process.

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Answers, Asking, Bible, Blessing, Faith, God's Will, Knowledge, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Seeking

ASK IT AGAIN

ZECHARIAH 4:12

“And I responded the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’”

Children can wear you out asking questions. Go to a preschool classroom full of 3 and 4-year-olds. Wow! Pastor Carl, why do ducks have webbed feet? Pastor Carl, where does the sun go at night? Pastor Carl,…? You see what I mean. They are inquisitive and want answers. If they don’t get an answer the first time, they will ask it again and again.

Zechariah has now asked the angel three times about these olive trees or branches. He still hasn’t gotten an answer (we’ll see that in a couple of days). He wants to know what all this means. He wants to make sure he understands exactly what it means. Why? Because he knows he must tell the people what God has shown him.

APPLICATION

God’s Word has all the answers to every question we have. You just have to look for it. That may mean digging it out yourself. It may mean going to someone you trust and asking them. Listen to Paul in his letter to the Romans. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

I really like Psalm 19:9-10. “9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” Isn’t that awesome? And so is the study of His Word.

Let me challenge you this week to do a deep dive into the Word. You may have a pressing question you want answered. Maybe there’s a word you have been meaning to study more about. Take the time. Turn off the TV and let God speak to you. He will not withhold His wisdom from those who seek it.

Oh Lord, I want to know You more. I want to know more of Your Word.

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Abiding, Bible, Choices, Faith, God's Will, Gospel, Power, Salvation, Scripture

TRUE POWER

ZECHARIAH 4:6

“Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of armies.’”

Oh, do I have stories to tell of my attempts to do things on my own. Whether it was stubbornness about a task I needed to accomplish or my impatience with others resulting in me going it alone, I learned that I need others in my life. I particularly need the one true source of power – Jesus Christ. Amen?

Today’s verse is an often quoted verse. But seldom do people go back to the vision in verses 2-5 to get the full meaning of this verse. Just as the lampstand was fed eternally by the olive trees depositing an endless supply of olive oil, so too would Israel be provided the strength through Jehovah. It wasn’t about military strength or their own physical strength. It was God who would enable them to finish the temple to His glory.

APPLICATION

We need His Spirit. We need His power. It is not about us. It is all about Him. Have you experienced this? I pray you have. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The power of God! For salvation! To everyone who believes!

We find later in the New Testament, another writer stating the same message. 1 Peter 1:5 says about believers, “who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Not only does His power save us, but it also protects us. Why would we not want to yield to Him?

Let me let you in on a little secret. God will let you try it on your own. Even though He has drawn you to Him, He will not force you to receive this power. And then when you find out that you can’t do it, He is there. That was my dad’s testimony. He finally realized at 80-years-old that he couldn’t do it on his own. Glory! Hallelujah! You can know that too.

It is Your power, God. It is Your Spirit that gives us strength.

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Awake, Bible, Choices, Distractions, God's Will, Obedience, Scripture, Seeing

WHO NEEDS AN ALARM?

ZECHARIAH 4:1

“Then the angel who had been speaking with me returned and woke me, like a person who is awakened from his sleep.” 

I wake up most mornings before my alarm goes off. I don’t know how to explain it except my body has a built in alarm. I think about the time I need to get up and most days I wake up just before then. I like that. I like to get up early and spend time with the Lord before it gets crazy busy.

Zechariah didn’t need an alarm clock either. He had an angel to wake him up. He was not startled, or so it seems, because this was the same angel who had been talking to him. I can just picture that, can’t you? Wake up, sleepy head. I am not finished talking. Zechariah rubs the sleep out of his eyes and, as we will see tomorrow, the angel starts right in delivering another message to him for the people.

APPLICATION

Too many of us walk around in a slumber. We are believers, but we aren’t aware of what is going on around us. It almost appears our eyes are shut to the spiritual realm in which we live. I love Psalm 3:5. “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.” The Lord can awake you to a new day, a new vision.

I am not trying to get strange here. I just know that the Lord works that way. He will awaken us to new things. He will awaken us to His vision for the world. He will awaken us to a new calling. Oh, wait! I’ve gone too far, haven’t I?

You see, most Christians are fine with talking about Jesus. But don’t ask them to shift their way of seeing the world. Don’t ask them to gear up for warfare against the enemy. Since the Lord woke me up, I see the world in a whole new way – His way.

Wake me, Lord, each day to new opportunities to serve You.

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Advocate, Authority, Bible, Conviction, Eyes, God's Will, Hiding, Scripture, Seeing

EYES EVERYWHERE

ZECHARIAH 3:9

“‘“For behold, the stone that I have put before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I am going to engrave an inscription on it,” declares the LORD of armies, “and I will remove the guilt of that land in one day.”’”

You have probably heard the expression that someone “has eyes in the back of their head.” I accused a lot of my teachers of having those eyes. I couldn’t get away with anything in the classroom. They would be at the chalkboard (yes, we had chalkboards, not whiteboards) and call me down for misbehaving. How did they do that?

Here in today’s verse, we have a stone with seven eyes. What in the world does that mean? Well look at a similar verse in Revelation 5:6. “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Do you think there is some connection? This stone in Zechariah represented the all-seeing God.

APPLICATION

The application today is obvious. God is all-seeing. You cannot hide from Him. There is no place to hide. Look at the words of David in Psalm 139:7-10. “7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take up the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me.”

So, why are you still running? Why do you doubt God’s presence? There is no escape. You may have been running from God for decades. You may think you can just ignore Him and He will go away. Ask Jonah how that turned out? Lol. Instead of running from Him, try running towards Him. He will open His arms and welcome you.

My problem was I did not even know I was running. I attended church but didn’t really follow Him. I was pursuing all the pleasures of this life I could get. I was running in the wrong direction. I learned what I was missing when I stopped pursuing those things and started pursuing God. What a difference!

I run to You, Lord. I want to pursue those things Paul mentioned to Timothy – righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

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Admonished, Advice, Angels, Bible, Commands, Eternity, Following, God's Will, Hearing, Listening, Obedience, Scripture

ADMONISHED

ZECHARIAH 3:6

“And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,”

This time of the year here in the U.S. there are a lot of graduation ceremonies. At most high school and college graduations there will be a speaker, an invited guest. This person may be an alum, a celebrity, a politician or an educator. The purpose of this person’s speech is to admonish, to exhort, to challenge and to remind the students of their responsibilities that lie ahead. I have a granddaughter graduating this year from high school. I am sure she will hear such a speech.

You may question why I would do a devotional on such an insignificant verse. Really? Is any verse insignificant if it is inspired by God? I don’t think so. Look at the verse. The “angel of the Lord” is considered by many to be Jesus Christ who appears throughout the Old Testament. He is reminding Joshua of what is about to come. In the next four verses we will see what He says. This admonishment wasn’t cruel or harsh. It was just a firm reminder.

APPLICATION

I usually see “admonishments” in a negative way. Maybe that’s because I have actually received a lot of those. But an admonishment is not meant to be negative if it comes from the Lord. Remember, His desire is to always draw you to Him. He is not trying to scare you away. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”

I don’t want to react to God’s voice like a feral cat that runs away if you try to approach. I want to be like the family dog that runs to the door to greet you when they hear your car pull into the driveway. They can’t wait to see you. That’s exactly how I want to react when God admonishes me. He may just want to remind me of my purpose or to tell me He loves me.

When God speaks to you, how do you react? Well, Carl, I haven’t heard God speak to me? Oh, you are missing out. Get alone with Him and ask Him to talk to you. You’ve got to listen, though. You’ve got to get quiet and wait. You have to tune your ear to His voice. Then when He does speak you can recognize it. And then hang on. His words of admonishment will be welcomed then.

Speak to my heart, Lord Jesus. Speak that my soul may hear.

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Advocate, Asking, Attitude, Bible, Boldness, God's Will, Requests, Scripture

SPEAK UP

ZECHARIAH 3:5

“Then I said, ‘Have them put a clean headband on his head.’ So they put the clean headband on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.”

Have you ever been watching someone build something and see something missing? If you are like me, you can’t help but speak up and suggest it. In my ministry, there have been times a thought would cross my mind in a discussion with a team about something that would just be the answer. Once it was mentioned everyone agreed that it was just what the group had been looking for. I attribute those thoughts to the Lord. He is the giver of all good things.

Zechariah is standing by watching the angels dress Joshua with the festive robes (see yesterday’s blog) and notices something is missing. Aww, the “holy crown upon it and the plate of prate gold, on which was graven, Holiness to the Lord” Exodus 28:36-38; Exodus 29:6. You see, this “crown” was to be worn by the high priest before the Lord. Zechariah suggests this in a prayerful tone, and his request was granted.

APPLICATION

The part of this verse that struck me is that Zechariah was bold enough to speak up, and his request was heard and immediately acted upon. We need to speak up. We need to let the Lord know our requests. I love Psalm 40:1. “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He reached down to me and heard my cry.” The Lord wants to hear our voice.

Notice Zechariah wasn’t asking for himself. He was praying on behalf of Joshua and the nation. When you see a brother or sister in need, stop right then and give God a shout out. Speak boldly. Come before the throne of grace on their behalf. We are commanded to pray for one another. Do that today.

In my daily Quiet Time, I pray through a list of people daily, weekly and monthly. These are friends and family. Some are fellow missionaries I have known for years. What a joy to hear back from some of them thanking me for praying. Ask your friends how you can pray for them and then do it. God is listening!

I know You are always listening, Lord. Your ears are attentive to my cries for mercy.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Clothing, Devil, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Lies, Restoration, Salvation, Satan, Scripture

LET’S GET DRESSED UP

ZECHARIAH 3:4

And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.’”

Today, in most churches, you don’t see many people dressed up. Men rarely, if ever, wear a suit and tie. Women don’t wear dresses or hats. When I was young, those were common sights. I don’t mind wearing a suit and tie. In fact, I kind of like it. Now, God doesn’t require that, I know. But I kind of feel nice when I dress nicer for church than when I go to a ballgame. That’s just me.

We find Joshua, the high priest, clothed in filthy garments (see yesterday’s blog) in Zechariah’s vision. But the Lord does not leave him like that. He gives instructions to the angels to remove those filthy things and to clothe him in festive robes. These were probably the high priest’s garments. This action represented God’s forgiveness of the people of Israel. They were now cleansed of those sins represented by the other garments.

APPLICATION

The good news for us is God does the same for us. Take me, for instance. I was a filthy dog. Really, I was. My life before Christ was filled with debauchery. I wasn’t fit for my King. But because I placed my trust in Christ, He removed my filthy garments and clothed me in His righteousness. Now, I am wearing His garment of praise. Isaiah 61:3 says, “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Don’t you want that? Barnes says this about today’s verse. “But when God had pity on them, He bade them be freed from their defilements, and in a manner re-clad with justifying grace.”

Oh, friends, He does the same for you. He will free you from your defilements. He will clothe you with His grace. All you have to do is come to Him. Are you still trying to pick up those old, filthy garments? Has the devil got you believing you are not worthy of His garments? You are! God says you are. Don’t believe those lies of Satan.

I have known a lot of Christians who wallow in their own filth. They have asked Christ to be their Savior, but they just can’t believe it is that simple. Well, it is, and it isn’t. Salvation is free but is not cheap. A surrendered life will cost you everything. In return, He gives you His kingdom as a joint heir with Christ. Just look at Romans 8:16-17. “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Now, live like it.

I don’t deserve Your garments, Lord, but You have clothed me.

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