Category Archives: God’s Will

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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Bible, End Times, Evangelism, God's Will, Gospel, Harvest, Missionaries, Scripture, Witnessing

GATHERING OF NATIONS

ZECHARIAH 2:11

“And many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me to you.

I have had the privilege the last several years to travel around the globe to various nations. Some of them are more welcoming of the message of Christ than others. I visited one country last year that particularly struck me. Even though the people were struggling with the economy, their hearts were full of Jesus and weren’t afraid to share that. One day we will worship as one around His throne.

Many scholars and theologians say today’s verse is a prophecy that was fulfilled through the birth of Christ and the drawing of millions of people all over the world. Zechariah could not foresee the movement of God around the world during the time he lived. He was simply a mouthpiece of the Lord proclaiming His message to the people. We have literally seen this fulfilled.

APPLICATION

My thoughts go to Romans 10:14-15, which say, “14 How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? 15 But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’” (Isaiah 52:7)

We have a responsibility to spread the gospel to the world. We have a part in this ingathering of the nations into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. There is no other way! I recently received a newsletter from a fellow missionary who lives in an unnamed country. It showed a huge crowd of Muslim men praying on their prayer rugs. The line of men continued out of view of the picture. Hundreds, if not thousands, of men praying desperately to be heard.

We know that the only name that brings salvation and peace is the name of Jesus. Philippians 2:10 tells us so. “…so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,…” Will you be a part of this ingathering? Will you spread the news today?

Give me the boldness and the opportunities to share the good news

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Answers, Asking, Bible, God's Will, Questions, Relationships, Scripture

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

ZECHARIAH 2:2

“So I said, ‘Where are you going?’ And he said to me, ‘To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.’”

What a great question! Have you ever asked that question of anyone? I remember when my kids were teenagers and they were about to head out the door, I would say, “Where are you going?” Most of the time it was to work or to a friend’s house. But I wanted to know where they were going. Why? Was I just being inquisitive? No! I had a vested interest in where they were going. I was their father and needed to know that.

Verse 2 today is the first time we see Zechariah asking the Angel of the Lord anything directly. In the other two visions in chapter 1, Zechariah converses with an angel sent to speak for the Lord. But here, Zechariah talks directly to the Angel of the Lord. He sees Him with that measuring line headed towards Jerusalem, so he wants to know His intentions. He boldly asks Him and receives an answer.

APPLICATION

When is the last time you asked the Lord anything? There are so many verses in the Word that tell us to ask. One of my favorite, memorized passages is Philippians 4:6-7. I have referred to it several times in my blog. It says, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petitions with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The verb used there for “let…be made known” is a strong verb. It’s Present tense, which means continuous action. It is also in the Middle voice, which means the subject (in this case – you) have to do the action. The Holy Spirit through Paul is saying to keep asking. Tell the Father what you need.

Boy, I’ve done that a lot. Haven’t you? A friend of mine just lost his wife to cancer this week. She had fought this for quite a while. They prayed for healing, believing God is capable. He chose to heal her a different way. He took her home. But my friend did not hesitate each day to ask the Lord for her healing. Dear friends, keep believing. Keep asking and see what the Lord will do.

Father, every day I come to You with my requests. I know you hear, and I know you answer.

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Advice, Bible, Encouragement, God's Will, Judgment, Scripture

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE

ZECHARIAH 2:1

“Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.”

My dad always told me to remember the most important rule about cutting anything. That was to measure twice and cut once. It’s better to take the time to measure again, just to make sure. Because once you have made that cut, there’s no going back. I have tried to remember that tip all through life. It can apply to lots of situations, not just carpentry.

This vision that starts chapter two is very similar to the once by Ezekiel. Look how similar they are. Ezekiel 40:3 gives a similar description. “So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a thread of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway.” Both men (many believe to be the Lord Jesus Himself) is measuring Jerusalem, much like Nehemiah measured as they rebuilt the walls. This is a good and positive vision.

APPLICATION

Is the Lord measuring you? I believe He is constantly measuring our lives and seeing the best way to build us up in Christ. Sometimes after measuring He may cut off the undesirable parts. Ouch! Yep, but that is crucial as He builds us according to His perfect plan. We tend to want to add on things that aren’t conducive to Christ. Then the Lord come along with that measuring line and whacks it off.

As believers, it is also our job to build up our brothers. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:8, “For if I boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,…” Some of us carry around a measuring line of judgment and look for ways to tear our brother or sister down. That is not our job. Let God handle the judging. We need to concentrate on building up.

When I get my hammer and saw out, my wife cringes. She knows I can handle small jobs, but she doesn’t want me to tackle the big stuff. My carpentry skills are okay, but I am by no means a master craftsman. I need to stick to the small stuff. But I can spend more time building her up. Take some time today to build up a brother or sister in Christ. We all can do that.

Thank You, Lord, for seeing the parts of me that need cutting off and for building me into the replica of Your Son.

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Affliction, Belief, Bible, Covenant, God's Will, Judgment, Rescue, Scripture, Suffering

SCATTERING

ZECHARIAH 1:19

“So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, ‘What are these?’ And he said to me, ‘These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.’” 

I love Waffle House, a restaurant chain here in the U.S. Their specialty is breakfast. Their staff have a certain lingo they use to describe the orders that are called out loud from the waiter(ess) to the cook who you can see at the grill. One particular word they use is “scattered,” which means to spread the hash browns on the grill. I love mine scattered and smothered (with onions), “covered” (with cheese), “chunked” (with diced ham), “diced” (with diced tomatoes), “peppered” (with jalapeño peppers), and “topped” (with chili). Where is my nearest Waffle House?

The angel tells Zechariah in today’s verse that the horns “have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” They had been spread out due to these nation’s conquest of them. Of course, these nations had been the “hand of God,” delivering His judgment. After all the scattering, God is bringing them back. It’s as if the Lord wants to make sure Zechariah and the people don’t forget.

APPLICATION

You may feel “scattered” today. You may believe God has forgotten you and left you in exile. That is not true. God has a unique plan for your life, unlike any other. He will not leave you destitute and forgotten. Jesus said this concerning the last days. “‘And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.’”

Do you think He has forgotten you? No way. That is just a lie from the pit of hell. The devil loves to whisper those words to get us to doubt who we are in Christ. Philippians 2:15 tells us this about who we are. “…so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,…”

You and I are children of the Holy God. He may scatter us at times on the grill of life, but He will gather us back in. He will not allow His children to go unguarded and unprotected. So why does God allow the wicked to prosper and me to suffer? Aww, the question of the ages. Trust! He is there. Just like that short order cook at the Waffle House, He is always listening. And His preparation is always perfect.

On the days I feel I am scattered, gather me in, Lord.

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Accountability, Bible, God's Will, Restoration, Scripture

A MEASURING LINE

ZECHARIAH 1:16

“Therefore the LORD says this: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house will be built in it,”’ declares the LORD of armies, ‘and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 

I inherited some of my dad’s tools. He had a shop full of them, but there was one thing I really wanted. I probably wouldn’t use it much, but I had such fond memories of using it with my dad on projects. It was chalk measuring line. Have you ever seen one? My dad’s was a metal case with red powdered chalk inside. On the side of the case was a winding handle for winding up the string that was inside the box. The way it worked was you would pull that string out and one person held that string over the board you wanted to cut. The other person would have the other end with the case and hold it firm against the wood. Then you would grab that string and snap it, making a straight line across that board. Now you had a straight line to use to guide your cut.

Why did I spend so much time explaining the chalk line? Because today’s verse talks about God’s measuring line. In previous passages, God uses this measuring line for judgment against Israel (2 Kings 21:13; Isaiah 34:11). But in today’s verse, God is using it for blessing. He is restoring the nation after their exile and is using that measuring line to help rebuild what had been torn down.

APPLICATION

Dear brothers and sisters, listen closely. God wants to rebuild what the enemy has destroyed in your life. Perhaps you have gone through a horrible divorce. God can restore you. Maybe you have a wayward child. God can restore that child. Whatever has been lost, God has a way of filling that gap in your life. I don’t want to give the impression that He will do it in the way you want Him to or expect Him to. We have to leave that up to Him.

Psalm 51:12 is one of my favorite verses about restoration. “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.” David is crying out to God. What does God do? Well, you know the story. David was one of the greatest kings of Israel. Even though he had fallen and sinned against His God, he was restored and strengthened.

Let God use His measuring line in your life. He may have to cut off something in order to build you up properly. He may measure your life and realize these pieces aren’t needed. Listen to Him. He is the Master Builder.

Father, measure and cut as You see appropriate. I trust You as You build me up.

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Abiding, Bible, Blessing, Confession, Consequences, Decisions, God's Will, Scripture

TAKING IT TOO FAR

ZECHARIAH 1:15

“‘But I am very angry with the nations who are carefree; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.’”

As a parent, I had the responsibility to discipline my children. I had one rule for spanking – only for willful disobedience. You may disagree, but I believe the appropriate use of spanking can be helpful in rearing our children. My children always knew why they were receiving that discipline and were prayed over afterwards. There is the danger of going too far with this, though.

That’s exactly what the Lord was referring to in today’s verse. He had used the other nations to discipline his children. They were the tool God used to administer His judgment. But some of these nations went too far and tried to annihilate His chosen children. He says he was “very angry with the nations” that did this. They “furthered the disaster,” which was never God’s intention.

APPLICATION

We can take things too far, whether it be a good thing or a bad thing. Too much exercise can be bad for your health (at least that’s my excuse, lol). Too much sugar is definitely not good for you. But can you get too much of God? I don’t think so, but the downside of that is His light exposes our sins. Psalm 90:8 says that. “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”

Before you say anything, let me explain something. Getting too close to God may not feel good at the moment, but it is certainly what is best for us. Those sins that are exposed need to be exposed. Psalm 10:9 says, “One who walks in integrity walks securely, but one who perverts his ways will be found out.” So, is God taking it too far? I don’t think so.

I have to admit that I have been guilty of taking things too far at times. One example would be watching College football (American football for all my non-U.S. followers). I could watch it all day on Saturday. I had to make a decision to limit that to my favorite team’s game. We can take things too far, can’t we? Ask the Lord if you are taking Him too far. I bet He says no.

Father God, I want to be in Your presence, even though I know it will drive me to my knees in repentance.

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