Tag: serving

Fear Creates Slaves

by Brianboswell

Fear is a powerful motivator. Corrupt governmental regimes have seen this for years. Kings and Presidents have used fear to motivate people to do what they wanted. Motivation from fear is much easier to accomplish than motivation from inspiration. The United States just recently went through an election of our political leaders in 2020. This election was marked by fear on both sides of the aisle – people being motivated to vote for or against a particular candidate because of fear.

And while 2020 was the most recent example, this tactic has been used before. As the Bible says, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc 1:9). The enemy of our souls uses this same tactic to create servants through fear. We become enslaved to the flesh and to the enemy over many years by being bombarded by fear. This is a life principle: You will serve whatever it is that you fear.

The Bible connects service and fear on several different occasions. It’s not a coincidence. God knows that what you fear, you will also serve. Now it is important to reiterate that the spirit of fear and the fear of the Lord are two different types of fear – the former being profane and the latter is holy reverence. The spirit of fear seeks servants through control, the fear of the Lord creates servants through love.

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” Deuteronomy 10:12

The fear of the Lord in Deuteronomy is connected with walking in his ways or holy living, with loving God and with serving him fully. God isn’t asking us to fear Him in order to control us, He is reminding us here of who He is. When we see God seated in his proper place, when we get a revelation of who He is, then we will experience a healthy amount of holy fear or reverence toward Him.

Many times in the Bible, when a prophet or someone gets a vision of the Lord, what is the first thing that happens? They fall to the ground like a dead man. When we truly see the Lord for who He is, when we get a small taste of His glory, the fear of the Lord swells up within us and we fall down before Him.

Sadly, too often in churches today, we don’t see a fear of the Lord. What we see is prideful arrogance. We won’t even bow our knee in church because we are more concerned about what others may think about us, rather than what God thinks. We certainly wouldn’t want to lie prostrate on the ground for the entire church to see. In our arrogance, we stand in pride and as a result, the glory of the Lord doesn’t fill our houses of worship like it did in the Bible. God doesn’t reveal his glory to a prideful people, but to a reverent one.

If we truly want to live as free men and women, we must pray to the Lord and ask Him to rid us of that spirit of fear that is seeking to keep us in slavery. God is more than willing to break us out of that bondage. Jesus was anointed to set the captives free. Don’t let another day pass without letting God set you free. Pray today, “Lord, I am in bondage to the spirit of fear. I have been a slave to the fear of man and I need you to set me free. I cannot do this myself. I need you to set me free. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me and setting me free today, in Jesus name I pray, amen.”

American Idolatry: Money

by Brianboswell

So to kick off this new series on Idolatry, let’s first define the word idol. An idol is anything that you worship in the place of God. When we worship idols we are in violation of the first commandment and quite possibly the second: You shall have no other gods before me and you shall not make any idols. The first commandment covers the big picture: No other gods. An idol is something that we make into a god. Now some, like in Bible times, were actual items of worship, like a golden calf or in our time and buddha statue. Other idols could be ones that we can’t see, like the Sun God Ra, or in today’s case – Money.

You’ve heard the old saying, Money is the root of all evil right? Well, that’s not the actual saying, the real saying is the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money, like many things, is not inherently evil by itself, it’s our love and worship of it that makes it the root of evil. People for ages have worshiped at the foot of money and yet walked away broke and lost. Others have amassed fortunes of it, only to realize that it cannot be taken with them to the grave.

Jesus himself had a lot to say about money. Jesus seemed to talk about money more than just about anything else. Out of 40 parables, he spoke on money at least 11 times. This tells us how important money was to Jesus. But why? I think Jesus spoke on it so much because he knew our hearts. He knew that this is an area for struggle for most people.

I think most people find it easier to trust God with their health than their money. People find it easier to trust that God will take them to heaven than trusting God will take care of them financially. We tend to spend most of our lives worrying about money, especially if you aren’t rich. And all of this worry is really another form of worship. We worship Continue reading “American Idolatry: Money” →

No Miracle? No Problem.

by Brianboswell

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what happens when God doesn’t move…when He doesn’t perform a miracle…when he doesn’t heal someone. How do we handle that?

I know when I read the Bible my faith is built up. I see these awesome miracles being worked among Jesus and his disciples and it just gets me excited! I want to go out and pray for some sick people, I want to see something amazing happen. But I know that reality is, sometimes when you pray for someone, nothing happens. Or, nothing that we can see happens. Sometimes you just pray. And the person doesn’t get better. In fact, sometimes they die.

Some in the church would decry this type of “realistic” thinking as “stinkin’ thinkin'” or they would chastise me for my lack of faith. And I get it, we are told to have faith and to believe no matter what the outside looks like. I get it.

But today, I was struck by a small paragraph in the Bible about John the Baptist.

40“Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.” John 10:40-42

Here we read that even though John the Baptist never performed a sign, all that he said about Jesus was true. When I read this, I was struck by that testimony. And I started to pray. I am praying that even if I never see another miracle from God in my lifetime, all that I speak about Jesus would be true!

What a testimony to have! We are called to have faith and we are commanded to pray for the sick so that they can be healed, I never want to stop doing that, but more than anything, how precious would it be for Jesus to say all that you said about me was true!

I know my proclivity to sin. I know my shortcomings. I know where I fail, but oh that I might testify of Jesus with such accuracy that others would say this of me! When we testify of Jesus truthfully, others notice. And in that place, that place of honesty and truth, many will believe in Jesus.

 

How Great the Father’s Love For Us!

by Brianboswell

Today is Father’s Day. A day that we celebrate Father’s, the men who shaped our lives and loved us with unconditional love. Well, that’s what we’d like to celebrate, but reality is, most of us did not have a dad like that.

Perhaps you grew up in a home where your father was absent. He just wasn’t around. Or, perhaps your father was violent or abused you. Perhaps you grew up in a fairly normal household and your father was a mixture of good and bad. Or maybe your father drank too much. Or simply didn’t care.

No matter how you may characterize your father, it doesn’t mean your heavenly father is at all similar to your earthly father. If you are a Christian, you are told that you have been adopted into the family of God. Notice the word adopted. You are legally joined to God via adoption. This isn’t just a good idea or a nice thought, this is a legally binding transaction. You are now apart of God’s family.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” – 1st John 3:1

We are God’s children. And what an amazing thing that is to think about! God himself is our father. And unlike our earthly fathers, He is perfect. He truly is a good father who cares for his children.

Too many times we relate to God the way we relate to our earthly fathers. We think that just because our earthly father didn’t want to spend time with us, that means our Continue reading “How Great the Father’s Love For Us!” →

Three Misconceptions About Pastors

by Brianboswell

In this episode we are looking at three common misconceptions about the gift of pastors. Our Good News segment is on the new abortion law in Alabama. Our Unreached People Group is the Shaikh of India. Today’s Word comes from John 9 and is on the topic of spiritual blindness. Continue reading “Three Misconceptions About Pastors” →

Do Apostles Exist Today?

by Brianboswell

In this episode we look at the question, do apostles exist in the church today? In our Good News segment, we look at an article that states that Chic-Fil-a is set to become the third largest fast food company. Our unreached people group is the Rajput of India. Today’s Word comes to us from John Chapter 9. Continue reading “Do Apostles Exist Today?” →

The Spiritual Gift of Mercy

by Brianboswell

In this episode, we study the gift of mercy, which I believe is one of the church’s most important spiritual gifts. Our Good News is about a teen who was healed through prayer. Our Unreached People Group is the Nai of India. And Today’s Word comes from John 8, where Jesus is talking to the religious leaders about who is their true father. Continue reading “The Spiritual Gift of Mercy” →

My Story: Called by God

by Brianboswell

In this special episode, I continue the series on my personal walk with Christ. This time I’m looking at what it’s like to be called by God and the profound impact it’s had on my life. I believe we are all called by God for a specific purpose and that calling can get us through some of the toughest times in our lives.

 

What Does It Mean to Have a “Servant’s Heart”?

by Brianboswell

What Does It Mean to Have a _Servant's Heart__

The gift of serving was the focus of this week’s Everyday Jesus podcast. If you missed that episode, you can catch up by clicking below:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

When discussing this subject, I was reminded that for some people, it’s very difficult to serve. Even though Jesus encourages us that true leadership is having a servant’s heart, many of us struggle with this. So what do you do if you don’t have the gift of serving? Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Have a “Servant’s Heart”?” →

The Gift of Serving: Three Characteristics of a Serving Heart

by Brianboswell

The Gift of Serving_ Three Characteristics of a Serving Heart

In this episode, we look at the spiritual gift of serving. I give you three characteristics of a serving heart. In our Good News, we talk about a wave of salvations that happened at a maximum-security prison. Our Unreached People Group is the Kapu of India. Today’s Word is a continuation of our study in John 6, where Jesus declares himself to be the Continue reading “The Gift of Serving: Three Characteristics of a Serving Heart” →