All posts by : Joel Phillips

Lonely in a crowded room

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow described loneliness this way…

Ships that pass in the night, and speak to each other in passing. Only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness.

This cold feeling of isolation is ubiquitous for so many people. They live life wondering if anyone notices them. They face difficulties wondering if anyone cares. David echoed the heart of the lonely when he said…

I look to my left and right to see if there is anyone who will help, but there’s no one who takes notice of me.  I have no hope of escape, and no one cares whether I live or die. (Psalms 142:4, TPT)

To people who feel this way, how comforting the message of Jesus should be…

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
I’ve come so they can have real and eternal life, a more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (John 10:10, Message)
The mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers. (Matthew 12:21, Message)

People who follow Jesus should be saying, “Yes! I care!”

Absolutely Jesus cares for people, but we are the ones who communicate the reality of his love and care.

For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers. (John 13:35, TPT)

Jesus calls his people to be a positive force. We are the flesh and blood, hands and feet of Jesus. Yet the message from people who claim to be followers of Christ can become cold and distant if it doesn’t connect with people’s hearts.

The gospel is not just about getting us to heaven, but also about bringing the life, power, and resources of heaven here to the people of earth. There is no person too isolated that can’t be reached. The message of Jesus is good news for the lonely heart!

Moments that stand out

In January of 2013 my dad passed away, but not his memory, nor the things he taught. His wisdom and practical understanding of God and His Word were life changing for me, and for many others.

I’ll never forget one Sunday morning when I was about eight years old. My dad was preaching on a Sunday morning when all of the sudden he stopped and said,

“The Holy Spirit is here. I feel God’s presence.”

People began praising the Lord in response, but my little eyes and head were turning every which way. I was looking up and down, forward and back in the sanctuary. By what my dad said, and how he said it, I was certain I would be able to see God somewhere in the room.

It also wasn’t uncommon for my dad to stop in the middle of his sermon and say something like,

“Don’t you feel like giving God some praise right now?”

Then people would begin to speak out their thanks and love for the Lord. I can recall the first time I did that. I lifted my hands and told Jesus I loved Him. I could feel Him warmly embrace me with His love. It was life changing.

What dad taught us

Over his life my dad taught many things about God’s Word and faith, but most importantly he taught us about the presence of God. He taught us about those spontaneous moments of sensing God’s presence and stopping to give Him praise. And it’s in those special moments that our lives were, and are, most changed.

Thanks dad…see you soon.

Responding to God’s leading

A few years ago the Holy Spirit led me on a Sunday morning to pray for people who needed healing. Who would of known that I would stand for over an hour praying for people? God did.

No matter how experienced you are, being led by the Holy Spirit is mysterious. Even if you are sure it’s God leading you, taking that first step can be scary. Your mind is flooded with all sorts of thoughts. Your knees knock. Your palms get sweaty. Your voice may shake a little. But one thing you can be confident about is that you’ll never regret being obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

No more regrets

Everyone knows that sinking feeling that comes after we didn’t do or say something that God told us to do. People have said to me, “I had a prophetic word but was too nervous to share it.” Or, “I had the interpretation to that message in tongues, but thought I was making it up.” After encouraging the person, I always say, “Don’t forget what you’re feeling right now so that next time you’ll be more willing to step out and do what God is telling you.” Then I add the following statement…

“What God is showing you is not for you, it’s for the rest of us…and we need to hear from Him!”

How are you doing with those occasions when you know God has opened a door for you to speak? It may be sharing of how you were saved, or healed, or had a prayer answered. Or, it may be an insight that only the Holy Spirit would know. If you can get beyond the hesitation, you’ll see God use you in ways that will not only bless you, but bless and impact others. The Holy Spirit needs you…we do too!

They were telling a small group of us about a problem that had occurred with another person. We all knew the person they were talking about. We could sense their hurt and frustration. We sympathized with them. Someone in our group, who knew the person being talked about really well, spoke up,

“But I know his heart. You’re misunderstanding him.”

That simple statement changed the whole conversation. And as it turns out, there was a huge misunderstanding that was eventually worked out.

It’s one thing to know who someone is, and another thing to know a person’s heart. When someone says they know a person’s heart, it means they have an intimate understanding of how the person thinks, feels, reacts, what they value, what they like or dislike, etc., and therefore are able to predict what the person would do or say.

Who knows God’s heart?

God’s power is revealed in creation. His holiness is revealed in the law. But God’s HEART is revealed in Jesus.

No one has ever seen God. But Jesus, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (John 1:18, NLT)

The Jews knew who God was, but they only understood God as distant and unapproachable. The letter had rule. Law, regulation, and sacrifice, were the operative words. But Jesus comes and reveals the grace, love, and tenderness of the Father. Paul puts it this way,

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ (Romans 8:15)

Papa God

When we people talk about why Jesus came to earth, answers often include statements about the “sin problem,” and how Jesus fulfilled the law. This is true, however, what Paul is describing in Romans 8:15 is something so personal, so compassionate, so incredible, that it causes the recipient to cry out, “Abba Father,” or better translated, “Papa God.”

Jesus called his disciples and did incredible things with them, but he also ate with them, slept with them, walked with them, talked with them. He then told his disciples,

I’m going to prepare a place where we can be together forever…and if you seen me, you’ve seen the Father. (John 14:3, 9)

The truth is that Jesus came to earth because it’s God’s heart to be with you, eat with you, sleep with you, walk with you, talk with you. To live with you!

In the background

I was in a supermarket going about my shopping when I caught myself whistling along with the song being played in the background. You know that kind of music. Some call it elevator music. Most of it is actually produced by a company called, Muzak.

What’s funny is I had kind of been whistling and humming along with the Muzak song for several minutes before I realized that the song being played was a song called “Kashmir,” originally written and performed by Led Zeppelin.

I used to blast Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir in my 1973 Capri on a Pioneer tape deck through a pair of Jensen 20oz. magnet speakers. Oh yeah! Rock and roll! But now I’m whistling this rock masterpiece by arguably one of the best rock bands ever whilst I bag some cilantro and Serrano peppers. This is such a perfect picture of what can happen to us when grace gets lost in time.

As time passes

When you’ve been around the things of God for a while, grace can get lost in the shuffle. You remain thankful for the grace that forgave and cleansed your sins, but your spiritual senses can grow dull. You can even get wrapped up in doing things, albeit things that are good, but they begin to preoccupy you more than grace.

To this God responds…

“I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me?” (Amos 5:22-23, The Message)

Today, take a moment to stop and let grace sweep over you afresh. Allow your spiritual ears to hear the love song that once swept you away. Let the volume of God’s love be turned up loud. You don’t have to do anything but simply enjoy.

Super 95 Gasoline!

We rented a car on a recent trip to Paraguay. As the person handed us the keys he said,

“Señors, only use Super 95 gasoline!!!”

We drove over 1300 miles. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Paraguay has very different “rules of the road” which led to several close calls, an almost high speed head-on collision, and a totally rigged traffic ticket costing us $100.

However the scariest moment happened while trying to pass a very slow truck. The car’s engine began to miss. The power went off and on and off again. The oncoming traffic grew large in our windshield. Just in the nick of time we crept passed the truck and back in our lane. For several hours we struggled just to keep going. We prayed and eventually we made it to our destination.

Turns out the problem was from not using “Super 95” gasoline. We had unknowingly used lesser quality gas that wasn’t as pure. The impurities resulted in the on-and-off-again engine performance.

Grace that doesn’t lead to holiness isn’t grace at all

There is a very twisted view of grace that lowers the bar on sin. As the bar goes lower, actions, attitudes, and lifestyles once considered off limits for Christians become acceptable.

Grace certainly covers sins, but more importantly grace empowers our lives. We should not live in reaction against things that are wrong, but we should live in response to what God is wanting do and not allow anything to hinder it. The whole issue of “being like Jesus” is not about acting a certain way, but becoming vessels that the pure flow of God’s power can be released.

It’s not okay to be followers of Jesus who desire a move of God’s supernatural power but walk in same mire acceptable to the world. But it’s also not okay as followers of Jesus to be nice guys who walk uprightly, but have no power.

Quenching or grieving the Spirit?

Go back to the rental car in Paraguay. What would’ve been worse: to pass the slow traffic with an engine that’s missing, or stay behind the slow traffic with an engine that’s running perfect?

What’s more important to not quench the Holy Spirit, or to not grieve the Holy Spirit? Quenching is about power, and grieving is about purity. You can’t choose one over the other. It’s impossible to lack godly character and attempt to walk in power. It’s offensive to God, but equally offensive is people who walk in character but don’t walk in power.

Feels good!

There’s something magical about connecting a golf ball with the sweet spot of a golf club. Next to putting the ball in the hole (in as few strokes as possible), hitting the sweet spot on a golf club is the coolest feeling in the game! The ball goes higher and farther with no extra effort. The club head is doing the work.

To regularly hit a golf ball with the sweet spot of the golf club takes practice. Lots of practice. Hours, days, months, and years of practice.  Nothing this good comes easy, but the results make it worth all the work. This is why sweet spots can never be confused with comfort zones.

Don’t settle

When people settle for what’s comfortable, they disqualify themselves from experiencing what’s amazing. But when people who exchange being comfortable for the incredible experience of seeing the power of God at work in their lives they go to new level. They began to accomplish things that they could’ve never done on their own. Things they have dreamt about doing all their lives start to become reality.

Your life may have areas that have not turned out exactly as you’d hoped, but God has something amazing in you. Inside of you is God-given potential and destiny. You’ve been destined to accomplish incredible things. But these things will only be unlocked when you step out of your comfort zone and into the sweet spot of his calling on your life.

“Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.” (Ephesians 5:17, TPT)

Even when things haven’t worked well or don’t seem to amount to much in your life, remember, God is with you. He’s for you, and he’s working on your behalf. God knows how to connect you with the sweet spot of his calling and purpose for your life. That’s better than any golf shot, and a whole lot less frustrating.

Build something, eat something, get a picture

My first exposure to missions work was with a very seasoned missionary. He took places and showed me things I would’ve never experienced on my own. All the while he kept using the term, “edifice complex” with a tone of disdain. I understood the words but eventually came to realize that he was referring to a missiological (the study of missions) term that identifies the western mindset of missions work as having a priority to build something.

This “edifice complex” is being lived-out just 2 hours away from us in Tijuana. Teams from America and Canada come to build things, paint things, and more importantly eat tacos (note how many mission teams photos are of the team eating). There are actually churches in Tijuana that have been painted four times in one year.

Building relationships

While poor people outside of our culture mention a lack of material things, they tend to describe their condition in far more psychological and social terms than in North America. When referring to their problems, poor people outside our culture typically see their main issues being shame, powerlessness, humiliation, fear, and hopelessness. North Americans, however, tend to see the poor as primarily lacking material things such as food, money, clean water, medicine, and housing. This mismatch between many outsiders’ perceptions of poverty and the perceptions of poor people themselves can have devastating consequences missions work.

When participate in missions work, or serve on a mission’s team, it awesome that we have the power to bring practical and financial resources to a situation. But we also have the power to build relationships with the people we are ministering to. Through learning, listening and discovering what they are facing we begin to meet needs that go way beyond building things. We begin to build lives.

Jesus is perfect theology

Whatever is to be known about God can be found in the person of Jesus. Jesus illustrates the Father perfectly.

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9, NKJV)

Jesus modeled life for us. What Jesus did continues with us. But we will not see the miracles of healing happen until we are convinced that healing is always God’s will.

“The leper fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and begged to be healed, saying, “If you are only willing, you could completely heal me.” Jesus reached out and touched him and said, “Of course I am willing to heal you, and now you will be healed.” (Luke 5:12-14, TPT)

Everyone believes God is able to heal, but many remain uncertain whether it’s his will to heal. This doubt rises around the misunderstanding of the origins of sickness and disease, and whether God causes/allows it.

What about the sufferings of Job?

The question about what happened to Job often rises. But we are not disciples of Job. We are disciples of Jesus! Job raises a question that Jesus answers. The Old Testament cannot be given the authority to trump the person of Jesus and what is revealed in Jesus about the nature and the heart of the Father.

We have exactly what Job needed in Jesus. Unlike Job, we can approach God face to face as to a man because Jesus is our mediator. Unlike Job, we can resist the enemy steadfast in the faith because Jesus is our advocate. And unlike Job, we can trust God for healing power because Jesus not only took our sin to the cross, but also our sicknesses and diseases.

The book of Job contains such a marvelous revelation of Jesus and of redemption! After showing us the need for Jesus and correcting the faulty thinking of Job and his friends, it ends with twice as much being restored to Job than all that he lost. It’s so sad that many wrongly interpret this book of scripture in order to obscure the New Covenant revelation of Jesus that it leads us to…

“Jesus…divinely healed all who were under the tyranny of the devil, for God had anointed him.” (Acts 10:38, TPT)

Jesus wasn’t just a parenthesis or a comma. He is the conclusion and the One who perfectly illustrates and manifests the nature of the Father, and His will to heal all.

Heaven is our model

Jesus lived by only doing what He saw His Father doing. Learning to recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence and following His lead enables us to do what Jesus did. And these works of God are not limited to church meetings. We must learn how to take this anointing to our schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods and expect similar results. Healing, deliverance, and spiritual breakthroughs become options we offer people wherever we go. Whatever the point of need a person has, God wants to move.

When you have an encounter with God, your hunger for the presence of the Lord increases and miracles are a by-product. God will meet you, change you in your encounter with Him, and as you change the impact on the world around you changes.

You are not just spectator

Encounters with God are for everyone and everywhere. He is looking for those who will listen and those He can trust. God looks at the heart and reveals Himself to those who love Him. There is no need to strive anymore. Working from God’s presence is more effective than working for His presence. Waiting patiently for God is never passive.

Signs and wonders are a practical means to display the love and power of God. The initial pressure isn’t to get people healed, but to display the love of God. And the love of God does not omit power encounters that bring healing and deliverance.

The best way to reach someone who doesn’t know Jesus is from a consistent lifestyle of love and power. Classical evangelism has become very clinical unfortunately it isn’t very effective. But the person who stays filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and loves people, will see a natural outflow of miracles and salvations.