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And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Genesis 5:24

This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9

Enoch walked with God, and Noah walked with God. Adam seemed that he missed his walking appointment with God! God came to walk in the cool of the day, and Adam was hiding because he had sinned.

God enjoys walking with us. Walking involves spending time together and being in close proximity to each other. It allows two people to talk and hear each other’s hearts on various matters of life.

Walking with someone I love, fills me with joy and energizes me. Whenever I finish my walk with my friends or with my husband, I feel full. I am rejuvenated, recharged, and I can get back to the tasks and chores with enthusiasm and energy. Walking with God gives me that pleasure even in a greater measure because He knows me better than I know myself, and He is in tune with my burdens.

Definition: To walk (according to dictionary.com):

to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; proceed by steps; 

to move about or travel on foot for exercise or pleasure, 

move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion

Walking with God is a steady slow process. The focus is not necessarily getting to a destination while one has that in mind, but it is also enjoying the company of the one we walk with and spending time together.

Some Characteristics of Walking with God:

-Walking is one step at a time movement where one foot is on the ground and the other one is lifted to advance and move one step forward.

This is important for all spiritual people. Some people can get so spiritual that they are in danger of not being grounded. If we are walking with God, one foot will be on the ground at all times and we would be willing to see the reality of where we are at.

For those who like to be very much grounded, we need to take one foot off the ground and move it forward. That’s the step of faith. It is required for us to take them if we are going to advance in our spiritual walk with God.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

Do you remember when you were a child and you had that favorite shirt that you didn’t want to let go of? Your Mom bought it for you when you were 5 years old, and now you are 8 years old and still want to wear it. The arms are tight and you can hardly put it on. The sleeves are short and look 3/4 length of what they were previously. The shirt is short, and it doesn’t even cover your waistline anymore, but you are adamant in wearing it. Your Mom tries to tell you that it doesn’t look good on you anymore, but you still envision yourself looking great and getting complements wearing that shirt. The reality is:” It’s over. It’s time to let it go and have a respectable funeral for that shirt and start wearing your appropriate size outfit!”

Some of the things we hold on to spiritually are just like the shirt in the above example. They worked fine for a season, but it’s time to let them go and take on the new things God desires for us. This will allow us to continue to grow up and not stay stuck in how we saw ourselves or how others perceived us in the past.

The longer we have walked with God, the greater challenge we have in not remaining as an old wineskin but to stay new, fresh, and flexible with the work of God in and around us.

What are the areas that cause us to operate as an old wineskin?

–Fear will cause us to avoid change and try to control things instead of trusting God.

–Tradition makes us be so comfortable to doing things a certain way, that we are not open to change.

–Pride creates a mindset that we only want to receive from certain people, but others don’t have much to offer us.

-We have a certain reputation  that we enjoy among people, and  we don’t want anything to affect that perception.

-Attending church for a long time, can make us think we are more mature than we really are.  As result we are offended by anything that challenges our thinking or mindset.

Some of the characteristics of fresh or new wineskins are:

–Being teachable. We are willing to receive and change. The teaching doesn’t have to come from a certain people to be valid and good.

–Staying flexible. We are willing to shift our mindset about things.

–Growing without much resistance. To be right with God is more important than to be right in our stance.

–Not being afraid of something new because we haven’t seen or experienced it before. God is always on the move. He can do what He wants to, and He is not bound by our experiences to operate in a certain way.

–Continuing to receive revelation through the word of God and His spirit. Getting fresh insight and revelation from the Lord is a necessity to staying fresh as a new wineskin.

–Staying free from tradition and fear of man. We need to focus on God’s move and work in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit should override any other voice in our lives otherwise we have limited God’s voice only to what is acceptable to us or those around us.

What kind of wineskins are we today? Do we struggle with change? Do we find plenty of excuses not to face change? Or do we embrace change and growth in the Lord regardless of the source of change?

 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2:21-22

In Mark chapter 2, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and the disciples of John explaining the kingdom of God and the change that was required. The people were used to behavior modification and were programmed into following rules and tradition. They were wondering why Jesus’ disciples were not fasting. There was nothing wrong with fasting, but there was no need for Jesus’ disciples to fast while the bridegroom was with them.

The problem with religion and just following the rules is that one can follow them out of rote and tradition without really thinking about the reason the Lord asks us to obey Him. We need to understand the significance of those rules and traditions and be sensitive to how the Lord wants to apply them in our lives.

Jesus shared a couple of parables in order to explain the change. In one of his parables, He described how you couldn’t sow an unshrunk cloth to an old garment or the new piece will pull away from the old.

My Mom used make quilts, which were a collection of different fabrics patchworked together in a beautiful and colorful design. Since the fabrics were extra pieces of cloth from various articles of clothing, she had to ensure that they were all similar in thickness and were washed and preshrunk prior to using them. If some were relatively new and never washed before, the new fabric could pull away from the rest of the quilt making the quilt look sloppy and poorly sown.

When we live our new life in Christ with old mentality, there is a pulling in us that continues to go on because the flesh is at war with the Spirit. In order for us not to have those struggles, we must continue to let go of worldly and fleshly mentality and only permit those things that are washed and sanctified by the blood to enter in. This allows us to have peace and unity within, and it prevents us from continually wrestling with the Spirit because of our carnal desires.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”   “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” Mark 1:2-3

The above scripture is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist which was prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and in Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist came to point forward to the one who was to come. He did not dress or eat like an average person of his day. His goal wasn’t to conform and be popular, but to do the will of God. He spent much time in the wilderness preaching repentance and baptizing people.

Every one of us have been given the ministry of pointing people to Jesus. John the Baptist pointed forward to the coming Messiah. We point to the past, present, and the future. We point back to the work of the Messiah on the cross. We preach about present reality of Jesus living in our hearts and declare that the work on the cross can transform us today. Finally, we point people to the future when the Lion of Judah comes back for His bride taking us to be with Him for eternity.

John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming Savior, and in the process he was imprisoned and beheaded for speaking truth.  Preparing the way for the people can be a rocky road. The rocks are strongholds of unbelief, tradition, fear, & pride that cause people to stumble upon the name of Jesus. Preparing the way many times will be difficult, unappreciated, and can cause persecution. It will require great faith, patience, and perseverance to stay faithful to the call of God.  This can be true when ministering to believers as well as unbelievers.

John the Baptist’s life teaches us lessons on how to proclaim Jesus:

–John had an intensity and focus about his assignment. Fitting in with the crowd was not his focus or his goal.

-He knew the boundary of his ministry. He had a limited message of repentance. He didn’t overextend himself beyond what was assigned to him.

-When he became known for a period of time, he stayed true to the mission and kept pointing people to Jesus. He knew that this wasn’t about him.

-He stayed humble in his relationship to Jesus.

-He was willing to move into the shadows when Jesus came to the forefront.

Every true believer of Jesus Christ will be used by God to point people to Jesus Christ. Are we willing to be the ones who remove the rocks out of the way? Can we be patient with rocky people and/or circumstances? Do we know the boundary of our assignment? Are we going to faithfully point people to Jesus and not to ourselves or anyone else? Are we willing to be in the spotlight for a season and then move into the shadows?

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

God has given us the power to agree with one another. It is His desire for us to join His work and cooperate with others to accomplish His tasks on the earth. However, not every agreement is a good agreement neither does it fulfill God’s desire. A good agreement is one that is based on truth and the character of individuals. 

Definition of “agreed” (G3982) according to Strong’s Concordance is: to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe, to make friends of, to win one’s favor, gain one’s good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one, to tranquilize, to believe: to have faith: in a thing to believe, to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with to trust, have confidence.

Based on the above definition, it is clear that we can come into agreement with someone based on having confidence in them. We can yield to one another based on truth which is a good agreement.

Nehemiah brought together a group of weary and distressed people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This man was a trustworthy man who had no self-interest. His desire was to help his fellow citizens to rebuild their city and to rebuild their lives. 

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. Nehemiah 2:18b

Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was a good work which was directed through prayer and fasting. Nehemiah asked each family to rebuild a portion of the wall by working shoulder to shoulder to complete the entire wall around Jerusalem. While Nehemiah’s work had adversaries, he continued to stay on task and not be shaken by the enemies. They finished this project  in a short period of time despite opposition because God was with them; the Lord continued to give them strength and wisdom on how to accomplish the task. A good, Godly agreement produced life and good fruit.

Jesus called his disciples to come together who had varied personalities and issues. However, after walking with Jesus for over three years, they took on God’s vision instead of their own ideas and agendas. They became more united in purpose because they came under the agreement of Jesus and what He had been teaching them for three years.Through the unity and agreement with Jesus and the Holy Spirit  the disciples together changed history and the world forever. This was a life-giving agreement that continues to produce eternal fruit in those who believe it.

The power of agreement is unquestionable, and that’s why we have to be cautious about our agreement with other people. Our focus and desire should be to bring glory to God and allow God to produce good fruit through the agreement.

Some of the points to consider before we come into agreement with others:

-How well do we know the person’s character?

-Do they have a personal problem/issue that motivates them to take a certain position?

-Are our discussions/conversations with them full of back-biting, speculations, and gossip rather than being honorable, loving, & kind towards others?

-Do we have our own issues of hurt and insecurity that motivates us to be in agreement with those who identify with our pain?

-Do we have fear of losing a relationship if we don’t agree with a person or a group of people?

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

We live in a world with much turmoil, disagreement, and division. When we find a person or a group of people with similar views as ours, it is a breath of fresh air to us. Agreement allows us not to feel alone in the midst of all the voices, and it helps us feel stronger and more powerful than if we were alone standing on our convictions.

The Lord desires for His people to be in unity and agree with one another. However, not every agreement is a good agreement. If the agreement is not based on truth, but it is founded on a personality or agenda, it can cause more harm than good.

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Acts 5:40

Agreed (G3982) to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe, to make friends of, to win one’s favor, gain one’s good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one, to tranquilize, to believe: to have faith: in a thing to believe, to be persuaded of a thing concerning a person to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with, to trust, have confidence.

The above definition points out that we can agree with someone to gain one’s favor, to try make friends with, or to tranquilize them. Those would be wrong reasons to come into agreement with someone. This is based on the person looking for a personal benefit from the agreement, and it is man appeasing.

Sometimes people gather together to agree based on their dissatisfaction about a situation; sadly, this can lead to unnecessary problems or revolt. Individuals may have never had anything in common before but now working against someone or something has brought them together. Those kinds of agreements can be dangerous because you can be more concerned about the issue at hand than the character and motive of the person that you come into agreement with.

Jesus was opposed by different groups such as Pharisees and Herodians who did not have anything in common with each other except that they were all Jewish. These groups were known to have been in enmity with each other based on their spiritual and political stance on issues, but when they perceived Jesus to be a threat to them, they joined forces in order to remove Him. Their common ground was opposing Jesus. Their agreement was a wrong agreement based on carnality, and it produced death in their lives. Just because they had a group of people agreeing with them, it didn’t mean they were right. Truth does not require consensus. It can stand alone.

Are you in agreement with others due to disliking someone or some situation? Are there people who are trying to get your agreement based on their own issues or insecurities?

Pray and ask the Lord to give you clarify regarding your agreements with others and ensure that they are producing life and not a fleshly satisfaction.

On his trip to meet Esau, Jacob wrestled with God one night.  He would not let go until God blessed him. God did bless him, but he also touched the socket of his hip and it came out of joint. This time Jacob was finally convinced God was with him and that he will bless him. He even had proof because from that point on he had a limp on his hip.

And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”

And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:28-30

Some of us like Jacob are hardheaded, and we need many proofs. It takes several encounters with God before we are convinced that He is with us, and that He can handle everything without our help. Jacob was a changed man because this time God’s touch was so tangible that he wasn’t going to forget it anymore. The Lord also changed Jacob’s name. He wasn’t going to be known by his past as a deceiver anymore, but he was going to be identified by his future, the nation of Israel coming out of his descendants!

Praise God that when we submit our lives to Jesus, He speaks words of life to us; He declares truth our future. The Lord calls us by what we are becoming not what we used to be in the past.

Years later, Jacob’s own sons deceived him about Joseph and his disappearance. Is it possible that Jacob reaped deception and supplanting by his sons because he sowed those seeds in his relationship with his brother years prior?  Sometimes, we like to think that when we repent God takes away all our sins and their consequences. The Lord does remove our sins, but He doesn’t necessarily take away the consequences of our sins. That’s why it’s important not to play with sin because the consequences can go on for years or generations. Praise God that he gave Jacob the opportunity to finally discover the truth about Joseph and be reunited with him before he died.God was faithful to Jacob and fulfilled His promises in his life.  Praise God for His goodness and mercy!

Have you been resistant to change in an area of your life despite all His reassurances? What will it take for you to believe the Lord in that particular area? What is the price your willing to pay for doing it your own way? Do you believe God concerning your future? Are you cooperating with the Lord through obedience or are you trying to help Him through your own ingenuity?

Lord, help us to see the error of our ways quickly and turn to you humbly and willingly.

For comment, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com

The roles have reversed for Jacob. The deceiver is now the recipient of his uncle’s deception. Jacob made an agreement with Laban to work for seven years to marry his younger daughter Rachel. Instead his uncle tricked him by sending Leah his older daughter in place of Rachel. He then had to work for seven more years to finally marry Rachel. The deceiver became deceived!

Sometimes people think that they can get away with their deceit, but no one can escape from the hands of the Lord because he cannot be mocked. He sees all things, and He allows unexpected circumstances and people to come into our lives to help us see ourselves in the mirror. Praise God for those opportunities! While it maybe difficult to face the facts, they are great teaching tools in helping us change what is not pleasing to Him.

Then the angel of God spoke to Jacob in a dream and told him, “I have seen all that Laban is doing to you (Genesis 31:12b). This time, God saw Jacob as the victim and Laban as the deceiver, so He allowed Jacob to be blessed by the better and stronger livestock. Jacob is maturing; he is cooperating with God’s plan, and God blessed him by allowing him to become rich.

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ Genesis 31:13

Jacob finally learned his lessons, so God told him it’s time to go back to his family and restore relationships. Jacob agreed to go; he was willing to mend relationships with his brother and even give him good gifts as a small restitution for what he had taken from Esau.

Deception never pays; it is not a short cut to a destination! Ultimately what one has to pay for the deception is much more costly than if the person had done it right from the onset.

Is there tangible evidence of change and growth in your life that those closest to you can notice? Do you handle situations differently than before?

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Genesis 27 describes the account of Isaac desiring to bless his eldest son Esau. Rebekah hears about it, and tells her son Jacob to run out and hunt for game. She tells him to act like he is Esau, so he can get the blessing. By deceiving Isaac, Jacob can get the blessings that belong to his brother. Rebekah planned the deception and Jacob went along with it by following his mother’s instructions and deceiving his father.

And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” Genesis 27:36

The word supplanter from Strong’s dictionary means: to be behind, to come from behind, to circumvent, to hold back, and to defraud. 

Defraud (according to Webster’s dictionary): to deprive of something by deception or fraud.

Jacob deceived Isaac and defrauded Esau to receive his father’s blessings.

A deceiver is one who acts like a different person in order to get close to someone or reach his/her goals. Lies, Manipulation, & deceit are seeds that produce the fruit of distrust, & division. Their effects may not be visible right away, and it even may look like the deceiver has gotten away with it. However, deceit eventually leads to broken relationships.

God’s promises cannot be the impetus for striving or manipulation. God has a process that at times may seem unfair, uncertain, or unending, but it has a good purpose if we respond to it in a Godly way. Jacob didn’t need to Supplant Esau if he trusted God and allowed him to fulfill His promise in His way and in His time. This could have also saved him years of running away from his brother.

Everything in our circumstances gives us the opportunity to get to know who God is and what he means to us. It is really never about the destination but it is about us trusting God and allowing Him to shape us in time of discouragement and uncertainty.

We all desire to get to know God better, but most of us don’t like to go through undesirable circumstances. God uses the tough times to show us something about himself that we didn’t know or hadn’t experienced before.

What situations in your life make you feel restless and driven? Do you feel forgotten? Have you tried to make things happen? Is there deceit in any area of your life? Have your relationships been affected because of your striving and being competitive?

Reaffirm your trust in the Lord. His arms are wide open to hold you and help you  settle down and find rest. This could be very difficult, but you may have to surrender your competitiveness in order to allow God to have His way in your life and in your relationships!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

And the Lord said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,?Two peoples shall be separated from your body;?One people shall be stronger than the other,?And the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.  And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. Genesis 25:23-27

God specifically told Rebekah that she will bear two sons, and the older (Esau) shall serve the younger one (Jacob).  God had already chosen Jacob to take the lead in his family.

In the time of delivery, Jacob grabbed the heel of his brother in his mother’s womb as he was being born. His personality as a grabber was already coming through. A grabber is one who tries to push others aside to take their place or steal the attention. As we see through the scriptures, Jacob had a competitive nature that made him driven and impatient with God’s plan for his life, and that became more evident as he grew older.

But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” Genesis 25:31

Esau came home famished one day,  and Jacob took advantage of the opportunity by making an agreement with him to sell his birthright. This was the first time that Jacob took the matters in his own hands and tried to get something that God would have eventually given him had he been patient. The fact that Esau didn’t value his birthright allowed Jacob to get away with his action and snatch the birthright without a fight or an argument!

Jacob was a shrewd man who knew how to seize the moment and ensure his interests were served in a particular situation, but just with most opportunists one victory made him more bold in his future endeavors!

When is the line crossed from being diligent to being an opportunist?

If we try to take something that rightfully belongs to another we have crossed the line. If we are only working harder, so we can outshine others, then we are in a competitive mode. That’s when we are not working as unto the Lord but as unto man because we want to take the first/best place. Sometimes we make the excuse that we are smarter, more capable, and more diligent than someone else, but none of those reasons justify taking something that doesn’t belong to us.  Stealing someone’s reputation or creating doubt about the person in other people’s hearts is just as bad as stealing something from them.

The Lord has his way of fulfilling his promises that will make us be at awe of Him! On the other hand, if we try to make them happen in our own efforts, we can open the door to the demonic realm and create much evil in the atmosphere!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.