Meditation Chip Brogden

November 22

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
Jesus looked and saw a large crowd of people beginning to gather around Him. So He asked Philip, 'Where can we buy bread to feed these people?' He said this only to test Philip's reaction. Jesus already knew what He was about to do" (John 6:5,6).

Jesus desires to show forth His glory, to reveal Himself to us in the midst of our weakness. When we see a need we grow frustrated. But when Jesus sees a need He already knows what He wants to do. Not only will He meet the need, but He will reveal Himself in the process. Sometimes He will leave the need unmet, at least for a season, and just reveal Himself to us as All that we need (II Corinthians 12:8,9).

This explains why it sometimes appears that the Lord delays in answering us. He already knows what He is going to do, but we do not know. He waits for us to see if we will trust Him as Infinite Supply. Is Jesus "Lord" only after He answers us? Or is Jesus "Lord" whether He answers us or not? The Lord's "proving ground" is just there, in between the Need and the Answer. And sometimes it is, indeed, quite a stretching, and a thorough test.

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November 21

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it'" (John 2:5).

If we would only heed this advice from Mary. To be sure she has learned this in years gone by. Through many experiences she has at last learned where to go. Her automatic reflex now is to go to Jesus and lay the problem at His feet: "They have no wine." That is all. In this relationship she makes no demands, she does not even ask Him outright to do something. He knows what she means. It is an understanding that is borne out of relationship.

And so the water was turned into wine. This Scripture says that in this way He "showed forth His glory" (John 2:11). "Showing forth His glory" is another way of saying He revealed something of Himself. This, brothers and sisters, is the whole purpose for the trial you find yourself in. It may be that you have no oil, no bread, no fish, or no wine. Whatever the situation, bring your problem to the Lord of Infinite Supply, and do whatever He says to do. He wishes to reveal His glory in you. He longs to see His Power displayed through your weakness. The very thing you see as a problem is really an opportunity to see Jesus in a depth you cannot otherwise see.

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November 20

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need... He anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows" (Psalms 23:1,5b).

An anointed head and an overflowing cup - this is the hallmark of the Christian. An anointed head exudes a heavenly fragrance that sets us apart from the world, even though we walk about in it daily. It is bearing the Testimony of Jesus that witnesses of a heavenly reality that is quite distinct from the earthly fact. The overflowing cup means we have an ample supply of the Life of the Lord. If we can contain ourselves then we have yet to touch the Lord. For once we have indeed touched the Lord we will overflow. We will not be able to contain Him.

All who walk with the Shepherd should experience Infinite Supply: a never-ending flow of the Life, Light, and Love of the Lord Jesus Himself. This is the normal Christian life, and it is God's provision for every disciple.



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November 19

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest" (Luke 9:46).

Peter is a good example of how every true disciple eventually learns that there is nothing good in his flesh. Peter began his walk with Jesus just as we did, acknowledging his sinfulness by saying, "Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man." Some will protest their own righteousness and feel as though they are doing God a huge favor by becoming a Christian. But Peter made a splendid beginning by frankly acknowledging himself as a sinner, and so the Lord took him just as he was and began to disciple him.

After making some progress, however, Peter started to lose touch with himself. He had followed Jesus for three years and enjoyed close fellowship with Him. He had both seen and performed miracles in Jesus? Name. To all outward appearances he was no longer a "sinful man", he was a "spiritual man". Before, Peter considered himself unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. In just a short period of time you find this "sinful man" arguing along with the other disciples about which one of them will be the greatest! This ought to show us that there is a deeper death for us to die, and the more "spiritual" we become, the more easily we are deceived by our own spirituality.



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November 18

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Romans 12:3a).

Positive thinking is appropriate so long as I am living according to the Truth, but if I am unsurrendered to Jesus and living life according to my terms then I am in no position to think about myself in a positive light: I am positively deceived. We do not need Self-Esteem, we need Christ-Esteem. The more we see of Jesus the less we will trust in ourselves.

That is why, once Paul learned his lesson, he wrote, "We have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3b). He then goes on to list quite a number of things that seem important in terms of religion, status, social order, education, and good works - all the things that tend to make one self-confident and self-righteous. With one grand stroke, Paul says, "Yet, I count them all as dung, that I may win Christ." He simply discards what some people spend a lifetime trying to achieve. Here is a man who knows the sufficiency of God as well as the insufficiency of himself.

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November 17

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18a).

It is a great day for the Lord when a disciple of Jesus learns this most basic lesson: that in "me", in myself, in my flesh, dwells no good thing.

This is a very difficult thing for people to learn. Jesus says that without Him we can do nothing. This verse is very well-known. Even so, Christians still attempt to do many things apart from the Lord. We feel like we simply must do something, anything. And even though the Bible says there is nothing good in our flesh, and the flesh profits nothing, we spend a lot of time doing fleshly things apart from the Spirit of Jesus, thinking they are good and profitable. It is impossible to say for sure just how many of the things we "feel led" to do and say are actually just things we feel like doing and saying. A lot of the time the Lord has very little to do with it.

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November 16

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"And [Jesus] said to them all, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me'" (Luke 9:23).

When we first come to the Lord we truly think we are giving him our all, but we cannot fully appreciate just how powerful Self is. It cannot be dealt with in a once-and-for-all manner. It requires many seasons of God's dealings for us to see the truth about the Lord, and the truth about ourselves.

That is why I say there is more hope for someone who is ready to give up and quit than there is for someone who keeps promising to do better tomorrow. Only after we have tried and failed one hundred, one thousand, or one million times will we at last be able to say, "Lord, I finally understand now that I can originate nothing of my own self, because whenever I do, I meet with nothing but defeat. So I am finished! Henceforth, not my will, but Your Will be done!"



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November 15

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"He that comes from above is above all" (John 3:31ff).

If people come against you in the flesh, let them come against you. If they wish to rail and argue with you according to the flesh, do not respond in kind. If they attack you without cause, let them attack, because the fleshly, the carnal, the natural cannot defeat the spiritual. The one who is submitted to the Lord has authority over those who remain unsubmitted to Him. Flesh is overruled by Spirit. Hate is overruled by Love. Darkness is overruled by Light. Death is overruled by Life. Earth is overruled by Heaven.


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November 14

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"[Jesus] said to them, 'When you pray, say: 'Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'" (Luke 11:2).

True prayer affords us the greatest opportunity for self-denial. When was the last time we offered up prayer, not for our agenda or plan, but for God's Kingdom to come and for God's Will to be done? When was the last time we came before the Lord, not to get our needs met, but to meet His Need? When was the last time we subjugated our own desires and wishes and gave ourselves wholly to praying for God's Purpose to be accomplished? When was the last time we separated ourselves from family, friends, and business and sought the Lord; not to receive a blessing FROM Him, but to be a blessing TO Him?



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November 13

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Master, we have toiled all night, and caught nothing: nevertheless, at Your word, we will let down the nets" (Luke 5:5).

Too often, when we toil all night and catch nothing, we look for something to blame: the weather is bad, the fish are not biting, the boat is too small, the water is too cold and so on. Or we travel from lake to lake, pond to pond, looking for the right "spot". And sure enough, there is always someone willing to sell us a new boat, a special kind of bait or lure, or a manual for how to catch more fish. We work harder and harder, but are disappointed.

When we cease trying to do what we cannot do then the Lord will begin to do what only He can do anyway. The Lord is Infinite Supply. So it does not matter if we have much or little, if we are skilled or unskilled, if we are experienced or inexperienced. "And when they had done [what Jesus said to do] they caught a great multitude of fish, and the net broke" (Luke 5:6). Peter, James, and John can try as they might and do their best, but without the word of the Lord it is in vain. They might have saved themselves a lot of effort had they sought the word of the Lord to begin with. Which would you rather have: a whole night of wasted effort on your own, or five minutes of abundance with the Lord? Yes we should work, but first we must wait. And if we will wait for the Lord then we will have Infinite Supply for the work at hand.

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November 12

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63).

If we grow impatient and fall into the flesh then we become weaker. To react in the flesh diminishes spiritual authority, and this must be avoided at all costs. Allowing the flesh to have its way for only a moment guarantees defeat against a spiritual adversary.

"We worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:3). To lose all confidence in the flesh is to take the higher ground of the Spirit. To meet flesh with flesh means the victory will go to the strongest, and there is always someone stronger than you according to the flesh.


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November 11

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (I Peter 5:6).

When we are submitted to the Lord, we find Grace. We find peace. We find rest. All things are in His hands, and He does all things well. We need not fear what any devil or any man can do to us. To be submitted to the Lord is to be under His care, under His guidance, under His power, under His protection. Whom shall I fear? What can man do to me? What can the devil do to me? If I have humbled myself beneath the mighty hand of God then He will exalt me in due season; He will justify me; He will defend me; He will fight for me. If our submission to God is complete, if our surrender to the Lord is total, then victory is assured.


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November 10

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).

Do we need the power of God today? Do we seek the Life of the Lord today? Do we desire Him to have the preeminence in our lives today? Do we long for Him today? Then now is the time for us to be unconditionally and wholeheartedly surrendered to Him. We need not drag the process out for several days and weeks, months and years. Do it today, do it now.

If we must daily take up the cross anyway, let us bow our head and give up the ghost instead of struggling to stay alive, which only prolongs our agony. The secret to overcoming is dying daily.



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November 8

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Not my will, but Your Will, be done" (Luke 22:42b).

What does it cost to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? What does one have to give up? There is truly only one thing that must be given up. It is not, and it never has been, a question of giving up friends, family, material possessions, fame and fortune. You can give up all those things, just like the first disciples of the Lord, and still run away and deny Him.

Forget the outward things and go right to the heart of the matter. Only one thing is necessary, and if we give up this one thing we are qualified to be disciples of the Lord. What is the one thing? All we have to give up is OUR WAY. There are two ways, one which seems right, and one which IS right. One is my way, the other is His way.

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November 7

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13a).

What is the "deeper Christian life"? It is nothing more and nothing less than Christ Himself. To be deep is to be simple, focused, and devoted to the One Thing that is needed (see Luke 10:41,42). But even here, some believers seek the deeper Christian life as a thing, a teaching, a certain way of acting spiritual. The "deeper life" becomes the goal instead of Christ as Life. They become profoundly mystical and spiritual, but it is death because they do not touch Christ, they touch spirituality. There is no life in spirituality, or mysticism, or religiosity; there is only Life in Christ. Anything less becomes a distraction.

I came to the Lord in the midst of the Charismatic movement. The emphasis was on Spirit-filled living, restoring spiritual gifts, the power of God, and so forth. We find no fault with walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. But what is the purpose of all this fullness? Why tongues, and prophetic words, and other spiritual gifts? Why the manifest power of God? All of these things are given us by the Lord to draw us deeper into Himself; to repeat, they are means to an End, but they are not the end, for the End, the Purpose, and the Reason for all things is Christ.


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November 5

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him" (Acts 28:30,31).

Apostles must point people to Christ. Prophets must point people to Christ. Evangelists must point people to Christ. Pastors and teachers must point people to Christ. Otherwise they are not fulfilling the purpose for which God placed them in the Church to begin with. Apostolic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Prophetic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Evangelistic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Pastoral and teaching ministries are not ends unto themselves, but are a means to an end.

What is the end? What is the purpose? What does it all lead to? It leads to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (cf. Ephesians 4:13). The fullness of Christ, the full-knowledge of Him - this is God's Goal and His Ultimate Intention.


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November 6

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:16).

We live in the Laodicean age that is characterized by insipid lukewarmness and blindness to the truth of our own spiritual condition. The picture presented to us is one of Christ standing on the outside of things, knocking at the door, and waiting for someone to open the door to Him (cf. Revelation 3:20). Since this is written to the saints it cannot be construed as an invitation to sinners to "invite Jesus into their heart"; instead, it is the Lord calling upon the church to make Him the center again. The issue was, and still is fellowship, communion, and abiding - maintaining its relationship to the Head.

God's solution for a lukewarm, tasteless, colorless, odorless church is a fresh revelation of Jesus Christ. He will bring us back to our foundation. He will align us with His Purpose. He will adjust us back to Himself. God will purge, refine, chasten, and conform us to the image of His Son. But we must respond to His invitation and open the door.


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November 4

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (II Corinthians 11:3)

I have said many times that we do not need more of the Lord, since we are already complete in Christ - we just need less of everything else. There are many things that spoil, hinder, distract, and lead us away from the simplicity of an abiding relationship with Jesus. Many of them are spiritual and religious. The spirit of Antichrist is not necessarily seen in something that is obviously satanic or demonic. Instead, the spirit of Antichrist is revealed in anything that seeks to spoil us by taking our eyes off of Christ - it is anti-Christ, against Christ, antithetical to the great Purpose of God.

How easy it is for us to become distracted into something less than Christ! Are you centered on Christ? Is Jesus your obsession? Is He your focus? Or have you set your sights on something beneath Him?


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November 3

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"...Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles..." (Luke 9:33ff).

How many tabernacles on the mountaintop have been made in the Name of Jesus - when Jesus has long ago descended into the valley? How many people and places claim the presence and glory of God, when the glory has long ago departed? I can think of several instances in which the Lord genuinely moved in a group, church, or meeting long ago, and now that group, church, or meeting has built an entire movement around the experience. What began in the Spirit is now perpetuated by the flesh, and "it is good for us".



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November 2

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need... He anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows" (Psalms 23:1,5b).

An anointed head and an overflowing cup - this is the hallmark of the Christian. An anointed head exudes a heavenly fragrance that sets us apart from the world, even though we walk about in it daily. It is bearing the Testimony of Jesus that witnesses of a heavenly reality that is quite distinct from the earthly fact. The overflowing cup means we have an ample supply of the Life of the Lord. If we can contain ourselves then we have yet to touch the Lord. For once we have indeed touched the Lord we will overflow. We will not be able to contain Him.

All who walk with the Shepherd should experience Infinite Supply: a never-ending flow of the Life, Light, and Love of the Lord Jesus Himself. This is the normal Christian life, and it is God's provision for every disciple.

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November 1

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"And He ordained twelve, that they should BE WITH HIM, and that He might send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:14).

You are called to be with Jesus. That is your calling. That is the primary thing, the highest ministry. Going forth to preach or doing anything else is of secondary importance. We should be with Jesus; after that, He might send us forth to preach. But before Jesus said, "Go into all the world" He said, "Be with Me."

The call of the Lord is not more important than the Lord of the call. The work of the Lord must not replace the Lord of the work. No amount of ministering FOR the Lord will make up for a lack of ministering TO the Lord. And knowing the Word of God does not necessarily mean that we know the God of the Word.


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October 31
Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Each of these ministry functions fulfill different roles, but their purpose is the same, and that is, to bring ALL of us into that same fullness, that same spiritual maturity, that same experiential knowing, which the elders themselves enjoy. Thus, He gives SOME, till we ALL... SOME, till we ALL... SOME, till we ALL. Do you see this? And He will continue to give SOME till we ALL. Once He has ALL then the work is complete and these ministries will no longer be needed. Until then they ARE needed, and they are critical to God's Purpose.

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October 30
Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one" (John 17:22).

How do we achieve unity? We do not. Rather, God reveals His Son to us as the Head of the Church. If we see the Head, if we know the Good Shepherd, we will come to know the Body and the Flock. We cannot say we love God if we do not love our brothers and sisters. We cannot maintain communion with the Head if we are separated from the Body. When we follow One Shepherd as One Flock then we will be in one accord. If we are one with the Head, we are one with the Body, even if we are not gathered together. But, if we are not one with the Head, we are not one with the Body, even if we are gathered together in the guise of unity.




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October 29

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility" (I Peter 5:5a).

If our desire is for maturity, that is, if we desire to come to the full-knowledge of Christ and grow up into Him in all things, we should naturally pay attention to those who are elder in the Lord. But being an elder has nothing to do with leadership ability, filling an office, having a title, or performing some ministerial duty or sacerdotal function in the church. The elders are simply those who are older in the Lord. It is quite simple. My elder brother, or my elder sister, has walked with the Lord longer than I have. The implication is that they are more conformed to the image of Christ than myself; they have experienced a deeper work of the Cross than I have; thus, they have more practical wisdom than I do, they have something to teach me, and I need to hear Christ in them so I, too, can grow.

It should be obvious to you who is, and who is not, your elder in the Lord. And, it should be plain to see that not everyone who is older is necessarily elder. If you say you are a believer but you live no differently from the world then you can be as old as Methuselah yet you are certainly not an elder.




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October 28

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (I Timothy 4:12).

In the Church that Jesus is building, an older person is not necessarily a spiritual elder. We do not look to the age of a person's physical body when determining their spiritual maturity. Of course, we owe a certain amount of respect to the aged by virtue of their seniority; but they may not necessarily be our elder in the things of the Lord.

One can be older chronologically and be quite immature in spiritual matters. Likewise, a relatively young man or woman can have a deep relationship with the Lord and be light years ahead of those two or three times their age. A young man or woman who knows God is more elder than a senior citizen who does not know God. We cannot judge by the flesh, or we will be misled.

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October 27

Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalms 119:99).

Before you can disciple and teach others and serve them in any kind of ministry capacity (and I am using the word "ministry" in its purist Biblical sense, not in any institutional sense), you have to first be discipled and taught yourself. I mean discipled and taught by the Holy Spirit, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. I have never seen the inside of a seminary or Bible college. I have never taken a course in theology (although some of my greatest critics fervently wish I would take a few). I have no certificates, diplomas, or degrees to speak of. But the Holy Spirit Who teaches me and leads me into all Truth has made me wiser than all my would-be teachers.

It is not I, but Christ. This Wisdom comes from above; it is not of this world. It is Spirit-and-Truth revelation, not flesh-and-blood knowledge. One is not qualified before God on the basis of theological training, leadership ability, charisma, Bible-knowledge, spiritual gift, congregational vote, or credentialing authority. These count for nothing in terms of whether or not a person has experienced the depths of Jesus Christ.

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