Tim Burgan's Blog

Fasting Day 13

2012-01-27T04:13:00.003-05:00

Continue reading Acts chapters 7 and 8

Often we will suffer persecution for seemingly no reason. All we are trying to do is follow the Lord and stuff happens. When the church was founded it was such a threat to the established religions that the persecution was intense.

You may be suffering intense persecution because you are trying to follow the Lord with all of your heart. Read Psalm 35 especially verse 13. When we fast God can and will deliver us from attacks of those who would do us harm.

We are a light and some times persecution and struggles help others to see how brightly that light shines in us. God will deliver us from all of our oppression and take us to the next level, if we keep trusting Him. Don’t give up trusting the Lord He will lead you, guide you, provide for you, and open doors for you, if you will simply trust Him.

Don’t focus of the tribulation, trial, persecution, or the people who are causing the problems keep your eyes on the Lord!

Pray today for

- Your local city council or township board of supervisors .
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for the power of God to flow in our lives, in the Mon Valley, and in our church.
- Pray for Pastor Gary and Kathy. They are going through a difficult season with the home going of Pastor Gary's son, Cary. In the middle of all of this they are newlyweds adjusting to each other as we all do and the ministry. If anyone is in the hospital you will see Pastor Gary by your bedside at some point.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “patience”
- Choose a country with a “L” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 12

2012-01-26T04:41:00.000-05:00

We are over the hump. We are more than half way through the fast. Be encouraged look for ways that the Lord can show you His amazing love for you.

Have you ever felt like God was not answering your prayers? Of course you have we have all goner through that at some time. If we understand and know God’s Word his promises are faithful and true to us always.

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible but it has so much to say about the need for the Word. In fact a reference to needing God’s word in our lives is mentioned nearly 40 times in this chapter. If your parents or spouse tell you something once, twice and then three times you had better pay attention. How much more if the Lord mentions something nearly 40 times in one chapter, ought we to pay attention?

I am a firm believer that the answer to every question and all the direction we need are in God’s Word. He does use the fivefold ministry found in Ephesians 4 to help us understand his Word but everything that we need is there.

Read Psalm 119 (we will get back to Acts tomorrow) and see what the Lord will reveal to you about some of the unanswered prayers you may have. This chapter has answers for all the whos, whys and hows of our lives. It may explain some of the reasons for the silence of the Lord. Please understand it is God’s desire for his children to hear his voice. Jesus said, “my sheep know my voice”

Pray today for

- Your local mayor or township supervisor.
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for the power of God to flow in our lives, in the Mon Valley, and in our church.
- Pray for Pastor Don Johnson. Pastor Don has been with the church since the beginning faithfully serving the Lord, the church, our senior citizens and the Pastors for many years. He currently has a health battle he is fighting.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “peace”
- Choose a country with a “J or K” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 11

2012-01-25T04:55:00.005-05:00

Pray for the power of God!

Read Acts chapters 5 and 6

Those who follow Jesus have access to a power that the world has rarely seen. As you read Acts 5 and 6 you will see the way the power of God has been shown in obvious powerful ways and in not so obvious ways (serving).

Power is not about persuasion but submission. It is following God and doing what He shows us to do when He wants it done. I believe our knowing Him enhances His power in us. The greater our intimacy, the easier we hear His voice. The easier we hear His voice, the easier it is to respond to Him. Our response to Him is an act of submission based on love.

As you read the book of Acts, you will see that very rarely did the disciples look for someone specifically to see the power of God poured upon. God simply brought people to them and because of their relationship with God they knew what He wanted and believed for it.

This is something that we can practice. It takes time; we will make mistakes as we are learning to hear His voice. What we must believe is that this power is what God wants for us so the world can know who He is and how much He loves the world.

Watch and see who the Lord will bring to you. Listen to His voice and respond the way He would have you respond and watch the power of God flow through you.

Pray today for

- Pennsylvania Common Pleas Judges
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for the power of God to flow in our lives, in the Mon Valley, and in our church.
- Pray for our adult class leaders – Matt Vangura, Elaine Dennis, Mike and Beth Hough
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “joy”
- Choose a country with a “I” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 10

2012-01-24T04:15:00.000-05:00

Knowing God’s will.

When we fast it is easier to hear His voice and know His will. When we seek Him he promises we will find Him. Often we stop when we are reading Jeremiah 29:11 but it is important to read verses 12 and 13.

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Search for God with all of your heart requires some fasting. We get so many things in the way that we need to set time aside to simply seek the Lord. When we do the reward is we will find Him and in finding Him we find all that we need and want.

Continue reading today in Acts 3 and 4. Peter and John thought they knew their future, they would be fishers for the rest of their lives just like everyone else in their families but after seeking and finding Jesus they became disciples, apostles, evangelist, prophets, teachers, and fishers of men.

Don’t limit your potential by your environment, heritage, finances, family, or any other thing. As you are seeking the Lord in this fast expect Him to reveal great and amazing things that you have yet to know.

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9

Pray today for

- Pennsylvania Superior Court Judges
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for many to understand their calling and gifts and to begin using them in and outside of the church. We need every gift to be used.
- Pray for our teens and their leaders Bill Cappalonga and Lorie Barnes
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “love”
- Choose a country with a “H” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
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Fasting Day 9

2012-01-23T05:13:00.005-05:00

As I have been praying about the fast and with you during the fast I fell as if we need to turn a corner a bit. Many of us are familiar with the Gospels or at least many of the stories in the Gospels. I thought it might be appropriate that we take time to read the book of Acts as part of our daily reading during the fast. I am believing God for the Book of Acts to be in our lives today so it would be good for all of us to understand what the early church was like. Please begin reading today Acts 1 and 2.

As you are praying and fasting today build an expectation in your heart for God’s plan for your future. God always blesses people who are obedient through their love.

You have heard Jeremiah 29:11 quoted many times (if not go ahead and look it up, it is powerful), those who follow the Lord were made this promise after they sold out to the Lord.

God has placed hundreds and thousands of promises for those who will live a life following and trusting Him.

“…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:3,4

Through God’s promises to us we are made partakers of his nature. In other words He gave us promises to fulfill who we are called to be.

The psalmist tells us that God rejoices in prospering us in all ways.

Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” Psalm 35:27

“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” Psalm 34:10

God has a plan that includes a great future for all who seek and follow after him. As you are praying today, expect God to begin revealing His plan for you or clarifying His plan for you. Don’t settle for anything less then the greatness God has planned for you.

Pray today for
- Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Linda Kelly – it is her job to protect us so pray for wisdom and insight for her
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray that everyone in our church will recognize God’s great plan for their lives, understand it, and begin to do it!
- Pray for our media ministry – that is all of those who help with the audio, PowerPoint, camera, and web.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “self-control”
- Choose a country with a “G” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 8

2012-01-22T04:52:00.000-05:00

Fasting can change your course and give you a fresh call on your life.

Read Acts 13

When wisdom or insight were needed for the early church. When the nation of Israel had its back up against a wall. Whenever there has been intense time of need, God’s people fast.

Paul and Barnabas had been taught, trained, and prepared for ministry but there is a difference between when you think you are ready and when God says you are ready. If we launch into something without hearing a clear word from the Lord it always ends in disaster for everyone involved. This is “meekness” in action. Paul had been trained by the best theologians of his day but still waited for a bunch of fisherman to approve his being launched into ministry, because He knew it wasn’t about his ability or even his call but it was about God’s timing.

You may have had tuggings on your heart, feeling as if the Lord was calling you to something more but not knowing what. During this fast, expect the Lord to reveal to you the timing and the open doors for new avenues and adventures with God.

As you see the result of Paul’s waiting was that millions, in fact billions have been impacted by the Gospel. It is always worth the wait.

Please pray for:

- Our State Auditor General – Jack Wagner, he deals with many of the tax issues that impact us on a daily basis.
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for a release of the gifts and callings in our church like we have never seen before.
- Pray for our administrative staff – Pastor Mike Hough, Beth Hough, Sherri Cappalonga, Chris Zemko and Lori Carlson keep this ministry functioning day to day and keep you informed of all the is going on.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “faithfulness”
- Choose a country with a “F” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 7

2012-01-21T04:30:00.001-05:00

Expect clear direction from the Lord.

Fasting should be a time where we hear very clearly from the Lord and He prepares us to do the next thing he has called us to.

Read Mark 1 – 5

In Mark 1 we see that once Jesus is baptized He is guided, (driven) into the wilderness to fast. During this fasting time the devil attacks.

Any time that we choose to draw closer to God, we become the number one enemy of the devil and our own flesh. Expect attacks, but know that God is greater than any enemy. Part of the purpose of a fast is overcoming battles in our lives. If you have had a battle with an attitude, smoking, alcohol, drugs, fear, worry, or other things like these, I would ask you to expect the Lord to begin setting your free. These are the devils you may encounter on your fast more than any other.

This passage, as recorded by Luke in chapter 4, tells us that when Jesus completed His fast, He was full of power. We don’t realize how much some of these battles in our lives rob us of great victories. How worry, fear, lust, drugs, smoking, alcohol abuse or other such things weigh us down. After a fast, these things can be defeated in our lives. When they are dead to us, it is as Paul wrote, it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me (Galatians 2:20). The power of God can more freely flow through us as we are out of the way.

Expect answers to prayer like never before. Expect to hear clear direction in greater ways. Expect there be a battle between your flesh and you. Expect to win!

Pray today for:

- Our Governor – Tom Corbett
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray that the Lord shows you the “devils” you have to face and for deliverance from them. This will make you stronger and make more room for His Spirit to empower you.
- Pray for those in the church who are battling depression and addictions
- Pray for our greeters! They are the first to greet people as the come into the church carrying their burdens and battles. They need to always carry the love of God and a smile to everyone who enters the church.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “kindness”
- Choose a country with a “G” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 6

2012-01-20T04:38:00.003-05:00

Thank you for keeping up the fast. We are nearly 1/3 of the way there. It is about this time when some begin to “hit the wall” and have difficulty spending the time with the Lord.

Believe God today that He will go ahead of you in peace and to make your enemies be at peace with you!

Yesterday we prayed that God would break our hearts with the things that break His, including those who give us difficulty and you prayed for them. Believe today that the Lord will give you favor with and protection from your enemies.

I want to encourage you to read these two scriptures and to think about them. If you have a good study Bible study the references, Isaiah 54:17 and Proverbs 16:17.

We all have people in our lives that have hurt us, people, who have wounded us. Each of us has bad things that have happened to us. It is very easy to become bitter and to hold unforgiveness but the Lord calls us to freedom. He wants to defend us and make our enemies to be at peace with Him and us.

Around the world everyday millions of Christians live under either extreme restriction to their faith or out right persecution. Some of our “friends” are the worst offenders, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India.

Some of our kids face persecution in school, from elementary to college. They need the Lord’s and our support to overcome.

God will cause even our enemies to be at peace with us as we continue to release them into His hands.

When we pray for God to intervene and we allow Him to do it, then our enemies or those who are persecuting us, become God’s problem. He wants to draw every man and woman to himself.

Please pray for:

- Our Senators – Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for your enemies, personally or nationally (there are some we believe are enemies to who we are and what we believe but we do not have relationship with them)
- Pray for those in the church who have enemies in their own household or are in jobs where they are constantly under attack.
- Pray for our church intercessors – Paula Miller heads a group who are constantly praying for our church, our region and you. We also have a prayer team who is interceding for you, individually, on a daily basis. It is great when we can hold up their hands in prayer.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “meekness” - the ability to recognize our strength but to surrender it to God.
- Choose a country with a “F” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 5

2012-01-19T04:41:00.010-05:00

Breaking your heart for the things that break His heart

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:15

The entire book of first John gives us a unique insight into Jesus through “the eyes of the disciple that Jesus loved.” John wrote this book at the very end of his life. He had seen his brothers all pass away, he had been tortured for the faith and come away unscathed. He had spent many years in exile, having quality time alone with the Lord. In this book he was writing one of his last words to a growing church.

We are called to love but what does love really mean. The world would have us believe that acceptance is love. We must accept someone’s sin and if we do not than we are not like Jesus. Jesus never allowed someone to stay in their sin knowing that it would limit their potential in the kingdom, frustrate them, and leave them short of a life of prosperity, joy, and peace. He did not condemn those who had no knowledge of the things of God but pointed out to them what God expected of them and how they could be free to reach the potential God had created for them.

Jesus was the light; a light of righteousness, truth, love, hope and so much more. We are His ambassadors and we too much live, lives full of this same light. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and has sent the Holy Spirit to bring this light to us and live with us. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth so that we might know the truth of who we really are, what we are called to do, and so we can see others as God sees them. Our hearts break as we see people foolishly living so far under their potential and living in pain because of the enemy’s plan active in their lives.

Please pray today for:

- President Obama’s Cabinet – pray for wisdom as they influence and guide President Obama
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for the person in your life that gives you the greatest hassle. Ask the Lord to help you to see them the way He sees them!
- Pray for those in our church who are batting with broken relationships, those whose spouses or children are far away from the Lord and those who have been rejected by their families because of their faith.
- Pray for those in the ministry of helps in our church. Those who do things every day that bless you and you may not realize it – Dean and Lori who work so hard to keep the building looking so good, Leah and Lisa and all of those who help in the kitchen, Chuck, Amanda, and Timmy and all those who help at Le café, Lisa Sharpeta and all of those who help decorate the church, Kay and all those who help clean up after church on Sunday, Ted and Sally who are faithful to prepare communion, to name a few.
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “gentleness”
- Choose a country with a “E” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 4

2012-01-18T04:50:00.001-05:00

God’s supply of all that we need!

Psalm 34:10

“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”

God has a way of supplying for our every need. I would like to challenge you to Read Matthew 15:29 – the end of chapter 20. I know this is a lot of reading but there are so many different needs listed in these chapters and Jesus meets them all in unique ways.

The key to God meeting all of our needs is our keeping our eyes on Him. This time of fasting should be a time of abstaining from the things that would rob us of time to be with Him. Make sure, as I mentioned yesterday that you are maintaining the basics, reading the Word, praying, and staying in fellowship.

Expect God to show up in some unique way today showing you his supply for you. It could be financial, spiritual, emotional, and/or physical. Please look for it. Often we miss or ignore God’s involvement in our lives because we are caught up in so many things.

Please pray today for:

- Our House of Representatives (remember as we pray for those in authority over us, God provides for our peace)
- Choose another family in our church to pray for (we have approximately 150 families, praying for 21 should not be a problem)
- Pray for someone in a service industry that serves you (postal worker, restaurant wait staff, mechanic, plumber, etc.)
- Pray for those in our church that have lost jobs or are economically threatened that God will open jobs and other opportunities for finances and pray for those that are in management and entrepreneurs that God would bless them.
- Pray for our Finance committee, our church bookkeeper - Sherri Cappalonga
- Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “patience”
- Choose a country with a “D” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 3

2012-01-17T03:17:00.002-05:00

Breakthrough in your growth and maturity.

Joshua 1:8,9

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Everyday we face some kind of trial and/or temptation. The challenge is how do we overcome and walk away strong after each trial and temptation.

Joshua was about to face numerous enemies alone. We was left leaderless, Moses had died. He was now responsible for over one million people. You talk about pressure and stress. He understood the command above and how it would affect his life if he did not follow it.

The busy-ness and dailiness of our lives often cause us to forget or neglect the basics. The military, athletes, martial arts aficionados, and many others, have one thing in common; to be on the top of their game and to be ready for anything they will rehearse the basics over and over again until they are so natural to them. When a life challenge happens, they don’t need to think, they simply react because they have trained, their reaction is what they were trained to do. There reaction will cause the necessary outcome; to save a life, score the goal, or overcome the opposition without much struggle. Staying in the Word, prayer, and fellowship enables Christians to do the same. We mature and grow by keeping the basics in our lives as a foundation to build upon.

Pray today for:

- Our Justices on the Supreme Court and judges everywhere
- Choose another family in our church to lift up in prayer.
- Pray for another neighbor or some else you see on a regular basis, bus driver, barista, clerk at your local convenience store.
-Pray for those in our congregation that are battling addictions of all kinds from bad attitudes to smoking, over eating, laziness, work, foul language, pornography and much more
- Pray for the Elders and their wives – Wally and Bev Cieply, Matt and Debbie Vangura, Dave and Elaine Dennis, Mark and Donna Britt, Tom and Jean Hollis, Dana and Annette Clay, Pete and Cookie Newstrom
- Pray for that part of the Fruit of the Spirit “peace”
- Choose a country with a “C” name to pray for today(find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 2

2012-01-16T03:46:00.002-05:00

Fasting makes the impossible possible – Jehoshaphat had an impossible enemy to battle, he became fearful but was able to defeat the enemy because he sought the Lord first Read the story today in 2 Chronicles 20.

The Pilgrims were a group of people who decided to work to return the church to the call of God it had left. They traveled to America to establish freedom of religion, in the process faced many hardships their first few years in Massachusetts. During one of their most difficult seasons, the summer of 1623, 31 year old governor, William Bradford called for a fast. For three months there had been no rain. Their corn crop was virtually nonexistent. They began fasting that morning to skies that were clear and bright. By evening much to their surprise and that of the Native Americans the sky clouded up and a gentle rain fell, nonstop, for two days. If it had come as a hard shower what was left of their crop would have washed away. Instead it was a gentle rain that refreshed the Pilgrims, the Indians and their crops. The rest of the season brought seasonal rains and warm weather giving them an abundance for their harvest.

Our second day would be a good day to begin praying for the impossible to be made possible. Some have attitudes or habits that need broken. Some have loved ones who need the Lord, others healing or financial breakthrough. Whatever the need begin to believe for the impossible to be made possible.

Pray today for:

The Senate of the United States
Choose another family from our church to lift up in prayer
Pray for another neighbor
Pray for those in our church who need a healing miracle
Pray for our Children’s church teachers and aides
Pray for that portion of the fruit of the Spirit that is “Joy”
Choose a country with a “B” name to pray for today (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Fasting Day 1

2012-01-15T04:49:00.006-05:00

We are beginning a fast today based on Daniel Chapters 1 and 10. The idea is not as much about abstaining from food as it is about making sure that you are spending time alone with the Lord. The abstinence of certain types of food is there to remind us of our focus on God and a gentle cleansing of impurities from our system. We will be eating subsistence food, giving us enough to sustain our strength and endurance but not so much as to weigh us down.

Today is not a day to think about what you can’t eat but to begin thinking about the exciting journey you have just begun.

- Expect God to meet you in this next 21 days.
- Expect to hear him more clearly.
- Expect miracles to happen.
- Expect more of you to get out of the way and more of Him to take over.
- Expect more of the love of God to show up in your life.
- Expect the people around you, your city or township, our state, nation and the world, to be impacted in some way as together we seek the Lord.

Prayer Focus – The power of God moving in our lives

2 Peter 1:2,3

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…

God has given us divine power for all things pertaining to the dailiness of our lives and to enable us to become more like Him. We need to start believing in who we are called to be

Fasting enables us to accomplish much of this more quickly than maintaining our daily routine. Just through the disciple of fasting we force our flesh to come under the control of God’s Spirit.

Fasting humbles us – Psalm 35:13, Psalm 69:10

Fasting can also be a sign of repentance from our sin. – 1 Samuel 7: 2 – 6, 1 Kings 21: 27 – 29

Fasting enables us to receive spiritual direction – Judges 20: 26 – 28; Acts 13:2,3; Acts 14:23; Daniel 9:3, 10:2,3; Acts 10: 30 – 33

Deliverance from Demons – Mark 9 :17 – 29

Fasting for blessing – Joel 2:15, 18,19, 24, 25, 26; 2 Chronicles 20: 3, 20,25;

Fasting can bring salvation to your household – Isaiah 58:12

Fasting causes us to be more like Jesus – Matthew 4:2; Matthew 6:16 – 18

These verses are by no means an exhaustive study of fasting, just a few highlights to help you expect great things during this 21 days of seeking the Lord

Prayer Focus today

- Our President – Barak Obama
- Choose one family from the church (preferably someone you are not well acquainted)
- Pray for one family in your neighborhood
- Pray for Marriages
- Pray for our Worship Team
- Pray for a country other than the United States (find out information by going to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html that begins with the letter “A”
- Pray for the portion of the fruit of the spirit “love”

The Daniel Fast

2012-01-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

I want to clarify some things regarding our “Daniel Fast”. The purpose of a fast is not about some kind of suffering that makes us more like Jesus instead it is about placing your heart and your attitude in a position to have a more intense communion with the Lord. So much of the carry over from religion is about work and the idea of a fast can quickly become legalistic. If only eating fruits and vegetables drew you closer to the Lord, ever vegetarian and all Hindus would be the closest of all.

I know there are many books that describe what a “Daniel Fast” really is but let’s reiterate what the Bible says a “Daniel Fast” is.

When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. 3All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed. Daniel 10: 2,3 NLT

Daniel was serving in an ungodly court being fed the rich foods of heathens. The purpose of his fast was walking away from the daily routine in an ungodly environment to come away to be alone with the Lord. Meat and desserts where the foods of the wealthy and the heathen; the common people survived on fruits, vegetables, and bread. Daniel’s fast was making a statement that he was coming away from the common things of his life to spend time with the Lord. Your fast should cause you to remember you want to spend time with the Lord. It hopefully will make food preparation quicker and easier, so you spend less time on preparation and clean up and are able to spend more time with the Lord.

My challenge to you for this fast is not to get caught up in a religious routine but instead to come away from what is common and to enjoy the intimacy with Jesus. The physical act of not eating meats and sweets is simply there to remind us that we are choosing to spend time with the Lord. Pasta is not mentioned here because there was most likely no pasta in Persia until around 700 years after Daniel. However bread was a staple.

It has been my habit every year since 1990 to go on a forty day fast. The purpose is not to starve myself but to give myself more time to focus on and be with the Lord. Every time my stomach growls or I get hungry it is simply a reminder to spend time with the Lord.

Our attitudes have more to do with correct fasting than does the food we decline. James writes these words in chapter 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

A true Daniel Fast, according to the scripture is simple no meats or sweets, whatever your heart tells you what they means to you. The key thing is the right attitude and making more time to spend with the Lord. Don’t place your conviction on someone else it is not that hard. Do what you need to do to make your focus being with the Lord.

Your heritage in not you!

2011-12-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I mentioned how Martha, Lazarus, and Mary may have been related to Judas the betrayer of Jesus. Have you ever read the genealogy of Jesus?

Jesus was of course one half pure DNA from God the father but half of His DNA came from Mary. In the genealogy of Mary are a couple of character flaws that we would consider imperfect.

Rahab was the harlot of Jericho that protected the spies who came to the city to check out its defenses. As a reward for her great faith, she and her whole household were saved. Later she married Salmon and became the great-great grandmother of King David and also then, in the linage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). Can you imagine a prostitute in the linage of Jesus?

If we step back a couple of verses we see that an illegitimate child is in Jesus linage. Matthew chapter 1:3 tells us that Judah had a son Perez through Tamar. Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law. In Jewish custom if a husband died it was then his unmarried brothers responsibility to marry his brother’s widow and have children through her that would be counted to the dead brother, to preserve the brother’s linage. Judah had refused to do this so Tamar tricked him. She acted like a prostitute and Judah went into to her, she became pregnant and gave birth to two boys Perez and Zerah. Perez, the illegitimate son of Judah is in the linage of Jesus. (Read Genesis chapter 38 for the whole story.)

Why is this so important? Two reasons. First, even reading the genealogies is important. Don’t skip over them there are very important items to learn about life and God even in them. Second, all of us have skeletons in our closet; things we wish were not there. These are things in which we have either simply failed God or we failed others and thus ultimately failed God.

These skeletons are not to limit us. In fact, if we choose to let them go and give them to the Lord, He will use them for his glory and honor. Your past has helped create who you are, but it does not need to be a detriment to who you will become. Salmon and Rahab were well aware of her past. Perez was well aware of his birth. Rather than allowing these things to control them, they were able to give them to the Lord and allow the Lord to use them.

How you came into this world does not matter. The failures in your life do not matter to God as long as you give them to Him. He will use everything, good, bad, and ugly, if we will allow Him. He can take the most horrific situations in our lives and use them for His honor and glory. He will also turn them from disaster to blessing if we will allow Him to.

What are you hiding from in your life? What hidden sin do you have that you believe will destroy you or limit you? Nothing is impossible with God. The only limitation God has is our unwillingness to place everything in His hands. Do yourself a favor and blessing today, Let go of your past, put it in His hands and see what he will do with it! Your heritage is not who you need to become. It is part of who you are but instead of a detriment God wants to use it for His glory.

Can God mess with your plans? A Christmas Story!

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-05:00

The answer to that question is of course, yes! Scripture tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways. Our view of life and our future, is often limited by what we perceive as the best. Some times are best is a very limited view of who God wants us to become and who God really is.

To clarify my point let’s look at the life of Joseph. In Matthew chapter 1 verse 19 we get some very good information about Joseph.

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”

From this one verse we can tell a lot about Joseph. He was just. This means he was a man who loved the law of God, in a good way. He loved and served God and wanted to be pleasing to Him. Longing to do what was right.

We also see that he did not want to embarrass Mary. He really loved her. He had the right to publically humiliate her and to have her stoned to death. Instead he chose to quietly and secretly have her sent somewhere to have the baby so no one would know. This meant he was willing to cover her expenses to travel and stay away until the baby was born.

Joseph was a carpenter, in a small town, most likely made up of people with whom he was related. He was not a wealthy man. He was a man who loved much. I am sure after many years of waiting, Mary was finally old enough for marriage. He had dreamed and planned for this day for a large portion of his life.

Can you imagine for a moment how he would have felt? His plan was a simple one. Get married, have children, build a nice carpentry business that his sons could take over. God interrupted those plans. God knew Joseph could handle the detour in his life. It seemed for the time that his life was falling apart, that his plans were coming to nothing.

Do you ever feel that way? You may be in that place right now. This is one of the reasons it is so important to know God’s word. One of His many promises to us is that if we trust and seek Him, He will fulfill the desires of our hearts, Psalm 37:4,5. They may not always be fulfilled in the way we expect but are always filled God’s way.

Joseph thought he was just going to be a normal guy. God saw a man he could trust with His Son. Joseph became the adoptive Father of Jesus, the son of the living God. Joseph did not have to worry about carrying for Mary. God took care of her. At the cross, Jesus placed Mary in John’s care.

Whenever God messes with our plans, it always turns out better than our plan. He created us each for a purpose. If we trust Him, follow Him and love Him he will fulfill a better plan that what we can imagine. Expect Him to do great things with and through you! Don’t allow messed up plans to be a sign that God is not with you, for you, or using you. They may be the very fulfillment of your hearts desire.

Give me my mountain!!!

2011-11-28T08:44:00.001-05:00

Today is my birthday. I really like birthdays, not so much as a party or celebration but as a time of remembering what I have done with my past year, looking around at all of the blessings I have been given, and setting goals and hopes for the new year ahead.

I am a very blessed man. I have a wonderful wife and great marriage. I have two great kids, who love the Lord, each other and my wife and me. I have two jobs where I work with people that desperately love Jesus and want to see the world changed. I have the privilege of serving an amazing congregation of people who want to grow in Christ. I have the honor of using television to impact millions. I have great friends all around the world. This year I have had the privilege of seeing my Dad enter heaven and my Mom come to live with us. I am more blessed than any man should be, but I am not done.

My hearts cry is the same as Caleb in Joshua 14: 7 - 12, “Give me this mountain!”.

I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. 8Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ 10And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. 11As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. 12Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

Caleb had gone through the desert with the rebellious children of Israel. He watched them die off. He also saw a new generation rise up. God had made him some promises and all along, what kept him going, even to the age of 85, was God had made a promise to him. At 85 years old he was still scrappy enough to want to take on the giants. Before David, Caleb was the one that knew that if God has made a promise, even the giants that stand before us would come down.

Too quickly we give up. Too quickly we make excuses as to why we can’t accomplish something for God. Too quickly we give up on God’s promises. I can’t imagine it was easy for Caleb to put up with all the death around him. He watched friends and family die. He watched everything around him change. The thing about Caleb, was he did not take his eyes off of the prize.

What promises has God made to you? What are the giants in your way? Have you given in to all of the death, suffering, whining, and negativity around you or have you decided you are going to hold onto the promises of God.

Today is my birthday and I am saying, “Give me my mountain! I am choosing to hold onto the promises of God!”

Would you give me a wonderful gift today? Here is the gift I want from you. Would you remember the promises of God for your life and choose again to believe them and hold to them! God has given you your promises so you can impact your part of the world. The Body of Christ needs you to fulfill your call so together we can see the world changed!

We all have so much to be thankful for!

2011-11-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I am focusing this week on thankfulness. The great American revivalist Charles Finney once said, “A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of a growth in grace and a thankful heart.”

Yesterday I focused in on being grateful for the various things of nature and the people the Lord has brought into our lives. Today I am reminded of the many gifts the Lord has given me, and the great gifts that I see in my family and friends around me.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17

Every gift you have been given has come from God. No good things that you have or see in your life has come from anywhere or anyone but God.

Take a few moments to, as the old hymn says, count your many blessings. The blessings in your life and around your should remind you how truly blessed you are. They should also remind you of how loved you are by God.

To count your blessing first look at the abilities you have, the things that come easiest to you, and the successes they bring. Then look in you refrigerator, look at the home you live in, notice all of the material possessions you have been given. Just the fact that you are reading this blog on a computer shows how blessed you are, when in many parts of the world even a computer is a luxury that many could not even begin to comprehend.

Count the senses that work, your ability to see, hear, touch, taste, smell. I lost my sense of smell for about a month at one point. What a blessing it became to even begin smelling something bad.

Look around you at all of the stuff you have. The average person in a third world or developing nation lives on less than three dollars a day. In Sudan the people I met there were thrilled to eat one meal every other day. The children in Zimbabwe were happy to play with an empty plastic bottle as a soccer ball. Open your medicine cabinet. Most of my friends in the third world have no access to medical care, not even an aspirin. Turn on your water faucet; clean water is a gift many do not have. This is not to make you feel guilty. God has blessed you appreciate that blessing.

Develop an attitude of gratitude and see what the Lord will do with you. If we take time to give thanks our view of our world changes. We all have so many good gifts in our lives. This Thanksgiving truly give thanks for how blessed you are!

How great is our God!

2011-11-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

I woke this morning with the words,

“O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the world Thy Hand hath made,”
Those are the words to the first stanza of the hymn, “How great Thou art”

I am amazed by sunsets and sunrises; the stars in the sky, and really all of nature. Also when I think about how the human body works, how a child is born.

In my way of thinking everywhere around us are signs of how amazing and wonderful God is. It is so easy to get caught up in the stuff of life and miss all of the wonder of God around us. David said this about the Lord…

“Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” 2 Samuel 7:22

The more I grow to learn the Lord the more I learn how little, I truly know about Him. I am not afraid of true scientific study because it will continue to prove God to be true. True science is initiated in the throne room of God. The clearer the understanding that man has about the world the more God is revealed.

When I see someone really turned onto God and see the change in their life, I am amazed at the love and power of God. Every day I am in a position to see people awaked to who God is and how much He loves them. Every day I get to see “the wheels turning” in someone’s mind as they discover how much God really loves them. It is a wonderful sight to see a life that connects with our heavenly Father.

If you ever wonder about how amazing God is, simply look at the people he has brought into your life. If your life is anything like mine you have an interesting conglomeration of people. People from all kinds of backgrounds, colors, shapes and sizes, all people that are a work in progress but each one in themselves is an amazing miracle. The wonder and awesomeness of God is revealed in the differences in people as well. Think about the creativity that it took to make each one so unique. The way the Lord has woven them into the tapestry that has become your life. Each strand is important to the whole.
Forgive my rambling today but it is easy to overlook the wonder and majesty of God revealed through even the most common things in our lives.

I hope that as we approach Thanksgiving that you are grateful for not only the big things that the Lord has done for you but also the daily miracles he brings into your life.

Are you a person of integrity?

2011-11-18T09:17:00.001-05:00

Integrity is one of those old fashioned concepts.

Here is a passage of scripture that is often overlooked.

“Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor;
despise the despicable. “Keep your word even when it costs you,
make an honest living, never take a bribe. Psalm 15: 3 -4

Jesus put it this way, Matthew 5:37

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Keeping our word is something that has become less important to us in our culture. To God it is still important.

Keeping our word stops us from being a people pleaser and helps us stay as a God-pleaser only. Often we will say things simply to not offend or to please the people we are talking to. We will commit to doing things we have no intention of doing. We have well-meaning intentions of praying for someone when they are asking for prayer but then we don’t do it. If we hold ourselves accountable to what we say we will do, two things will happen. First we will be wiser in committing to anything and focus in on doing what we are called to do. Second, we will take seriously all the request we get from others. It will not just be another request for help, another prayer request, or another scheduled appointment it will be a God requests, a God-seeking moment or a God-appointment.

In my world travels, Americans are famous for saying they will do things and then never following through. We are moved by the moment, genuinely wanting to help or follow through on some need but then the daily-ness of life takes over when we come home and we forget about our promises.

Can you imagine the impact Christians would have if we were known for keeping our word. If people knew what we said would happen, simply because we said it!
We are the light of the world, shining through the darkness, setting the example for all to see. We are the salt, bringing flavor and preserving life.

Be a person of integrity! Change your world!

How big is your God?

2011-11-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

When I make a statement like that, often what comes to mind are thoughts like; do we believe God can bring world peace? Do we believe He can heal cancer? Do we believe God can move the mountains in our lives? Our relationship with Him determines what we believe about Him.

Allow me to give you an example. My Iphone got soaked, which generally means it is now only good as a paperweight. If you know me my phone is a lifeline of communication with thousands of people here and around the world. It is also my schedule and all of my contacts. Still it is just a phone, it is not starving children, people being abused, or people who have not made a commitment to Christ. It is just a phone! The question needed to be asked, “How big is my God?”

Peter wrote,

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

All of our cares and concerns means, all of them. The largeness of the impact nor the smallness of the need are not relevant to God. All of our care is what God will concern himself with, if we will give it to Him. Once again, I ask the question, “How big is your God?” Is he big enough to handle all of the concerns of the world and care about the most seemingly insignificant thing you face? Jesus said in Matthew 10:29 - 31, about how God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God is big enough to take care of the whole world and your most minute care. We serve a God who loves us. Psalm 139 says that he knows us intimately; He knows everything about us down to the smallest detail. He created all that we are, He is well acquainted with our needs. Our requirement is to bring them to Him. He is not a God who demands robot-like obedience. He wants us, of our own free will, to surrender our desires, needs, fears, concerns, and dreams in turn, He will take care of those needs.

Is your God big enough to handle the large needs of the world and the minutest concern you might have? If He is not, then allow me to challenge you in your understanding of who God is! He is big enough to handle all of this and more. Trust Him and see what He will do for you!

By the way, my Iphone is working perfectly fine. What concern do you have to bring to the Lord today!

The hurry-ier I go the behind-er I get!

2011-11-15T08:25:00.001-05:00

I don’t know if you have ever heard the phrase before but that happens to me sometimes. I am doing my best to pastor the body at the Christian Center, do my job at Cornerstone TeleVision, work on the addition at my house for my Mom to move in, and prepare my Mom to empty her house and move. Somewhere in there I need to find time to talk with my wife and kids, eat, and sleep. Don’t get me wrong, while this is a very chaotic time, it is fun too. God seems to send the right people to help at the right time. We get encouragement when we need it and everything comes together.

The demands of the immediate often will take over the necessary, which is where we can get into trouble. What do I mean by that? Let me explain it this way, Martin Luther, the protestant reformer said, “I have so much to do I need to spend twice as much time in prayer.”

There are all kinds of things that need to be done. Always there are demands, things that scream out, “pay attention to me!” We can not allow those things to determine our day, our attitude, nor our reactions. We must maintain our priorities if we are going to lead a successful life not allowing the demands of the immediate to take over what is necessary.

Jesus put it this way as recorded by Matthew in chapter 6 verse 33, 34;

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Every day there are going to be things that seem like they are a higher priority but we must remember, we get all that we have need of from time with Him. Always keeping Him first, despite the busy-ness, will order our day and keep us in the fruit of the Spirit. Sometimes I need to seek Him many times a day to keep my head above water. I believe that is what Martin Luther meant.

There will always be people and things demanding your time. If we do not keep our priorities straight then we will be offering them only our best rather than God’s best. Don’t allow the demands of the immediate to override the need of the necessary. Seek Him first, always and He will guide you as to how to handle all of the rest.

Do you have plans? Does God have plans for you?

2011-11-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

Many of the questions I am asked are related to the idea of our future. What decisions should I make how do I know how to make them?

Two scripture come to mind immediately when people ask these questions.

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Proverbs 16:9

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

First we need to understand that God is in control. He has created you to fulfill to a purpose. He has gifted you with everything you need to begin your journey to complete fulfillment in Him. Jesus tells us that the Father draws us to himself. As we come to the place of trusting in God all of the gifts we have find their place.

Let me stop here for a second. Following the Lord does not mean that you must be a Pastor, Evangelist or some sort of missionary over seas. Following the Lord means that all the gifts the Lord has invested in you are being used for His honor. If you have carpentry skills, as you build know that you are honoring God. If you have administrative skills, as you organize you are honoring God. People are to see our good works, both in ethics and quality and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Because God has placed these gifts in you, you will naturally have a desire to use them. You will plan things to use your gifts, personality, and all of the blessing you have received from God without really planning necessarily to honor God. Why? That is the way God created you.

Can we mess up God’s great plan for us? I believe the answer is yes. Our rebellion, our rejection of Christ can defuse our fulfillment of what we were created to do. The great and amazing thing about the Lord is Hid grace toward us. I believe even if we do reject Him and go into rebellion, we can always repent and return to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

I believe we have two responsibilities in fulfilling God’s plan.

First is to stay close to Him. Keep an active prayer life, stay active in a local Body of Believers, and study the Word. These are not to be things done out of ritual or a feeling of obligation instead they should be done out of love. Our relationship with the Lord should be one of love, not fear of repercussions. As we study, prayer, and stay in fellowship we learn that better.

Our second responsibility is to plan. Don’t sit by idly waiting for something to happen. Yes, we are commanded to wait on the Lord but that is part of what point number one is all about. Out of this relationship with Him we begin to plan what we should do to accomplish all the desires the Lord has placed in our hearts.

David wrote:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Acknowledge Him in all of your ways and He will make your path straight.”
Psalm 37:4,5

God places those desires in our hearts. Our planning is not a threat to His plan it is His plan, which is why He orders our steps.

The answer to the question I started with, “Yes”. As we follow the Lord, he stirs the desires of our heart, so we plan to fulfill those desires, which he placed there in the first place and gifted us with all that we need to begin fulfilling His purpose. His purpose in turn fulfills our lives.

Gambling and the Bible

2011-11-10T05:06:00.002-05:00

I have been asked a number of times recently about gambling. There are no direct prohibits to gambling mentioned in the Bible but as I mentioned before it is rooted in the sense of witchcraft. Here is a slightly more direct and thorough explanation.

Studies show that lotteries are the favorite legal gambling game for teenagers. Statistically, one of seven who play will become addicted. But teenagers aren't the only ones affected. One out of 10 adults who gamble will become addicted too. In fact, gambling is the fastest growing addiction in America. Like alcoholism and drug addiction, compulsive gambling is costly to the economy. Families are the ones who suffer the most. Many people feel gambling is only a game that is fun, but the Bible tells us this evil is a terrible sin that will lead to poverty.

"He that hurries to be rich has an evil eye, and does not consider that poverty shall come upon him" (Proverbs 28:22).

Gambling in our nation is spreading as the number of states operating lotteries has more than doubled since 1980, making them the ultimate "get-rich-quick" schemes. As gambling spreads to more and more states, Christians need to have the Bible's instruction about this money robber. The Bible declares that it is wrong to bet money on the possibility of becoming instantly rich.

"He who oppresses the poor to get gain for himself, and he who gives to the rich will surely never be satisfied " (Proverbs 22:16).

States who legalize lotteries and gambling are oppressing the poor for gain. According to a 1988 study of the Michigan lottery, that state sells the greatest number of tickets in low-income and ethnic neighborhoods in urban areas. Lottery tickets made available in grocery marts and drive-in markets make it easy for people to purchase these "chances to win the big hit." Some spend money on the lottery tickets instead of groceries for their families. Many compulsive gamblers wreck their lives and their families as they are encouraged to risk money that they usually cannot afford to lose. An estimated 15 million people are compulsive gamblers.

The lie that is used to promote this evil in our society is that legalized gambling doesn't promote crime and will lower taxes. Actually just the opposite is true -- gambling promotes other vices which attract the criminal element. This results in higher, not lower taxes as the cost for additional policing must be increased. Indian reservations and the big gambling centers of Las Vegas and Atlantic City are taking in billions of dollars. Casinos rob those who play the games with them as the odds are stacked 80% to 90% in favor of the casino. Even those that do win big on occasion statistics have proven that within two years most winners have totally spent the money they won.

Proverbs 21:20 says, "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man wastes it."

People who gamble give to the pool of money that composes great wealth. This causes them to give to the rich and as Proverbs 22:16 says "...he who gives to the rich will surely come to want." Our states are also reaping a type of "poverty" where gambling exists because it undermines the American work ethic. The result is lowered productivity, use of work time to gamble, absenteeism, high rates of business failure, and repeated non-payment of loans, mortgages and other financial obligations. Gambling is, to many, a scheme to escape labor.

Some Christians argue that gambling does no harm. However, the scripture is clear that this activity is sinful. Anytime someone is enticed to gain money at someone's else's certain loss, this is definitely not practicing the principals taught by Christ. Also, the practice of gambling takes away from the Bible's principals of economics -- working, saving and giving. Discipline and accountability for spending are ignored. Gambling preys on the weakness of others.

Let me mention here that entering free sweepstakes or drawings are not sinful as they are advertising ploys paid for by the sponsors. They use these to advertise their products while giving their customers a chance to win in a drawing. There is no gambling involved as the participants give no money for a chance to win the prize.

However, many Christians are guilty of supporting lotteries, bingo, horse racing, and even playing at the casinos. Video poker has become so popular it is now referred to as "the crack cocaine of gambling." Some do not realize the gravity of their sin. They justify gambling simply because they have needs that cannot be met through their present earned income. The Lord desires to meet those needs for them and will give them a plan for becoming debt free if they seek him and His economic principles in the Bible.
The Lord can bring deliverance to those caught in this web of compulsive gambling. Through admission of this sin and repentance God will break the bondage of it in those who desire to be set free. Gamblers need love and acceptance but they must repent in order to be free. The Lord loves those who are addicted to gambling and will help all that call upon Him for deliverance.

This is taken from an article by Betty Miller in Overcoming Digest

You have a choice today

2011-11-09T08:38:00.002-05:00

Everyday we live our lives in the heat of the battle. Everyday we are making decisions to follow Christ (be Christ-like) or not.

Paul puts it this way in Romans 6: 13, 14

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

He is encouraging everyone to make a decision, everyday not to allow evil to overcome us. Reminding us that we are no longer bound to sin, as we were before we came to Christ but because of Christ he now live under the freedom that grace brings.

When a sinner sins, they are only doing what comes naturally. When a Christian sins, we have made a choice to neglect the freedom we have been given in Christ. The good thing in both cases is that God’s grace if applied, can be sufficient for both.

As you read on in this chapter, Paul presents the argument that we are all slaves to something either God, leading to righteousness, joy, peace, love, and freedom or our sin leading to bondage and death.

The point today is that we need to realize, unlike Flip Wilson’s character from the early 1970’s, “the devil didn’t make us do it” we choose every day how we will live. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be overcomers not victims.

We all have areas of weakness. We all have areas of temptation and areas we struggle; however the empowering of the Holy Spirit enables us to be overcomers in all things. We have been set free from sin, as Paul mentions in verse 22 of the same chapter.

Do you feel condemned? I hope not, I hope that you feel empowered. I hope you realize you have a choice everyday to give into sin or not. You no longer have to be in bondage to anything. The Holy Spirit can and is more than willing to give you the power to overcome you weaknesses.

As you realize you are free, you realize you are empowered. As you realize you are empowered you will begin to see great victories in your life and the lives of those around. Freedom is also a decision you must make. The cross has set you free but if you still living in bondage in your mind, you nullify the effects of the cross.

Your choice!

Understanding true leadership and bad leadership.

2011-11-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

We are coming into an election season, to be honest it seems like we are always in an election season any more. Choosing a good leader is difficult, what is even more difficult is living under a bad leader. Bad leadership can even corrupt good men and women. The book of James gives us some insight into good and bad leadership, signs that you are either going to be blessed or struggle under the leader at your job, church, government, ministry, or home. You may be a leader; if you are please take these few brief comments to heart. Be encouraged or make corrections which ever applies to you.

Rooted in the heart of a good leader is peace, purity, gentleness, mercy and freedom from hypocrisy.

Rooted in the heart of a bad leader is envy, self-seeking, confusion, and so on.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13 – 18

It would be easy to point to a leader and begin to judge them based on your perception. We need to be very careful when we judge those in leadership that we see through the Lord’s eyes and not our own. Leadership is costly. A good leader will make tough, and at times, unpopular decisions based on his/her desire to please God rather than men, that is one of the definitions of true humility. A true leader wants the best for the Lord and everything and everyone God has placed in their hands. A true leader will fight for you, even against your own self-destructive behavior and sin nature, even if you don’t realize they are fighting for you.

Our questions of whether a leader is good or not is often measured in time, not in immediacy. Evil intent is seen more as the direct result of long-term impact rather than short-term response. Is the benefit all about the leader? Is the glory going to the leader? Does the leader talk about themselves all of the time and constantly need the reassurance of the people around them. Are decisions made to directly benefit the leader or do they benefit their family, business, government, or ministry they are leading? Do they really believe in what they are saying or are they saying it to please the people? What did they believe before they were placed in a position of leadership, it is most likely, despite all the rhetoric or their actions, what they believe now. Consistency is key to being a good leader.

If you are a leader in your job, ministry, home, or government, know that God has a plan for you and your leadership. There are many different styles of leadership each style works in different environments. Please understand that your leadership is a gift from God and a responsibility to God. You are not in a position to please men but God. It does not need to be a burden but a blessing. Like any gift from God as you surrender and use it for His honor and glory you draw closer to Him. But like the failures in the Bible, if you use it for selfishness, it may seem like you are prospering for a season but in the end you will find only frustration and a long distance relationship with the Lord. Don’t be afraid or frustrated. If God has called you, as you submit to Him, He will give you the wisdom to be all that you have been called to be and all that you family, business, government, or ministry need you to be.

If you are under a good leader, pray for them that they will continue to be the man or woman of God, He has called them to be. If you are under a bad leader, pray that the Lord open their eyes to become who God has called them to be. Pray that you can learn what you need to about humility, godliness, and service. Anyone can rejoice under a good leader but it takes people after God’s own heart to be fruitful and at peace under bad leadership.

Little faith or mountain moving faith

2011-11-07T07:35:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I talked about how little our faith needed to be to be mountain moving. I want to encourage you today a little further in that idea.

You are familiar with Jesus saying to his disciples, “If you have faith as a mustard seed you can say to the mountain be removed and thrown into the see” Matthew 17:20

Jesus made that statement after the disciples could not deliver the young man from the demon. In fact they had been trying while Jesus was with God the Father, Elijah, and Moses on the mount of transfiguration. Jesus said to them, “you of little faith”. If you look at each time He mentioned that to them you will see a pattern of what Jesus was saying.

How often do we know that God can do something and we set about doing it in our strength rather than God’s? The disciples knew the boy could be set free from the demon; their faith was in the fact that the boy could be set free; they knew it. However their faith was in relying on their own strength rather than the Lord. Notice they recognized that God could do it, so they had faith but it was not in the power of God, but in their own ability, their own work, rather than that of the Lord.

The same thing happened when the storm came and Jesus was sending the disciples with him to the other side of the lake (Matthew 8). The storm came, they knew they could get across the lake if they just worked hard enough at it so they did what came naturally for fisherman, they gripped, worried, complained, and rowed harder. Once again Jesus said they had little faith. Their faith was in knowing that God could do something but their focus was on the idea that they had to make it happen rather than relying on the Lord to lead them and show them what to do.

Romans 12 tells us that each of us are given a measure of faith. Faith is indeed like a muscle the more we use it the stronger it becomes. However our faith must not be in a works mentality but a grace one. We do not have any abilities within ourselves that God has not given to us. Our dependency must not be on what we know God can do but on God.

I know it may seem like I am a broken record on this but it is always about relationship. The stronger our relationships with the Lord, the more we recognize Him in every aspect of our lives; the more we recognize how much He loves us, His leading, and daily guiding of our lives. The less we rely on our strength and the more we turn to Him first.

Be blessed today rely on Him, even in your strengths. Watch what he will do as we use our faith to trust Him rather than in ourselves. All it takes to move mountains is a little faith in God’s ability rather than a lot of faith in our ability.

In everything give thanks

2011-11-04T04:05:00.001-04:00

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16 – 18

Really?

This is the month of Thanksgiving. A time here in America where we reflect on how blessed we are. It is not always easy because selfishness creeps in on us very easily. It is easy to become prideful and selfish and to not realize how well we really have it. At a minimum, as a Christian, you have Christ and if you think about it that means you have everything.

I just went through a very painful dental surgery. I won’t go into details but suffice it to say my mouth was in severe pain and I felt as if I had broken my nose. Believe it or not I am grateful. When I was a young boy, I had my teeth knocked out, right after my permanent teeth had come in. The University of Pittsburgh Dental School experimented on me, successfully, but not without consequences. Since that time, I had dealt with issues resulting from the experimentation. The surgery I just had, despite the pain, is the beginning of finally making right, the best that could be done over 40 years ago.

I am telling you all this to say that despite the pain, I can give thanks to the Lord for the wisdom and insight He gave the dentist over 40 years ago and the increased wisdom and insight He has given my dentist now. The pain I am going through is on my way to my healing.

As much as my suffering is physical, yours may be as well, or it could be spiritual, mental, or emotional. Regardless of where your pain is rooted, I would encourage you to give thanks, not so much for the pain itself, but because you know the Lord, you know He will use it to bring about your healing.

You can choose to wallow in your pain, allow your pain to be what identifies you, or you can choose to believe that you are a son or daughter of Christ and that this temporary discomfort, if given over to God, will get you to your place of total healing.

God did not cause the problems I have, but I have given them over to Him and have expected Him to use them for my good. He has used them to help me become who He has called me to be. Rather than taking ownership of my suffering, I gave it over to Him and asked Him to use it for His honor and glory.

Jeremiah 29:11, you know it, talks about God’s plans for us. All of His plans are good. Bad things will happen because we live in a fallen world. We don’t have to identify with them or take ownership of them. They are not to define us. He is to define us! If we give thanks to Him for giving us the opportunity to trust Him with our struggle, pain, wound, or whatever, He will then turn it from a tragedy to a triumph. In everything give thanks!

Be an example for others to follow

2011-11-01T08:50:00.001-04:00

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

It is tough in our culture to stand for Christ. There are temptations all around us. There is compromise and injustice everywhere we look. It is easy to become discouraged, but God knows. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. All the compromise and injustice have been around since the beginning.

We are called to be salt and light. We are called to be salt because it preserves the meat when the natural way of things is for the meat to decay and become corrupt, salt stops the decay and saves the meat. We are called to do that in our society. Salt also adds flavor to something bland and apart from Christ the world really has no true flavor. We are called to be light because left to humanity darkness will overwhelm the world. Corruption is in our fallen nature. We must be the light, the brightest thing in the room. The things everyone is drawn too.

So what does that have to do with 1 Corinthians 11:1? In Hebrews chapter 11 we are given a list of people of faith. These men and women are real people who struggled but over came by faith. The list was put together so we could be challenged in our faith to hold on and be like those who have gone before us.

We can read our Bibles and receive great insight and understanding from them, however for many people the best way they can grasp a firm understanding of the Scripture is by seeing it lived out in the lives of others. It is one thing to read that we should live by faith; it is another thing to show people how to live by faith. It is one thing to know that we must forgive others, it is quite another to show people how to do it.

We are all to be living examples of who Jesus is and how much God loves. I know that sounds difficult but the good news is that it is not really about us, all we have to do is love the Lord and allow Him to love us and we will naturally be the examples He wants us to be. It is never about perfection. Perfection is about our working to earn God’s favor. We already have His favor. It is about our love for Him and allowing Him to pour His love into every aspect of who we are and who he has called us to be.

Be the example, let Him love you and love through you!

All Saints Day Eve (Halloween)

2011-10-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

Today is all saints day eve, never heard of it before? That’s OK unless you were raised Catholic or Anglican it is most likely that you would have never heard of it.

The purpose of this holiday in the Catholic and Anglican churches has a few different meanings. The meaning that makes most sense to me is the honoring of the men and women who have gone before us and sacrificed so that we might hear the Christ story and follow in their footsteps and also avoid their mistakes so we might become the men and women of God we are called to be.

Paul wrote at least three times about the need to be an example, Philippians 3:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:9, and 1 Timothy 4:12.

I am not one who openly condemns trick or treating, especially for little kids who have no idea about its very dark and evil foundation. Personally, my kids did not go trick or treating, to be honest I was probably more concerned about the evil that people can do to the candy more than anything else. Is there any other time when you would tell your kids that it is OK to take candy from strangers. That being said let me share this scripture as to why I don’t condemn the idea.

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.” Titus 1:15

The idea of All Saints Day is that those who have gone before us are honored. I would like to recommend that if you are going to take you kids trick or treating that they dress as someone that they can honor. It does not need to be a Bible character but there are plenty of wholesome characters that can encourage your children to keep their hearts and minds on the world of possibilities that they can accomplish because of people who have gone before them.

Allow me to give you one other scripture that will keep you focused on what is important and what will be important for your children as well.

Philippians 4:8,9 The Message

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

If you are taking your kids trick or treating, please keep in mind that you are setting the tone for what they believe and what is important to them. Who do you want them to emulate? What do you want them to think is important? Let them be a character that is some one they want to be like. All of the Bible characters, Disney characters, super heroes, and others have their strengths and weaknesses, talk with your kids about the good things and they things their character needs to be an overcomer.

What about witchcraft and Halloween?

2011-10-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

It is nearing Halloween time here in the United States. Every country around the world has a day very similar to our Halloween and the celebrations vary but have a lot of similarities. The idea is a day focused death, witchcraft, and our more ghoulish nature.

The children of Israel were told this;

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.” Deuteronomy 18: 10 – 12

Why do you think this is so severe? It is rather simple if you think about it. God’s desire is to have an intimate, personal, relationship with each of His children. From the beginning of mankind He created us to have relationship with Him.

In the garden of Eden the serpent used witchcraft to convince Adam and Eve to sin. Now you’re saying I don’t see that in the Bible. What is witchcraft?

Witchcraft is a rebellion against God, 1 Samuel 15:23 says. It is also an attempt to fulfill your purpose or to override God’s purpose in your life through manipulation or control. Drugs (used for the purpose of mind control not healing), hypnosis (used for the purpose of manipulation), Ouija boards, séances, tarot card readings, astrology, gambling, and psychics all fall under the category of witchcraft. God has created you with a purpose in mind, something that will fulfill you and bring you great joy. What any of these types of things do is at the very least weaken your trust in God’s ability to impact your life or at most link you demonically to a hopelessness of Satan’s plan for your life.

Every human has been impacted by witchcraft. Because of Adam and Eve’s fall to witchcraft we all suffer the consequences. The cunning thing about these types of witchcraft they can at first seem to work. Certainly with drugs and drunkenness there is a sense of euphoria. There can be a “high” that takes place when a horoscope reading appears to be correct. When demons manipulate a present situation to make a psychic seem correct there can be a sense of awe. All the things that are either rooted in the flesh or in demonic activity ultimately end leaving you either addicted, hopeless, feeling used, or any combination of all three.

Why is it that 95% of all significant lottery winners wish they had never won! The works of the flesh and the enemy always leave us empty, used and hopeless.

God loves us all and wants every person to be fulfilled, loved, whole, and filled with hope and power. We only get that when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us because we have surrendered completely to the Lord.

Very few are in bondage or immediately addicted the first time they try one of these things. It is gradual and steady. Before you realize it something else is controlling you and your joy has left you.

God’s plans for you are amazing, beyond your wildest dreams. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation, believe Him for the amazing plan He has for you!

What do you do when you are over burdened?

2011-10-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

I have been hit with a number of people who are feeling so overwhelmed they don’t know what to do I felt I need to revisit a topic I preached a while ago.

Here is a simple scripture that everyone has heard at one time or another, these are Jesus’ words.

Matthew 11:28 – 30

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Three quick points

1) If you take Jesus’ yoke, He is the one carrying the load. In ancient times a larger, mature ox was yoked to a younger ox to teach them. The older ox carried all of the load and the younger ox merely had the yoke resting on it. Jesus was, most likely, seeing such a situation when He said this to the people. He wants us to understand He will carry our loads for us if we allow Him.

2) When we are “yoked” to Jesus we are right next to Him. He is within a whisper of all that is going on, He sees what is taking place in our lives. We can be assured that He is with us. We never need to feel abandoned again. Jesus is always right beside us an easy ear-shot to our every prayer.

3) We will never get lost again. If we are “yoked” to Jesus then we are sure to get where He wants us to go. We will fulfill His purpose for us because we can’t do anything but go where He wants us to go. God created each one of us for a purpose. If we try to fulfill that purpose in anyway but through the Lord we end up frustrated, empty, or at the very least fulfilling far less of what we can do than God had purposed.

Stop carrying the burden! Give it over to God. You may very well have to say, “God I can’t carry this burden. Please help me to release it to you.” As you do, you will see the Lord do amazing things through you. You will also gain back the peace, joy, and love you once had.

God does not give you burdens to ear you down or out. He gives them to you so you can change your world but He will carry the load if you will let Him

How near are you to God?

2011-10-26T08:12:00.002-04:00

Sounds like a funny question doesn’t it. As Christians we believe that God is omnipresent meaning that He is everywhere. That being the case we are always near to God.

If you have heard me speak or have read this blog over the last eight years of my doing it you will have heard me say things like, “God is always speaking to us”, “God will never abandon you” and “God is right here with us.” All of these are true however there are times when we feel closer to him than others. Why is that? Is there a way, in those times to draw nearer to Him?

Here is what the Bible says:

James 4: 7 – 10

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

James is talking about people who are disobedient and rebellious. They are in the church but rather than acting like saints they are acting like sinners. They are quarreling and arguing with one another, not preferring one another. They are more worried about getting what they want than trusting God to give them what they need. In other words, the world’s attitude has crept into their lives and they have wandered from whole-heartedly following the Lord to half-heartedly following Him.

Even as they have rejected the Lord, and to be honest in our growth all of us go through times like this, times of selfishness, God is showing mercy and saying, “just turn around, I’m right here!”

Even when we go through times of rebellion, God is still right there drawing us back to Himself.

Sometimes it is just the stuff of life that makes us feel so far away.

Hebrews 13: 5 - 8

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say:
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The writer of Hebrews (because of the style I believe was actually Apollos) Is telling us in chapter 13 there are things that we go through, simply the things of life. God is always there her will never leave you, you are never alone and guess what, the God of the Old Testament miracles, the God in flesh that walked among us and performed great miracles and showed us great love, He is the same God.

Whether it is sin or simple the stuff of life that has you feeling like God is so far away, don’t believe it. God is right here with you. Even as you are reading this blog, He is saying to you He is right here with you. Just come to Him. Wait for Him to talk with you and He will. Jeremiah in 31:3 says He loves us with an everlasting love.

He is right here, now!

Why do bad things happen to good people?

2011-10-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

How many times have you either heard or thought that question?

It is not an unusual question. In many ways the prophets ask the same questions, David did in the Psalms, Job in his writings and in Jeremiah 12, Jeremiah is really rather frustrated with the good getting jerked around and the wicked prospering.

It all comes down to really who we are and who we are is rooted in what we believe. Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation, be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Bad things are going to happen. For someone without Christ, there is no hope, only the possibility of picking ourselves up by the bootstraps and doing the best we can.

Because we have given our lives over the Christ, they are in his hands. At the very least Romans 5: 3-5 applies

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

God’s plan for us is to be blessed. We may at times walk through fires and floods, through the valley of the shadow of death. As The Lord speaks through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 29 verse 11, his plans are for our good and not for our destruction, for a hope and a future.

It is all a matter of trust. Do we trust that God loves us? Do we trust that He knows us? Do we trust that He will always accomplish His purposes through us? If we do then, as David, Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and all of the saints of old have learned, even when bad things happen God can still be trusted and he will prove His faithfulness to us!

How secure is our salvation? Part 3

2011-10-20T05:05:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I kind of left a bombshell with you when I gave you the scripture from Hebrews 6: 4-6

“For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

The questions often arise, “Can I lose my salvation?” If so, how easy is it? Then there is an even more basic question how do I know I am really saved?

The above scripture shows us that it is entirely possible to lose your salvation, but our salvation is based upon relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. The people, the writer of Hebrews is speaking about, have known the things of God and chose, as Satan did, to rebel against God, dismissing His grace for them, choosing their own desires above God. It is the epitome of foolishness.

All of us sin, we all show signs of rebellion toward God at times, however God’s grace is always able to work on hearts and through His kindness He leads us to repentance. When our hearts become so hard that we do not respond to His love and grace toward us, we no longer care about our relationship with God and throw our salvation aside.

Remember, hell was not created for mankind but for the rebellious angels and Lucifer (Satan) their leader (Matthew 25:41). God’s plan has always been for the redemption of man. He is always drawing us to Himself.

Salvation is not given out only to the perfect. None of us are perfect but it is given out to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord (Romans 3:23 – 25; 10: 9,10). God has drawn us to himself and we must choose to walk away in rebellion to lose our salvation.

Our sin does not keep us out of heaven. If we have to be sinless to make it into heaven none of us are making it. It is only by grace through faith that we get in, not by our own works. This is not an excuse to keep on sinning. Our growing relationship with the Lord should cause us to move away from sin and to press into a deepening relationship with our Father.

If you are going to worry about anything, be concerned about your relationship growing daily with Him. Keep an active prayer life, read God’s love letter (the Bible), and keep in fellowship with other like-minded believers.

If you are married or have ever had any kind of loving relationship in your life, think about how easy it is to neglect that relationship. If you are not careful you can lose that relationship. The main difference between our earthly family relationships and God is that family or friends can get hurt and not see the neglect as something they can help resolve. God is always drawing us back and we have to make and intentional effort to break relationship with Him.

Hopefully this answers your questions and gives you a sense of security in your relationship with the Lord. Keep growing in Him! It will change your world

How secure is our salvation? Part 2

2011-10-19T04:57:00.000-04:00

Moving on!

Yesterday I gave you a list of scriptures to read that are simply some basics regarding salvation. I understand that there are many more. Volumes have been written about the concept of salvation but blogs are meant to be quick thoughts so I will attempt to keep it quick.

What is our salvation based upon - the answer – Relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ!

Ephesians 2:8 - 10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

It is not our work, our goodness, our righteousness, and our holiness that saves us. It is simply the fact the God loves us (John 3:16, 17) and has extended grace to us. Grace is simply favor that we have with God just because He loves us. God wants relationship with us. He created man to have relationship with Him. Our relationship was broken when Adam sinned. Part of the authority mankind was given when God created him was the authority to have free, open, loving, communion with God. Jesus death on the cross and blood sacrifice that obliterates our sins gave us the ability to grasp that authority once again.

Isn’t it our decision to come to Christ and isn’t that then a work? Yes and No!

John 6:44 indicates to us that the Father has already drawn us to himself.

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

God has already drawn us to himself. He is the one that does all the work. When we come to Christ we are merely doing what God has created us to do. He has made us to be drawn to Him. Every gift, personality, the way we were made has all been by God to follow him and fulfill our purpose as human beings. If there is a work on our part in coming to Christ, it is simply agreeing with the way He created us.

Did he select or create only certain people to be saved? Did he select and create certain people to go to hell? Can we lose our salvation?

All of this tomorrow.

Here is a scripture for you to think about for tomorrow!

Hebrews 6: 4 - 6

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

How secure is our salvation?

2011-10-18T08:27:00.001-04:00

After the blogs about heaven and hell, I had a number of responses people concerned about their own salvation.

What is our salvation based upon?

Is it our works? What we do and how good we are?

Is it a one-time deal and we never have to worry about it again?

Do we have anything to do with it or does God simply choose who will be saved?

One I was young, I was raised in denomination that believed that once you made a commitment to Christ you never needed to be concerned about sin or walking away from God because your salvation was eternally secure. Later, we changed churches and denominations and I was told every time you committed sin you had the strong possibility of losing your salvation.

Here are a few basic scriptures that will help you to understand salvation.

Ephesians 2:8 - 10

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

John 6:44

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 10: 9,10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

And of course the most important verse of all…

John 3:16,17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

OK that is enough for today. Normally I do all the work by researching and writing, it is your turn now! Reread the above scriptures and tomorrow we will discuss the answers to the questions I posed in the beginning and how these apply.

Keys to a happy marriage part 2

2011-10-17T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here is part 2 of a very basic approach to having a happy marriage. It may seem simplistic but I have found these simply steps are the ones that most people find is at the root of the marriage trouble. If you can follow all six steps you will see an amazing difference in your marriage.

52% of Christian marriages end in divorce, slightly higher than the unchurched. The solution is to simply have a happy marriage. After 50 years you should still get a smile on your face when you think of your spouse. I know, you’re thinking you’ve got to be kidding. After nearly 22 years, I still get a smile when I think about Paige. We have had some rough roads but “God is faithful!” In this edition, part 2 of “Don’t be a statistic” allow me to share a few words of advice about having and maintaining a happy marriage.

In the first blog I mentioned the first three keys to a happy marriage; 1) Pray together, 2) Enable your spouse to be the best they can be, and 3) Be each others best friend. I want to give you three more keys to a happy marriage

4) Fight Fair! I would have liked to not include this but, we are human. If you have any two people in a room you probably will have three opinions present. Until we are all dead to our own flesh, we will always be selfish, misunderstood, stressed, prideful, or just simply poor communicators, so we will argue. The Bible says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} Ephesians 6:12. Often, we set our focus to fighting and disrespecting our spouse rather than solving the problem. Words said quickly, never can be taken back and establish long lasting wounds. The enemy has done a great job destroying marriages. Fight fair by realizing why you are arguing; you have a disagreement and you need to find a solution. Our flesh wants to win, our spirit cries out for a solution. We are called to love and respect each other. There will be disagreements, work toward solutions.

5) Forgive. Because we have failed with the first four points, we often carry around baggage from past relationships and present ones. Jesus said “Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, He will not forgive you,” Matthew 6:14 Jesus doesn’t say only if you’re right forgive or you don’t have to if you were hurt unjustly. Forgiveness is not just an action, it is a choice; sometimes it is moment by moment, sometimes daily. We need to keep forgiving until we feel we have forgiven. We are also told not to let the sun go down on our anger, the implication being, everyday we should strive to start new fresh and free. Unforgiveness is a spiritual slavery that holds those in it’s clutches unwitting accomplices to their own misery. Freedom comes by choosing forgiveness. We are never more like Jesus than when we forgive. If Jesus could forgive those who hated him, how much more should we be willing to forgive those who love us?

6) Priorities – In Luke 10 Jesus is visiting friends and explains to Martha that Mary has chosen the best thing by sitting at His feet. Priority 1 - must be being with Him. If we are with Him we know what He is doing, we aren’t concerned about what others are doing. When we are with Him, He can whisper and we hear His voice. Priority 2 - our spouses; between Ephesians 5, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 Paul explains the holiness and priority that a marriage must have and that our spouses, next to the Holy Spirit, can be our greatest asset and next to Satan, can become our greatest detriment. Peter writes that even our prayers are hindered if our relationship is not right. Priority 3 - Psalm 127:3 says that children are a gift from God. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 tell us that our children are our first disciples; thus a major priority. Priority 4 - what you do for God. If we secure our relationship with the Lord, our spouse, and our children then the enemy has no room to attack, our foundation is secure and what we do for the Lord can proceed uninhibited.

If you are able to follow these 6 points, your marriage will get better. If you are not married you can apply most of these principles to all of your relationships. If you are planning on getting married they will help you find the right spouse. Either way, you will be happier and more fulfilled. Marriage is to be a team project, The Lord, you and your spouse. With that team you will not become a statistic but a joy.

Keys to a happy marriage part 1

2011-10-14T04:49:00.001-04:00

I dealt with the basics of the faith in the last few blogs. I thought I would deal with the basics of having a great marriage. Today and in the next blog I will give you 6 quick steps to having a happy marriage and not becoming one of the horrible statistics of divorce.

Don’t be a statistic!

52% of Christian marriages end in divorce, slightly higher than the unchurched. If you quickly leave the church your chances of divorce decrease by 1%. Although I don’t think that is the solution to the divorce problem. The solution is to simply have a happy marriage. After 50 years you should still get a smile on your face when you think of your spouse. I know, your thinking you’ve got to be kidding. After nearly 28 years, I still get a smile when I think about Paige. We have had some rough roads but “God is faithful!” Allow me to share a few words of advice about having and maintaining a happy marriage.

1) Pray together! George Barna of the Barna Research group found that couples that pray together have a greater than 90% chance of staying together for life. Some of our driest times as a couple have been when due to busyness or tiredness Paige and I have neglected to pray together. We have found in addition to the spiritual blessing from praying together some practical blessing come as well. Sometimes I am not the greatest communicator in the world, after all I am male. When we pray together I hear Paige’s heart and she hears mine and we are able to keep up on what is really important in our lives. We also know that with all the things happening in the world there is at least one person praying for us. It is also very hard to stay upset with someone you are praying for (not that Paige or I would know anything about that).

2) Make your goal to enable your spouse to be the best that they can be. In “The Message” Ephesians 5 says this “Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her.” This is Christ example to the church of how a husband should treat his wife. It is both a blessing to you and your spouse if everyday your focus is, “How can I bless my spouse today to help them be who God has called them to be?” Hurtful words wounding actions all get set aside if that’s your goal. Find out what your spouses gifts and goals are and help make them happen.

3) Be each others best friend! Ephesians 5 also says the husband and wife are one. What this has meant to me is that nothing should be in between the two. I have seen many marriage disasters due to friends, children, or parents coming between and dividing what should be one. You parents will pass away, your children will grow up and move away, and any friend that is more important to you than your spouse is trouble. We are to prefer one another and that should be especially true of our spouses. If you want respect give respect, if you want to feel safe in your marriage then make your marriage a safe place for your spouse. If you do steps 1 and 2 step three will be easy.

Having a happy marriage isn’t about stuff, beauty or perfection it’s about love and these three steps say “I love you” louder than words. There are a few more steps I would recommend but those are for another time. I give you my personal guarantee if you do these three steps your marriage will be on the road to that smile every time you think of your spouse even after 50 years.

Christianity 101 Hell

2011-10-13T05:14:00.001-04:00

There a lot of misconceptions about eternity and especially about hell. The misconceptions are based not on the Bible, but instead on folklore, legend and people's hope for what hell is like. I know this is not a comfortable topic but it is a necessary one.

Once again:

A few things we need to understand about eternity

1 We have only one life in which to determine our destiny (Hebrews 9:27).
2 We will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46;John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15
3 Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36).

So if we are going to spend eternity in either heaven or hell, what are they like?

Islam – Hell is described like Christian hell, a place of eternal torment all non-Muslims go there and some Muslims. Everyone stays in the grave until the final judgment then everyone judged by his or her works, not grace. As a Christian and people of the book we would go to hell until judgment then go to paradise, if predestined to do so.

Hinduism/Buddhism – Karma (you deeds in this life) determine whether you reincarnate (as a bug, rock, cow, another human etc..) or escape to enlightenment.

Mormons – hell is temporary at the resurrection they are all given the opportunity to accept heavenly Father. After that only Satan and those who still reject heavenly Father will be in hell.

Jehovah’s Witness – No hell wicked annihilated, other people except for the 144,000, remain in grave until resurrected after Armageddon then given choice to go to heaven.

What does the Bible say?

Hell

1 Hell was not designed for people but was established originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

2 Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,40; Revelations 20:11-15; 21:8)

3 Hell is conscious torment.
• Matthew 13:50 “furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth”
• Mark 9:48 “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” Not it says where “their” worm – imposing that worms are eating at individuals
• Luke 16 parable of Richman and Lazarus verse 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
• Revelation 14:10 “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”
• No where does it say or suggests that you will see or be with other people

4 Hell is eternal and irreversible.
• Revelation 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night”
• Revelation 20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
• Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”

Probably the worst torture is the absence of “feeling” the presence of God the aloneness that every person will feel along with the knowledge and remorse for eternity of rejecting God. There will be no hope, no joy, no love, no grace, no mercy, nothing of the fruit of the Spirit. The torment continues beyond that with the heat, flames, smell of the sulfur and the worms.

Hell is not a place where you will want anyone to spend time. God sends no one to hell. We choose to go there by our rejection of the gift he gave for our salvation, his Son Jesus Christ. It is not goodness that gets us entrance into heaven nor is it our evil nature that keeps us out but instead it is relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ that makes the difference.

Christianity 101 Heaven

2011-10-12T04:34:00.000-04:00

Once we understand salvation we need to grasp heaven and hell. Each of us will spend eternity in one of these two places based on our relationship with Jesus.

A few things we need to understand about eternity

1 We have only one life in which to determine our destiny (Hebrews 9:27).
2 We will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46;John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15
3 Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36).

So if we are going to spend eternity in either heaven or hell, what are they like?

Islam - Heaven is paradise only those whom Allah has chosen will go there, every man has virgins waiting on him not much there for women.

Hindu/Buddhist - Heaven ultimate enlightenment absence of all desire and place of eternal nothingness

Mormon – heaven, three heavens One for Mormons , true believers, Two others lower depending upon your good works on this earth.

Jehovah’s Witness - Heaven is pretty much like we describe it but only 144,000 go there the rest will remain on earth in a renewed Garden of Eden

What does the Bible say?

Heaven

1 - It is a physical place – Jesus came from there (John 6:42) and lives there (John 14:2,3), God dwells there (Matthew 6:9), angels are there (Hebrews 12:22)

2 - It is a place where our inheritance is waiting. Reserved specifically for each of us. (1 Peter 1:4)

3 - We will be free of the corruption of this earth and will be made righteous and pure. (Matthew 6:20; Romans 7:24; Matthew 13:43

4 - We will be with our loved ones who have died in Christ before us. (1 Thessalonians 4:14 – 18)

5 - We will be given rewards (Matthew 6:19 -25; 25:20-21)

6 - It is a place where those things that may have been disregarded on earth will be acknowledged and rewarded (Galatians 6:9)

7 - It is a beautiful city (or large dwelling of people) with many dwelling places for each of us. (Revelation 22:1,2; John 14:2

8 - Heaven has light, water, trees, and fruit (Revelation 22:1,2)

9 - We will be able to walk in and out of the city, the city is only part of heaven. Revelation 21:24,25; 22:14

10 - There are animals there. (Isaiah 65:25; Revelation 6:2-8;19:11)

11 - We will eat and drink there. (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:29,30; Revelation 19:9)

I believe based on these scriptures and others that heaven is very much like the uncorrupted earth. God took the design of heaven and created earth and the place we are going is like what we have never seen before and earth like place more beautiful than words could ever describe. It is a place of love, joy, peace in there fullest so much that if revealed to us living we could not stand it. Heaven is a place where we will have the full knowledge of all of our questions; a place where we will know God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and completely feel their love, joy and acceptance of us.

Next time: what is hell like?

Christianity 101 Salvation

2011-10-11T04:21:00.000-04:00

This is a primer regarding salvation. There are many things that we believe based on tradition and many things we believe based on a structured belief system. Often both of these will point us to the truth. What I am sharing with you today is based on what the Bible has to say about salvation.

Once again this blog is not an exhaustive study just simply a beginning. I encourage you to take it from here.

Salvation – we are in need of a savior no man is righteous on his own to be in the presence of God, God is holy.

Other religions say:

Islam
- saved by good works, (sins are paid for by good works), if you have already been chosen by Allah to be saved.
- Shahadah, prayer 17 cycles of prayer 5X/day, 2.5% goes to poor.
- Ramadan fast sun up to sun down (no food, drink, or sex).
- Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives. Jihad (holy struggle)

Hinduism Buddhism – no salvation only reincarnation or enlightenment based on goodness and elimination of desires.

Mormons – all the works you can do, keep commandments, baptism, missionary efforts, plus grace through faith.

Jehovah’s Witnesses – maintain the rules listed by the Watch Tower society some of which are not fellowshipping with non-Jehovah’s witnesses, not celebrating certain holidays or birthdays, not wearing crosses and a host of other a sundry rules.

What does the Bible say?

1) The question is, “If I were to stand before God today what reason would I give for entrance into heaven?”

Is it your good deeds? Right living? Going to church? Having someone religious in the family?

2) All of us are sinners

Isaiah 59:2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3) Sin can’t be in God’s presence so God did what was necessary for us all

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

4) We can’t save ourselves no matter how good we are it is all about grace and faith.

Romans 3:24,25 - and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Ephesians 2:8, 9 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

Titus 3:5-7 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.”

5) It is only through Jesus – no other god – no other man

John 1:12 But to all who have received him (Jesus) – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children

John 3:16 - 18 For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

1 John 5:11,12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life

Salvation – we can’t earn it, we all need it, God made the way for it, it is only by grace through faith and only through Jesus.

So God made a way, offered a free gift. He prepared a place for us. So does God send people to heaven or hell?

Romans 8:29, 30 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Add this to For God so loved the world. You can see that God made a choice. He chose to give us free will. Is there any one that God does not know, is there any one whom God does not love? Then He paid the way through Jesus blood for every man woman and child to choose heaven or hell. He is always drawing them to himself but we can reject that drawing.

Christianity 101 Trinity part 2

2011-10-10T05:11:00.000-04:00

“Why is it so important that we understand the Trinity or triune God?”

1) Trinity makes the entire plan of redemption possible.
Redemption is initiated by the Father (Galatians 4:4), accomplished through the Son (1 Peter 3:18), and is applied by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The doctrine of the Trinity is important because there is no salvation apart from the Triune God. And the more we reflect upon God’s Triune nature, the more we can learn to love and appreciate God for Who and What he truly has revealed himself to be.

2) Shows us the fullness of who God is…

God is our Father and creator. God the Son came in the flesh in the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus being all God and all man showed us the way that God responds to people and situations and the sacrifice God was willing to make for us. Through Jesus sacrifice and resurrection he had paved the way for our redemption and the open door for the God the Holy Spirit to move in and through not just Kings and prophets but all mankind, drawing them through the redemption of Jesus to the Father

The resurrection speaks of the unity of God through the Trinity

Who raised Jesus from the dead?

- God The Father raised Jesus from the dead
Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

- Jesus raised Himself from the dead (John 2:19-21; John 10:17-18)
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20) The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21) But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

- The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11)
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Jesus is God – John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”
John 14:9-11 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11) Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Holy Spirit is God – Acts 5:3,4 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Below is a very brief chart that shows that each of the persons in the Trinity share the same attributes that only God shares. But remember, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each have wills, and speak, etc. Therefore, we say there are three persons.

FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT
Called God Phil. 1:2 John 1:1,14; Acts 5:3-4
Creator Isaiah 64:8 John 1:3; Job 33:4, 26:13
Omnipresent Matt 19:26 Matt. 28:18 Psalm 139:7-10
Omniscient Romans 11:33 Matt 9:4 1 Cor. 2:10-11
Omnipotent 1 Peter 1:5 Matt 28:18 Romans 15:19
A Will Luke 22:42 Luke 22:42 1 Cor. 12:11
Speaks Matt. 3:17; Luke 5:20; 7:48 Acts 13:2
Holiness Rev 15:4 Acts 3:14 John 14:26; 16: 7-14

To the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness there is no trinity. Jesus is God’s son but not equal with Him (But John 10:30 and John 8:58, Jesus states he is one with God and is the “I AM”) and the Holy Spirit is a force not equal with God.

Muslims - God does not have a son.

Hindus, Buddhist and new age we are all god.

Why is this so important?

If Jesus is not God then God did not make the ultimate sacrifice for us and the Holy Spirit can not be trusted because He is not truly God.

The Bible makes it important but inferring either directly or indirectly to the Trinity. Those that deny the Trinity limit the value of Christ death and resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives

Everyone has a job. The function of each person of the God head shows us God’s intimate and powerful involvement in our lives that he is both transcendent (above all things) and immanent (intimately involved in our lives). To deny the Godhood of any of the persons of the trinity is to deny God’s word, his character, and the love and power of any one person of the Trinity.

Christianity 101 - Trinity part 1

2011-10-07T04:56:00.000-04:00

One of the great mysteries in the scripture is the Trinity. Countless volumes have been written and in the few lines I have for this blog and the next one I want to give you, hopefully a little more clarity about the Trinity, God in three persons.

"We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." These were present on the earth at one time during the baptism of Jesus. Luke 3:22.

22) and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Following are a couple more verses that hint at the Trinity.

Luke 1:35 In the conception of Jesus we see the Godhead (trinity).
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Matt. 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (name not names oneness of the name and person of God)

2 Cor. 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."

It is important to understand that while they are three persons they are still one!

The Bible says there is only one God: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God," (Isaiah 45:5). Yet, the Bible teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called God.

Genesis 1:26 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

The Bible says this additionally about God’s oneness

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. (Jesus in Revelation 1:17)

Isaiah 44:8 “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”

Isaiah 43:10,11 - Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. (Jesus)

Matthew 3:13 – 17; 2 Corinthians 13:14

It is tough to grasp this concept but think of it this way; when "theologians" use the word "person," they are not saying that God is three individual beings walking around who are actually one being. That would be a contradiction. Instead, we define a person as having self awareness, identity, can speak, love, grieve, etc. Each has their own specific function but they are never independent or in opposition. These are attributes of personhood and we see all of these attributes, and more, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I know that this can be a fairly "heady" subject but it is important to understand. Please stay with me as we complete the basics of this idea.

In the next blog, we will answer the question, "Why is the concept of the Trinity so important?" I will also give you many scriptures to back up the concept.

Christianity 101 - Jesus part 3

2011-10-06T04:57:00.002-04:00

What other religions say about Jesus will be part of the argument that you will hear through them or others who really haven't read the Bible. It is also important that we understand what major claim Jesus made about himself.

What do other religions say about Jesus?

Mormons believe he was created not eternally existent. He is the spirit child of the heavenly Father and heavenly mother. Brother of Satan
JW believe Jesus is God’s son but inferior to him, He was not raised bodily from the dead.
Muslims believe He was a prophet and the next to the last to Mohammed. He did not die on a cross and was not God’s son
Buddhist, Hindus see him as a great teacher in some circles even a transcendent Buddha

Did Jesus say He was God?

What he said…..

Jesus said He is “I am” John 8:56 - 58

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

God's name in the Hebrew is YHWH transliterated "I Am"

The Pharisees knew He was saying that he was John 10:30-33

30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Additional Scriptures

John 12: 44 - 46
John 14: 6 – 9

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7) If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8) Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9) Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

John 8: 12 – 14

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, or where I am going."

CS Lewis in summarizing St. Augustine said this…

(P): Jesus claimed to be God.
(Q): One of the following must be true.

1. Lunatic: Jesus was not God, but believed that he was.
2. Liar: Jesus did not believe he was God, but spoke as if he did.
3. Lord: Jesus is God.

Christianity 101 - Jesus part 2

2011-10-05T04:44:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the points that help us understand who Jesus is.

1) Jesus rose from the grave, bodily, and was seen by many people - John 20:24 – 29 (Thomas); Luke 24:36 – 43 (Many others)

What is the proof for a bodily resurrection?

1 Corinthians 15:3-8
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
He also ate bread and fish Luke 24:42,43
He physically broke the bread to feed men - Luke 24:30
All of these witness and then Saul a persecutor of the faith, became a convert seeing the risen Christ alive.

Why is it so important?

- Jehovah’s witnesses, Muslims and other deny that Jesus either/or died or did not bodily raise from the dead.
- If Jesus did not raise from the dead then nothing He said can be trusted. He said He would raise from the dead.

2) Jesus only mediator between God and man 1 Tim 2:5,6

5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

Why did Jesus come?

3) Jesus is the physical representation of the invisible God
Col 1:15 – 20; Hebrews 1:1-13

He showed us that everything about God’s character can be expressed in human terms that we could see God and man in Jesus and know his real tangible love for us.

This way because of God’s completion in Jesus and complete revelation of who He is through Him we see that we need nothing but him to be made complete Col 2:10

This way we can trust him for our eternity, because we see him and know him

4) Jesus came to give us a pattern of life to live.

He had a relatively normal life growing up Luke 2:52
He was tempted in everyway Hebrews 4:15 but he did not sin
He showed us how to live life to the fullest but also that we can have the power to follow in His example John10:10

5) Jesus came pay the penalty for our sin
- Isaiah tells us 59:2 that our sins have cut us off from God
- 1 Tim 2:5,6 we are told that Jesus has bridged the gap between our sin and God’s presence
- He had to come in the flesh because sin requires death as a penalty and
Jesus willingly paid the price. 1 Peter 3:18
- Because He willingly paid the price we are given eternal life as a gift Romans 6:23
- Because he came we have the Holy Spirit available to empower all of us to become who God has called us to be. John 16: 7,8

Christianity 101 - Jesus

2011-10-04T04:35:00.001-04:00

This is part 1 of three parts explaining who Jesus is. It is important that we know who Jesus is, the attack on our faith is often based on our understanding or lack of understanding of who Jesus is!

We believe in the virgin birth and the immaculate conception by the Holy Ghost of Jesus Christ through Mary His mother. Matt 1:18-25.

We believe in Jesus Christ's atoning death I Cor 15:3,4, II Cor. 5:21, Is. 53:4-9. His bodily resurrection, Matt. 28:6, Luke 24:39, I Cor. 15:4 as well as the bodily resurrection of the believers and His ascension to the right hand of the Father, Rom. 8:34 and Acts 7:55.

Prophesies of Jesus - some of them

- Birth – Micah 5:2 (700 years before)
- Born of a virgin – Isaiah 7:14 (700 years before)
- Betrayal by a friend - Psalm 41:9 (1000 years before)
- Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver Zachariah 11:12-13 (500 years before)
- Jesus miracles – Isaiah 35:4 – 6 (700 years before)
- Crucifixion – Psalm 22:16, (1000 years before)
- Silent at his trial Isaiah 53:7 (700 years before)
- Given gall and vinegar - Psalm 69:21 (1000 years before)
- Others cast lots for His clothing - Psalm 22:18
- His bones not broken - Psalm 34:20
- Dying with thieves – Isaiah 53:9
- Buried in a rich man’s grave – Isaiah 53:9
-
The possibility of just 8 of these prophecies being fulfilled by one man is 10 to the 17th power or 1: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (Peter Stoner; Science Speaks)

Jesus is divine

- the second person of the trinity – John 1:1, Col 1:1 – 19; Phil 2:5 -11

- Like God the Father, He does not change – Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

- Jesus and the Father are one

- Salvation is only through Him – John 17:3 (Jesus own words) “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Romans 10:9 - 13 ”that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Christianity 101 - Bible part 2

2011-10-03T04:26:00.001-04:00

Here is the final part of Christianity 101 - Bible. Once again this is by no means exhaustive however it will give you some thing to think about. If you missed part one, please check one blog post back!

Archeological evidence

There is far more manuscript and archeological evidence than what I could tell you in this short time. In fact to prepare for this I read through dozens of books on the subject and didn’t even really scratch the surface

- 1967 an ancient manuscript was found in Deir Alla, Jordan it as a clay column dated from around 760 BC. It talked about Balaam son of Beor the prophet sent to curse Israel.

- Jericho has been found and the structure had collapsed walls and part of the wall was spared where there was a house up against it. The evidence shows that the destruction took place at the end of the 15th century BC, that it was at harvest time and that many of the items were still there all proving the correct biblical time, that the harvest had been brought in and that the Israelites did not plunder the city all recording in scripture

- Peter’s house in Capernaum has been found. At least they believe it to be his house it is a house with symbols and the name of Jesus clearly written in several place in the walls. They believe it is Peter house because his name is inscribed in several places and there is a 5th century diary verifying this place as the house of Peter.

If you don’t know the Bible what anyone tells you, you will believe and if someone misquotes, vilifies it or in any other way denies it, you can be easily persuaded to believe them.

Many groups like the Hittites, Amorites, even King David were all thought to be myths from the Bible until there were archeological discoveries that verified their existence.

America and the Bible

If we do not believe the Bible to be God’s true Word, His Love letter to us then we will believe anything

35% of us do not read the Bible period
47% of Protestants and 69% of Roman Catholics said that other than in church they never read the Bible

Result

50% of all Americans believe the Bible says “God helps those who help themselves” Not in scripture in fact it is in my weakness Paul said that God makes me strong!

50% of the remainder weren’t sure if it was the Bible or not! Only 25% of all people polled knew that that phrase was non-Biblical.

56% of all Americans could not name the 4 Gospels

44% of all Americans believe that Jesus was imperfect and made mistakes.

Islam, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses all believe the Bible to have been corrupted and that it has no real value.

The Bible says this about itself and this is why the devil, cults and other religions all want to cause people either to not read it or to think of it as corrupt.

Hebrews 4:12

12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Psalm 119: 105

Your Word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

Christianity 101 - Bible

2011-09-30T08:09:00.004-04:00

The Bible is the most important document ever written. More copies of it have been sold then any other book in history. However many still question its validity. While hundreds of books have been written to prove the Bible to be true. Over the next 2 blogs I will give you some evidence to back the accuracy of the Bible.

Everything else we talk about in Christianity 101 is going to be based on the Bible so we need to begin this journey of knowing what we believe with the Bible

How do we know the Bible is true?

1) The Bible says it is true

2 Timothy 3:16,17

16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Matthew 24:35 Jesus words

35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

In the Old Testament God said this about the stability and consistency of His word.

Isaiah 59:21

21“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

But it is kind of rough to say the scripture is true because it says that it is! If you are a believer that is enough but what do we say to our skeptic friends? What do you say when you are having a hard time believing scripture?

2) Manuscript evidence

-these are recorded written items that prove the Bible

First, there are 5,366 copies of assorted manuscripts of our New Testament. Dating from as early as the 2nd century all the way until the 5th century, of which there is a 99.5% accurate to the original. Those inaccuracies are nothing that would affect the original intent (mainly things like misspellings of names and places and word order i.e. Jesus Christ is the savior of the whole world, Christ Jesus is the savior of the whole world, Jesus Christ the savior of the whole world)

That is more manuscript evidence than there is for any other ancient document.

Which includes even things like the writings of Plato (7 manuscripts), Homer’s Iliad (643 manuscripts), the stories of Cesar (10 manuscripts) and Alexander the great. It is also more manuscript evidence than we have for the declaration of Independence.

In addition if we took the writings of just 7 of the early church fathers

Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Eusebius.

These men were alive between 150 and 200 AD. 86,000 exact verse quotations from the New Testament were in their writings. (there are only roughly 8000 verses in the New Testament)

In fact even if we did not have all of the manuscript evidence we could reconstruct the New Testament with all but 11 verses just based on the information from these early church Fathers.

Information that verifies the Bible was spoken of and recorded in the writings of non-Christian writers of the era

1. Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?, a Jewish historian) mentions John the Baptist and Herod - Antiquities, Book 18, ch. 5, par. 2
A. "Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness."

2. Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?) mentions Jesus - Antiquities, Book 18, ch. 3, par. 3.
A. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

3. Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?) mentions James, the brother of Jesus - Antiquities, Book 20, ch. 9.

4. Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?) mentions Ananias the High Priest who was mentioned in Acts 23:2

5. Tacitus (A.D. c.55-A.D. c.117, Roman historian) mentions "Christus" who is Jesus - Annals 15.44
A. "Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular."
i. Ref. from http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.mb.txt

6. Thallus (Circa AD 52, eclipse of the sun) Thallus wrote a history of the Eastern Mediterranean world from the Trojan War to his own time. His writings are only found as citations by others. Julius Africanus, who wrote about AD 221, mentioned Thallus' account of an eclipse of the sun that had taken place at Jesus crucifixtion.
A. "On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun."
i. Is this a reference to the eclipse at the crucifixion? Luke 23:44-45, "And it was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 the sun being obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two."

7. The oddity is that Jesus' crucifixion occurred at the Passover which was a full moon. It is not possible for a solar eclipse to occur at a full moon. Note that Julius Africanus draws the conclusion that Thallus' mentioning of the eclipse was describing the one at Jesus' crucifixion.

8. Pliny the Younger mentioned Christ. Pliny was governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor. Pliny wrote ten books. The tenth around AD 112.
A. "They (the Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food but food of an ordinary and innocent kind."

9. The Talmud
A. "On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, "He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf." But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover!"
i. Gal. 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
ii. Luke 22:1-2, "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people."
iii. This quotation was taken from the reading in The Babylonian Talmud, transl. by I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1935), vol. III, Sanhedrin 43a, p. 281 as cited in Habermas, Gary R., The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ, (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company) 1996.
iv.

In my next blog we will look at some archeological evidence. Once again these are by no means an exhaustive proof of the Bible but will give you something to think about.

Christianity 101 - God part 3

2011-09-29T04:22:00.000-04:00

We have talked about the basics of who God is and his character but if we look further into the Bible we see how the names of God give us a better idea of his nature. So here we go with the final part of Christianity 101 - God

God has many names – Jehovah’s witnesses believe his name is only Jehovah but in truth the name Jehovah is not in the original text. YHWH is the name in the text and Jehovah is a transliteration of that name.

Some of the names of God

YHWH - YHWH is the Hebrew word for Lord used 7000 times in the Old Testament literally translated “I am”
YHWH Elohim - LORD God: (Genesis 2:4).
YHWH M'kadesh - The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28).
YHWH Yireh - The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14).
YHWH Nissi - The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15).
YHWH Shalom - The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24).
YHWH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16).
YHWH O'saynu - The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).
Elohim – used 2300 times in the Bible. The first name of God in scripture. Comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power".
El - is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis.
El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).
El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).
El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).
El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35).
El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).
El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3).
El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).
El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).
El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).
Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14).
El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33).
El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10).

Some of the character traits and attributes of God according to His Word

God Is One – Deuteronomy 6:4; Triune God in one person
God is Spirit – John 4:24
God Is Light – 1 John 1:5
God Is Love – 1 John 4:8-16
God Is the Creator – Isaiah 40:12-26
God Is Infinite – Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 147:5;
God Is Perfect – 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 139
God is Unequaled – Isaiah 40:13-25
God Is Without Limit – 1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 23:23-24
God Is The Almighty One – Revelation 1:8, Revelation 4:8
God Is Most Wise – Romans 16:27; Jude 25
God Is Most Holy – Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8
God Is Gracious – Exodus 33:19; 1 Peter 2:3
God Works According To The Counsel Of His Own Will – Ephesians 1:11; Romans 8:28
God Is Merciful – Exodus 34:6; Psalm 67:1; James 5:11
God Hates Sin – Psalm 5:5-6; Habakkuk 1:13
God Abounds In Goodness - Psalm 31:19; Psalm 52:1; Romans 11:22
God Is Forgiving – Daniel 9:9; Ephesians 1:7; Psalm 86:5
God Rewards Those Who Diligently Seek Him – Hebrews 11:6
God Is Just In All His Judgments – Nehemiah 9:32-33; 2 Thessalonians 1:6
God Is Long-suffering – Psalm 86:15; 2 Peter 3:15
God Loves His Elect – Ephesians 1:2-8; Ephesians 2:4-9; Revelation 1:5, Revelation 21:3-4

We must understand about our Father, God that:

1) He can not be seen (that is Jesus’ job in the trinity Colossians 1:15) John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (also 1 Tim1:17) BUT MOSES saw him face to face the Hebrew implication is not the visible site of God but becoming intimately acquainted.
2) He is our Father – 223 times God is mentioned as “Father” in the new Testament. Matthew 6:9 “Our Father who is” John 14:6 -13 Jesus calls God “Father” 11 times
3) He is triune – Father, Son and Holy Spirit
4) He longs for relationship with His people – John 3:16; Jeremiah 31:3

Christianity 101 - God part 2

2011-09-28T08:08:00.002-04:00

This is part 2 of Christianity 101 - God explaining the basics of what we need to understand about God.

We must define what we believe about God so we are not confused by all the confused and mixed messages we receive in our culture.

The God of Hinduism, Buddhism, New age focused in the movie Avatar is all of nature, man, animals God is all and all is God. If God and man are the same then God sins when man sins. God can reveal himself through nature, (immanent) but is transcendent. In other words he is above it.
He is the creator and authored all of nature yet at will he can defy natural law (stop the sun from setting, bring water from a rock)

Isaiah 57:15 shows us both his both being above everything yet willing to be with us.
For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
“I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.

We must understand that the God of the Bible has no limitations but also chooses to have relationship with us.

God is omnipotent (all powerful) – He is all powerful there is nothing He can not do, except violate his own nature (he can not lie)

- Jeremiah 32:17, 27
17: Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,
27: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”
- Luke 1:37
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
- Matthew 19:26
And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God is omniscient (all knowing)

- 1 John 3:19,20 - We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
- Hebrews 4:13 - And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
- Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.

God is omnipresent (every where)

- Psalm 139:7-10 - Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
- Jeremiah 23:23,24 - “Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off? “Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

God is eternal – He has no beginning and He has no end – Mormons believe God is a created being, created by other gods. They believe that God is an enlightened human of flesh and bone. He is not eternal, matter is eternal and “Father God” was created by some other God from this eternal matter

- Deuteronomy 33:27 - The eternal God is your dwelling place,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.
- Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
- Jeremiah10:10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

God is unchangeable – Muslim believe who can know God. He is always changing he can decide rather fickle way, who makes it into paradise and who does not. It is on his whim. Our God is consistent in nature and character and you can count on it.
- Malachi 3:6a - “For I, the LORD, do not change;
- James 1:17 - Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Christianity 101 - God

2011-09-27T09:01:00.002-04:00

Back in the blog world!

I thought I would revisit a topic that needs to be solid in our hearts and minds in order to be a believer. This is Part 1 of Christianity 101 - God

We believe in one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These were present on the earth at one time during the baptism of Jesus.

Luke 3:22.

22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

What we believe about God defines us!
- If we believe he is vengeful and wrathful we will be afraid
- If we believe Him to be inconsistent then we will be confused
- If we believe He loves then we feel secure.
Is there a God?

Answer the question do you exist? If you exist then there are only two possibilities either you have always existed or you were created.

Things to think about

1) Our Milkyway galaxy is moving at the same relative speed as all other galaxies in the universe. All galaxies are moving relative to each other. Their movement has a very distinct pattern which causes the distance between the galaxies to get greater with every passing day. Points A, B, and C If they continue to do this the universe continues to expand. Reverse the process and what happens they all originate from the same point a beginning. If there is a beginning then there must have been a start or a creation and if there was a creation then there must be a creator. The universe is expanding more quickly each day so other theories of the universe oscillating or pulsating can not be

2) Energy to fuel the universe - the theory is that matter always has been forever eternally. Our sun compresses, every second 564 million tons of hydrogen into 560 million tons of helium leaving 4 million tons of matter released as energy. Only 2% of our sun’s energy has been exhausted. Leaving 98% still in tack for future release as energy. If you leave Belle Vernon with a full tank of gas you will run out of gas by the time you get to DC. You will have consumed all of your fuel. The same with the universe if it has been existent forever far more than 2% of the sun’s fuel should have been consumed. Lets say there are 25 quintillion stars all consuming hydrogen for eternity past don’t you think that would use a little more than 2% of all the hydrogen in the universe

3) 2nd law of thermodynamics: in a closed system, things run down. In other words everything gets old, your brand new car in 10 years is run down. According to atheist and humanist matter/energy are eternally existent and there is no loss. There is no loss so there can be no rundown, burn out. Their theory of no loss is defeated by a scientifically proven law which proves loss.

If as each of these things suggest there was a beginning then there was a creation, if there was a creation then there was a creator, God.

How do should we respond to 9/11

2011-09-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

Everywhere you turn, being the 10th anniversary of 9/11 there are stories, discussions, and general chatter about 9/11.

How do you feel about it? When you see the images do you remember the fear and unimaginable confusion of that day? Do you remember the courage and “can do” attitude of all those who struggles to get to freedom and those who aided in their rescue?

That day I watched the first plane hit on the replay of Good Morning America then watched live, the second plane hit as they were reporting about the first. I wasn’t fearful but determined. People were going to be afraid and they needed to know that God will give us peace in the storm and hope in the hopeless situation. I went to the television station and immediately went on air with a “prayer alert”. For the next four days, I was on air almost constantly giving reports of hope and life and lifting prayers for the traumatized, wounded, and fearful. We were a communications hub for the nation; many stations both Christian and secular were carrying our signal that week looking for answers and hope in the middle of the tragedy. It was tough, it was tiring, but it was Jesus’ hands extended.

As Christians, our job is to be the calm in the storm, the light on the hill, the hope in despair. We might not have the time to focus on our personal needs because we are busy “laying our lives down for our friends”. September 11, 2001 was a very scary day, but it was not scary for God. His heart broke as men in the name of some other god, took the lives of over 3000 people that day. The Muslim clerics proclaim those that would do this have hijacked their faith. I question their sincerity of that belief; we don’t hear their voices condemning these and all the other acts of violence and terrorism done in the name of their god.

How should we react to such violence? I am afraid in some ways we have acted just like the terrorist. Abu Ghraib prison incidents, torture for information, and the dehumanization of our culture through fear and xenophobia are not the answers. The terrorists who are doing this are pawns of a much greater deception. This battle is a spiritual one of which I believe America has failed. It is the truth that sets men and women free.

We must be wise as a nation and protect our people from further attacks and I am grateful for those who have laid down their lives to do just that however our motivation must not be fear but resolve. The keys to defeating terrorism are found in the Bible.

First it is perfect love that overcomes fear, not torture and more violence. Don’t get me wrong; our government is tasked with the job, according to Romans 13, to protect the people We can’t protect or live in, fear. Because we love, we protect.

We are called to care for the poor. Many believe that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of homosexuality but Ezekiel tells us they were destroyed because of the lack of care for the poor. Many in the countries were the terrorist are based are extremely poor and they are taught that American is a selfish and whoring nation, full of all kinds of filth. We must teach them differently.

The greatest job we need to resolve to accomplish is sharing the truth. People perish for a lack of knowledge, Hosea writes. Many men, women, and children are sacrificing themselves in the name of a god who they do not know and for a cause that leads them to hopelessness. We have the truth, Jesus is the truth, and we must do a better job of sharing that truth. The truth is, Jesus Christ is Lord and God. He is alive! He is a miracle working God.

There have been times I have been grieved by the American church’s reaction. I was grieved in 2000 when Y2K was going to hit that people were hoarding food and guns to protect themselves. It is OK to set aside food for the future but bare in mind, it is all God’s so if someone comes to your table in need you give. Jesus said that, it is part of being His disciple. Muslims need to know the real Jesus, not the one their leaders have told them about. If we live in fear, perhaps their god is greater! If we hoard, perhaps their god is better, or perhaps we don’t really know our God and should get to know Him better.

Where are you with your relationship with the Lord? Are you living in fear, anxiety, anger, or bitterness? None of these are part of the fruit of God’s Spirit they are fruit of the flesh. 9/11 was a horrible day but with each storm we can bring peace for every hopeless situation we can bring hope. Allow that to be your testimony to 9/11.

We pay a price for sin!

2011-08-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

I know we live in an age of grace and love. I am very much aware of that and as many of you who read my blog on a regular basis know I am a very big proponent of grace and love however if we do not understand that regardless of God’s great love for us there are ramifications to sin. These are not necessarily things that the love does as much as he lifts his blessing from us and we get a taste of what it would be like to live life on our own.

The book of Zachariah has an interesting commentary about the result of sin. Zachariah was written to the first group of Jews to return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah had prophesied because of their sin, that the Jews would spend 70 years in captivity. Zachariah further explains.

Zachariah 7:8 – 13

Then this message came to Zechariah from the LORD: 9“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. 10Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.
11“Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing. 12They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
13“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

It cost Israel to continually ignore God. They had years of the Lord calling them to repentance but they chose to do things their own way. God may pulls his hand from us but never his presence. He was with them in their captivity. Israel had to learn humility.

There are always consequences to our sins. God is with us even in the consequences of sin. We may pay a high price like Israel for our refusal to follow the Lord but even while paying that price God is always with us, drawing us back to Himself.

God’s character never changes. He may be forced, by our sin to allow us to go through some unpleasant things but He will be with us. He will protect us and cause the circumstances to be the best to draw us back to Himself and His great love and grace. He is not a heavenly ogre waiting to punish us but a loving Father who disciplines those whom he loves.

God’s grace is sufficient for us. He continually guides, speaks truth, and corrects us. As we heed His discipline and correction we live a life of freedom and wonderful relationship with Him. If we do not then He pulls back His hand not for punishment, but to discipline us and draw us back to Himself. He loves us! He always will! Believe it! When we find ourselves being disciplined quickly repent, turn back to the Lord, ask for forgiveness and He will forgive us and remember our sins no more. You are His child; He believes in you and loves you!

Trusting God with our hearts

2011-08-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

I have mentioned in a number of my blogs lately the idea of trusting the Lord with all of our hearts.

Take a look at Proverbs 3: 5,6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”

Does the Lord want us to trust Him with our blood pumping muscle? Our heart does not think or feel so what is He saying with wanting our hearts to be totally His as I mentioned from 2 Chronicles 16:9 and trusting Him with our whole hearts in the passage above.

The heart is symbolic of our will and our emotions and it is also representative of that part of us that makes intellectual ascent, “So a man thinks in his heart, so he is” Proverbs 23: 7.

There is a battle for our wills, desires, and our decisions. We generally look for the easy way to do things, to get from here to there but that is not always the best way. This is a challenge to us.

Simply stated the challenge is “ Will you wait for me to give you direction?” or “Will you trust me to speak to you and lead you?” God’s plan for us is perfect. There is no weakness or failure in God’s plan for us. Daily we must look to the Lord for his guidance, will, desires for our day. As we do, then we must make the decision to not worry or panic but to “trust the Lord with all of our heart”.

It sounds simplistic, and it is but it is also very scary to have faith that the Lord is guiding and directing our lives. That is one of the great things about God, as we trust Him, He does show up. As we proverbially, “step out of the boat”, we are able to walk on water. That is the first step to trusting the Lord with your whole heart.

Try it over the next few days! Watch as the opportunities come, to worry and panic, choose to stop and ask the Lord what He wants you to do. Start your day by asking Him to lead and guide all that you do. Trust Him with your whole heart!

Storms of life

2011-08-09T09:46:00.000-04:00

For the last few days I have seen the power go off and on in my home, watched my yard become a swamp and saw some beautiful and powerful light shows. The storms have been pretty intense. On one hand, they are an annoyance; I can’t get any work done outside (or is that a blessing in disguise), power constantly flicking on and off, and everything just being wet. On the other hand they are beautiful, the smell of a fresh rain, the light show, and what it is doing for our garden are all amazing.

Storms come into our lives. They simply do and will always be there. God never promised that we would not face the storms but he did promise that we would get through them. Jesus sent his disciples into the middle of a horrendous storm (Matthew 14: 22 – 33). As people living in a fallen world among fallen people we need to realize that there will be storms. Faith is all about recognizing that even when the storms come God knows about them and in fact may have sent us directly toward them. He knows what we need. He knows our hearts cry to have a stronger relationship with Him so at times he allows the storms of life to come to cause us to grow.

God is our protector, our shield, our high tower, our very-present-help in time of trouble. He will deliver us from the storm as He did with the disciples when He calmed the storm. Their faith was increased as they saw the storm calmed. They began to believe that the Lord could do anything. Most of the disciples were fisherman or lived around the sea and knew the dangers of these storms. God wanted to show them that He was more powerful than the fears that were so familiar to them.

We will face all kinds of things. We can’t allow anything to be more powerful in our eyes that God. He is the one that is in charge and there are times that we will battle our greatest fears. God may allow them to raise their ugly heads so that He can show us He is far more powerful than any fear we may face.

When we allow the Lord to be I control, it is very easy to see the storm go from and ugly annoyance to something beautiful. When the storm comes into your life, know that God knows. Understand that while He may or may not have caused it either way He has allowed it. If we don’t panic but instead choose to trust, He will overcome our storm and show us we no longer need to fear. We can always expect great things when we trust the Lord!

Who am I?

2011-08-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

Every now and again someone will ask me that question. At times, it is an emotional crisis that triggers it; a job loss, divorce, or death of a loved one. Other times it is simply a time of reflection and self-evaluation.

Jesus asked this question of His disciples in Matthew 16:13 – 16

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Was Jesus having an emotional crisis? Was He having a time of reflection? In this case, Jesus was asking because He wanted the people around Him to understand the answer to that question.

The first part of the question is general, “People are seeing the miracles, hearing my words, and watching my actions and reactions, who do they think I am?”

Jesus words about the coming Kingdom and call to repentance reminded some of John the Baptist ministry. In their odd way they believed in reincarnation. They were attributing the miracles they were seeing to God through ungodly means. It is not dissimilar to Christians who play the lottery or read their horoscopes everyday thinking that those things can honor or flow with God’s principles.

The prophecies speak of Elijah being the forerunner of the messiah. Many believed the Messiah would be an earthly king who would free the nation of Israel from their oppressors. They could not imagine this humble servant being the messiah so they thought he was the forerunner Elijah. Our view of who Jesus is is often set by our expectations. The Lord is not limited to what we believe about Him, however our relationship with Him will be limited by our beliefs. We can not move in faith with the Lord in areas.

Jeremiah was the weeping prophet. Jesus was acquainted with weeping. He wept over Jerusalem, over his friend Lazarus that we know for sure. There were probably other times when His heart would break and he would weep. If they only saw him as a prophet and one that He was sad all of the time they missed major points of who Jesus really is. Many did that with the various characteristics of other prophets as well. The Lord will allow us to identify with one aspect of His character or nature as He works out some of the struggles we face, however to be all that we are called to be we must understand all of who the Lord is, as much as we can.

Then Jesus challenged those closest to Him, “who do you say that I am?” He wanted them to search through all that they had seen and heard and realize who Jesus really is. He wanted them to know it, deep inside, where it could not be shaken. What we believe about God, who He is, what He is like, and what He thinks about us, shapes who we are. If we believe that God is waiting to “drop the other shoe on us” or if we believe that He is only a wrathful judge, we miss the love of God. If we think He is simply this soft cuddly guy in heaven we miss the holiness of God.

I hate to keep repeating myself but the difference is made as we get to know Him better. We know Him better through prayer, reading His Word and fellowshipping with other people of like faith.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Don’t limit Him to what you know, get to know Him better and be amazed at who He is!

It is not about us, it is about Him.

2011-08-03T08:48:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday I shared the story of the King of Judah, Asa. At one point in his tenure as king he was faced with a battle of impossible odds. There are many times in our lives when we face impossible odds. There are crises we face regarding our health, families, jobs, and finances that all seem impossible at times. Those are the times when we have the opportunity to look back at say, “God I remember when you did this or that for me so I know you can deliver me through this crisis!” That is the right attitude to have.

There are times when we go through tough things and the worry or fear become too much and rather than turning to God we end up trying to make things happen our way. King Asa had turned to the Lord when he was overwhelmed by an army twice the size of his own but as he became confident in his own skills he relied less and less on the Lord until he came to similar situation years later and tried to fix the situation in his own strength. The result was disaster, years of war because of a lack of trust in the Lord.

The writer of Hebrews in 11:6 has stressed to us that without faith it is impossible to please Him. Our walk with Christ is a faith walk. Everyday our focus, our hope, and our trust should be in and with Him. God has given us the gifts of our personalities, wisdom, and skill sets but they are to be all surrendered to Him. When we begin to trust in the gifts rather than the giver of the gifts we run into problems. David is an excellent example of how to keep things in perspective. In 1 Samuel chapter 30, David the warrior soon to be king is faced with a crisis, while he was away at battle, another army came into his camp and stole all of the stuff and kidnapped all of their families of his army. He is a warrior, he could easily decided, “Let’s go get these guys!” Instead, he began to think about who God is and has been to him so he pauses to ask the Lord what He would have him do. God honors his waiting to seek him and not only does David get back all that has been stolen but more that that and in the process wipes out and army that has been a hassle to Israel for years.

When we trust in the Lord, wait on Him, and seek Him first, we are always rewarded with more than we could imagine. In another example, Zechariah prophesies to Zerubbabel and Joshua. The situation is that the nation of Israel is returning from Babylonian captivity and they have great needs. They need protected; they needed to rebuild Jerusalem, and the temple. They need an army but the Lord says to them, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of host.” God saw their great needs but the Lord said to them you will not accomplish these things in your strength but in My strength.

It is a challenge to trust God. Everything inside of us wants to make it happen in our timing and our way. When we surrender our lives to Him then our lives are His and we need to trust Him. Even when we see the messes around us, we need to determine that we are going to trust Him. Remember without faith it is impossible to please God. It is scary to trust Him, but our lives are not about us, they are about Him.

So how do we make this leap? Few days ago I talked about prayer, yesterday about the word, getting to know the Lord better helps us trust Him. Start each day, talking to Him and reading His word. The better we know someone the more we are able to trust him or her. The wonderful thing about that is, it is God’s heart that we get to know Him. He says in Jeremiah 29 that when we seek Him we will find Him and find His strength.

He wants us to know Him. He wants to have relationship with us. He wants us to experience daily peace and joy even in the middle of the storms. He created you for a purpose. He has a plan. It is really about Him. Get to know Him better and begin to enjoy life more.

How do we get there from here?

2011-08-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

Have you ever asked that question? I sure have. If I am struggling to find my way I always consult people that are familiar with the area or resources that were created to help me find my way. The problem is, whom do you ask or what resources can we trust?

If you go to Google maps and plug in my address it will either send you past my house on the main road in front or cause you to stop short on the main road to the side. If you ask the wrong person, they make act like they know what they are doing but give you incorrect information.

Someone with information may sound correct if you are uninformed but the more understanding you have the more confused an uninformed person sounds. Why am I talking about this today? Statistics show us that the over whelming majority of American’s call themselves Christian, yet feel it is OK to cheat, lie, and engage in premarital sex. The average Christian spends less than 5 minutes per week in the Bible. Relationship with the Lord is a place we are going and a place we should be in right now. The way to get there from here is to do the basics.

The basics of developing a relationship with the Lord are prayer (which I blogged about the other day), fellowship with other believers and reading the Bible. So many people get off track because they read books about God but not God’s book. People listen to people who claim to understand being a Christian but do not read or believe the Bible themselves. Jesus called them blind guides.

Psalm 119:105 says this about God’s Word, the Bible:

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

Paul wrote to the young preacher, Timothy with this encouragement about the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16,17

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Reading the Bible is the way to understand where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do. The Bible is also the measuring rod for walking in truth, love, and righteousness. It is God’s love letter to us, a way for us to understand His nature and character. It teaches us how to be who God has called us to be. It is what the Holy Spirit illumines in our hearts. It is the truth the Holy Spirit uses to guide us. If we are not in the word the Holy Spirit has little to draw on in our lives to guide us and lead us into all truth. So many, as the scripture says are destroyed, shipwrecked, or wander because they are not grounded in God’s word.

If we read the Bible at least a little everyday, our lives will change. Perhaps if you have gotten out of the habit of reading your Bible you can start with a chapter a day. Read a book in the Bible that you can relate to; if you like History read Kings, Chronicles, Genesis, Exodus, if poetry the Psalms, Job, if adventure, Judges or Acts, if daily wisdom Proverbs, or if encouraging, inspiring stories Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. There is something for everyone. It is a great thing to read the entire Bible but don’t worry about that for now. Start where you are and read your interest first. God can speak to you and guide you through every word in the Bible. You will never be lost again.

Good Morning Lord!

2011-08-01T08:12:00.002-04:00

I want to let you in on a secret, something I try to do every morning. I am successful most mornings. When the alarm goes off, I lie in bed for a few moments, not grimacing about the alarm going off, but thanking the Lord for the day, asking Him to enable me to bless Him some how, and asking for His leading throughout the day. I know it is not something that is easy to do especially if you have not gotten enough rest. For me, I believe it really makes a difference in my attitude and sets my priorities for the day.

David put it this way in Psalm 63

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.”

“This is not the only time that I pray in the day, it is simply the way I like to start my day. It is not something I put on, it is not some magic, it is simply my heart’s desire to show my appreciation to the Lord, first in my day.

I love talking with the Lord. I also love when He speaks to my heart as well. It is a wonderful blessing to have a relationship with the God who created all things and is still in control.

There is so much in this world to worry over. There is equally as much to fear. God sets things in motion for our blessing when we put Him first. We receive refreshing, encouragement and are able to rise above all of the muck and mire when we put Him first.

Isaiah prophesied this word in 40:31;

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

I am sharing this with you in the hope that you will try my habit. Test it to see if it makes a difference for you. I love waking up with a grateful heart and placing Him first. It starts my day in communion with the Lord and I continue our discussions throughout the day. You are always part of that discussion!

Everyone needs these people

2011-07-29T04:35:00.000-04:00

“No man is an island” or so the saying goes by John Donne. As Christians we have a need to be around one another, we are told to, “do not neglect our fellowship with one another”. The early church grew, according to Acts 2:42, by prayer, studying the scripture, and fellowship.

It is so easy to simply feel comfortable with who we are in our walk with Christ, to compare our walk only with ourselves. On the flip side, it is also easy to decide that we are nothing because we compare ourselves to others too much.

Our growth depends upon our relationship with the Lord. Our relationship with the Lord depends upon how we see Him and how we see ourselves in light of who He is. The Bible is a great tool of reflection. Prayer and meditation (the Christian understanding) are wonderful tools God uses to draw us closer to Him. God uses people in our lives to help us to grow and become who He has called us to be.

Everyone needs a mentor in their lives. The role of the mentor is to be someone who loves you enough that they can challenge you, correct you, disciple you, and yet they don’t care if you like them or not. Paul had a number of disciples, people he was mentoring, Timothy and Titus were chief among them. All of the letters he had written were mentoring letters. As you study them, Paul is mentoring you today. The mentor’s job is to cause us to become who God has called us to be, regardless of whether you like them or not, they love you enough to tell you the truth.

We all need encouragers in our lives. So much of life is discouraging. We are constantly at war with the enemy of our souls, the world system, and people that are growing in Christ. All of these things and so many more can become exhausting. Add to that, if we have a mentor in our lives who is constantly challenging us to grow and you have no relief. That is when we need an encourager. The encourager’s role is simply to love you, speak words of comfort, and remind you of God’s plan for you. Joseph was such an encourager in the church that his name was changed to Barnabas meaning, “son of encouragement”. When all others rejected Paul early after his conversion, Barnabas came along side and encouraged him. The encourager in our lives helps us to take the challenges from our mentor and helps strengthen us to make it through each day.

Part of our growth is based on our ability to share what we have learned with others. We know that what we have been taught by our ability to teach it to others. The ‘Dead Sea” in Israel and Jordan is dead because water flows into it but does not flow out. It takes in, takes in, and takes in yet does not give out. Our lives can be very much like that; if all we do is take in and do not give out we can stifle our growth. Jesus has called each one of us to go into the world and make disciples. We need to cause growth in the lives of others. We need to take what we have learned and share it so others don’t have to walk through the same struggles we have gone through. We must have at least one disciple in our lives. They help us to grow by forcing us to know what we believe and why.

If you are wondering why there are no direct quotes from scripture in this blog, this concept comes from the book of 1st Timothy. It is a short book, take a few moments to read it and you will be encouraged in you walk.

Guilt is a poison to the soul.

2011-07-28T05:50:00.001-04:00

Everyone battles guilt at some level, “Am I being a good parent? Am I being a good spouse?” Just measure your reaction as you see a police car in your rear view mirror. There are all kinds of things that we feel remorse or guilty over. Some things we can change. If we have wounded someone we can ask for his or her forgiveness. If we have done some damage we can make reparations. If we have failed in some way to be the parent or spouse we need to be we can get advice and help from others to learn how to become the better parent or spouse.

Guilt is one of the tools the enemy uses in out lives to draw us away from God. It poisons are very soul and can grow to the point of killing our relationship with God. God does not use guilt as a tool. When we sin, the Holy Spirit brings conviction not condemnation. Condemnation (guilt) drives us away from God. Conviction is used by God to draw us to his mercy, grace, and love. It is through God’s kindness that He leads us to repentance. A relationship with the Lord is one based on knowing how much He loves us, believes in us and desires the very best for us. That does not mean that there are not consequences to our decisions. If you lie to someone they may have to learn to trust you again even if you have asked for forgiveness. Consequences are not a form of punishment from God. They are the very things the Lord was attempting to protect us from by teaching us to walk and act His way. God loves us even though and through the consequences of sin. Even when the nations of Israel and Judah would turn their backs on the Lord, He would allow them to suffer the consequences of their decisions, but His love for them never failed.

Jeremiah 24:5 - 7

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

God is always looking for the best in us. He is always calling us back to himself. When we respond to his conviction he very quickly restores us.

Guilt drives us deeper into depression, anger, frustration, and can lead to self-loathing and separation from feeling the love of God. His love does not leave us but are sensing of it can.

God calls us to be guilt free. Ask for forgiveness from the Lord and others. Make restitution if need be. Believe you have been forgiven and act like it! Learn to rest in His grace and you will live healthy and free.

Sin, Love, and destroying the Devil’s work

2011-07-27T05:36:00.001-04:00

I read this passage of scripture yesterday.

1 John 3:1 – 8

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Let me start with verse 8. God came in the flesh, in Christ to destroy the work of the enemy. He didn’t destroy the enemy but his work. What was the devil’s work? He deceived Adam and Eve to walk into lawlessness and away from relationship with the Lord. Satan is the author of broken relationships. Those who continue in broken relationship are called “children of the devil”. The enemy has an appointed time in which he will be destroyed. John saw it when he received his revelation on the Isle of Patmos. God always has a plan and He always fulfills his plan.

Because we have allowed God to heal our relationship, we have come into relationship with Him and are called, “Children of God”. We are joint heirs to the kingdom with Jesus. He loves us as a Father loves His children. We have an open heaven to our God for His wisdom, guidance, and help. Our relationship with Him should cause our love to grow where we no longer want to sin. Our longing should be for relationship.

Right relationship leads to right living or “righteousness”. Broken relationship leads to broken living or “unrighteousness” called lawlessness. Righteousness is not necessarily and outward expression as it is an inner work of the heart. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34; 15:18) We must live the joy, love, and peace of the Lord in our hearts and as a result people will see it in us.

Being a Christian is not about outward acts of righteousness driven by a need to be righteous. Instead it is an inner work of God’s love that leads to outward acts of righteousness motivated by our security in God’s love and our love of people.

You are a child of God. Know and live His love for you. His love will cause you to live righteously based on love, which is a healthy relationship rather than a self- determined righteousness driven by broken relationship. The enemy’s work is crushed by a real love from God but thrives in an environment fueled by self- determined righteousness.

Every person is either living a life of righteousness based on God’s love or a life of self-righteousness called lawlessness based on our own value system. The challenge is most of us are battling to allow more of His love shine through. You are His child, you already look like Him, spiritually, just allow Him to do it through you. Righteousness is easy when we allow Him to be our righteousness. Then lawlessness is destroyed.

New Post Tomorrow

2011-07-26T15:41:00.001-04:00

I am a bit behind this week. I will have a new post for you on Wednesday.

Thanks for your patience

Overcoming insurmountable odds!

2011-07-22T07:59:00.002-04:00

All of us, at one time or another, have had the feeling of too much coming at us at one time. Perhaps you have felt overwhelmed by some sickness, trials you are facing, a bad relationship, or simply attacks from people or the enemy.

Bear with me for a moment while I take you to one such battle in the scripture.

2 Chronicles 14:9-15

Now Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10So Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up in battle formation in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” 12So the LORD routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before the LORD and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder. 14They destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the dread of the LORD had fallen on them; and they despoiled all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15They also struck down those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

The nation of Judah was out numbered 2 to 1. The Ethiopian army was not only greater in number but stronger in weaponry as well. Notice how King Asa prayed.

1) He placed his life in the hands of the Lord – “there is no one besides you”, we are nothing and you are everything.
2) He reminded the Lord of his trust in Him – “we trust in you”, we are facing this battle to glorify you
3) They let God be God – “let no man prevail against you”, we don’t want our way you have your way in this situation.

What happened? God defeated their enemies before them and not only that, but the name of the Lord was lifted up across the region. They gained more spoils than they could have imagined.

So what does this mean to your life?

1) You will face insurmountable odds sooner or later but if you place your trust in the Lord, He will overcome those odds easily every time. The Lord alone is a majority every time.

2) You battles are never just about you. Others will always be impacted by the outcome. In this case, the entire region had the fear of the Lord come on them. Untold numbers were reminded of whom God is and that the God of Israel is the true God. It is a very dangerous thing for the enemy to come up against God’s people and you are one of God’s people.

3) Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we seek God first he will take care of all of our needs. If you put God first in your battle you will win far more than what you were expecting. Perhaps it will be the salvation of many, open heavens, or more miracles than you could ever imagine. When we allow the Lord to be in control amazing things happen.

Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us”. We will face battles, most will be small but we do face big ones. When we do, remember allowing the Lord to be in charge and trusting Him for the correct outcome, causes us to win and win big every time. Whatever you are facing, place the battle in His hands and see what He will do!

There could never be a more beautiful you!

2011-07-21T09:37:00.001-04:00

Jonny Diaz sings a song by that title. It was the first song I heard this morning. I generally start my morning out with by saying, “Thanks” to God for the day and what He is going to accomplish through it. I then listen to some Christian music. It helps me to keep my head and my heart in the right place, recognizing that everyday of my life is a gift.

The Lord has created each one of us, special (Psalm 139). We all have a plan and purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). We all are gifted from the Lord is some way or another (Romans 12). Everything in the world; its system, its fallen condition, the people who are not yet in the family of Christ are all fighting us, attempting to drag us down or compromise or to limit the view God has of us.

Whether you know it or not, you are amazing! You are created in the image of God for His pleasure. Revelation 4:11 says, “God has created all things and for His pleasure they are created”. This does not mean you are like a favorite toy to God. You were created with a purpose it could be administrative, creative, mechanical, or any other of the various gifts. When we use these gifts, we bring pleasure to God. Think of it as someone giving you a very heartfelt gift for your birthday or Christmas. It brings joy to the person to simply give the gift, then the joy is doubled when you show your appreciation by using it. God is not so thin-skinned as to be offended by you not using the gift. He is saddened because the gift will fulfill who you are, you will live an unfulfilled life if you do not use it.

Your gift is unique! You are unique! Even if you are a twin, there is no one exactly like you. The world needs your gift. The world needs who you are created to be. Your gifts were given to you for your blessing and that of the church and the world. It is easy to compare ourselves to other and look down on how God has created us or who he has called us to be. That is part of the plan of this world system, to destroy us. As we begin to accept our gifts, the way God has made us, the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, kindness, and self-control are released through our lives in great measure.

God knows you personally. He knows everything about you and loves you completely. He has already drawn you to himself. In fact, I believe being a non-believer is an unnatural state. God’s heart is that all should come to know Him. God desires that you would fulfill your purpose and destiny. Read Psalm 139 if you are unsure of how much God knows you personally.

You are just perfect. You are gifted and called. No one else is just like you. Allow the Lord to continue to lead and guide you and you will see just how amazing you are and God is through you.

Life is not always a picnic!

2011-07-20T05:21:00.000-04:00

I remember as a kid hearing, coming to Jesus and walking with Him was like heaven on earth. In many ways it is, but the problem lies in the fact that we still live in a corrupt and fallen world, with people that are corrupt and fallen. Even Christians are corrupt and fallen but hopefully they are overcoming that nature every day.

I go through things at times that rattle me a bit. When I am rattled, I know I have a choice to grow or to fail. The great thing about God’s grace is if I fail, He will still hold me up and allow me to go through it a second, third, fourth, or however many times I need to walk through it. This is one of the ways we learn what we need, to become whom we are to become.

Luke tells us this in the book of Acts

“When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:21,22

Through many tribulations???? You won’t hear that preached too often to encourage the Body. It is actually an encouraging word. In Romans chapter 5 Paul writes, “Trials and tribulations bring perseverance, and perseverance, proven character and proven character, hope which does not disappoint”. You see, if everything is always going our way there is no need to walk by faith, there is no need for God, there is no need to develop that relationship with our heavenly Father that we will have for eternity. If we are not challenged to use faith then we will never see the miracles or the lives changed that we need to see. We can’t change anyone, save anyone, or heal anyone! It is only God working through us as we move in faith that lives are changed.

The tribulations we walk through enable us, if we choose, to win every time. It doesn’t mean that the outcome we want happens, but we have the peace to know that God has accomplished His purpose His way. Add to that, “without faith it is impossible to please God” so when we walk through these trials and these times of rattling we see them as opportunities to come into a place of peace despite the storms in our lives.

Faith comes as we walk through our daily devotions, testimonies, prayer, and trials. Don’t be afraid of the difficulties that arise. They make great testimonies that you can hang onto as the Lord directs your path. Remember David? He slew Goliath by remembering another trial he had gone through killing both a lion and a bear. Those trials helped to give him the faith to believe that the same Lord who preserved his life facing those trials would do the same thing now!

Our lives are not always a picnic, but they are always guided by His hand. Don’t fret over or curse the trials you are facing. Ask the Lord for wisdom on how to overcome by faith and maintain His peace as you walk through them.

So they want to raise the debt ceiling?

2011-07-19T05:42:00.002-04:00

I know it is in the news nearly every day. I am not sure if I completely understand what it all means or not what I do understand is that living bound to debt is not a healthy way to live. The stress debt places on a person. The worry, fear, and anxiety it can cause. The insecurity it raises in our lives, what if we are in debt and lose our job or have a health crisis?

What is debt? Different people define it different ways. Some say anytime you owe money you are in debt, others would exclude a mortgage from debt because in most cases houses are an investment and increase in value. For the sake of argument today, let’s just simply agree that if you spend money that you don’t have, on things that only decrease in value you have debt.

In most cases, debt shows either a lack of patience or lust out of control. We either don’t wait to save enough money to purchase the item or we must have the item and lust for the item drives us to debt.

The Bible is pretty clear about debt.

“The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”
Proverbs 22:7

“Rich” is not necessarily a term of financial prosperity but can very well signify a person at peace with themselves and God. You don’t need lots of money to be wealthy; to have true wealth and riches you must have lots of peace and trust. Getting into unsecured debt shows a lack of trust in the Lord.

We are seeing that in part of the debate over the debt ceiling crisis in our nation. Do you know that we spend 118 billion dollars per month more than the government receives? You talk about lust and trust issues. Seems out of control doesn’t it. The average family in America has nearly $11,000 of credit card debt.
We will always live in a type of slavery if we do not come to the point of learning to trust the Lord with our finances. Debt is more of a spiritual issue than physical one. It is a mentality that has its roots it lust and fear, “Gotta’ have it” and “I need it” It can be broken in very simple ways.

1) Know that all your finances come from the Lord. Thank Him for them! An attitude of gratitude goes along way to break a cycle of fear.
2) Don’t complain about prices. God has supplied all that you have need of and will continue to supply. Determine to trust the Lord despite the increase at the pump or anywhere else.
3) Tithe – yes everything comes from God and your recognizing that enables you to be trusted with more. Your church may or may not need your funds but your need to tithe, showing the Lord that you are grateful for his supply and that you trust Him more than your ability to earn and income. God won’t let you down (see Malachi 3)

If you begin these few simple steps you will see an attitude change, a joy and peace released and more finances in your hands. Give yourself time to change. Change is never easy but often for the better. Our government will change if we can change. Complaining about the debt ceiling is not fair if we don’t have our debt under control.

God has a plan of freedom for every man, woman, and child. The freedom is spiritual of course but also physical, mental, and emotional. We can bring freedom to others as we are free.

Peace is possible and expected!

2011-07-18T13:04:00.000-04:00

Thank you for all of your prayers while we were on vacation. It is amazing what a bit of refreshing can do.

Our world is a very busy place. It used to be that information took days, weeks or even months to be disseminated to the entire country let alone the world. Today in moments we know what has happened literally around the world. Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, floods, and disasters of every type are constantly filling our TV’s, computers, and print media.

Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy in his second letter saying, “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear or timidity but of power, love, and soundness of mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Jesus said in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

What does peace look like? According to the Bible the peace Jesus and Paul are talking about is simply being whole, being one with the Lord, being at rest. Sounds wonderful but a little tough on the follow through. There is a lot that hits us everyday. We can prepare for some of the stresses and trials of life but others that hit us catch us off guard and we find ourselves worrying or becoming anxious when we shouldn’t.

Peace is a decision. Peace is the Lord’s nature and character. Having surrendered to Christ implies that we can live in this peace all of the time. Like any other aspect of growing in Christ, it takes both a decision and practice on our part to live in that place of surrender to Christ that allows us to live in His peace.

We will still have trials and struggles come our way. Having peace from God means that in the middle of our storm, when everyone else is panicking we show that we are His disciples. We show that we trust Him. Anyone can have peace when things are going well. Real men and women of God are not perfect but are always learning to trust and rest in His peace.

You may not need it today or tomorrow but at some point in the near future you will be challenged to be at peace or to worry. Make the decision today to choose to believe that God has placed in you the ability to live in a place of peace. As the Nike ad says, “Just do it!”

Vacation

2011-07-01T16:23:00.002-04:00

Sorry for how sporadic the Blogs have been lately. I think that is simply a sign of the much needed vacation. I will be taking ab break from this blog until July 18. After which time I expect I will have lots of good stuff to share. Until then, please continue to read your Bible and pray. The three ways we grow according to Acts 2:42 is by studying the word, fellowshiping with other believers, and prayer.

Grow a little while I take a short break so I can bring your fresh, encouraging words, that will hopefully challenge and inspire.

Blessings,

Tim

What are your plans?

2011-06-27T16:36:00.001-04:00

My vacation is coming so Paige, the kids, and I are preparing for our time of enjoyment, with no worries or concerns, just enjoying our time together. I love vacations and this is the first time in my life I am taking a couple of weeks in a row.

I am a planner by nature. I like to plan things out in my head but when vacation comes, I plan some things but for the most part the big plan is always do whatever it takes to simply relax, chill out, and enjoy these precious moments with my family. It doesn’t sound like a plan but it is.

What are your plans with God! I just heard a loud, “What?” Yes, we make plans with God, in reality we are following His plan but if we do it right it is not work or struggle just God moving through are lives with a natural, “super natural”, flow.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Acknowledge Him in all of your ways and He will make your path straight.”
Psalm 37:4,5

God has placed those desires in our hearts. We desire to excel. We desire to do well for our families. We desire to accomplish great things with our talents. We desire to see the dreams on our hearts fulfilled. Guess what, God places those desire and dreams there. We are made by God with a purpose in mind. Our purpose brings great joy and fulfillment to each one of us. By “delighting ourselves in the Lord”, we fulfill our purpose and find the joy we long for.

So go ahead and make plans. God will direct them, the desires you have He has placed in you so by planning you are fulfilling His pans for your life.

All of this is really dependent on two main assumptions. 1) You are a Christian by word and deed. 2) You are spending time each day with the Lord through prayer and reading His Word. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Relationship is built on actions not just words. It is very easy to get fleshly desires and God ordered desires confused. Our flesh wants what it wants and God is constantly drawing us to himself and the things that will bring us true joy not some cheap imitation. Sin, in most cases, is a cheap, costly, painful imitation of the great plan God has for us.

God says, “The plans that I have for you are for a hope and a future, plans for your welfare and not for your destruction” Jeremiah 29:11. Why do we end up in so much pain and or confusion? We have a lack in our relationship. God already has a plan and it is good. God already has a plan that will bring us great joy. If the relationship is not there, even though God has these great plans for us we can miss them due to our lacking relationship.

Take a few moments to reorganize your life. Recognize that the confusion and/or pain you are in, does not come from God. Start spending time with Him and you will naturally begin fulfilling you joy and His plan, the plan you were created to fulfill.

Again I ask, what are your plans? They can be great if the relationship is there. So what are you waiting for? At least make a plan to read the Bible a little today and to spend at least a few moments in prayer.

Leaping off of the page

2011-06-14T09:23:00.000-04:00

There are so many ways the Lord likes to communicate with us. I had mentioned a few days ago about personal prophecy, the way I hear from the Lord the most is when I am reading the Bible and something feels like it has leapt off of the page. This morning I had that kind of experience. Here is what I read, hopefully it will encourage you as well.

Romans 8: 26 - 31

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Six very simple verses with a powerful message; here is what I got from the message.

1) We are never really weak because the moment we are, the Holy Spirit will give us strength, as we need it.
2) Even if we don’t know how to pray God knows and the Spirit will give us the right prayer at the right time.
3) God knows are hearts and has His Son standing in the gap for us always
4) Even when we don’t understand why something is happening, if we trust the Lord, He makes it all work out for our good.
5) He knows us, called us, loves us and is daily helping us to become who we were made to be.
6) As we do what we are called to do, we naturally give God glory.
7) There is no one and nothing that can stand in the way of a man or woman who loves and serves God.

That should be enough to help you make it through your day. I know it has for me. It is some times just the simple reminders that the Lord gives us that can change our attitude and change our world.

Graduation Day!

2011-06-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

This is the month of graduations. I think we have hit a record high of over 20 invitations. It is an honor to be invited to join in the celebration of this achievement but I want us to compare graduations if we can. Even if you aren’t interested in the topic just keep reading and you may be surprised.

Think about graduation for a moment.

- You struggle for years to finally achieve the goal
- The purpose is for you to finish one thing to start something fresh
- For most it has been at the same time a difficult and joyous road to get to this place
- There are people along the way that help you reach this point and rejoice with you as you make it.
- Everything is geared to accomplishing this one goal and when you make it there is great joy and relief all at the same time.
- It is something you do alone and for most, the travel to the new adventure is by yourself as well.
- Regardless of the help you may have received to get here, it was your own decisions that enabled you to graduate. No one could do it for you.
- People you may have never met before cheer you on at the ceremony.

I want you to stop for a second and look at this as a metaphor for our lives and compare graduation to our going home to be with the Lord. Now reread the points above in light of that thought.

If we looked at life the way a high school student looks toward graduation, our lives might be a little different. If everyday we are focused on the goal of graduation, going onto the next step, preparing for where we are headed. If we were to realize it is up to us to make the right decisions as well as being grateful for all the help along the way, life might be different.

We are all headed for graduation. Let’s live like we are going to graduate well.

Is Personal Prophecy Biblical?

2011-06-09T08:21:00.002-04:00

I wrote yesterday about some of the hard questions and this is one of them. Today’s blog is slightly different than my normal blog content but hopefully you find it just as insightful, if not more so. The scripture encourages and even challenges us to know what we believe and why we believe it.

“…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” 1 Peter 3:15

Here is a very light version of my personal belief about personal prophetic ministry.

There are three ways I would look at this:

1) If Jesus did it, He is our example

Would you agree that anything Jesus did would be OK for us to do? Of course you would.

Here are a couple examples that I perceive as Jesus flowing in personal prophecy; knowledge and/or wisdom see if you agree

John 1: 47, 48 Nathanael

John 4: 17,18 the woman at the well

In these two instances Jesus uses knowledge, of a prophetic nature, to reveal that He hears from or speaks for God.

Through the Holy Spirit, He has given us the same gifts. He encouraged us that we would do greater things than He did (John 14:12). If you believe that only means shear volume, in numbers, then we at least must have the call on our lives to influence and reach people in the same manner that He did. Some need a personal word that lets them know that God knows them.

2) Gifts in operation in the Word.

Let's look at a few scriptures that I believe allude to the nature of personal prophecy. Lets simply look at 1 Corinthians 14

1 Corinthians 14:3-5

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Prophecy is for edification of the church. Does it edify if God speaks specifically to one person and all see the blessing of that word? I believe it does.

It would be utter chaos if "all…. prophesied" to speak specifically to the church. I believe this scripture encourages the idea of personal prophecy. If we are always seeking the Lord, then we should expect an answer and some times that answer will come as a personal prophetic word. In my estimation that is part of why Paul desires that all would prophesy. Sometimes we have to read the word for what is implied, for example:

Jesus is approached about Lazarus dying and He states "this sickness is not unto death" (John 11:4) which is to imply that there are sicknesses unto death.

The leap I make and perhaps it may be too far for some is that the Holy Spirit does not limit His revelation to us. We limit the revelation of the Holy Spirit's gifts and fruit in our lives. If the Holy Spirit dwells in us then all that He is, is available to us. More about this later.

1 Corinthians 14: 24,25

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.

To me this is a very profound scripture referencing the power of a personal prophetic word. The "secrets of the heart are revealed" to me that sounds very personal, not so much for the whole church as it is for one person.

1 Corinthians 14: 26 - 29

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

Revelation - apokalupsis ap-ok-al'-oop–sis (Greek word)

; disclosure:—appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation. Paul alludes to, using this word, that He could be encouraging certain supernatural manifestations or an enlightenment from God's word or something supernaturally revealed (prophecy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom)

The root for this word is ἀποκαλύπτω, apokaluptō, ap-ok-al-oop'-to - to take off the cover, that is, disclose:—reveal. This is what prophesy, words of knowledge, and words of wisdom do they "take off the cover" of hidden things.

Notice also those in authority and the general body of Christ must judge whether something is of God or not. This too edifies the church causing growth in the people as they talk about the prophetic word and compare it to scripture.

Last, let's look at the next few verses 31 - 33

For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

My interpretation here, is that both things can take place, the church can receive a corporate prophecy and be encouraged but also if "all" can prophesy they are flowing in the Holy Spirit to speak encouragement, challenge, reveal truth, even hidden sin (Ananias and Sapphria in Acts 5) so that believer's and nonbelievers might become who God has called them to be. There is to be no confusion when all prophesy one by one. With so many gifts, are they simply to speak corporate words to the church? Is it not the leaders, listed in Ephesians 4, job to guide and direct the church corporate under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit? Then what is the purpose of all the prophesy one by one? I would say to encourage individuals in their walk with Christ.

3) God's nature

God desires to communicate to his children. I believe personal prophecy is one of the ways that He does that. It is not the most regular way, but is one of the ways.

We believe, as charismatics that the Holy Spirit dwells in us. If we believe that, then why can't all of the gifts flow through us? I believe we are the ones who limit the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yes, there are specific offices that are authoritative and function in the higher level of gifts but the nature of God is that we would grow to love and understand Him in a very personal and loving way. I believe He uses the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives to prove that to both the saved and unsaved.

There have been abuses in the church, corporate, but I place that on bad leadership. I believe the reason God gave the functional authoritative gifts listed in Ephesians chapter 4, was so that as people are growing and learning they could have the guidance they need to function more effectively in spiritual gifts.

If a man or woman is given the gift, flow in the spirit of, or function in the office of Prophet, I believe they should be able to seek the Lord for answers when asked. Especially those in the office, we see many examples in the Old Testament and then the Agabus example in the New. We then also get into the theology of limitations where we need to discuss can a sin, you are walking in, limit God from speaking through you or to you. That is a whole other discussion.

Thought provoking questions

2011-06-08T12:59:00.001-04:00

In the last few days I have had a series of thought provoking questions thrown my way. I love it, it forces me to dig in and share what I believe and why I believe it and it also shows me that people are really thinking through things.

Paul ran into a similar situation in Acts 17. As we read between the lines of verses 10 -12 we see that the people in Berea didn’t simply listen to Paul’s words but they searched the scripture to see if what Paul was saying was true or not. They weren’t simply being critical; they were hungry for the truth.

Paul instructs his young son in the faith in 2 Timothy 2:15

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We all, not just those that are in “ministry”, are called to read, study, and know God’s Word. Whether we know it or believe it, we are all also called to the ministry.

Every month or so I have people asking what do I say to the Jehovah’s Witnesses that come to my door. What do I say, to the Mormons? One thing I can say for these two cults is that they do know their version of the word. Perhaps it is not fair to mention those two cults in particular because there are arguments that are not just found in the Bible. Much of their argument attacks what we believe about God, Jesus, and salvation. Many of the things we should have a firm grip on as we read the Bible.

The world is lost mainly because they don’t have the answers or know where to get them. God’s word is a love letter to each of us. The Psalmist wrote in chapter 119 “your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. Hearing about God only in church or through your favorite TV or radio program is like dating God. You have mushy feelings of love that are all about potential. Being in His Word on a daily basis is like being in love and married. It is daily growing, new discoveries, the wonder of learning something new about the person you love. It is knowing you are theirs’ and they are yours’. As you spend time in God’s word there is an assurance that He really does know you and you know His nature and character.

Reading the Word daily doesn’t mean we will have all the answers, all of the time that is why we go to church. Through church attendance we can have the Word reinforced in our lives. You will at times have a bit of loss or confusion as you are daily discovering the Word. The Holy Spirit will guide you as you commit yourself to diligently seeking Him. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He rewards us with peace, knowledge, understanding, love and growing in Him.

Life is full of hard questions. Some things take time to answer. Some things are only answered in hindsight. Knowing God’s Word gives us the assurance that everything will work out in the end. God is always faithful and loves us. There is always some thing encouraging we can glean from His Word.

God’s Word is also like an anchor to our souls. When the storms of life come. When those hard times or hard questions come, we can be at peace knowing our lives are anchored to Him and His Word.

Take a stand!

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

We live in a crazy world. Some who are supposed to be leaders in government have no moral code or ethics. Some who have no real sense of morality are leaders in entertainment. Those who hold themselves and others to a high moral standard are considered out of touch with reality or as one television producer put it “medieval” in their thinking.

This may seem in some ways like I am negating yesterday’s blog, that would be a misinterpretation of both blogs. Being real not only means being will to make and admit mistakes, it means living like Jesus in the care and compassion toward people but also holding them to a higher standard.

John 10:10 says, “the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy but I have come to bring life and it abundantly.”

The enemy of our souls would like us to compromise the call of God on our lives to “go with the flow” and adapt Jesus to the world. Jesus paid taxes, did not allow drugs, alcohol, circumstances, or people to have more control over Him than God, yet submitted to authority. Jesus loved people intensely came down to their level to communicate with them but brought them up to His level. He never compromised one letter of the Word of God. He was tempted in every way that we are tempted, did not give in, or make excuses.

What He preached He lived. He talked about loving people and it showed it to all people even His enemies. He talked about an all-powerful Father in heaven and he displayed that power to the people around Him. He talked about a Holy and Righteous God and He lived out that holiness in his zeal for God’s house, God’s Word, and God’s desire for His people.

Where are you today? This world system, your friends, and some of your family at times, would like you to compromise. It is easy to do. Every Mom in the world has said something like this, “Well if Johnny jumped off of the bridge, would you do it too?” We aren’t kids any more but the same principle applies. We need to recognize when we are doing things that are against God’s ideal for us. We need to recognize the world is looking for leadership and whether you want to be or not you are who they are looking for. We have the answers because of whose we are not who we are. It is not always popular to take a stand but if you read history it is only those who have a cause and take a stand that have any real impact in this life.

Live the Gospel! Take a stand! Make a difference!

It’s hard work to be a Christian, or is it?

2011-06-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

I have heard this more than once. Yes there is work to it and at times it is difficult but that is not what faith is about.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8,9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Our faith is one based on the grace of God that unmerited favor that you have heard talked about. The idea is that God simply loves us. There is nothing we can do to earn his love He just does!

I have been reading a book titled “Pinocchio vs. the real boy” the book is a challenge to youth leaders or people working with youth that kids are looking for real and authentic people of faith.

You might ask, “What does that have to do with Christianity being hard?” It has a lot to do with it. Often our version of Christianity has rules that are extra-biblical and have little to nothing to do with real faith. The denomination I grew up in, going to the movies, a dance, women wearing pants, men not wearing a sport jacket all were virtually next to a sin or were considered a sin. Certain styles of music were considered a sin. However it was perfectly OK to be a glutton, to lie if it was a benefit to you, to gossip and to flirt with another persons spouse. It was all about the outward appearance and not the heart.

Hypocrisy is not about being imperfect. All of us are imperfect; none of us will ever achieve perfection in this life. I know it is easy to feel condemned by our imperfections. The truth is recognizing and acknowledging our imperfection is a way to freedom and becoming real. Each one of us, every day, is in need of the Father’s love and grace.

The more we make it into work the harder it becomes to rely on His love and grace. It becomes work when we feign perfection, when we are afraid to acknowledge our weakness and allow the Lord’s grace to cover us. It becomes work when we become afraid of losing God’s love or favor. It becomes work when we are more concerned about what others think about us than how God feels about us.

Real is about working to become all that God has called us to be and recognizing, in the process, we will make mistakes. Real is giving those mistakes, sins, failures to God knowing that He love us enough to keep encouraging us on.

Real is looking at people and things through God’s eyes. Not judging someone by our cultural standard of measurement but by God’s standard of love. Reality through God’s eyes is based on His character. His character is truth, love, joy, peace, patience and so much more.

Real is living God’s heartbeat! God’s heartbeat is loving people and drawing them to His truth and His freedom. We will never compromise who He is or who you are in Him.

Our relationship can be work at times but it is a work done out of love not fear. It is a relationship based on what is true, not a false need for perfection. It is a relationship based on our recognition of God’s love for each of us and those around us. This type of relationship takes our faith from work to freedom.

Our faith can be a struggle we are battling so many things. It is meant to be a struggle with a smile. A life based on real authentic relationship with Jesus, that changes the lives of others.

Worry?

2011-06-02T09:32:00.001-04:00

Jesus said in Luke 21 that there will come a day when men’s hearts will fail due to fear. The heart-attack rate in the US is on the steady increase. Stress and anxiety along with poor diet and a lack of exercise play a vital role in this increase. Does the Bible have anything to say about this? Can we biblically control the amount of worry or stress in our lives? The answer is, “yes”!

Jesus is the prince of peace. He said the peace I leave with you isn’t as the world gives but a greater peace, don’t be worried or be fearful (John 14:27). Paul wrote that we are to be anxious for nothing but pray, ask, be thankful and at peace about everything (Philippians 4:6). There are a number of verses that tell us not to worry or be anxious. We are told to rest and be at peace.

So why do we worry? Why are we anxious? Fear is a powerful weapon in the enemy’s arsenal. In fact, it is one of the very few powerful weapons he has, however like all of his weapons they only have as much power as we give them. If we choose to not be anxious, if we choose to not worry, then they have no power.

I know there are plenty of things to worry about out there. Here are a few ideas to bring it all under control.

1) If something is out of your control, why worry there is nothing you can do about it any way. Remember things are never really out of our control because when we pray things happen. Fear does not move God. Faith does!
2) Many times we worry about things that only “may” happen rather than must happen. Why worry about possibilities? When we worry about possibilities we are only focusing on the possibilities with a negative potential impact. There is always at least an equal amount of possibilities that have a positive impact to any given situation.
3) Do something about the problem! Rather than constantly worrying about something, become proactive and do something about them. If you are worried about your health, start taking care of yourself. If you are worried about your finances look for ways to correct any problems you may have. If you are not tithing, tithe. As long as your money is in your control, your finances won’t get better. If you are concerned about your future, start reading your Bible and developing a better relationship with Him. Whatever you control will only be as good as what you can do with it. Whatever God controls will be as good as what He can do with it!

A scripture that may be overused but I believe applies here, comes from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29 and verse 11. “The plans that I have for you, says the Lord, are for a hope and a future, plans for your welfare and not for your destruction.” God has amazing plans for us, plans that we can even comprehend the complete scope of them. He also said in 2 chronicles 16 that God is constantly looking to fully and completely support those whose hearts are totally His.

How amazing is it that the God of the universe desires to support, strengthen, supply, encourage, and bless us. So why worry?

By the way, as a side note, gluttony is a sin! You can protect your heart by eating right rather than eating to meet an emotional need and by exercise. It will also help break feelings of depression and anxiety.

Accidental witnessing

2011-06-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

I was driving early this morning with the top down on my car, K-love is on the radio blaring, “Give me your eyes” by Brandon Heath. I pulled up to a stop light. When you are in a convertible the radio needs to be extra loud as you are driving because of all of the road and wind noise but when you stop, if I would have had a bass boost I would have been like of those teenagers who power their cars by their stereos. It wasn’t bad though as I looked around I noticed people near me were head bopping to the song as well. My mind went through a whole series of questions; “How many times does this happen?”, “How has my driving been?”, “Does anyone understand what they are bopping their heads to?” In a way I was accidentally witnessing.

Our lives should be a living example of Christ by everything we do. The apostle Paul said that we are to be letters easily read by all men (2 Corinthians 3:3). In other words, people should be watching us, seeing Jesus in what we say and do. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for putting on a show but not really having the true heart. It is not about a show of holiness but a reflection of what is really in our hearts.

Being Jesus is not just about sharing our faith with words but simple things can lead to “accidental” witnessing. Have you ever seen someone in trouble with their car and offered to help? Watched a baby throw a toy to the ground and Mom did not see it, so you picked it up? See someone struggling with groceries and you helped? There was a time when things like these were common courtesies but that day, has long past. Simple things like that can, at the very least bring joy to someone for a moment or open a conversation. In the book Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren discusses that simple acts of kindness from a pure heart can become convincing acts of evangelism.

Part of the fruit of the Spirit is “kindness” something lacking in much of today’s society. Taking a few minutes out of your day to live Jesus before others can make for some interesting “accidental witnessing” that could change a life for eternity. Please keep in mind; generally speaking, it takes many such encounters to lead someone to saving faith. We are to simply “be Jesus” to others and allow the Holy Spirit to do through work through us. Everyone can be a witness; perhaps this is a style that will work for you. Allow the Lord to use you to change lives through simple acts of accidental witnessing, watch and see where the Lord leads.

Give thanks to live in peace!

2011-05-31T09:53:00.001-04:00

I hope that you had a great weekend. A holiday like Memorial Day that we have here in America is a great kick-off for the summer. I time to enjoy friends and family and to simply relax. It is also a time to reflect.

Winston Churchill once said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The cost of freedom is very high. Many have died for the freedoms we have to speak, worship, own property and so on. It is important that we remember and honor those who have sacrificed so much for us. Take a few moments to think about how many of people it takes to secure your freedoms. Not only are those who have died but those who protect us on a daily basis, fire companies, police, active military, and government officials to name a few. Paul wrote 1 Timothy 2 that we should pray for those in authority so we might have a peaceable life. He did not say pray for them if we agree, or if we like them, or if we even get along with them but that we should pray for them always. Types of government come and go, kings, presidents, prime ministers come and go but God does not waver or change. If we look at the several thousand years of human history we have recorded we see that the only constant is God.

If we honor God in all that we do. If we do as He asks of us. We are promised peaceful lives. Peace is not merely a reflection of our surroundings but is an inner work of God. God is peace, just as He is love. All of the fruit of the Spirit is a reflection of the very nature of God. Our ability to trust God enables us to live in a world of peace, love, and joy, but only to the extent that we truly believe it. The police, military, or government officials don’t have to be the nicest people in order for us to live peaceably with them. Our peace comes from our obedience to God and our trusting in Him. God raises up governments, leaders, bosses, and all of those in authority and He also has the ability to put them back down again. Our peace is therefore not dependent on who is in power but how surrendered we are to the ultimate power and authority in the universe, God.

One way that I have found to keep my mind on the right focus and to keep the correct attitude is to maintain and “attitude of gratitude”. We give thanks not because everything around us is perfect but we give thanks because we have learned to trust God, knowing that our lives are in His hands.

I know Memorial Day is over but it is always good to take time to give thanks for those who give us our freedoms. Ultimately it is God is who grants us our freedoms however He uses people as well. Always maintain an attitude of gratitude and give thanks!

God loves variety!

2011-05-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

As I was driving this morning, for some reason I was paying particularly close attention to the varieties of trees. My travels around the world have helped me to appreciate God’s creation so much more. I have tried all kinds of varieties of fruit, for example in Peru alone there are at least 15 different types of bananas. God is extremely creative no two snowflakes, leaves or even stones are exactly alike. All are unique and special.

People are a unique variety of colors, temperaments, sizes and shapes. No two people are exactly identical. Added to that is the fact that we are all unique in our gifts, skills, talents and calling. This uniqueness causes our expressions of life, faith, and focus all to be different.

When it comes to faith and our practice of our faith, styles and most traditions just don’t matter they are merely an expression of taste. The disciples wrestled with this problem even in Jesus’ early ministry

Luke 9:49,50

Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”
50But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

Someone wasn’t casting out demons the same way they were, Jesus response is classic, “if they are not against me they are for me!”

On the essentials of the Gospel we must all agree but on the nonessentials like style and tradition, things that are not necessary to receive salvation or have a relationship with God we can give grace.

Here are some of the basic essentials on which we all must agree. They are non-negotiable!

1) God is a trinity – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
2) Jesus is and was God come in the flesh, fully man and fully God.
3) The only way to salvation is by God’s grace through faith
4) We are only saved through Christ completed work for us on the Cross
5) Christ rose from the dead and He reigns and rules at the right hand of God the Father
6) The Bible is God’s holy, inerrant, infallible, Word.
7) There is an actual heaven and an actual hell.
8) Christ will return again one day
9) The Holy Spirit is active today, leading and guiding us into all truth and drawing all Christians to a deeper walk with God.
This is a simple sample of some of the basics. This is not an exhaustive list but is intended to give you a basic understanding of what a true Christ follower believes. If we agree on these, most other things are simply a matter of taste, style, or tradition.

Tradition or work verses heart

2011-05-24T09:40:00.001-04:00

I love some traditions. We all need them to keep rooted in our past, to remember where we came from and who we are. I also love doing things for people and for the Lord, it brings great joy to my heart to bless others. Traditions and work can be a trap, if done with the wrong motive they can be at war with God’s plan for our lives.

One of the key challenges the Pharisees faced was; their tradition got in the way of serving the Lord. Ironic isn’t it that these men who were the teachers of the nation of Israel would miss, God in the flesh, because of their traditions. Every law that God gave, every word that He inspired for scripture, was given for the purpose of drawing mankind to Himself. Rather than using these things as a tool to reveal God’s heart, often the Pharisees would use them to push men away from God or belittle them. In Matthew 23 and Luke 11 Jesus pushes the Pharisees, we need to understand that He loved them but they were so caught in their traditions and their works mentality that they were missing the Father’s heart.

Our faith is about relationship. God sent His Son to die on a cross so that we could have relationship with Him. The law that God gave to the nation of Israel was a shadow of things to come. The sacrifice of animals was a symbol of what Jesus would do on the cross. Simple acts of obedience; like the animal sacrifices were not meant in themselves to be an end, instead they were intended to reveal the heart. It was costly to make the sacrifices required however it wasn’t so much about the animal as it was revealing the heart of the person offering the sacrifice. If someone was giving arrogantly or begrudgingly that was revealed in the way they gave their sacrifice. There are sacrifices and other things that we do today for the Lord but they are not salvation essential, we do them because we love.

The prophet Micah in the Old Testament saw the problem with the hearts of the people being corrupt as they were giving their sacrifices. He challenged the people,

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Traditions are good. They help us to remember what is important from the past so, hopefully, we will not make the same mistakes as those who have gone on before us. We are to do the “work” of the Gospel but it is all about relationship and motivation that makes it right not merely the “work” itself.
The people were worshipping God out of wrong motive, rote, and tradition rather than a loving heart. Micah’s challenge is to know God’s heart, live God’s heart, and to act with God’s heart.

In the church today we are facing many challenges that have not been faced by people in a long time. We have people coming to our churches that have no background of faith at all. Their moral code is very different. They don’t have the same understanding of right and wrong as we have. Thirty years ago, many that are coming to the church today would have been turned away because they did not fit our mold. Today, it is my hope that we can overcome and welcome people. They need to see Jesus in our lives so they will want to grow and walk away from their sin into the arms of Jesus. Paul wrote, “How can they hear unless a preacher be sent?” They are coming to us. It seems we don’t need to be sent. By our seeing people as Jesus sees them, giving them the opportunity to see Jesus in us, many, for the first tim, will come to freedom in Him, if we will have the Father’s heart.

The end is coming or is it?

2011-05-20T08:42:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember there has been someone in my life talking about the soon return of Jesus. I had a great aunt who had started her relationship with Jesus in the Azusa Street type, Holy Spirit outpouring in Brownsville, PA during the early 1900’s. She would constantly talk about Jesus’ soon return. When the Charismatic renewal hit in the late 60’s and early 70’s a renewed fire for the imminent return of Christ was stirred. Books like, “The Late Great Planet Earth” by Hal Lindsey promoted to quick return of Christ.

The Dark Ages were ripe with people proclaiming these are the last days. The plague, turning away from God, and the seeming idolatry of the church, made many believe those were the final days of judgment before the coming of Christ.

Throughout history there has always been someone proclaiming the soon return of Christ. Every major event in human history from wars to natural disasters have been interpreted, by some, as the event prophesied in Matthew 24. Is his return soon? Yes, is the answer, or at least it is sooner today than it was yesterday.

From my point of view Christ return hysteria is selfish! Don’t get me wrong, I want Jesus to return and take me home with Him as soon as is possible. The problem it presents for me is that if He were to return Saturday, as Harold Camping predicts (by the way he predicted Christ return for September 6, 1994 as well), that would mean at least one billion people, who have never heard of Christ, would be destined for hell. In my opinion, this flies in the face of the nature of God and the purpose of Christ death on the cross.

Why is Christ returning in the first place? Long term, is to take all of those who have made a commitment to Him, his family, out of this sin corrupted world and start fresh with a new heaven and new earth. This will take place after the total destruction and imprisonment of Satan, his demonic followers and the humans who have rejected Christ.

However we must understand God’s heart. Hell and the lake of fire were not created for mankind but for Satan. God desires for all to come to Him. It is a waste of precious drops of Jesus’, sin atoning blood, for one human to die and go to hell. In 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9, Peter writes that God wants no one to perish (go to hell) but that all should come to repentance.

God is patient! He will wait until everyone has heard. He is giving each of us the opportunity to share the Gospel, to fulfill the great commission, to see as many as will, come to Christ! There are many who have yet to hear. God can do it in the blink of an eye but instead He has chosen to use us to share His Good News. He will wait until every person has had the opportunity to hear and then He will come!

Help someone to hear the Good news today! Share with someone what the Lord has done for you! You don’t have to be a Pastor, missionary, or trained Christian professional, what God has done for you is enough to touch and change the life of someone. Share with someone today!

We always should pray and not give up!

2011-05-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

I was reading my devotion this morning and one of the notes sent me to Luke 18, the parable of the persistent widow. The opening phrase in Luke 18 is, “Jesus spoke a parable to them so they might understand that we should always pray and not give up”. Sounds like a simple concept but not always easy on the follow through.

There are two times when I find it hardest to pray. I know we should always pray, and I do but that doesn’t mean that it is always easy to pray. One is when things are going really well, so well, that I am overwhelmed with busy-ness. Those are times I have to fight to pray. It is very easy to make assumptions about our relationship with the Lord, to get so caught up in doing things for Him that we forget Him. It is in times like these that we need to remember that God can do it all without us. What He wants most is relationship with us and when we stop or slow down our prayer time, we neglect part of what we have been created for, relationship with the Lord.

The other time that I tend to find it hard to pray is when I am so weary. I know some of you think I am superman, while I appreciate the reference; the truth is I simply have the ability to go and go and go until I crash. When I crash, it is hard to do anything, praying most of all reaching the top of the list, or at least that is how it used to be.

Prayer is really a mental, emotional and spiritual posture, not necessarily a particular position. What I mean by that is, it is an attitude of the heart. I used to think, I needed to get on my knees in order to pray but when you are so weary even that seems like an impossible task. Paul wrote that he prays without ceasing and that we should always pray. My traditions had gotten in the way of my relationship. Because I had felt that I couldn’t assume the position of prayer, due to busy-ness or weariness, I felt I could not pray. The Lord lovingly and graciously taught me, He simply wants me to talk with Him always, as I would anyone that I love. Guess what began to happen! He would lovingly and compassionately talk back, through others, through His word, and through the quietness of my heart.

God wants to communicate with you regardless of the difficulties you may have with prayer or what you are going through. What is stopping you from praying? Maybe it is simply you have prayed and your prayers have seemingly gone unanswered, don’t give up. God can handle being badgered in prayer. I don’t give up no matter how long it may take. I have been praying for my children’s spouses since the day they were born. To be honest, I will keep praying for them until the day the Lord takes me home. It will be a little easier as time goes on because I will know them!

Talk to God! He wants to hear from you. He really loves you!

It is all about love!

2011-05-18T05:05:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting conversation with a Christian today. I was explaining God’s relationship with us. I put it this way:

“Being a Christian is about a love relationship. We do the work, keep the commandments, and walk the walk not because of a demanding God because of a love that we have for Him and He has for us. When you love someone you do things not out of the fear that they will stop loving us if we do not do the task instead it is because we love.”

At that they stopped me and said, “I thought we had to keep the rules? I thought God would stop loving me if we didn’t keep the rules!”

Do we want to keep the rules, if you are talking about Jesus commandments; Love your neighbor as yourself, Love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and Make disciples, the answer is “yes”. There is a “but” to that statement. If we think keeping the rules like the ten commandments and other traditions are going to get you in to heaven you are missing the whole of the Gospel.

Let me put it this way; I don’t like taking down the trash. If I didn’t take down the trash one trash day, Paige might get upset but she wouldn’t stop loving me because of it. I don’t take the trash out because I enjoy taking out the trash, I do it because I love. My relationship with Paige and the kids is based on each of us doing are part to keep our home life running smoothly but we would never stop loving each other because of one part of the work not getting done. We are all secure in our love for each other not based on what we do it is because we are family. However, I prove I love this family by doing the work necessary to help the family function.

That example is a very simplistic approach to our relationship with the Lord. Every person must use their skills to help the family get it’s job done but it is not because of fear of not being loved, I am not able to earn my families love by my work but because I love I do the work.

Why am I saying this to you? Over 4000 people per day are reading this blog. I am not sure where everyone is in his or her walk of faith. It would be easy for some to have a faith based on works that will lead only to frustration, fear, and a lack of security in their eternity. I want you to be secure in God’s love for you and want your focus to be on that love which you could never earn. All you can do is to accept it. God’s love was shown to us by the sacrifice He made by allowing His Son to choose to die on a cross for us that the wall of separation, that we call sin, could be torn down by Jesus death on that cross.

If you simply accept God’s love for you then you are a member of His family. Even as a Christian we must let God of the “works” mentality. We can’t ever be good enough to earn God’s love. We must simply accept the gift of Jesus death on the cross.

His death is like the key that unlocks the door to heaven. When we accept the price of Jesus’ death on the cross to eliminate our sin. Then we have the key that unlocks the door in heaven, guaranteed! It must be accepted by love not earned by our work.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2: 4-8

By the way, I am stressing this point today because the person I mentioned in the beginning is a 30’s something, preachers kid!

Enjoy the journey!

2011-05-17T11:30:00.000-04:00

I had a great day yesterday! I had the privilege of spending the entire day with my daughter. Since she has gone to college my time alone with her has been limited. When she and Christopher were young and I was working the odd shifts, it was hard to make time then because of their school schedule and my work schedule. In the earlier days, they would wait up at night and I would be able to read to them for a little while and then always pray with them. Even if I had gotten home late and they were already asleep, I would quietly sneak into their rooms and pray for them. I continued to pray for them daily through High School. Paige and I would help with their projects go to every volleyball, basketball, and soccer game, band or choir concert, or other event. As crazy as my schedule was, I enjoyed every minute of just being around my kids.

Those of you who know me, know I am an extremely driven person. I want every person to know their call and their relationship with the Lord. I want to see the Kingdom of God advanced. It is my passion. How does that fit in with having a great day with my daughter? In God’s plan and purpose these things are intimately intertwined. It would be extremely easy to focus on one more than the other but as long as I keep my focus right God has a way of making it all work. Look at these scriptures.

Matthew 6: 25, 34

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The leader, Pastor, mentor part of me is always driven to high and lofty goals and pursuits. I am always looking toward tomorrow and what I can accomplish for the long hall. However, the husband, Father, friend, part of me is always longing for the moment-by-moment relationships, the things that make life rich. What I learned along l time ago and am constantly learning anew, is the value of relationships especially those with my children, no matter how old they are. These are the daily things that are the value of the journey of life. God wants me to accomplish the great and lofty pursuits. He has given them to me to fulfill but if I pursue them to the exclusion or to the hurt of the gifts He has given me in my wife and children, then I have simply missed His point.

Paul writes in describing qualifications for leadership in the church. A leader must be a leader in his own household, guiding, valuing, and showing love to his own family. One who knows how to do that will be able to lead the church but if he can’t do that in his own home he will be a failure as a leader in the church.

I think that I do a fairly decent job as a leader. I know I am not perfect but I see results that confirm to me that I am somewhat successful. It is not always so easy in your own family. As I alluded to earlier, I can be so driven by the future that I miss the value of the day-to-day. Spending that time with Amanda, I was able to hear some of her heart, to get a better understanding of the way she thinks, to watch the way that she handles herself. As a leader, it is natural for me to get value from what I do, but what God wants is for me to get my value from being His son.

It would have been easy for me to get caught up in my pursuits, as high, lofty, and spiritual as they were and are. The challenge to focus on what is at hand, to not worry about tomorrow that today and the relationships that God has brought into my life, are the important things. They are to help the “high and lofty” goals giving me a foundation on which to stand. It was worth it to spend those years praying. It was worth it to go to all the various events. It was worth it to spend the time reading.

Yesterday reminded me; the foundation is strong. She has turned out to be an amazing young woman. I fought to not be so focused on the future but to enjoy the journey. As I take care of today, keeping in mind tomorrow, but not to the exclusion the journey itself, God fulfills His plan and purpose for me in the dailiness and gives me renewed vision, that He will fulfill for my tomorrow.

I am sharing this story with you so you might take time to enjoy the journey. Keep a focus on the future, but don’t miss the moments. No matter how long you have been married or how old your children are make time for the moments. If your children are young, the sacrifices that you may seem to make from your agenda are really not sacrifices at all; they are merely building blocks on the journey.

I hope this rambling today makes some sense to you!

Hearing God!

2011-05-13T12:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the late post "Blogger" was down all morning.

Have you noticed how busy life has gotten? It seems there are a million things demanding our attention, from the trivial - like who won American idol to the important, getting your spouse and kids to where they need to be.

There is so much noise in our lives. Everything is so demanding, yet in the middle of the cacophony of noise God says (Psalm 46:10) “Be still and know that I am God…”

There is no end to things that must be done or people that need to be heard. Some who are reading this have small children and know exactly what I am talking about.

In 1 Kings 19 there is a very interesting story. Elijah had just defeated the prophets of Baal, but ran away. While depressed after his great victory, God calls him out of the cave. A powerful storm comes, but God is not in the storm. An earthquake happens, but God is not in the earthquake. A forest fire rages around him, but God is not in the fire. How often do things demand our attention but God is not in them? They may seem important at the time but the Lord is really not there and to engage them is to simply waste your time. I am quite sure that Elijah must have thought with each event, “This must be God trying to get my attention!” None of the natural events were God. Elijah had to separate himself from the daily demands, the things that seemed important but were not, to hear the voice of the Lord.

God came to Elijah in the still small voice. A few things needed to happen for Elijah to hear God:

- First, he had to expect that God wanted to speak to him. He went looking for God. Many of us don’t expect God to speak so we never hear Him

- Second, He had to recognize God wasn’t in what seemed to be immediate to Elijah. If I were in an earthquake I would hope it would be immediate to God and in most cases it would be. However often we get ourselves into things that are not God and then we blame him for placing us there. Elijah had run away from God so the consequences of that running away were his. God is always gracious though!

- Third, he had to let go of his concern for all of the stuff going on around Him and give priority to the Lord. God came in the middle of all of this noise as a “low whisper”. Our choosing to hear God must become intentional. Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord said, “If you seek me then you will find me and find my strength”

Are you having trouble hearing God? Maybe one of the struggles Elijah had are yours as well. God is always speaking. Take some time to listen today.

Peace and Joy

2011-05-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

If you were to ask anyone on the street, “Would you like more peace and joy?” I can’t imagine anyone turning it down. With everything going on in the world, the pressures of life, war, and the economy, to name a few, everyone could benefit from at least a little more peace and joy.

Here is what the Bible says about peace and joy for us.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6,7

Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

1 Peter 1:8
So how do we get and maintain such peace and joy even in today’s world

- Trust God – I know that can sound generic, but what I mean by that is, remind yourself that your life is in His hands. How do we do that? Pray, read the word everyday, and give. Praying reminds us that we are in communication with a real person that loves us. Reading His word reminds us that he does have an answer for every difficulty and that there is nothing “new under the sun.” God has seen it all and has helped people through it all. Giving reminds us that everything that we have came from Him, and that He will continue to supply.

- Attitude of gratitude – simply stated, be thankful. It is easy to forget how blessed we are! We may not have everything our neighbors have, but because we have relationship with the Lord, we have everything. He who created the universe is our friend. He knows us intimately, and He loves us as if we are the only person alive. Thank Him always for the great gifts He has given you.

- Choose to believe – have faith! This is slightly different than trusting, in that with trust, you have some frame of reference to believe, David killed the lion and the bear so he knew he could kill Goliath. Faith is saying that you understand God’s nature and character. Even though you have no history to believe that you will make it through this tough place, you know God will not let you down.

God really loves you. He knows you. He believes in you. Bad things will happen, that is the nature of this fallen planet of people. God will keep us if we choose to allow Him.

You are walking by faith daily, probably.

2011-05-11T09:20:00.001-04:00

I know you may be saying, “I don’t walk by faith.” Let me take you on a little journey to prove that at least, in little ways, you do!

Walking by faith is one of those things where we can become very critical of ourselves and others for our lack of faith. It is hard to think of having the “mountain moving” kind of faith Jesus talked about in Matthew 21:21. Everything we do for the Lord and everything we learn begins with small steps. They may not seem like small steps at the time but as we grow in our “walk of faith”, we are able to look back and see how far the Lord has brought us. Let me give you a couple of everyday examples

Have you ever bought anything on e-bay, over the television, or on-line in any way? If you have then you have operated by faith. You are simply trusting that what you are being told by the salesperson, commercial, or ad, is the truth and you take a leap of faith to believe it.

Have you ever tried something new on a menu at a restaurant? You saw the ad for the next great burger or read the description of the meal in the menu and you decided to try it. Choosing your meal became a leap of faith.

I know this may sound trite or perhaps mundane but if we recognize that we trust the word of perfect strangers then how much more should we trust God at His Word? As simple as the “leap of faith”, I described above seem to be so is any leap of faith the Lord asks of us. It is just as simple as ordering a meal or making a purchase. There is one key difference, with ordering a meal or making an on-line purchase you can be disappointed with God you as you learn to take “leaps of faith” you will never be disappointed.

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Romans 10:11

How should we respond to the death of Osama bin Laden?

2011-05-10T04:29:00.000-04:00

By now you may have heard enough from both sides of the issue. We have seen the triumphant cheers in the streets in the US and the anger from some in Pakistan. We have had scripture quoted on both sides of the issues stating it is OK to rejoice when the wicked fall and suggesting that God does not rejoice at the death an interment to hell of any man. Allow me to give you my two cents worth.

The way I read the scripture it is all about relationship and heart attitude. How can a murderer, adulterer, and liar like David be called a “man after God’s own heart” it was not about actions but heart motive. Don’t get me wrong, Paul made it very clear that we were not to use grace as a reason to sin all the more (Romans 6:1,2) but God is always looking at our heart motives. So what does that mean for the response to the death of Osama bin Laden?

1) Rejoice if your motive is to rejoice because the murder of some will now end and this will draw a quick end to the war. Rejoice in the potential peace that will hopefully come. Do not rejoice out of vengeance, arrogance, or pride. None of these things belong to the heart of a person of faith. God is not honored by vengeance, arrogance, or pride. In fact God will resist us if we walk in pride.
2) God does not rejoice in the death of a person who has gone to hell. I know you are saying how can you judge and say he went to hell. Jesus said we shall know them by their fruit. Well then we could say the same of our leaders, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. I understand all of that the difference being Osama bin Laden dedicated himself to the belief in some other god other than our God. The god of Islam is not the God of the Bible. I will leave it at that for now. The differences between the two Gods are a longer discussion than this blog allows. Continuing on with my thought: hell was not created for man and God desires for none to perish and for any man, woman, or child to reject Him grieves His heart.

If your heart’s attitude is rejoicing in that lives might be saved then rejoice. If it is pride you can’t bless God with fleshly motives or attitudes. We are not like the world, we are the light of the world and salt to preserve and bring out the flavor. Wickedness brings grief whether it is in a live person or a dead one but love brings life. Bring life today.

Labels aren’t always true.

2011-05-09T08:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday as I was getting ready for church I had to iron my shirt. Paige normally takes care of the ironing for me but it has been a bit hectic at my house the last few weeks. The label on the shirt I had picked said “easy care” so I thought I could handle it. The shirt was anything but, “easy care”. It is 100% cotton and it seemed the more I ironed the more wrinkles got in it. As I was ironing the Lord was talking to me about this simple task. I needed to look at it two ways. The label was not true and in our lives that is often the case as well.

1) There are labels that others place on us or that we place on ourselves that simply are not true. We fail or simply feel we have failed and others and we label us a failure when the true label is that we are more than conquerors through Christ. We wear other labels that have nothing to do with who we are. God says who we are; we are His children, sons and daughters of the most High God; princesses and princes in the Kingdom of God. It is not a matter of pride but of truth. Jesus said we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:32). We must begin believing God’s word and not our feelings and the reports of others. We must believe who God says that we are not as a matter of pride but as a matter of living in God’s truth.
2) The second part of this label is a little more frustrating. There are many that wear the label Christian and aren’t. I am not talking about people who fail in their walk with Christ; we will fail as we are daily walking with Him. You might say that sounds pessimistic. The truth is as men and women of God we are called to walk by faith, faith being the evidence of things unseen or to take it a step further to daily walk as a Christian we will always be covering new territory being stretched to do things we have never done before we are destined to make mistakes as we do the new things and go places we have never gone before. I am talking about those with a Pharisee heart, purposely playing religion and living without relationship. Like the Pharisees Jesus confronted they sounds very righteous but in reality have no idea who God really is, who much He loves them and others. They have accepted a cheap imitation of Christianity rather than a living relationship. You know them they are constantly critical, are rarely happy, and as Paul said have a form of godliness but deny it’s power.

My heart is broken for both of these carriers of the wrong labels. God has so much more for both groups of people. There is so much wonder and awe the Lord has for us. He amazes me everyday with who He is and how much He loves me. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says that we have really have no way to fully comprehend all that God has for those who love Him. Don’t live under any false label. Our faith should actually be “easy care”, coming to Him and laying down our burdens and allowing Him to lift us up, lead us to where we need to go, and accomplish all the amazing things He has for us.

Ask the Lord if you are wearing any false labels and if you are allow Him to strip the bad labels away and place the correct one on you. God loves you, He really does!

It is hard to understand how much God loves us

2011-04-27T04:21:00.001-04:00

If you are like most Christians you long to be the person God has called you to be. While on one hand you know it is the right thing to desire on the other hand it can seem like so much work.

Our relationship with the Lord is not supposed to be that hard. There is a popular song by the Christian artist, Jason Gray, called, “More like falling in love”. The premise of the song is basically our relationship with God is not supposed to be such hard work, ritual or religion but it should be, more like falling in love!

I was reading a scripture this morning that reminded me of that concept…

Ephesians 1:3 - 6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

For His joy (great pleasure) God chose us before we were born, knew us, loved us, adopted us, and desires to pour out every kind of blessing on us. It’s not simply because we want to but it gives Him great joy to pour it out in our lives! It gives God joy to bless us. In other words, it makes God smile and laugh when He blesses us. I don’t know about you but I am very open to making God smile and laugh as much as He wants!

We make our walk with Christ so hard sometimes but in reality, it blesses Him to bless us! So why don’t we expect and accept His blessing? There are mainly two reasons.

1) The enemy of our souls, Satan has lied to us and convinced us that we don’t desire anything from God so don’t expect it. The truth is, we don’t deserve anything from God but He wants to bless His kids. I love to bless my kids. I am proud of all of their accomplishments but even if they hadn’t done a thing I would still want to bless them because they are my kids and I want people to know they are blessed and that I love them. How much more should we expect blessing from our heavenly Father simply because He loves us?

2) We have been taught that we must earn his love and blessing. We can not earn God’s love or grace. We are incapable of being that good! God just pours out His love and grace because we are His kids. It is true however when we follow his principles we place ourselves in a position to be blessed in many wonderful and unique ways. His love for us and grace toward us can not be earned He simply loves us because he is love and we are His kids.

How about expecting it for the next few days! Pray this simple pray, "God help me to love you more! Show me how much you love me today!"

You will be amazed at how the Lord answers that prayer. He wants to bless you! Let Him!

He still moves stones

2011-04-26T07:10:00.001-04:00

Luke 24:2 says this, “And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,”

This leads us to a question, why was the stone rolled away? Did Jesus need the stone rolled away? The answer to that question is, “No!” John 20:26 says that Jesus appeared to his disciples without opening a door, He had a physical body but was able to walk right through the wall of the room.

If he didn’t need to move the stone why was the stone moved? It was moved so others could see the miracle.

Many of us have stones in our lives; things that would be impossible for us but are possible for God. The women going to the tomb that day could not have moved the stone. To see the miracle they needed a miracle of their own, the stone moved.

The stone was moved because Jesus showed that human government does not limit God’s plan. The Roman seal and Roman Guard stood in the way of the stone being rolled away. God is not limited by man!

God is not limited by the laws of nature. No man rolled the stone away, the stone was sealed and dropped into a trough. It had rolled downhill to seal the tomb but was rolled uphill to open the tomb. Jesus showed us time and time again that no disease or handicap can limit God, He healed them all.

The rolled away stone should remind us all today that noting is impossible with God! God is not limited by our limitations. He is not limited by the authority of man. God is not limited by nature or the natural course of things. Whatever you are facing today, if you will trust Him, He can handle it! God still rolls away stones

We can count on the Lord.

2011-04-25T09:23:00.000-04:00

In my prayer time early this morning I was simply enjoying my relationship with the Lord. There is a lot going on in my life, most of it very good but some of it a struggle. In the middle of it all I see the Lord!

Isaiah went through a crisis when his cousin, King Uzziah died. It was during that time that He saw the Lord (Isaiah 6). Some times I believe the thing that is the greatest hindrance to seeing the Lord or hearing from Him is the daily grind of life. When everything is normal, we can handle it and like many of our relationship we can tend to take our relationship with the Lord for granted.

In my positions as husband, father, pastor, leadership at Cornerstone TeleVison, and the various other roles I play I have come to understand that I need the Lord always, every moment of everyday. I need to be intentional about my relationship with Him. What does it mean to be intentional about the Lord? It is just doing the basics!

I must start and end my day with talking to the Lord. Actually I talk with Him all day long. I believe my relationship with Him is real and that He is always with me so we talk all day long.

I am in His Word. I read a regular devotion everyday and I read several other passages as well sometimes I will get so engrossed I will read entire books of the Bible at one time, always hearing something fresh from the Lord. I tend to keep my reading controlled so I don’t lose meaning by reading for volume.

I try to look for God in all things. I look for Him in people, in what they are saying doing and how I can help them. As situations occur throughout my day, I try to see what God is saying through them if anything (sometimes life just happens). I have learned that God will use anything and everything for my good if I will allow Him.

I am also my worst critic. While that may seem like a bad thing and it can be if I let it get to me, I allow His grace to be sufficient for me. I am always pressing on to be who the Lord wants me to be and am critical of myself when I believe I have not lived up to His or my expectations, however I then remind myself that He is looking at my heart and not necessarily my actions (look at the story of David, Joseph, Peter actually most of the Bible heroes). I am then able to apply His grace to my life and move in the freedom that grace and His forgiveness bring to me.

Relationship with Him is an amazing thing. There is such great freedom and you realize you really can count on Him. Don’t be afraid to grow, to make mistakes to even question the Lord. He can handle it! As you build relationship with him, you learn that you an really count on Him

Good Friday

2011-04-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

What an amazing day! As a kid raised in the church, I never quite understood it. It seemed like such a sad day. The suffering Christ went through; the beating, rejection, ridicule, humiliation, crucifixion and death. It is hard to imagine why Jesus would suffer so much for mankind generally and me specifically.

But then I began to understand!

It is love that caused Him to do all this for you and me!

Hebrews 9 tells us that our sins could not be forgiven without blood being shed. Adam’s sin gave authority to Satan and his dominion for our lives. The Father set in place rules that he could not break so He won us back within the rules. He could have simply destroyed Satan, but God has a time set for that so he had to destroy his authority. Satan was given authority because of one man’s sin. Through one sinless man accepting the wrath of all of mankind’s sin and forgiving all along as that wrath was poured out, Jesus defeated the punishment and condemnation we deserve!

Today is our day of freedom! We can choose to be free from Satan’s tyranny over us. We can choose to have eternal life! We can choose to walk in freedom from sin. We are free if we choose!

Today we celebrate life and freedom! We deserve hell; today God gave us heaven. We deserve silence from God today He gave us relationship! We are the lost who have been found!

Remember the price that was paid! Don’t take it lightly, perhaps even watch the “Passion of the Christ”. Don’t tae the price that was paid for our freedom and relationship to easily. However, let today be a day of celebration. The prison doors have swung open wide and if we have chosen to believe in the day and what it means, we are free!

Integrity brings fulfillment and joy!

2011-04-20T10:12:00.000-04:00

I have been having some struggles with getting my blog done everyday. To be perfectly honest, I get bored very easily. Don’t get me wrong, I read my Bible everyday and pray everyday, those are not boring things but the day-to-day repetitive writing can get to me so I am shifting styles for a while and then we will shift back. I will blog about some challenges that I see in my life and the lives of others everyday.

I want to talk about integrity today.

Proverbs 2:7

“He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,”

Integrity defined by the scripture is: not wavering, or divided; singleness of focus of mind and heart.

There are so many distractions today. There is such a lust for money, things, sex and power that men and women of God are even being influenced by these things and drawn off course. Paul wrote that he, “pressed on to the mark to the high calling of God”

Solomon writes that our integrity is a shield part of that is simply because an undivided heart, a person of singular focus on fulfilling God’s intent for our lives will be protected.

Romans 12 tells us that we all are given gifts. Whether you have a relationship with Christ or not God has invested in you gifts. As we come into relationship with Christ, it is like reading the instruction manual to a piece of equipment, through relationship we all of a sudden understand how our gifts work and a joy that we can have in their proper use and function. Unfortunately many of us waste much precious time not paying attention to the instruction manual. The result of this neglect is we get frustrated, angry, distracted and never completely feel fulfilled.

Assess your gifts. Ask someone who knows you well to tell you what you are gifted at doing and even perhaps what you are not gifted at doing. Focus on doing that thing that you have as a gift. Stay away from the things you are not gifted at doing. It is funny how often I talk with people who are very gifted but do not value their gift because it comes to easy to them and they want to focus on doing “something else” normally something that is complimentary to their gifting so they appreciated but they are not gifted in that area.

Guard you focus, your gift, and your drive; maintain your integrity. These are the things that will bring prosperity and joy to you. Your gifts are also meant to help others over come and become who they are called to be. In faith, we are a family with each member being just as important as the next. By maintaining your integrity, by keeping your focus, you will fulfill your destiny and enable others to fulfill theirs and advance the Kingdom of God.

Just the facts!

2011-04-18T07:09:00.000-04:00

Mark 1

Life has been life and I apologize for not having this blog up for a few days last week. I am always reading my daily devotions but due to some issues with my Father I did not have time to write in my blog, but I am back now.

Mark’s gospel is really the gospel of Peter. John Mark author of the Gospel received his account of the life of Christ from his good friend Simon Peter. This gospel is a concise, “just the facts” kind of philosophy. This account moves very quickly.

What’s important for us to know, according to Peter?

1) Jesus is God’s son – baptism of Jesus, “you are my Son, I am pleased with you!”
2) He was tempted – “he was tempted by Satan and angels ministered to Him”
3) His ministry was God directed – “the time is fulfilled, now let’s preach the Gospel”
4) He called men to prepare them to continue the work – “I will make you fishers of men”
5) He had power – the unclean spirit obey and left the man, Peter’s mother-in-law was healed, all who came to Him were set free or healed, and the leper was made clean.
6) He was sent to all mankind – when the people he had just ministered to wanted more from him, He moved on to minister to others

Mark gave us in this very first chapter the important facts that; Jesus is God’s Son, had power over all enemies, could heal all diseases, and wants to touch everyone. It is important that we understand quickly and to the point who Jesus is so as Mark, tells the rest of the story we know where he is coming from.

It seems simple enough but do you believe all of this? Do you believe that God is really in charge, that no disease or demon and overcome God? Do you believe that God wants to reach everyone? Do you believe that He can relate to all of our temptations and will stand with you to help you overcome your temptations?

God really loves you, believes in you, and is wanting you to understand He will bring you through everything and anything if you will allow Him! What an amazing God we serve!

Tomorrow Mark 2

Who defines you?

2011-04-11T10:29:00.002-04:00

John 5

Do you want to be healed? What a crazy question to ask. In effect, that is the question Jesus was asking the man by the pool at Bethesda. 38 years he had been had some kind of infirmity that hindered him from walking. Jesus asked, “Do you want to be healed?” What was Jesus really saying to this guy?

What really makes up whom you are? Where we were born affects who we are. There are different viewpoints about life based on the culture and locality of our birth. A child born in the bush of Africa will have a different outlook on life than one born in New York City. A child born into a home of violence and turmoil will have a different view of life than one born into a home filled with love and acceptance. What our parents and friends say to us verbally and non-verbally determine who we become as well. All of these influences are called our “frame of reference”. Our frame of reference creates our ownership of certain things. If we are called “stupid” through out our lives them we will gradually own the title “stupid”. If we are know as the responsible one, or the clumsy one, or the clown, or the sickly one we gradually take ownership of that title. We identify with the view of others for our lives.

Here is the challenge! We are called to be whom God has called us. Jesus came to make sure that we understood, we are Children of God. Our value is not in the way that others have defined us but in who God says that we are. The God who created everything sacrificed the life of His Son for us. Jesus sacrifice makes us very valuable in God’s eyes and we needn’t settle for anything less.

What does all of this mean, in light of Jesus question, to the man who could not walk? The question was more like “Does this infirmity own you or are you willing to believe who I say that you are?” Jesus saw him as a child of God, a child of the King whom God loved. He saw himself as a cripple who could never make it to the pool to be healed. Jesus didn’t negotiate with him. He simply gave him a command. The command was see yourself the way I see you, as whole healthy and free.

God is still giving that command today. He wants us to see ourselves, not as defined by what others have said or what others see in us but instead by how He sees us. God sees you as beautiful, amazing, wonderful, and full of potential. God has created you with great gifts and he has a call on your life. You are His beloved child and that is the way we are defined!

Whatever is tying you down or holding you back from being who God has called you to be. Whatever is stopping your success, know that Jesus is saying to you, “Rise up and walk!”

Tomorrow John 6

Does God care about the little stuff?

2011-04-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

John 2

Nothing and no one is insignificant to Jesus. Every person has value and is loved by God. You are important to the Lord. Jesus showed us that even that which may be unimportant to world events but is personal is still important to God.

Why water to wine? Think about it. How is that important? In this culture it would have been an embarrassment to the family for them to run out of wine. Jesus had not done this before; the idea of Mary asking him to turn water into wine was not Mary’s drive here. Mary was simply imploring her eldest son to do something to help the family. The family needed wine, so Jesus supplied.

When we ask the Lord for something He doesn’t give us just to squeak by but gives the best. The wine that was given to the guest was the best wine. Why do we expect God just to get us by? We serve the God who created the universe. He loved us enough to give his very best in His Son for our redemption. If our hearts are heavy, if we are breaking under the weight of the world, if we are I need doesn’t He love us enough to meet that need?

This book and this chapter are here to show us that at the very start of Jesus’ ministry He was working to show us how much God cares. Somewhere in the recesses of our minds and spirits, we began to believe a lie that Jesus doesn’t truly care. We believe that our things are too small or that God only cares about the big things. Jesus later will tell us that God knows the number of hairs on our heads and when a sparrow falls to the ground how much more does he care for you!

How much are you worth to God? Everything would be the correct answer. He sent His Son to willingly live in this world to show us His great love and compassion for all mankind. Jesus then laid down His life for you and I so that we could become the Children of God.

We must make the leap of faith! We must come to the place like this nameless couple that just got married, had a need, and Jesus met it, out of love and compassion. He will do the same for you!

Who is Jesus?

2011-04-07T08:12:00.001-04:00

John 1

After studying Paul’s letters I thought it was time to return to one of the Gospels so “John” is where we are going for the next couple of weeks. The book of John was written by the “disciple whom Jesus loved”, John one of the sons of Zebedee and Salome, one of the sons of thunder, most likely a cousin to Jesus. John is most focused on proving that Jesus is the Son of God. His favorite words are “life,” “love,” “witness,” “believe,” “truth,” “know,” “light,” “darkness,” “world,” and “flesh.” These are all words that help to support, Jesus as the Son of God.

The first four verses of John establish Jesus equally with God. He was with God and was God. Al things were created by Him and through Him. Jesus was not a god but indeed is God! He is life and there is no life apart from Him. It doesn’t get much more clear than that, who Jesus is. Some cults through the indirect article “a” in front of God as to say that Jesus is “a god”. There is no such article implied or there, in any way in the Greek. Jesus and God the Father are one along with the Holy Spirit and the opening of the book of John verifies that claim.

John goes on to further emphasize that the Word is Jesus as he states, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Many of his readers had not only met Jesus but had met John the Baptist as well. John’s verification of Jesus’ title and position was important for people to recognize as well. It is also only through Jesus that we could become the “children of God” those not necessarily were born Jews only nor converted to Judaism but Jesus made the way for each and every person to be able to be called a “Child of God”. John is making it clear that Jesus came for all people everywhere, as he will say later in this book, whosoever will believe on Him will have eternal life.

Jesus isn’t just a good man, good teacher, or good leader, He is God! He is the “lamb of God” whose sacrificial death, like the lamb served at Passover covers all of our sin. Because of the claims, He makes later on in this book, Jesus must as St Augustine wrote either be a liar, lunatic or Lord!

Tomorrow: John 2