Stand Firm

Therefore, my dear brothers,stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of The Lord, because you know that your labor in The Lord is not in vain.  (1 Cor. 15:58 NIV)

This new year there are a lot of verses we could choose to live by.  Many verses about love, forgiveness, & seeking God first would definitely he good choices.  We will get to those this new year.  But today, God led me to this one.  I believe if we will do these things,(stand firm, don't be moved, & work fully for The Lord), the rest will fall into place. I believe if we will do those things, the world will be changed for the better in 2014.  To do those things, we must know what we believe. We have to get into Gods word & know it.  We have to spend time daily with God in prayer, talking & listening. If we will do those two things we won't be moved because our anchor will be strong & in the right spot.  And here's where we fall sometimes because we can't work half-heartedly & we can't do the work for ourselves.  You do His work with everything you've got because He is God & He has made available the gift of eternal life.  What more reason do you need?  Also, that work is only successful when Christ is the center of it.  Do it with the wrong motives & it is doomed to fail.  Lastly, know that the work you are doing for God is never in vain.  If you're doing the work He has called you to do, it's bringing results even if you can't always see them.  So don't get tired.  Don't give up.  Keep working & leave the results up to God.  Have a blessed New Year.

Be Like Stephen

Now Stephen, a man full of Gods grace & power, did great wonders & miraculous signs among the people. (Acts 6:8 NIV)

Stephen couldn't have done a thing on his own.  He didn't have any superpowers, any magical abilities, or even the highest education.  However, what he did have was Gods grace & power living inside him.  He could do "great wonders & miraculous signs" because of Who lived in him.  Now having said that, he didn't have anything that is not available to all of us.  As a child of God, you have Him living inside of you, that means His power lives inside of you.  Our problem is that too often we either try to go it on our own, or we forget the power that God has made available to us.  As we head into the new year, we need people who are full of a Gods grace & power.  We need people who will use that power.  We need people who will seek God & ask for His power to move through them.  We can't do anything on our own, but we can do great & miraculous things if we allow Him to work through us.  Stephen had access to Gods power because he sought God first.  God was the most important thing in Stephens life.  It's time that we put Christ first in our lives as well.  If we will, I believe we will see Him move in new & great ways.  Do you believe God can use you to do great things like that?

Produce

When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples.  This brings great glory to My Father.  ( John 15:10 NLT)

How great would that be, to know you have brought great glory to God?  Isn't that why we're here anyway.  This verse says we can all have that honor.  All we have to do is bear fruit.  I want to encourage you as we move into 2014 to do just that.  If you want things to be different in your home, neighborhood, church, or country, it starts with you.  What are YOU going to do to bear fruit?  What are YOU going to do to reach people?  How are YOU going to show love to someone else?  How are YOU going to spread Gods word?  There is something for each one of us to do.  We must take personal responsibility for what God has asked us to do.  The time for waiting for someone else to do it is over.  I truly believe that with God in the middle, if we will be available, we can make a difference.  It will require each of us to ask God what He needs us to do & work together to spread Christs message.  It's up to us to show Gods love.  We've waited long enough.  It's time to start planting in 2014 & it's time for all of us to start producing some fruit.  You don't want to miss out on this.

Tell

After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened & what the angel had said to them about the child. (Lk. 2:17 NLT)

They couldn't contain themselves.  The angels told the shepherds & the shepherds found Him & they wanted everybody to know.  They had seen hope, peace, & love & they knew the world needed that.  Today the world is in need of those very things & now it's up to us to do the job of the shepherds.  We need to be telling the message that Christ brought with Him all of those years ago.  That message is still as powerful today as it was then.  Instead of the babe in the manger, we can now have the Savior in our hearts. He came to save us, so that we might have life more abundantly, &because Heloved us that much.  His message & love changes lives.  He offers hope & peace.  It's up to us to share it.  It's up to us to take Christs message to the world, outside of the church walls to the people who don't know Him.  Who can you tell, who can you contact?  You know someone who needs to hear the message.  What a great time of the year to tell them.

Hang On Every Word

She had a sister, Mary who sat before the Master, hanging on every word He said. (Lk. 10 :39 Message)

Hanging on every word.  Do we do that today?  Is that how our prayer life is or are we the ones doings most of the talking?  Do we listen for His voice during our day & as we read His word?  As His children we have access to the Almighty, all knowing, Creator of the universe & we need to be taking advantage of it.  We can learn far more listening to His voice, hanging on His every word rather than rushing through our prayer  to get to our other activities.  He wants to talk to us.  He wants to lead us & guide us.  If we're not hearing from Him it could very well be that we aren't listening for His voice.  Today were faced with too many distractions, voices, & just trying to get by to listen to our Saviors voice.  It's time to slow down, spend more time listening & following our Saviors voice.  If we have things interfering with that then it's probably to to check our priorities.  It could very well be that spending more time listening to Christ would rid us of some of that hecticness in our lives.  He wants to speak to us.  Are we ready to hang on every word?

Are you a hearer or a doer

But don't just listen to Gods word.  You must do what it says.  Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  (James 1:22NLT)

It's Christmas time & you've just been given this great gift.  You are excited, you hurriedly open it, pull it out, & find the instruction book.  You open it up & spend hours studying it as your gift sits close by. This gift will have great benefit for you as well as others.  Finally someone comes by & asks you if you are going to use it & you reply"Oh, I can't yet I need to study the instruction book more".  That gift will never do you any good if all you do is study the instruction book but never apply it.  It will also never do you any good if you read the instruction book but never use the gift.  Gods word is our instruction book & we must learn it & then apply it to our lives.  We have to let it sink down in our hearts & let it guide us.  Then we have to get out & use it.  Use Gods word to fight Satan.  Use it to conquer our obstacles.  Use it to reach others, comfort others, & encourage others.  God gave us His word for us to be active with it.  Gods word is alive & active & it wants to move.  It has the power to do things that we can't imagine.  So let Gods word transform you from a hearer to a doer.

Be Real

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me (Mt 15: 8NIV)

What we really need right now in the world are some real deal Christians.  Sitting in our church pews putting in our time at church for the week is not what we were called to do.  Speaking the right Christian terms is not the difference the world needs.  Dressing the right way, attending the biggest church, going to the next bible study, are not what God is looking for.  Having a pastor with the most education is not the criteria God set up for His servant or His church.  God is looking for the person & the church who has a heart for Him, who will follow Him, & put His will first.  He's looking for a person & church who will be His hands & feet & are willing to do His work.  You see showing Christs love, getting out & reaching those in need, & seeking Him above all else, & being available are all He requires of you to be used.  So be the real deal.  Break out of you rut & ask Him how He wants to use you & watch Him do great things through you.

It's coming

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Rom. 12:12NIV)

Sometimes when you've been praying for something for a long time & you just donet see the answer, you get discouraged & it becomes tempting to lay down & give up.  You're just looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.  This verse is an encouraging verse for just such an occasion.  Maintain that hope even when there doesn't seem to be a reason to have any.  Your joy comes from knowing that God is moving on your behalf.  Know He is working even if you can't see it.  Patience can be one of the hardest things when you feel like you've been holding on for so long & you just haven't seen that breakthrough.  Keep believing it's coming.  And know God wants to hear from you.  Don't just pray once & don't give up one time to early.  God is never late.  You don't know what He's lining up &'preparing for you.  Ephesians 3:20 says He can do "exceedingly abundantly beyond all we ask or think".  That's the God that we serve so know He can handle your need.  Be hopeful, patient, & faithful.  We serve a mighty God & He has good plans for you.

The Greates Commandment

Love The Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind & with all your strength (Mk. 12:30 NIV)

So your with Christ & He has been revealing so much & the obvious question arises.  What's the most important?  This verse gave His answer.  Out of all His teachings, if you take this one command, everything else falls right into place.  I have read & heard this verse countless times.  Sometimes when you see & hear something so often, it ceases to get our attention anymore.  Today I want you to take a fresh look at this verse.  Take a second reread this verse, ask God to reveal it to you, & think about what this verse is really commanding us to do.  What does this verse require of you?  We need to make this verse personal to each of us.  Christ needs to he so important in our lives that He is our top priority & first thought in everything we do.  How would our day be different if we did that?  What changes would we make in our life if we followed this verse?  Would our activities & priorities be different?  Love God with everything you've got.  If you will do that, your other relationships will be their best & everything else will be more fulfilling because Christ will be first in it.  Your love for Him will pour out from you creating a blessing in everything else.  Love Him first, keep Him at the center, & make Him your one & only.

Are You Ready

Be alert, be present.  I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out!  Don't you see it?  There it is!  I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.  (Is. 43:19 Message)

I believe God is ready to do something new.  I believe that God is ready to pour out new blessings, new opportunities, & new growth.  This has been a year of facing some of my fears some of which were much bigger than I wanted to face. However, I have felt that as I faced these giants, that doing so was to prepare me for new things.  I believe that this coming year is the year of breakthroughs.  I would like to encourage you that God wants to do the same for you.  If you feel like you're in the desert or the badlands right now, know that God is even right now providing roads & rivers just when & where you need them.  There is no place that His mercies cannot reach you.  Get the vision that God has for your life.  Be alert for the new thing God is going to do in & through you.  God has something so big that it's bursting out.  It's new & not been done before.  God has great plans for you.  If you can't see it now, keep looking for it, keep being faithful & expectant. I'm looking forward to the breakthroughs that are coming.

Be Accurate

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15 NASB)

How important this is.  God has entrusted us with something so important, His holy word.  As this verse says, it is the word of truth.  It does not change.  It does not need us to add to it or subtract from it.  It doesn't change to fit polls or public opinion. All god has asked us to do is handle it accurately.  Present it just how He gave it to us.  It will light our path, comfort us, be strength to us, heal us, encourage us, & teach us.  We have to stick to it.  We need to hide it in our heart.  We are told to meditate on it.  And we are told to handle it accurately.  It does not ever become outdated or irrelevant.  It still today has the power to change lives.  If we are careful to handle it accurately, it will do things greater than we can imagine, because it is Gods Holy Word.  Learn it, study it, know it, & meditate on it s that we know it deep in our hearts.  It is only then that we can tell the difference between its truth & something that was changed by someone who does not handle it accurately.  God has made its power available to us if we will just handle it accurately.

Why Are You Here

But when David's oldest brother , Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?  He demanded.  "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of ?  I know about your pride & deceit.  You just want to see the battle!" (1 Sam. 17:28 NLT)

Ever have anyone like that in your life?  The storm cloud to your sunny day?  Someone who you are trying to help only to have them try to discourage you, belittle you, & act somehow superior to you?  David had several of those people in his life as I'm sure we all do.  I do think that we can learn a lesson from David in how to handle those people when they pop up.  David kept his focus on The Lord of Heavens Armies, & went out & did what God asked him to do.  He went out & did the very thing they were afraid to do.  He did the thing they said he wasn't qualified to do.  He didn't waste time explaining himself, he just let his actions speak.  You see they thought he wasn't qualified to do it because they were looking at things that could be seen with their eyes.  David knew he could do it because his eyes were focused on the Most High God.  He knew Who it was Who equipped him.  God knew he could do it because He knew David's heart.  When those people arise in your life, &Satan will send them, follow David's example.  Let God quiet them by working through you.  You just go out & do things that can only be done by Almighty God working through you!

Let This Be Us

Now, Lord, consider their threats & enable you servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Stretch out your hand to heal & perform miraculous signs & wonders through the name of your Holy Servant Jesus. (Acts 4: 29 & 30 NIV)

This was Peter & Johns prayer for the believers. As I've said many times, I believe we grossly underestimate Gods power in our life & the life of the church.  The side effect of that is that we end up relying on ourselves too much.  Peter & John weren't bashful about what they were praying for.  They didn't hesitate or stutter they boldly approached Gods throne & asked for big things. They didn't ask for anything but for God to do great things through them in order to bring glory to Christ, to reach others.  How pleasing is that to God.  As I read this, I wonder if we are praying that same prayer today.  Do we believe God can do those same things through us (the church) today or do we think those were things that only happened in the Bible.  Do we ask God to help us speak boldly?  Do we ask Him to stretch out His hand & move through us to do great things?  Is the church capable of being strong for God (as He intended) or are we satisfied with just holding on until Christ returns?  I want God to move through me like that. I want to speak His word boldly & have His hand move through me.  Not for my glory but His.  I don't have the seminary degree or the initials after my name but what I do have is a passion for God, availability, & a desire to work for Christ, much like Peter & John who prayed this prayer.  Does that sound like you.  We have work to do & I pray that God once again sees fit to work through us (His church) like that again!

Here's What I Have

"Bring them here to me," He said. (Matt. 14:18 NIV)

There was a huge crowd & the disciples were going to send them away & let them find food.  Jesus said there was no need to do that & told them to feed them.  Their reply was we don't have enough food, how do you expect us to do that?  Jesus' reply was the same then to the disciples as it is to us today:  Bring what you have to Me.  There are lots of times when what we have is not enough & Then when you add God to it, you have more than enough.  Maybe it's not enough resources, talent, strength, education, etc..  In the song "Little Drummer Boy" all he had was the ability to play his drum but he used that ability to glorify Christ & God made it great. Sometimes we just have to say "This is all I have, use it & multiply it for your glory".  It's amazing what He can do with our little.  So if today, something seems not enough, insufficient, or too weak, take it to God Almighty & say use it.  He is the one that gave it to us. He is the One Who equips us. He is our Healer & our Provider.  Let Him have what you've got & He will make it more than enough.

We have Hope

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ The Lord. (Lk. 2:11 NIV)

Many years ago the world was in need of hope & more importantly it was in need of saving. The world I imagine was a lot then like it is now.  They struggled with financial difficulties, sickness, uncertainty, fear, & yes sometimes that feeling of hopelessness.  Even worse, they had no permanent fix to their separation from God.  The world today is much in the same situation.  We are struggling with many of those things now & many are separated from Christ today even though He is available to us anytime. Christmas is the season of hope. Christ came to be that hope. He came to save us in all areas of our lives & to be our Redeemer.  Today as the angels were telling the shepherds then, that Savior has been born & He would love to be your Savior. He would love to save you from your struggles.  He would like to make you an overcomer. He would like to give you eternal life with Him. If you have already made Him your Savior, you need to know that you already have the victory.  You don't need to live in fear or defeat. No weapon formed against you will prosper(Is. 54:17).  Live like He is your Savior.  Remember, He came to earth for you.

Don't doubt

But when he asks, he must believe & not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown & tossed by the wind. (James 1:6 NIV)

The subject of faith has really been on my heart lately.  I'm not one that believes that God is a Pez dispenser that just passes out the candy because we ask.  I believe that God works everything for the good of those who love Him.  I also think there is no denying the power of faith if you read through the scriptures.  I believe that our level of faith has a lot to do with the area God has to work.   I believe that we limit God by our lack of faith.  I have decided that if I really believe the Bible  then I have to believe that God is able to do exceeding, abundantly beyond all that I ask or think (Eph. 3: 20).  Maybe I'm not asking big enough.  I believe if I'm asking with the right motives, to further His Kingdom & for His glory & not mine, I believe He is more than big enough to do it.  I believe He has good plans for me (Jer. 29:11).  I believe He will supply all of my needs(Phillipians 4: 19).  I believe He has a place for me with Him for eternity (John 3:16).  There are many many promises of God in His word.  If He promised it, it's a done deal.  We need to believe those promises & that they are for us.  He gave them to us for today.  Don't let the wind move you.  Stay focused on what God has to say about you & your situation & believe that.  Your faith in "I Am" can change things.  Believe & don't doubt.  He is big enough, He is still on the throne, & He loves you.  You believe, stand firm, & He will do the rest.

Christs Authority

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go!  It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.  (Matt. 8:13 NIV)

In this passage the Roman centurion had a servant who was paralyzed & suffering.  He went to the one person who he knew could help his servant. Christ agreed to go to his house & heal him but the centurion realized something very important.  He realized Christs authority. He knew all Christ had to do was say the word & it was done.  I think that is something we as Christians need to realize today.  Christs authority lives in us if we have made Him our Lord & Savior.  There is no need for us to walk around weak & defeated.  If Christs authority can heal the centurions servant, just by a word, we have that same power available to us.  Our problem is we fail to use it.  We allow Satan, who has already been defeated, to convince us that we are weak, defeated, or that God wouldn't help us.  The centurion didn't doubt.  He asked & believed in Christs authority.  Christ told him he hadn't seen that great of faith in all of Israel.  That's the kind of faith we need today. Ask, believe, & don't doubt.  Use the power that Christ has made available to us.

God Made It Good

You intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Gen. 50:20 NIV)

This is kind of a personal story for me.  It was one that I did not understand at the time but as I was running today I got to thinking about how it had shaped me.  I've had a couple of those situations lately & I'm sure you probably have as well.  Sometimes we just can't see at the time what God could possibly be doing in our situation but that's when we have to trust God & know that He knows exactly what He's doing.

      I had just started in ministry & doors were opening left & right.  I went from not even thinking about ministry to speaking Gods word at different churches & events.  God was moving, doors were opening, & things were growing.  Then as happens when those things are going on, Satan reared his ugly head & got involved.  All of a sudden people wanted to be in charge instead of God.  People wanted to start taking credit for work instead of giving God the glory.  As I tried to speak out against it, people turned their anger to me.  Untrue things were said about me & my family & it was time for me to move on.

     After I left the situation, still things were being said.  I had decided that it was better to let God fight my battle & kept quiet.  Only one side of the story was getting out & it was not accurate.  That can be hard to take & understand when you are truly trying to do what God asks you to do.  I really couldn't understand why things were working out like they were.  Now fast forward to today.

     Today I realized that I could honestly say I do not have any bad feelings toward anyone in the situation.  God has brought healing.  But even more than that I realized that God had used it to grow me.  Since this has happened I have learned to always trust God even when things don't seem to make sense.  I've learned to know He is working & even better working it for my good.  I've learned to look at people differently.  We're all imperfect & were responsible for how we act in a situation not in how anyone else does.  I've learned that God brings good out of bad & His good is better than I can imagine.  So I encourage you to trust God to work good in your situation & let go of things that only drag you down.  God has bigger things in store for you.

Imitate

Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children (Eph. 5:1 NIV)

This verse came to me today as I was thinking about things which I do a lot.  I thought about in my life how many times I have imitated people in things that I was passionate about.  Growing up, I have always enjoyed sports.  I can't tell you how many hours I have spent being Magic Johnson, Roger Staubach, Ozzie Smith or one of my other favorite players.  I wanted to do the drills they did, shoot like them, pass like them, field like them.  I wore their jerseys.  I did everything I could to be play like them.  Then as I got into martial arts, I wanted to train where the best martial artists trained, & I wanted to train like they did.  I wanted to be the best like they were.  Even in ministry, I look up to some of the "giants" in Christianity.  I read their books, & watch them speak, listening to them often to see how they do it.  Charles Stanley, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Max Lucado, & many others have had a major influence on me.  I have been blessed in my life to have so many pastors as friends who have helped me.  Reading about the disciples & their journey & wanting to be faithful like them.  But at the end of the day, I really have to imitate my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.  In coming to earth, He gave us the example to follow.  Love, courage, service, obedience to the Father, just to name a few of His traits.  All of the disciples, my pastors, & giants of Christianity would tell me to follow Christ.  He is the one who won't let you down.  Learn about Him, know Him, have a relationship with Him , & be like Him.  If His people will imitate Him, we will see a change in us, our churches, communities, & world.  Christ working through us is the only thing that has power to change lives.  Read His word & follow the example that He has given for us.  There is no better example to follow.

Walking on Water

Then Peter called to Him, "Lord if it's really You, tell me to come to You, walking on water" (Matthew 14:28 NLT)

We need some water walkers.  We need some people who can ignore the waves & the wind & focus on the face of Jesus Christ & step out of the boat.  There is a need for people with the faith in Jesus Christ who are willing to step out & believe that with God we can do something bigger than ourselves.  Peter couldn't walk on the water on his own but with Christ he could. Christ can still use us to do that today.  Don't try to walk on water without Christ, you will sink.  But with Christ you can walk on top of the waves.  We need to put action to our faith.  It's not enough to say the right words at church, post the posts about God being able to do anything, or quoting Phillipians 4:13 if we won't move in response.  I want to have that much faith. I want you to have that much faith.  I want faith that causes me to move & to do things greater than me.  I want to be a water walker.  So I ask you to join with me.  Tell the waves that your God is bigger than they are & that you are stepping out to accomplish things only God could do through you.  Pray big!  Believe big!  Let God move mightily in your life.  Just think what a group of water walkers can do!

I Believe

One of my favorite parts of "The Polar Express" is when the little boy says "I believe".  He had lost his belief in Santa but through a set of circumstances he again believed in Santa.  I would like to say that there is a huge difference between Santa & my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.  Christ asks us to have child like faith.  I've been spending a lot of time thinking about that lately.  Today's verse is Genesis 15:6 NLT.  It says, "And Abraham believed The Lord, & The Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith".  The part I've been thinking about is "believed The Lord".  Too often we believe our circumstances, other people, news reports, medical reports, financial statements, when we really need to believe what God says.  We need to ask what Gods word says about us & our situation.  Then we need to decide are we going to believe what I Am says or are we going to take someone else's word about us.  I want to encourage you to believe God.  He made you.  He knows you better than anyone else does.  He knows your past, present, & future.  So if He says it, trust Him& believe Him.  He knows what He's talking about.

Peace

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus.(Phillipians 4: 7 NIV)

Peace can be a hard thing to come by.  Circumstances are always trying to rob us of our peace.  Today I would like to encourage you with this verse that even in crazy circumstances, you can have peace.  You see the peace that comes from God is bigger & stronger than any of those circumstances.  Keep your focus on Him during the storm.  Let that peace guard your hearts & minds.  Let it wash over them & cover them.  Worries, fears, & anxieties, can't get through Gods peace.  So today whatever is trying to take your peace away, remember God is big enough to handle it.  He loves you & He has great plans for you.  Claim this verse, focus on the good

Faith, Love, Hope

We continually remember before our God & Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love & your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:3 NIV)

As I was reading this today, it gave me the thought that this is how great things start.  What a thre step process.  Step one is faith.  In order to do something great you have to start with faith.  Faith is what causes you to be able to do something bigger than yourself.  It forces you to stop relying on your power & start relying on Gods power.  Faith is what let's you do something even when everyone else tells you it's impossible.  You have to start with faith.
     Step number 2 is love.  You have to have love if you're going to be pushed to attempt something great.  I think love is a two parter.  The first part would be love for what you are doing.  In order to do something great, you will need that love to keep you going when the work gets hard.  Without love for what you are doing the work will get to hard & you'll give up because it simply becomes work.  The second part of it is love for who you are doing it for.  First of all you need to be doing it for Christ which will in turn cause you to love others & therefore attempt something great for them.  When we put Christ first it gives us the love for others to serve them.
      Step number 3 is hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  When we start the journey in faith, we're excited about the vision of what we believe will happen.  Then we add love & that love pushes us when things get tough.  Hope in Jesus Christ is what allows us to stay the course when Satan & others start telling us why this could never happen.  Those times will come when you try to do something great for Christ.  We just have to remember where our hope lies.  It's not in us, it's in Jesus Christ.
     So today get your faith up.  Step out of the boat.  That's how you walk on water.  Let your love for Jesus Christ & for others propel you to do that great work.  And always remember that your hope is in Jesus Christ.  There's nothing He can't do!

Preparation

So Jesse sent for him.  He was dark & handsome, with beautiful eyes.  And The Lord said,"This is the one; anoint him." (1 Sam. 16: 12 NLT)

So here's David, the youngest son, & Hes just been anointed king.  He should've been on cloud nine.  This was his time, God had declared it.  But it wasn't to happen all of a sudden.  David would have to go through many trials, struggles, & tests before He was ready to be king. God had to use all of those things in David's life before he could be the king that god needed him to be.  David had to go out with Gods help & fight battles & defeat giants.  David had to learn restraint & to follow God in all things before God could use him .  I think today it's no different.  God has a plan for your life.  That plan might not be coming about as fast as you would like & there might be a lot of struggles to go through but God is using it all to prepare you.  Trust God through the struggles & ask Him to reveal to you what He's trying to show you.  Trust His plan.  If God put the plan inside you, He will bring it to pass.  The rest is just the preperation process.

Know What You Believe

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow & deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition & the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.  ( Col. 2:8 NIV)

In today's world, it is extremely important to know what we believe as Christians.  People will try to twist Gods word, cite the latest polls, & give you all the reasons why things have changed & we need to as well.  As Christians our only guide is to be Gods word.  It doesn't change.  If we don't know what Gods word says, it is easier for us to be deceived.  We have to be spending time studying Gods word on our own.  We need to be in bible study with others.  We have to spend time in prayer daily.  During our prayer time we need to spend time talking with God & also listening to God.  If we will do these things, we can discern when the philosophy is hollow & deceptive or it just goes against Gods word.  It's up to us to know what we believe because if we don't the world will be quick to tell us what we should believe & the world is not our guide.  So today study, teach your kids, be the influence.  It's our best protection.

Build up

Therefore encourage one another & build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  (1 Thess. 5:11 NIV)

Today when I woke up, I found out that a friend of mine had finished her journey here on earth & was called home to he withe The Lord. She had battled for a long time & god said it was time for her to rest.  I didn't know her well but got to know her through my cousin, hoping that my devotions would encourage her.  Little did I know that through that journey, it would be her to encourage me as I would later have cancer removed from my arm.  As she was going through her struggle, she was still encouraging others & trying to help others, even when her situation was so difficult. As I heard the news today, my thoughts went to her family who will remain in my prayers.  But it also got me thinking how we need to he about the business of encouraging people.  There are so many people in this world trying to tear down & destroy & we as Christians need to let Christ work through us to build up , repair, & encourage others.  We don't know what people are dealing with or going through in their day.  Everyone could use a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand.  Those people should be able to depend on us to be those things.  Sometimes it's even our own families who are in need of one of those things.  Maybe it was a rough day at school, work, practice, etc. & they just need a hand up.  Sometimes it just means taking our focus off of us & our problems & asking God how we can help someone else.  Thank you to all of the encourages I have in my life, you are a great blessing.  Today the world lost an encourager, now it's up to us.

Hold My Hand

For I am The Lord, your God, Who takes hold of your right hand & says to you, do not fear; I will help you (Is. 41: 13 NIV)

Today I want you to take a break from your worries, fears, & doubts.  I want you to picture yourself walking along a winding road as the sun starts to disappear & you can start hearing the sounds that you hear at night that have those ominous noises.  You start feeling nervous, uncertain, & fear starts to creep in.  You can't see what's ahead & the noises are numerous & sound very big.  All of a sudden someone walks up, takes you by your hand & says "Do not fear, I will help you".  As you look up, things start getting brighter, the sounds become a little less ominous, & you look into the face of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  Suddenly fear has turned into overwhelming peace as you realize there's nothing that Christ can't bring you through untouched.  Now that's a picture but it's real life.  Christ has you by the hand t & there's no reason to fear as you walk through the scary things in life.  When you know He's walking with you, things aren't as scary& if those fears & doubts start making noise again, focus on that picture & most importantly focus on the face of the Savior.  His face will make your fears melt away.

Be Strong

Finally be strong in The Lord & in His mighty power (Eph.  6:10 NIV)

Sometimes in life you don't always feel strong.  There are times you feel blindsided, ganged up on, overwhelmed, & just flat out heat up.  And just for good measure you usually have at least one person  who is willing to point out how bad it is & just how beat up you looked.  You're strength might be low, who knows it might even be out but the good news is God has plenty of power & you can be strong in His power.  In my experience, Satan tries to keep you distracted when you're doing Gods work.  He doesn't want you being effective.  He thinks if he can keep chipping away at you he can stop you from doing what God has for you to do.  Remind him that you are not operating on your power, you are operating on the infinite power of Jesus Christ & Christ has already won that battle.  So if you are feeling weak & defeated, I am declaring that you are strong in The Lord & in His mighty power.

Perfect Peace

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You (Is. 26:3 NIV)

I'm learning to at least recognize better when my focus is greeting off of Christ.  I'd like to get where it just stayed there instead of recognizing when it's gotten on to something else.  I guess that's why they wrote that song "He's Still Working On Me".  When my focus starts to drift my peace starts to leave.the funny thing is I start out so focused on Christ in the morning & then fear comes along,or frustration pays a visit, or someone says something to offend me & all of a sudden my mind is not so steadfast on God.  Buts signet better at recognizing it I am hopeful that I can get it back on Christ before it drifts too far away. Satan wants our peace because he knows if he can take it, we will become ineffective for the work Christ has for us to do.  If he can't have us, He wants to keep us from reaching others.  I want that peace. I want my focus to stay where it's supposed to be. I want to be effective for Christ.  So as I said earlier, He's still working on me & I'm going to try to keep learning.

Not My Life

I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central.  It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, & I am no longer driven to impress God.  Christ lives in me.  The life you see me living is not mine" , but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me & gave Himself for me. (Gal. 2:20 Message)

I am learning & I admit sometimes struggling with always letting God have control of everything.  I think I've come a long way but I know I still have a long way to go.  As humans we rationalize why what we do is alright.  Maybe we think we have reason to be mad at somebody, want to get back at somebody, put our priorities before Gods, or many other things.  Maybe it's that one little area that we're not ready to let go of.  It could even be our finances, job, family, or a habit that we have.  The bottom line is that when we made Jesus Christ LORD of our life, we gave up control.  In today's society we are taught that we have rights, to stand up for ourselves, & to not let people take advantage of us.  Gods word teaches us to yield to His will even when that is difficult for us.  If we are Christians & we are called to be different than the world, putting Gods will & putting others first is a great way to show Christ. If we will let go of our ego & realize that our life now belongs to Christ, God will be able to do great things with us.  We will probably walk around a lot happier as well.

The Good Part

But only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Lk. 10: 42 NASB)

In the NASB version, it says Martha was distracted.  She was running around trying to do all of these things (which was distracting  her) & she was missing the main thing.  She was distracted by activities & was missing Christ.  How many times do we do that?  Mary realized what (who) was the main thing & she was sitting at His feet listening intently.  I think today we so much need to get away from the hecticness of the world & just sit at the Saviors feet & listen.  Don't talk, don't be distracted, just fix your eyes on Him & listen to His voice. You might be thinking that would be nice if you just had time to do that.  I think we might be amazed at how much time we had if we just sat & listened to our Lord & Savior.  Today I got the opportunity to sit everything aside & just spend the day with my kids.  I couldn't have spent my time any better today.  Before I did that, I took time to just get away with Christ which set everything on the right track.  I spent the evening enjoying time with my wife & kids.  I didn't do a thing off of a to do list today but today I did the more important things.  I want to encourage you to find time especially during this season to remember the main things.

Fully Persuaded

Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised (Rom. 4:21 NIV)

Here it is talking about Abraham believing that God would do what He had promised him.  By visible circumstances, Abraham had every reason to give up & think that he must have heard God wrong.  At the age of Abraham & Sarah's age, Gods promise seemed impossible.  That's what God delights in, doing the impossible. But we have to stay in faith.  We have to believe God can do the impossible.  God is bigger than the medical report, financial report, or relationship that seems forever broken. God can revive the country that seems like it's too late. But we have to remain faithful.  We have to keep praying & believing. We have to keep working.  When the world says "give up" remember that God says Get up".  I choose to believe God.  His track record is a lot better.

Take it captive

We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, & we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5 NIV)

This verse has two great thoughts that hit me today & that I needed to be reminded of.  The first one is about demolishing arguments that go against God. One phrase I was reading about the other day was "godless chatter" .  I have heard a lot of godless chatter lately.  As people talk about things it reminds me of the importance of a "relationship" with Christ.  I was probably first introduced to these types of "arguments" in college with my philosophy instructor.  He would ask all of the questions about whether God really exists or not & give all of the reasons he thought that He didn't.  Since then I have heard a lot of those similar arguments from people who do not believe God exists.  When asked to explain why I believe He is who He says He is, I keep going back to that relationship.  The more I have gotten into Gods word & spending time with Him in prayer & watching Him work in my life & so many others, I have no doubt that I serve a risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
     The second thing is taking every thought captive.  This is one I can have trouble with.  I'm a thinker & if I'm not careful, Satan sneaks in lies to me & allows me to run them over & over in my mind.  This verse reminds me to take each thought captive & to kick out the junk that comes in.  When I allow the junk to enter in, it keeps me from working like Christ intends just like any foreign substance that is introduced to a machine.  Do not let the junk take root.  If it doesn't agree with what God says or what God says about you, then it is a lie & has to go.
     Today know that those arguments can't stand up to God & His word.  Also kick out the junk before it has a chance to get in.  Stay in Gods word & both of these things will come much easier.

Find Rest

Come to Me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest (Mt. 11:28 NIV)

Anybody in need of rest? I know sometimes I feel like I'm stuck on the merry-go-round & can't get off.  It's just race from here to there, fight this problem then that problem, jobs, kids activities, & how do we keep up.  Then there's church activities, & other activities that others deem as important for us to do.  Where does it stop?  I would like to say that even Jesus took time to get away from the work & the crowds & get with His Father. He needed it & we need it so that we can get recharged to be effective in our life for Christ.  The other cool thing is that if you are feeling burdened,you can go to Him leave that burden there & lighten your load. Or maybe the battle you're going through has been a long hard fight & you just need that refreshment that only Christ can bring. Go to Him, leave the burden there, get rest, & come back ready to do His work again. It's alright to feel tired sometimes, just don't give up.  Before you do that seek Christ for refreshment & restoration

Good Overcomes Evil

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NIV)

Occasionally, you can feel like evil is coming against you.  I don't about you but when that happens to me I can have the tendency to want to fight back.  I feel like it was unfair & something needs to be done about it.  Today I was reminded of the soloution.  The real way to fight back is to fight back against evil by doing good, showing Christs love, & living the life He has called us to live. If we fall into acting like the people or things coming against us, we fail in our calling to demonstrate Christ.  As I think back to the story of Christs crucifixion & all of the evil that came against Him that day, He gave us the example to follow by showing love to the very people who brought the evil & brutality against Him.  We didn't deserve His love but He gave it to us anyway.  People sometimes will not deserve our love but we're called to do it anyway.  It's hard today.  There's lots of evil in the world but Gods love is stronger & Hes already overcome the evil.  That fight has already been won.  So God has given us the key to victory, now it's just up to us to follow the example.

Are you talking to me

When the angel of The Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. (Judges 6: 12 NIV)

I don't know about any of you but I can't say I've felt much like a "mighty warrior" this week.  As a matter of fact,  I remember saying this week that I was tired of being the bug.  Sometimes you just have times where it feels this way.  As the week went on I also remember telling myself I wasn't supposed to be feeling that way.  However sometimes you do & there's no point in denying it because God already knows it anyway.  But even in those times it's important to remember how God sees you & that through Him you are what He says.  After all, He created you.  So if the Creator of the universe says that I'm a mighty warrior then I'm a mighty warrior.  Gideon was a mighty warrior, not because of his ability but because of God with him.  Now the neat thing is today that if we are Gods child, not only is God "with" us but He's now "in " us.  How much better is that.  As you go out this week, even if you might not feel like it, declare it everyday.  Wake up & say I'm a mighty warrior because God said so.  We need some mighty warriors to step up & spread Gods word.  The world is battling against us spreading Christs message so it's up to the mighty warriors to stand strong!

Heart for Gods Word

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps. 119:11 NIV)

This is so important today.  In today's society we can get Gods word in so many forms.  We can get different translations, we can get it on CD, on our phone & calendars just to name a few.  What a blessing, because not everyone has that availability to Gods holy word. Just because we have that today does not always mean that that will be the case.  Or it could be that we don't have one with us when we need it.  The key is to hide it in your heart that way it's always there & no one can take it from you.  Also if you spend enough time to hide it in your heart, it will take over your life.  When you're going through something difficult, god will bring His word to your mind.  When you need guidance in something, again Gods word will be there to give you that guidance.  Knowing Gods word & committing it to your life is one of the most important things you can do in your life.  So I very much encourage you to spend time in Gods word today & everyday, even if it's just reading this blog.  Ask God to reveal His word to you & meditate on it all during the day.  It's time well spent.

Today is the Day

This is the day The Lord has made; let us rejoice & be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24 NIV)

Today has you read this, it is probably a pretty normal day.  Maybe you are getting ready for work, school, running errands, getting the kids to school, or numerous other activities.  Maybe you are in a hurry & running late & you think you'll find time for God later.  After all there's important stuff that has to get done now.  You check the news while you are getting ready & just more discouraging news.  You think "I wish someone would do something to make things better".  I want to challenge you today that I think that person is you.  That's right if you're reading this, I think you are to he part of the soloution.  How far must we get off course before we start standing up & being the difference? Are we guaranteed tomorrow?  Are we guaranteed that our freedoms will be here tomorrow?  We have relied on political parties, politicians, & other people who we're going to get us back on the right course.  Somehow I don't think they have succeeded.  It's up to us, the Christian people.  I believe we are at a crossroads.  Are we going to look at our kids & tell them we couldn't stand when we were needed to.  Are we going to say it was someone else's responsibility?  Are we going to tell them about how big our God is but this problem was just too big?  We have to lead by example.  We need to be on our knees in prayer.  We need to be leading our families in bible study.  We need to be out meeting the needs of others.  Are we going to put it off another day?  We're needed now.  Today is the day.  So as you go out today, what are you going to do to be the difference.  Quit relying on someone else.  God made this day for us to do the work, be the difference, live victoriously, & rejoice in this gift.

Don't be timid

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, & of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

So tonight I just got back from a meeting about how to improve the school.  I was thankful to be able to attend & for a chance for people to have their voice heard. In today's society that is discouraged oftentimes because you're not supposed to disagree with those in a position of power.  In our small group was the father of a student who had committed suicide.  As I sit & try to put myself in his position I just can't because there is no way to understand how that must feel.  As I watched him express his concern, fight for his son, & try to keep that from happening to someone else's child it gave me a thought.  Christians have become a timid people & we need to be standing for the things God calls each of us to do.  We need to stand even if we're the only one.  The time for timidity has long past.  But it goes on to say we need to have a spirit of power, love, & self-discipline.  We can stand in the power of Almighty God, while doing it in love. The love we should have for people should make us want to stand for those who can't, to stand for Gods word, & for our voices to be heard.  If we let timidity take us over, we could very well wait to stand till it's too late.  This dad tonight was fighting against bullying for his son who is already gone, other parents were fighting for their kids who are still here.  Maybe it was a wake up call for all of us & I believe we as Christians have been receiving one as well.  It's time to overcome our timidity & take a stand before it's too late.

Keep Going

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders & the sin that so easily entangles, & let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1NIV)

Today was a neat experience for me.  I had gotten a call earlier this week to speak at the last church my grandpa was pastor at.  I hadn't been in that church in years.  It's a small church with some great people at it who like many churches are struggling with low numbers right now.  As I walked in I met people who were there when my grandpa was, I saw the pastors study, & stood behind the same pulpit my grandpa had, delivering Gods message.  As I spoke, I paused a couple of times & smiled as I thought back to many years ago when my grandpa had been in that spot.  As I thought about that, I thought about this verse.  I thought about him & my grandma in that great cloud of witnesses smiling & cheering me to keep going.  That was my message to this church & all "small" churches out there, keep going.  It's hard & it can be a struggle & discouraging sometimes but we have a great message to tell the world.  We have a big God who can work with just a few faithful people.  The world needs the message we have & those who have gone on before us are cheering us on.  They were faithful to the work God gave them & now it's our turn.  We need to be faithful to do that work for those who come after us. So today was a neat day & an encouraging day.  Today I want to encourage you that no matter how small or insignificant that you might feel, keep going.  Listen to that "great cloud of witnesses" and stay faithful to the work God has given you to do.  I might not have had anyone to preach to today if my grandparents had not been faithful to their work.  I hope someday

Use Me

Then I heard the voice of The Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  And I said, "Here am I, send me !" (Is. 6:8 NIV)

If you were asked that today what would your response be?  If  you were in the presence of God & He was asking that question, would you say send me?  Or would you scoot back to the back, hoping God found someone else first?  Would you say "well I'm not really qualified"?  Well the thing is is that He is asking you that question.  He is looking for people who will do His work.  It might be speaking to that relative or neighbor who needs to know Jesus Christ.  It might be standing up for someone who can't stand up for themselves.  It might be helping someone who needs a helping hand. Can you be that person?  As I'm writing this I am listening to talk about taking "God" out of an oath at a military academy, stories about bullying, and other disturbing news.  There is a work for each one of us to be doing.  Growing up I know I had a lot of people who answered that question with "Send me!"  Now it's our turn to answer that question the same way.  Our kids, families, churches, & most of all God are looking to us to step up.  We can keep standing on the sidelines as slowly but surely the world gets farther away from God & the things that we thought we would never see become commonplace or we can say "send me!"  Use me!" Not the person beside me but me.  Hopefully they will be saying the same thing & we as Christians can be that influence that we have been called to be.  Question for the day is can God use you!

No footholds

And do not give the devil a foothold (Eph. 4:27 NIV)

Too often we do that in life.  The verse before this talks about not going to bed angry.  I have to admit that I've done that a couple of times.  What we forget is that the one were really hurting is ourselves. As a parent I sometimes see things that could be harmful & be pitfalls for my kids & so Itry to warn them. Not because I'm trying to make more rules, take away fun, or for any other reason than I love them & want the best for them.  God does that with us. He can see things ahead of us that can harm us & He wants to give us a heads up.  Besides unhappiness, health issues, & broken relationships, giving the devil a foothold causes us to be ineffective for Christ. It can harm our relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.  It might be anger, unforgiveness, habit, addiction, fear, or anything that gives Satan a way into our life.  It might even be pride. That's why it's important to examine your life daily & give anything holding you back over to God.  Let Him fight your battles. Let Him restore.  Today, it's time to boot Satan out & get rid of any possible footholds he might have in our lives.

Love Each Other

The thing that sets Christians apart is love.  Not that others can't love but they can't show the kind of love that comes from Jesus Christ.  Today the world is in desperate need of love.  There is fighting in every part of the world, hateful words being spoken to anyone who disagrees, with someone, & kids committing suicide because they are being bullied.  If we want to make a change, if we want to show people Christ instead of religion, we need to show Christs love.  His love allows us to love people who might be hard to love.  His love will help us reach out or down to someone in need.  His love will show us someone who is hopeless who just needs a touch of Gods love.  You see there is a hurting world out there, there are people who are proud of hurting others, and all of those people need Christians to step up & show Christs love.  Christ loves us even at our most unloveable.  He loved us even before we were & if were Gods children & were to love as He loves us, we need to look for people needing that love.  We need to find those hurting kids.  We need to look for someone who we can encourage & lift up.  If we will show Christs love, people will see the way to a relationship with a loving Savior.

Weeds

But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came & sowed weeds among the wheat, & went away. (Mt. 13:26 NIV)

I was reading this passage & one word stuck out to me.  It was sleeping.  While Christians were sleeping, Satan come along & planted weeds.  Christians were sleeping & silent which gave Satan the opportunity to distort truth & tell lies.  As Christians were sleeping & not speaking up people didn't hear the truth & the weeds started taking over.  Now if you have ever weeded a garden or flower bed, you know it takes a lot of work.  It doesn't get done by sleeping.  Even once the garden is weeded, it takes dedication to keeping it that way.  It's time to wake up!  There is much work to be done!  We have a large garden with a lot of weeds & it can only be done by Christians banding together, waking up & doing the work.  The reward is great.  We must stand.  Nap time is over.  Weeds will choke out the wheat if allowed to & they multiply fast & it's up to the Christian people to not allow that to happen.  Gods word is strong & powerful.  His Spirit can't be stopped.  We have powerful tools & we need to use them in order to take care of the garden.

It's Your Choice

But if serving The Lord seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve , whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me & my household, we will serve The Lord. (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

I have come to realize this week that there are a group of phrases that really bother me. They include but are not limited to: "there's nothing we can do about it", "it's that way everywhere", "everybody does it or feels that way".  I have come to a better understanding of this verse this week.  Not really a different understanding, but a better understanding.  We are called to make a choice, Not based on what anyone else (not even necessarily the majority) thinks or is doing but on Gods word.  Even if it is going on "everywhere" else, if it is wrong then we shouldn't be allowing it to go on with us.  We have become too accepting to things that are wrong & things against Gods word.  It's alright to take a stand & speak up. It's alright to say that's not right & it shouldn't be going on here.  It's alright to say as for me & my household were going to stand with God & His word.
    Joshua was saying that regardless of what anyone else was going to do, his decision had already been made.  We need to be saying the same thing.  Late night talk show hosts might use Christians as their joke material, media might try to marginalize Christians, & society might tell us we are to close minded but that shouldn't change our choice we've already made.
     If there is going to be a difference made, we need to stand up & speak up.  Out of love for everyone, we need to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.  We need to share Christs love with those who feel unloved.  We need to make our choice.  The choice is not a hard one.  The reward of the right choice is eternal.  And the power that comes from our Lord & Savior can change lives, & hopeless situations.  The choice is up to you.

Alone With God

Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, & a large crowd from Galilee followed (Mk. 3:7 NIV)

Every once in a while, you just need to get away & get with God.  Sometimes you just need to enter into Gods presence & it just be you & Christ.  I kind of felt that way today.  Someone that my daughter went to school with committed suicide today because he had been bullied.  I've been thinking all day about him feeling that alone & hopeless.  No one should ever feel that way.  I had already been thinking about the mess that our country seems to be in.  It just seemed to he waves of discouraging news today.  I don't think I've ever seen people act towards each other like I've seen lately.  Today it was time to just get alone with God.  Today it was time to sit at His feet & say I don't understand.  There are days like that & Christ just sits & holds us, giving us the encouragement to get up & go again.  Remember, our hope is in Christ & it's up to us to share that hope.  Sometimes, we just need to get alone with God & recharge.

Courage

Be on your guard: stand firm in the faith: be men of courage: be strong. Do everything in love (1 Cor. 16:13 NIV)

Today as much as anytime in our history, we need men & women of courage l. People not concerned with polls, or what the popular thing of the day is. People who stand on there convictions. Lately it seems right or wrong is based on public opron. That compass has not gotten us into a good spot. How about men with the courage to stand on God's word. Strong people of courage is whats needed to turn things around. God will work if people of courage will stand. Be strong & courageous l, stand firm, and do it in love. Even when others are acting in anything but love, we as Christians are called to always come from love. That will not always be easy but that is the part of courage

Spread the Message

Finally brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly & be honored, just as it was with you. (2Thess. 3:1 NIV)

Alright, it's confession time.  When I started this blog, I did so because I had a great concern that people didn't know Gods message.  I had a frat concern for people today needing that message. In the midst of all the fighting & violence, people need to know the God of love & peace.  In a world of hopefulness, people need to know that Christ is our hope. But I saw kids growing up who didn't know my God.  They didn't know the stories of the bible & that they appliesd to them.  I hope today to encourage, teach the bible stories, & remind people that Gods word is for them.  Please pray that Christs message spreads & I pray that you come to understand Christs love for you.

Pray

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful & thankful. (Col.4:2 NIV)

Today I want to encourage everyone to pray.  Pray for your country, pray for your family, your church & each other.  Pray for revival.  It's time for all Christians to devote ourselves to prayer.  God wants to hear from us.  Prayer must precede change.  Think what God can accomplish if His people will humble themselves & pray.  When you pray , expect God to act.  Don't pray faithless prayers.   Thank Him before you receive the answer & thank Him when He moves.  Today I'm asking Christians to get serious about prayer .  We can make a difference.  Please share with other Christians because we must pray together.  Pray big.

Come Back

So we are Christs ambassadors!  God is making His appeal through us.  We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" (2 Cor. 5:21 NLT)

Take a look at what's going on in the news today.  Talk to people you come in contact with.  A lot of the news & conversations are not going to be about good news.  I keep hearing about the "religious right" & how we are now in the minority, & how we need to accept what the rest of society tells us is accessible.  We need to listen to the polls to tell us what's right & wrong, acceptable & unacceptable.  Check out what's going on & tell me how that's working for us.  Maybe instead, it's time we as Christians start being those ambassadors & start spreading the message of "come back to God!" If you want to turn things around, you don't keep going in the same direction.  We're supposed to be Christs ambassadors, spreading His message.  By word & by action, it's time to start spreading that message.

A little less me

He must become greater & greater, & I must become less & less. (John 3:30 NLT)

I listened to a song today from Chris August that reminded me of this verse.  It talked about a little more Jesus & a little less me.  What a great thought.  It seems like I have a lot going on this week & usually when I do, I start thinking about how "I" am going to get it all done & am "I" going to do a good job.  It was good to have a reminder today that I need to get out of the way & let Christ work.  He's going to do a much better job at it than I ever will anyway.  If I let Him be in control, He can do far greater things than I am able to do.  The other thing is when I get busy & caught up in what I need to get done, it leaves very little room for what God wants to do & what He wants me to do.  So I guess what they say about less is more is true in this case because less me is more Christ & that is better for everyone.  So today, take a step back, take a deep breath & ask God to take control & do what He wants to do.  If you will you can relax a little & follow the One who knows what is best for you.  That a win win.

What's the difference

Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins & turned to God (Matt. 3:8 NLT)

When you make the choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, there needs to be more than just words that you speak.  As a Christian, there should be a change in your life.  You do not suddenly become perfect & life does not suddenly become perfect.  What should happen though is your life should become Christ centered.  Your life should be more about Him & less about you.  You should be slow to anger & quick to forgive.  You should look for ways to serve others.  You should seek to know Christ above all else.  Your life isn't about doing a bunch of works but you do the work because of your love for Christ.  You begin to trust in God & not in your own ability.  As you do this, He makes your crooked places straight, working out the impossible, & making a way where there is no way.  The change in your life should be daily as we grow in our relationship with Christ.  So today, has your life changed since coming to know Christ.  Can others tell?

Teach the kids

Direct your children onto the right path, & when they are older, they will not leave it. (Pr. 22:6 NLT)

This has been on my heart a lot lately.  Who is training the children & what are they being shown.  A lot of people want to talk about the "youth" & the direction that their headed & how they're not interested in church & Christ.  Well my question is what are the adults doing to help them to have that desire.  Are the adults showing them how Gods word applies to them?  Are we giving lip service but not actions?  Are we putting the time in with our kids & teaching them about Gods love & His word? Maybe we know a kid who doesn't have anyone to teach them & maybe we could be that person.  Or maybe you have a position in which you work with kids & are you taking the time to show an interest in them.  If we as Christian adults won't take the time to teach, demonstrate, & show interest, someone else will & they might not be teaching them the right things.  They want you to be involved with them.  They want to be shown the right path.  We need to start taking advantage of our opportunities & being the influence to them that God has asked us to be.  his word promises if we will, they won't depart from it.  If we want them to be different, it's up to us to show them the way.

Strong enough

No in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom. 8:37 NIV)

How many of you feel like a conqueror or more than a conqueror today?  If you're Gods child, He says you are.  He says that through Him, He has made you strong enough to overcome those obstacles in front of you.  He says that nothing in your day is too big for you & Him to handle.  Don't go through the day discouraged & defeated, walk in life as a child of the Most High God.  Know that He is walking with you. Know those things you think you can't accomplish , that God & you together can.  You do your part & let Him do the rest.  If you're a parent, you know that you would anything in your power to help your child, & God is better at it than we are.  Know today you are loved & you are well able.  Remember the last part of the verse, "through Him who loved us".  Your obstacles won't know what hit them when you & God fight them together.

Not Ashamed

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ.  It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes- the Jew first & also the Gentile (Rom. 1:16 NLT)

For a long time we (Christians) have been quiet & haven't been sharing the Good News like we're supposed to.  The world needs some good news today.  It's time to find a neighbor, family member, co-worker, etc., who needs the Good News & share it with them.  Find someone who needs hope & share the hope of the Good News.  Share the Good News with them by living it.  Words mean very little if your life is not backing up your words.  You can share it by serving, forgiving, loving, & speaking.  The world is looking for hope & peace & Gods word offers both of those things.  The world needs healing, love, & forgiveness.  Gods word offers that.  The world needs guidance, direction, & a spiritual compass.  Gods word offers that.  The world doesn't know it if we don't share it.  Who can you share it with today?

Meet the Need

Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, & He had compassion on them & healed their sick. (Mt. 14:14 NLT)

Here's a great example for us as Christians.  Christ met their need. He was interested in ministering to the crowds & part of that ministry was to meet all their needs.  He had compassion on them. We have reached a time when it's hard to get those huge crowds to the church so it's time for the church to go to the people. The world seems to be showing violence as their soloution & we as Christians need to show compassion & love as the real soloution.  Those are qualities of Christ, who we represent, & we need to show Christ to the world. As Christians, we have a work to do & that's share Jesus with others.  Part of that is our actions.  People are watching to see if Christians are going to be true to who we represent.  Are we going to stand & be counted faithful?  Are we going to show compassion as Christ did?  God will work if we will.

Impossible situations

Today I got the opportunity to preach on Acts 12:6-17.  It was great to have that opportunity.  I talked about God helping His children through impossible situations.  In this passage, Peter was in an impossible situation in which God provided deliverance.  In this passage, God revealed a winning combination.  God did the supernatural, Peter did the natural, & added in was a praying church. When those things work together, impossible situations can be made possible.  Today I want to encourage you that if you are facing an impossible situation, God specializes in those.  Stay in faith.  Keep following God, He knows the way to victory!

Open Door

There is a wide open door for a great work here, although many oppose me (1 Cor. 16:9 NLT)

I have talked to a lot of people lately talking about hopelessness, dropping church attendance, constant flow of bad news, etc. . I have to admit there is a lot of opposition out there to church & Christianity but I also believe as this verse says, that there is a wide open door for us to work.  We need to walk through that open door & get to work.  Right now the world needs hope, peace, joy, love, healing, & Christ like never before.  We have a great message to share & we need to be sharing it.  If you're missing that hope, peace, or one of the others on the list, Christ is your answer.  He can fill that need.  So today please don't focus on the opposition but instead focus on that open door & the work that God is going to do.

Can't stop God

But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them.  You may even find yourselves fighting against God!  (Acts 5:39 NLT)

I was listening to a song today from "Unspoken" , that says you can bury the workman but you can't stop the work.  I've been thinking about that & this verse came to mind.  The reason the work can't be stopped is because it comes from God.  If God is doing a work in you, it can't be stopped.  Gods plan for you can't be stopped.  We need to quit looking at the circumstances & the situations in life & start letting God work through us.  We need to quit talking about people not wanting to go to church & ask God to work in us to reach others.  We can't do it, but Christ can.  It's time to quit relying on ourselves & start relying on our God.  If it's from us, it won't work but if it is from God, it can't be stopped.

Are you willing to follow

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirits leading in every part of our lives. (Gal. 5:25 NLT)

Several years ago I was introduced to the book "In His Steps". Back then the WWJD bracelets were really popular.  This has been on my mind a lot lately.  What would Jesus do?  That can be a lot tougher question than it sounds.  When you really commit to asking that question before making any decisions, it will absolutely change your life.  As Christians, we are supposed to be asking that question because we are supposed to following the Spirits leading.  If we do that, it will cause some rearranging in our lives.  It might cause us to exchange good for Gods best.  When we really start trying to follow His leading, our focus changes from us & our desires to Christ & His desires.  I think it could be time for that.  How would our lives be different if we asked that question?  How would our communities be different if people started asking that question?  Remember the commitment you made when becoming a Christian.  Think seriously about this verse, about that question, & how your life would be different if you really committed to that.

By Gods Spirit

Then he said to me, "This is what The Lord says to Zerubbabel: it is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says The Lord of Heavens Armies" (Zechariah. 4:6 NLT)

It seems like more & more people think that it is by force that they should advance their cause.  Or maybe they feel they have been mistreated in some way & they revert to force.  This verse says that it is by Gods Spirit that things will change.  It's not about governing it or passing a new law or many of the other ways we try to create change.  If we truly want things to be different & improve, it's time to rely on the movement of the Holy Spirit.  We need God to move if we expect things to be different.  In order for that to happen, we must turn our hearts back to Christ.  He is the author of our restoration. It's time to return to our Creator & Protector & let His power & love be the change.

Time to choose

But if you refuse to serve The Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.  Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates?  Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me & my family, we will serve The Lord (Josh. 24:15 NLT)

I believe that this applies just as much today as it did when Joshua spoke it.  Who are you following & serving?  Are you going to teach your kids about Christ or are you going to let the world teach them something else?  I also believe that indecision is a decision.  We can't keep waiting & putting it off.  Is God important enough for you to put Him first & serve Him?  Is it lip service or a true relationship?  Joshua remembered Gods faithfulness & he knew who he was going to serve.  I have seen Gods faithfulness & I know who I am going to serve.  The time is now.  I can keep telling you about Gods faithfulness or you can experience it for yourself.  Trust me, experiencing it is a lot better than hearing about it.  So the choice is up to you, there is no room for indecision.

Work Through Me

We each have a work to do.  I totally believe that if you are here on planet earth, God is asking you to do something.  Phillipians 2:13 says" For God is working in you, giving you the desire & power to do what pleases Him".  I believe God gives us the desire to do what meh wants us to do.  I never had a desire for ministry until a couple of years ago.  All of a sudden the desire was there & doors began opening.  And never did I think I would be able to put together sermons & speak in front of people.  The ONLY way I have been able to do that is because of Gods power working through me.  He speaks through me & has done a lot of remodeling on me.  He has removed some things, added others, & built on still others.  He doesn't usually take the most qualified but He will keep working on you to do His work as long as you will be available.  The world needs more people to be available.  I truly believe that God can turn things around if we will step up & say "use me".  He will give you abilities you never knew you had.  And then through you, He can do amazing things.

Are we moved yet

On Sunday I'm preaching about Nehemiah.  He was so distressed about what had happened to his people & his city that the bible says he wept, mourned, fasted, & prayed to God.  As I was studying this passage, it made me wonder if any of us ever get to that point with what's going on around us.  You see Nehemiah was moved to action & God blessed it.  He didn't just get upset, complain, & then say that there was nothing he could do about it.  Sometimes I think that's what we do.  Have we been moved to prayer for our family, church, & country?  Have we been moved to share Christs love with others?  Have we been moved to meet a need in someone's life?  Or are we hoping someone else will do those things?  Maybe we think we're too small to make a difference?  Nehemiah only needed God.  Is it possible that if we followed Nehemiah's example that God would move like that today?  I think He would love to do that.  My challenge for today is if God has moved you to do something, don't think about how small you are but instead think about how big God is, & do it.  Be courageous, step forward, & follow God!  If you will do that, God will do great things through you!

Would He Do It For Me

Why would it for me?  Isn't that what we often ask?  We can believe that God would do it for someone else, but for me?  I think it could be because we know ourselves & our faults, which we somehow think disqualifies us from Gods blessings.  It's that old idea of we have to earn it when we really know we can't.  Hebrews 11:6 says"And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists & that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him." It says that God "rewards those who sincerely seek Him".  It doesn't say those who earned it or those who are perfect, but those who sincerely seek Him.  Perhaps the sincerely part trips us up sometimes.  I believe God wants to reward us.  He also wants us to believe in Him & seek Him.  He is faithful.  Are we?  Our responsibility is to do what He asks & know that He will take care of us.  This verse applies to you if you believe & are seeking Him.  If you are doing these things, believe that He will supply your needs & reward you for following Him.

Assurance

On this journey, I really feel like God is working on me on my level of faith.  Do I believe what I write & talk about or when the waters rise is it just lip service.  In Hebrews 11:1 NLT, Gods word says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." There are always things in life that through natural circumstances we can't see how they are going to work out but I like the word "assurance".  Assurance is much different than possible.  It doesn't mean maybe or could be.  Sometimes when we can't "see it" , we trade assurance for maybe.  I have said for a long time that I believe there is another level of faith.  I believe that we for a large part don't posses the kind of faith it talks about in the bible.  The world has tried to convince us that God doesn't move like that anymore.  I have even had some from inside the church suggest this to me.  I can find no where in scripture that suggests that this is true.  God is the same yesterday, today, & forever.  That means the healing, provision, restoration, revelation, & pouring out of His Spirit, that He did in the Bible, He is more than capable of doing today.  I feel if we want things to be different in our life, family, church, country, & world, we are going to need to find that level.  We must truly BELIEVE that all things are possible with God.  We need to get rid of maybe & find that assurance.  We need to realize that the circumstances pale in comparison to Almighty God!  Start looking through your eyes of faith, you'll have a better view.

Taking inventory

Once in a while, I think you have to slow down & take inventory of your life.  It seems like anymore that life is moving at such blazing speed that we just don't have time to sit down & do it.  Today, Psalm 139:23 &24 came to mind.  It says, "Search me, O God, & know my heart; test me & know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, & lead me along the path of everlasting life." Sometimes we're so caught up in everything we think we have to do, we have going on, & our needs, that we can't see what is in our life that displeases God.  We might even think we're doing pretty good but God wants our best.  It might even be something that we think is not too bad or hurting anyone & we don't really want to give it up.  That thinking keeps us from Gods best.  I want Gods best!  I want for Him to show me what is keeping me from that.  I want to know what is holding back the flood of His goodness, blessings, favor, & what is Keeping Him from working fully in My life.  Fear, unforgiveness, anything that I am doing or not doing that is causing me to offend my God, Who I love, has no place in my life.  I believe God wants us to get rid of the excess baggage in order for Him to fully pour out His blessings on us.  It can be a scary prayer but I believe it's the key to a true relationship with Christ & His true power working in us.

The Lord is With You

Sometimes God asks us to do something or go conquer something that seems much larger than our capabilities.  Listen to what the angel of The Lord said to Gideon.  "The angel,of The Lord appeared to him & said, "Mighty hero, The Lord,is with you!" Now probably most of us don't see ourselves that way but God does.  And it's not on our strength & ability that we are mighty warriors but because God is with us.  Don't go against difficulty in your life on your own strength.  God promises to he with us & nothing can stand against us when God goes with us.  He will help us do things that we could not do & He will deliver us from things that come against us, & He will bring down the mountains that stand in our way.  I think that fear & in effectiveness come about because we as Gideon look at our own abilities & see how weak we are.  It's time to start looking at Gods abilities & see what He can do through us.  If we do that, all of a sudden fear disappears & great things are accomplished.

Strength In Numbers

The verse for today comes from my wife & from personal experience over the last few weeks.  It's from Matt. 18:19 "I also tell you this: if two of you agree on earth concerning anything you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you. " My wife suggested to some of us that we do a "prayer walk" weekly around different places which a friend & I just got done doing for the first time.  It was an awesome experience & I'm excited to see what God is going to do with it.  There was two of us which means God was there with us because the next verse says He is there with us when two or three are gathered together.  When God is involved there is great power.  Also over the last few weeks it has been amazing to me how many people have told me that they are praying for me.  I can never express the gratitude & humility I feel over that.  I want you to know as I go for surgery, I will be thinking of all of you praying, the angels in the room, & Gods healing power flowing through me. I really believe that a lot of things would change if we would start praying & agreeing together & declaring Gods word.  So today I want to encourage you that if you think "all" you are able to do is pray, find someone to agree with you, pray in the power of Jesus name, & watch with expectancy how God works in the situation.  Never underestimate the power of prayer & especially when there's more than one praying for God to move in a situation or on someone's behalf.  From one who is on the receiving end of the power of those prayers, thank you & keep it up, Gods working!

Lighten your load

1 Peter 5:7 says "Give all your worries & cares to God, for He cares about you."  It's important to know that God cares for you.  The world & Satan will tell you that He doesn't but we can't even begin to understand the depth of His love for us.  Once we know He cares for us , we can take all of our cares & worries & leave them there.  One of my favorite books is Pilgrims Progress.  It talks about a man named Pilgrim who carries his burdens around in a backpack.  All it succeeds in doing is weighing Him down & holding him back.  As Gods children, He invites us to lighten our load & leave(that's the key word) our worries with Him.  Too often we sit them down temporarily only to pick them back up again.  That defeats the purpose.  He wants us to trust Him enough to allow Him to take care of our worries.  He's going to do a better job than we will anyway.  I know for me, I spend to much time trying to solve my worries when if I would leave them with Him I could spend more time doing the real work He has for me to do.  Fear & worry come from Satan.  Courage & hope come from God.  So let worry & fear go & enjoy the lighter load.

Let Me Help

Today it seems like there are so many ideas on how to make people's lives better.  Commercials are constantly offering suggestions. Weight loss, new medications, new inventions, all promise to be the key to improving our lives. Self help books & seminars abound.  If we could just create more jobs, improve the economy, start this new program, or get this political party in charge, everything would be better. Here's a verse from Gods word that gave me a thought.  It's Matt. 25:40,"And the King will say,'I tell you the truth, when you did it to the least of these my brothers & sisters, you were doing it to me!'  What if instead of trying to always get ahead, we looked for someone we could help? What if instead of thinking of ourselves first, we put others first?  What if instead of being served, we looked to serve others? Would Jesus say today that we had helped Him by helping "one of the least of these"? Maybe this is the key to making a difference.  The other things might all be good but from the look of things I don't think they're the key.  I know maybe you think this is a nice fairy tale dream,but it could never happen today.  My question to that is, is there anything too hard for God?  After all, this is the example Christ gave anyway. And the next question is are you willing to step out & say "Let me help"?  I promise the blessing will be greater than the cost.

What if that happened today

Lets go back in time a little ways.  Lets go back to around the time when Jesus started His ministry.  Christianity hadn't started, nobody really knew who Christ was, & Christ was looking for workers to spread His word.  That got me thinking that those conditions were not really all that different from today.  So that got me to thinking what if that happened today.  Christ had just got done preaching & was walking along the seashore when He came upon a boat of fishermen.  That's right fishermen, not a church full of preachers, not a seminary of pastoral hopefuls, but fishermen.  That was who Christ chose to spread His word & change the world.  So what if He was walking by & come upon us at our job & asked us to fishers of men, to spread His message & change the world.  Would we be too busy, not unqualified, or would we do as the first disciples did & follow Him. Because they did follow Him  he gave them the words & power they needed to do His work.  Could a group of 12 today with Christ working through them, change the world.  Why not?  Could you be one of the 12 He would ask to do such a thing?  Could you be one of the disciples He could use today?  Thre is a great work to do & there is a need for workers devoted to Christ, who believe in His power, to get out & be willing to be one of those disciples.  Why not you?

It's been a while

Hey, welcome back!  I've been working a lot & I've had a really hard time posting the last couple of weeks but its great to get back.  Despite the crazy hours lately, I really feel like God has been working on me a lot lately.  I have also decided that that's good because I probably need a lot of work done.  One thing He has been working on me with is what Christ talks about in Matt. 28:19.  "Therefore, go & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, & the Son, & the Holy Spirit".  I've not really been a think inside the box type person & I think that it might be time to get out of the box or comfort zone in order to follow Christs command.  We can't just keep waiting on people to come to church to learn about Christ.  For whatever reason, there are a lot of people who just don't see the need to be in Church.  We are going to have to be about reaching people outside the walls of the church in order to bring them to a relationship with Christ.  We do this by our actions daily, by showing Christs love to them daily, basically by walking the walk.  We do this by asking God to move through us to reach others & by praying for opportunities to share Him with others.  The world is hungry for what Christ has to offer but if we don't show it to them, they will have no idea that they need Him.  I really feel like God is preparing me to go out & make disciples of Him & for me to share Him with others.  I also believe that we all need to be out doing that daily.  It's time.  So please pray for me as I seek what it is God has for me to do & I will pray for you that He shows you as well.

Almost there

Sometimes you feel tired, strength is running low & your out of ideas & Christ says one more time. You might not really see the point because you've been trying & it hasn't worked so far. Do you give up or do you do it one more time. In Luke 5:5, the disciples gave their response to Christs instruction,"Master, Simon replied, we worked hard all last night & didn't catch a thing.  But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again." We might not understand but that's when we have to just place our trust in God & know that He's going to work it out.  The disciples did & their nets were overflowing.  Satan wants to discourage us & get us to give up before we do it one more time & receive the victory that God has for us.  If we don't follow Christs instruction & share Christ with that person one more time, what might be the consequence?  What if we give up on the promise Christ has placed in us one time too soon?  What will we fail to accomplish, who will we fail to reach, what sickness will we fail to overcome, what ministry will we fail to do, all if we don't try one more time?  Are we going to let Satan stop us & discourage us when we're only one more try away?  Today I'm encouraging you to try one more time!  Don't give up!  Don't quit too soon!  God has victory in your future!