Friday, August 26, 2011

Prayer, Part 2

Prayer is a integral part of the life of every believer.  Prayer is our open line of communication with our Heavenly Father.  Prayer is the means by which we speak with God and prayer can be the means by which God speaks to us.  Prayer should not be rejected but prayer should be embraced by each one of us as a means by which we communicate our sincere praise, adoration, worship and exaltation to God.  Prayer is not just used as a means to express to God our "spiritual wish list" although God does encourage us to share our needs with Him even though He is already aware of each one of them.  Prayer is an avenue of expression and communication in which we are able to draw closer to God and enter into a deeper sense of fellowship and relationship.

I can remember the sense of intimidation that I felt concerning prayer as a young believer and these feelings of intimidation even carried over into the development of my ministerial life.  I would listen to others as they described their approach to the development of their prayer life and I felt that I could never match their efforts or intensity.  My natural reaction to these emotions convinced me that since I could not compete with these "spiritual super-stars" that I would shun the development of my prayer life.  Little did I realize that the quality of my prayer life and not the quantity of my prayer life would be a deciding factor in my relationship with Christ.  I was captured by the spirit of comparison and that concept was hindering my relationship with Christ.  But it was during these moments of internal struggles that I realized that God was not comparing me to other believers.  It was me that was more interested in comparisons and I had allowed that attitude to become the focus of my prayers rather than fellowship with Christ being my focus.  As I allowed the Spirit to illuminate my spirit with this understanding I began to see a change in my approach to prayer time.  I have seen my desire to spend time with God become even more important as I followed God into the development of our relationship with each other.  Please remember that God is interested in developing relationship with you even more than we are interested in developing relationship with Him.  After all, it was Him who set in motion the plan for the redemption of humanity and all that we are doing is responding to that invitation.  Stop comparing yourself to others and listen for the Voice of God calling you to a time of fellowship and communication with Him.  You will be blessed, encouraged, and strengthened as you listen for His Voice and that Voice will call you into His presence for a time of intimate communion.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Prayer

I am a person who truly believes in the power of prayer.  I have sensed the importance of prayer for many years but recently I have felt the need to focus more on the call from God to pray and seek after His heart for my life.  There are people who may consider prayer one of the least attractive characteristics of the Christian way of life but in reality it is simply the opportunity to have a line of communication with our Heavenly Father.  I have been sharing about the need for prayer during our adult discipleship classes on Wednesday night at New River Worship Center.  I know that God is calling me as a Minister of the Gospel to lead by example when it comes to prayer.  There are times that we spend more time in conversation about prayer than we actually spend time in prayer.  I desire to reverse that trend among the family of God that I can influence.

I asked this question last night; "What makes many people afraid to pray or at least what makes them afraid to develop a consistent prayer life?"  I want to share a few of the answers because I found myself not only learning about the concerns of others but I also learned that I feel some of the same concerns that they expressed.  1)  We feel that our prayers are boring to God because we say the same things over and over.  2)  We have trouble accepting the fact that God is truly our Father; we fail to realize that He has given us the authority to cry out "Abba, Father" (Daddy, God).  3)  We fail to remember that we are praying for God to hear us and not for man to hear us.  4)  We fail to remember that our Father will respond to the simplicity of our prayers as we release our faith through our prayer efforts.  5)  We must remember that he allows each of us to honestly express our concerns, fears, disappointments, etc. with him as we pray.  We must remember that He is already aware of them even if we try to hide them from Him.  6)  We need to remember to be our self when we pray.  God is not looking for us to imitate someone else as we spend time in conversation with Him.  7)  We need to remember that prayer is a time to have a conversation with God.

Hopefully the above mentioned thoughts will help each of us move past the concerns that we have regarding our own prayer life.  I truly believe that God is calling each of us into a deeper season of praise, prayer, and intercession.  Let us respond to that call in obedience and reverence and once more become a people of prayer.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Inspired

I spent the past two days in Alabama visiting with some of our family. It is a blessing to be able to touch base with my roots. My wife accompanied me on this trip; both she and I enjoyed the visit with our family. The Lord used this time in Alabama to speak inspiration and encouragement into my heart. First, my 85 year old father was in a "preaching mood" when I arrived. He was interested in what was taking place in the ministry in which I am involved but he also wanted to share some thoughts that God was placing in his heart. He inspired me as he quoted the first scripture that he learned after his conversion in 1948. The Word of God was still alive and vibrant in his heart. His focus was still on pleasing Christ and following His direction for his life. I was reminded that our heart for God does not have to grow cold but we can maintain a hunger for God regardless of the length of our journey with God. I was reminded that the "fire of God" still burns in the heart of a 85 year old preacher who possesses a hunger for more of God. Second, we visited with Ann's brother and his wife. Rick has faced some serious health issues in the past few years yet his and his wife's faith remains strong and vibrant. They are human and that means they have their moments of concern and even fear yet they choose to trust in God. There are many times that I call Rick to check on his status and he becomes the teacher/encourager. He has chosen to allow the Word that he has stored in his heart to be released into the lives of others. He chooses to live with hope but his hope is not based on the philosophy of man but his hope is in the resurrected Christ who is the "hope of glory."

Friday, August 19, 2011

Teamwork

Last night I was involved with a group of individuals who chose to offer their time and talent toward the remodeling project of turning a building into a ministry center that New River Worship Center will use as a base of outreach to the community.  Each of these individuals possess unique talents and abilities but they chose to cooperate with one another for a common goal and purpose.  Notice the key word that I used in the previous sentence; they "chose" to mesh their talents and energies to see the common goal accomplished.  I thought of Paul's words to the Corinthians when he talked about the "body of Christ" with its various members who had their specific duties to fulfill.  He made comparisons to the human body that was able to function in the way that God had planned because each individual member of the human body fulfilled its purpose.

Should not the present day body of Christ take the same approach to our service in the Kingdom of God?  How much more could we accomplish if we laid aside our personal egos and agendas and sought to work for the common good of the sharing of the Gospel message?  Each of us have a specific role to fulfill in the work of the Kingdom of God.  Our talents, abilities, and even energy level may vary from one to another but we must keep the common goal in mind.  Present in the group of individuals last night were people who had expertise in construction work.  But these individuals did not work in the spirit of authority but they chose to operate in the spirit of service and servanthood.  The other laborers did not operate in the spirit of jealousy or envy but they chose to operate in the spirit of cooperation and follow the directions of the more experienced leaders.  The end result was that the work was accomplished and each of us felt fulfilled regardless of the role that we played in the project.  Can you imagine what would take place in the Kingdom of God if each of us took that approach to the work of the Gospel?  I truly believe that as each of us seek to draw closer to Christ we will be able to recognize a spirit of cooperation arising in our hearts as the family of God.  I am honored to serve among a group of people that I believe is seeking the common goal of genuine Christianity.  I was honored to be able to participate in the work that took place last night in that building in Radcliff, Kentucky.  Make an effort to be an effective team member today and allow your light to shine for Jesus Christ. 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Prayer

Many books, articles, and sermons have been shared with Christians throughout all generations concerning the need for prayer.  We have called for Prayer Meetings, Prayer Conferences, Days of Prayer, and even asked believers to commit a certain time of day for prayer.  Each of these have been well intentioned and certainly inspired of the Lord but have they accomplished their purpose?  Have we tried to shame people into prayer?  Have we tried to implement prayer through programs or even through the action of intimidation through embarrassment?  I am not stating these thoughts because I think that prayer has been over-emphasised; as a matter of fact we have preached prayer more and in some cases practiced prayer less.  We may need to take another approach to prayer as we see the need to "rally" the people of God to seeking after the heart of God.

I believe that the Holy Spirit has spoken to my heart over the past few days concerning prayer.  I need to change my view of prayer as well as my approach to prayer.  I don't think that God intended for prayer to be a principle that I "had" to participate in rather prayer is a principle in which I "want" to participate.  Can you imagine the freedom that would envelop believers if we transitioned from "having to pray" to the position of "wanting" to pray?  What if prayer became a time that we entered into an action of fellowship with our Heavenly Father and that we actually looked forward to this time of fellowship and interaction?  I do not desire to over-simplify the action of prayer but I do hope to encourage each of you to examine your view of prayer.  Our Heavenly Father is not going to pull us into a time of prayer as we would take a child kicking and screaming into a room for a time of conversation.  God who loves and cares for His children looks forward to those moments of interaction and conversation with us.  We should be comfortable in responding in that same manner to God.  Let us begin to look at prayer as a time that we can spend in true repose and reflection in the presence of our Father who loves us more than we can fathom.  I believe that we could see a mighty awakening concerning prayer if we would only change our view of our time with God.  Feel free to share your thoughts and comments with me concerning your time of prayer!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Trusting God

For the past several weeks God has been reminding me of the need to encourage people to trust in God regardless of the circumstances that they may be facing.  I completely understand the challenge of this principle.  Many of the circumstances that we face are very difficult ones which not only affect us but in many cases they are affecting our family and friends.  It is during those moments that we are called on to remain steadfast in our faith and remain committed to honoring God with our praise and with our service to Him.  I will confess that this action is not always easy but it is very rewarding as we identify the presence of God which brings strength and courage in the midst of our trials and struggles. 

Yesterday during prayer the Spirit reminded me that CHRIST IS PRESENT in each and every one of the situations that we may face.  God was present in the fiery furnace with the three Hebrew children (story found in the book of Daniel).  God was present in the wilderness with the children of Israel and He provided food and water for them.  Do you remember that their drinking water was brought forth out of a rock in the wilderness?  Jesus was in the ship with the disciples in the midst of their storm.  The Spirit reminded me that God is always aware of every moment of our lives.  There is nothing that is out of His control and there is nothing that is greater than His ability to respond.  There is nothing too large or complicated for Him to handle.  There is no disease that He can not heal.  There is no sinner that He does not love.  There is no temptation that He can not provide the strength for you or me to overcome.  Their is no attack of the enemy that He can not defeat.  Our challenge is to look to God in each and every situation whether the situation is large or small in our lives.  David reminds us that "his helps comes from the Lord."  I am thankful that I can place my confidence in God and the revelation of His presence in my daily life.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Weekend Review

Wonderful, refreshing, encouraging, powerful were words that people used to describe the presence of the Lord this past Sunday at New River Worship Center.  I read some of those same words on other social media sites as people spoke about their services in the local churches in which they attend.  I truly believe that God will minister to His people even during times of difficulty and challenge.  The God that we serve and trust is alive and He dwells among His people and sees all that each one of us are facing as we travel the road of life. 

We realize that we are living in some "unique" times to say the least.  We are seeing problems and challenges across the wide spectrum of life but we know where to place our confidence.  The Apostle Paul wrote about some of these "unique" times in his day but he refused to lose his hope and faith.  Let us remind ourselves of some of the challenges that he saw among the people of his day.  2 Corinthians 4:8-9, "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--" (NKJV)  Paul understand that challenges were on every side but he also knew that God would never leave or forsake him regardless of what difficulties that he was facing.  We must remain steadfast in our belief in the promises of God.  There are times that we will be encouraged to praise and magnify God even in the midst of these "unique times."  And as we put these principles into action in our lives we are able to see the presence of God revealed in some marvelous ways.  Take some time to praise and honor God today regardless of what you are feeling or what you are seeing.  God is in the midst of your challenges, just remember the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace.  The presence of God was in the midst of their fire.  God is in the midst of your fiery trial today!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Transition

Last evening began a process of transition for New River Worship Center in Radcliff, Kentucky.  A few days ago I wrote about the purchase of a building which will become the home base for the ministry outreach to our community.  We began that process of transition last night as a group of individuals gathered to work on the structure of the building.  The building will require some adjustments as we change the purpose of the old building into a place of worship, discipleship, and fellowship.  The demolition crew made a great impact last night but there are more changes which will require the removal of the old so that we can make room for the new.  There was a portion of the material in the building which we can recycle into the newly remodeled building but other portions of the building have served their purpose and they had to be discarded to make room for the process of the new.

The Spirit used the work on the building last night to remind me about our journey with Christ.  We are in the state of spiritual transition.  The Spirit is moving us from our present spiritual location into the deeper things of God.  That transition will also require the removal of the old and the addition of the new.  We should learn to be comfortable with this process as we learn more about the plans that God has for our lives.  He is not out to destroy us but His plan is to develop us into a people that can more fully represent Him in this world.  The Word of God makes reference to some things that God desires to remove from our lives but it also makes reference to those things that God desires to add to our lives.  Both of these principles serve the same purpose; they serve to complete the process of transition and spiritual development.  We will enter a new "church building" in the near future if all goes as planned.  Each day of our lives should be fresh and new in our relationship with Christ as He continues His work in our life.  This process of spiritual transition will include the work of the Spirit which will reveal the changes that we need to make in our walk with Christ.  But the work of the Spirit will also add those elements of strength, hope, desire, passion, holiness, righteousness, etc. until we reach the intended goal that Christ has established for us.  We need to embrace the transition rather than resisting the transition.  God has a plan for each of us and that plan will move us closer to our destination of spiritual maturity if we will submit to the direction of God. 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Personal Reflection

Over the past two weeks I have met with two separate leadership groups of New River Worship Center in Radcliff, Kentucky.  These meetings have been ministry strategy sessions as well as an opportunity to remind ourselves of the call that God has placed on our lives.  The Holy Spirit continues to encourage me to stay connected with those things that are important to the work that God has placed on our hearts.  It is easy to drift away from the heart of God although we talk about the importance of following after the heart of God in our conversations as well as our worship songs.  We must maintain the courage to stay focused on the purposes of Christ and not allow the strategy of the enemy to lead us off our course of action. The enemy seeks to pressure each of us in many different manners and this pressure can cause us to lose our spiritual connection with God and this sets in motion a "spirit of religious activity."  Religious activity may impress men but it does very little to impress the heart of God.

John 12 reminds us of a group of people who "...loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (verse 43).  The prophet Isaiah spoke about those people who would fail to "believe the report of the Lord."  Isaiah also spoke about people not believing because their eyes were blinded and their hearts had been hardened.  Verse 42 of John 12 reveals that there were people (these people were referred to as leaders) who believed but because of the pressure of the Pharisees they failed to make their belief public.  They were intimidated and were afraid that they would lose their place of prominence in the synagogue.  Verse 43 states the reason behind their failure to publicly confess Christ.  As a matter of fact John states this reason in a very straightforward declaration; this group of people "...loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  This statement is a powerful indictment of people who found themselves catering more to man than they did to the revelation of God.  Each of us as believers face those moments in which we must choose to make some difficult decisions.  Will my life be lived to please God or will my life be lived to please men?  Will my life be lived to follow after the "heart of God" or will my life be lived to win the applause and approval of men?  These individuals in John 12 lost the opportunity to follow Christ into a deeper revelation of His glory and presence because of the pressure of men.  If we are to avoid this trap of the "flesh" we must remain committed to pursue the heart of God and resist the temptation to follow the whims and plans of men.  I truly believe that I have made connection with a group of leaders who possess the passion and desire to please Christ.  Each of you know people who possess that same passion and desire.  We must learn to fan that flame of passion and to serve as an encourager for each other as we travel this road of life.  Take some time today to encourage someone to continue their passionate pursuit of Christ and the work of His Kingdom in their life.  Each of you will be better people because of this action on your part.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Weekend Review

I am very thankful for the wonderful outpouring of the Spirit at New River Worship Center on Sunday.  I heard several people make this comment as they were leaving the building; "Surely the presence of the Lord was in this place."  I truly believe that we need to recognize and respond to the presence of God in our daily lives.  The Word of God promises that Christ will be in the midst of just two or three individuals when they gather in His name.  The past few services have been what I call "faith building" services.  The challenges of the day in which we are living will require strong faith and strong commitment to Christ regardless of all of the circumstances that we are facing.  David said in Psalm 57 that his heart was "fixed" (KJV) on God.  The word "fixed" reveals these thoughts about the heart of David.  David's heart was "standing tall, steadfast, firm, and constant."  This verse is a great reminder to all of us who will face our own unique set of circumstances.  We can not afford to allow our faith to be swayed or moved by all that is going on around us or by all of the circumstances that are happening to us.  We must be "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."  I encourage you today to constantly turn the "gaze of your soul" (A.W. Tozer) toward God and realize that He is in the midst of your difficulty.  In all probability David wrote Psalm 57 in the cave of Adullam where he was hiding from the threats of Saul.  But in the midst of that cave he shifts the focus of his heart and realizes that God is worthy of praise and glory.  Each of us do not have to be defined by the cave in which we are dwelling; we can rise above the situations  and challenges as we place our constant and firm faith in God.  Take a moment and offer God praise and glory for your deliverance and for the encouragement that He will provide through the power of His Spirit.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Information

I was faced with one of those computer glitches this morning in which I lost the post that I was preparing.  Undoubtedly those thoughts were not meant to be published on the world wide web but I will not give up in leaving you a thought as we conclude the first week of August, 2011.  The economic news of the past few days has not been very encouraging not only in America but as well around the world.  The past few services at New River Worship Center in Radcliff have been "faith building" services.  We have focused our attention on the greatness of God and His commitment to stand with us regardless of the circumstances of our situation.  We have to choose where we will look in these uncertain times.  The Psalmist David said that "our help comes from the Lord."  Our help comes from the one who has made the heaven and the earth.  In these uncertain times we can trust in the certainty of God and stand in the realization that God is still able to meet our "need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  I will choose to look to Christ the "author and finisher" of my faith.  He is the One who started me on this journey and He is the One that will lead me to the completion of my journey.  All praise, honor, and glory belong to Him!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Approval

Many of us are very diligent as we seek to win the approval of others.  We work very hard trying to win the approval of others through our actions and interactions with people.  In many cases people can become so consumed by this action that they spend most of their lives feeling miserable about themselves as well as developing a dislike for those from which they are seeking approval.  This becomes a vicious cycle in which we face disappointment, disillusionment, and personal discouragement. We are overwhelmed by the thought that we are not "good enough" to measure up to those from which we seek approval.  I am not trying to say that we should not be concerned about the feelings of respect and acceptance that others have for each of us but I do believe that it can be spiritually as well as emotionally crippling if we become enslaved to this desire for approval. 

We can become a slave to this action when we try to see and judge ourselves through our own eyes or through the eyes of others.  Evaluating your worth as a human being on the basis of how you look (physically, spiritually, emotinally, or even financially) to yourself or to others can become a trap from which it becomes increasingly more difficult to escape.  I must confess that there have been times that I have sought the approval of others more than I sought the approval of God.  I was more concerned about the view of others than I was the view of God concerning my life.  I became trapped by the need to "work" to please others more than the need to "serve" God through my life.  I am not advocating laziness in this process but I am advocating the need to seek to please God through our actions and interactions with others.  I finally reached the point in my life that I was more concerned about God's view of me than I was the view of man.  I was tired of seeking to please man and I was awakened to the need to please God.  I know that God has called me to be a servant among humanity but my first call is to serve God through every action of my life.  Your assurance and reassurance can come from the knowledge that your life is bringing honor and glory to Christ.  Jesus told us that men would have the ability to see and recognize our good works but these good works would glorify the Father.  Those are the days that you can look in the mirror and be thankful for the man or woman that you are becoming.  You have crossed the divide of the flesh and Spirit and you are seeking to walk after the heart and direction of God.  Great freedom will resonate in your life as you seek the approval of God and in doing so God will place wonderful friendships in your life.  These friendships will affirm and support you as you seek to walk pleasing to God.  I want my life to participate in that cycle of life rather than the cycle of only seeking the approval of man.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Identity in Christ

Isaiah 61:10, "I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." (NIV)

Many of us would never think about being harsh with anyone else but there are times that we are very harsh or critical concerning ourselves.  I truly believe that each of us need to seek to improve the person that we are but we also need to be careful and not allow our self criticism to deflate and defeat our identity in Christ.  Each and everyone of us possess weaknesses that are evident to others as well as evident to each of us.  But in many cases our family and friends do not allow those weaknesses to change their view of us but we allow those weaknesses to change our view of ourselves.  We must not allow our view of ourself to create an attitude that is always under-achieving or failing to commit fully to our personal development.  Each of us are full of God given ability and talent that He can use to assist others on their journey through life.  We must learn to see ourselves through the eyes of Christ and realize that our hope is in our identity in Christ.  We identify our limitations much quicker than we identify our strengths.  We identify what we don't like about ourself much quicker than we identify those characteristics that others admire about us. 

What is the solution to this dilemma that works in our mind?  I believe that it can be found in the principle that we read in our scripture passage.  The Lord has "clothed me with garments of salvation."  We need to remember that the Lord has made an investment in our life; He has provided the means of our salvation and He loves us regardless of our own self-identity.  Let us develop the discipline to look at ourselves as a child of God and to know that He sees great potential in each of us.  He sees more potential in us than we see in ourselves but our responsibility is to submit our lives to Him so that He might lead us into the development of that potential.  That development begins when we accept our identity as a child of God.