Obedience, Part 2

We have to be careful and not limit our obedience to God to those opportunities that appear to be "important."  Jesus taught us through His Words as well as His lifestyle that each person is important to God!  He made the trip to Samaria that He might share the Gospel with an individual woman whose life was in disarray by anyone's definition.  Yet He chose to be obedient and share the love of God with her.  The obedience of Christ to minister to this woman opened to the door for the Gospel to be shared with the citizens of the city.  We may never know the full effect of our steps of obedience.  Our obedience may not appear to be important to us but we never know the full impact that our heart of service will have on the individual person that we seek to serve.  Do not diminish the importance of obedient service in the great cause of Christ.

I read this thought a few days ago and I thought that you would be encouraged through the words that were shared.  "We must never fall into the trap of thinking that God will always give us “big” things to do.  Jesus…took a towel and …began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5). Through His act of servant leadership, He demonstrated the obedience we should have on a daily basis in the mundane activities of everyday life. Yes, He raised the dead, but He also washed the feet." 

WOW!  This is a principle that we must never forget.  We must stop looking for the "big" things in which we can serve and we need to identify the "God" things in which we can offer our service.  God will never forget your heart of obedience regardless of how you or I may define our act of service.  God is looking for servants who will share the message of the Gospel through those opportunities of service that God will place in our path.

Obedience

“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5 NIV). One of my favorite devotion books is "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. On October tenth, he wrote, “All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. ...Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up…God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you already know.” I sincerely sense the Spirit speaking to me concerning obedience. During prayer time this morning the Spirit reminded me of my need to completely surrender my life to God. I must continue to develop a "lifestyle of obedience" in which I will place the plan of God for my life above my plan for my life. It is easy for my plan to be driven by fleshly plans and ideas whereas the plan of God is always directed by the purity of God's holiness and righteousness. There is an insurance company that reminds us about " being in good hands" when you purchase insurance from that particular company. Each of us can rest assured that our life is in "good hands" when we surrender our lives to God!

Encouraged

I have been greatly encouraged this week as I have heard others speak about the need for Revival. Many of these have also spoken or written about the need for Prayer. I truly believe that the sparks and fire that will come from prayer will serve as the catalyst/mechanism that will launch the church into a genuine spiritual awakening. We need more than the efforts of man; we need and must have the ministry of the Spirit at work in our lives. We must turn away from the efforts of the flesh and open our hearts to God. I also appreciate the personal testimonies of several individuals who have spoken about God meeting a specific need in their life. Praise God for His wonderful blessings of Provision!

Weekend Reflection

We were blessed with a wonderful and powerful celebration on "Revival Sunday" at New River Worship Center in Radcliff, Kentucky.  These special services had been covered in prayer for several weeks and the Spirit of God manifested Himself in a life-changing manner.  Can I interject this thought once more, "Prayer does make a difference."  The present day church must reach this conclusion that we will only make the spiritual progress that we need according to the serious intent and practice of prayer in each community of believers.  We must STOP waiting on everyone else to pray and take up the standard of intercession and begin to cry out for our families, our communities, and our nation.  We witnessed the effect of prayer as people responded to the call for prayer and they enjoyed the freedom to bring their "needs" to God.  We prayed for the sick, we prayed for the overwhelmed, we prayed for the discouraged, and we prayed for those with spiritual needs and desires in their lives.  I truly believe that needs were met and lives were changed as we encountered the presence of the Holy Spirit in our Sunday services. 

I am thankful for the opportunity to witness for the Glory of God.  I believe that this is the time for the church to come alive and "get loud" with our praise for God.  The evil that is present in our culture is "loud, proud, and very boisterous."  The message of the Kingdom of God does not have to take a back seat to any message that is being shared in our world today.  The old song declares, "I am glad to be a part of the family of God..."  I am thankful to be a part of the family of God and I am not embarrassed to make that declaration today.

Promises of God, Part 3

Yesterday I shared a few of the promises that we find contained in the Bible.  Christians are blessed to be able to build their lives on the solid and sturdy foundation of the Word of God.  We can not only read about the faithfulness of God but we can testify to the faithfulness of God in our everyday life experiences.  We can rejoice in the fact that we are never alone for any moment of our day.  This gives us confidence that we can face whatever trial or struggle that comes to us and against us.  Each believer understands that the enemy will seek to hinder our faith and confidence in God yet we know that God is fighting for us and not against us. 

The Bible is packed full of many promises just like those that we read in yesterday's post. However, the enemy, Satan, tells us that we are worthless losers with little to no power to live in victory. He tells us we are but “grasshoppers” in the face of our difficulties and struggles. So, which report are we going to believe?  Always remember that the enemy seeks to downgrade your opinion about yourself as well as make you doubt your ability to trust and obey God.  But Jesus declared that satan in a "liar" and his lies seek to defeat us but the Grace of God seeks to strengthen  us in all ways and in all situations.  We are "more than conquerors" through Christ who gave His life for us.  We can walk in the strength of His love and grace today!!!

Promises of God, Part 2

Our hope in a victorious relationship with God is based on the promises of God.  Last night during Discipleship class we discussed that as individuals we face spiritual enemies who seek to hinder and defeat our walk with Christ.  We combat those enemies through our reliance upon the promises of God that are found written in His Holy Word, the Bible.  The Word of God allows us to walk in courage and confidence that the faithfulness of God will guide and direct our steps through the various challenges of life.

All through the Bible, God gives us great and wonderful promises about who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, and where we are in Christ.  Let me remind you of just a few.
  

  I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)
  

  Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)
  

  God…has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3).
  

  For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:5)

These and many other promises of God remind each of us that we are not ALONE in this journey and that we can depend on God to fulfill His promises to each and everyone of us.  Walk in the knowledge that God is with you and that you do not face any situation without Him being present to assist you.



Promise of God

Over the past few days I have spoken with several people who were facing various circumstances in their lives.  A few of these needs ranged from a family that was facing the death of a loved one; a person who was waiting on a Doctor's report for a loved one; a person who was thankful that God had provided a job for them; and a person who was seeking to strengthen their relationship with God.  I assume that many other Ministers see many of these same situations over a period of time yet we we able to encourage these people because of the Promises of God. 

One of these promises is found in the opening story line of the birth of Christ.  One of the names of Christ is "Emmanuel"; this name reminds us that God is with us.  We can understand that regardless of the circumstances that we are facing that we are NEVER ALONE!  We can rejoice in the fact that God is with us and that His love is present to strengthen us as we face those challenges.  Have you ever felt the enemy seeking to make you feel alone or forgotten?  Have you ever felt the enemy seeking to make you feel that your life was unimportant and that no one cared about your existence?  Have you ever felt the enemy seeking to make you feel that you would not be missed if you chose to take your own life and remove yourself from the lives of your friends and family?  Each of these attacks of the enemy seek to drive you away from the knowledge of the presence of God.  But take hope today that nothing can separate you from the love of God.  God loves you regardless of what you are facing today!

There are readers of this blog who need to know and remember that God possesses great love for you.  He loves you more than you or I can even realize and He releases that love as we take the time to identify His presence.  Walk in the strength of His love today!

Refreshing

Good Morning! This is a note to inform those who read this blog that I am taking a few days away from my daily schedule. I am taking these days to recharge and refresh my batteries. Each of us need those moments in which we just take a few days and rearrange our schedule to rest and recharge. I will return to this blog in a few days but remember that we never take time away from God; we just take time away from our daily routine of the challenges of life. Have a wonderful week in your walk with Christ!

Random Thoughts

Today has found me with many different thoughts running through my mind.  Would that be called "multi-thinking" or maybe it could be called "muddled thinking."  You can form your own opinion but my mind is full of various thoughts that speak hope, concern, care, anticipation, questions, and a myriad of other ideas, plans, and desires.  Hopefully I will not come across as confused because I don't think that I am confused as much as I am just being real in my "conversation" with you. 

Today may be a microcosm of what life is all about.  Life is not always sterile, clean, and easy.  Challenges come at each of us from various sources and at various times in our lives.  The Bible reveals that some of the greatest struggles that men endured were at the conclusion of some of their greatest victories (Elijah is a great example.).  There are those days that we may face multiple serious decisions as well as multiple serious challenges.  There are days that we face illness, financial stress, and emotional stress almost in the same time frame.  Why am I writing these thoughts today?  Someone needs to realize that your life is not out of control just because you are facing your own set of unique circumstances, challenges, or decisions.  You can join with others just like yourself (including me) and realize those moments lead us into the presence of our Heavenly Father who stands ready and prepared to help us shoulder the load.  A line from an old song declares, "...Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there..."  We may struggle with the last words in that line from the song because of our humanity and our concern for those involved in the burden that we are carrying at this moment BUT we must never struggle with the first part of the song.  We must always know that we can "take our burdens to the Lord."  We can call on Him and realize that He will listen and that He will care for His children.  I needed to be reminded of that principle today and someone reading this blog post needs to be reminded of that principle today. 

GOD CARES FOR YOU regardless of what is taking place in your life today!  GOD WILL LISTEN TO YOU regardless of what is taking place in your life today!   GOD LOVES YOU TODAY regardless of what is taking place in your life today!

July 4th Celebration

I trust that each of you will have a safe and blessed 4th of July.  Let us remember the millions of Americans who are suffering from the devastation of the storms on the East Coast as well as the raging wild fires in some of our Western states.  Each of these families need to be in our prayers.

I would like to ask you to do three things on this special holiday in America.

1) Remember those valiant men and women who have served in our military as well as those who are presently serving.

2) Remember to pray for our nation.  The sleeping giant of intercessors must be awakened if we are going to see the heart of our nation turned back to God.

3) Remember to pray for your family.  The very fiber of the family is under attack and we need to heed the call from the Spirit to stand in the gap for our families.  No one can pray for your family like you can.  You carry a unique burden and concern for them that no one else carries regardless of how much those other individuals loves them.

We have heard the song, God Bless America, sang many times since 9-11-01.  Have we came to the point that we fully realize that we truly do need God to bless America?

July 4th Recognition & Remembrance

Tomorrow will be our nation's 236th birthday.  Many of us have plans that will revolve around our family and friends.  Food will be served and in some cases fireworks will be released to assist us in celebrating our nation's birthday.  I am not writing this note to put a damper on your plans for celebration but I am desiring to challenge you to interject another form of celebration into your plans.  Last Friday I wrote about Prayer and today I want to remind you about Recognition and Remembrance.

We must teach our children to remember those men and women who have stood in harms way throughout the history of our great nation.  Some of these brave patriots were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice that we might gather across this great land and enjoy our freedom.  Is it possible that we may know how to "enjoy" our freedom and not take the proper time to "celebrate" our freedom?  Most Americans know how to enjoy our freedom but we must not forget those men and women who have served in our Military Forces through the years and those who are presently serving in our Military.  Each generation of Americans need to learn the importance of remembering and recognizing those individuals who have protected our nation and allowed us to enjoy the fruit of our freedom.  I desire for my grandchildren to understand the importance of respecting those individuals who are willing to serve that we might have the opportunity to enjoy our freedom.  Take time to call a veteran and thank them for their service.  Take time to shake the hand of a soldier who is presently serving our nation and convey to him/her your appreciation for their service.  Take time to thank God that you are living in a nation of freedom that allows us the opportunity to love our families and serve God.  We are a blessed people even in the midst of all the problems and challenges that we are facing.  Let us never forget those brave soldiers and let us never forget our dependence on the faithfulness and protection of God.