Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Will I Praise Him?

Psalm 34:1-3, "I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together." (NKJ)

I was awakened earlier this morning with this passage of scripture in and on my mind. There are passages in the Bible that call for a radical response to God even in the midst of the challenges and difficulties of life. I recently read a statement that truly challenged my heart. The minister shared these words in the context of his sermon, "Christianity is more than a decision we make; it is a lifestyle that we choose to live."  

I honestly was intrigued though his choice of words. I believe that I knew that this principle was based on the truth of the Gospel but the written words jumped off the page and began to stir in my heart. This scripture passage this morning brought me back to the challenge of a "Christian lifestyle." Doesn't the thoughts of lifestyle go deeper than our selection of clothes, styles of worship, choices of music, Pentecostal or non-Pentecostal, etc? 

Would living a Christian lifestyle also include the daily application of the scriptures to our lives? Isn't there some scriptures that are easier to apply to our lives than others? I certainly enjoy all of the passages of the Bible that refers to the blessings that God has to offer me but what about those passages that describe what God expects me to offer to Him? Following Christ must be more than just a "lifestyle of convenience and provision." Following Christ demands a willingness to put into practice the principles of the Bible rather than just our select list that only brings His benefits into our lives. 

Jesus died so that we could become disciples and not just spiritual beggars who are looking for a favor or looking for a handout!!

Psalm 34:1, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." 

Monday, July 28, 2014

Sufficient Grace

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV)

Many of my posts refer to inspirational thoughts that I received during times of prayer and meditation. Today's post will fall into the parameters of that understanding. I have learned that prayer is about God talking back to me as well as me talking to God. I wonder if that is one of the reasons that satan seeks to hinder the prayer life of the modern day church. Is it entirely possible that satan does not want us to have a time of fellowship and interaction with God? Strength can be found in the presence of God. Courage can be found in the presence of God. Hope can be found in the presence of God. The promises of God are revealed afresh and anew to us in His presence.

During prayer time on Friday morning I believe that the Spirit placed this passage of scripture in my heart as well as the words of a song. The scripture is familiar to many of us and many of you may also recognize the song that I am referencing. One of the lines of the song makes this declaration; "...His Grace is sufficient for me, His love is abundant and free. Oh, what joy feels my soul, just to know, just to know that His Grace is sufficient for me..." 

I am sure that many of you can agree with me and say that you have found the scripture to be real and that you also have found the inspirational words in the song to be real and comforting. I truly believe that God reminded me of these facts on Friday. But I also believe that God desired for me to remind you of those same facts. You can find Grace to help in time of need and you can realize that His Grace is sufficient regardless of the circumstances of your life. We just need to remember to walk in the strength of our relationship with God. God is interested in fulfilling His role in our relationship and each of us need to be committed to fulfilling our role in the relationship with God. 

I believe that it is time that the children of God come into agreement with our Heavenly Father and stop listening to the propaganda of satan. The enemy is busy spreading his lies and accusations against each believer. But we can defeat the propaganda of our enemy through the declaration of the Truth of God's Words. Do not compromise the strength of your faith. Hold to the Truth and allow God to send the help that you need.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

You are Not Alone!

Psalm 23:1-4, "The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me."  (NLT)

Today's blog post will focus on a word of encouragement that I received during a time of prayer this morning. I am preparing to share an eulogy at a celebration of life service in a few hours. This man was a member and attender of a previous congregation that I served. As I was praying for this family and today's service I felt God speak a reminder in my heart. That reminder is one of the facts revealed in Psalm 23. The Lord has promised to be near you regardless of the type of valley in in which you are walking today. The size of the valley, the problems of the valley, the trials you are facing in the valley and any of the other challenges which will affect you in the family WILL NOT HINDER the presence of God. I can boldly declare to someone today that YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR VALLEY!!! 

Let us remember and reflect on the prophetic promise concerning Jesus Christ: Matthew 1:22-23, "All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Emphasis added) (NLT)

Monday, July 21, 2014

What Voice Do You Follow?

John 10:1-5, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (NKJV)

This verse came into my spirit as I was praying this morning. This question came into my mind and I wanted to share it for your consideration. "Am I willing to follow the voice of the Shepherd regardless of where He leads me?" At first glance it appears that it would be easy to answer a resounding "YES" to this proposal. Surely I can trust the Chief Shepherd of my soul to lead me in the safe and correct direction. Unequivocally that statement would be true; I can trust the Shepherd to lead me in the right direction.

But what if my journey takes me down paths that I rather not travel? What if the path is one that brings heartache, trouble, trials, difficulties, illness, etc? But as I pondered those thoughts in my heart I was reminded that I had traveled some of those paths with the Shepherd. The journey on those paths had caused me to listen for the gentle voice of the Shepherd even more. I would listen with my "spiritual ears" for the voice of Jesus and be able to fully realize that He knew the way out of this particular predicament. I had learned to trust in the Good Shepherd and I realized that He had my best interests at heart regardless of the path that we were traveling. These situations in life had led me to appreciate the voice of the Shepherd even more because He had reminded me that I was never ALONE no matter the path that we were traveling. I was never out of His sight and I was never out of His care.

It is no wonder that we can celebrate the words of the song writer who declared "Oh, what a Savior..." I am thankful that I can trust in the voice of the Shepherd!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Testimony

This post will be one which focuses on a testimony that was shared with me during a time of hospital visitation on Tuesday. It is always a blessing to listen to someone who shares a testimony during a time of struggle or challenge. Anyone can share a praise report when all is going as planned but true praise arises during times of difficulty. I am learning that God is always seeking to teach us if we will take the time to notice what He is saying to us. The Spirit has the ability to use various means to accomplish this goal/purpose in our individual lives. On Tuesday, God used the words of a patient in the hospital to remind me of a spiritual principle that has benefited my life through the years.

This particular sister in Christ is recovering from a surgical procedure that took place on Monday. Her recovery is making wonderful progress and I know that she is very thankful for all that God has done in her life. The voice, emotions and words of this lady began to change during the process of our conversation. The tenor of the conversation changed because she was preparing to declare a characteristic/attribute of God that everyone (including me) needs to remember and hold close to their hearts. I may not be able to quote her exact words but I remember enough that I am comfortable paraphrasing the words that she shared that morning. In a voice that was cracking with passion, emotion, thanksgiving, praise and recognition of God's goodness she shared these thoughts. She said, "I have learned that God will always provide what you need at the moment that you need it. God is always with you as you prepare to enter a new chapter of your life. God's Grace is truly sufficient regardless of the situation. We can trust in God to be with us and give us the strength that we need to face our challenges." Let me add that this lady has been serving God for several years (seasoned Christian) and has faced several unique challenges (death of parents, death of daughter, and death of her husband, etc.) in her life. I reveal this about her so that you will know that her testimony has credence because of the trials, tests, challenges, etc. that she has personally faced.

Thank you God for the people who have turned their tests into testimonies!! Thank you God for the Word of God that teaches us that we can trust in Your promises!! Thank you God for Your daily presence in our lives!!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Do I Truly Believe?

Jeremiah 32:17, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!" (NLT)

I was challenged through the content of this scripture passage this morning! Different scenarios came into my mind as I reflected on the times that I have either read this passage or referred to this passage in a sermon or in a conversation with someone who was in need of a miracle. I had even received two new prayer requests this morning that would provide God an opportunity to reveal Himself strong and mighty. Let me also add that those same situations afford me the opportunity to release my faith in agreement with those who are walking through those challenges. Could I truly believe that last sentence of Jeremiah 32:17? Would I truly believe the last sentence of Jeremiah 32:17? Had I previously believed the promise found in Jeremiah 32:17? Say it out loud with me, Nothing is too hard for You (referring to God)!! 

Jeremiah 32:17 is a passage full of hope and promise for the family of God. I quickly moved through the process of reviewing these internal questions. I soon felt the Holy Spirit begin to place what I refer to as the "Spirit of Remembrance" in my heart. Just as quickly as I had used the words "could, would, had I" I began to use the words, "I have seen, God has answered prayers." The remembrance of one miracle after another began to wash away and remove my doubts and fears. It did not take me long to remember many times in my life and in the lives of others in which I had seen the "strong hand and powerful arm" of God revealed. I began to feel faith rise in my heart and my "believe meter" was moving toward the high end of the scale. I then declared to God that "Nothing is to hard for you."

Someone who will read this blog post needs to declare with me "Nothing is too hard for You (referring to God)! Allow the promises of God to override and overthrow any doubts or fears that satan may be placing in your life today. There is a song playing in the background as I am writing these words. The song is the old hymn "How Great Thou Art." Sing that song to God as you make your requests known to Him. He is great and nothing is too hard for Him. 

I look forward to hearing from you as your prayer requests are answered!!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Are You in Shape?

Luke 6:45, "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. (NLT)

Getting in shape is a buzz word that is very popular in our society today. People may say such things as "I am headed for my workout. I am going to get my exercise in today. How far have you walked today? I have to lose fifteen pounds before the wedding." I understand the need for good health. I believe that we are to be good stewards of the body that God has given to each of us and there is a need to live a healthy lifestyle. 

But what about the shape of the spiritual side of mankind? How healthy is our soul? How healthy is our relationship with Christ? Are we taking anytime for our spiritual workout (prayer, mediation, Bible reading, church attendance, etc)? How far have you walked in the Bible today? Have you invested any of your time in drawing nearer to God? Have you ingested healthy portions of time with God and time with fellow believers who are on the same spiritual pursuit as you? We will spiritually produce what we are placing in our heart (seat of our emotions, seat of our will). What are we feeding the spiritual side of our lives? 

Former NFL coach Joe Gibbs and current NASCAR owner explains it this way. Every year when NFL training camp rolls around, there are guys who come in hungry and fired up, fresh from an off-season workout regimen that has gotten them in playing shape right from the get-go. But every team also has players who show up fat and flabby, twenty pounds over their goal weight, gasping for breath at the first sight of wind sprints. Failure to stick to a plan has cost them the stamina they need to get started on the right foot. They may be able to fool some people with their athletic looks and muscular bodies. But NFL coaches can tell when a guy's been dogging it since January.

You're probably not a professional ball player, but the same principle still applies to you. The concept Jesus taught that "no good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit" (Luke 6:43) has a universal draw on every man. Steady doses of unhealthy choices and activities will bear themselves out in the way we feel, the way we think, the way we stand up to stressful situations. If we're not willing to make sacrifices and faithful habits a regular part of our day, fatigue will not only become a way of life, it will become a belt size everyone else can see better than we can.

Take a moment to look in the "mirror" and see what you look like!!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Independence Day

Romans 5:6-8, You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV)

This is a weekend in our nation in which we are given the opportunity to celebrate our freedom as a nation of people. This is a corporate or national freedom that was purchased on the back of a group of our ancestors who chose to throw off the tyranny of the Motherland and establish a nation that would offer freedom of choice, freedom of religion and the freedom to pursue our goals as fellow human beings. But we must pause and remember that those freedoms came with a cost. It cost brave men and women their limbs, their health, their finances and many of them paid the ultimate price with their lives.  Many wars have followed the war known as the Revolutionary War and many of those same prices have been paid time and time again. We must always remember that the freedoms that we celebrate as Americans DID NOT COME CHEAP. There has been a steep price throughout the years of our existence as a nation and we need to  remember and honor those who were members of those groups who have fought battles in our place. 

This weekend also affords us the opportunity to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of humanity. His story of sacrifice is still amazing to me after all of these years. The Apostle Paul reminds the church at Rome of the decision that Christ made regarding humanity. Christ chose to die in our place even when we were living in opposition to His principles (ungodly). Paul also goes on to remind us that God demonstrated His love through His death on the cross. The Love of God was placed on display on Calvary as Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins. Once again the Apostle reminds us that Christ died "while we were still sinners..." 

Praise and thanksgiving should rise in our hearts and flow from our lips as we recognize the Amazing Grace of Jesus Christ!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Work of God, Part 2

I was also reminded of another principle last week. I was reminded that I need to be aware and sensitive to the presence of God regardless of what I see with the natural eye. The "flesh" part of my (your) life may not always recognize and identify the fact that God is doing His work around us. And there are those times that God will call us to join with Him in His work either through prayer, possibly a testimony and in some cases He even opens the door for us to share the Gospel message with someone. I am still learning that I need to be sensitive to the presence of God even after all of these years of ministerial service.

Let me illustrate that supposition for you today. I told you yesterday that we took a few days vacation last week. Little did I realize that the Holy Spirit did not receive a copy of that memo so He just kept doing what He always does, that is, touching the lives of people so that they can recognize the ministering presence of God. That very demonstration happened to us in the lobby of our hotel. The Spirit did not realize that I was off the "Pastoral clock" and away from my "duties" during that time frame on Tuesday. 

I entered into a brief and friendly conversation regarding vacation time with some individuals. I did not bother telling the individuals that I was a Pastor taking a break and as a matter of fact it didn't APPEAR that they were very interested in knowing about my occupation. We chatted for a few moments and they moved on to another section of the lobby. In a few minutes one of the ladies came over to where I was sitting and asked me if I was a Preacher. She said, "You sound just like a Preacher that I watch on TV" (I want mention his name because he receives enough publicity as it is). Without hesitation she spoke these words; "Will you pray for me? I need God to bless me and provide direction for my family and decisions that we face." She did not ask about my ordination. She did not ask about my denomination affiliation (although our ensuing conversations revealed that they were from a different branch of Christianity). SHE JUST WANTED AND NEEDED PRAYER!! None of those things that I mentioned seemed to be important to her at that time. God was at work in her heart and she was led to me to ask for prayer. I wish I could tell you that I discerned that she was going to ask for prayer. I wish that I could tell you that I was not surprised that she would ask for prayer in the lobby of the hotel. BUT I can't tell you that. I was surprised somewhat but then I realized that you or I can not stop God from working. He is always working to involve Himself in the affairs of human beings.

I could go on into greater detail but needless to say but Ann and I prayed, encouraged and shared the Word of God with two other individuals from this same family in a matter of a hour of our time. The Spirit was at work and we were asked to join with Him in what He was doing in their lives. More than likely we will never see these individuals again (they live several states away) but for those few minutes we were able to see God at work. Tears flowed freely from their eyes even in the midst of others that were around us. They were neither embarrassed or intimidated by the presence of the Spirit. They had surrendered to the work of the Spirit at that moment and they were receiving what God had planned for that encounter with Him.

CHALLENGE: Each of us are called to make our self available to God so that He can work through us for His glory! Are you making yourself available to God? Opportunities await those who do.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

God is ALWAYS WORKING

John 5:16-18:For this reason the Jews began to persecute (annoy, torment) Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work. 18 This made the Jews more determined than ever to kill Him [to do away with Him]; because He not only was breaking (weakening, violating) the Sabbath, but He actually was speaking of God as being [in a special sense] His own Father, making Himself equal [putting Himself on a level] with God. (Amplified Bible)

I chose to use the Amplified Bible translation because I believe it speaks clearly to what the Lord has placed in my heart over the past several days during prayer and meditation time. Life has a way of bringing discouragement to our lives. We may find ourselves asking this question or one similar to it; "God, are you at work in this situation?" In all honesty there have been times in my life in which I looked for the work of God in the situation that I was facing. And there were times that I struggled to see and sense the evidence of His presence and His power. But this passage in John has always been a source of hope and encouragement to me. These words of Jesus brought to my attention the reminder that God has been working in my past; He is working in my present and He will work in my future.

My wife and I took a few days of vacation last week. We wanted to break away from our normal schedule and just enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation. I gave you that information so that you would understand my next reminder. Aren't you glad that God never takes any time away from His normal "work" schedule? Aren't you glad that He is on the "job" 24/7 and He does not even take any vacation time? Psalm 121:4, "Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps." (NLT)

We can rejoice in the fact that God is always watching over us and that He is at work to bring His kingdom to fruition in our lives. We must learn to celebrate His work in our lives even when we grow uncomfortable or sense the power of conviction at work in our hearts.