Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Wednesday's Reminder

I trust that your journey with God continues to grow stronger and stronger as we purpose in our hearts to draw closer to God. The Spirit has been reminding me of the various "voices" that each of us hear on a daily basis. Many of these voices come from the darkness of Hell and they seek to lead us away from our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd of our soul. I would like to share a familiar passage with us that comes from John 10.

John 10:4-5, And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (NKJV)

The voices of darkness or the "voices of strangers" have one purpose and one purpose alone. They seek to bring confusion, doubt, fear, anxiety, discouragement, disillusionment, etc. These spirits then seek to work against the development of our spiritual relationship with Christ. The Bible reveals this Truth throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament; "God will speak to His people." I am faced with the decision of making sure that I listen to the correct voice of the Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Listening to the Voice of Christ means that I must choose to resist the other voices that are constantly desiring to distract me from serving God or attracting me to pursue my old life. Satan is also cunning enough to know that he may not initially lead me completely away from God but he will use any means that he can to "cool off" or "slow down" my walk with Christ. These become the moments in each of our lives in which we must choose to follow Christ with all of our heart and not just a portion of our heart.

The Apostle Peter referred to our spiritual enemy as a "roaring lion" who is "walking about seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8) We must learn to resist this "noise maker" and turn our ears to hear the Voice of our Savior. I know that this is challenging to each of us in this day of spiritual warfare BUT I FULLY BELIEVE that the Spirit will give us enough power and strength to accomplish this spiritual goal of following the Voice of our Savior. We must ask the Spirit to strengthen our resolve, our courage, our desire and our personal walk with Christ. It can be accomplished if we believe the fact that God has called us to be OVERCOMERS!!

Let us remind ourselves of the words of the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 2:1Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” But sometimes we drift. Pleasure entices us. Troubles mount. Sin calls. The world beckons. We wonder why our hearts seem empty and cold. What happened to the zeal we had? What happened to our desire to live an extraordinary life? What happened to the desire to gather with fellow believers and offer our praise and worship to the One who had forgiven us of our sins? Why are we sliding back into old habits and patterns? These may be questions the Holy Spirit is urging us to consider. Perhaps He is right now shaking us awake from our spiritual sleepiness, reminding us that without holiness no one will see the Lord (see Hebrews 12:14). Today let us ask God to help us live out our faith with passionate commitment, fueled by a hunger for holiness that reflects our love of God and his greater love for us. Let us pray earnestly and eagerly for the grace to be fully awake to God's life within us.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Wednesday's Encouragement

Psalm 119:33-36, Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. 34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.35 Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. 36 Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money!” (NLT)

I am sure that many of you can attest to my belief as well as your belief that the Word of God MUST PLAY an important role in our lives. It does seem that some people are intimidated by the Bible rather than being encouraged and strengthened by the Bible. I believe these different attitudes may come from our approach as to how we read the Bible. I have read various writers describe the need to read the Bible as a "love letter" from God rather than just reading it as a "rule book" of laws and regulations. Let me state the obvious; I do believe that the Bible is the Word of God and it does provide direction, guidance, correction, and discipline, etc. for the children of God. But the Word of God is written for the spiritual development of our soul and not for the destruction of our soul.

Is it possible that we have taken the Word of God and developed our "checklist" of things that we need to do and things that we don't need to do? Yes, I believe that the Bible does reveal and teach us what is right and wrong. But the Word of God also reveals the love, mercy, grace, compassion, kindness, etc. as well as the daily interest that God has in our lives. Yes, God is a God of judgment but He is also a God of forgiveness, a God of reconciliation, a God of restoration, and a God that desires to draw near to us as well as draw us near to Him. The Bible should not be intimidating to us but the Bible should be viewed as a "love letter" that reveals God's desire to bring humanity into the fullness of fellowship and communion with Him as well as with each other. The Bible is more than a novel that was written through human insight and through the concepts of humanity. No, The Bible was written through the inspiration and anointing of the Holy God who loved this world enough to prepare a plan of salvation for the redemption of mankind (Read: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21).

The Bible is not meant to be a book that we simply display or quote from time time as  a "witness" to people that we believe in God. No, the Bible was meant to be "lived out or put into practice" in our lives on a daily basis. I believe that the joy of the Lord will fully come alive in OUR LIVES when we realize the Bible is not meant to be a "burden" but the Word is meant to be a "tool" of the revelation of God's love. care and concern for our individual journey of faith. 


Thursday, August 16, 2018

Sitting or Standing?

The Apostle Paul shared a powerful challenge with the church at Ephesus as well as with each of us in Ephesians 6:10 & 13; "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (NKJV) (Emphasis Added)

I am COMPLETELY AND THOROUGHLY CONVINCED THAT GOD is calling each of us to draw closer to Him so that we can become the "spiritual warriors" that are needed in this day and time. This is no time to be "asleep" at the wheel of our lives. We need to be alert, awake and aware of the condition of our soul and the spiritual condition of those family and friends that are near and dear to us. We cannot afford for our soul to be living in a spiritual famine while the needs and desires of the flesh are being fed and fed very well. These are the days in which we need to be seeking God with passion, desire and longing for more of Him in our lives. I want God to know that I need Him and want Him more today than I did yesterday.

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Tuesday's Thoughts

I find myself concerned as I sense the Holy Spirit revealing to me that the Truth of God is under attack by the powers of darkness. I see this on a personal level as a believer as well as the Ministerial level. It seems to me that people who reference themselves as believers  are "picking and choosing" what portions of the Truth that they feel is necessary or important to apply to their lives. The pressure from the "spirit of this age" is seeking to lead EACH OF US away from God into our own world of what is right and what is wrong. But isn't that a unknown and dangerous path to travel? Would that attitude be described as rebellion or rejection of the Truth in the eyes of God? 

Let me say it another way; It is dangerous when any one of us choose to leave God out of our lives or we choose to ignore His principles and replace them with our own desires and plans. The Psalmist David issued this warning in Psalms 9:17, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God." (NKJV) (Emphasis added) I fully understand that this verse is used when we decry the condition of America. But America is made up of individuals such as you and me. Many of those individuals have a relationship with God or who at one time enjoyed a relationship with God. 

Paul's writing to his protege Timothy reminded him as well as us of a time of "perilous or dangerous" times. Isn't it safe to say that we are living in some of those days at the present time? I encourage you to take a moment and read this passage of scripture. EACH OF US needs to examine our lives and MAKE SURE that we are not being captured by any of the activities that Paul is describing.

2 Timothy 3:1-9, You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres. (NLT)

Friday, August 3, 2018

We Are NOT Alone

I would like to share a few thoughts that I shared with our local church family a few days ago. I can sense that the Spirit is teaching me to remember that the presence of God is with me regardless of the circumstances that I am facing. The Spirit is also teaching me to "walk" in the strength of that powerful promise. The presence God is very real and always prepared to reveal Himself if I will take the effort to look for Him and listen to Him!!

I am thankful for the interest that God has in our lives on a daily basis. Aren't you glad that God doesn't just pick our one day a week to be interested in our lives or that there are certain days of the week that God is "not in the office"? I am thankful that I am under the caring and loving observation of God on a moment by moment time frame. Each of us know that our lives can "change in a moment" either for the positive or for the negative. I must always remember that "God is able to_________________."

The Spirit reminded me in prayer this morning of two very important principles that are contained in our need to attend church on a consistent basis. Our corporate worship services allow us the opportunity to exalt, lift up and honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our corporate worship services also serve as an opportunity to encourage, strengthen, and be a blessing to one another. I truly believe that each of us needs to do our best to accomplish both of these goals when we gather together on any given Sunday!! Your contributions to these Biblical principles can not be replaced by someone else when you are unable to worship with us!! Let me remind you of a passage of scripture found in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 10:25, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NIV)
Hebrews 10:25, And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)
We are encouraged to remind each other that God is with us regardless of what is taking place at any specific time in our lives. If the Lord physically walked with you throughout the day, would you be afraid or discouraged? Of course you would be totally encouraged and secure. By faith your heavenly Father walks with you day in and day out. You are not left out in the cold all alone. You have the resources of a child of God to be strong and courageous. That offers the hope that we can rise up and receive the grace and strength of the Lord and then be willing to share that grace, mercy, strength and love with our fellow travelers on the road of life.