February Reminder

I would like to share with you an email that I sent out earlier this morning. I truly sense in my spirit that the Holy Spirit is desiring to awaken in each of us the need to share genuine Christian love with each other. People are needing to not only hear about the love of God they are needing to see His love in action. I desire for the Love of God to be "active" in my heart and life. 

Ann enjoys watching the Hallmark Channel. As a matter of fact I must confess that I get "caught up" in some of the movies they show. This month's focus is on "Love" and how it can make an impact our lives. These stories are meant to inspire us to love and cherish those special people that God has placed in our lives. You may have even read other great romance/love stories in your life such as Romeo and Juliet. 

BUT THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD IS FOUND IN THE BIBLE. It is the story of God's love for this whole world. It is the story of Jesus Christ giving His life on a cross that we could be forgiven of our sins. It is the story of each of us sharing His love with our fellow man as we travel this road called life. 

The Spirit of God continues to remind me of that story. He reminds me that I am to play a role in the continuing telling of that story. The Spirit also is reminding me that I need to "live out" that story in my daily life.

I would like to share with you two passages of scripture that God has placed in my path in recent days. These scriptures have been God's way to remind me that His love is real and that His love needs to be shared with those in need.

1 Corinthians 13;1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 1:3, "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing." (NIV)

Let us take the time to notice the important role that love needs to play in the life of believers!!

Word of God

Psalm 33:4-5,  "For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. (NIV)

It appears that the authority and the authenticity of the Word of God is under attack in our culture to say the least. There is an element in our society who is choosing to completely ignore many of the principles of the Word of God and this attitude is leading people to disregard the application of these principles to their lives. This action is requiring the church to re-examine our commitment to the Word of God. This action is also requiring the church to reconnect with the process of these principles being applied to our individual lives. I sincerely desire to do more than just "believe" in the power and authority of the Word of God. I want to take the next step of faith and allow the Spirit to make the proper application of the Word of God to my life on a daily basis. 

The Psalmist reminds us that "the word of the Lord is right and true." He also goes on to remind us of the faithfulness of God to His Word. The Word of God is a spiritual guarantee that we can rely on as we navigate the troubled waters of life. But it is our individual choice of whether or not that we will allow the Word of God to exert its influence and guidance in our lives. The Word of God teaches us of the importance of surrender and obedience in all areas of life. The Word of God teaches us the reward of faithful obedience to the Word of God. I believe that there is a difference in a living a life of "compliance" and living a life that is being lived in "sincere and heartfelt obedience." I will let you meditate on the difference of those two concepts (i.e., if you feel there is a difference).

Have a great day and walk in the strength of "his (God's) unfailing love."

Should I Praise Him?

Psalm 59:16-17, "But I will sing of your strength in the morning I will sing of your love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." (NIV)

This song is written during a difficult time in David's life. Saul has sent men to David's house. They are there seeking an opportunity to kill him. But in the midst of this trial/challenge/battle/struggle David lifts His voice in a declaration of praise and hope. 

David compares his enemies to "snarling dogs that prowl the city" looking for an opportunity to move in for the kill. These enemies were not snipers on a hillside; they were literally in close proximity to his home. They were dutifully looking for an opportunity to spring their plan of death and destruction. BUT what was David's response?

David declares these words in verses 9 & 10. "You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." Do we watch for God to show up in the midst of our challenges/struggles? Do we turn our eyes toward Heaven and look for our Helper to arrive? Or do we bask in gloom and despair as people without hope?

I truly believe that some of our greatest times of praise, worship, and adoration can take place and has taken place during our most difficult times. Brokenness can tenderize our hearts toward God and tender hearts become more sensitive to the presence of a Loving God who is truly interested in our spiritual well being. 

The title of this post raised a question, "Should I Praise Him?" I answer that question with an unequivocal YES! Yes, we should offer our praise to God and realize that He never leaves us alone. He is our refuge and fortress in times of difficulty. 

my God on whom I can rely.

Prayer Focus

Those of you who read this blog on a consistent basis realize that I have a strong belief in the power of Prayer. I truly believe that in many cases the lack of a consistent Prayer Life can lead to spiritual problems in our lives. I am not speaking of the short bed-time prayers nor the prayers over our meals although all of these are important and they do play a role in our lives. I am speaking more about those type of intimate, getting alone with God and seeking His face (relationship) and not His hand (blessings) time of prayers. And I completely understand that all of us have busy schedules and our time is limited. But let's be honest and be real with each other for a moment; we always find time to do what we enjoy and do what we think is important. We need to remember that if we know this statement to be true than our Heavenly Father also knows this statement to be true.

Years ago I used this acronym to encourage people to pray. You may have seen it before but it is worthy of using one more time. It is the word PUSH.

Pray

Until

Something

Happens

I would like to share with you a Prayer Focus that I shared with our local church at the beginning of 2015. This focuses on the connection of the Pastor with God as well as the connection of the Pastor with the local congregation. It also focuses on EACH OF US CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER AS WELL AS WITH GOD. I truly believe that the enemy seeks to create an atmosphere of "disconnection" when we gather for our corporate worship services. The enemy certainly does not want us to connect with the Spirit and he does not want us to connect with the power of the Word of God. But we all know and believe that the power of God is greater than the power of the enemy. The enemy desires to hinder the power of spiritual agreement that can take place in the hearts of the family of God. I encourage you to review this list and see if any of them will speak to your heart. I would also ask you to join with us in prayer if you feel that these requests are worthy of your prayer time.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR 2015

1)      Pray for the Pastor to receive the message that God desires to share with our church family.

2)      Pray for the Pastor to have freedom to declare the Word that God has placed on his heart and in his Spirit.

3)      Pray against the powers of darkness that work to cause the Pastor to mis-carry or abort the Word that God has placed in His heart.

4)      Pray for “ears to hear” the Word of God as it is being declared and revealed.

5)      Pray for a “divine connection” between the Pastor and congregation so that the Word of God can flow in its life-giving authority.

The Love of God

Ephesians 4;1-4, "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future." (NLT)

The Spirit of the Lord has been reminding me about the genuine and authentic Love of God during my times of Prayer over the past several weeks. It is very easy for that cardinal principle revealed in the Word to fall off the top tier of our understanding and become covered over by all of the problems, challenges, and difficulties that we face on a daily basis. Even as a Minister/Pastor I must remember that the motivating factor or call from God is to love people and care for their spiritual well being. Let us be honest, there are times that this type of action is harder to live out than it is at other times in our lives. There are people that are more lovable than others. There are times that the situation requires an "extra" release of God's love in our lives due to the actions or decisions that was made by an individual. BUT isn't it during those moments that people would need to sense and feel the Love of God at work in our lives as well as through our lives?

I encourage you to remember those times in which you needed people to share the Love of God with you. I encourage you to remember those times that you appeared unlovable. I encourage you to remember those times that you needed the forgiveness of God and those times in which you needed the forgiveness of people. I believe that God is calling each of us to love Him and to love people with and through His love. Trust me, I fully understand those words are easier said than done. I have seen it from both sides of life. BUT I have also seen the true Love of God at work in such a way that it brought forgiveness, restoration, healing and even a closer bond with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We love to refer to ourselves as the "family of God" but there are times that God calls us to fulfill the directives that He has given to His Family. The scripture text today reveals a small but very important portion of those directives.

John 13:34-35, "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (NLT)

We Belong to God

1 Corinthians 6:19, "Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself," (NLT)

Each believer has their own unique relationship with God. Each of us are endowed and blessed with certain abilities, talents, gifts, callings, opportunities to serve, etc. Each of us have a specific "place" in the Body of Christ and that "place" is very important to the overall working of the Body of Christ. The different members of the Body of Christ were never meant to compete with one another but to compliment one another. Here is an example from the physical body that we inhabit. Have you ever seen the eyes competing with the ears for control of the sight of an individual? No, the ears realize that they do not have the same ability as the eyes but neither can the eyes fulfill the role of the ears. They work together in tandem so that the individual can both see and hear.

But there is one principle/element that each of us in the Body of Christ have in common. Each of us belong to God and not to ourselves. Each of us are called to be servants within the family of God. Each of us are called to work together for the common good of the spreading of the message of the Kingdom of God. Charles Stanley reminded us of this great principle in the following statements. "Our part is to bear witness to the breadth and depth of His love for all people. Once you grasp the fact that God looks on His children—every one a former slave to sin—with unconditional devotion, you can’t keep quiet about it. Believers are special in the eyes of their God and King. We are a sacred people and a holy order. What are you doing with your life? As a believer, you are not your own anymore. You are a privileged servant of the Most High God."

Let us remind ourselves of the wonderful opportunity to share the Love of God with people that God places in our lives on a daily basis.

God's Desire to Give

The following passage of scripture has spoken to my heart in many ways and on many occasions through the years of my spiritual journey. I understand that this blog post will in no way give a proper exegesis of this passage. But I do desire that the reading of this passage will strengthen your resolve to seek God as well as renew your hope and confidence in the promises of God. I am convinced that God has a desire/plan to share His "good things" with His family. His promises are true and precious. We are not intruding when we ask, seek and knock. God Himself has invited us into His presence so that we can receive those "good things" that He has prepared for us. Read this passage with joy, thanksgiving, worship and anticipation of those "good things" are reserved for you. 

Matthew 7:7-11, " “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (NKJV)

Does anyone desire to join me in offering a shout of praise to our God for all that He has made available to us through Jesus Christ?