Celebration with Prayer

In a few days the nation of America will celebrate her 236th "birthday."  Birthdays are normally recognized with various type of celebrations.  We usually see cake, ice cream, and the sharing of gifts as we gather to celebrate the birthday of a family member or friend.  Our nation's birthday is usually celebrated with a day off from work, family picnics, and ends with a fireworks display at various venues.  But I have a thought this morning, what if every Christian throughout our nation took the time to offer prayer on July 4th for the challenges that we (America) are facing?  What if we became as enthused with prayer as we will be enthused with the previous forms of celebration that I wrote about?  I am not wanting to put a stop to the various forms of celebrations that will take place on that day rather I am simply encouraging each of us to take some time on the 4th and offer a prayer of intercession for America.  We certainly need to remember our veterans and I will write about that at a later date but we also need to remember our need for God to continue to bless and direct the USA.  I am not embarrassed to be a strong proponent of prayer.  We can not afford to let prayer become one the Christian principles that disappears from our lifestyle and we can not afford to let prayer loose its importance in our lives.  A line from an old song declares, "We have come this far by faith..."  I remind each of us that we have a responsoility to be an example to the generations that will come behind us.  Let us continue to lead the way through prayer and praise.

Dealing with our Challenges

I am sure that each of us realize that we are human beings and that we will face our own set of unique challenges as we progress through life.  It appears that death is the only way not to face those events of life that will challenge the strength and commitment of our faith.  I for one can testify that I have seen these events happen in my personal life as well as the lives of my family members.  There have been days in which I was proud of the way that I responded to those events and there have been days that I was embarrassed by my response.  Each of you can take the time to review some of your own struggles and measure the type of response that you offered at those unique moments.

The Discipleship class last night studied a story that has become somehwat a classic among Christians.  It is the story of David and Golaith.  Many of you know the story well and I will not take the time to review all of the elements and actions of this powerful narrative in the Bible.  Last night I chose to focus on the conversation of David when he first arrived at the battlefield.  Goliath had been challenging the armies of Israel for forty (40) days and David arrives with supplies from home and to check on the status of his brothers.  It did not take David very long before his discussion turned to God and to the defiance of Goliath toward God.  The challenges of life will cause us to learn our need to quickly turn our discussion to God and not allow the threats of the enemy to consume us.  It is so easy to become consumed or even overwhelmed by the threats of the enemy that the threats of the enemy blind us to the promises of God.  We can focus so much on the threats of the enemy that we forget that the battle is not ours but the battle is God's.  As I read the passage of scripture in 1 Samuel 17 the Spirit began to remind me that God was using David to bring the army's attention back to Him and away from the swagger, conversation, and threats of the enemy.  The living and pracrtical faith of David would cause him to confront the challenges of the enemy and remind Goliath that he is not just fighting him but he is fighting God.  God would defeat and overthrow the enemy called Golaith and God will defeat and overthrow the enemies that we are facing today.  We must commit to discussing and focusing on the promises and power of God even as we face those daunting moments of life.

Charles Stanley shares some insight about this passage: "When we are facing a difficult decision, the real key is learning to wait. There is no verse of Scripture that tells us to take control and fight our own battles. God is the one who fights them on our behalf (2 Chron. 20:15). We are to be patient and trust in Him.

When David faced his greatest battles, he waited upon the Lord. God delivered him from destruction and set his feet on solid ground. (Ps. 40:1-3) He will do the same for you. When you abide in Him, He gives supernatural energy to accomplish the things He requires of you--His Spirit does for you what you cannot do for yourself.

In reading through the Scriptures, we see that every time one of God's saints gains a victory, he or she is waiting and trusting in the Lord. You can likewise experience triumph in your life. When you have the omnipotent Creator of the universe acting on your behalf, you can't lose."

Living with Expectation

Over the past few years I have written about living with expectation or anticipation as we approach our relationship with God.  I am convinced that the enemy of our soul and the enemy of our faith does not want us living under the influence of spiritual anticipation.  We can easily identify the process of natural anticipation.  We look forward to and anticipate the birth of our first child, the visit of our children or grandchildren who have traveled a distance to visit with us, the purchase of a new home or a new automobile, or a thousand other events in our life that can stir and awaken our emotions of excitement or anticipation.  But I asked myself this question yesterday, "Why do we learn to accept the humdrum or normal attitude toward the things of God?"  Why can we find passion concerning the things that occur in our daily lives but have trouble releasing our faith as we look at the needs in our spiritual lives or the lives of our friends or family?  I truly believe that the satanic attack of fear and doubt create an atmosphere in which we are intimidated concerning the release of our faith.  The writer of Hebrews 11 declares that without faith it is impossible to please God.  The walk of faith is the basic essence of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are called to believe in and respond to the promises of God.  The promises of God that we find revealed in the Word of God offer a word of hope and encouragement to each of us who are facing the opportunity either to walk in anticipation or walk in the spirit of the staus quo.  I choose to believe that God is calling us to a spiritual awakening in which our faith and hope is revived, refreshed, and renewed.

Impact Outreach

I was privileged to participate in a wonderful outreach effort in the city of Radcliff, Kentucky on Sunday evening.  The Student Ministry of New River Worship Center led this effort to reach the children and youth of our community.  I am firmly convinced that God is calling us to "lift our heads, look on and the fields and realize that they are ripe for the harvest."  Will we chose to ignore this call from God or will we chose to respond in an affirmative manner to this Biblical mandate?  We must be prepared to move outside of our comfortable buildings and our comfortable surroundings and realize that we are surrounded by hurting people who need a Savior.  Our culture is making sure that much false "preaching and teaching" is being presented.  Don't you think that it is time for the family of God to stand strong and declare the truth in the strength and unction of the love of God?  We witnessed both of these Biblical principles in operation yesterday in the Radcliff City Park.  The truth of God was shared in song and sermon and the love of God was demonstrated as the New River Worship Center family sought to minister to those who attended this outreach effort.  We shared smiles, some food, some fellowship, and an invitation to enjoy the presence of God.  I truly believe that there are people who are looking for the right path but they are just unsure which road to travel.  They not only need to be told about the road to travel they also need to be shown the road to travel.  We are to live out our testimony to those that we encounter on a daily basis.

We were blessed to have some wonderful Christians who shared their gifts and talents a during the worship time yesterday.  These witnesses of the power of the Cross of Christ included the Oakland Contemporary Worship Band of Nashville, Tennessee; the Christian Rappers, Lyrical Preacha (Morgan George) from Pikeville, Kentucky and Chrys "No Name" Jones from Harrodsburg, Kentucky.  Each of these brothers in Christ shared the grace and mercy of God and the effect that it can have on your life.  The Student Ministries Drama Team (NRWC) shared a powerful drama that displayed the daily challenges that our children and youth face in this modern society.  I want to also recognize all of the VOLUNTEERS who worked behind the scenes to make this ministry time a success.  We certainly appreciate and recognize the inspiration and leadership that our Student Ministry Director, Carol Baker, exhibited as she planned and led this time of ministry to our community.  I am already anticipating our next effort to reach our community with the life-changing message of the Gospel.

Friends

Proverbs 18:24, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (NKJV)

I was blessed by the responses that I received concerning the post that I made on Thursday.  Your responses reminded me that there are many people who recognize the importance of friends in their relationships of life.  We not only recognize the importance of those friends but we also cherish and appreciate those individuals who have made an impact on our lives.  Yesterday, I heard from some people with which I have a long-term friendship as well as those who have recently become part of that circle of friends.  I have been blessed to see the development of what I term "casual friendship" into a life long connection with that individual person.  My wife has a friend who lives in the state of New York; her and Linda have been friends since they met in the fifth grade in Huntsville, Alabama.  I can overhear the laughter in their phone conversations and I can sense the care and concern they have for each other as they exchange those special cards at Christmas time as well as the remembrance of each other's birthday.  We have to exhibit the characteristic of being friendly if we desire to develop that circle of friends that we need and that many of us desire. 

I encourage each of you to reach out to a few of your friends today through a personal phone call or even one of the social media outlets and share with them your appreciation for their friendship.  I have developed many new friends as I traveled on my evangelistic journey over the past few years.  Rest assured that your connection through this blog as well as other media outlets is a wonderful source of encouragement to me.  The new friendships that we have developed in the New River Worship Center church family has made a lasting impact on our lives and for that we are able to celebrate today.  And last but not least I say thank you for those "seasoned" friends who have offered their love and support to me for many years of my life.  I also want my wife to know that she is still my best friend and confidant; her support and encouragement has provided me the strength to persevere throughout the challenges of my life.  The more I write the more I realize that I could continue adding special groups of people to the above mentioned individuals but time, space, and your patience will not suffer me that opportunity.  I just want each of you to know that God has placed some wonderful people in my life and I cherish, appreciate and love each of them.

Friendship

This morning I have been thinking about the importance of friendship and all of the wonderful friends that God has placed in my life.  I have been blessed in that many of my family members have also become friends through the years.  But there are those people that I do not possess a biological connection with yet the connection of friendship has been a powerful influence in my life.  Those type of friends become a part of your family although they may not be part of your physical or natural family.  I am grateful for these friends and I am thankful for the investment of friendship that each of these individuals have made in my personal life.  I have truly been enriched and encouraged through the development of these friendships.  I have friends that are of various ages who live in various locations yet there is an unique connection and relationship with each one of them.  I enjoy the type of friends with which you can just continue the conversation that begun a few minutes ago, a few days ago, a few weeks ago, or even a few months ago.  Those type of friends allow you to just pick up where you left off in your previous conversations.  You may not even see these friends ofter but you know that they "have your back" and that they care about you and your family. 

Thank God for friends!!!!

These thoughts reminded me of some words of Adrian Rogers that I recently read.  Take a moment and read these thoughts and allow them to encourage you to develop friendships with those special people that God places in your life.

There are five qualities of friendship.

 1. Harmony. We are to be of one mind, not necessarily singing the same note, but complimenting one another.

 2. Sympathy. We hurt when friends hurt. The world is looking for friends like this.

 3. Fraternity. We are to love one another like brothers. There is no brotherhood like the brotherhood in Jesus Christ.

 4. Pity. If you want to be a real friend, you’re going to have to feel deeply. You’ll need to put yourself in the place of the other person.

 5. Humility. Genuine courtesy is thinking of the other person’s needs before your own. You are less concerned with your rights, and more concerned about the relationship.

Weekend Reflection

There are times that I feel that I have more questions than I have answers to the challenges of life.  I am often reminded of my inabilities and inadequacies as I face situations that are greater than my ability to solve them.  I sense this as a Christian; I sense this as a husband; I sense this as a father; I sense this as a grandfather, and as well as a Minister of the Gospel.  But God in His mercy reminds me that He knows that I am just a "human being" and that I am unable to meet the needs that I face.  That is the reason that He provided a Savior, which is Jesus Christ my Lord.  I am learning to turn toward Him more and more as I face the daunting and challenging task of leading my family as well as those opportunities to be a spiritual leader in our community and nation.  There will be times that we feel like giving up on our journey but it is at those moments that we need to remember that Christ is fighting for us and not against us.  We can not afford to give up on God neither can we afford to give in to the tactics and strategies of the enemy.  I read some words from Joe Gibbs, former coach of the Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins, that I felt was applicable to each of us today.  I apologize for the sports analogies if you are not a sports fan but I do think that the truth will speak to you regardless of whether you are a sports fan or not a sports fan.

Room to Be Human

We definitely live in a celebrity culture. How many industries—from sports talk to memorabilia sales—are manufactured on the backs of a culture that can't get enough scoop or goods on today's headline makers? We know they're just people, but somehow we're willing to let them be larger-than-life. It's in our cultural DNA.

But even those who impress us with their skill and swagger—the ones who are among the best at what they do—miss a lot of reads in the course of a game. They foul a lot of balls into the stands. They push a lot of shots wide of the fairway. Success is a matter of consistent skill and effort, but nowhere near perfection. There's never been a superstar who didn't know how it felt to pace the sidelines, frustrated with his play.

If you're in one of those funks where you're down on yourself for making an unwise decision at work, or underestimating how long something would take, or guessing wrong on a snap judgment call, maybe this would be a good day to cut yourself some slack. Nobody gets everything right, and God understands that about us. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13-14).

Be fair with yourself today. Don't let a little pop-out keep you from swinging for the fences.

Pray this prayer: Lord God, thank you for knowing me better than I know myself, for being willing to forgive me when I foul things up. I pray for the courage to get back in and try again—for your glory.

Happy Father's Day

I want to take a moment and wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day.  One of the blessings that God has provided for me in my life is my Dad.  Although my Dad is in his middle 80's he is still very much a part of my life.  As a matter of fact I enjoyed a phone conversation with him last night as he called to check on some sick family members.  My Dad served as a Bi-vocational Pastor for all of the years that I lived at home.  He was and still is a man dedicated to God, to His family, his country (WW II veteran), and his servant work in the family of God.  My Dad taught me more lessons that I have time to list this morning.  But the most valuable lesson would have involved the importance of my relationship with Christ and my responsibilities to take care of my family.  I truly believe that my Dad felt that these two important areas of our lives go hand in hand with one another.  I am thankful for the love that he shared with me as well as the continued love and support that he offers.  I am thankful to have been born into his family and I just pray that God will continue to use him to minister to me and to my family.  I would be remiss if I failed to mention my father-in-law.  Although he passed away in 1995 I can still remember the love and care that he possessed for his family.  Papa dealt with some health issues as well as some other challenges in his life yet he still maintained a desire to love God and love his family. Papa made a difference in my life during the years that I have been a part of his family.  I know that he always offered his respect and encouragement to me as the man who married his first daughter.  I am thankful to have been known as his first son-in-law and I am thankful for the influence he had on my life.

I came across the following words in one of my recent devotions and I wanted to share them with you today.  We need to recognize those "good men" that God has placed in our lives.  Fathers are not perfect but many fathers desire to do their best for the families.  Offer these men a word of encouragement and thanks as we celebrate and honor them this weekend.

Faithful fathers are not a fantasy, but a reality rooted in the fear of the Lord and who care for their children. They are compelled by their heavenly Father to provide a home that nurtures, disciplines, accepts, and loves. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). They research and discover creative ways to win over their child’s heart for Christ.

Faithful fathers are friends with Jesus. They see Him as a model of unselfish service, generous giving, radical responsibility, and the selflessness to put the needs of others before His own needs. “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Dedicated dads find strength to carry on from Christ’s affirmation and accolades. They father for the audience of their heavenly Father.

Lastly, faithful fathers lead their children to know, love, and obey their heavenly Father. This is your most vital role as a dad. Children learn from your life how to live, but they need to hear from your lips how to believe. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Tell them the scriptural stories of salvation, sin, forgiveness, and faith. Joseph’s perseverance, Esther’s courage, Moses’ leadership, David’s repentance, and Ruth’s encouragement are examples lived by role models for them to emulate. Ask God for the wisdom and grace to be a faithful father. 

Father's Day

I am certain that most of you realize that this coming Sunday, June 17th is a special day of recognition and appreciation for our earthly fathers.  I have been speaking about our Heavenly Father over the past few days but this morning I want to share some thoughts concerning our need for godly earthly fathers. 

First of all, I want to preface my remarks by saying that I am thankful that I was raised under the influence of the Ten Commandments.  Yes, I am going to say it, I was raised in a home that believed in the authority of the Bible.  I was raised to understand that God would make a difference in my life if I would be willing to love Him and serve Him.  I was taught to "honor my father and mother" as well as the other senior adults in my life.  I am intelligent enough to know and understand that these individuals were not perfect and by the way they never taught me that they were perfect.  But I was taught that they loved me and that they would do their best to protect, provide, and care for my well being.  In other words there was responsibility on the part of both parents as well as children.  They would take care of their parental responsibilities and I would respond to them in love, respect, and appreciation.  I do see a missing element in our society at this point in time.  I believe the element of responsibility is missing in many of our relationships in this present culture. 

We face the challenge of people either ignoring their responsibility or simply choosing to deny their need to take responsibility for their actions.  We live in a world in which the "blame game" is used in many situations in which people choose not to take responsibility for their actions.  We choose to blame others rather than taking personal responsibility for our conduct and actions.  The men of our nation must remember that it takes more than simply the birth of a child to make a man a father.  A true father is a man who will make a  life long commitment to love, nurture, encourage, train, discipline, and fulfill a host of other responsibilities.  Being a father is not easy but it is rewarding.  I ask each father to take some time this week and review your commitment to your responsibilities to your spouse as well as your children.  Stop making excuses, step up to the plate and fulfill your role to those individuals that God has placed in your life. 

Praise

I am convinced that there is a powerful connection between praise and petition as I continue to reflect on the Sunday evening service at New River Worship Center.  Throughout the day on Monday I sensed that the Spirit was reminding me that I need to consistently and constantly review my personal "praise meter" and make sure that I am offering praise and thanksgiving to God.  The control panel on many of the newer model of vehicles allow you to immediately review the air pressure in your tires; the amount of fuel in your tank as well as your miles per gallon; the direction in which your vehicle is headed, oil gauge, temperature, as well as many other things.  If these things are true concerning our vehicles how much more should we be concerned about the condition of our soul?  In which spiritual direction are headed?  Are we full of the Spirit of God or is our life running on empty?  What is the temperature of our soul?  Is our relationship with God hot, cold, or even luke-warm?  What is the level of our "praise meter?"  Yesterday I referred to Psalm 34 in my post but today I want to share some of those verses with you.  I encourage you to take the time the review these passages and see if they speak to your heart.  According to the Bible the Word of God is powerful and I believe that it will speak to your heart as you meditate and reflect on its words.

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad. 3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  5 They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces shall never blush for shame or be confused. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers.  8 O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.  9 O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear. 10 The young lions lack food and suffer hunger, but they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing.  (The Amplified Bible)



Unique Service

On Sunday evening we gathered for a time of Praise & Prayer at New River Worship Center.  I had felt impressed to lead the church in a specific time of reflection and remembrance of the wonderful and mighty things that God has supplied in our lives.  Is it possible that we fail to give God adequate praise and thanksgiving (take a moment and honestly evaluate this question)?  There are times during prayer that I just "rush" into sharing my requests and very little time and energy is invested in the offering of thanks to God.  I must ask myself, "Is this truly pleasing God and does it truly bring honor to His name?''  How can I expect results to my petitions if I have not taken time to thank God for what has already been accomplished in my life?  Take a moment and read Psalm 34.  I truly believe that God desires and deserves to be praised.  I want this post to stir your thought process concerning the need to exalt and magnify God.  God deserves to be lifted up above the powers of this world and His name deserves to be exalted.

Last night we sang songs, we offered testimonies, we shared some of our favorite scripture passages, and we told of songs that have ministered to us at various times in our lives.  It was so refreshing to hear people "share a slice of their life" with their spiritual family members.  The atmosphere of the room was  charged with emotion and passion as people shared their stories with others who were sitting in the room with them.  There were some events in which we were familiar with the facts of the situations but there were also testimonies shared about personal situations in which we were completely unaware.  But each of the testimonies possessed one common theme; the people were overcomers through the mighty presence and power of Jesus Christ.  The situations they faced had caused them to allow their faith to be released rather than be overthrown.  I will declare one more time, THERE IS POWER IN PRAISE!  Rest assured this will not be the last time that we take some time away from our "order of service" and allow the Holy Spirit to direct our hearts in worship and praise. 

Why don't you make some time in your busy schedule today and offer God the praise and thanksgiving that He deserves?  You will feel stronger when that time of praise and adoration is completed.

Feelings on Inadequacy

Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (NKJV)

Many of us learned to quote this passage of scripture at the beginning stages of our walk with Christ.  We realized that we would face situations that would challenge us to grow, mature, and see our Christian relationship develop and we knew that we would need to depend on a strength or power that was greater than us.  But even after all of these years of my journey there are moments that I still feel inadequate as I face the daunting realities of life.  There are times that I feel inadequate when I seek to assist others in learning more about Christ.  There are times that I feel inadequate when it comes to dealing with conflict with others or even seeking to assist others in dealing with conflict with someone in their life.  There are times that I feel inadequate in my role as a Gospel preacher. There are times that I feel inadequate in my role as a spiritual leader in my home, the local church that I serve, and in the community in which I live.  It is at those moments that I must choose to lean on God and not on my own strength.  It is at those times that I must learn to lean on the direction of the Spirit and not trust in my wisdom  or even in the wisdom of other men.  It is at those moments that I must allow the promises of God to come alive in my heart and fully realize that this passage in Philippians is TRUE.

No one likes feelings of inadequacy, but they are some things we must learn to handle, as none of us can avoid them permanently. Tragically, though, many people live with a cloud over their head because in their thinking, they never measure up. For some, this may be due to childhood experiences that negatively affected their self-image. For others, the problem stems from a lack of success related to work, relationships, marriage, parenting, or any number of things.  We must choose to move beyond these feelings of inadequacy and trust in God and then trust in ourselves to follow after the plan and purpose of God.  God will lead us into the right actions and the right reactions if we will will fully place our hope and confidence in Him.  We can overcome any strategy that the enemy places against us if we will continue to seek after the plan of God for our lives.  God will provide what we need as we face the different challenges of life.  Trust in the promises of His Word and the strength of His Spirit!

Weekend Perspective

I am always amazed when God takes unique situations to teach valuable lessons that contain spiritual principles that are intended to change our perspective toward Him.  As we were celebrating Communion on Sunday morning at New River Worship Center the Spirit began to renew a revelation found in the Word of God to me.  Communion encouraged me to remember that one of the purposes of the birth of Christ was to open the door for God to draw near to each of us in a personal manner.  Do you remember that the Christ child would be called "Emmanuel" which means "God with us?"  I have read that declaration on many occasions and I have even shared that meaning in various sermons through the years but Sunday that truth became very real to me as I partook of the elements of the Sacrament.  God truly desires to draw close to each of us as we deal with the various decisions and challenges of life.  I must never forget that principle and I need to allow that principle to be revealed and received in my heart on a daily basis.  How many times has the devil told you (me) that God is not interested in us and that His presence is no where to be found in our lives?  How many times has the devil told us that God has forgotten about us as we are facing the challenges of life?  But I have come this morning to remind you that those statements are another trick of the deceiver.  The enemy seeks to fill your mind with lies that will pull you away from God but the Spirit is at work reminding us that He is as "close as the mention of His name."  In faith we can call on God at any moment and at any time because He truly seeks to draw near to each of us.  Thank you Holy Spirit for reminding me of one of the wonderful promises of the Word of God!

Words & Actions

A few days ago I participated in an "email" conversation with a friend of mine. We were discussing various ideas and sharing our thoughts concerning these subjects. One of the subjects that we were discussing dealt with our personal character and how it relates to our Christian witness. We came to the conclusion that our actions need to match our words. It is easier to talk the talk than it is to walk the walk. Words are easy to declare but making the decision to take appropriate actions is based on our solid commitment to Christ as the Lord of our lives. Our daily walk needs to match those things that we declare to be the Truth. I finished that conversation with a renewed determination to make sure that my actions match my words. I read a portion of a poem that spoke to my heart and I would like to share it with you. "You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day; By things that you do; By things you say. Others read that gospel, whether faithless or true! Say! What is the Gospel According To You?" Is our life revealing the message of the Gospel?