Stop, Look & Listen

Many of us can remember these familiar words as we approach a railroad crossing.   We were taught to STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN!   We have read of accidents that have occurred at railroad crossings because a driver decided to disregard the flashing lights and the alarm bells that were sounding at that particular railroad crossing.  There have been times that drivers have even disregarded the oncoming train that they could identify as they approached the railroad track.   There have been drivers who have willfully chosen to ignore the wooden barriers that were stretched out over a portion of the track.  They have driven around as well as through those barriers because they assumed they could “beat” the train through the intersection.   People have been killed because they failed to stop, look and listen.  

 

The New Testament issues that same warning to us as Christians.    The Spirit uses the Apostle James in James 1:22-25 to issue that stern warning; “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” (NLT) (Emphasis added).    The urgency of his message must be faced. He is warning us not to be self-deceived about our very salvation.  We must realize that a true relationship with God requires an active response to the Word of God. We must be willing to put into practice those principles that God identifies to us through His Word. We should choose to embrace the Word of God rather than ignoring the Word of God. We must not forget what God is saying but it is equally important to apply those words to our life as it pleases God.

The Word of God

  The Spirit continues to motivate, stir, and work in my heart as I mediate on the power of the Word of God IF I allow it to perform its work in my heart. I am determined to do more than just read and hear the Word of God being declared in the midst of the congregation. I am even more determined to put the Word into practice in my life. Each of us need to remind ourselves of the important role that Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:21-29 (It would be very beneficial to read this passage to refresh your memory and understand the principle being taught by Jesus). Jesus is teaching that our lives need to be built upon the foundation of the Word of God. Yes, we need to hear the Word but we also need to take heed to the Word of God. The Word of God is alive and it does make a difference as we pursue the process of application to our daily life. Thank God for the influence and impact of the Word of God in our daily living.

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Today's post will be brief. I feel led to encourage you to be an encourager today. I received a text message earlier this morning that spoke encouragement to my heart. Immediately I was reminded of the blessing of encouragement as well as the opportunity to be an encourager. Each of us need to encourage others and each of us need to be encouraged as we walk through life. Take a moment today and share a word of encouragement with someone. You will be blessed and those that you encourage will be blessed and also strengthened through your kindness.

SEA, Part 3

I am very much interested in providing encouragement as as well as information concerning the need to strengthen our relationship with Christ. I truly believe a strong and developing relationship with God is not only in our best interest as a believer but it will also serve as a "silent" witness to those we associate it with on a daily basis. Our relationship with God was never meant to be a burden or duty rather it was meant to be an opportunity to strengthen our bond and communication with our Heavenly Father. Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ affords us the opportunity to spend time with our Heavenly Father through prayer, meditation, and reading His love letters (the Bible). Doesn't that sound interesting and intriguing to anyone who desires to know someone else in a deeper more intimate manner?

 

I want to address the spiritual activity of prayer. Don't stop reading just yet. Give me a moment to develop a thought that God placed in my heart this morning. The passage of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 was placed in my heart. The Word reveals this encouragement, "pray without ceasing," (NKJV). I have often used the words, "spending time in prayer." And yes, I still believe that we need to spend quality time in personal praise, prayer, and intercession. I base that belief on the teachings of the Bible. But God spoke to my heart in another manner today. Rather than focusing only on a "time of prayer"; I would be better off to focus on living in an "attitude of prayer." The development of an attitude of prayer would become a decisive action that I choose to take so that my heart would consistently be turned to God in obedience and surrender. We know that far most of us praying 24/7 would be nearly impossible. But maintaining an attitude of prayer is not impossible. I can live in a manner in which my heart is open to God for guidance, direction, correction, inspiration, service, etc. An attitude of prayer allows me to focus on the will of God rather than fulfilling my own desires, wishes and plans. Would you take this challenge with me? Let us begin today by asking God to develop within each of us an "attitude of prayer." I firmly believe that we will notice a difference in our lives as well as a difference in the lives of those that we interact with on a daily basis.

SEA, Part 2

I continue to sense that God is stirring my spirit regarding the need to be prepared to strengthen our relationship with God through putting into action those spiritual principles that are revealed and declared in the Word of God.  We must move away from passive Christianity into an active "living out" of those principles that are able to make a difference in our lives as well as the culture in which we are living.  People can see the difference in our lives when we are living in an active participation with God which produces true and complete transformation.  I am convinced that true transformation concerns the enemy of our soul.  I believe the enemy becomes very concerned when we put into practice spiritual principles into our daily living.  I am determined to be a person of spiritual action and not just a man full of information about the things of God.  We must put information into action for it to truly play a beneficial role in our lives.

 

One of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is "faith."  The word faith in this verse conveys the idea of "a person who is faithful, reliable, loyal, and steadfast.  It pictures a person who is devoted, trustworthy, dependable, dedicated, constant, and unwavering."  Paul reminded Timothy of the need to choose "faithful" men when he chose leaders in the local church.  Paul reminded the Corinthian church "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."  The leaders and stewards were required to be devoted, trustworthy, dependable, dedicated, constant, and unwavering. 

 

Each of us must be willing to put our faithfulness to God into action.  Each of us must demonstrate our dependability, our unwavering commitment to Christ, our sincere heart of dedication and our devoted service to the cause of Christ.  What is the reading on our "faithfulness meter" today?  Does it read in the negative or does it read in the positive.  Would your family and friends describe you as a faithful person who is truly committed to God and His purpose for your life?  Let us take some time in prayer and ask God to examine our faithfulness to Him and to His Word?

SEA

The last blog post reminded each of us of the need of the development of a SEA in our spiritual lives. The Word of God challenges us to take those Spiritually Enhancing Actions that will truly benefit our relationship with Jesus Christ. Each of us must make this deliberate decision and choice so that we can grow stronger and more mature in our walk with Christ. Let us take a brief look at a spiritual discipline that Paul shared with Timothy.

 

I Timothy 4:12-15, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. (NKJV)

 

Each of us must develop and maintain a teachable and humble attitude as we give attention to those areas of our lives that need spiritual strength. Making the decision to follow Christ brings us into the process of conversion and transformation. This process of transformation reveals those areas of our lives that need to be changed or adjusted so that our life can more fully reflect the presence and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Transformation reveals some old habits or lifestyle actions that need to be changed and it also reveals some new habits or lifestyle actions that need to be developed. The Word of God and the Spirit of God will reveal these opportunities of change to each of us. The larger question in this process hinges around our attitude toward those revelations. What will be our attitude toward God? What will be our attitude toward the changes that God requires? What will be the attitude toward our own heart? Will we resist these revelations and will we justify our actions as merely "who that I am?" These moments of truth will allow us the opportunity to enhance our actions/response toward God. Let us make a decision that we will display an attitude that is teachable and that we will walk in humility toward God. God will reward that type of heart and people around us will be able to identify that God is performing a good work in our lives. Take a moment and read the words that Paul shared with his protege and spiritual son in 1 Timothy 4.

PED's or SEA

The past several years has introduced the acronym PED to our language and to our literature. To our dismay and chagrin we have learned that PED stands for Performance Enhancing Drugs. We have learned that some of our favorite sports stars have admitted to the use of illegal drugs that would provide them a decided advantage over their opponent. Some of these individuals have come forward on their own volition while others have been identified through failed drug tests or witnesses who have shared damaging information with the proper authorities. I in no way claim to be an authority on this problem but I do believe that this can allow us to understand a spiritual principle that needs to be in operation in our individual lives. We are in desperate need to understand our need of having an advantage over our spiritual enemy as we travel through this world on our way to our eternal destination.

 

I want to briefly introduce a new acronym to you today. It is the acronym SEA. SEA can stand for Spiritually Enhancing Actions! I believe that the Spirit has the weaponry that each of us need to be able to have a decided advantage against our enemy, Satan. Satan seeks to hinder, destroy, and defeat our faith but the Word of God has provided and continues to provide the strength and courage that we need to overcome and defeat our spiritual enemy.  But I have a key question to ask each of us, "Will be willing to put into action those spiritual principles that will enhance and strengthen our warfare against our spiritual enemy?" I am convinced that God has provided the means that we need to defeat and overthrow the attacks of the enemy that has arisen and continues to arise against each of us. I will address some of these actions over the next few days. Feel free to share your ideas with me as you review your lists of actions that we can take against the enemy of our soul. 

Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (NLT)

 

We have been studying the fruit of the Spirit on Wednesday night at New River Worship Center.  This passage is one that reminds us of the fruit that God desires to reveal through our lives.  This passage allows us to understand the process of spiritual growth that God has planned for our lives.  Our lives are meant to reveal the heart and character of God to a lost and hurting world.  Each of us are challenged to examine our lives in light of this powerful revelation of truth.  It is not always easy measuring our lives through the principles of the Bible.  I had rather choose to measure my life through my comparisons with my fellow human beings.  I learn to justify my failures and weaknesses as I look at others and rationalize that I am a better person than them and that my life more fully reflects the life and character of Christ.  How can I avoid the fallacy of that practice?  How can I avoid the trap of pride and arrogance?  How can I avoid the temptation of comparing myself with others rather than comparing myself with the Word of God?  One of the ways to avoid those afore mentioned traps is to pray through the "fruit list" from Galatians 5:22-23. The NLT Bible lists the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask God to help you grow this fruit in your life.  Ask God to examine your heart and your motives as you prepare to serve and follow Him.  Ask God to examine your interaction with those people that God places in your daily life.

Spiritual Development

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)

Our spiritual growth in our relationship with God is meant to develop on a daily basis. God has provided believers with the support "tools" or disciplines that will assist us in the process of this development. It is our responsibility to apply these tools or disciplines to our daily lives.  Let us remind ourselves of one of the spiritual tools that God has provided for us. Nurture your spiritual development (growth) with God’s Word — I know that many of us are already putting this spiritual discipline into daily practice. But when you read the promises of God, again and again, it helps you remember that He is at work, even when you can’t see him at work in your life. I read that statement in a devotional a few days ago and found that it was an encouragement to me.  I was blessed to realize that the Spirit is always at work in the affairs of mankind.  There are days that I recognize the presence of God more than I do other days. There are days I sense my spiritual progress more than I do other days. But the promise of Hebrews 11 reminds me that faith encourages me to keep looking to God to fulfill and complete His work in my life. Place your hope and confidence in the promises of God and trust Him to direct your daily walk.

Praying with Faith

Many people around our nation are involved in a time of Prayer and Fasting. This special time of prayer allows us to begin 2013 with a deeper desire for God and a deeper commitment to God. Prayer is the medium that God has opened to us and prayer allows us to release our faith. I have been blessed to see the release of faith on many occasions as I have served in the ministry for the past 41 years. I have been amazed as people have chosen to stand strong in faith in their quest to see needs met in their lives or in the lives of their family or friends. Over the past few years I have met two ladies who have exhibited strong and determined faith when it came to the salvation of their husbands.  One of those ladies prayed for over 40 years and the other lady prayed for over 60 years for the salvation of their companions.  Now, that is what I call "determined faith." They chose not to give up even as they saw the pages of the calendar turn day after day. They chose not to give up even when they saw no or little progress being made in the spiritual lives of their companions. They chose not to give up as they attended church week after week offering praise and thanksgiving to God for all of His blessings and provision. They chose not to give up when the enemy told them that all hope was lost. They refused to sacrifice their faith on the "altar" of doubt.  Rather they chose to trust in God and in the promises of His Word. Here is an example of the faith of one of the ladies; for many years she would save a seat next to her in church and tell anyone that asked that the seat was saved for her husband. I was privileged to be her Pastor when her husband began to fill the seat next to her in church. WOW, what an awesome God we serve today. Do not give up on your family or friends. Pray today and pray again tomorrow. Pray when you feel inspired and pray when the devil tells you not to pray. Pray with faith! Pray with hope! Pray with courage! Pray with passion!

Prayer

It is amazing to look at the responses of people when prayer is mentioned. I have noticed that some people take on a "stare of unbelief" when they are encouraged/challenged to initiate a conversation with their Heavenly Father. Why are we so frightened when prayer is mentioned? Are we simply afraid of "messing up"? Are we concerned about using the right words? Are we afraid that some other person might actually hear us? (Remind yourself of that fear the next time you have a conversation on your cell phone in a public place.) Each of us can have our own set of reasons/logic as we discuss our avoidance of a personal time of prayer. Let us lay aside all of the excuses/reasons for a brief moment and embrace the wonderful opportunity to enjoy a conversation with our Heavenly Father. God, our Father, invites and encourages us to just call on His name and He will listen to our call. Stop making prayer so complex. Prayer is simply a conversation between each of us and God. Take time to enjoy your conversation today!

Prayer

This past week was very busy and my time spent in writing on the blog was interrupted by the need of other ministry opportunities.  I trust that your time of Prayer and Fasting is proving beneficial to your journey with Christ.  In my opinion these times of intercession are meant to strengthen our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Yesterday I spoke about the need for Introspection and not Inspection.  It is easier to inspect the lives of other people rather than take the time and make the effort to allow the Spirit to explore the depths of our heart and soul.  Each of us are in need of the Spirit to do His full and complete work in our hearts.  Each of us need to make ourselves available to God and allow Him the opportunity to work His plan in our heart.  I am seeking to do my best to allow that to take place in my heart as well as encouraging you to allow the Spirit to work in your hearts.

 

I read a prayer by Bro. Ron Allen a few days ago and that prayer spoke to my heart.  I would like to share that with you today as we continue our journey of seeking after the heart of God.

 

"Dear God,

Please forgive me. I sometimes look at those I see and get frustrated by the way they are. Some are angry and act ugly. Others have no desire to do what is right. Some just want to "party" and live like the world all the time. Some are lazy. Some are hurting and holding on to bitterness. I don't always understand why they are that way. Then I, in my frustration, become angry and grumble. Forgive me for my ungodly attitudes and complaining. I am sorry. Help me to see the potential in others and to pray for them more and criticize them less. I pray that through my prayers to you and through my Christian testimony and example and through my words and deeds, these people would come to know you or come back and lay their issues on the altar. I pray that we all will lift our burdens to you and drop them at your feet, so that you can take them away and guide us in the way everlasting. Please relieve our griefs and burdens and replace them with your peace. Please bless us as we serve you. Please help us and pick us help when we stumble. Thank you for your mercies. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."


Prayer Thought

Today is the second day of our 21 day intense time of Prayer & Fasting.  You are joining with many other believers across America as we seek after God and remind ourselves that we are truly in need of a deeper relationship with Him.  One of the prayer guides that I referred to this morning spoke about the need for personal transformation.  I would like to encourage you to spend time in asking God to continue His work of transformation in your individual life.  It is easy for believers to become trapped in the bondage of the status quo.  We learn how to perform the activities of Christianity and fail to allow the Spirit to continue the process of depositing Life into our lives.  Each of us need to see the work of God taking place in our lives.  It is easier to inspect the lives of others and in doing so we fail to have an attitude of introspection concerning our personal walk with Christ.  It is also possible that we can expect so much out of others and require so little from ourselves.  I encourage each of us to allow the Spirit to look deep into our hearts and lead us to make the appropriate changes that may be needed.

2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY!

 

We extend our New Year's greetings to each of you in the mighty name of Jesus.  2012 was a year in which God revealed Himself in marvelous and powerful ways.  We have seen miracles of salvation, healing, deliverance, encouragement and many other significant Divine interventions in our lives.  We can begin 2013 with a heart of praise and thanksgiving for the provision that God has provided for us in 2012.  We can begin 2013 in faith as we read the Word of God and understand that God is already present in our tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).  Be encouraged as each of us realize that we are not alone and that Christ has promised to travel the road of life with us.

 

January 1 marks the beginning of a 21 day special emphasis on Prayer and Fasting.  Place time in your schedule to spend some extra time in prayer.  Surely each of us can recognize the need for more of God in our lives as we face the daily challenges of life.  Prepare your heart to make some additional sacrifices over the next three weeks as we purpose in our hearts to draw closer to God.  God promises to draw near to those who draw near to Him (James 4).