Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Spiritual Direction

I would like to share a portion of the message that I shared this past Sunday at New River. I fully believe that each of us need to carefully examine the direction of our spiritual life. There are many distractions in our world which seek to move us off of the right course but we have the Word of God to which we can turn for truth and clarity for our lives. 

Psalm 119:129-136: Your testimonies (statutes) are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.  130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.  131 I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. 132 Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.  133 Direct (order, guide) my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.  134 Redeem (ransom) me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts.  135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.  136 Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law.” (NKJV)

J. Stowell In the book Fan the Flame shares the following inspiration about the word “heart” that we so often read in the Bible.    "Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person.   It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide.   It has been described as ‘the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,’ ‘the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,’ and ‘the center of a person.   It is the place to which God turns to and begins His work in our lives.’" (Fan the Flame, J. Stowell, Moody, 1986, p.13   

It is no wonder that the enemy of our soul desires to control our heart, the seat of our emotions.   He can control my life if he can control my heart.   That is one of the reasons that we must discover the right or correct directions as we travel the road of life. 

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Spiritual Guidance, Continued

Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. (NKJV)



Unfortunately there are many people in our world who are living shipwrecked lives because of a defective compass.   The Bible which is the Word of God is the only reliable spiritual compass that we can count on for accurate and precise directions that enable us to navigate the treacherous waters of everyday life with confidence.  Each of us needs to remember the words of Paul in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”

The enemy of your soul and my soul does not want me to trust the Word of God.   We can always count on what it says.   The enemy seeks to create an environment in which we are constantly doubting God.   When a storm of a life hits, why do we tend to turn to fear instead of faith?   It is during those moments that we take a fresh look at our “spiritual compass” and realize that the Word of God will lead us through the storm.

You may have heard the familiar old Chinese saying, “There is a good dog and a bad dog fighting within each of us.   The one that is going to win is the one we feed the most.”   The same is true when it comes to faith and doubt. We have to ask ourselves this question today; "What am I feeding my soul?" We must be careful to feed our souls the Word of God and allow the Word of God to direct our path and direct the daily decisions that we make. 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Spiritual Guidance

Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (NLT)

I truly believe that it does matter about the source of your and my spiritual influence. We need to be careful and examine the source of "truth" on which we are relying to lead us in the right direction. There are many sources of what is referred to as "truth" in our modern world but we can confidently put our hope, faith and trust in the Word of God. I would like to share a story that I recently read. This story reminds us of the importance of making sure that we have the right source of spiritual direction in our lives.

In 1804, the British ship HMS Apollo was leading a convoy of 69 merchant vessels to the West Indies on a route that put them parallel to the coasts of Spain and Portugal, about a hundred miles from land.   A storm arose on Sunday, April 1.   Even though it was April Fools’ Day, the captain was unconcerned because his compass assured him he was well into open sea. But in the wee hours of the morning, the ship wrecked against the jagged rocks of the coastline.

Jolted from their hammocks, the crew ran to their posts and tried to save the ship from the cold sea.   The waves crashed over the hull, flooding the ship from above amid the screams of shipmen still below.

As night gave way to dawn, the surviving crew were amazed to find themselves not a hundred miles from land, but wrecked against the Portuguese coast, which was littered with the debris from many of the other ships in their convoy.   Of the sixty-nine vessels traveling with HMS Apollo, forty were wrecked, some with total loss of life.   It was one of the greatest disasters in the history of British maritime shipping.

The captain of HMS Apollo faced court-martial, but he was acquitted when it was learned that the fault lay not with him - but with the ship’s compass.

Because the Apollo had taken on a large iron tank, the magnetism of the compass was thrown off just a little - just four degrees - and the error accumulated day after day.   As leader of the convoy, the captain had unwittingly led the others to shipwreck because his compass was defective.

Here is a simple but challenging question that each of us need to ask ourselves. Is the Bible the "spiritual compass" of my life?

Monday, September 14, 2015

Belonging to Christ

Philippians 2:1-2, "Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose." (NLT)

The words "belonging to Christ" grabbed my attention this morning as I was reading from the Bible. Isn't it a blessing to be included in that category of people? We often talk about civic clubs with which we are connected. There are people who are very proud to be counted as members of "fan clubs" of certain actors or actresses. But "belonging to Christ" carries with it many perks that the other afore mentioned clubs can not bring.

Paul refers to the "comfort of His love." Paul talks about the fellowship that the Spirit provides for the family of God.  Paul also reminds us that "belonging to Christ" also brings a tenderness and deep sense of compassion into our hearts. I am truly thankful that I am not embarrassed to declare my allegiance to Christ. A line from a song says, "He ain't never done me nothing but good." Once more today I can declare that God is a good God and that I am very thankful to be identified as a child of God.

"Belonging to Christ" opens the door for spiritual unity, spiritual agreement and spiritual cooperation within the Body of Christ. We can come together for the common cause and goal of worshiping and exalting Jesus Christ. We can come together for the common cause and purpose of promoting and sharing the Good News of the Gospel. We can come together with a common desire and call to love one another and encourage one another as we travel the road called life. We can also unite our gifts, talents, abilities and knowledge so that many "good and wholesome" things are accomplished for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Let me say it one more time, "I am thankful that I belong to God." I am honored to carry His name in my life and I am blessed to be associated with Him and His family business (reaching the lost and hurting in our world). 

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Standing Still or Moving Forward

Once again our Discipleship class last night was very challenging to say the least. We have been studying from the book of Philippians and looking at the Apostle Paul's encouragement concerning the development of our relationship with Jesus Christ. What would happen in the modern day church if we were as concerned about the development of our relationship with God as we are receiving the blessings of God? 

The teacher reminded us that it is possible that we spend much of our time gathering spiritual information but it is also possible that we are doing very little with the information that we may have gathered. Ouch!! Those words do hurt somewhat if we are honest with ourselves.  I had to ask myself this question, "What am I doing with all the spiritual knowledge that I have gathered through the years of my walk with Christ?" Am I actually making application of that knowledge/understanding to my daily life. 

I would like to share a portion of a letter that I wrote earlier this week. I ask that you review these thoughts with an open mind and heart and listen for the Spirit to speak into your life.

I read this passage of scripture this morning and I was challenged through the New Living Translation of 2 Corinthians 3:3, "Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts."

Did you ever hear the old saying, "You may be the only Bible some people read." Could that saying have come from this passage of scripture? I can't necessarily answer that question but I do know that our lives are visible to our families and friends. I also know that people do pay attention to how we conduct the affairs of our lives and that they observe our personal conduct on a daily basis. These thoughts remind me of the importance to do my best and represent Jesus Christ to the best of my ability. I realize that we are humans and that we possess our faults and failures but that does not excuse us from not allowing the Spirit to work in our lives and to direct us on our journey.

The words of a song came to my mind this morning; "If we ever needed the Lord before we sure do need Him now..." I truly believe that song is an appropriate cry from our hearts this morning. I want God to realize that I recognize that I need Him in my DAILY LIFE and not just every now and then. Our family, friends, and even our co-workers need to recognize our desire to follow Christ to the best of our ability.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Which Way Are You Going?

Psalm 143:10, "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing." (NLT)

For the past several weeks I have been encouraging our local congregation to pray for the students who have resumed their adventure in our educational environment. In my opinion there is a serious attack on the spiritual stability of all believers but especially on the young believers who are setting the direction of their lives. They are being inundated with all types of religious belief systems plus the "amoral attitudes" of our world in which the concrete ideas of right and wrong are being developed and shared based on public opinion. 

These are some of the reasons that this scripture reading this morning struck a chord in my heart. Let me hasten to add that each believer is facing the same attacks that I have mentioned. The enemy of our soul does not want the children of God to have any "firm footing" on which to stand. Has your feet ever slipped out from underneath you on an icy road or sidewalk? Have your ever been embarrassed on the position that your physical body ended up in as a result of the lack of "firm footing?" I truly believe that the enemy of our soul desires to lead us away from our "firm footing" in our relationship with Christ. The old hymn declares, "On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand..." 

Where are you standing today? Are you standing on the solid Rock, Jesus Christ or is your life being built on the shifting sand of the ideas, opinions, and suggestions of humanity? The Psalmist reminds us make sure that we are looking to the correct source for our directions. He tells us to ask God to "Teach me to do our will, for you are my God." Then he reminds us that the Spirit of God will "lead me forward on a firm footing." We must avoid the slippery slopes of deception, doubt, and discouragement. We must rely on the guidance and ask Him to direct our steps in the right direction.  

Friday, September 4, 2015

Growth vs. Indifference

2 Peter 3;18, "Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." (NLT)

Our Wednesday night Discipleship class raised some interesting discussion points. One of those points centered around our need as individual Christians to maintain our passion to grow or to seek maturity in our relationship with Christ. The title for this post was born out of that lesson and the follow up discussion. Do I continue to have a desire to grow or have I leveled off into a pattern of indifference toward my passion to know Jesus in a deeper manner?

The fleshly side of me initially rejects such an idea because I want to maintain a super-inflated opinion of my relationship with Christ. I don't have any trouble identifying that characteristic in my fellow believers but I shun or reject the opportunity to take that inventory of my life. But the inspiration of the Spirit written from the pen of the Apostle Peter talks about the need to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." How will I respond to that challenge is the question that I believe that each of us must answer.

It is very easy to find a lot of reasons (better known as excuses) to explain my stagnation or indifference. We can call it a "season of life" that I am going through. We can call it a "dry"spell in my life. We can say that I am in a "spiritual battle" at this point in my life. We can say "Don't worry I have got this under control and trust me I am not going to backslide." Each of us have heard and in many cases shared many of these above mentioned reasons but they still do not excuse us from not having a passion to grow in our relationship with Christ. 

I recently read these statements that were written by Rick Warren. "This will really shock you: Sometimes I don’t feel like praying or reading my Bible. But I do it. I’ve found that if the only time I pray is when I feel like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it. If the only time I read my Bible is when I feel like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it. Maturity is when you live your life by your commitments, not by your feelings." 

Have you ever felt that way? How did you respond to those feelings/emotions? Did you follow your desires or did you follow your commitments to follow Christ? Our walk with Christ will require more than simply having an emotional response to the presence of Christ in our lives. Our walk with Christ will require a life-long commitment to the ongoing development and maturing of our relationship with Christ. I believe the spiritual regimen of commitment is a challenge to the modern day church. 

But I believe the success of our journey with Christ will depend on our decision to commit our lives to Christ and to follow Him to the best of our ability.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Noise vs. The Right Voice

I would like to share a portion of an email that I shared with some absentees from last Sundays's service at New River. It is important to discern the "voice" that is leading our lives today. There are many "voices" vying for our attention today and these "voices" seek to influence our thinking and ultimately direct our path of life.

I would like to share a scripture with you that was in one of my devotional readings this morning.

Isaiah 48:17, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go." (NKJV)

Two things grabbed my attention as I read this passage this morning. First, the number of times that the words "I am" are used in the Bible. These words remind us of the greatness and authority of God. Second, that God will lead us in the right way if we will allow Him to take the lead in our lives. Proverbs 3:5-6 even reveals that promise in a deeper manner. You should read that passage at the first opportunity you have.

There are a lot of "spirits" that seek to lead our lives in this day and time. There is only one Spirit that we can trust and that is the Holy Spirit. But there is so much "noise" in our lives and this "noise" seeks to muffle the voice of the Holy Spirit. We will either listen to the flesh or we will listen to the Spirit. We have to make the choice. We have to ask ourselves this question on a daily basis, "Am I listening to the Voice of the flesh or am I listening to the Voice of the Spirit?"

I would like to encourage each of us to examine the true influences in our lives. It seems to me that many people are deciding to ignore the direction and guidance of God for whatever seems to be working for them at any given moment. It appears to me that we so easily lay aside or completely ignore the principles of the Bible for our own selfish desires and plans. But our earthly decisions do effect our eternal destination. We must make our choices wisely as well as correctly. 

The Spirit of God will lead us if we will take the time to listen for His guidance!!