Thursday's Challenge

I continue to sense God calling me to draw closer to Him. The continuing development of my relationship with God will position me to hear His Voice and it will position me to respond to His guidance. Conversations with fellow believers are revealing to me that many of them are sensing the same urgency in their spirit. I do not want my spirit to grow indifferent or rebellious toward the "things" of God. I desire for my heart to remain soft, seeking and sensitive toward the heart of God. He is calling but am I making the correct response? 

An old song that I heard as a child has been in and on my mind for the past several days. the song asks this question; "Where can I go, Oh where can I go, seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to help me in the end. Where can I go BUT TO THE LORD?" (Emphasis added) 

I am very concerned that the present day church is facing a struggle that we may choose to ignore or either look the other way hoping that it will disappear. There is a battle taking place in each of our lives. It is the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is seeking to awaken our hearts but the "flesh" (carnal thinking) is encouraging us to ignore the influence of the Spirit in our lives. Our carnal attitude will go as far as convincing us that we are "good enough" in our present condition and the call from the Spirit is for the "weaker" brothers and sisters in Christ. Don't we realize that type of attitude can create a spirit of self-righteousness and arrogance in our hearts that can produce an attitude that becomes hardened to the things of God? The hardening of our hearts will ultimately lead us down the path of rebellion and disobedience!! OUCH!!

I am convinced that the anointing of the Spirit in our recent services is calling each of us to seriously examine OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!! It is easier, simpler, and far less challenging to examine everyone else but ourselves. OUCH AGAIN!! Let me hasten to add that I am speaking to myself as well as to you who are reading this blog. But, lets be honest, do we have the time to be trapped in such foolishness? Don't you think that it is time for the people of God to "rise up" and take authority over the flesh and allow God to finish what He has started in us at our conversion? 

God is calling each of us to realize that we have no other "safe place" to turn other than to God. "Where can I go but to the Lord..." We must rebuke and resist the allure and attractions of the "gods of this world" and turn fully and completely to the Lord God Almighty!! Does God have our heart or only a portion of our heart? I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE CHALLENGES OF THIS DAY AND TIME ARE DEMANDING THAT WE IDENTIFY THE LOCATION OF OUR HEART? Jesus said that we are either with Him (taking up our cross and following Him) or we are against Him!!

Tuesday's thoughts

An old song that I heard as a child has been in and on my mind for the past several days. the song asks this question; "Where can I go, Oh where can I go, seeking a refuge for my soul? Needing a friend to help me in the end. Where can I go BUT TO THE LORD?" (Emphasis added)

It appears that God is using these words to remind me of some Biblical principles  that I need to keep alive in my spirit and life. It is one thing to read the Bible. It is one thing to know some of the content of the Bible. But it is another thing to allow the Word of God to find a place to come alive in our hearts and lives. I truly desire for the Word of God to make a difference in my journey of life and I encourage you to set the same goal in your life. 

These words from Tony Evans challenges my heart today. "You can go to all of the church services you want, read all the spiritual books you want, even do all the Bible studies that you want, but experiencing all God has planned for you comes only through aligning yourself under and abiding in the one who reigns over all, the exalted Lord Jesus Christ." 

Each of must reach the point that we willingly surrender our lives to Christ and allow His Word to resonate in our hearts. The participation with the Word of God will make a difference in our journey of life.

I would like to share some verses that spoke to me this morning:

1 Peter 1:18-19, “ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (NKJV)

Psalm 61:1-4, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. ² From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ³ For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. ⁴ I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah” (NKJV)

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV)

Luke 9:23, “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (NKJV)

Thursday's Thoughts

I would like to share a portion of a letter that I sent to our church family on Wednesday. I am convinced that God desires to "AWAKEN THE CHURCH IN AMERICA." The Holy Spirit first deposited that "call" in my spirit over 12 years ago. The spiritual and moral condition of our land has continued to head in the wrong direction. BUT God is still our Hope and our anchor. I encourage each of us to continue turning our heart to God and allow Him to complete His work in our lives. 

1 Peter 5:8-9, “ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (NIV)

I am writing this note with a heavy burden for the needs of others today. This note is not meant to discourage or overwhelm your faith and your trust in God. BUT IT IS MEANT TO SPEAK A NOTE OF REALITY INTO OUR HEARTS AND LIVES!! The scripture passage that I shared with you reveals to us that the enemy of our soul is not playing games. The word "devour" seeks to imply as well as reveal to us the true intention of satan. He is determined to use every tool in his tool box to completely destroy our relationship with God and "devour" our soul in the process.

This "burden" is not predicated on an attempt to stir your emotions by some form of spiritual hype or salesmanship. The texts, emails, calls and personal conversations shout out these concerns loudly to me as well as to you on a daily basis. People are struggling spiritually, emotionally, physically as well as financially. In some cases each of these struggles are all connected within one situation. And at the same time the enemy is seeking to lull the family of God into a state of "spiritual sleepiness." Satan desires for the church to settle for the routines of religion rather than the CONTINUING development of our personal relationship with God. We take time for everything that we view IMPORTANT yet we allow our relationship with God to grow distant, cold, stagnant and on spiritual life-support. I know these are strong words, but I am VERY CONCERNED about the challenges that families or individuals are facing at this very moment even as I am typing these words. WARNING: MANY CHRISTIANS ARE TAKING TIME FOR EVERYTHING BUT GOD!!

The Holy Spirit will not allow me to set idly by and observe the condition of our society and not raise my voice in opposition to the attacks of satan. A portion of my daily prayer cries out to God for a "spiritual awakening" in the church in America. I can sense and see the presence of God at work during our times of worship even in the midst of this dark, difficult, and challenging set of circumstances that we are facing. The Kingdom of God will win out but I must be involved in His Kingdom if I am going to receive the "winners crown." Our relationship with God MUST TAKE FIRST PLACE IN OUR LIVES!! We must seek Him and His Kingdom first and then observe God at work in all of the other areas of our needs. I understand that these words are challenging to say the least but I am also convinced that God is speaking to MY HEART and LIFE today!!

Chuck Swindoll: “And so, let us follow our earthly commander in chief with fidelity and loyalty. Let us walk directly into the sneer of the enemy with relentless resolve. Let us kneel before the Lord our Sovereign God with fresh faith. Let us trust Him through Jesus Christ our Savior with repentant hearts, with quiet confidence, and absolute dependence.”

Monday's Musings

I would like to reiterate a thought that I shared on our Facebook page over the weekend. It is truly my desire and hunger to connect with the heart of God. I believe that satan is doing everything in his power to interfere with our "connection" with God. I don't think that the devil is concerned about us knowing about God as long as we don't get to know God. I sincerely believe that there is a GREAT DIFFERENCE in knowing "about God" and "knowing God through a personal relationship. I do believe that it is possible that many believers in the present day church are trying to survive on knowledge rather than relationship.

It is also possible that many of us believe that just being "present" in church will satisfy that spiritual thirst that God has placed in all of us. The present day church attendance can also be very sporadic due to the fact that we place many "things of life" as more important than our time with God. But doesn't our relationship with God have more to offer than just being counted present? Jesus has promised us a journey that will produce "abundant life." Doesn't that  declaration sound like more than just getting a check mark by your name signifying that you WERE PRESENT AT AN EVENT? God has so much more to offer the present day church and I believe that it is TIME FOR EACH OF US  to stop settling for less and reach for more!!

The Spirit is challenging me to increase my level of faith which in turn will increase as well as strengthen my level of expectation. I sensed that "call" in service yesterday as well as in prayer this morning. Don't settle for the lies of satan! Don't settle for just going through the "motions" of a religious practice! Don't settle for the crumbs when Jesus offer so much more to each of us through the continuing development of our relationship with Him. 

I believe that far too many Christians have their spiritual relationship in PARK rather than DRIVE!! It is time for the present day church to move forward. Moving forward will move us out of complacency, excuse making, spiritual laziness, lethargy and a host of other fleshly actions that will move us away from God rather than near to God.

I would like to share some thoughts from John Maxwell.

"When Peter was a young fisherman in Galilee, no one would have thought he was destined to become the passionate leader of a world movement. After all, he had almost no education and probably would have been happy to live the remainder of his life in obscurity. But God had something else in mind, and when Peter met Jesus, his priorities began to change.

Like many leaders, Peter had to learn how to put first things first. In fact, Scripture reveals a lot about the inconsistencies of his behavior and his many irrational decisions. But the more time Peter spent with Jesus, the more he learned the difference between mere activity and accomplishment."

Thoughts on Thursday

I would like to share a passage pf scripture that has been speaking to my heart the past few weeks. This passage was the text for the message that I shared last Sunday and more than likely it will be the text for this weekend's message. I would encourage you take a moment and let the Truth of this passage be deposited into your heart. The Word of God is alive and powerful and NOTHING WILL EVER REPLACE THE ABILITY OF THE WORD OF GOD TO SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS!! I believe that is one of the reasons that satan desires for the present day church to be "spiritually illiterate." But I refuse to buy what the enemy is selling. 

Let the Word of God encourage as well as strengthen you today!!

1 Peter 1:3-9, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. ⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. ⁶ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. ⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. (NLT)

Rock or Sand

I believe that it is safe to say that we live in a world that is full of various ideas, opinions, concepts, and even the definition of truth. I understand that ideas, opinions, concepts, etc. have a definite role to play in our culture which is an important part of any era of civilization. But I am concerned when I see these ideas, opinions, concepts, etc. began to exert influence over our understanding of Truth. 

We live in a world in which people are being influenced, guided, directed, etc.by everything but the Truth of God's Word. The Bible has been identified as "out of date and out of touch" with the mainstream of society. Is it possible that mainstream society could be "out of touch" with God and His Word? 

Jesus taught us that it is important on which foundation we are building our lives. I would like to encourage you to read the words of Jesus found in Matthew 7. Jesus gives us an in depth teaching explaining the difference in building our house (life) on a rock or on sand. One house will stand and the other will fall.I can give you the Truth that Jesus spoke but it might be better if you took the time to read the lesson that Jesus shared. 

I will share my answer through the words of The Solid Rock. This song was written by Edward Mote.

1.      My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

o    Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

2.      When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

3.      His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

4.      When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.