Wednesday's Word from the Bible

2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (NKJV)

Do you remember this old saying; "Tie a string around your finger so you want forget." Then the challenge would arise to remember the reason that we placed the string on our finger in the first place. Now we download games on our smart phones that are supposed to assist us in our ability to remember things that we do not want to forget. People have been known to write things on the palms of their hands, on their wrists and even on the back of their hand. Why did they take that action? They did not want to forget some morsel of an important fact or truth.

I can not tie a string on your finger and I can not not write on the back of your hand through this electronic communication but I do have some important information for you today. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE PROMISES OF GOD!! Many of you are just like me today. You are standing on the promises of God concerning certain issues/situations/challenges/battles/struggles in your life or in the lives of others today. You are believing God for yourself as well as for others. Do not give up or give in to doubt or fear. We have a great reservoir of riches from which to draw.

We definitely can not afford to give up on praying for our family and friends who need a relationship with Jesus Christ. There are times that we may need to revisit the promise that the Apostle Peter declared in our verse for today. God is not slack concerning His promise and His desire to reach out to those who need a Savior. 

Our present world is full of uncertainty but we can count on the certainty of God. I am still claiming the promises that God has spoken in His Word. I am still holding onto "God's unchanging hand..."

Tuesday's Thoughts

Ephesians 1:18, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” (NJKV)

I feel a very strong burden to share with you this morning. It is very seldom that I will be this personal as I share this morning. But the overwhelming presence of the Spirit that is lingering in my heart following Prayer Time this morning is directing me to share with you in this post today. I do not make that declaration in arrogance or boastfulness but I make it so that I can give the Glory to God and be obedient to His leadership. Today's Prayer Time was unique to say the least but I asked God to help me apply His Spirit to my life and apply His Words to my personal life, I also asked Him to let me know "what He would have me to do with what He placed in my heart."

It has been a while since I have felt such a strong burden from the Lord. That may be surprising to some of those who personally know me. I believe that the work of the Lord is very important and I take very seriously my responsibilities. I do not perceive myself as a "slacker" when it comes to the work of the Kingdom of God. I am FULLY CONVINCED THAT GOD IS NOT FINISHED WORKING IN THE MODERN DAY CHURCH. He is looking for someone, anyone, who will make themselves available to God. I am determined to offer my life to God and do my best to follow His leadership as He takes us into the challenging days that lie ahead of us.

Yesterday was Halloween. Much has been written both pro and con about this day of activity. I am not here to address that today; I am here to address All Saints Day. All Saints Day was originally established to recognize those "saints of God" who had entered into Heaven after their earthly life was concluded. Most Protestant congregations do not participate in the celebration. I am not here to promote that celebration but I AM HERE to share what God placed in my heart as I prayed this morning. My eyes are still filled with tears (some of you who know me may find that hard to believe) as I type this post. We need to remember those departed saints and the difference that they made in our lives as they traveled their road of life. We need to recognize those saints of God who are presently living among us in this day and time and we need to allow them to pour into our lives those life changing principles that will make a difference in our race of faith.

But here is the core of the burden that the Spirit placed on my heart today.  We need to remember those "spiritual first responders" (Pastors) who have a strong, burning, heartfelt desire to faithfully serve the family of God. I know that some of you may be thinking, "Hey, you are a Pastor and you are just trying to draw support for Pastors." I can tell you this with an honest and open heart before God that I have never felt such a heavy, weeping burden for the spiritual leaders as I did a few minutes ago. This was not a brief interruption but it was a moment of Divine intervention where the Holy Spirit brought my praying to a complete stop and I could not utter any words for a period of time. I was completely overwhelmed and mesmerized by the presence of the Spirit. I am unable to share all that I felt but there some key things that I need to tell.

Our Pastors are going to need more that catchy phrases such as "Pray for the Pastor." Pastors need more than fancy words or slick cliches; they are needing Prayer Warriors who will daily undergird them with strong prayers and tears. Pastors are going to need real encouragement from the family of God. Pastors are going to need people who will stand with them when the enemy of our soul comes knocking on their door as well as the doors of the church. Pastors are needing people to love them and encourage the gifts that these men and women of God possess. Pastors need smiles, warm handshakes, warm embraces and kind words. Are Pastors perfect people? Certainly not!! Are Pastors always right? Certainly not!! Are Pastors to be worshipped? Certainly not!!  Are Pastors the "star of the church? Certainly not!! Are Pastors to be respected and appreciated? Yes, they are to be respected and appreciated!!

These thoughts may offend someone today because they know Pastors who have failed, faltered and made poor decisions. Pastors are human beings who have their set of struggles and battles as well as everyone else. But I know many Pastors who are giving their best service to God and to His family. Take your eyes off of the negative and focus on the positive attributes that Pastors bring to the table week after week. Let us be thankful that God has given us some very good people who do watch for your soul and who watch for my soul. 

Thanks for taking the time to allow me to share my heart/burden with you. Remember to take some time to pray for your Pastor today!!!

Do You Hear the Alarm?

Romans 13:11-12, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (NKJV)

I truly believe that this principle that the Apostle Paul taught us is very applicable to the days in which we are living. I do believe that I hear the "spiritual alarms" going off as I look at the present condition of the world. I also hear the Spirit sounding the alarm in my heart as I pray, meditate, read the Bible and prepare messages to share when I am privileged to share the Word of God either in private discussions as well as public discourse. But what I am going to do with the alarms that are sounding? Will I choose to answer the call to God or will I choose to hit the "snooze button" and return to my comfortable "zone of sleep?"

I do not have time to list all of the alarms that are sounding in our present world. Some of these are of the personal nature as well as the conditions of our society. Many of us are sensing the internal "calling of the Spirit" to draw closer to God. But sadly many Christians are ignoring that call and choosing to remain in their present spiritual condition. Many of us understand the challenging times in which we are living but we are choosing to put our trust in our abilities, our ideas or our belief that we will not be captured by the powers of darkness. Both of these attitudes are dangerous and can lead us into a spirit of rebellion that chooses to ignore the call from God.

Light was meant to dispel darkness. A darkened room can become full of light with a simple flip of a switch. But that "light" switch has to be wired correctly and that light switch has to be connected to the proper power source to make a difference in the room filled with darkness. I desire for my soul to be wired correctly and I desire for my soul to be connected to the correct power source. 

Christians are called to reflect the light of Christ in this dark world. I remember a song from my childhood and a portion of the song declared these words; "This little light of mine, I am going to let is shine..." God is calling each of us to let our light shine in this dark, sinful and rebellious world. Will you let your light shine today?

Will we answer the alarm or will we choose to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep?

Thoughts on Thursday

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," (NKJV)

In a few days our nation will choose a new President as well as other governmental leaders throughout our country. This campaign season has been an unique one to say the least. The news media continues to remind us about the individual candidate who is disliked the most rather than the one that is the most popular among the citizenry of our nation. Is that just odd to me or has anyone else noticed that trend? I am sure that many of you are like me in this regard; you have been praying for God's will to be fulfilled in this decision facing our nation. We certainly need a leader that will be able to face our enemies with strength and courage as well as a leader that will successfully navigate the challenging internal "waters" that we are facing.

But I have also come to another conclusion throughout this political process. My hope is not in a Democrat, an Independent or in a Republican. My hope is in the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the universe. Yes, I still believe in Creation and I believe in the God who is the Creator. I have also arrived at another conclusion. I have concluded that we are in a "spiritual war" and our enemies are not flesh and blood. Although I understand that satan uses fallen humanity to carry out his plans for division, destruction and demise. But I also understand that Jesus Christ has power to defeat these enemies both internal as well as external. 

I must believe the Words of God found in the Apostle Paul's writings in 2 Corinthians 10. I am not fully convinced that all believers recognize the spiritual war that we are facing. It seems to me that some believers have been rocked asleep through complacency, unconcern, laziness, lethargy, apathy, pleasure, pride, arrogance, selfishness, lack of fervent passion for God, lack of reading the Bible, and lack of a consistent prayer life just to name a few "spirits" that I intercede against on a daily basis. BUT I REFUSE TO GIVE UP HOPE ON AN AWAKENING THAT GOD DESIRES TO SEND TO OUR LAND!!

To be continued,,,

Good vs. Evil

You have probably heard the words "Good vs. Evil" used at some point in your life. Politicians have used these words to describe the struggle between our nation and other enemy nations around the world. Have you ever seen an artist rendition of a small "good" angel and the small "evil" angel hovering around the shoulder of an individual person? This was used to remind us that we have both of these influences working for us and against us at the same time. I remember being taught as a child about good and evil and that I needed to avoid anything that was evil and even those things that even appeared evil. We have been taught that there is both good and evil at work in our lives and certainly both of these elements are found in our modern day society. 

I sincerely believe that the forces of both good and evil are at work in our modern world. I identify in my spirit that God is "up to something" good in the release of His Kingdom on this earth. I also identify the fact that satan is also at work in our world. In my opinion, the enemy seeks to destroy, hinder, defeat, overthrow and in some cases utterly overwhelm our faith. The enemy seeks to distract us. The enemy seeks to attract us to the strategies of sin both "large and small" if there is such a thing. The enemy seeks to discourage us through his various means of disappointment, disillusionment, despondency, fear, worry, doubt, unconcern, laziness, lethargy, apathy, lack of passion, etc. The enemy has a tool box full of weapons that he can use at any moment and in any situation if he sees that we have left open the door of our soul. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CLOSE THE DOOR OF OUR LIFE BEFORE SATAN CAN GAIN A FOOTHOLD IN OUR LIVES. I encourage you to take time and re-read the previous sentence one more time!!! 

I would encourage you to read James 4 at your convenience. The Word of God has a very powerful message to reveal to us. I have felt led to share two translations of James 4:7-8 with you today.

James 4:7-8, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.(NKJV)

James 4:7-8, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." (NLT)

Monday's Musings

Today begins a new work week in which many of us are preparing to enter. There are some people who may have begun their week on Sunday but the following words can also be applied to you. We can understand that God's presence will go with us regardless of the challenges/opportunities or difficulties that we may face. For the past few days the Spirit has been dealing with my heart concerning the need to recognize the presence of God in my daily life. I shared about it yesterday and still can not get away from the impression and revelation that the Spirit continues to place on and in my heart. 

I believe that it is IMPERATIVE that the present day church remember that we are not alone. The promises of God endures to all generations. I understand that these are unique and challenging times to say the least. But God has worked in previous days that were challenging and unique to that generation. Will be believe the truth of God or will we believe the lies of our enemy? I am placing my faith in the Word of God and I am placing my confidence in the ability and power of God to fulfill His promise to this generation of believers. 

I would like to encourage you today to make the decision to place your life in the hands of God completely and through this act of surrender we are declaring that we will TRUST GOD IN ALL SITUATIONS!!! God is present at this moment in our lives, just look for Him to reveal Himself to you. 

Wednesday's Weapon of Faith

Hebrews 4:12a, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword..." (NKJV)

I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is leading us to remember that we do have a weapon of spiritual warfare that we may be forgetting. We hear about authors who promote their book as an answer book for spiritual warfare. We hear about musicians and singers who promote their music as a means of "setting the mood" as we prepare to petition God to fight those enemies that are coming against us at any particular moment. We even hear about conferences/meetings that will provide us the "strategies" to overcome the attacks of evil, wickedness and darkness. Let me make this statement before I alienate many of you at the very start of this post. 1) I certainly read books on spiritual warfare. 2) I enjoy having music playing in the background when I am praying and even preparing a message. 3) I have attended conferences/meetings in which I have been taught about preparing my heart for spiritual warfare.

BUT I MUST ALSO SAY THAT I SENSE THE HOLY SPIRIT REMINDING ME ABOUT THE PROMISES OF GOD THAT ARE REVEALED IN THE BIBLE, THE WORD OF GOD!!!

People may feel led to share answers to some challenging and difficult questions. But I personally believe that the Word of God reveals the Answer to our world. Our answer is Jesus Christ and the authority with which He speaks. We see in the Word of God that the people even recognized the power and authority with which Jesus spoke as He was fulfilling His earthly assignment of ministry. I truly believe that is time for the present day church to recognize that same power and authority that is revealed in the Word of God.

Is it no wonder why the enemy keeps so many believers from reading much less studying the Word of God? There is power in the Word of God!! David hid the words on God in his heart. The Word of God has always played a major role in the lives of the people of God. What type of role is the Word of God having in our lives today? We must remember that the Bible is more than just a book written by human authors. 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." (NLT)