Monday's Musings

James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (NKJV)

First, I want to offer praise to God for the wonderful service that we enjoyed at New River on Sunday morning. It was very cold on the outside but the sanctuary was warm with the ministering presence of the Spirit. I am CONVINCED that God is at work in this world and I am CONVINCED that I want to join with Him in this process. We need to remember that God is calling and not drafting people to follow Him. I don't believe that God will force us to participate with Him but I believe that God is calling us to join Him in the process of spiritual liberation of those who are in need. Will I (you) be willing to offer our sincere service to Him and be willing to release my faith when He calls me to take the appropriate action?

I kept hearing the Spirit remind me that I must be willing to position myself to take action when God calls for my response. We can read numerous stories in the Bible where God called for His people to take action. These stories are found in both the Old Covenant as well as the New Covenant. I sense that God is looking for faith and that He recognizes the release of sincere faith. James 2:20  declares this principle; "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works in dead?" (NKJV) (Emphasis added) 

I believe that we choose to ignore the truth of the matter that there are times that God calls us to combine our faith with our obedience to do what He is requiring at that moment. I may feel led to share a offering with a missionary but I have to be willing to reach into my pocket or purse and produce the offering. Do you realize that we practice this principle on various occasions in our natural lives?

We make an appointment with our Doctor because we are ill. We enter the examination room for the diagnosis. The Doctor provides his best analysis of the illness that is affecting us and he prescribes a medicine that he believes will solve the problem. The nurse takes the prescription and forwards it to the Pharmacy. We leave the office and at some point in the day if not immediately we will drive to the Pharmacy. Why do we go the Pharmacy? The Doctor has told us that there will be medicine waiting for us at the Pharmacy and he has even provided the directions for us to follow. We follow the Doctor's directions and we find ourselves feeling better. Some of us are even on daily medicines possibly for the remainder of our lives to circumvent a disease or affliction that is in our body.

Isn't it amazing how we resist invitations from God that might call for a response or call for our participation? Yet, we realize, understand, know and believe that He has the proper prescription for the ills of life that are facing us. GOD IS CALLING FOR OUR PARTICIPATION AND FOR OUR OBEDIENCE!! We just need to stop waiting and respond to the direction that God is providing for us!!

Friday's Reminder

This passage of scripture spoke to my heart this morning and my spirit was refreshed as I read the promises that are contained in the letter of the Apostle Peter. We are in the midst of a special time of Prayer and each of us needs to be reminded that God is very present with us and that God is fully aware of all of the struggles, challenges and attacks of satan that come against us. But we are able to continue "fighting the good fight of faith" because we have believed and embraced a living hope that is directly connected with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our hope is placed in Christ and not in any of the elements of our temporary and fickle environment. 

Verse 8 is a powerful reminder of the love and faith that can abide in the hearts of God's people. Read it once more, "whom having not seen you love, Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory." WOW, I am strengthened and encouraged through this declaration of Truth. We walk in the strength of verse 8 on many occasions as we express our exuberant praise and honor to God during our times of private as well as public worship. Have you ever sensed a "rush of joy" as you began to focus on the promises of God and then quickly began to remember those times in which God has intervened in your life? Isn't the Love of God simply amazing?

I encourage you to reflect on this passage of scripture as we continue to seek after the heart of God. We are praying for ourselves as well as for the needs of others. God is able to meet these needs and I am very determined to continue pursing the presence of God.

I Peter 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” (NKJV)

Encouragement

I would like to share a portion of a letter that I shared with the New River church body  a few days ago. We are participating with our brothers and sisters in Christ around our nation in a time of Prayer and Fasting. But for me it also a time of re-dedication and re-commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ. I have discovered that as I enter the presence of God through Prayer & Praise that I will sense the leading of the Spirit which will reconnect me with the reason that Christ came to this earth. There is true joy and freedom when we see our need of being about the "Father's Business." I pray that God will continue to deal with my heart in that manner and I also pray that God will deal with your heart in that manner. 

Let these words cause you to reflect on 2016 but also let them encourage you to trust God even more in 2017!!

We cannot change what has taken place in the year of 2016 but we can prepare our hearts to make the correct decisions that will confront us in 2017. I sincerely believe that God is calling each of us to draw closer to Him and the situations that we are facing are demanding that we make the correct decisions. We cannot afford to "squeeze God" out of our lives because we are so busy taking care of other things. I understand that we are all very busy with life but each of us needs to make sure that God receives "quality time" from us as we move forward into 2017. I am praying that our services will be a part of those "quality" times that will provide a spiritual impact on all of our lives. I know that I am even more serious in my approach to preparation, prayers, obedience and the presentation of the message that God places on and in my heart. I ask for your prayers as I follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in serving this local church as Pastor. 

This New Year will have its share of challenges for each of us but it will also be full of OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE GOD AND ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER!! I encourage you to be aware of those opportunities and seize the moment as you offer your service to God. We have entered into the first week of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. I have certainly sensed the refreshing presence of God in my times of prayer. I am looking forward to what God has planned for us as we continue to move toward the promise of His coming. I encourage you to join with me in seeking God for a closer and deeper relationship with Him. I believe that needs to be the priority in each of our lives.

Prayer Time

Good Morning on this third day of 2017!! I trust that you are enjoying the blessings of God and that each of us are recognizing and remembering the goodness of the Lord on a daily basis. We must learn to praise God for His "daily benefits" and I truly believe this daily recognition of God will prepare our hearts to receive the fullness of all that God has prepared for us to receive. I can remember some words from a song that I have heard in my lifetime; "When the praises go up, the blessings come down."

I know that many believers are involved in the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting but I would also like to encourage you to be involved in "21 Days of Praise." There will be times that our praise will be the "sacrifice of praise" because it is by faith that we see our need being met. I have learned to practice this scriptural promise on many occasions in my life but my "sacrifice" soon turned into heartfelt praise and thanksgiving as I reviewed and remembered the presence of God in my life. Would someone join me in saying PRAISE THE LORD?

I would like to share a passage of scripture with you today as you prepare to enter into your time of Praise and Prayer.

Psalm 86:4-6, “Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
⁵ For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

⁶ Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.” (NKJV)

Blessings on your journey with Jesus Christ!!!

It is Time to PRAY

Psalm 27: 7-8, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When You said, “Seek My face, “My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (NKJV)

I trust that you were blessed with a safe and enjoyable New Years Weekend. I know that the weekend of celebration has not officially ended since today is considered a "holiday" in many aspects of our society such as work and school. I was blessed and honored to be able to celebrate the Savior of the World on New Years Day. Let me add that the presence of the Savior was rich, humbling as well as challenging in the service in New River Worship Center in Radcliff, KY. I truly believe that these are the days that the Spirit is calling us to draw closer to God and at the same time the enemy of our soul is doing everything that he can to stop that process from taking place.

I also believe that the modern day church faces the same challenge or call that David references in the passage of scripture that I have shared with you today. We face a major decision in the church world. The correct decision hinges on whether or not we choose to respond appropriately to the call of the Spirit or will we continue to just make plans that satisfies the "fleshly" or natural part of our lives while the spiritual part of our lives are becoming empty and dry? 

The enemy of our soul has convinced us to take care of ourselves and the desires that we have at work in our lives. The Apostle Paul warned young Timothy about this reality with these words in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

These words are challenging to say the least but the Apostle Paul recognized the fact that we would be in a war with ourselves as we traveled this road of life. 

Don't you believe that it is time to wake up and be alert to the tactics, strategies and devices of satan? We take time time for everything that we want to do and for everything that we want to accomplish. Will we take time for God? Will we take time to pray? Will we take time to draw near to God? We will take time to provide moments of pleasure, recreation, fun and relaxation for ourselves. There is certainly nothing inherently sinful about those decisions but at the same time are we "squeezing" time for God out of our lives? Will we take time to make room for God today in the midst of our busy lives?

I am encouraging you to join with me and other believers around our nation in 21 days of prayer, fasting and reconnecting with God through specific times of sacrifice and self-denial. Let us say NO to the spirit of ME FIRST and YES to GOD!! I truly believe that we will become "better people" if we will follow the directions and guidance of the words in Psalm 27. Will you take the time to make that commitment today? 

Pre-New Year Praise

This may be my last post before 2017 arrives. I am looking forward to being in church on the first day of the New Year. It will be a wonderful privilege and blessing to "ring in the New Year" in a house of worship offering my praise and thanksgiving to God. That anticipation leads me to share what the Spirit placed in and on my heart this morning.

We live in a world of entitlement; a world that bathes itself in selfishness; a world full of people that has lost respect for their self as well as respect for others and a world that is growing more unthankful as time goes by. I felt the Holy Spirit nudge my heart this morning and remind me that those attributes do not need to be operating in the lives of His children. We need to be the anti-dote to the attitudes that seem to be very visible in our modern day society. 

Psalm 100 began to resonate in my heart as I reflected on the goodness of God and the greatness of God that I have witnessed in 2016 as well as all the previous years of my life. Time would not allow me and my memory would be unable to recall all that God has done in my life. God recognizes our human frailties and understands our human limitations. But God has provided us a "venue" that allows us to express to God our sincere appreciation. I call it the venue of praise and David expressed God's viewpoint of this venue in Psalm 107: "Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness; and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (NKJV)

I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to join with me in offering thanks to God via the "venue of praise" that He has prepared for us as we prepare to say good-bye to 2016. I fully understand that each of us have faced days of trials, troubles, challenge, and difficulty. But it is also true that during those days we sensed the nearness of the presence of God. "Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord..." In some cases we would not have been able to make it through those moments if had not been for the Lord being with us. 

Let us begin the New Year by reflecting on the goodness of God in the previous year (s) of our lives. "Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness..." Let us begin the New Year by being determined to become a "person of praise." "Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness..." 

Some of you are aware that my Dad passed away this year. I had the privilege of praying with him and my Mom on many occasions the past few years and especially the last few months of his life. He would always say these words prior to praying together, "Mike, we are going to close out by praising the Lord." We would offer our prayers to the Lord. And I would begin to hear Dad start offering his praise to God and his voice would begin to grow softer and then I would hear the phone click and I new that Dad had walked away from the phone offering His praise to God. I plan on closing out 2016 by offering my praise and thanksgiving to God. "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness..." 

Psalm 100: “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! ² Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. ³ Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. ⁵ For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” (NKJV)

Looking Back Yet Looking Ahead

Ephesians 3:20-21, “ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (NKJV)

We are quickly moving toward the conclusion of 2016. I trust that each of you enjoyed a wonderful time of celebration at Christmas. First, we were blessed with a wonderful service on Christmas morning at New River. The presence of God was definitely with us as we turned our attention toward our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was both honored and blessed with the opportunity to share the Word of God with the congregation. Our family enjoyed a time of sharing our love with one another, our hugs with one another, our laughter and even a few tears with one another. We shared our gifts with one another and my wonderful wife provided a delicious meal that each one of us enjoyed, Our four grandchildren shared information and even some inspiration regarding four of the characters of the "Christmas story." The sharing of these insights into Christmas was a highlight of our time together. 

The wrapping paper has been put away. The last of the leftovers have been devoured. The gifts have been put away or worn already. The tree and decorations will soon come down and put away until next year. The Christmas music does not feel the same way as it did prior to Christmas. We will soon return to our "normal routine" of life. Some people will even make this comment that it was fun while it lasted. And others will be looking toward New Years Eve as one final "emotional high" prior before the 2016 ends. 

But where do we go from here? First, we certainly do not know what 2017 will hold. We are living in an era of time that is very unpredictable and can change very quickly. We also live in a world of uncertainty, confusion, distrust, division and even hatred. Where do we look and in whom do we trust? We realize that the fickleness of the world does not offer any lasting hope, joy, peace, comfort, etc. 

BUT WE DO REALIZE, UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE THAT THE PROMISES OF GOD ARE TRUE, STEADFAST AND UNSHAKABLE!! We place our confidence in God and His promise to love us and His promise to care about of us. I shared one of the promises of God at the beginning of this blog. I would encourage you to meditate on those words and allow the hope of that passage to take root in your heart as we complete the year of 2016 and prepare to enter 2017!!