"The Invitation"

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

What a wonderful invitation given to us by our Lord. He invites us to come to Him. He wants us to be in His presence. He isn't a God that is far away. He opens the door of access to us. He makes Himself available to us. He doesn't have to. There is no reason why He should. He could keep us at a distance, but His desire is that we come to Him.

Not only does He invite us to come to Him, but we can come with our burdens and the load that we are carrying. It would have been more than we could hope for just to be able to come to Him but He invites us to come when we are "not at our best", when we are feeling down, weak and discouraged. When you approach an earthly king, you are not suppose to come before him with a sad countenance. You are to approach his presence with gladness of heart. Thankfully, that is not the case with our wonderful Lord. As a matter of fact, He wants us to come before His presence when we are burdened and heavy in heart. That is the whole point of His invitation to come to Him. He wants us to come so that He can do something about our burden. He wants us to come to Him so He can give us rest; so He can wipe our tears away; so He can give us His peace.

I wonder why it is that when we are under a heavy burden, going through a difficult time or feeling the pressure of trying situations, instead of going to Him we stay away or even draw back from Him. Why don't we take advantage of His invitation? Why don't we make our way into His presence? Why do we let the tears, the pain, the confusion cloud the path that leads directly to Him?

This morning, you have an invitation to come to Him- the One who bears your burdens, who gives peace and rest. Are you going to reject the invitation by staying away, or will you take advantage and not only enter into His presence, but find the rest and help you so desperately need?

Have a great day. The invitation to come into His presence is given. Are you going to come?

For further reading:
Psalm 34:18
Matthew 11:29,30
James 4:8

"He Rescues"

"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." Psalm 145:18

This morning I woke up with one line of a song that we sing in church repeating over and over in my thoughts. "I called, You answered, and You came to my rescue." There is so much truth, hope and comfort in those few words.

When we call upon the Lord, He answers us. It doesn't matter if we call upon Him for help, for strength, for guidance, in a time of need, of trial, of adversity- He answers and comes to our aid. It doesn't matter how great the need is when we call, He does not lack in strength or ability to meet the need. How comforting to know that He will come to our rescue and not leave us on our own to try to deliver ourselves, solve our own problem or figure out a solution.

Are you in a place where you need to be "rescued"?  Rescued from grief, worry, fear, a financial burden, the pain of a broken relationship, confusion that continually clouds your thinking or from some besetting sin? Call upon the Lord. Trust Him to answer you. Believe that He will rescue you. Know that He loves you deeply and will not stay away from your cry. He will rescue you because when you call, the Bible says He draws near to you. When He draws near to you, then He is close enough to reach you and lift you out of whatever you are needing to be rescued from.

Have a great day. Call on the Lord, He will answer and He will rescue you.

For further reading:
Psalm 99:6; 44:6; 91:14,15
Isaiah 65:24
Jeremiah 33:3

"Whose Plans?"

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Our life consists of plans- one plan after another. The question is, "Whose plans are we going to follow?" We have plans for our lives- plans that will take us to bigger and better things. Other people have plans for us- they want to tell us what we should do and how we should go about doing it. The devil has plans for our lives- plans to destroy us. Then the Lord also has plans for us. Out of all those that we have listed above, the Lord is the only one who is truly qualified to make plans for us. His plans are good plans- they give us a hope and a future.

I want to ask you a question this morning, "Whose plans are you following?" If you are following the plans of the devil, you will be destroyed. If you are following someone else's plans for your life, you will wind up missing the best plan for your life. If you are following your own plans, you will eventually make a mess of your life. But if you are following the Lord's plan, you can't go wrong. His plans lead to eternal life and an abundant life while on earth. His plans are the only ones that leave us feeling fulfilled, satisfied and productive.

We have been given the freedom to choose whose plans we will follow. We can follow the wrong plans or we can follow God's plans. Perhaps you are struggling this morning with surrendering to God's plan for your life. If so, you are struggling against the one who loves you, cares about you and whose plans can only do you good and bring you lasting peace in the end. So surrender to His plan and gain hope and a future.

Have a great day. Out of all the plans that are presented to us, only God's plan can give us hope and a future.

For further reading:
John 10:10
Proverbs 3:6; 16:25
Jeremiah 10:23
Genesis 12:1,2

"The Root"

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

When we have issues in our lives, most of us are guilty of dealing with just what we see on the surface, we never get to the root of the issue. When someone has an addiction problem, they work on the addiction. When someone has an anger problem, they work on anger management. When someone has a problem with relationships, they walk away from the relationship. They are only dealing with what is on the surface but never the real heart of the matter.

Anyone who has done any gardening- be it a vegetable garden or a flower garden- knows that when you have weeds in your garden, you don't just cut down the weed at the surface of the dirt, you have to dig up its root. If you don't, it will continue to come back and you will spend your time constantly cutting it down.

The root to these issues in our lives is "sin". So we must deal with the sin issue. We can't deal with sin on our own, we need Jesus. Jesus came to deal with sin. He took care of it at the cross. He won the victory over sin. He destroyed its work in our lives. He set us free from its captivity.

How to deal with the root? Go to God and confess your sin. Ask Him to forgive you and wash you clean from it with His blood. Once I pull up the weed that was in my garden, I am then able to work on making the plants that I want to grow healthier. Spiritually speaking, we do the same thing. We spend so much time dealing with the effects of the sin that we neglect our spiritual growth.

If you have a sin issue in your life, deal with it at the root level. Get it out of your life through the power of the blood of Jesus. Then you can work on making His fruit in your life "healthier".

Have a great day. Go straight to the root of the issue and deal with it there.

For further reading:
1 John 1:9
Matthew 1:21
Acts 5:31
Ephesians 1:7
Colossians 1:14

"Uplifting Words"

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32

Would you mind this morning if I talk about how wonderful our glorious Savior Jesus is? He said in the verse above, if He was lifted up He would draw all men to Himself. I know that He was talking about the literal lifting up of His body, hanging above the earth on the cross for all to see. But I also think about "lifting Him up" through praise and adoration from our mouths.

Speaking of "lifting up". When you open your mouth, just what are you "lifting up" with your words? Are you lifting up Him or self? Are you lifting your problems up? Are you lifting your pain, your frustrations or bitterness? Are you lifting up words of criticism and condemnation? Are your words negative and unkind, or wholesome and edifying? We are never at a loss for words, and our words are always going to be either lifting something or someone up or tearing them down. Which will yours be?

So this morning, I want to lift Jesus up. He has been so good to me, why should I complain about anything. He saved my soul from hell, gave me a home in heaven, blotted out my sins, made me a new person, calls me His child, He supplies all my needs, He is with me always, He watches over me continually, He never leaves me and won't forsake me. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He loves me with an everlasting love and nothing can separate me from His love. As I lift Him up through my praises and thank Him for who He is and what He has done, not only does He draw others who hear my praise to Himself, He draws me near to Him also. When I get near Him, my words have to change because my heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving because of what He has done for me. And that leaves no room for the other words.

Have a great day. Keep your mouth filled with His praise.. continually lift Him up and you won't be lifting up the wrong things with your mouth.

For further reading:
Psalm 89:1; 34:1; 105:1
James 3:10,11

"Used In Big Ways"

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10

The cry of many Christian's hearts is that the Lord will "use them". They want to be "used" by the Lord to do great things. But each and everyday He opens up opportunities for them yet they "miss it" because they have their own idea of what that means and how they want Him to use them. Many are looking for Him to use them in some big, glamorous, open way where all can see.

Being used by God simply means "stepping up to the plate" to do whatever needs doing when it comes to your attention. One day a Samaritan was riding down a road and came upon a man who had been beaten by robbers and left for dead--- opportunity. A little servant girl discovered that her master Naaman had leprosy and told him about a prophet that could heal him-- opportunity. Giving a cup of cold water is not as small a thing as we think, it will receive a reward-- opportunity. Giving something to eat to a hungry person, or clothing to the destitute-- opportunity. Wiping the tears of the hurting, lifting up the hands of someone who is weak, a kind word when someone is feeling down, a gentle hug to someone who is feeling unloved-- opportunity.

The Lord gives us opportunities everyday to be used by Him to reach others with His love and reveal His glory. But we miss them because we are looking for some bigger, better work. Start taking time to notice what is going on around you. Look for "little" ways to touch someone's life, and do them. As you are faithful in the "little" opportunities that come your way, then the Lord can open up "bigger" opportunities.

Have a great day. Don't miss your opportunity to do something for the Lord because it isn't what you had in mind.

For further reading:
2 Kings 5:1-3
Matthew 10:42; 25:21
James 2:15,16
Luke 10:30-36

"Laziness"

"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Psalm 128:1,2

We live in an age and a society where everyone wants something for nothing. Everybody wants a "hand out". They want to have everything they want and not have to make any effort to get it. This trend is growing even among Christians. We have developed a "welfare mentality" or "everybody owes me" (including God) way of thinking. This is not what the Bible teaches. It teaches us that if a man does not work, he does not eat. It also teaches us from the verses above that it is a blessing to eat the labor of our own hands. There are those who are physically unable to work because of age or health issues, some are unemployed and looking for work, then there are some who are care-givers and have to look after someone else (this is a blessed ministry). The scriptures aren't talking about these people. It is talking to those who can work but aren't and are waiting for someone else to "labor for them". This is contrary to the Word of God and even God calls it "laziness".

Not only has this way of thinking influenced us in the "natural" but worse than that, it has influenced us "spiritually". When it comes to growing in the Lord, being discipled and following Jesus we want someone else to "labor" for us. We want to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Sadly, many Christians don't know the Word of God for themselves. They are "lazy" when it comes to opening the Bible for themselves and searching the scriptures. They depend on their pastors, the evangelists, the television preachers, their Sunday school teachers, etc. Did God give us these "gifts" to help us learn and grow? Yes, He did. But they were never intended to replace our personal relationship, devotional time, or study of God's Word. It would be foolish for me to think that someone else could live out my relationship for me with my husband. And it is foolish to think that someone else can live out my relationship with the Lord for me also.

God clearly says in His Word for us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling", not let someone else work it out for us. Spiritual laziness is a dangerous thing. For one, if you are always letting someone else "feed" you, and never "feed" yourself, how do you know that person isn't putting "poison" in your bottle? If you depend on someone else to "labor" for you, you will never have your own relationship with the Lord. If you don't have a relationship with Him, that means He doesn't know you. (He may know those who are "feeding" you, but not you.) If He doesn't know you, one day He will tell you to "depart from Me, I don't know you." Laziness is always detrimental. You might think you are benefiting because you aren't doing anything but just receiving. But in the end, you will discover otherwise.

Have a great day. Spiritual laziness can only lead to spiritual poverty.

For further reading:
Philippians 2:12
Matthew 7:23
Acts 17:10,11
Proverbs 6:6-10
2 Thessalonians 3:10
1 Timothy 5:8

"Vulnerable"

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." John 10:10a

There are three things that I have noticed that the devil tries to steal from us: our joy, our peace and our praise.

He tries to steal our joy because the joy of the Lord is where our strength lies. "The joy of the Lord is your strength". (Nehemiah 8:10) The literal meaning of this verse is, "The joy of the Lord is a well fortified place". If he can steal our joy then we are left exposed to whatever comes to attack us making us vulnerable and easy prey.

He tries to steal our peace. If he can steal our peace, again, we are left vulnerable because peace is like a garrison which guards our hearts and minds. Peace protects us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

He tries to steal our praise because God Himself- who is our strength and peace, and all that we need- inhabits the praises of His people. "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:3) Praise draws Him near to us and when He is near there is nothing that we lack. He is our peace, in His presence is joy, in short, He Himself is our fortified place. He is that safe place to us. In His presence we are not vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. In His presence we can see more clearly when the enemy comes to attack. In His presence we have no fear. In His presence we have the power that we need to overcome the enemy. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalm 91:1,2)

So when the enemy comes, be on guard and know that his goal is to destroy and kill you. And he does this by trying to steal your joy, peace and praise because without them, you are left vulnerable to his attacks and easier to defeat.

Have a great day. Do all you can to guard your joy, peace and praise, it is your safe dwelling place.

For further reading:
Psalm 91; 16:11

"Knowing Him"

"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:8

It is impossible for us to know all there is to know about the Lord while we are here on earth. The depth of who He is is beyond our ability to comprehend. Now we only see and know in part. There is so much more to Him and about Him than we have experienced. Peter, James and John walked with Jesus day in and day out- thinking they knew who He was- then one day Jesus showed them who He really was by taking them to the Mount of Transfiguration.

Although we will never know the fullness of who He is while we are here, we can know at least "in part" who He is. But that knowing who He is doesn't come all at once, it is a process. We learn who He is a little at a time. The disciples were with Him for a long time yet on more than one occasion we hear them asking, "Who is this?" Paul, the Apostle, after serving the Lord faithfully for years and walking in daily communion with Him, still prayed that he would "know Him". At Philip's request for Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus responded, "Have I been with you all this time and yet you still don't know who I am?". None of them had the full knowledge of who Jesus was, they were in the process of learning Him.

There is a knowledge that we gain about Him at salvation. We know Jesus as the One who saved us, placed His love on us and forgave us of our sins. But that is just the beginning of the process of "knowing" Him. In our verse above it points to how we can be "fruitful" in our knowledge of Him. It says that if certain things be in us, and abound in us, that we won't be "barren" in our knowledge of Him.

What are those things? Virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. (verse 7) We are to be diligent in adding these to our faith.
1) Virtue- seek to live a life of moral excellence and refrain from immorality.
2) Knowledge- seek to know, enquire into and investigate spiritual truths.
3) Temperance- self control.
4) Patience- steadfast endurance.
5) Godliness- reverence to God. Having an attitude to do what is pleasing to God.
6) Brotherly love- love one another
7) Charity- love

All these things come through the knowledge of the Truth- the truth of God's word. As we apply them, walk in them and practice them daily we are gaining a greater knowledge of who He is because these are the very character of Christ, and we are becoming more fruitful in our knowledge of Him because we are becoming more like Him.

Have a great day. Knowing Him comes through a process.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 13:9-12
Mark 4:41
Philippians 3:10
John 14:9
Matthew 11:29
Psalm 40:7

"The God of Communication"

"And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father...." 1 Kings 8:15a

While there is no way we can ever fully understand who God is because He is GOD-- the Omni-One who is so much higher and greater than we are-- the Bible does give us a clear description of Him to help us understand who He is to some degree. It tells us about God's nature and His character; what He likes and dislikes; and what He "looks" like. The Bible describes God as having eyes, hands, feet, ears and a mouth.

I am glad to know that God has eyes and He uses them to watch over me. I am glad He has hands to pick me up when I fall, and feet to walk with me so I am never walking by myself. But I am more glad, and grateful, to know that God has ears and a mouth. The ears and mouth are the two "organs" that are used in communication. We communicate with others by both listening (with the ears) and speaking (with the mouth). The fact that the Lord has ears and a mouth means that He is a God of communication. He desires to communicate with us. And the fact that He has both- ears and a mouth- means He desires to have a "dialogue" with us and not a "monologue" only. He wants to talk to us and also listen to what we want to say to Him.

Back at the beginning of creation, the very first dealing that God had with the man He had created came through His mouth. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them.'" (Genesis 1:28a) God started communicating with man at the very beginning... and He hasn't stop yet.

Are you living a life of communication with God? Does He talk to you? Do you talk to Him? Are you listening to what He wants to say to you? Those who worship idols and false gods don't have assurance that they are heard when they speak to them- because they aren't being heard. Their false gods don't have ears that hear and a mouth that speaks. They have to put their own words in their mouths. But we have the wonderful assurance that our God- the Only True and Living God- hears us when we call and then He answers.

Have a great day. The Lord God is a God of communication. Are you living in daily communication with Him?

For further reading:
Psalm 115:1-8; 66:19
Job 37:2
Habakkuk 2:18,19
Genesis 3:8,9

"Deceptive Influence"

"Be not deceived..." Galatians 6:7a

I had a dream early this morning that I need to talk about. The dream was lengthy so I will tell you the summarized version of it and what it meant. The dream is about the church- not one particular church but those who make up the church. I saw missionaries, church leaders and the laity. In the dream there was a man who had devised a way to control people. I went to the place where he was to free someone I knew from his control. When I got there, as I was confronting him, a whole group of people came into the place where we were. These people were under his control too. Yet they seemed so carefree, they were talking to each other, and acting like they were just going about their routine day. But they were there to get more material "blessings". What I thought was just one person under his influence was now a room full. I began to warn them who he was and the more I did, the more the man gloated over his power over them. I knew they were "bewitched". So I began to bind, loose and rebuke in the Name of Jesus what was going on and had them to do the same. These people left, no longer under his influence but with eyes wide open. But as soon as they left another group came in, then more and more and more and more. I was so deeply concerned that they did not know that this was not a good place. I got overwhelmed from trying to help them get free that at one point I caught myself passing out refreshments to those who were there while we were waiting- for what I am not sure, but for something to happen. I finally came to myself and went to the man- he was there the whole time- and told him he would not prevail, he was defeated. I knew there was power in the Name of Jesus- it had set the first group free. In order to reach all the people that were there and see them delivered I started singing as loudly as I could-- Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. They began to sing with me and got free of this man's power. Each time I would speak the Name of Jesus, this man and his influence was weakened more and more. The dream ended with the original person I had gone to try to help see set free getting free.

The concerning part of the dream is that these people (Christian people) were in the presence of evil and did not even know it. They were being influenced by evil forces and weren't even aware or discerning. They were going about enjoying life unconcerned about where they were and what was going on around them. They were only interested in the material things that they could have. It is scary too that these people- myself included, after a while- got comfortable with where we were. Being unaware and comfortable in the presence of evil- is called deception. Jesus warned us that deception and deceivers would come- especially in the days prior to His return.

The best part about the dream was that this evil person- who I believe represents the devil- was not "all powerful". All he had was an influence over them, but Jesus had the power to set them free from the deception. There is power in the Name of Jesus and it breaks the hold of the enemy- his influence, his strongholds, his deception. In the end- just as in the dream- Jesus wins and the evil one was defeated.

From this dream let me give you some points to remember and to use to check yourself.
1) Be discerning; do not be deceived.
2) Do not be materially minded; be spiritually minded. Keep your heart and mind fixed and stayed upon the Lord.
3) You can't help someone who is in bondage and deception if you yourself are in the same.
4) Don't grow weary in well doing; don't get comfortable in this world, it is not our home. Don't give up in the waiting times.
5) Warn people, care about them and help bring them to freedom from the bondage of sin.
6) Don't fear the evil one. Don't be afraid to go into his "camp" and see the captive set free. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
7) There is power in the Name of Jesus; all power is given to Him; the devil cannot stand against the power of the Name and Blood of Jesus; even his knee shall bow before Jesus one day.
8) Even if you have to stand against the evil one by yourself- stand. The Lord is with you and He will back you up.

Have a great day. Don't be the captive, be the one who is helping the captive get free.

For further reading:
Luke 8:12
1 John 4:4
Matthew 7:3-5; 6:19; 28:18; 24:24
Romans 8:6; 14:11
1 Peter 5:8

"Work Within The Law"

"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3

We all have goals and desires in life. Because of my Christianity mine are to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, touch people for Jesus so they may know how real He is and how much He loves them. I am sure that these are some of your goals and desires as well.

While these are admirable and in accordance with God's will as lined out by Him in His word, there is no profit in doing all these good works if there is no love behind them up. Instead we are just "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals".

There are Kingdom principles that we live by. Our physical works (giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name, etc.) and our spiritual worship (presenting ourselves as living sacrifices) all has to be backed by, motivated from and accomplished through love. Love is the primarily principle of God's Kingdom- because He is love. It is also the primary Law of the Kingdom- God does all things by and in accordance with His love. When asked about which commandment was the greatest, Jesus said that it was to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He revealed to us what the "Law" of the Kingdom was- it is love. Love is a law, as well as a Person, as well as the nature and character of God, and not just a warm fuzzy feeling, or a word that we use loosely. The New Covenant that God has made with us through His Son Jesus was established through love- John 3:16.

As citizens of any nation, state or city, anything we do, any business we conduct, has to be done in accordance with the law of that nation, state or city. Each time I purchase a new building to help house the ministry, I have to get a permit to do so because it is the law of this city. I can't operate "outside of the law"- I have to follow its requirements or be in violation. As citizens of God's Kingdom we cannot operate and do His business "outside of the Law" either- the Law of Love- or we will be in violation as well.

Have a great day. Do the work of the Kingdom, but do it within the "Law of the Kingdom"- the Law of Love- and don't be in violation.

For further reading:
Galatians 5:5
1 John 4:7,8
Matthew 22:36-40
1 Corinthians 13

"The Battle For Peace"

"Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." 1 Peter 3:11

I know we talked about this verse last week but as I was seeking the Lord this morning about what He wanted to say to us through the devotional, He gave me this scripture again. I would like to read it from the Amplified Bible. "Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]"

Each day new situations are arising in the world that can easily make a person fearful. Flood waters destroying homes and property; threats of terror attacks; the end of the world prediction; wars; talk of food shortage; a bad economy; nations coming against Israel; the reports of great earthquakes; etc. The world is in chaos. There is no peace to be found in it. The leaders of governments can't give it- on the contrary, they seem to make it harder on a person to have peace. The financial institutions can't give it to us either- many of them are closing their doors. Your employer can't give you peace-- there is no such thing as job security any more.

So where do you find peace in a chaotic world? Where do you find peace when everything around you looks like it is falling apart? Is it even possible to have peace when there is "no peace on earth"? Having peace is possible, but you have to go to the real source of peace. There are many false sources- we have named some of them already. But Jesus is the true source of peace. He is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He alone can give you the peace that you need to stand in adversity, when there seems to be no peace and when chaos and confusion reign.

I truly believe that the Lord is telling us to discipline ourselves to stay in peace. The other day we said that we have to fight to maintain the peace that God gives us. This morning I am reminding you that if you want peace you have to do more than just desire it, you have to "pursue" it. The translation of the word "ensue" here means: to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire it.

In order to have peace, you have to "fight for it". By this I mean you have to fight your own flesh, you have to fight fear, you have to do battle in spiritual warfare against the devil who tries to keep you from having peace. And in order to maintain your peace you also have to fight these same enemies- flesh, fear and the devil- so that they not steal your peace.

Have a great day. In order to have peace and maintain peace you have to do more than just desire it, you have to pursue it, seek after it, fight for it spiritually.

For further reading:
Psalm 56:3; 119:165
Philippians 4:6-8
Isaiah 9:6; 26:3

"And Again"

"And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." Hebrews 2:13

"And again". When we put our trust and faith in the Lord, it is not a "one time" thing. Yes, when we surrender our lives to Him there is an initial faith that we have in Him as Savior, but then we have to put our trust in Him over and over again as we follow Him as Lord of our lives. I may have trusted Him yesterday in my time of need, but again today I have to trust Him to supply all my need. I may have trusted Him in the past to see me through a devastating situation, but today if I find myself in dire need, I have to trust Him to be as faithful to me again today as He was then. Yesterday I looked to Him for wisdom and guidance, again today I must do the same thing. Yesterday when all was well in my life, I sang His praises, and again today when things in my life have fallen apart I will still sing His praise. This walk and relationship with the Lord is done daily, over and over again, continually, constantly. My faith, my trust, my hope, my confidence in Him is a repetitious things... I must repeat it over and over again, not just once.

When David faced the bear, he had to trust God to deliver him and give him the courage, strength and ability he needed to kill it. When he faced the lion, he had to trust the Lord again for the same. When he faced the giant he again had to trust the Lord. He had to trust God over and over again-- again and again, time and time again.

You may have trusted Him yesterday but you have to trust Him again today. You may have called upon Him yesterday but you have to call on Him again today. You may have seen His miracle working power yesterday but you can see it again today. He may have brought you through a storm in the past, and He can still bring you through any other storms that rage against you again today. You trusted Him then, trust Him again now. You trusted Him when things were well, trust Him again when things aren't. You trusted Him when all hope seemed lost, trust Him again in every hopeless situation. You will find that each time you put your trust in Him that He is faithful again.

Have a great day. We have to put our trust in the Lord over and over again, each and every day.

For further reading:
Lamentations 3:22,23
1 Samuel 17:37

"Fight For Peace"

"Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." 1 Peter 3:11

"Fight for peace" seems like such a contradiction in terms. You would think that in order to have peace you would have to cease from fighting or have no conflicts. On the contrary, most wars that have been fought throughout the history of the world have been fought with the goal of peace in mind. Tyrants, terrorists, rebels have risen up and sought to bring death, destruction and bondage to certain people groups and nations. They do this through physical attacks. In order to stop them, and in an effort to bring and live in peace, the retaliation comes in the form of wars. Thus, wars have been fought in order to bring about and ensure peace.

Now I come to the point of my message. We have a very real enemy who is out to steal, kill and destroy us- including our peace. When he comes, we cannot sit idly by and allow it. We must "fight" in order to maintain our peace. While peace is given to us freely through Jesus- He gives us His peace- we have to battle to keep it; not because He will come and take it away, but because the enemy will try to come and take it.

Staying in peace isn't always easy, especially when bad news comes, when the cares of this life seem more than you can bear, or when others are placing demands on you. Staying in peace isn't always easy when the devil brings his accusations, when he speaks his lies to you, when he brings fear into a situation, when he tries to place confusion in your path. But we must maintain our peace. And again, we have to "fight" in order to do so- we have to engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy. We have to fight the good fight of faith. We have to use the Sword of the Spirit (God's word) against the enemy. We have to go to God in prayer. We have to stand fast and unmovable. We have to apply God's word to our daily lives. We have to pray in the Spirit.

The word ensue above means to pursue. To pursue something is not always an easy task, but if you really want it you will do it. And in order to maintain your peace, you will have to do it... you will have to fight to keep it.

Have a great day. Peace is freely given from the Lord, but it is often maintained through a "fight".

For further reading:
1 Timothy 6:12; 1:18
John 14:27; 10:10
Philippians 4:6-9

"Yes, He Does Love You"

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39

Yesterday we talked about how satan is an accuser- he accuses the brethren, he accuses us to ourselves and he accuses God to us. We said that one of the accusations he brings against God is that "God is against us". Another one of his main accusations against God is that God doesn't love us.

Satan is always trying to convince us that God doesn't love us, especially when we make a mistake or yield to a temptation. He is there immediately with his accusations. The truth is that God does not and cannot stop loving you. He said so in His word. God loves us unconditionally. He loved us even while we were still sinners and enemies of His.

Satan will tell you that God has stopped loving you because you sinned. No, the sin did not separate you from God's love. It will break your fellowship with Him, it will hinder your relationship with Him, it will interfere with your ability to hear Him and it will put distance between you- therefore, you must confess your sin and repent of it- but it does not stop Him from loving you. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, did God stop loving him? We can see from God's reaction of what Adam did that He did not stop loving him. Sin now put enmity against God and man but it did not destroy God's love for him. While confronting him about his sin, God told Adam that there would come a Redeemer to reconcile mankind back to Himself. Why? Because God still loved mankind. Man's sin "messed up" the relationship, it "messed up" the intimacy, it "messed up" the fellowship, but it didn't "mess up" God's love for us. Thus we read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) He is pretty plain about the fact that He loves us- always has and always will.

Satan is your enemy and he is out to steal, kill and destroy your relationship with God. He does that through his accusations. If he can get you to believe them- especially the one that God doesn't love you- then the process of pulling you away from God has started. Let me ask you a question, "Who are you going to listen to and believe? Your enemy who is out to destroy you through his lies, or are you going to listen to the Lord who is "for you" and tells you nothing but the truth?

Have a great day. Sin will interfere with your relationship with God, but it doesn't stop Him from loving you, or else He would not give you the opportunity to confess it and get the relationship back right with Him.

For further reading:
Romans 5:8; 8:35-39
John 3:16,17
1 John 1:9
2 Corinthians 5:19

"God Is For Us"

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

The Bible tells us that satan is an accuser. He accuses the brethren. He accuses us to ourselves. He accuses God. The accusations that he brings against God are: God doesn't care about you, He has forsaken you, or God isn't for you, He is against you. He always comes with his accusation that God is against you and not for you when something goes wrong in your life or not according to your plan. He aims to steal, kill and destroy. And he is primarily out to destroy your relationship with God.

The best way I know of to destroy a relationship is to attack it in the area of trust. If you can't trust someone, it is very hard to have a relationship with them. Many marriages have broken up because of the trust factor.

The accusations that satan brings against God started all the way back in the Garden of Eden. "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4,5)
He accused God of withholding something "good" from them, therefore, breeding mistrust in God and lack of trust in His word.

When God "withholds" something that we perceive as "good", it could be because it isn't "good" at all. It could be that it might cause more grief, pain or sorrow in the long run. It could be that it might cause you to fall. It could be that it might, in reality, be a snare to you. But it is never because He is against you or doesn't care about you. On the contrary, it is right the opposite. God warned them about eating from the tree, not because He didn't want to bless them with good things, but because He knew it would bring "death" to them. His warning was a sign of His great love and care for them. They should have trusted that He had their best interest at heart and not listened to the accusations of the enemy.

Remember today that God has your best interest at heart too. He is for you. He isn't against you. He isn't "withholding" something from you because He is being "mean" or "untrustworthy". His very reason for doing so is because He does care about you. So stop listening to satan's accusations against God. They are all lies.

Have a great day. God is not against you... He is for you.

For further reading:
Psalm 118:6; 84:11
James 1:17

"Refreshed"

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19

"When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." We all long for times of "refreshing". Sometimes we feel as if our relationship with the Lord has grown stale or cold. This is why we look forward to revival services or conferences. The phrase "times of refreshing" implies that there are special occasions when we get spiritually refreshed. Most Christians tend to wait for those special times. But we need "daily refreshing" as well.

Each day has its own set of trials and problems that drain us. Each day we spend our "spiritual resources" ministering to others, helping the needy, encouraging a brother, praying for the sick or witnessing to the lost. Each day there are mountains to climb that exhaust us spiritually. Therefore, each day we need to be refreshed.

This refreshing doesn't come from watching Christian programs. It doesn't come from going out and doing more "works". It doesn't come from a prayer line. It doesn't come from counseling. Although there is nothing wrong with these things, but true refreshing can only come from one source and place-- the presence of the Lord. In His presence are pleasures evermore, joy unspeakable, peace that passes understanding, strength, grace and refreshing.

His presence is where the cares of this life, the worry, the stress and the fatigue are all washed away. Confusion can't stay in His presence. Fear can't stay there. His presence brings healing and restores our soul.

If you are in need of some spiritual refreshing this morning, don't run to the television, to your prayer partner, to a chair to set down and relax, instead run to your prayer closet, shut the door and wait until the presence of the Lord invades those weary places and the refreshing comes.

Have a great day. The refreshing we desperately need and long for comes from getting alone in God's presence.

For further reading:
Psalm 23:3; 16:11
James 4:8

"Peace and Love"

"Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 6:23

Peace and love are the two greatest longings of us human beings-- what we wouldn't do in order to have either one. Wars have been waged in the pursuit of peace. Pharmaceutical companies have made a fortune on the sell of medicines that promise to make you feel at peace. Many have compromised their values in order to keep peace. So many others "sell themselves" for love. Young girls have given themselves away having believed the words, "I love you". Children have engaged in acts of rebellion hoping that they might get some attention which to them would symbolize love. There are people of great means that would give it all away just to find someone who truly loves them and not what they have. Relationships have suffered and families have been destroyed because of lack of love.

We work so hard, pay great prices, compromise our values and morals just to have peace and love while all along peace and love are free gifts that we all can have. Peace and love are not feelings. They are not some emotion. They are not ideals. They are not abstract ideas. Both are embodied in a person- God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Love is a person- "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8) Peace is a person- "And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6b) "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace." (Ephesians 2:13,14)

This wonderful God doesn't just possess peace and love, He IS peace and love. And He has freely made both available to us, because He makes Himself available to us. We can have peace and love in our lives through having Him in our lives. And we can have Him in our lives because of the greatest act of love and peace that has ever been shown- Jesus' death on the cross. At the cross God's love was demonstrated and His peace was being poured out. No longer do we have to remain enemies of God because of our sins, we can come into a relationship of peace and love with Him.

Are you looking for peace and love in your life? You will never find it if you are looking in the wrong places. It is only found by looking in the right place, and that place is God Himself.

Have a great day. Peace and love are attainable, because they are found in a person-- His name is Jesus.

For further reading:
John 3:16; 14:27
2 Corinthians 5:19
Colossians 1:20

"Travel The Road"

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." Matthew 7:13

When we are born, we are born as travelers traveling through this life. We are all traveling on the same road- a road that leads to death and eternal damnation. Because of Adam's sin, sin was passed upon all mankind and death- eternal separation from God- as a result of sin. So as "travelers" through this life, we are all traveling on a broad wide "road" that leads us to death.

Because of God's great love and mercy, and His desire that none perish, He stepped into this world through His Son Jesus and provided a way for us to be able to get off that "road/way" and get on another that would lead in the opposite direction- to eternal life. Jesus is that way that leads to eternal life. But while we were born, without a choice, on the broad way that leads to eternal death, we have been given the choice as to whether we will stay on it or take the way which the Lord has so graciously provided so that we can have everlasting life.

Once we have made the choice to get on the road that God has provided that leads to life, we then have to travel it. The Bible refers to the way that leads to eternal life as a road, a path, a way, a highway. Roads were made to be traveled. That is their whole purpose. Roads are not resting places. They are not places where you "pull up a chair" and sit down. They are not camp sites. They are not places where you homestead. They are places where you travel. The point I am trying to make is- once we get on the way that leads to eternal life, we then have to travel it. We have to press toward the mark. We have to run the race that is set before us. We have to keep walking and not grow faint or weary. You don't get on it and then just stop.

There is another thing about roads- they lead to somewhere. If you continue to travel them, they will come to an end at a particular place. This road I am talking about will come to an end when we leave this earth, but it will take us to our destination-- right into heaven into the presence of the Lord forever. So don't sit down on the road, keep walking on it, it is taking you somewhere.

Have a great day. Which road are you on? If it is the road that leads to eternal life, are you traveling it or sitting down?

For further reading:
Matthew 7:13,14
Romans 5:12; 3:10
Hebrews 11:13,14; 12:1
Philippians 3:14
Genesis 5:24

"Sin's A Big Deal"

"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23a

When it comes to the subject of sin, we tend to be "flippant" about it. We take it lightly. We act as if it isn't a "big deal". We seem to have the attitude when we sin that- it's just a little sin, God understands, it will be all right, God will look over it.

We may have a causal attitude about sin, but as far as God is concerned sin is a "big deal".  Sin is a big deal or else the punishment for it would not be so great. God is a just God and because He is, when He administers punishment for a "crime" it is in direct proportion to the degree of the crime. If sin isn't a "big deal" then why is the punishment so great- death, hell, eternal separation from God.

Sin is a big deal to God because it took the sacrifice of His only begotten Son in order to pay the ransom price for our sins. It took the shedding of blood. It took the cross. The death of Jesus as the "Lamb who takes away our sins" was no little matter to God.

We have to change our attitude about sin and see it the way God sees it. If I committed a crime and was taken before a judge to face the punishment for my crime, it won't matter how I feel about what I did. I might think that it is not a "big deal". What will matter though is how that judge sees it. It will all be up to him. The sentence will be passed from his perspective, not mine. One day we will all stand before the Judge of the universe and the only thing that will matter is how He sees it.

Have a great day. Sin may not be a big deal to us, but it is to God.

For further reading:
Ezekiel 18:4
1 John 2:1-3
Romans 5:19
Genesis 2:17

"Change"

"My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change." Proverbs 24:21

For some time now the "buzz" word and cry has been for "change". We hear its cry ringing throughout our nation, the global community and even within the church. The desire to change comes naturally because we were created as beings who were designed for change. From the time that we are born until the time we die, we will be in a constant state of change- our appearance changes, our age changes, our maturity level changes, etc.

Change is not always a bad thing, sometimes it is needful. Sometimes change is neither good or bad- it isn't necessary but it is just something that we desire. Then there are times when change is bad and can be detrimental to us and those around us. This morning I want to address "change" as it relates to the church. If ever there was a day in which things are changing in the church it is now. The music is changing, the way we dress is changing, our activities are changing, the way we conduct services is changing. Is all of the changes we see happening bad? Not necessarily. But on the other hand, it is when it goes against the Word of God. For example, the church is changing by ordaining homosexuals to serve as pastors. This change is clearly in disobedience and rebellion against God.

Outside of the changes that are obviously in opposition to God's word and holy standard for His church, how do we know if the areas of change that we are moving into is actually a "good thing"? The answer is simple- does this "change" bring you closer to the Lord? Does it cause a holy fear and awe of God to rise within you? Does it bring you to repentance over the hidden sin in your life? Does it cause you to desire a deeper relationship with the Lord? When Jesus came to earth, He made some changes. He changed the way people worshipped God. Worship went from the killing of animals to worship that was in spirit and in truth. He changed the way to the Father- no longer through the priest and sacrifices but through faith in His sacrifice on the cross. The greatest change was in the covenant- He gave us a new one. A covenant that was not written on stone, but now written on the tables of our heart. All the "changes" Jesus made drew us closer to the Father.

Again, we have to ask ourselves, as a church and individually - is this a change that will bring me closer to Him? Not all change does. Some changes only feed our selfish desires, the lusts of our flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. So which is it doing?

Have a great day. Change is not always bad- as long as it is drawing you into a deeper, more surrendered relationship with the Lord.

For further reading:
John 14:6
Hebrews 7:11,12
Colossians 2:13,14
Philippians 3:21
2 Corinthians 3:2