While I appreciate the event that took place on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial, I wish it had been an event the Church has put on instead of a Radio Talk show Host. This event was amazing to say the least. It is unfortunate that the Media refuses to acknowledge how powerful of an event this actually was and are refusing to give any fair accounting of the number of people that attended this Event. While I watched on TV I noticed a common theme throughout the entire Day. People were Smiling, happy and getting along. I felt like I was at a Christian event. Not a religious event but a Christian event. People put aside their “Religious “views and doctrines along with their political views. No one was there to campaign for any politician or promote a particular Church. It was simply people from all creeds, religions and race coming together for one purpose. That purpose was to focus on God and remind the country of the Intent of our Founding Fathers and their desire to have a country built on religious freedom. I did not hear anyone complaining about our Country or its leadership. I did hear in the closing prayer, thanks given to God for our President and the leadership of our country regardless of personal feelings. This was a day and an event that focused on restoring our Country’s Honor. Getting back to the foundation that our country was built on. A lot of people want to argue the fact that our country was built on Godly principles and both sides have plenty of ammunition. There are many letters written between our founding Fathers that leave no doubt that they believed in God and would draw from the Bible for direction and strength. We will always have the argument between those who believe the Country was built on Christian Values and those who do not. That is not the point. The point is People Need Jesus. PERIOD.
What I saw on Saturday was people from all different faith’s and backgrounds coming together for a common purpose and that purpose was to promote unity in an effort to bringing our country's focus back towards God. Why do we continually allow the secular world to continue to do what WE as Christians should be doing? Why are people turning to Oprah , or Tony Robbins or even Jillian Michaels for answers? They may be able to make them feel good, give them a car or make them lose weight, but they cannot offer salvation. That can only come from Jesus Christ, who was sent to this world as a sacrifice for our sins. He paid the ultimate price that we might have eternal life. We need a revolution in the Church. Stop sitting on your hands while the world goes to Hell. If your not ready , Get Ready, Spend time in prayer, in reading the Bible and as you build up your spirit you will find that sharing Jesus will be natural. What is in your Spirit will be what is coming out. It is no longer acceptable for us to just go to Church and talk about it. It is time We Walk the Walk. People are hungrier than ever and are looking for answers. Over 500,000 people showed up for a Non Christian event about Turning to God. WAKE UP CHURCH !!!!!!!!!!
Can I Get a Witness?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The GOD Experience part 3
Finding that quiet place to communicate with God is not as easy as a lot of people make it out to be. With all the demands on our time these days it can feel like it is just another thing on our list. Having a list is not a bad thing, but time with God is not something you put on a list. What usually happens with your lists? They get lost, forgotten or too enormous and you just eventually forget about them. Take God off your list and make Him part of your regular day. Easier said than done, right? Getting this part is the critical piece to experiencing what God has for you and wants to do in your life.
Once you have come to that quiet place, our tendency is to start asking God for things and He does want us to come to him with our needs, but what He desires most is that we come to Him with worship and praise. You don’t have to be at church with a Full Worship Band and Worship leader to experience true Praise and Worship with God. Does not matter if you can sing, that is not what God is interested in. He desires your full attention and whatever sound you make is beautiful to Him. When we give our All to God and just worship Him, His presence will begin to fill the place you are in. You will begin to see Him clear and hear his voice. In Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah describes what he sees when he sees the Lord. “I saw the LORD sitting on the throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.” The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honor, praise, exalt and please God. When we worship we must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have salvation He so much wants to give each and every one of us. When we worship we come to Him humble and contrite, submitting fully to Him.
( from the interactive Bible http://www.bible.ca )
Jesus says in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." It doesn’t say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth". The word "must" makes it absolute. There is no other way we can worship God and be acceptable to Him. The word "must", according to Webster, expresses "an obligation, a requirement, a necessity, a certainty, and something that must be done". When "must" is used it means that it is not optional. Here the word "must" is expressing that in spirit and in truth is the only way to acceptably worship God. God seeks true worshippers, and He identifies them as those who "worship Him in spirit and in truth". Worshipping God in spirit and in truth is a serious matter which must not be taken lightly. If we have any regard for our own souls, we will want to make sure we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us. Acts 17:24-25 says, "God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things."
Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted to our own unworthiness. God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him. Our singing, praying, studying His word, giving, and communion are designed by God to bring us closer to Him and to cause us to think more like He thinks, thus becoming more like Him. James 4:8 tells us to, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a God-like and Christ-like character. We become like unto those we admire and worship. When we worship God we tend to value what God values and gradually take on the characteristics and qualities of God, but never to His level. As Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ." How do we take on the mind of Christ? In Romans 12:2 we read, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind as we study and meditate on God’s word and worship Him.
When we worship God we develop such traits as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love. All of this is preparing us for eternal life in heaven with God and Christ. As we are told in Colossians 3:2 to, "Set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth."
Do you want to live “The God Experience”? It all begins with you and how you approach the time you spend with Him. Give God your first and watch how your life will be blessed. If you just Dwell with God and let him work in your life, not only do you benefit but those around you will benefit. Allow God to be ever present in your Life and enjoy the Experience.
Can I Get A Witness?
K
Once you have come to that quiet place, our tendency is to start asking God for things and He does want us to come to him with our needs, but what He desires most is that we come to Him with worship and praise. You don’t have to be at church with a Full Worship Band and Worship leader to experience true Praise and Worship with God. Does not matter if you can sing, that is not what God is interested in. He desires your full attention and whatever sound you make is beautiful to Him. When we give our All to God and just worship Him, His presence will begin to fill the place you are in. You will begin to see Him clear and hear his voice. In Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah describes what he sees when he sees the Lord. “I saw the LORD sitting on the throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.” The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honor, praise, exalt and please God. When we worship we must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have salvation He so much wants to give each and every one of us. When we worship we come to Him humble and contrite, submitting fully to Him.
( from the interactive Bible http://www.bible.ca )
Jesus says in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." It doesn’t say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth". The word "must" makes it absolute. There is no other way we can worship God and be acceptable to Him. The word "must", according to Webster, expresses "an obligation, a requirement, a necessity, a certainty, and something that must be done". When "must" is used it means that it is not optional. Here the word "must" is expressing that in spirit and in truth is the only way to acceptably worship God. God seeks true worshippers, and He identifies them as those who "worship Him in spirit and in truth". Worshipping God in spirit and in truth is a serious matter which must not be taken lightly. If we have any regard for our own souls, we will want to make sure we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us. Acts 17:24-25 says, "God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things."
Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted to our own unworthiness. God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him. Our singing, praying, studying His word, giving, and communion are designed by God to bring us closer to Him and to cause us to think more like He thinks, thus becoming more like Him. James 4:8 tells us to, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
Our worship not only honors and magnifies God, but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop a God-like and Christ-like character. We become like unto those we admire and worship. When we worship God we tend to value what God values and gradually take on the characteristics and qualities of God, but never to His level. As Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ." How do we take on the mind of Christ? In Romans 12:2 we read, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind as we study and meditate on God’s word and worship Him.
When we worship God we develop such traits as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love. All of this is preparing us for eternal life in heaven with God and Christ. As we are told in Colossians 3:2 to, "Set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth."
Do you want to live “The God Experience”? It all begins with you and how you approach the time you spend with Him. Give God your first and watch how your life will be blessed. If you just Dwell with God and let him work in your life, not only do you benefit but those around you will benefit. Allow God to be ever present in your Life and enjoy the Experience.
Can I Get A Witness?
K
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The GOD Experience part 2
In the first part of this 3 part discussion, I talked about finding that quite place to find God and experience what he has for you. How do you find that quite place? How do you Hear God’s voice and then know it is Him that is speaking to you? Hopefully by the time I have written the final words in this piece, we will have a better understanding and be that much closer to Experiencing God.
You always hear people say, “ I want to know Jesus more “ or “ I need to have a better walk with God “ and then that is all they do, just talk about it. Starting out, talking about what you want or need is the right first step, but dwelling there will only bring you frustration and then before you know it, you have stopped thinking about all together. That is exactly what the Enemy wants to happen. The Devil is a thief (John 10:10) and he only wants to distract you and steal the time you have set aside for God. He will find those things that distract you and will even have you believing that what you are doing is justified because it is a good thing you are doing. Just because something is good, does not make it right. In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul acknowledges that even though some things are ok, they are not good for him. “ All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” In the Amplified version it says, “All things are legitimate [permissible--and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].” Paul realized that he had to eliminate some things in his life if he wanted to have the kind of relationship with Christ that was required. That is the first step in growing in your walk with the Lord. Recognize those things that alter your thinking and turn your back on them. It may be difficult at the time but once you are free of that obstacle, you will realize how much easier it is to hear the voice of God. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God”. It is in that time of quietness where you will begin to hear the voice of God and you will get clarity.
My In-Laws have a Cottage North of us and we try to get up there as much as we can during the summer. It has this beautiful lake and it can be very relaxing. There is the incredible peace about the place at the earliest part of the mornings, where the water looks like glass and you can barely even hear the birds. That is the kind of quiet place I am talking about. Where you have nothing to distract you and you can hear yourself breathe. That is a quite place. It does not take long before people start getting out on the lake and then before you know it, it is not so quiet and peaceful. Finding that quiet time and sticking to it will go a long way in developing your relationship and walk with the Lord and those distractions will become less powerful.
I’m reminded of a song by Delirious, “I Want to Know You More “.
In the secret
in the quiet place
in the stillness You are there
in the secret
in the quiet hour i wait
only for You
'cuz i want to know you more
i want to know you
i want to hear your voice
i want to know you more
i want to touch you
i want to see your face
i want to know you more
i am reaching for the highest goal
that i might receive the prize
pressing onward
pushing every hindrance aside
out of my way
cuz i want to know you more
i want to know you
i want to hear your voice
i want to know you more
i want to touch you
i want to see your face
i want to know you more
Let’s find that Secret place and begin t know Him more.
( stay tuned for part 3 )
Can I Get A Witness?
k
You always hear people say, “ I want to know Jesus more “ or “ I need to have a better walk with God “ and then that is all they do, just talk about it. Starting out, talking about what you want or need is the right first step, but dwelling there will only bring you frustration and then before you know it, you have stopped thinking about all together. That is exactly what the Enemy wants to happen. The Devil is a thief (John 10:10) and he only wants to distract you and steal the time you have set aside for God. He will find those things that distract you and will even have you believing that what you are doing is justified because it is a good thing you are doing. Just because something is good, does not make it right. In 1 Corinthians 10:23 Paul acknowledges that even though some things are ok, they are not good for him. “ All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” In the Amplified version it says, “All things are legitimate [permissible--and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].” Paul realized that he had to eliminate some things in his life if he wanted to have the kind of relationship with Christ that was required. That is the first step in growing in your walk with the Lord. Recognize those things that alter your thinking and turn your back on them. It may be difficult at the time but once you are free of that obstacle, you will realize how much easier it is to hear the voice of God. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God”. It is in that time of quietness where you will begin to hear the voice of God and you will get clarity.
My In-Laws have a Cottage North of us and we try to get up there as much as we can during the summer. It has this beautiful lake and it can be very relaxing. There is the incredible peace about the place at the earliest part of the mornings, where the water looks like glass and you can barely even hear the birds. That is the kind of quiet place I am talking about. Where you have nothing to distract you and you can hear yourself breathe. That is a quite place. It does not take long before people start getting out on the lake and then before you know it, it is not so quiet and peaceful. Finding that quiet time and sticking to it will go a long way in developing your relationship and walk with the Lord and those distractions will become less powerful.
I’m reminded of a song by Delirious, “I Want to Know You More “.
In the secret
in the quiet place
in the stillness You are there
in the secret
in the quiet hour i wait
only for You
'cuz i want to know you more
i want to know you
i want to hear your voice
i want to know you more
i want to touch you
i want to see your face
i want to know you more
i am reaching for the highest goal
that i might receive the prize
pressing onward
pushing every hindrance aside
out of my way
cuz i want to know you more
i want to know you
i want to hear your voice
i want to know you more
i want to touch you
i want to see your face
i want to know you more
Let’s find that Secret place and begin t know Him more.
( stay tuned for part 3 )
Can I Get A Witness?
k
Monday, August 16, 2010
The GOD Experience part 1
Just recently I have been reminded on multiple occasions about the past and the many different times that God really spoke to me. As a Christian we always or at least I know I have and still do desire a “burning bush “moment. That moment where you know the voice you are hearing is God’s and what He is telling you is THE divine truth and for once have the clarity you have been searching for.
I remember one Sunday morning service in 1988 at the “Rock” in Minnesota, Bro Spencer Nordyke was in town and guest speaking to the youth group. He was talking about really hearing God’s voice and said if you really want to SEE Jesus just ask Him. He continued on to say.. “ just sit down on your bed and call out to God and ask him to show himself to you….” I can only imagine how many young people went home after that service and did just what I did. I went straight to my room, sat on my bed and cried out… “God, please show yourself to me!!!!” I waited and waited and waited until I figured God just wasn’t listening. Why wouldn’t He show up? Was I not worthy of His presence? Did I do it right? All of these questions were going through my head at the time and I wanted to figure out what I had to do to make it right so I could SEE God. I won’t sit here and tell you that I eventually saw God and we talked and all my questions were answered. But I can tell you that through the years God has Shown Himself to me in so many wonderful ways.
Have you ever heard the term “Camp Experience”? I attend Church kid’s and youth camps growing up. When you go to Church Camp you get away from your regular daily routines and for a week it’s just you, God and a 100 of your church friends. Typically there is a Guest Speaker and you are excited about what is going to happen that week. See, what happens is you go expecting to have an Experience with God and you don’t have the distractions of Home, TV, the internet or your non church friends. If any time was prime for God showing himself to us this definitely has to be it. I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, received healing of my eyesight and had many upon many incredible experiences that I will never forget at camp. Those were critical building blocks in my life. Not only did we experience God in ways we never expected but we also developed relationships with people that have lasted a lifetime. There is a bond you develop when you are “in the trenches “with your friends during times of prayer or at the altar. You discover things about yourself and your peers that are eye opening. When it is all over and you say your good byes and you take that bus ride back home, you are still riding the High of the experience. Then you get home; see all the things you left behind for a week and you very quickly settle back into your regular way of doing things. It does not take very long for you to start feeling this sense of longing for your friends and the “Camp “experience. Now you are back home and bored and trying to adjust back to having all those things that you had avoided during that week of camp. You don’t have to go to Camp to have this type of Experience.
Find that quite place where you can shut out all those things that easily distract you. Give God that time and call out to Him. Luke 11:9 says, (Amplified Bible) So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.
God desires to commune with you; to have your full attention. Find that quite place and seek Him. Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” (stay tuned for part 2 )
Can I Get A Witness?
k
I remember one Sunday morning service in 1988 at the “Rock” in Minnesota, Bro Spencer Nordyke was in town and guest speaking to the youth group. He was talking about really hearing God’s voice and said if you really want to SEE Jesus just ask Him. He continued on to say.. “ just sit down on your bed and call out to God and ask him to show himself to you….” I can only imagine how many young people went home after that service and did just what I did. I went straight to my room, sat on my bed and cried out… “God, please show yourself to me!!!!” I waited and waited and waited until I figured God just wasn’t listening. Why wouldn’t He show up? Was I not worthy of His presence? Did I do it right? All of these questions were going through my head at the time and I wanted to figure out what I had to do to make it right so I could SEE God. I won’t sit here and tell you that I eventually saw God and we talked and all my questions were answered. But I can tell you that through the years God has Shown Himself to me in so many wonderful ways.
Have you ever heard the term “Camp Experience”? I attend Church kid’s and youth camps growing up. When you go to Church Camp you get away from your regular daily routines and for a week it’s just you, God and a 100 of your church friends. Typically there is a Guest Speaker and you are excited about what is going to happen that week. See, what happens is you go expecting to have an Experience with God and you don’t have the distractions of Home, TV, the internet or your non church friends. If any time was prime for God showing himself to us this definitely has to be it. I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, received healing of my eyesight and had many upon many incredible experiences that I will never forget at camp. Those were critical building blocks in my life. Not only did we experience God in ways we never expected but we also developed relationships with people that have lasted a lifetime. There is a bond you develop when you are “in the trenches “with your friends during times of prayer or at the altar. You discover things about yourself and your peers that are eye opening. When it is all over and you say your good byes and you take that bus ride back home, you are still riding the High of the experience. Then you get home; see all the things you left behind for a week and you very quickly settle back into your regular way of doing things. It does not take very long for you to start feeling this sense of longing for your friends and the “Camp “experience. Now you are back home and bored and trying to adjust back to having all those things that you had avoided during that week of camp. You don’t have to go to Camp to have this type of Experience.
Find that quite place where you can shut out all those things that easily distract you. Give God that time and call out to Him. Luke 11:9 says, (Amplified Bible) So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.
God desires to commune with you; to have your full attention. Find that quite place and seek Him. Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” (stay tuned for part 2 )
Can I Get A Witness?
k
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Don't Hide Your Gift.
Growing up, my family was all musically inclined. My Mom and my sister played the piano and sang, my brother played the drums and sings a little and my Dad, well… he is really talented at listening to the radio. Very early I had an interest in singing and so I started singing with the church kids choirs and before I knew it I was doing solos and being used a lot in our Musicals. I can remember just like it was yesterday, our church had an Event downtown Shreveport, La and I had the big solo… “I Am a Promise“. The program was televised and the audience was packed. Of course as a child, it looked like a million people were in the audience. I really enjoyed that and seemed to have no problem singing in front of people. As I grew up there came more opportunities and I made a promise to myself…. I would only sing music that glorified God. There may have been a few exceptions here and there for a wedding or Musical but I have stayed true to what I promised God. I had the opportunity to Sing in Competitions, Bands, and Musical Groups and ultimately as Worship Minister at various churches.
There did come a point when I no longer had that “platform “ and over a period of time it seemed I would never sing in that capacity again. I felt like I was being punished somehow and I stopped singing publically and just attended church, not being involved at all. If I could not sing for God, I was not going to sing at all. That was pretty selfish of me at the time, because there were plenty opportunities for me to sing for God, but I refused to see them. I had opportunities at the church I attend and I performed in a few church plays and as a member of the choir and worship team. But something was missing. Even though I had the opportunities, I did not feel like I deserved to be there for whatever reason. It was like I had given up on the call that God placed on my life. That led to me not being in church at all for a period of time. Just because things don’t go the way we planned them, does not mean God has forsaken you or given up on your gift. ( Proverbs 18:16 (Amplified) “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men “) God had not given up on me or my gift; He was just waiting for me to stop hiding it. I was using excuses like work and family and other things that were there for me conveniently to have an excuse. I had to come to a place where I realized that what I had was a gift just that, something God had given to me, not something I had to earn or pay for but a gift. I realized that gift could no longer be placed in a box and placed on a shelf. So I asked once again to be considered as a member of our church worship team. Just in the very short few months I have been back singing have been some of the most incredible experiences in worship I have had even as a Leader of Worship.
God knows your heart and He knows your desires. He is the one that gives you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” ) There is a renewed excitement about the gift that God has given me and this time, I am sharing that gift with Joy and Purpose.
David is a great example for us. Yes he did sin and some of the things he did where awful, but he always came back to God with a Heart of desire. Wherever you are, God is ready for you to come back with open arms. Just take that simple step forward and watch how God can use this experience in your life to bring Glory to God.
Can I Get A Witness?
k
There did come a point when I no longer had that “platform “ and over a period of time it seemed I would never sing in that capacity again. I felt like I was being punished somehow and I stopped singing publically and just attended church, not being involved at all. If I could not sing for God, I was not going to sing at all. That was pretty selfish of me at the time, because there were plenty opportunities for me to sing for God, but I refused to see them. I had opportunities at the church I attend and I performed in a few church plays and as a member of the choir and worship team. But something was missing. Even though I had the opportunities, I did not feel like I deserved to be there for whatever reason. It was like I had given up on the call that God placed on my life. That led to me not being in church at all for a period of time. Just because things don’t go the way we planned them, does not mean God has forsaken you or given up on your gift. ( Proverbs 18:16 (Amplified) “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men “) God had not given up on me or my gift; He was just waiting for me to stop hiding it. I was using excuses like work and family and other things that were there for me conveniently to have an excuse. I had to come to a place where I realized that what I had was a gift just that, something God had given to me, not something I had to earn or pay for but a gift. I realized that gift could no longer be placed in a box and placed on a shelf. So I asked once again to be considered as a member of our church worship team. Just in the very short few months I have been back singing have been some of the most incredible experiences in worship I have had even as a Leader of Worship.
God knows your heart and He knows your desires. He is the one that gives you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” ) There is a renewed excitement about the gift that God has given me and this time, I am sharing that gift with Joy and Purpose.
David is a great example for us. Yes he did sin and some of the things he did where awful, but he always came back to God with a Heart of desire. Wherever you are, God is ready for you to come back with open arms. Just take that simple step forward and watch how God can use this experience in your life to bring Glory to God.
Can I Get A Witness?
k
Monday, August 9, 2010
Fear Not !
When I was a child, 8 or 9 we had our summer kid’s camp on the church grounds. It was an exciting time because this was the first year we were able to bring our bikes to camp. They had planned all types of events that we used our bikes for and I made sure I was prepared. Halfway through the week, my friends and I were up one night in the bathroom planning our attack on the girl’s cabin and there was a knock at the door. One of us opened the door very slowly expecting it to be one of our counselors telling us to get back into bed, but to our surprise, Horrid Surprise it was a ugly old man screaming at us. We bolted out of the bathroom and ran through the room till we found our sleeping bags and hid scared and shaking while the “ ugly old man “ stood in one of the doorways making noises and gestures that literally scared me speechless. I don’t know if I ever got back to sleep that night and the excitement I had in the earlier part of the week had turned to Complete Fear. All I could think about was that ugly old man re appearing while I was sleeping. For the rest of the camp, I went home at bedtime and returned in the mornings for the daily activities. It turns out that the “ Ugly Old Man “ was just one of the Teenagers who was wearing a Halloween mask going through the boys and girls cabins trying to scare them. Well, it worked on me. For quite some time following that incident, I had many issues with being afraid of the dark.
Now I am married and a Father and every night when I put my daughter to bed she asks me to stay with her till she falls asleep. She tells me that she is scared of the dark, and at first I thought, what is there to be scared of? I was then reminded of that night when I was so affected and I said to my daughter; of course I will stay in here with you. At some point in my life I had been set free of that fear and it was just as simple as God wrapping his arms around me and making me feel safe. When I am in my daughter’s room at night , she feels safe and is able to fall fast asleep, but when she is alone, she is worrying about what might be in there that she can’t see. I don’t have to say or do anything but be there. She goes from fear to comfort just knowing her Daddy is there and nothing is going to harm her.
God, our Father is there to protect and strengthen us if we will just trust and allow him to be Lord over our Lives. Just let go and Let God. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”
There are many things that can cause fear in our lives and that is an area that the enemy wants to attack us the most. If he can get us to be afraid then we are vulnerable and our guard is down. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that “ God did not give us a spirit of fear ,but a spirit of power, love and sound mind ( the amplified version ) says, “ He has given us a spirit of power and love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control “
Imagine if David had been afraid when he faced the Lions or Bears that were attacking his sheep or even worse when he faced Goliath? He knew God has his back and he had nothing to be fearful of. He went into each situation with Boldness knowing that he was not alone. Just like David , we are never alone when we have a relationship with God. He desires to protect us and strengthen us. Psalms 46:1 ( Amplified ) says, “ GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble."
Whatever obstacle you may be facing in your life, As a believer you have the assurance that God is there and He will protect, guide and strengthen you and you can Boldly say, “ I am not Afraid “
Can I Get a Witness?
k
Now I am married and a Father and every night when I put my daughter to bed she asks me to stay with her till she falls asleep. She tells me that she is scared of the dark, and at first I thought, what is there to be scared of? I was then reminded of that night when I was so affected and I said to my daughter; of course I will stay in here with you. At some point in my life I had been set free of that fear and it was just as simple as God wrapping his arms around me and making me feel safe. When I am in my daughter’s room at night , she feels safe and is able to fall fast asleep, but when she is alone, she is worrying about what might be in there that she can’t see. I don’t have to say or do anything but be there. She goes from fear to comfort just knowing her Daddy is there and nothing is going to harm her.
God, our Father is there to protect and strengthen us if we will just trust and allow him to be Lord over our Lives. Just let go and Let God. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”
There are many things that can cause fear in our lives and that is an area that the enemy wants to attack us the most. If he can get us to be afraid then we are vulnerable and our guard is down. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that “ God did not give us a spirit of fear ,but a spirit of power, love and sound mind ( the amplified version ) says, “ He has given us a spirit of power and love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control “
Imagine if David had been afraid when he faced the Lions or Bears that were attacking his sheep or even worse when he faced Goliath? He knew God has his back and he had nothing to be fearful of. He went into each situation with Boldness knowing that he was not alone. Just like David , we are never alone when we have a relationship with God. He desires to protect us and strengthen us. Psalms 46:1 ( Amplified ) says, “ GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble."
Whatever obstacle you may be facing in your life, As a believer you have the assurance that God is there and He will protect, guide and strengthen you and you can Boldly say, “ I am not Afraid “
Can I Get a Witness?
k
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Have YourSelf Committed!
Everything in Life requires some type of commitment. Relationships, Jobs, Family, even hobbies. All at various levels. Our Commitment levels predominantly determine our successes and our failures in just about everything we do. If you are not giving something your all, you cannot expect the results to be satisfactory. If you decide to go on a diet and continue to eat junk and don’t do any exorcise , you are fooling yourself in believing the result will be a positive one. A saying I heard onetime from a coach of mine in High School has stuck with me. He said “ You only get out what you put in. “ That rings so true. We fool ourselves into believing that we are going to somehow , some way get this fantastic result if we only give a little effort towards something we are trying to accomplish. DON’T BE FOOLED. If you want to accomplish a positive outcome , you have got to put forth the effort and your Commitment Level has to be high.
This week, NFL players will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and one in particular, Jerry Rice is the epitome of commitment when it comes to being prepared and ready on the field. He showed up to practice before everyone, stayed after everyone was gone. He went to team meetings that he was not even scheduled to be at and participated in drills that were not something he was required to do. Why did he do all these things? He was Committed to his Team, His Coach and the organization that took a chance and drafted him out of a Small college. Because he did the things he was not required to do he now holds the majority of the All time Receiving records in the NFL. Even after back to back injuries he still returned at the top of his game to perform as good or better than his peers.
If someone can be that committed about their job , how much more should we be committed to God and his Word? The following was penned by a young pastor in Africa and tacked to a wall in his house. Could you have written these words?
Now, more than ever, we need to be committed to God and His Purpose in our Lives!
2 Timothy 1:11-12 (The Message)
This is the Message I've been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It's also the cause of all this trouble I'm in. But I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground—the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end.
Can I Get a Witness?
K
This week, NFL players will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and one in particular, Jerry Rice is the epitome of commitment when it comes to being prepared and ready on the field. He showed up to practice before everyone, stayed after everyone was gone. He went to team meetings that he was not even scheduled to be at and participated in drills that were not something he was required to do. Why did he do all these things? He was Committed to his Team, His Coach and the organization that took a chance and drafted him out of a Small college. Because he did the things he was not required to do he now holds the majority of the All time Receiving records in the NFL. Even after back to back injuries he still returned at the top of his game to perform as good or better than his peers.
If someone can be that committed about their job , how much more should we be committed to God and his Word? The following was penned by a young pastor in Africa and tacked to a wall in his house. Could you have written these words?
My Commitment as a Christian
I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me--my banner will be clear!
Now, more than ever, we need to be committed to God and His Purpose in our Lives!
2 Timothy 1:11-12 (The Message)
This is the Message I've been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It's also the cause of all this trouble I'm in. But I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground—the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end.
Can I Get a Witness?
K
Monday, August 2, 2010
Back to Basics
A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were getting out of the car and heading into the church when she said so cheerfully, “ I just love church, it’s my favorite “. When is the last time you said that? I grew up in church and cannot remember a time when I was not in church. Has it always been Great? No, but if we only went to church when we feel like it, we probably would not be going very much. It seems like church get’s placed on the back burner these days behind School events, sports and leisure. When I was a kid, if we were not at church something was wrong. My fondest memories growing up had to do with an event or service at church and that is where I received the calling to the Ministry. Whether it was kid’s camp, Youth Camp , special meetings or just the basic’s of our regular Sunday and Wednesday services. The many drives to and from church were always filled with song. We never turned on the radio, we made our own music. It was always something we looked forward to. If I had the choice to pick between an event at Church or anything else, the majority of the time I would choose the Church Event, because that is where my family was, my friends and the people who had a real investment in my life.
Somewhere between that time in our lives and now we find ourselves not so connected, not so involved or sometimes even overwhelmed with everything and Church has become the least of our priorities, which leads to God being at the bottom . If church is near the bottom of our important things, then where is prayer and reading the Bible? Are they even existent? Have we replaced reading the Bible with television, prayer with chatting on the internet?
This past Sunday our Pastor spoke about getting back to our first love, having our Spiritual Hard Drives rebooted. Such a simple but needed word for this time. We tend to let things get in our way of communicating with God and the things that are necessary to enhancing our relationship with God and growing spiritually. We go to church for so many reasons, To get “ fed “ the Word of God, to Worship and fellowship. I have seen something I have never seen before over the past few months at church. The majority of our congregation staying after the Pastor has dismissed and continuing to Praise and Worship, or pray. We need to be hungry for God. We need to make ourselves more available to be used by God. If we do that, He will begin to use us in situations we had not even considered. Don’t you want the most you can get out of what God has for you? In 2nd Chronicles 7, God appears to Solomon and tells him He has heard his prayer and he tells Solomon, 14” If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
It is my prayer today that we will do just that, 1st Humble ourselves before God, pray, seek even crave and turn from all those things that distract us and bog us down. I preached a sermon back in 1995 called, “ Clean your Room” it is so much easier to know what direction God is leading you if you don’t have things all over the place getting in your way. Find a quite place and take a few minutes to really ask God, what it is He would have you do, and then Listen.
Can I get a Witness?
K
Somewhere between that time in our lives and now we find ourselves not so connected, not so involved or sometimes even overwhelmed with everything and Church has become the least of our priorities, which leads to God being at the bottom . If church is near the bottom of our important things, then where is prayer and reading the Bible? Are they even existent? Have we replaced reading the Bible with television, prayer with chatting on the internet?
This past Sunday our Pastor spoke about getting back to our first love, having our Spiritual Hard Drives rebooted. Such a simple but needed word for this time. We tend to let things get in our way of communicating with God and the things that are necessary to enhancing our relationship with God and growing spiritually. We go to church for so many reasons, To get “ fed “ the Word of God, to Worship and fellowship. I have seen something I have never seen before over the past few months at church. The majority of our congregation staying after the Pastor has dismissed and continuing to Praise and Worship, or pray. We need to be hungry for God. We need to make ourselves more available to be used by God. If we do that, He will begin to use us in situations we had not even considered. Don’t you want the most you can get out of what God has for you? In 2nd Chronicles 7, God appears to Solomon and tells him He has heard his prayer and he tells Solomon, 14” If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
It is my prayer today that we will do just that, 1st Humble ourselves before God, pray, seek even crave and turn from all those things that distract us and bog us down. I preached a sermon back in 1995 called, “ Clean your Room” it is so much easier to know what direction God is leading you if you don’t have things all over the place getting in your way. Find a quite place and take a few minutes to really ask God, what it is He would have you do, and then Listen.
Can I get a Witness?
K
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)