Who Rules You?

Psalm 69:4-"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of min head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away."

Being king isn't easy. Either people love you or they hate you. The same is true of every position of power and authority. Presidents, deans, prime ministers-the list can go on and on-all these people have to face the passions of the people they lead. Even God, Himself, has to face such problems. God is not loved by everyone. There are those who, for whatever reason, have chosen to reject God. There are those who curse Him as regularly as we praise Him. We are the subjects of the greatest sovereign in creation. Our Lord rules us with justice and love. We might not agree with everything He does or everything He calls us to do, but we owe Him our allegiance and loyalty. Be loyal to the Lord, and He will rule over you justly and with compassion.

Complaining

One of the worst ways that Christian believers can hurt their testimony for Jesus Christ and fail in their walk with God is to complain. We often are guilty of complaining. Yet, God knows our needs and hears our words. God opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:16). He knows our wants before they are even formed on our tongue. He is faithful in all things and will not let the righteous beg for bread. So why are we so discontent? Why do we complain to each other? Why don’t we pray more and trust Him more? There is a consistent theme in the lives of the Israelites that left Egypt. They complained. In fact the Bible tells us of once such instance when they complained in the book of Numbers chapter 11 and verse 1 says, ”Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.”(Numbers 11:1). Over and over, they saw the miracles of the Lord to provide for them and protect them. They were witnesses of His ever constant presence and received daily manna from heaven. But it wasn’t enough. They wanted more and bigger and better and newer. They even complained that they wanted what they had when they were slaves. How quickly we forget. It was because of their oppression in Egypt that God intervened to save them from slavery. God answered their prayer in unbelievable ways, but it wasn’t enough. And over and over, they were punished for this behavior but they didn’t change. How come? I see patterns like this in my own life too. The Lord will reveal to me a message in the morning like “be thankful today” or “be quiet today.” For some reason though, I remember His message after I disobeyed. I have frequently asked the Lord how the Holy Spirit was able to impress upon me my sin immediately after I did it instead of helping me before. The answer is always the same…a lack of self control. We speak without thinking, complain to whom ever will listen, and become forgetful in the busyness of the day. The responsibility isn’t all on the Lord. We need to be active in our faith and fight for victory. Let’s stop being hearers and complainers and become doers of the Word. It will help us to not complain and be a more thankful person.

What's Your Temperature?

In my house, temperature can be a “hot” topic. In the winter, the thermostat can never be too hot for my wife and I love to sleep in the cold. One extreme or the other tends to dominate in several areas in our home but how extreme am I when it comes to the things of the Lord? What is my spiritual temperature? How many areas of my life am I content with just being lukewarm, especially when it comes to living for Jesus? We as Christians are often afraid to live at the extremes. We are uncomfortable standing out and speaking out too much. We rationalize our positions by saying that we do not want to offend anyone or come across too zealous in our faith. We even justify sinful behaviors by telling ourselves that if we blend in with the crowd, then we can be a more effective witness. Where did these ideas really come from? Are they from the Lord? Not according to Revelation 3:16. Jesus says I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:15-16. The Lord says he will “vomit” us out of His mouth if we are lukewarm. He wants us to pick a position; we are either cold or hot, for Him or against Him. We will either take up our cross and follow Him with our whole hearts or we follow our own desires. To live in the gray areas is unacceptable, regardless of our human rationalizations. Where are you today? Do you have a lukewarm relationship with Jesus? I fear greatly for many people who sit in church every Sunday proclaiming to know Jesus but have no evidence of Him in their lives. Many of us look righteous on the outside but are numb on the inside. Our churches are filled with complacent Christians who are quite content to live in the gray areas, not wanting to get too uncomfortable. Will Jesus say “well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) or will He say “I never knew you; depart from Me” (Matthew 7:23)? Ask the Lord to light a fire in your heart today that will set a blaze any areas of your life that have become lukewarm and complacent. Life here on earth is but for a moment, but eternity is forever.

God Wants To Hear From Us

Psalm 66:20-"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

When I read this scripture I am amazed because it tells me that God is actually waiting to hear from us. It's not that God doesn't have other things to do, but that there is nothing He'd rather do than spend time with the children He loves. It boggles the mind to realize that God loves us that much. He has made us to be like Him, and He anxiously awaits our call. Offer your prayers to God. He will hear them, and He will send His mercy upon them.

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone is enjoying the Memorial Day holiday and please pause for a moment to remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Americans need to be reminded that "freedom isn't free". May the Lord bless you as you start another week. God bless you and God bless America.

Circumstances and Emotions

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:8-9
To bear fruit in absolutely horrific circumstances takes the ability to separate ourselves from those circumstances. We have to learn pull ourselves out from the circumstances to see it from God’s perspective instead of our own. It takes discipline and self control to live for the Lord despite the circumstances. Many times, I have had to say, “Ok, God is powerful and has the ability to change these circumstances if needed. God is wise and has the ability to give me the wisdom to deal with these circumstances if needed. God is loving and knows what I need better than I do.” When I can apply these three attributes to my circumstance, I am able to trust God for them and thus, able to bear fruit in spite of them. The same thing is true for our emotions. The way we feel can hinder us from doing the will of God and bearing fruit. Our emotions can clearly impact our actions. Here are some examples: if we don’t feel like cleaning the house, we won’t do it even if it needs to be done. If we don’t feel like being nice today, we won’t be nice even though the consequences of not being nice will linger beyond the day. If we are led by our emotions, we will do or not do what we feel like doing. But in order to bear fruit and stay in the will of God, we need to be able to separate ourselves from our feelings and do what God has called us to do any way. To pull ourselves out from the circumstances, we can remind ourselves about the attributes of God. To pull ourselves out from our emotions, we need to be in the Word of God. We have to claim verses as promises to keep us focused in doing things that please Him, even if it doesn’t please our emotions at the time. It is praying for self control to maintain a life that brings Him glory. Every day and decision counts. Choices we make here matter up there. Keep sowing those seeds of righteousness and in time, you will reap a healthy harvest.

The Anointing of God

"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." 1 John 2:27

Jesus tells His disciples in John 16 that when He goes away He will send a Helper, His Holy Spirit. “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13) When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are immediately indwelled by His Holy Spirit. We believe, then, we receive. One of the biggest attacks that Christians face today comes from an enemy who tells us that we have no real power, no victory, and no hope. In John 8:44, Jesus describes our enemy: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (Emphasis added) Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is perfect in every way. He cannot lie. He cannot deceive. He is holy and righteous beyond our understanding. His promises are true. His faithfulness reaches to the heavens. When He says that we have His Holy Spirit, then we must believe in faith that we have an abiding relationship filled with His love and power. He promises "that no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9). Do you believe Him today? Do you want to know more about the things of the Lord? As a child of God, saved and sealed for the day of redemption, you have the anointing of the Holy Spirit who will teach you all things. Let today be the day that you start learning about these things. How to start? Read His word and study it. Pray and ask for the things you want to learn about. Ask questions that you want answered. Get up everyday with an attitude of faith and do not allow the enemy to tempt you with his lies. Maybe it is time for you to go back to school…and what a great Teacher you have! The best part…He will only give you open book (the Bible) tests.

Monday Morning Cup of Joe

Well it's the start of another week and I hope that everyone had great weekend. Mine was quite busy and eventful. I had two weddings at church and also celebrated my wedding anniversary on Saturday. My lovely wife and I have been married for 11 years and I thank God for such a wonderful, loving and faithful wife. It is true what the Bible says, "He who finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." I pray that you have a great week and may God bless you all.

Glorify God

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

I was meditating on this verse today and saw something different. Jesus has just finished teaching the beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek…” Then He summarizes this section by encouraging the believer to continue doing all those things that are making them poor in spirit, mournful, meek and persecuted because the prophets were treated the same way. This leads into being salt and light. Jesus is instructing the believer to remain salty and bright, to keep burning and stinging for Him. The transitions in the message flow beautifully and make perfect sense. However, when I would read Matthew 5:16, I would wonder how the “men” would glorify the Father in heaven as a result of seeing the believers good works? If these same men are the ones causing the believer to be poor in spirit, meek and persecuted, how can they be hurting the believer while glorifying God? Today, I realized that the believer is the one who is instructed to glorify the Father. We, as believers, are to remain faithful to continue on regardless of the reaction of the people. We are to remain diligent, to stay sharp and be alive in living for Jesus. We don’t hide who we are or apologize for what we believe. We stand strong and continue. Men will see our good works which will bring glory to our heavenly Father but also, we glory in our heavenly Father that we are able to endure in His good works. There will be times that others will also glorify the Lord because of your good works. Jesus’ ministry caused others to thank God. But we don’t look at others for affirmation to know that the Lord is blessing… we look to God. We need to be faithful to things God has called us to do and leave the results with Him, as we glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Fashioned By God

Psalm 139:13-14-"You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

I am made by God! You are made by God. Just as surely as ANYone has been made by God, we have been made by God. He knew us before anyone knew we were there. He had plans for us before anyone planned our arrival. And he made us well! How do we know? Look at all God has made.

God Shuts the Door

Genesis 7:15-16-"And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in."

God clearly shuts doors in our lives today. Many Christians are trying to reenter doors that God has shut. That is a frustrated and defeated way to live; No peace, joy or fruit. God also says that He opens doors. In Rev. 3:8, the Lord said, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” When God opens a door of opportunity for you, the gates of hell will not prevail against it…He promises. The key is having the discernment to know the difference in a spiritual realm while living in the physical realm. Distractions impede discernment. Today, ask the Lord to clearly show you the open door that He wants you to walk through. All you need is a little strength and faith as the size of a mustard seed. He has so much more for you. Pray against fear, doubt and discouragement and ask for the wisdom to go for it. And trust that if it isn’t His will, He knows how to shut doors.

Jesus Is Always Working

"The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” John 5:15-17

Jesus does not ever stopping working with you or on you. At the time of Christ, the religious men were angry with Jesus for making a sick man well. They exclaimed that Jesus had no right to do such a thing, including any kind of good, on a holy day. To us, a statement like that doesn’t make sense. God is good and He can choose to be good on whoever and whenever He wants. (And I hope it’s on me next!) Jesus showed us a part of God’s character that the Jewish religious men did not represent in their self-righteousness. Jesus is “God with us.” Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus is now “God in us.” So God is continually working on us, despite the day or circumstance at hand. God’s desire for us is that we will be made whole and healthy. Jesus came to break the bonds of slavery of sin and habits that keep us captive. Behaviors that don’t bring glory to God but keep us focused on ourselves, Jesus is continually working on and in us. And He is never in a rush. God is too gracious and merciful to bombard us with attempts to change all the areas we fall short in all at once. Trust Him for your shortcomings. I know that I am my own worse critic and others are quick to agree if I offer the conviction, but God isn’t like that. I have learned that some of those short comings I am so concerned about changing in me, God is not worried about or surprised or in a rush to fix. Be honest, be open and be willing. The Lord will be faithful to complete the work He began…because Jesus is always working.

Thank God for Mothers

Today is Mother's Day and like many people I am thankful for my mother who has been such a blessing to my life. I love her very much and thank God for her love, support and prayers. Happy Mother's Day!

Praising God

Psalm 100:4 -"Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name."

Praise and thanksgiving are part of every level of prayer. They are continuous as we walk in the light. To come before God with thanksgiving is no different than coming before our earthly parents with an attitude of gratitude. Nothing disturbs a parent more than a child who is always demanding, forever complaining, and never satisfied. How would you feel if you've given as much as you can as a parent and your child still wants more, more, more? On the other hand, how would you feel toward the child who snuggles up and says, "Thanks for being who you are. I just love you and I know you're doing the best you can for me." What a great parent-child relationship. Can you imagine approaching God and demanding, "I want more!" And He responds, "I gave you My only begotten Son." "But I want more!" We ought to start every day by saying, "Thank You, heavenly Father. I deserved eternal judgement, but You gave me eternal life. How may I serve You today? Praising God is acknowledging His attributes. I try to be aware when I pray that God is the ever-present, all-powerful, all-knowing, loving heavenly Father. I don't praise Him because He needs me to tell Him who He is. He knows who He is. I am the one who needs to keep His divine attributes constantly in my mind. I try to keep the knowledge of God's presence foremost in my thoughts. No matter where I go, He is with me. We can confidently acknowledge that He will neither leave us nor forsake us. We ought to thank God for His presence and ask Him to bring to our minds anything that may be keeping us from having perfect fellowship with Him.

Real Joy

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "

Where does your heart live? That's what these verses are all about. Is there a constant awareness in your life that God is present? Is he the unseen but always present companion in all your ups and downs? Or is God here when it is convenient and gone when things are busy? Joy comes from knowing we are never alone. Prayer is the ongoing conversation we have, Spirit to Spirit, with God. Thanksgiving is the great reminder that we have been blessed no matter what the circumstances may suggest.

National Day of Prayer

Today is the first Thursday in May and it is the 58th annual observance of the National Day of Prayer, where Americans pause to pray for our country and our government leadership. I have to say that this year we need prayer more than ever. I am greatly concerned with our country and the direction that we are heading. I will be praying for our President and congress and national leaders as well as our state and local leaders. Psalm 33:12 says "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." The Bible also tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14-if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Let us seek God's face today and pray for our country. God bless.

God's Love For Us

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

How do you respond to sudden changes in circumstances that did not happen to your advantage? Examples are when your car suddenly breaks down, your vacation leave does not get approved, your kids get sick the day you had something planned or you lose your cell phone. I have found that there are two main reactions we can have: God, I am so sorry. I will seek You now. What do You want from me? God, what did I do wrong? I thought You loved me. Both cover the ends of the spectrum. If we don’t walk with the Lord daily, we blame the incident on ourselves and feel guilty. If we do walk with the Lord, we feel abandoned by Him and question His character. Jesus told us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, meaning that a change in circumstances can happen to all of us. The problem comes in when we choose to lose our perspective of who God is in the process. God wants us to love Him and enjoy His fellowship. He never stops loving us. We can face any change in circumstance better if we include the Lord in the problem, instead of blaming the Lord for the problem. Next time something suddenly changes pray, “Lord, help me to stick with You through this and please cause this to even work together for good.” Nothing can separate us from His love so we shouldn’t separate ourselves from Him.

Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7-"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." God wants to hear our prayers, but to keep them from becoming too self-focused, God wants us always to remember to give thanks. It is so easy for us to turn prayer into a request line. Where we begin to give God a list of requests and desires that we feel we need in our lives and yet we miss out on the most wonderful part of prayer which is the time of praise and thanksgiving to God. When we focus only on ourselves and our needs, wants and desires, we are the ones who are left bereft when thanksgiving and praise are robbed from our prayers. Paul told the church in Thessolonica, "In everything give thanks.." (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Humility

2 Chronicles 7:14-"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

As I look at our current culture I am amazed at how self-absorbed and egocentric our society has become. We are such an arrogant and prideful people that I don't believe we think of anyone but ourselves. It's my own personal observation that humility is not our culture's biggest asset or most desired character quality. But humility is what is demanded -- not so much because it's commanded (thought that would be enough), but because we've earned it. Every year brings another wave of major failures in morality, character, and spirituality. Rather than progressing culturally, we find ourselves slipping. Humility is earned! So let's be humble and call upon the Lord!

Your Offering to the Lord

Genesis 4:1-7 1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

The story of Cain and Abel is a Bible "story" classic. Cain worked the ground and Abel tended sheep. We are not told how the sacrifices were determined or how often they were brought to the Lord. It would seem that Adam had taught his sons the importance of bringing an offering to the Lord. What kind of offering was the Lord expecting? Cain brought an offering from the ground. The Bible does not tell us what the offering was or how it was presented. Abel brought a firstborn from his flock. He sacrificed the life of his animal as an act of worship unto the Lord. God respected Abel for what he gave, but did not respect Cain. Cain reacted to God's displeasure by killing his brother, an act of jealousy and anger. There is an important message in this passage for us today. Think about the kinds of offerings that you give to the Lord. Most people immediately think of tithing. Do you tithe? Do you consider it a type of first fruit? But there are other ways to bring an offering to the Lord. He wants your first fruits in every thing you do. Do you give the Lord the first part of your day, time in the morning with Him? Or do you give God what is left at the end of day, before you go to sleep? Cain brought a portion of his fruit from the ground. But was it really a sacrifice on his part? You see, the Lord knows the ways in which we give to Him. He knows when we give to Him the things that mean a lot to us. He blesses us for the attitudes of our hearts not just the gift itself. It probably hurt Abel to take the life of a baby lamb, but God respected him for doing it. The book of Malachi gives some good insight into the Lord's thoughts about our offerings to Him. In chapter one, the Lord rebukes the priests who were bringing diseased and afflicted animals to be sacrificed on the altar before Him. The priests were going through their duties but had no love or honor for the Lord in their hearts. God does not want us to give to Him out of a duty or ritual. He wants our hearts to give to Him because nothing is more important in our lives than Him. Where is your heart in your giving? Is it a real sacrifice or is it a leftover or maybe just an obligation? Give it consideration. Repent and ask the Lord to change your heart. Sometimes just in repenting over something, we are
bringing an offering to the Lord by letting our hearts be softened.