A Few of My Favorite Things

I have been blogging for the past year and a half and anybody can read my profile and find out about what my interests are and what hobbies I have. Yet I felt compelled to do something a little whimsy and share with you for the next few days what my favorite things are in my life. I have certain things that I just love and enjoy and some of them are things I have loved for years and others are just things that bring me enjoyment. Like my most favorite coffee....

Starbucks Coffee! I absolutely love Starbucks and praise the Lord we have a Starbucks Coffee house here in Lebanon. I love stopping in and getting their signature Pike's Place Coffee (grown organically and fairly traded-don't want to forget that little point). It's the best and I love to sit and read my Bible or the newspaper and enjoy a nice smooth cup of coffee from Starbucks. It's one of my favorite THINGS. Have a blessed day everyone.

Can Two Walk Together

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Amos 3:3

One of the greatest challenges in life is walking in agreement with others. Relationships are formed for various reasons but without consistent agreement, they will eventually dissolve. In marriage, husband and wife must find that place of walking together. When the two begin to walk in separate directions, major problems erupt that threaten the core of their foundation. If the two do not get back on the same path, the harder it will be to work things out together. Unfortunately for many marriages, separate paths lead to one result: divorce. Business partnerships, teammates, and friendships are all under the same principles, to walk and work
together. The Bible is filled with two’s, or pairs, some good, some not so good. But the Lord used them all for His purposes. The enemy seeks to keep these pairs of relationships from growing and remaining strong and consistent. This enemy’s main objective is to create division and dissension between people, especially in the church. Basically anything that can bring disharmony (such as pride, jealousy and covetousness) is used on us. Forces of evil come against any relationship seeking to serve the Lord. Why? Because where people stand together for the Lord, there is life-changing power that can reach far beyond our imaginations and expectations. The power of prayer alone can move mountains. When God’s people pray, look out…things change, especially when we agree together in prayer. Do you have a friend that you pray with regularly? Are you in a relationship that seeks to serve the Lord? Is your marriage a union that honors God? If you desire godly relationships, then pray that you can walk together in agreement. Be aware of all the tactics that will be used against your relationships in hopes of destroying their usefulness to serve the Lord. Though at times it is challenging to walk in agreement, when submitted to the Lord’s authority, the challenges become opportunities to see the Lord work through them. God put us here together on this earth and He has a plan for every union He brings together. Seek His plans today in your marriages, friendships and any other relationships you walk together in.

Church Tragedy in Illinois

By now many of you have heard the news of the shooting at First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois. The church located in the St. Louis metro area 20 miles northeast of St. Louis was shaken by Sunday's events, where a gunmen entered the sanctuary and shot and killed Senior Pastor Fred Winters and injured two others during morning worship. I can only imagine what must be going through the minds of his wife and family as well as the church members and staff of First Baptist Church in Maryville. They are in my thoughts and prayers and please keep them in your daily prayers. I am believing and trusting the Lord that through this tragedy, may God bring blessing and victory.

A Distorted Identity

" Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:2,3

"If our identity in Christ is the key to wholeness," you may ask, "why do so many believers have difficulty with self-worth, spiritual growth and maturity?" Because we have been deceived by the devil. Our true identity in Christ has been distorted by the great deceiver himself.
This deception was brought home to me a few years ago when I was counseling a Christian woman who was the victim of satanic oppression. I asked her, "Who are you?" "I feel like I'm evil," she answered. "Well, You're not evil. How can a child of God be evil? Is that how you see yourself?" She nodded. Now she may have done some evil things, but she wasn't evil. She was basing her identity on the wrong equation. She was letting Satan's accusations of her behavior influence her perception of identity instead of letting her identity--as a child of God in Christ--influence her behavior. Sadly, a great number of Christians are trapped in the same pit. We fail, so we see ourselves as failures which only causes us to fail more. We sin, so we see ourselves as sinners which only causes us to sin more. We've been sucked into the devil's futile equation. We've been tricked into believing that what we do makes us what we are. And that false belief sends us into a tailspin of hopelessness and defeat. Don't be deceived. You are not a product of what you do or don't do. You are a product of who you are in Christ and His work on the cross. You are not saved by how you behave but by how you believe. God's Word assures us, "Beloved, now we are children of God. . . . And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:2, 3). Remember you are a child of God and your identity is in Christ. God Bless.

Be Sober

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. "1 Peter 5:8

Satan is alive and well. His mission has been the same since the Garden of Eden: to crush, kill and destroy (just like the androids on Star Trek). He is good at twisting concepts and manipulating ideas into truths that are not real. Satan’s battlefield starts within your circumstances. He frustrates your plans to get that peace within your heart to crush into a
flesh frenzy. When your insides don’t match your outsides, you have just become a hypocrite and Satan loves to make hypocrites out of Christians. Once you are aware of this scheme (which for some of us is a lifetime), you learn to pray and resist him by drawing near to God. You do this by learning how to discipline your behavior and choosing not to allow the fruits of the Spirit to be crushed. Praying, submitting to God and meditating on scripture are the next steps. But then Satan’s next plan of attack hits your mind. Now, Satan cannot read your mind but he can discern what you are thinking by your words and behaviors. He can also put his thoughts into your mind. I have found that many times I don’t need the devil to put bad thoughts into my mind because I can do that all by myself. I am capable of taking my own self out of the ministry or walking away from the Lord, with very little effort or attack from him. So “be on guard” for Satan is seeking someone to devour. If you look weak, think weak, act weak, and your words
express a weakness in your faith, then you can surely be his next target. Peter warns us to be sober and vigilant. Both words have similar Greek meanings: to watch and keep awake. We have to be more alert than he is. Obviously this is more difficult for us because we don’t see into the spiritual realm to understand what’s going on. We discredit or disregard the work of the enemy, allowing him to have the advantage over us. We have to pray that the Lord opens our eyes and gives us discernment to know what’s really going on. Too many Christians are apathetic and complacent. They live on the defense without any strength to fight back instead of on the
offense in moving forward. It is true that the enemy doesn’t have to bother with an apathetic and complacent Christian. That’s just where he wants us to be but God has so much more for us. The Lord has won the battle; we just have to put the armor on. The Lord wants to give us an abundant life on this earth so why not start living it today!

I'm Getting My Car Back Today

Today is a happy day for me because I am getting my car back from the auto body repair shop today. I was involved in a two car accident two weeks ago and I sustained damage to the front end of my car, but I recieved word from the shop today that it's ready to be picked up. As you can see from the photo, my car, a 2005 Chevey Aveo, is a rather "unique" looking vehicle. Some people tell me it looks like a piece of chicklett gum, while others say it's an awfully small car for a big guy like myself. However, I love it and many people in town and in my local church recognize it almost immediately as Pastor Skiles' vehicle. All I can say is, "it's not much to look at, but it'll get you where you gotta go" and I am happy to have the "Green Machine" back. God bless you all.

Which Way

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)

Which way? This way or that way? Today, there are so many ways we can follow. We have the advice of our family, friends, the media and then there is our own instincts. But how do we know the right way? How do we discern which way is really best for us? We ask the questions, “Which way Lord? What is Your will, Lord?” and then we follow the direction He gives. Next thing we know, we find ourselves angry and resentful. How come? What happens? Frequently, God answers our prayer and uses us and guides us. However, once He shows us what He wants, frequently we stop asking for wisdom and counsel and just go on our own way in the name of the Lord. This verse talks about God speaking from behind us. And why would God need to speak from behind us unless we have run ahead of Him? I really believe that after He leads us to a certain place, position, or calling, then we run ahead. It is in the running ahead that we lose His way and make it ours. God is faithful. He will lead you and answer you when you call out to Him. Just remember to keep asking. His Spirit moves like the wind and you will never be able to have it all figured out if you are spirit led. If you are dealing with anger, bitterness and judgmental thoughts, you have probably run ahead of God. Stop and be still to hear His voice from behind you. He will lead you back into His way and help you to walk in it.