Listen Carefully!

Exodus 15: 22

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.

Do you ever feel like things in life, just keep piling up?

One problem turns into another and then another, and the next day it’s still the same old stuff.

Moses dealt with one problem after another.

And in this case, it wasn’t bad enough that the water in this place tasted terrible, but then the people started to grumble, too.

Do you ever feel like, some days just can’t get any worse?

Frankly, I feel that way a lot, lately.

There’s one verse in this chapter, that I need to remember, when things get more and more terrible, and more and more discouraging.

God told Moses in Exodus 15: 26… "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right…”

People will continue to disappoint us, but God never will.

Situations will go from bad to worse, but God is still faithful.

When things get testy in my life, and my faith becomes weak, I still need to do what is right.

Maybe I just need to remember, to listen carefully to the voice of God.

We’re living in a dry and thirsty land, but we serve a God, who brings us daily, living water…

Confess Sin!

Romans 7: 15

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

These words by the Apostle Paul, were a statement on sin.

Paul was both a sinner, and a precious saint.

Those of us who have been raised in the Christian faith, know full well what we should do—and what we shouldn’t do.

We’ve been trained to recognize sinful temptations.

Any believer I know, wants very much to make all the right choices.

Unfortunately, it seems sin is usually unavoidable.

I’m amazed that I choose sometimes, the very thing I hate.

Sin just kind of creeps in, and the consequences of such, always leave a path of destruction.

I wonder how many Christians, sit and ponder their sinfulness?

Even the word sin, suggests that we’re mostly weak, and many churches don’t even allow much dialog on the subject.

When’s the last time you admitted your sin to yourself? When’s the last time you admitted your sin to God?

Sometimes it seems easier to reflect on the good things we’ve done.

Let’s not forget, that Jesus came into our lives to redeem the sins of the present, and the sins of our past.

So try living today, in the light of His faithfulness, and a new life of forgiveness…

A Court Appearance

2 Corinthians 5: 10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

I’ve had a number of people ask me over the last 3 years, or so… “Do you think we’ll see a revival of the church in our time?”

I happen to believe there’s a revival going on in some churches right now, but I’m not sure we’d even notice it.

It’s estimated that there are over 11,000 babies born every day in the US.

My daughter-in-law, Ashley, is expecting a child in 26 weeks.

Make no mistake about it, each child that is born every day, goes through a very individual experience.

No birth is quite like another.

And so it is for the person who is revived in the church.

Each one will go through a unique Spiritual experience, all of their own.

3,000 people were saved during Pentecost, but each of those 3,000 people, had to have a revival, and repentant experience, all of their own accord.

Revival can only come to an individual person, one at a time.

Just like we are revived and saved as a person, so will we stand before God in judgment.

The only intercessor and advocate that will be there, is Jesus.

On that day, some will know Him in a personal way.

Other’s on that day, will not have gone through the revival experience.

That will be undoubtedly, a very lonely experience for some…

Unity

Ephesians 4: 3

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

I heard someone recently pray in a prayer meeting… “Lord God, send us the Holy Spirit, that this body of believers might be unified.”

Actually, that prayer is exactly backward.

The only way the Holy Spirit will come, is when there is unity in the flock.

No unity—no power—period!

Unity is the necessary component, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to happen.

It works that way in the family, and it most certainly works that way in the church.

I remember my Dad one time, working on an old rental house he owned.

The power was not working in the house, and he couldnot figure out the problem.

What he discovered, was that no voltage would come in, because the wiring was faulty and broken, outside.

The power was ready to do the work it was designed for, but there was something interrupting the current.

Unity is absolutely necessary in the body of Christ.

Without unity, the Holy Spirit will not, and cannot work.

If there’s a power interruption, then maybe that flock should check the flow of the current.

Many churches operate that way, and waste so much precious time.

It just could be, that there is n ot any connection to the true power source, because of a lack of unity…

Lets go fishing!

Matthew 4: 19

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

My son, Ben just returned from a fishing trip to Ontario.

If you know anything at all about Musky fishing, they are known to be a fish of a thousand casts.

In Ben’s case, it’s turned into a fish of maybe over 5 thousand casts.

Ben said that during the week, he had at least 19 different opportunities at various Musky’s, but none really took the bait.

The last day of fishing, and all of his extreme effort, really paid off. 

Ben said that the effort, as extreme as it was, was well worth it.

He dropped to a knee in the boat, and gave God thanks, right on the spot.

The guide looked at him, like he had lost a few marbles.

Can you imagine what it must feel like, to lead another person to faith in Christ?

I’m certain that if we put forth the effort, we would all see fruit from sharing our faith.

Every morning, I kneel to acknowledge Christ’s lordship to my life.

I also purpose myself, so that He has complete, unhindered control of my life.

I had a friend not long ago, tell me that he wanted to go deeper in his faith.

Let’s be sure we understand, it is our responsibility to follow Jesus in a deeper way—but it’s through God’s Spirit, that fish get caught in the first place

The Angels voice!

1 Thessalonians 4: 16

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God…

For some reason I keep missing this verse.

When I consider the subject of the rapture, I think about it as a quick, and quiet event.

That’s not what scripture seems to indicate.

Jesus will come down with a LOUD command—and I think the whole world will take notice when it happens.

Don’t forget the voice of the archangel or the trumpet call of God.

When the rapture happens, everyone in the world is going to know something powerful just happened.

When I meet people who are down in the dumps, or life seems to have dealt them an unfair hand, I often tell them… “Keep looking up!”

I don’t think I overuse that statement, because one day when some of us are actually looking up, something powerful is going to happen.

Are you rapture ready?

If not, why not get that all figured out real soon.

Maybe if you’ve been away from church for a while, this would be a good a Sunday as any to return.

It might be a good idea to return to church, before Jesus comes back for His church.

Jesus is about to make some noise—so don’t forget to wear your ear plugs!!

Be of Good Cheer!

Joshua 1: 9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The old Gospel Hymn of the Faith, “His Eye Is  On the Sparrow”, starts out…
Why should I be discouraged,  and why should the shadows fall?
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for Heaven and home?
When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is He…

There are times in my life, when I forget that Jesus is my portion.
Can anyone else relate?

Is it really enough to know, that His eye is on the sparrow—and I know He watcheth me?
Friends—you can take that statement to the bank!

I’m not sure what you’re dealing with personally, but the Lord your God, IS with YOU wherever you go.
That’s a comforting thought, for the loneliest person I know.

No matter what’s got you down today, you can be of good courage.
Things on this earth may look like they’re headed to hell in a hand basket, but we’ve got a God who has snatched the keys of hell itself.

The “be strong and be of good courage” part—is actually a command.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to doubt my God.

You may be shocked at what comes your way today—but God won’t be.
Actually, I hope you won’t either—so be of good cheer!!

Testimony!

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Would you be gracious enough, to watch this short 2 minute video?

This man has been told that he has a short time to live.

One thing I noticed right away, is that he has the peace that surpasses knowledge.

He shares in the midst of literally thousands of viewers, that his time left on earth is short.

I’d love to say that I’d be as together as he was, when hearing fatal news.

His testimony of God’s faithfulness, was deeply encouraging to me—and I hope it has the same affect on you…

http://youtu.be/CFPL01SG5A8

Disapointment happens

Romans 5: 5

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Chances are, you may run into some sort of disappointment today or even this week.

I ran into one early Sunday morning, and for a moment it kept me from embracing the hope that I have in Jesus.

Not everything that God allows to come into our lives, is a pleasant experience.

There are often a pile of heart aches and sorrow that is just a part of life.

In the midst of my disappointment yesterday morning, I needed to stop and remember something.

God has poured His very own love into my heart—and He’s poured it into your heart, too.

Did you know God does some of His best work, in the midst of everyday difficulty?

Those people who have trusted Jesus, know precisely what that means.

We need to learn to live within the light of God’s Word, and not our own circumstances.

We often sing the old hymn of the faith… “Trust & Obey” but in the midst of disappointment, I wonder if that’s really true for me?

The reason that we sometimes experience disappointment, is because life sometimes doesn’t go as planned.

How many of you have every heard someone say… “Well, if the Lord wills…”?

Sometimes God’s will is very different from our own.

If we’re not willing to submit to God’s will, there’s a good chance we’ll all face some real disappointment.

The other disappoint that happens in life, is just because Jesus said that it would

What if we prayed?

Judges 6: 39 – 40

Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece.

This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry…

I watched with great interest last night, the Presidents public address, as it has to do with the world enemy, ISIS.

Afterwards, military strategists picked apart and measured the President’s plan.

The only thing I would have to say in opposition of the Presidents strategy, was that he never mentioned the need for prayer.

Gideon on the other hand, when he faced a formidable enemy, prayer was the first part of his military strategy.

England’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill called his nation to prayer, in a most desperate time.

On May 26^th, 1940—the lives of 500,000 British soldiers were saved—and many believe prayer was the key.

What if we as a nation, took upon the task of daily prayer?

Our church has had a time of prayer & fasting every Tuesday—which invite people to come to church to pray.

Honestly, only  a very small handful ever do, but I’m grateful for those who come to pray.

The United States of America needs prayer, like it has never needed it before.

Days are getting desperate, and God waits from above, and yearns to hear His people intercede.

The only thing that can thwart the plan of the enemy, is our great God.

What enemy will you be facing today?

Just be sure of this—whatever or whomever that enemy is—they serve absolutely no threat, to our great God.

Victory only happens, when get on our knees… 

Justice!

Jeremiah 12: 1

You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice:

Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?

Larry King from CNN, said following the 9-11 disaster… “If God is so good, then why does He allow good people to suffer?”

I also hear that same statement, from anyone who has witnessed some sort of natural disaster or tragedy.

I love the great preacher John MacArthur, and I heard him say one time… “It is literally the grace of God that you and I are not at this very moment, consumed by the fire of His wrath.”

If God wasn’t a God of love, understanding and goodness, then only one sin by any individual, would be the end of everything.

I often wonder why, that in the midst of the darkness and sewage of morality in this country, why God’s mercy and love is still being poured out?

I mean, why not a little justice?

Jeremiah declared God to be righteous—but he was disappointed apparently, by the slowness of His justice.

I know a friend of mine, who is just finishing up divorce proceedings.

This person’s spouse has racked up huge debt on a credit card, that they themselves have to pay.

Is that justice?

Just be sure of this! Justice may not be played out in our lifetime, but one day the gavel will fall.

No one—including me, will get away with the shenanigans we were involved with down here on earth, apart from the grace of God.

The wicked will one day give an account, and so will those faithless one’s who live at ease.

God is the standard of righteousness and justice—man’s standard of those things are really meaningless.

Let’s remember, that the death of Jesus, was the ultimate demonstration of God’s justice and righteousness.

It was also a demonstration of His great love for all people

The Right Power!

Exodus 33: 14 – 15

The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

Can you imagine doing anything, without the Divine intervention of God?

People do it every day, and is it any wonder why people are turned around spiritually.

Some of the most well meaning Christians, operate without the power and presence of God.

It shows up in the lack of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Moses was keenly aware of what it was like to go without God—and what it was like to go with God.

Let’s just say, that the latter was always his best option.

Will you ask God to go with you today?

Will you invite him to be a part of every meeting you attend, or every appointment you have?

A.W. Tozier wrote: “We do not seem to sense the tragedy of having almost completely lost the awareness of His presence.”

It’s pretty difficult living everyday life, without God’s intervention.

Have you been operating on your power lately?

Inviting the power of the most high God, will show up in life results.

Very few people take the time to quiet themselves in sincere prayer anymore.

I wonder what might happen, if the collective church turned those tides?

It’s important that we not only just know God, but that we meet the conditions of really finding Him.

If we all tried that, I’ll be willing to bet we’d see a big difference in our day, and our lives… 

What measuring device are you using?

Ephesians 4: 13

...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

When I was a young boy, my Dad would often hand me a tape measure, and say… “Why don’t you see how long you slept last night?”

It took me a while to learn, that he was just toying with me.

We know that we can’t measure the length of our slumber, with a tape measure.

But the thought of that joke, made me think about something a little more sobering.

Don’t we sometimes do the same thing when we use the wrong spiritual measuring device?

We assume that the larger churches and the one’s with the most resources, are the most blessed by God.

We also think the more popular preachers—the ones on TV for example, are more Godly than the ones who serve in little churches.

Let’s face it—they have more people following them than the little guy.

The best way to measure ourselves spiritually, is by the quality of our spiritual lives.

Maybe if we measured ourselves by Jesus, that would be the best and most accurate measurement?

The fullness of Christ, as spoken of in this verse this morning, are His very attributes.

His attributes, happen to be the fruits of the spirit. That’s the fullness of Christ.

We can measure our lives by those fruits, and they give an honest measurement of where people really are in a spiritual sense.

When we see those Godly attributes in play, it’s a good indication that we’re moving towards God’s goal for us.

I need to start this new week, by measuring where I am… 

Wake Up!

Revelation 22: 18 - 19

And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.

And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

Most people don’t realize, that our country is in a tail spin today, headed toward hell itself.

This kind of message isn’t popular today, but it’s true.

We live in a country today, where so called Christian intellectuals, commonly add their opinions regarding God’s Word, deceiving many people.

In the first place, God doesn’t care about our opinions.

We are called to preach the full council of God, and yet we are twisting the truth as we try to conform God to our lives.

It is time for the church of God to wake up.

The Bible is either the true and the inerrant message from God—or it is not.

Anytime we add/subtract something from it to pacify us, God will be sure to expel that person, who carries that opinion.

As long as the Ebola virus stays in Africa—or the beheading of Americans happen to someone else, we’ll continue on this path.

No—It is time for the church of God to stand up!

Churches have stopped preaching Jesus Christ crucified—but I don’t happen to belong to one of them.

The Word of God is true in its purest form, and if we embrace anything other than that—the plagues will come.

There are a few people out there today, who are taking a stand.

Be sure of this, God will honor them all, in the greatest way He knows how

Affirm your love!

Deuteronomy 6: 5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

I have to wonder what living out this verse really looks like.

Loving something with everything that we are, has to take on the appearance of something special.

Moses first spoke these words, and the words came from the very heart of God.

These words are repeated over and over in the Bible, and Jesus said it was the greatest commandment.

A practicing Jew, repeated these words multiple times throughout the day, so they would never forget them.

Sometimes when we don’t focus on Godly things like we should, we seem to forget them.

The great “Shema”, is the liturgical prayer that every Jew prayed many times throughout the day, to affirm their loving relationship with a loving God.

How will you affirm that love today?

Often times, there are things that get in the way of our love of God.

On the cusp of the NFL football season, that seems to be one of them.

God made us in His image, and sometimes we have this backwards.

My youngest son wrote something in a e-mail yesterday, that reminded me of this verse.

He wrote; “Salvation is conforming my life to Christ’s will, not conforming Christ’s will/direction (His Word) to me and my life.”

I wonder what’s getting in the way, of us making God our top priority?

So then, what needs to change?

Listen well!

Revelation 2: 2

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.

I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

The Methodist Reformist, John Wesley once said…

"What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace." ~ John Wesley

It seems that even before the end of our lives, there should be this constant testing of our faith going on.

Romans 12: 2 tells us that we can test and approve the will of God.

I wonder if God came today to the church, would He find people who claim to be His followers, but really aren’t?

It is possible to find people who were living a false testimony?

A true follower of Jesus, takes on a true appearance.

It’s a person that’s hard to miss, in the midst of this sinful generation.

They’re the ones that stand out—especially in the church.

Would you say that you stand out, among all the people in the church today?

Is there something that you’re tolerating, that should be dismissed?

John Wesley was a man before his time.

His prophetic word seems eerily true.

Maybe we should actually listen to the prophets of God…