Improbable Issues!

John 11: 17

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Talk about an improbable situation, with an impossible outcome.

Tell me you can’t relate.

“My boss is impossible!” “My husband is impossible!” “My kids are impossible!”

“I’ll never get well!” “I’ll never be able to pay my bills!” “No one will ever understand me!”

Tell me you’ve never spoken those words before.

We’ve all dealt with improbable issues, and impossible situations.

The only issues that have no possibility of resolve, are the ones we try to deal with, without God.

Sure it sounds cliché, but nothing is impossible with God!

Mary & Martha, saw their brother’s lifeless body, and that’s all the could focus on.

Jesus actually spent two more days where He was, before He went to wake Lazarus up.

What impossible issue are you dealing with today?

Have you even begun to ask God to enter it with you?

That often might be our last step, but it really should be our first.

Never count Jesus out, even if the issue seems improbable to you.

He’s still undefeated, and He’s never been deterred…  

Comfort!

Exodus 16: 3

The Israelites said to them…."If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt!

There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

 

It’s clear to see, that Americans especially love to be comfortable.

God forbid it might rain today—that would just screw everything up.

 

What brings you comfort?

Chicken soup? A nice warm blanket? How about a padded retirement account?

 

I’m amazed that when I ask most people, usually God isn’t very close to the top of the comfort list.

Is it possible that God can’t bring us comfort, or meet our daily needs?

 

Honestly, most people actually think that way.

I’m pretty sure there’s a place in the Bible, where it says… “Those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength…”

How good are you at waiting on the Lord?

 

A friend shared this video with me yesterday.

I dare you to watch it—yes all of it.

 

Maybe it will actually challenge your comfort thinking—just like it challenged mine…

 

http://youtu.be/CWUX-4lcp-M

Chosen!

Colossians 3: 12

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

I guess when you’re a handpicked person of God, these traits aren’t so hard to believe after all.

I’d love to say that I put all these together all at once, but truthfully, one is just like the other.

Acts of kindness are real difference makers.

What if we challenged ourselves throughout the day, to seek out people who we could be kind to?

I’d be willing to bet it wouldn’t only make our day good, but the kindness recipients too.

The great preacher John Wesley once said;

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,  in all the ways you can, in all he places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can”.

And yet our culture seems to live by… “Kill or be killed!”

I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of kindness.

When we help other people, we actually help ourselves.

Tell me it’s not better to give—than receive.

During Pastor appreciation month (which October is by the way), I can’t begin to tell you the acts of kindness I’ve received.

It sure goes a long way, to keeping a hop in my daily spiritual step.

Today I’m going to pick a few people I’m going to be kind to.

Would you consider joining me? Maybe we could start some kind of movement?

Besides, I’m a chosen man of God, and it’s what I’m called to do…

Just say no!

Titus 2: 11 – 12

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…

It is the grace of God, that brings Salvation to all men.

I would appear that if we understood the grace of God, we would be taught to say, “NO”, to ungodliness and worldly passions.

When we understand Salvation, the outcome should be a self controlled and upright, godly life.

The grace of God teaches us these things as we live in the present age.

I couldn’t imagine for a second, missing Dave Wager’s teaching last night at church.

We’re right at the beginning of our 3^rd. annual, Family Life Conference @ WCF.

What would you name as a worldly passion today?

Some people actually chose those things, rather than being in church last night.

I happen to believe, that anything we chose, that’s outside of spending time with God, would qualify.

I know most of us wouldn’t want to admit it, but sometimes we’re controlled by things that have nothing to do with God.

I need to learn to tell myself, “NO”, especially if it’s outside the will of God.

If I understand God’s grace, then I will understand what I need to say “NO”, to.

We’re not very accustom to saying, “NO” to much of anything.

Maybe if we really loved God, we would say, “NO”, and live in a self controlled, godly environment

Rest don't fret!

Isaiah 41: 10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

If you’re anything like me (which is a frightening thought), there may be times when fear becomes a factor.

I consider all that is going on in our world, and it’s a lot to take in.

My system often times is on overload.

Can you relate just a little bit?

Then I consider God’s Word, and it tells us all not to be afraid.

He actually says that He will strengthen us and help us.

Those are comforting words, during trying times.

We can count on the God of the universe, to uphold us with His righteous right hand.

Think about that today, as you’re headed toward the end of another crazy week.

God’s got things very well under control, and He’s in the business of helping His people.

When I read verses like this, I feel kind of silly, for fretting about what I fret over.

Actually, even as I read this verse, my heart slows it’s pace just a bit.

Maybe that’s my problem?

Maybe I need to rest in the righteous arms of God, more than I do.

Rest In Him today, even if you can’t relate… 

Keep it simple!

Matthew 5: 37

“Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

I happen to believe that this crazy world wouldn’t be so complicated, if we just knew where people stood.

Jesus kept things very simple.

He said that our yes should mean yes—and our no should mean no.

I weigh most things these days, solely by scripture.

Again, I stand by the saying… “If the literal sense makes sense—seek no other sense.”

When it comes to marriage, I’m pretty clear Jesus knew what He was talking about.

Our church has language in its constitution/bylaws relative to marriage.

The language reads…

We believe that the term “marriage”, has only one meaning and that is a marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.

Should marriage be reserved for same sex couples? God said no, and I think He knows what He’s talking about.

Pastors that speak the truth, always take great criticism. When the prophets of old spoke truthfully, they usually didn’t live very long.

Maybe we should consistently pray this prayer, that a friend recently shared with me…

Lord, Your Pastors are under attack for preaching the Scriptures. Those in authority are threatening them. O God, give Your servants boldness to proclaim the Truth.

May our places of worship be shaken as in the Book of Acts because Your Presence is moving among Your people. Holy Spirit, come!

Jesus, You are being persecuted again and again. O God, free us from our lazy worship of stuff...O God, send Your Spirit upon Your people.

We are sick of playing games... Sick of doing nothing because we have done it without You... Sick of entertaining... Sick of believing You owe us everything...

O God, forgive us. O God, send Your Fire again. O God, we repent. Tear down the high places and make Your Church in this world a House of Prayer! Amen.

Who hates you?

John 15: 18

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.”

 

Forgive me, but for some strange reason, I can’t get this verse out of my head.

Let me show you what I mean.

 

There’s a husband and wife preacher team in Idaho, who are in jail today.

They refused to perform a same sex marriage, and they’re now being hated for standing up for Jesus.

If it came right down to it, would you stand up for your faith?

Would you consider spending a few nights or weeks in the pen?

 

There’s a day coming, and I think it’ll be here sooner than later, but I think a true follower of Jesus is going to know what it’s like to be hated.

I’m not trying to be a show off, but after 12 years of ministry, and telling the truth, I have my own hate, fan club.

 

I’m not sure why we should be so shocked at reading this stuff in the news.

Jesus said this time would come, and it appears it’s right here at our doorstep.

 

These are the kinds of verses that many people just as soon not read.

These are the verses of scripture, that many churches will never preach on.

 

I happen to believe, that the truth will set us free.

They might not bring us freedom from jail, but they will bring us great freedom in Christ Jesus…  

chose and chosen!

Deuteronomy 10: 14 – 16             (NLT)

“The highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love.

And he chose you, their descendants, above every other nation, as is evident today. Therefore, cleanse your sinful hearts and stop being stubborn."

Followers of Jesus need some pretty subtle reminders.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in our own little world, that we often forget about God.

I believe it’s in the great mercy of God, that He directs us to passages like this one above.

The words of scripture, often call us back to Himself, and then we’re reminded of His deep love for us.

Did you know that God chooses us to be the objects of His love?

I wonder if we’re just sometimes too stubborn to notice it?

As we consider the love God has for us, maybe we should get serious in the cleansing of our hearts.

Could it be that our stubborn hearts need to change?

On this Monday morning, I’m choosing to acknowledge that God is the Lord of my life.

I’m going to purpose myself, to thank Him for His love for me—and His mercies extended toward me…

“Lord God Almighty. I thank You for choosing me to be an object of Your love. Forgive me for taking that for granted.

Forgive me when I’m stubborn in my heart. I come to You now and surrender my life to You, for You are the mighty and awesome God, who is worthy of all my praise.

Amen!”

Spare your life!

Genesis 32: 30

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

There was a time, when the people of God were afraid of Him, in fear that they would die.

Some people can actually confuse the presence of God.

When He comes close to us though, we should be overwhelmed.

When’s the last time you were overwhelmed by the presence of God?

Jacob’s encounter with God wasn’t something grandiose or even picturesque.

Being with God doesn’t always have to be a “Ten Commandment” or “Charlton Heston”, experience.

Jacob’s encounter with God, was on a sweaty wrestling mat.

No matter how we meet God, we should be so very glad we have access to Him.

Jacob was in the presence of God, and his very life was spared.

When we go into a quiet place of prayer, we can meet God the very same way.

When God comes in, the things we’re often preoccupied with, will soon become irrelevant.

Maybe we just need to recapture the awe of His presence.

Will you attempt to find God today?

If you do, there’s a good chance He’ll spare your life, and listen intently to your cry for help…

Hold on!

Genesis 32: 26

Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

Jacob knew the heart of God, and that’s why he was unwilling to let Him go.

Do you know the true heart of God? If you did, then we wouldn’t give up so easily as we do.

Did you know that God really honors people who stay with it, no matter how hard the battle is?

Those who press on during struggles, are always the ones who receive the blessing.

It still amazes me, that some people have some minor issue in the church they attend, and then they pack it in at the first sign of conflict.

Again—God honors those who stay in the midst of the skirmish.

My track coach in high school, used to challenge me by asking me to be… “tenacious”.

In 1975/76, I didn’t even know what that word meant.

Now in my older age, I know I need to hold onto God, in the midst of the relentless issues of life.

I guess I’ve also learned, that no matter how intense things get in this life, I need to hold onto to God, too.

Are you holding on to God, today?

If not, maybe that’s why you’ve not yet experienced the blessing.

God is waiting for the dawn to come, and He wants us to wait for it too…

Take a stand!

Matthew 5: 11

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Over the course of history, the religious Jews slaughtered the prophets, and then they were systematic in killing Jesus.

Religionists killed off all the Christian reformers, and they also forced men like John Wesley, from the very pulpit he was preaching in.

Make no mistake about it, for the sake of religion, the largest crowds are always wrong.

Throughout history, only a few people were able to see clearly, and the rest were completely blinded.

To stand up for the truth of God’s Word, has been historically unpopular.

To take a stand for righteousness, is always a downright dangerous play.

Today the Christian church does everything in its power to become popular.

Ever since it adapted that trend, the church has been in a steady decline.

For every Noah there has ever been, there have been many more who thought it would never rain.

I’m thinking about that tonight as I write this, as it rains cats and dogs at 10:35pm, 10/13/2014.

                                                                       

Every time the church tries to act like the world, that grieves the Holy Spirit greatly.

Anyone worth his salt who is willing to take a stand for truth, will be insulted and persecuted, mostly by false speaking people.

Most people never ever find out what that’s really like.

Maybe it’s because they’ve never really taken a stand before… 

Wrestle

Genesis 32: 24

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

 

Jacob was a man who had some real issues.

He tricked his father, and brother, and he thought his brother wanted his life for doing so.

 

As time went on, Jacob thought his past would catch up to him, and it did.

Jacob, left alone in camp, wrestled with a man (GOD) all night long.

 

Did you know that there are times that we are also left alone to wrestle with God?

What are you wrestling with God about right now?

 

During these times, God’s presence has a purpose, and it can be sometimes painful.

These wrestling times can also be exhausting as well.

 

Eventually, as we stay the course of the wrestling match, blessing does come.

For any of us to reach a deeper relationship with God, there has to wrestling.

 

When I was in high school, I saw how hard the wresters worked, and I wasn’t one bit interested in joining that group.

During our times when our past meets God, we have to come face to face with Him.

 

This encounter is absolutely necessary.

The struggle might go on all night long, but then a new day arrives…  

Keep on!

Exodus 14: 29

But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Do you ever go through trials, and wonder when God is going to show up?

That seems to happen a lot to me.

It’s not bad enough when you personally face obstacles, but then the people all around are heavy with burden too.

There are many times, that I feel like the enemy is in hot pursuit.

Especially in the church, there are moments when I think it should be easier than it is.

I am convinced, that in these last moments in history, the enemy knows his time is almost up.

I would be the first one to say, that it’s tough to keep my eyes focused on the great burden barer.

He’s the last one I think to bring my problems to sometimes.

Are you at that place today?

Let me remind you, that God always shows up, when things get most frightful.

Our enemy doesn’t stand a chance against our great sustaining God.

I wonder what the Hebrew children thought, when they walked across the Red Sea on dry ground?

Lay your burdens before the Lord today, because He always shows up in just the nick of time.

Today I need to repent of my weak faith, and keep on walking…

No Faith?

Hebrews 11: 6

And without faith it is impossible to please God…

I heard from an Adult Sunday school teacher lately, that a follower of Jesus should be increasing their faith in Him all the time.

Would you say that your faith is growing all the time?

The more we get to know the God of this universe, the more our faith should grow.

That’s just a natural progression.

To please God, we must first come to Him on His terms—not our terms.

We can never please God if we have doubt. We must have faith to please Him.

When there’s the slightest bit of unbelief, that’s never where God wants us to be.

To have a greater, active faith, we must believe that His written Word is absolutely true.

Faith in God should oppose common sense.

Faith must put Jesus at the top of the ladder, and intellectual faith is really worth squat.

People in this world will read the Bible, and it will not make sense to them at all.

Followers of Jesus will read the Bible—they know it doesn’t make sense—but still they act out God’s Word in faith.

Jesus said that unless we forgive our enemy, He can’t forgive us.

The way of the common world doesn’t work this way—but then God doesn’t work in common ways.

Those who believe in this simple element, have faith.

Those who don’t, can’t begin to please God… 

Wake Up!!

Joel 2: 31

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Tomorrow, October 8^th will mark the prophesied second of four blood moons in 2014/2015.

Most people will hardly even notice.

What’s happened since the first blood moon?

·         Thousands of French Jews are leaving France for Israel, because of the increase of Muslim persuasion…

·         ISIS is on the up rise, and are cutting people’s heads off…

·         The USA is mad at its once great Mid-East ally, Israel, and Obama and Netanyahu don’t seem to like one another…

·         Russia has made illegal and unwanted advances on the people of Ukraine…

·         Iran is still making head way on being nuclear ready…

·         And the end of the day, many states in the US, will now allow same sex marriages…

·         The Ebola virus that was mostly confined to Liberia, has arrived in the US…

Again, most people won’t even notice the change in scenery, but I’ll bet God knows!

Maybe there aren’t drastic signs of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, but one would have to argue the fact, that things seem to be getting shakier all the time.

Granted, God is still on the throne, and He’s not the least bit undone.

We are called to pay attention to the signs happening all around us, and frankly most followers of Christ are fast asleep.

What will it take to wake the sleeping people of America?

A day like 9/11/01 perhaps?

That wakeup call only lasted a week or two at best, so the next alarm clock should probably be louder…

Test Me!

Psalm 139: 23 – 24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Did you know that God is the only One who can tell us what we can’t see?

We’re good at convincing ourselves that everything’s good all around us, when maybe it’s not.

Maybe we shouldn’t trust out own judgment about ourselves.

Could it be that we’re too comfortable with ourselves to access accurate judgment?

Every day we should seek the eyes of God.

Every day we should ask Him to look for the offensive ways inside.

I’m not sure why people are always slows to be convicted.

Conviction is actually a good thing, especially when we allow it to take it’s natural course.

Nothing is hidden from the sight of God.

He knows it all anyway.

Putting off dealing with sin, means that we’re slowing the experience of receiving more of God’s goodness.

Ask God to look into your heart this morning, and then have Him tell you what He sees.

Once that He reveals those hidden things, do something about it.

Turn and repent, and then begin to enjoy the true fullness of God again

Check the list!

Proverbs 6: 16 – 19 (NKJV)

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,

a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

Hate is a pretty serious word.

If anyone were to use this language of scripture in a public setting, they would be labeled as totally intolerant.

God actually hates things.

Is this the same God who is a God of love?

I wonder how many of these are alive and well in the church you attend?

Sowing seeds of discord, is probably at the top of the list in most churches, and yet God hates it.

I wonder how often do we just skim over this list, and think of somebody else?

I guess if the shoe fits, maybe we ought to actually wear it.

If God hates these things, then so should His followers.

The definition of “abomination”, is: “The feeling of extreme disgust and hatred.”

It might be good practice, for God’s people to look over this list.

It might be also good for God’s people, to repent of any one of these, that fits the persons profile

Your Golden Idol(s)!

Psalm 121: 1 – 2

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of Heaven and earth.

I wonder how many of us could honestly say, that most of the time we’re distracted by something that doesn’t have anything to do with God?

The children of Israel, when Moses went up to the mountain to get the Ten Commandments, got easily distracted.

They started worshipping an idol, which by the way, didn’t have anything remotely to do with God.

The things that distract us from God, can easily become an idol.

Remember, one of the Ten Commandments says… “You shall have no other God before me!”

What other God do you have before the One true God?

What’s your golden calf?

Could it be busyness or technology or Facebook, Twitter or exhaustion or how about fitness or dreams of success?

Anything that distracts us from spending quality time with God, can easily become an idol.

Jesus says that we should take all of our cares, and cast them upon Him—but most often we don’t.

Nothing should be set higher than our relationship with God, but so often He becomes a forgotten entity.

Our distractions, get in the way of us spending time with Him…

“Loving Lord, Forgive me when I make excuses and leave you out. 

I never thought that my surrender to the distractions in my day, was creating an idol that removed my focus from You. 

Help me to seek and refuel with Your mercies this morning. I want to find my strength in You and intentionally live each moment for Your Purpose. Amen”