Hebrews 11 is the hall of fame for the faith. This chapter mentions Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Enoch and many others. There are two verses in the middle of Hebrews 11 that sticks out:
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
They all died in FAITH, not having received the promises.
Faith is more than just receiving what you are believing for in God through Christ Jesus, faith is the character of God inside of you that provokes you to serve God in the face of incredible odds without waver. I was really sick one time and the enemy came to me and said, "You have several small children and you are going to die here in this bed and leave them behind." I replied. "Well, IF I DO DIE, at least I will DIE IN MY FAITH!" I was letting the enemy know that even the threat of death would not waver my faith. In just a few day the Lord touched my body and I was miraculously recovered from my illness, but my faith was going to stand to the end no matter the result of that end.
I played sports in high school, and our team was ranked number 3 in the state. Needless to say we seldom got beat, usually when we played we beat the other team by a double digit spread. All the years that I grew up playing sports from the 3rd grade to the 12th our team was seldom beat. We were used to winning and winning big. We were in the state tournament and facing an a team that had a player that was ranked the best player in the nation. Needless to say we could not hang with this player. By half time we were double digits behind. Our team was not used to being behind like this and my teammates gave up. At half time we came out of the locker room, the band struck up and I ran out in front of our team to go out onto the court to warm up and I heard someone yell from the crowd, "Come on! Don't give up." I looked back and the rest of my team had their heads hung down and they were slowly walking back onto the court. I ran back to them and began to give them a pump talk. But, they had given up...they just quit in the middle of the game.
I see this all the time in the elderly and in people who are against terrible odds. They just lay down and quit and start asking God to take them home. You have to understand that there is something worse than losing, there is quitting. You see if I am in the fourth quarter in life, and things are going well and I am behind by double digits I still give it 110 percent. Why would I do that? Someone said to me, "Why would you do that? You are going to lose anyway. What is the use?" You see losing adds character to your life, humility, patience, learning. Thomas Edison failed many times in his attempt to make a light bulb, but he didn't quit, he kept going, and finally he won. Losing with the class and character and fighting all the way to the end contending for the faith is reward worthy, this is what Hebrews 11 is saying of those who walked in faith but still didn't receive the promises. But, giving up destroys your character, it destroys your hope, it destroys you child like faith. I might lose, but I won't give up. It's OK to play to win and then for things to go wrong and somehow things don't work out like you planned, but it is never OK to just give up and that is what makes the difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous man may fall seven times, but each time He gets right back up. You see I might not get what I want out of life, but the enemy knows that they only way he can destroy us is if he can get us to give up. I might lose a time or two, but I will never give up, I will always give 110 percent.
Some of my teammates gave up when we were playing a team with an outstanding player. Literally we could not stop this player from making points and we did lose the game. We lost, but I never gave up and really that was a huge win in the long run, because what you do when you are losing and not getting what you want out of life says more about you than when you are scoring and winning the game. How you lose says more about you than how you win. Don't give up, it isn't about winning and losing in life, is about how you played the game.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
The Key To Your Deliverance
Please someone hear me today because this message is key to your deliverance.
6 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
God had sent his army to secure Jericho. This is what happens when you are on the brink of a miracle the enemy tries to lock it down and shut it out. Here they were on the brink of one of the greatest miracles in history and they were not closer to acquiring the city they were farther away than ever.
Have you ever had a dream only for the enemy to try to move and shut it down?
Have you ever wanted to get up and do more only to have the enemy to move to shut you out?
This is what happens before your miracle the enemy tries to shut you down, move you off and shut you out.
Just a few weeks before the scouts had went into the city, and came back out again. And now that they were ready to take the city as God had promises not even one person can go in or go out of the city gates.
Did you take a step forward in obedience to God and then suddenly everything seemed to shut you out and shut you down? Hold on, keep marching onward, lift up those shouts of praise, raise that banner high. What the enemy means to keep you from achieving is the very thing that God is going to give into your hands!
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
What Do You Do When Prayer Is Not Enough?
Have you prayed and prayed and prayed and yet seem to get no where. Prayer changes things, but often the greatest changes come when we get up and do something after we have prayed. What is that something we need to do? Obey what God says. If you have money issues and you are not tithing and giving offerings those money issues are going to be there until you change. If you have relationship issues and you are living with people and having relationships that go against the Word of God those issues are going to remain until you change. If the cops are following you all over town and you keep getting arrested this is going to continue until you change. If you can't get a good job and can't hold on to the ones you get this is going to continue until you change I hear from people daily who have prayed and prayed and prayed and yet their circumstances do not change Prayer changes things but often the thing that needs changed is me.
Moses went through this at one of the worst crisis moments of his life. The Red Sea was in front of him, Pharaoh and his armies were behind him and he was pinned in with no where to go. So what did they do? They did what anyone of us would do, they fell on their faces before God and began to pray. Doesn't that seem the logical thing to do? Isn't that what most people would do in the same circumstance? After all a miracle was their only prayer. What was God's response to their prayers? We find this in Exodus 14:15-16 15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
The Lord asked Moses why do you cry to Me? Go forward into the sea. Wow. That's a plan. Why didn't Moses already think of that? Because it is impossible. When faced with impossibilities most often all we can think of to do is to cry out to God. But the miracle doesn't come until we move forward. Someone is thinking, "But that is impossible, how can I do that?" By your faith. They could have stayed on their faces crying out to God day and night and that sea was not going to move out of their way until they started moving forward into it.
Some of you have been crying out to God because of your circumstances. In spite of all the may REASONS you can't move forward in obedience to God just get up and do it anyway. You are waiting on God to move, but actually God is waiting on YOU to move. Just do it. Obey God and move forward, it is the only way to get through it.
Moses went through this at one of the worst crisis moments of his life. The Red Sea was in front of him, Pharaoh and his armies were behind him and he was pinned in with no where to go. So what did they do? They did what anyone of us would do, they fell on their faces before God and began to pray. Doesn't that seem the logical thing to do? Isn't that what most people would do in the same circumstance? After all a miracle was their only prayer. What was God's response to their prayers? We find this in Exodus 14:15-16 15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
The Lord asked Moses why do you cry to Me? Go forward into the sea. Wow. That's a plan. Why didn't Moses already think of that? Because it is impossible. When faced with impossibilities most often all we can think of to do is to cry out to God. But the miracle doesn't come until we move forward. Someone is thinking, "But that is impossible, how can I do that?" By your faith. They could have stayed on their faces crying out to God day and night and that sea was not going to move out of their way until they started moving forward into it.
Some of you have been crying out to God because of your circumstances. In spite of all the may REASONS you can't move forward in obedience to God just get up and do it anyway. You are waiting on God to move, but actually God is waiting on YOU to move. Just do it. Obey God and move forward, it is the only way to get through it.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
What Is Following In Your Wake?
Psalm 23
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Verse six: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...When a boat moves through the water it leaves a wake behind it. There are certain places in the lake that you cannot drive full throttle because of the wake. Wakes make an impact. It is the same way with our lives. As we move through life our actions and reactions make a wake, ripples that touch the lives of others. When you pass through what wake are you leaving behind you. David said in Psalm 23 goodness and mercy was following him. What wake are you leaving behind you? Is your community better because you are there? Is your place of employment better because you are there? Is your family better because you are there. What is following in your wake?
Monday, June 22, 2015
Finding Sleep Through Peace and Rest
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus is talking about a yoke here in these verses. A yoke is used to tie two things together to pull a burden. By definition a yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. Each of us have a weight to pull in life. The circumstances we face and the things we go through help to make us the burden that we have to carry. When Jesus says, "MY yoke is easy, and my burden light", he is saying that he is willing to come along side of you and to be yoked with you. That you carry his burdens and he also helps carry your burdens. Jesus said if you love me you will obey my commands, and also that we must do the will of the Father. But his yoke is easy and his burdens light. When we yoke ourselves to Jesus we are required to do the will of the Father, but, He also himself bares our burdens. He will carry us through.
The enemy on the other hand is not willing to be yoked to you at all. He does not wish to help you carry anything. On the contrary. The enemy will weigh you down. The pressures of making ends meet and taking care of responsibilities and relationships is a weight we all must carry. The enemy comes along and throws some gossip on top of it all. Some confusion on top, some stress on top, panic and fear on top of it all. The enemy comes and weighs us down further and further until we don't even have the strength left to do the things we need to get done.
The enemy will deceive you into thinking that you don't have time to be yoked to Jesus. That his will is cumbersome and hard. That you don't have time to do the Father's will. Yet, being yoked to Jesus will actually lift your burdens, lessen your stress and heal your wounds. If you are not yoked to the Will of the Father than you are subject to the weight of the enemy that drags us through the mud and back again.
Jesus said, "Come to me and I will give you rest." How do we accomplish this? By taking his yoke upon us. In you mind see two oxen yoked together. They are harnessed. They are not free to wander here there and yonder, but they are pulling together to do a purpose. What purpose is that? They are pulling together to accomplish the will of the one hold the reigns. When you yoke yourself to Jesus, you are pulling together with Him to do the will of the Father, and Jesus said in doing so you will find rest. There is no drama in Jesus. He is gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. So many people cannot find rest when they lay down at night. It is almost like as soon as they lay down it all starts up and won't shut down. That is the enemy trying to put his weight upon your life to kill, steal and destroy. When you lay down begin praying and asking Jesus to put his yoke upon you. To surrender your life to his will, to do what he ask, to live as he ask, to be what he ask you to be. Ask him to put his yoke upon you, to learn from him, so that you can find peace and rest.
The enemy on the other hand is not willing to be yoked to you at all. He does not wish to help you carry anything. On the contrary. The enemy will weigh you down. The pressures of making ends meet and taking care of responsibilities and relationships is a weight we all must carry. The enemy comes along and throws some gossip on top of it all. Some confusion on top, some stress on top, panic and fear on top of it all. The enemy comes and weighs us down further and further until we don't even have the strength left to do the things we need to get done.
The enemy will deceive you into thinking that you don't have time to be yoked to Jesus. That his will is cumbersome and hard. That you don't have time to do the Father's will. Yet, being yoked to Jesus will actually lift your burdens, lessen your stress and heal your wounds. If you are not yoked to the Will of the Father than you are subject to the weight of the enemy that drags us through the mud and back again.
Jesus said, "Come to me and I will give you rest." How do we accomplish this? By taking his yoke upon us. In you mind see two oxen yoked together. They are harnessed. They are not free to wander here there and yonder, but they are pulling together to do a purpose. What purpose is that? They are pulling together to accomplish the will of the one hold the reigns. When you yoke yourself to Jesus, you are pulling together with Him to do the will of the Father, and Jesus said in doing so you will find rest. There is no drama in Jesus. He is gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul. So many people cannot find rest when they lay down at night. It is almost like as soon as they lay down it all starts up and won't shut down. That is the enemy trying to put his weight upon your life to kill, steal and destroy. When you lay down begin praying and asking Jesus to put his yoke upon you. To surrender your life to his will, to do what he ask, to live as he ask, to be what he ask you to be. Ask him to put his yoke upon you, to learn from him, so that you can find peace and rest.
Friday, June 19, 2015
What Is The Spirit of The Anti Christ?
The spirit of anti-Christ has gone out into the world, and anyone pushing for a New World order, a one world government or one world religion has the spirit of the Anti-Christ. What is the spirit of the anti-Christ? The spirit of the anti-Christ is the spirit that goes out to mankind to deceive them to prepare the way for the anti-Christ and the false prophet. How far back does this go? All the way back to the tower of Babel. What we must understand is that the devil has a plan that he has been trying to work for Centuries to try to defeat God. He wants to do what God has never accomplished and that is to unite the world as one under his leader, the anti-Christ in defiance to God. Why does mankind fall for it? There are two main reasons.
1. The enemy convinces man that he will be superior to all others, even God himself, if they will join his team. Think of Eve in the Garden, Nazi Germany
The snake said to Eve, For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Hitler repeated this with building the Superior race. The appeal to be superior is the hook that the enemy uses to deceive us to take on the spirit of the Anti-Christ. It sounds so good that it is hard to think of it as evil. Wouldn't more knowledge, more revelation, a better human race sound like a good thing? Yes. It sounds like a good thing so the enemy himself has been described as being disguised as an angel of light. This is the old bait and switch. The devil promises us superiority but killing and death and treachery is the only way to achieve that goal. It is evil at it's root. The anti-Christ will promises us a Superior advanced world where we can be our own gods, but eventually he will convince us that killing and death and treachery is the only way to achieve that goal.
2. The enemy convinces man that he holds the keys to unity and peace. It is a false peace. Think of the tower of Babel and the New World Order. Every time we have tried to untie the world in peace, sudden destruction has hit us. Thessalonians says 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;… Mankind will be deceived into following the antichrist because they are going to be promised peace and safety. Just like in the tower of Babel. Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth." There are going to be many who want to make a name of themselves trying to unite the world through peace and unity, but sudden destruction will hit them.
The quest of superiority and the quest for unity and peace will be the deception of the antichrist and the downfall of all humanity. The Bible says even the very elect would be deceived if that were possible. The antichrist spirit is already in the world today. How can you recognize that spirit?
1. The enemy convinces man that he will be superior to all others, even God himself, if they will join his team. Think of Eve in the Garden, Nazi Germany
The snake said to Eve, For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Hitler repeated this with building the Superior race. The appeal to be superior is the hook that the enemy uses to deceive us to take on the spirit of the Anti-Christ. It sounds so good that it is hard to think of it as evil. Wouldn't more knowledge, more revelation, a better human race sound like a good thing? Yes. It sounds like a good thing so the enemy himself has been described as being disguised as an angel of light. This is the old bait and switch. The devil promises us superiority but killing and death and treachery is the only way to achieve that goal. It is evil at it's root. The anti-Christ will promises us a Superior advanced world where we can be our own gods, but eventually he will convince us that killing and death and treachery is the only way to achieve that goal.
2. The enemy convinces man that he holds the keys to unity and peace. It is a false peace. Think of the tower of Babel and the New World Order. Every time we have tried to untie the world in peace, sudden destruction has hit us. Thessalonians says 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;… Mankind will be deceived into following the antichrist because they are going to be promised peace and safety. Just like in the tower of Babel. Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth." There are going to be many who want to make a name of themselves trying to unite the world through peace and unity, but sudden destruction will hit them.
The quest of superiority and the quest for unity and peace will be the deception of the antichrist and the downfall of all humanity. The Bible says even the very elect would be deceived if that were possible. The antichrist spirit is already in the world today. How can you recognize that spirit?
2 John 1:7 - For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
1 John 2:22 - Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 - And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
We must keep watch and pray and ask God for a pure heart and a discerning spirit. If you are told to deny Christ or to lower him to the status of the 'prophets' of the other religions of this world this is the spirit of antichrist. It will not being superiority or peace in the end it will bring complete and total destruction.
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Two Things that Will Bring You Into a NEW SEASON
Ecclesiates 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Galations 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For those of you that have sowed to the good, and reaped the opposite, just keep sowing and moving forward. The enemy cannot mock God forever. Eventually the enemy will have to flee and you will enjoy reaping what you have sowed. But for those who sow to the flesh and the world, this Scripture is bad news for you. The Karma bus is coming my friend, God will not be mocked. That means if you want to sow bad things and then pray for God to bless you and pull you up out of that mess you are trying to mock God. God is a God of justice. You will reap what you sow, and prayer will not change that. The first thing that will help bring you to your new season is to realize that you got yourself into that mess with bad decisions, and only you can bring you out by making better choices!
Where is the help? People say, "I pray and pray and pray for things to change but nothing changes, it remains and I am about to lose hope."
God works miracles but he seldom pulls us up out of a hole that we dug for ourselves. You have to see the way that things work to understand why things are like they are in this life. The children of Israel disobeyed God so the wandered around, going in circles, in the wilderness for 40 years. Joseph on the other hand was betrayed by his brothers, and sold into slavery. He went from misfortune to misfortune, yet he was liberated and promoted by God in ONE day in the end. So many people are praying for that sudden and extreme reversal just like Joseph received from God but you must realize that Joseph didn't dig his own pit, his brothers dug it for him. When we dig our own pit and our mistakes have brought us to where we are there is not biblical example of a sudden over night deliverance. There is redemption for our mistakes and God can and will bring us up out of them but he brings us out by our decision to make right choices and that comes through time and process. For the children of Israel it was marching in circles for 40 years going no where. But through their obedience to God they finally came out into a new season. Prayer won't bring your new season. Obedience to God's Word is the only thing that will bring your new season.
This brings me to the second part of this issue. People contact me everyday wanting to know what are the right choices for their lives. The right choice is to obey God. ALWAYS. Maybe for financial reasons you are living with a jerk, and not married, and you hope this person will love you and miraculously change for the better. It is better to be hungry, and cold than to disobey God's Word. Maybe you are sleeping around with this, that and the other person. If you are a know your heart is broken and shattered into a million little pieces. Better to obey God and be alone than to break the Word of God and do something that won't work in the end. Maybe the day to day of the world, it's games, it's bills, it's drama, and it's stuff to do and see has your life preoccupied to the point that you don't put God first. What you do with your time is what you make your priority. What do you do with a majority of your time? Is that time for God's will, or what you want to do? Does God expect a majority of our time? He said to lay down our lives take up our cross and follow him, so yes, God requires all of us, including out time and resources. People give God 10 minutes of their day in prayer and then get upset if that prayer isn't answered right away. Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days, non-stop fast, non-stop prayer to get his answer.
If you have been praying and seeing nothing, let go of the sin and the weight that besets you, seek God with all your heart and when your season changes, you will find something better instead of walking around in circles going no where.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Five Things That Will Give You A More Fulfilling Life
When you read the Bible you see that our choices in life have a more direct influence on the lot we have in life more than any other thing. Look at the children of Israel in the wilderness choosing to grumble about their circumstances and worshiping a golden idol. Circumstances come but how we chose to respond to those circumstances is what determines the flow and direction of our lives. These circumstances that we face are often created by others, but how we face them determines our outcome. Look at the life of Joseph. He did no wrong and yet he greatly suffered at the hands of others. He never gave up hope, or faith in God and eventually God brought him out. Circumstances is the NUMBER one thing that people email me about. Circumstance that are out of control and more than they can bare. I'm here to tell you today something that if you can hang on to this you will be able to endure and pull through any circumstances until God give you the victory.
1. You cannot control what others do to you, but you can control how you respond to it.
It isn't what others do to you that defines your life, it is how you respond to what they have done that is going to make you or break you. The difference between a victor and a victim is not what others have done to us but rather how we have responded to what they did.
2. You cannot help but to make some mistakes in life, but how you react to those mistakes will either make you or break you.
We have to learn from our mistakes, and we have to make it RIGHT. If you keep getting hurt and taken advantage of and you keep going back, you are not learning from your mistakes and your life is going to get darker and darker. Some people were not meant to be in your life. If you have spent more than a few months waiting for someone to change or keep their promises you are being suckered into living the life of a victim by a con-artist. There are a lot of them out there, don't play their game. Find your own path in life where you can obey God and feel good about yourself.
3. Money is not the answer to your need.
This world revolves around money,but at least 60 percent of the people I talk to have their spending out of control. Covetousness makes us want those neat expensive gadgets, games, and devices. These things breed prayerlessness, and keep us discontent and unsatisfied. If it takes all the money you have to get it, then leave it alone. Only buy the necessities. A dollar here and there on coffee and java, does it really add up? It does. We are a society that spends money no matter if we have money or not and often we spend it on things that are not even necessary. If we could look in contrast to how the other nations of the world live, in grass huts, on dirt floors, in trash heaps...we would be shocked at just how much luxury we live in. Find a budget that fits you and be thankful for what you have, give and it will be given unto you, and God will give you more.
4. You can't fix everyone else. There are so many people that I minister to that are tied up with the drama of other people. You can't fix your kids. You can't fix someone you are living with. You can't fix the government. You can't fix your Pastor or the church. We are trying to fix things that only God can fix and it is leading to too much stress and over load. You have to trust God and put things in his hands. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better, and if we try to keep them from getting worse all the time we are actually in the way.
5. God's grace is the key. When others do things that cause us harm, God's grace will lift us up out of it if we will trust him for it. Grace is unearned favor, it's nothing we deserve. God may take us through the fire to restore our lives but don't get angry at him or act like He owes us something. We were saved by grace, nothing we deserve, and he answers our prayers by grace, nothing we deserve, it is a gift from God. Faith teachers today lead people to believe that God owes us something. God owes us nothing, be thankful that he does not give us what we deserve but instead gives us more grace. Ask God to give you grace when you make a mistake to stick it out and make it right. Ask God to give you the grace to live well when you don't have enough finances to make it through each month. God can give you peace and security when in the natural you don't have enough. Joy is a gift from God and can be given to us in spite of our circumstances. Ask God to give you the grace to handle others and don't try to fix them all the time. Do you want someone dedicating their life to changing and fixing you? Most of us don't. Trust God to fix all things in his time.
1. You cannot control what others do to you, but you can control how you respond to it.
It isn't what others do to you that defines your life, it is how you respond to what they have done that is going to make you or break you. The difference between a victor and a victim is not what others have done to us but rather how we have responded to what they did.
2. You cannot help but to make some mistakes in life, but how you react to those mistakes will either make you or break you.
We have to learn from our mistakes, and we have to make it RIGHT. If you keep getting hurt and taken advantage of and you keep going back, you are not learning from your mistakes and your life is going to get darker and darker. Some people were not meant to be in your life. If you have spent more than a few months waiting for someone to change or keep their promises you are being suckered into living the life of a victim by a con-artist. There are a lot of them out there, don't play their game. Find your own path in life where you can obey God and feel good about yourself.
3. Money is not the answer to your need.
This world revolves around money,but at least 60 percent of the people I talk to have their spending out of control. Covetousness makes us want those neat expensive gadgets, games, and devices. These things breed prayerlessness, and keep us discontent and unsatisfied. If it takes all the money you have to get it, then leave it alone. Only buy the necessities. A dollar here and there on coffee and java, does it really add up? It does. We are a society that spends money no matter if we have money or not and often we spend it on things that are not even necessary. If we could look in contrast to how the other nations of the world live, in grass huts, on dirt floors, in trash heaps...we would be shocked at just how much luxury we live in. Find a budget that fits you and be thankful for what you have, give and it will be given unto you, and God will give you more.
4. You can't fix everyone else. There are so many people that I minister to that are tied up with the drama of other people. You can't fix your kids. You can't fix someone you are living with. You can't fix the government. You can't fix your Pastor or the church. We are trying to fix things that only God can fix and it is leading to too much stress and over load. You have to trust God and put things in his hands. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better, and if we try to keep them from getting worse all the time we are actually in the way.
5. God's grace is the key. When others do things that cause us harm, God's grace will lift us up out of it if we will trust him for it. Grace is unearned favor, it's nothing we deserve. God may take us through the fire to restore our lives but don't get angry at him or act like He owes us something. We were saved by grace, nothing we deserve, and he answers our prayers by grace, nothing we deserve, it is a gift from God. Faith teachers today lead people to believe that God owes us something. God owes us nothing, be thankful that he does not give us what we deserve but instead gives us more grace. Ask God to give you grace when you make a mistake to stick it out and make it right. Ask God to give you the grace to live well when you don't have enough finances to make it through each month. God can give you peace and security when in the natural you don't have enough. Joy is a gift from God and can be given to us in spite of our circumstances. Ask God to give you the grace to handle others and don't try to fix them all the time. Do you want someone dedicating their life to changing and fixing you? Most of us don't. Trust God to fix all things in his time.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
If Even One Person Pleases God it Releases His Blessing
Sin always grieves God. Form the time of Adam to the time of Noah man sinned and sinned more. God was grieved that he had made man on the earth. Sin brings the curse. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God cursed the ground. And in later generations at the time of Noah, man had become so violent and wicked that God was grieved that he made man. At the time of creation God looked upon the earth and said, "it is good" but with sin came the curse. At the time of Noah God was so grieved that he decided to destroy his creation. God looked at the earth and said, "This is good," but then because of sin he cursed the ground.
Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because you have listened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life;
Adam lived under a curse of the ground because of his sin in the garden, and that curse brought hardships and sorrows to him. Then when Cain killed his brother Able, God cursed the ground beneath Cain's feet. God said to Cain:
Genesis 4:11 And now are you cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand;
We see the precedent that disobedience to God's Word is sin, and sin brings on the curse which includes hardships and sorrows. Imagine how this must have been for God. He created this beautiful perfect earth that was good, and through the disobedience of mankind He has to start cursing the ground. It is not in God's nature to curse. By nature he desires to bless. Imagine the grief God must have endured now that he created man and because of sin He now has to speak curse after curse on the creation that He created that was so perfect and good.
From the dawn of time we see man sinning which brings the curse of God. But the birth of one particular human being turned the tide and brought a blessing.
Look at the scripture where Noah is born, His Father Lamech said:
Genesis 5:29 and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.
Noah's dad spoke prophetic words over him when he was born. What you say over your children carries weight. Don't call them bad things, even as a tease. Words are powerful and often carry weight that guide us through life. But notice what was said at his birth. This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.
Look at the life of Noah. Noah was the only man on the face of the earth that was righteous. He pleased the LORD. God determined to destroy the earth, but because Noah blessed the LORD through his obedience, God instructed Him to build a boat. The floods came and once the waters receded God began to bless.
Genesis 8:20And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21And the LORD smelled a sweet odor; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done.
22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
So here we see that God made a covenant with Noah. This was the first recorded covenant of God with man since the fall of Adam. What did God promise? I WILL NOT CURSE THE GROUND ANYMORE.. at the sin of Adam and Eve we see the curse of the ground. And YET, one man pleased God and it made God so happy he promised to never curse the ground again, and also to never again smite all living things as he had done in the flood.
This world is bad, and people are crazy. Things are hard, and times are tough. But, it pleases the LORD if even ONE person is found righteous. If one person honors God and serves him it causes God to decide to bless and not to curse. Even if things are terrible in the USA, terrible over seas, terrible in our governments, terrible in our churches, terrible in our school systems...one person submitted to God can turn the tide and cause God to remember his covenant and to bless us once again.
What Is Happening In The Church With All This Moral Shaking?
What does it mean to be lukewarm? Most of us like our drinks hot, or cold, but a lukewarm drink can taste bad. We serve hot tea, cold tea, I've never seen 'lukewarm' tea on the menu. If they bring our hot or cold drink to us lukewarm we complain, we want a new drink. The Bible describes lukewarm as neither not nor cold. This is the way that Americans were for a decade or two. Politically we called them moderates. This lukewarm attitude also crept into our churches and our homes. Sept 11, 2001 when the twin towers and other sites were attacked by terrorist it made Americans 'wake up' Since that time we have had to make a lot of hard decision in Congress and a lot of change has happened. These changes have polarized us and people are no longer indifferent about politics. Many have become passionate and some have moved from the middle of the road moderate to the left, and others to the right.
What we are seeing in the church today has also become a wake up call for those who are moderate in their faith. Some people have risen up and accepted sexual sins, others have accepted all religions as one, and others have said that Sanctification and holiness is a fallacy and not necessary because of the grace we have in Christ. Some have fallen away from preaching Christ and only preach positive success driven messages.
Because the church has been lukewarm the Lord has shown me two things:
1. God is giving us over to sexual perversion. The homosexual agenda will prevail, and this is going to cause a big back lash among many of the conservatives. Many conservatives are going to over react and cause the rest of America to despise conservative Christianity. Not only that but instead of repenting of their own sins, they are going to point the finger and pass the blame to the unrighteous. God plainly says that if HIS people called by HIS name would humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, He would heal the land. Yet, instead of personal repentance we are going to see the pointing of the finger and the passing of blame.
2. The church is going to have a mass exodus down through the Bible belt in the next 20 years.
The sleeping giant is going to wake up, but they will awaken to a world that is PREACHING better than their Pastors are preaching. They will awaken to sinners calling them hypocrites because they do not obey the Word of God, and because they over look their own sins while pointing the fingers at others. In the next decade you will see people examining what they believe and many are going to decide that their church, their pastors, and the Bible is just a farce. They will realize that our churches are not preaching what is really in the Bible. Holiness, sanctification, total surrender to Christ. Dieing to ones self...and they are going to walk away.
Do you want to be purpose driven or spirit lead? These are questions people are asking. What are all of these things creeping into the churches going to cause? Polarization. Over the next decade we are going to see the same split in the churches that we have seen in our nation. Some polarizing to the left and embracing modernism in their religious views and some polarizing to the right and embracing the traditional translation of the Scriptures. Don't be worried about these things that you see coming ahead. God desires for us to be cold or hot, he is spewing out the Lukewarm church that has been in America the past two or three decades and out of the ashes will come two groups. Those that are hot for God and his Word, and those that are cold and embrace the world and it's teachings. The thing each of us have to ask ourselves as we awake from our slumber is what direction will I go? Joshua said, "choose this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." God has moved America politically from a moderate position and over the next decade he will do the same thing in the church.
Revelation 3:15-17 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
In the next three years we are going to see more people 'reviewing' what they believe and why they believe it. The faith of some is going to be shaken, while others who really had no relationship with God in the first place are going to reveal their true colors by embracing sin and heresy. I believe by the early 2018 to the early 2020's we are going to see a revolutionary movement in the church in which whole denominations are renouncing the morals traditionally taught by the church and the moral code of the Bible to embrace 'new enlightenment' that will be the pre-curser to the rule and reign of the Antichrist.
God has always had a remnant and the elect of God will not be deceived. It may seem like a bad thing that this shaking and polarization is coming to the churches, but don't believe for a minute that the devil is in charge of it. God is the one shaking because he is bringing us to a hot or cold position and we will leave our moderate Christian faith behind.
What we are seeing in the church today has also become a wake up call for those who are moderate in their faith. Some people have risen up and accepted sexual sins, others have accepted all religions as one, and others have said that Sanctification and holiness is a fallacy and not necessary because of the grace we have in Christ. Some have fallen away from preaching Christ and only preach positive success driven messages.
Because the church has been lukewarm the Lord has shown me two things:
1. God is giving us over to sexual perversion. The homosexual agenda will prevail, and this is going to cause a big back lash among many of the conservatives. Many conservatives are going to over react and cause the rest of America to despise conservative Christianity. Not only that but instead of repenting of their own sins, they are going to point the finger and pass the blame to the unrighteous. God plainly says that if HIS people called by HIS name would humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, He would heal the land. Yet, instead of personal repentance we are going to see the pointing of the finger and the passing of blame.
2. The church is going to have a mass exodus down through the Bible belt in the next 20 years.
The sleeping giant is going to wake up, but they will awaken to a world that is PREACHING better than their Pastors are preaching. They will awaken to sinners calling them hypocrites because they do not obey the Word of God, and because they over look their own sins while pointing the fingers at others. In the next decade you will see people examining what they believe and many are going to decide that their church, their pastors, and the Bible is just a farce. They will realize that our churches are not preaching what is really in the Bible. Holiness, sanctification, total surrender to Christ. Dieing to ones self...and they are going to walk away.
Do you want to be purpose driven or spirit lead? These are questions people are asking. What are all of these things creeping into the churches going to cause? Polarization. Over the next decade we are going to see the same split in the churches that we have seen in our nation. Some polarizing to the left and embracing modernism in their religious views and some polarizing to the right and embracing the traditional translation of the Scriptures. Don't be worried about these things that you see coming ahead. God desires for us to be cold or hot, he is spewing out the Lukewarm church that has been in America the past two or three decades and out of the ashes will come two groups. Those that are hot for God and his Word, and those that are cold and embrace the world and it's teachings. The thing each of us have to ask ourselves as we awake from our slumber is what direction will I go? Joshua said, "choose this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." God has moved America politically from a moderate position and over the next decade he will do the same thing in the church.
Revelation 3:15-17 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
In the next three years we are going to see more people 'reviewing' what they believe and why they believe it. The faith of some is going to be shaken, while others who really had no relationship with God in the first place are going to reveal their true colors by embracing sin and heresy. I believe by the early 2018 to the early 2020's we are going to see a revolutionary movement in the church in which whole denominations are renouncing the morals traditionally taught by the church and the moral code of the Bible to embrace 'new enlightenment' that will be the pre-curser to the rule and reign of the Antichrist.
God has always had a remnant and the elect of God will not be deceived. It may seem like a bad thing that this shaking and polarization is coming to the churches, but don't believe for a minute that the devil is in charge of it. God is the one shaking because he is bringing us to a hot or cold position and we will leave our moderate Christian faith behind.
Monday, June 8, 2015
What You Are Looking at Will Determine What You Want
A common saying is "What are you looking at?" Or when a child is performing his first task he will cry, "Look at me! Look at me!" Store owners will put items in a certain place in the store just to catch your eye. We spend a lot of time as humans trying to get others to look where we want them to look. In 2 Chronicles 16:9 the Bible declares: For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Yes, even God is looking throughout the whole earth.
Why all this importance on being seen? Why try to catch the eye of someone else? In Genesis chapter 3, we see that the original sin was something that Eve first heard with her ears, and then caught with her eyes.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Gen. 3:6
Desire is birthed within our hearts as we look with our eyes. If you look for trouble, you will find it. If you look for faults you will see them. If you look for something praise worthy you will see it. We find exactly what we are looking for. There are people that purposely go out of their way, to look for drugs, and sure enough they found some. Then they wonder why they are always getting in trouble with the law? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out! I knew someone that habitually broke the law. They were always complaining that they were not able to go to the store without the police getting in behind them. I have been driving for nearly 30 years. I seldom have that problem, the police hardly ever get in behind me, because they were not looking for me. They were looking for someone that was breaking the law. And they know where to look. No matter what your position in life, we all spend a lot of time looking!
If you are going to find what you are looking for, you must look in the right places! I used to live on a ridge, there were a lot of woods there. I could search and search those woods for gold if I wanted to. It was my property after all. However, I would be searching the wrong place. You can't find gold where there is no gold. Just because we are looking does not mean we will find what we want. We must look in the right places. Why go to a place of sin, looking for someone that would be a companion. What are you going to find in a place of sin? If you haven't found the things you are looking for in life, you are looking in the wrong places.
God tells us in the Bible what we should be looking for. Don't forget, what you look for is what you will find. We spend so much time looking for worldly things, that we think will satisfy us. If you have been trying to find worldly things and accomplishments, and cannot find peace and satisfaction it is time to look somewhere else.
Psalms 121:1-2
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from which comes my help.
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
As we lift up our eyes to behold God, this is where our help comes from. As we begin to look unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith we find what we need in him. Your eyes open up the doors to the desires of your heart. What does Jesus bring to us when we keep our eyes focused upon him? Peace, health, healing, salvation, joy, love...and a more abundant life. When we look around us to see drugs, we find them. When we look around us to see hurts, we find them. When we look for disappointments, we find them. When we look for discord, we find it. When we look for Jesus, we find Him. He was there all the time.
Why all this importance on being seen? Why try to catch the eye of someone else? In Genesis chapter 3, we see that the original sin was something that Eve first heard with her ears, and then caught with her eyes.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Gen. 3:6
Desire is birthed within our hearts as we look with our eyes. If you look for trouble, you will find it. If you look for faults you will see them. If you look for something praise worthy you will see it. We find exactly what we are looking for. There are people that purposely go out of their way, to look for drugs, and sure enough they found some. Then they wonder why they are always getting in trouble with the law? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out! I knew someone that habitually broke the law. They were always complaining that they were not able to go to the store without the police getting in behind them. I have been driving for nearly 30 years. I seldom have that problem, the police hardly ever get in behind me, because they were not looking for me. They were looking for someone that was breaking the law. And they know where to look. No matter what your position in life, we all spend a lot of time looking!
If you are going to find what you are looking for, you must look in the right places! I used to live on a ridge, there were a lot of woods there. I could search and search those woods for gold if I wanted to. It was my property after all. However, I would be searching the wrong place. You can't find gold where there is no gold. Just because we are looking does not mean we will find what we want. We must look in the right places. Why go to a place of sin, looking for someone that would be a companion. What are you going to find in a place of sin? If you haven't found the things you are looking for in life, you are looking in the wrong places.
God tells us in the Bible what we should be looking for. Don't forget, what you look for is what you will find. We spend so much time looking for worldly things, that we think will satisfy us. If you have been trying to find worldly things and accomplishments, and cannot find peace and satisfaction it is time to look somewhere else.
Psalms 121:1-2
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from which comes my help.
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
As we lift up our eyes to behold God, this is where our help comes from. As we begin to look unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith we find what we need in him. Your eyes open up the doors to the desires of your heart. What does Jesus bring to us when we keep our eyes focused upon him? Peace, health, healing, salvation, joy, love...and a more abundant life. When we look around us to see drugs, we find them. When we look around us to see hurts, we find them. When we look for disappointments, we find them. When we look for discord, we find it. When we look for Jesus, we find Him. He was there all the time.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Are you tired of living week to week, pay check to pay check?
Until you learn that life has seasons and timing and set parameters you will never understand life. Sometimes when we look up at God and say why it is the same thing as a 6 year old asking why they cannot drive a vehicle. We understand why but even when we tell the child it is because they have to be older it seems unfair because they want it NOW. As you mature in God some of the questions that we ask in trying to understand why become more clear to us. And just like a six year old thinking it is unfair that we have to wait until we are older to drive a vehicle we often think the answers are unfair.
A big question for some people is WHY they have to struggle with money issues. I have been poor and I have had plenty, and plenty is better IF you can handle the stress of it. There are some principle issues of money that I feel the Lord wants me to share with you today. This will help answer some of the big questions people have about poverty and wealth.
1. You will never have plenty until you learn to be conservative with your spending. This is the most important factor in getting to a place where you don't have to live week to week, pay check to pay check. I have talked with many people about their lack of finances and there are some people that no matter how much they make they have a tendency to spend about 20 percent more than they make on a regular basis. I talked to one couple that made 800 dollars a month and their rent was 600. Wow. now that is tough, but in Kentucky people often live this way. Over all it cost less to live in Kentucky than in some of the other states. I talked to another couple that was making over 1200 each week and they were more broke than the previous couple. Their high income didn't qualify them for any government help and she liked to shop and spend and he had a drug habit that was expensive. I learned early in life that it isn't how much you make that determines how financially fit you are but rather how well you spend it. Turn on any financial speaker and they will advice you to make a budget and stick with it. I have found just writing down what you spend each day and seeing the dollar amount helps you keep a handle on your spending.
2. Having plenty is HARDER than having just enough or struggling to pay the bills. Now if you have struggled financially all your life right now you are thinking that I am crazy for saying this. With excesses of money comes a lot more temptation. Have you ever saw anyone with just enough EXTRA cash to get themselves into a whole heap of trouble. If you want to destroy someone give them a big wad of cash and no guidance on how to spend it. Studies of people that won the lottery have proven that money destroys people. Those that are rich and famous have more divorces and struggle more with finding peace and happiness. Money doesn't fix lives it destroys them unless they overcome the vices that comes with wealth. What are these vices? Pride. Ever saw someone with money that thought they were better than you? Money breeds pride if you don't allow humility to cloak your life. Covetousness. Money buys us things and the more we have the more we want. The closer we are to fitting in with 'the Jones' the more we desire to do so. Just because you CAN borrow money doesn't mean you should. Just because you can buy something doesn't mean you should. I hear people say all the time, "I wish I had this. or I wish I had that." How often do we stretch ourselves financially for 'this and that' until we don't have room to breathe. It breeds materialism and that is the fruit of covetousness.
With plenty comes the stress of handling that money without getting yourself into deeper debt. I have seen several people consolidate debt so that they can at least have a few nickels to rub together after paying their bills. So then what do they do? Use the two nickels to get another loan for another toy or device or trinket that is not necessary at all, just something they always wanted, and now they are right back to where they were, completely broke after paying all bills. I have seen people that get a better paying job and though nothing is wrong with the house they have, new money means they should have a bit better home in a better neighborhood etc. etc. They take all the pay raise they got to get this nice new home and now they are making this huge salary, living in a huge house, driving a huge car and they are barely getting all their bills paid which is extensive and they stay broke all the time. And for those who live on a fixed income. We see people who barely have food and can't afford to buy gas to attend church, yet they have gas and money to go play bingo, buy a cigarette, or some trinket at a yard sale. I have seen people who are on a fixed income skip paying their bills, to get their family into the fair, and then turn around and bum everyone to pay their bills for them. Hey, it isn't how much money you have, how you spend it tells more about your character than how much you make.
So back to the original question of WHY? When we do well with the small things God will give us more. If we don't do well managing what little money we have, we are not going to be trusted to handle more money. Look at the Rich, Young, Ruler. He was rich, He was Young and He was a Ruler, what's not to like? But on top of that he was a super person. He asked Jesus what must I do to receive eternal life? Jesus replied keep the commandments. The rich, young, ruler replied all of these I have kept since my youth. How many of us can say we have kept all the commandments of God since our youth? This was a good person. He was better character than most of us, and made fewer mistakes than most of us because breaking God's commands is where our mistakes come from. This was just a super person! Jesus told him that he lacked one thing, to sale all he had, give it to the poor and to follow Jesus. What did he do? He went away sorrowful. Why? Because he put money first in his life.
That's the last point. If you put money first in your life no matter how much you have or how much you make you will never have enough. Money is like a drug, you never get enough, it never satisfies, and it destroys your life. It is better for some people NOT to have money because they will hurt themselves and others trying to spend it. When you lay down the things of this world and put Jesus first you will be ready to handle money wisely. As long as you are still wanting this or wanting that and wish I had the money to do this or that you haven't laid down the things of this world yet. What is it that we should hunger for? For more of Jesus. When you get to the place that you don't care about anything, you just want more and more of Jesus, now you will be ready to handle wealth. Put you hand on your heart. Give God permission to change your heart that the desire for this and that would no longer reside there, that your heart would desire only more of Jesus.
A big question for some people is WHY they have to struggle with money issues. I have been poor and I have had plenty, and plenty is better IF you can handle the stress of it. There are some principle issues of money that I feel the Lord wants me to share with you today. This will help answer some of the big questions people have about poverty and wealth.
1. You will never have plenty until you learn to be conservative with your spending. This is the most important factor in getting to a place where you don't have to live week to week, pay check to pay check. I have talked with many people about their lack of finances and there are some people that no matter how much they make they have a tendency to spend about 20 percent more than they make on a regular basis. I talked to one couple that made 800 dollars a month and their rent was 600. Wow. now that is tough, but in Kentucky people often live this way. Over all it cost less to live in Kentucky than in some of the other states. I talked to another couple that was making over 1200 each week and they were more broke than the previous couple. Their high income didn't qualify them for any government help and she liked to shop and spend and he had a drug habit that was expensive. I learned early in life that it isn't how much you make that determines how financially fit you are but rather how well you spend it. Turn on any financial speaker and they will advice you to make a budget and stick with it. I have found just writing down what you spend each day and seeing the dollar amount helps you keep a handle on your spending.
2. Having plenty is HARDER than having just enough or struggling to pay the bills. Now if you have struggled financially all your life right now you are thinking that I am crazy for saying this. With excesses of money comes a lot more temptation. Have you ever saw anyone with just enough EXTRA cash to get themselves into a whole heap of trouble. If you want to destroy someone give them a big wad of cash and no guidance on how to spend it. Studies of people that won the lottery have proven that money destroys people. Those that are rich and famous have more divorces and struggle more with finding peace and happiness. Money doesn't fix lives it destroys them unless they overcome the vices that comes with wealth. What are these vices? Pride. Ever saw someone with money that thought they were better than you? Money breeds pride if you don't allow humility to cloak your life. Covetousness. Money buys us things and the more we have the more we want. The closer we are to fitting in with 'the Jones' the more we desire to do so. Just because you CAN borrow money doesn't mean you should. Just because you can buy something doesn't mean you should. I hear people say all the time, "I wish I had this. or I wish I had that." How often do we stretch ourselves financially for 'this and that' until we don't have room to breathe. It breeds materialism and that is the fruit of covetousness.
With plenty comes the stress of handling that money without getting yourself into deeper debt. I have seen several people consolidate debt so that they can at least have a few nickels to rub together after paying their bills. So then what do they do? Use the two nickels to get another loan for another toy or device or trinket that is not necessary at all, just something they always wanted, and now they are right back to where they were, completely broke after paying all bills. I have seen people that get a better paying job and though nothing is wrong with the house they have, new money means they should have a bit better home in a better neighborhood etc. etc. They take all the pay raise they got to get this nice new home and now they are making this huge salary, living in a huge house, driving a huge car and they are barely getting all their bills paid which is extensive and they stay broke all the time. And for those who live on a fixed income. We see people who barely have food and can't afford to buy gas to attend church, yet they have gas and money to go play bingo, buy a cigarette, or some trinket at a yard sale. I have seen people who are on a fixed income skip paying their bills, to get their family into the fair, and then turn around and bum everyone to pay their bills for them. Hey, it isn't how much money you have, how you spend it tells more about your character than how much you make.
So back to the original question of WHY? When we do well with the small things God will give us more. If we don't do well managing what little money we have, we are not going to be trusted to handle more money. Look at the Rich, Young, Ruler. He was rich, He was Young and He was a Ruler, what's not to like? But on top of that he was a super person. He asked Jesus what must I do to receive eternal life? Jesus replied keep the commandments. The rich, young, ruler replied all of these I have kept since my youth. How many of us can say we have kept all the commandments of God since our youth? This was a good person. He was better character than most of us, and made fewer mistakes than most of us because breaking God's commands is where our mistakes come from. This was just a super person! Jesus told him that he lacked one thing, to sale all he had, give it to the poor and to follow Jesus. What did he do? He went away sorrowful. Why? Because he put money first in his life.
That's the last point. If you put money first in your life no matter how much you have or how much you make you will never have enough. Money is like a drug, you never get enough, it never satisfies, and it destroys your life. It is better for some people NOT to have money because they will hurt themselves and others trying to spend it. When you lay down the things of this world and put Jesus first you will be ready to handle money wisely. As long as you are still wanting this or wanting that and wish I had the money to do this or that you haven't laid down the things of this world yet. What is it that we should hunger for? For more of Jesus. When you get to the place that you don't care about anything, you just want more and more of Jesus, now you will be ready to handle wealth. Put you hand on your heart. Give God permission to change your heart that the desire for this and that would no longer reside there, that your heart would desire only more of Jesus.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Are We In Line for Another Great Awakening?
Are we in line for another great awakening? Yes. We are. Looking at the moves of the past generations and you can see God's hand at work with a specific goal and design. In 380 AD Christianity became the official religion of Rome and with that came the dark ages. The Edict of Thessalonica, also known as Cunctos populos, was issued in 380 AD. It ordered all subjects of the Roman Empire to profess the faith of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria, making Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Ultimately by the time the restoration movement happened in 1517 Salvation through Christ was no longer being preached. Martin Luther came along professing that faith in Christ alone through grace brought Salvation. That no rituals were necessary, but only faith in Christ. This was the beginning of the restoration of the pure gospel that was based on the teaching of the Apostles. Martin Luther and many others died for their boldness to preach the truth.
Some 200 years later John Wesley built on to that foundation by preaching the message of Sanctification. In 1739 John Wesley started the Methodist Society in England preaching the message of Sanctification. So now the message of faith (Martin Luther) and holiness (John Wesley) were restored to the church. And after another 175 years William Seymour began preaching the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915
So by the turn of the 20 century you have faith in Christ (Martin Luther), Sanctification (John Wesley), and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (William Seymour) restored to the church. This was the model of the New testament church in the book of Acts. For the past 500 years God has been restoring his church to the truth. This leads us to today. What is next? To answer this question lets look at the book of ACTS.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Through out the past 500 years we see God bringing the church back to the foundation that was laid by the Apostles. The church went from persecution, to being legal, to being the official church of Rome, to apostasy, to a return to faith in Christ, a restoration of Holiness, a Restoration of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for what purpose? So that we would be witnesses. The next great awakening is the body of Christ rising up to go out on the streets to be a witness, to do what? To do the works that Jesus did and even greater works. Not just preachers and evangelist doing the works of Jesus, but the body of Christ. And they will proclaim the same thing that Jesus proclaimed:
Isaiah 61:1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
In the restoration process with Martin Luther we believed and professed, with John Wesley we repented and yielded, with William Seymour we received and manifested, with the next great awakening we will Go and witness, freely we have received, freely we will give. The no-names and the everyday common people will rise up in the power of God and lay hands on the sick, cast out devils, and preach the good news to every creature.
Are you ready to fulfill your place in destiny? It is time to raise up in the power that you have been given and change the world.
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