Month: September 2017

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN….


Spiritual Blog - Teach Them

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 – “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! 5 ” You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” 

Deuteronomy 11:18-22 – “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 ” You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 ” You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.”  NASU

 

            It was a sad day in history when we turned the responsibility of teaching our children over to the government or the state.  Initially, the Bible was part of their public education but not today.  It has been said that America is no longer a Christian nation and that may well be true.  Most still profess a belief in the existence of God but do they seek to serve Him?

            It is the responsibility of parents and grandparents to teach the children the principles of life and the Word of God.  It is not the responsibility of the public school or even Sunday school.  It should be a natural part of family life.  We need to turn off the television, set aside the smart phones, log off the computers, and develop relationships that use actual language and face to face experiences with each other and our children.  Biblically we are directed to allow God’s word to be impressed upon our hearts to the degree we talk of them as a family at all key times of the day.

            No wonder the Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  I didn’t say browbeat him/her, I said TRAIN him.  Demonstrate the importance and respect of the Word in your life and instill in him/her the core principles and values taught in God’s Word.

            Children are our responsibility let’s do the right thing by them.  God bless you as you go through your day.  Blessings be upon you!

 

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RITUAL OR RECOGNITION…..


Spiritual Blog - Thanks

John 6:11 – “Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.”

Deuteronomy 8:10 – “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.” NASU

 

The Custom in the Middle East in Biblical times was that people, without fail, gave thanks before eating and would usually give thanks after the meal.  It was initially done in recognition of God’s provision and an expression of gratitude.  It, like so many things, evolved into a religious or societal ritual as is often the case today!  I know many who would never dream of eating a meal without ‘saying grace’.  I practice praying over the food I am about to eat.

In those days everyone at the table would repeat the words of the host as he gave thanks.  If a prophet were present he would be expected to take the lead in the prayer and bless the food giving thanks as is described in 1 Samuel 9:13 – “…he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat.”  It was customary but initially, it was far more than custom and a true recognition of God’s provision and their gratitude.

When Jesus fed the 5,000 we read that “after Jesus had given thanks the food was distributed…”  In the feeding of the 4,000, Matthew is careful to include the fact that Jesus gave thanks before anyone ate.  The Jews were incredibly conscious of the fact that all they had came from God and willingly expressed their gratitude.  Sadly, for many then and now, it is nothing more than a religious or societal ritual not a genuine expression of gratitude.

They also customarily gave thanks at the end of the meal as is reflected in Deuteronomy 8:10 – “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD….”  Gratitude demands acknowledgment of not only the provision but the provider.  I would suggest that if you ‘say grace’ and pray over your meal without really giving thought or having true gratitude in your heart it is more of an insult to God than an act He will receive and recognize with blessing.

Therefore make your words be true expressions of the gratitude of your heart and always remember that all we are and have has its source in God.  In Him, we live and move and have our being.  Blessings upon you as you go through your day!

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PICKING UP THE FEATHERS…..


Spiritual Blog - Feathes

Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” NASU

1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.”  NIV

 

Years ago I had a lady in the church I was serving as the pastor who would always ask, “Do you have any news?”  She would also preface what she was going to share with, “Have you heard the news?”  I asked her once if she considered what she was doing ‘gossip’ and she said, “Oh no, pastor, I’m just sharing the latest news not gossiping for that would be wrong.”   I could never convince her that they were the same thing.  She longed to hear any tidbit documented or undocumented and would then ‘share’ it with whomever she could find that would listen.

Gossip is a very destructive weapon that the devil uses to drive wedges and damage people in their testimony.  I recall hearing something once about a fellow minister that, if true, would be so damaging to his reputation that it would impact untold numbers of people.  What I heard, is not important nor his name, the fact that I listened to it is.  As I pondered what I had heard the Holy Spirit brought conviction to my heart and I sensed the Lord speaking to me saying, “Why did you allow that gossip to be spoken into your hearing?”  I began to weep for I had listened and without realizing it formed an opinion regarding this brother without any real documentation or evidence.  It was wrong!  I was wrong and the gossip was a malicious lie later proven to be false.  Yet, had I repeated that gossip I would have been furthering the harm brought to an innocent brother.  Thankfully the Holy Spirit arrested me before I participated in an activity I have long abhorred – Gossip.

When people come to me with tidbits about someone I usually ask, “Have you gone to that individual to discuss this?”  If the answer is no then I stop them and ask that they not continue with gossip but rather suggest that they take it to prayer and then approach the person in question with that little morsel they are ‘sharing’.  Some have become quite angry with me calling me ‘self-righteous’ or worse because I did not want to participate in gossip regarding another.  However, I must ask “Would you want someone spreading gossip about you?”  Consider that point when you are tempted to engage in sharing ‘news’ as that little lady called it.

Some time back, Gil LeBreton a sportswriter for the Fort Worth Star Telegram wrote a piece regarding the Texas Ranger’s manager Ron Washington’s resignation some years ago and used an illustration from a movie that speaks to what I’m talking about.  It was excellent and I share it here.

In the Academy Award-nominated movie Doubt, there is a memorable scene in which the accused priest, Father Flynn, delivers a powerful homily to the congregation. The priest, brilliantly played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, tells the story of a woman who “was gossiping with her friend about a man whom they hardly knew.” Seized later with guilt, the woman went to a Catholic confessional and asked her parish priest if she had done anything wrong. “Yes,” said the priest. “You have borne false witness against your neighbor. You’ve played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed.”  As her penance, the priest instructed the woman to go to her roof and gut a pillow with a knife, a scene classically depicted in the movie.  And what did she see, the priest asked?   “Feathers,” the woman answered. “Feathers everywhere.”  “Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out into the wind,” the priest instructed. The woman protested. “It can’t be done,” she said.  “I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.”  “And that,” the movie’s Father Flynn said, abruptly ending the sermon, “is gossip!”

That is a fantastic illustration of the damage futility of trying to retrieve harmful words spoken about another.  It is IMPOSSIBLE!  The damage is done even if we go to them in repentance begging forgiveness we will NEVER retrieve all the words or find where they have been carried.  Therefore, the Biblical policy is DO NOT GOSSIP!    

            Blessings as you go through your day!

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HEARING AND KNOWING IS NOT ENOUGH….


Spiritual Blog - Hearing

Matthew 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”  NASU

 

The quest for a ‘word’ from the Lord has, at times, relegated many believers to becoming nothing but ears!  The church is the BODY OF CHRIST not the EARS or MOUTH of Jesus!  Here, as Jesus taught, He made a clear distinction between success and failure in the Christian walk.  Both groups HEARD the Word and I contend that an absence of the Word is not the problem it is application of the Word.

I recall a story of a preacher who was chosen by a congregation and his first Sunday he preached a powerful message that had the people raving about it for days.  The next Sunday the same message was preached and this continued for several weeks.  The congregation began to complain and the board met to discuss the issue deciding to approach the minister and advise him that this was not acceptable.  The board called him in and said, “Pastor, your message was great but you keep preaching the same thing.  You need to get a new sermon.”  He calmly looked at them and said, “Only when you do something with that one.”

Jesus said if we HEAR and APPLY we are like the house built on the rock that cannot and will not be moved by trial, trouble, or difficulty.  However, if we HEAR but DO NOTHING we are like the house built on shifting sand that can and will be shaken by the trials of life and failure is virtually guaranteed.  We have the choice as He opens His word to become ACTION ORIENTED in faith through the grace of God.

May God help us apply His word in our lives daily!  Blessings as you go through your day!

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THE REFINING PROCESS….


Spiritual Blog - Refining

Proverbs 25:4-5 – “Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith; 5 Take away the wicked before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.”  NASU

 

Many cry out for God to purify their hearts then complain when He beings the process of removing the dross from the silver of our lives.  The heat is uncomfortable and we generally prefer ease to purification.  We want instant righteousness and resist the process of becoming righteous.

The silversmith places the raw silver in a vat then turns up the heat and as the silver is heated to the melting point the impurities separate from the pure and float to the surface where they are skimmed off.  In life, God turns up the heat to expose and remove the impurities in our hearts.  It is generally never a pleasant experience to be exposed but afterward, it is joyous!

David cried, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  (Psalm 139:23-24)  Oh, how we need to be placed in the refiner’s vat under the Holy Spirit’s microscope and allow God to expose and remove all wickedness from our hearts.  We want to be pure but we do not want to go through purification.  We will either be vessels meet for the Master’s use (vessels of honor) or we will be vessels of dishonor.  Death and life are before us so let’s choose life!  We are instructed to ‘seek first’ the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness…. That is not only the best place in life it is the only place!

            God bless you as you go through your day!  Blessings!

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FRIEND AND BROTHER…..


Spiritual Blog - Brother

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  NASU

 

It is possible to be one without being the other and when the two are combined it is incredibly powerful!  A friend, who is truly a friend, loves at all times.  It did not say ‘agrees’ at all times but ‘loves’ at all times.  Love is not an emotional response but a reasoned choice!  It involves a commitment and there is a friendship that reaches the level of ‘covenant’, unlike what many call friendship. Some people see to view friendship as they do socks; to be changed regularly.

A brother is born for adversity!  A brother is there through thick and thin and NEVER runs from the difficult or even unpleasantness of trial, trauma, drama, or difficulty.  A brother is not a church cliché to identify someone who is a fellow member of a congregation or organization but someone who is joined in faith and heart.  A brother is family in a very real sense.

I have friends who are brothers/sisters and have stood with me in the fire of trial.  They have had my back in times of trouble, encouraged me in time of trial, challenged me when I erred and stood with me in faith.  They have opened their hearts, hands, homes, and treasures to me and considered what was theirs mine as the need presented itself and I to them.  It is a bond that is unshakable based on faith.  Truly a person with genuine friends is blessed and a person who has friends who are brothers doubly so.

May God be with you as you go through your day and may you be blessed with a host of friends who are brothers/sisters in the Lord!  Blessings!

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YOU CAN’T LOSE THIS WAY…..


Spiritual Blog - Victory

Philippians 1:21-26 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”  NASU

 

Years ago as I traveled from place to place in itinerant ministry I would frequently hear a late night radio preacher saying, “You can’t lose with the stuff I use.”  In a sense that is what Paul is saying here.  He declares that if he lives in the flesh (natural) it is ‘in Christ’ and if he dies it is ‘gain’.  That is a NO LOSE situation.  He declares that if he lives in the flesh the result will be ‘fruitful labor’.  If he dies he receives his eternal promotion to heaven and being with the Lord.  It weighed heavily upon his heart.

One of the messages conveyed here is – – We should live longingly for heaven but devotedly to ministering to people.  That keeps the focus clear, our hearts right, and provides motivation to keep us engaged and involved.  Very few generals are needed in war and Paul served as a general but also a soldier.

My life must not be about me but Him and people.  God has given to the church ministries to inspire and prepare believers to do the work of ministry.  The Great Commission is always a core tenant.  Building up one another always a function and seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness always a priority.  We do not live just to live we live with purpose and for a purpose.

If you keep your focus on God you desire will be heaven and will live functionally to serve, equip, train, encourage, motivate, and bless others.  You will have a life that cannot lose!  So as the late night radio preacher of old said, “You Can’t Lose with the Stuff I Use!”  In Christ, we are more than conquerors and we are victors.  We can do all things through Him!  With Jesus, you cannot lose!

             God be with you, go with God and He will go with you.  Blessings!

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MAY IT NEVER BE…..


Spiritual Blog - Ears and Eyes

Acts 28:25-27 – – “And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26 saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 27 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”‘  NASU

             When the Jewish Leaders came to Paul in Rome he poured out his heart but many rejected his message arguing amongst themselves resulting in Paul quoting Isaiah regarding the tragic condition of their hearts.  Isaiah’s words sound a warning that causes me to cry out, “Lord May It Never Be!!!”  May it never be said of us:

  • We HEAR but do not UNDERSTAND.
  • We SEE but do not PERCEIVE.
  • Our HEARTS have become DULL.
  • Our EARS scarcely HEAR.
  • Our EYES have been CLOSED. 

Oh God, help us to hear and understand, see and perceive that which you are saying and doing in our world.  May we open our hearts to the voice of the Spirit of God and have ‘ears to hear’, ‘eyes to see’, and ‘hearts to believe’.  May we return to the Lord with a whole heart and experience His healing in our lives.

My friends, God has never stopped reaching out and will not stop.  He extends His mercy and grace to us so may we never stop responding to Him.  May God be with you as you go through your day!  Be blessed and be a blessing!

 

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DANIEL’S GOAT AND THE END TIMES….


Spiritual Blog - End Times

Daniel 8:5-8 – “While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.”  NASU

 

The Ram according to the Arch-Angel Gabriel was the Medo-Persian Empires and the Goat was Greece (vv.20-21).  The Grecian Kingdom that followed the Medes and Persians was that of Alexander the Great.  Gabriel continues to inform us that the four horns that came up from the broken horn represented four kingdoms and history reveals that Alexander’s kingdom was divided between four generals.  Gabriel continues to reveal that out of those four, one would rise empowered by the devil himself being the antichrist.

As we continue to read in Daniel we find the King of the South and North coming against him.  He enters many countries and overflows them.  He occupies the land of Israel for a time committing acts of heretical tyranny.  Many fall but not all – – Edom, Moab, and the foremost sons of Ammon escape his rule. He conquers Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (11:40-42).  Rumors from the East trouble him and his overconfidence and arrogance help to bring him down.

He and his followers will wage vehement war against anyone who disagrees with his ideology and opposes him including all who name the name of Christ, those who recognize the one true God Jehovah, all who reject his authority, religion or religious interpretation.  WHO IS HE?  Speculation has always been rampant and will continue to be so.  I’ve know people so adamant as to what they believe that they would almost come to blows with anyone who disagreed.  I personally believe, based on my understanding of scripture, that he is as the Bible calls him THE ASSRYIAN.  Assyria is a region of Iraq or ancient Persia.  I believe he is what the Muslims identify as the Twelfth Imam and his terror will be the final caliphate which God will ultimately destroy.  He does not control the entire world but a section of it as identified in the Bible but will impact the entire globe.

We can fear him or trust God resting in God’s Perfect Peace.  The form of execution performed by this demonic individual and his followers will be ‘beheading’ and while this is a horrific image if we are God’s children it only last a moment and we say HELLO to our Lord in Eternity.  He is powerful but not all powerful.  He is the embodiment of evil but remember he is a follower of a defeated foe, the devil.  Jesus conquered the devil stripping him of his authority over man.  Therefore, rather than being filled with fear and angst about the future REST IN PEACE refusing to live in fear of the devil but in the faith of God.

What I want to convey is that everything points to the “Perilous Times” spoken of in the Bible and evil will wax worse and worse.  We need to have our hearts, minds, and eyes fixed on Jesus for He is our Answer.  No matter how bad things get, we do not have to live in fear we can live in confidence that “what we have committed to Him He is able to keep unto the last days.”  WE HAVE HOPE IN JESUS!

May God be with you as you go through your day!

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ESCAPE – RESCUE MISSION or NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE?


Spiritual Blog - Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13-14 – “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”  NASU

 

I fully grasp the reality that it is impossible to include all the passages that would make up the ‘whole context’ of this thought so I insert this as a springboard for us to delve into the matter and hopefully propel you to further examination on your own.  I know many of you are students of the Word of God and diligently search the Scriptures to see if what you have heard or read is true and I commend you because that is how it should be. If it is true and biblical it will stand up under examination and if it doesn’t our views and interpretations MUST be adapted to fit what will stand up in the LIGHT!

I am concerned that too many in the Body of Christ are looking for a RESCUE MISSION rather than the anointing, strength, and grace to live the NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE, waging SPIRITUAL WARFARE, and becoming able to PULL DOWN STRONGHOLDS.  I am reminded of the old gospel song, “Hold the Fort…”  Now before you become upset with me think about the image that the song presents.  For me, and not necessarily anyone else, my mind pictures a Christian barely holding on and waiting in hiding behind the walls for the SPIRITUAL CAVALRY to arrive just in the nick of time and rescue us.   Oh, there is no question that we have God’s promise that HE IS COMING and He will but in the mean time I understand His commission to be OCCUPY until I come!  I understand it to include the promise that the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 

But let’s consider this passage briefly.  What is the TEMPTATION Paul mentions?  I doubt that anyone could definitively expound on everything included but with verse 14 one could consider idolatry as a possibility.  However, when I look at the Greek the word is ‘peirasmos’ and seems to indicate putting to proof by experiment, experience, solicitation, discipline or provocation and is most assuredly adversity.  Then we see the word TEMPTED – ‘periazo’ which implies testing objectively and even discipline.  To be tempted ABOVE or BEYOND that which we can stand is objectively drawing attention to something more than our ability.  We find the word ESCAPE ‘ekbasis’ which is without question an exit.  When we see the words ENDURE or TO BEAR ‘hupophero’ we see that this is a situation where we are UNDER it, ENDURING it and it is being IMPOSED on us.  All of this TEMPTATION, TRIAL, or TEST is something that is all too human and not something uncommon so even though it is horrific for us and trying it is not so unique that no one else has endured it.

My question is that no matter if it is our being ‘tempted’ to succumb to a ‘temptation’ or if it is a trial that seeks to shipwreck our faith and draw us away into some form of ‘idolatry’ do we need a RESCUE MISSION or an INFUSION OF FAITH and COURAGE?  If it is truly beyond our ability to stand God will absolutely provide us an exit strategy but sometimes we seem to look for the exit too quickly when we should be RESISTING the devil and watching him flee.

In no way do I mean this to be condemning or to suggest that I am somehow more spiritual than anyone else for I face the same things you do and am subject to the same ‘temptations’, ‘tests’, and ‘trials’.  I have failed more than I care to admit but I have always found God faithful.  I have stopped looking for a RESCUE MISSION and started asking for more COURAGE, FAITH, and DETERMINATION.  I want God to be able to say to me as He did to Joshua and know that I will take it to heart and allow the Spirit of God to embolden me – “Be strong and very courageous.”  We have a WAR to win, a BATTLE to fight, and a VICTORY to enjoy!

            God bless you as you go through your day!

 

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