Author: rbeaird

BORN FOR ADVERSITY


Spiritual Blog - Adversity

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 18:24 – “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” NKJV

 

What a beautiful winter morning here in North Texas as I have my coffee and conversation with the Lord.  I Love mornings.  I am an early riser and like to see the beginning of the day and lay out the strategy for the day in the early hours of the morning.  This morning my heart turned to many incidences that prompted these verses and this thought.

I’ve been blessed to have some very good friends in my life and some are absolute treasures.  I’ve had those who would and have gone to the mat for me anytime, anywhere and under any circumstances and I for them.  I had a couple of those in High School and about six or seven in Vietnam that would have, and a couple almost did, die for me.  We put our lives in each other’s hands and there was complete trust. In the ministry, I’ve enjoyed friends of the same character and level.

I’ve tried to be the same to them.  What would you do if you received a call from someone you did not know but found that person was the daughter of a very dear friend and that friend was in dire need?  Let me relate this story and you react in your own heart how you deem appropriate.   The call came and as the conversation developed you realized that the person on the phone was the daughter of a fellow comrade in Vietnam.  She recounted the situation was that when he returned home, his wife, the mother of his two daughters, informed him that she no longer wanted to be married to him. She informed him that she had found someone else during the year he was gone. He worshiped the ground she walked on and that was one of the things that kept him going while in Vietnam. He talked about his plans for the family, going back to school so he could make a better life for them and his dreams for their wonderful life that he anticipated they would live. This situation so devastated him that he turned to drink and then to drugs and had destroyed his liver and was killing himself.  His daughter’s plea of desperation was, “Can you come and see him?”  The problem was that he lived over 1,000 miles away and with personal financial struggles it was not realistic to make the trip.  However, the bond between friends who have shared combat was so strong that as the daughter began to sob almost uncontrollably saying, “You are the only possible person he will listen to and if you don’t come he is probably going to kill himself.”   What would you do?  Sadly, the presence of an old friend helped only momentarily.  His friend was unable to lead him to Christ but he promised he would give thought to Jesus and seek help.  He did not and seemed to decline even more.   There was joy about two months later, when the call came from his daughter that he had found a church, committed his life to the Lord, stopped drinking and had only done drugs once during that time.  There was rejoicing in heaven and in the heart of an old friend.  The investment was worth the prize!

If the story had ended there it would be wonderful, but the day before he had gone to a local convenience store to pick up some things and was mugged by a gang and beaten to death.  They had brutally beaten him to death in the parking lot of the store with people watching and no one came to his aid.  To this I say, “Thank God, he had a friend faithful enough and loving God enough they shared the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ with him before it was too late.” His daughter said, her dad felt he only had one true friend in this world and that friend’s coming so moved him he could not shake the message conveyed.

Unfortunately, too often we fail to cultivate that kind of friendships and never let them reach the level of Covenant.  How many friends do you have that you would sacrifice yourself to go to their aid? How many would come to yours?  I am blessed to have some friends who would drop everything to come to my aid if I had a need and I theirs.  Yet, no matter how much we would be willing to do for our friends, we have a friend who is ALWAYS THERE and will ALWAYS BE THERE and His name is JESUS!  He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother and He has the power to save! We need to look to Him personally and point all our friends and acquaintance to Him, for truly He is the Answer to what we need!

BLESSINGS as you enjoy this wonderful winter day in Him!

 

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THE GOLDEN RULE Not SUGGESTION…


Spiritual Blog - Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12 – ” Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” NKJV

 

As I prayed, meditated, and listened to the Lord remind me of some events and misunderstood or misinterpreted principles for Scripture I came away invigorated, energized, and inspired.  He began at this passaged and asked me how many times I had heard that quoted with different words inserted. I remembered immediately a time in church years ago that there was a man there who quoted it, “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” Sadly, that was the man’s philosophy and yet he named the name of Christ and was a regular attendee at church. He had even sat on the church board at one time. When asked about it he told me, “Well the Bible says you have to look out for number one first!”  I asked him to research that and give me the chapter and verse, but he never did. Instead, he would say, “Well it’s biblical.”

Then, I remembered a retired military man that would always say, “I don’t get mad, I get even.” I asked him about forgiveness and he said, “Oh they usually forgive me in time.” That wasn’t the question or issue, “what about you forgiving them.” He said, “well the bible says to not let the sun go down on your wrath and I never go to sleep without figuring out a way to get even.” Again, missing the concept and principle. He actually practiced that philosophy and yet was a regular attendee at church and believed that all was well with his soul and his attitude.

A few years later, I was called to the police station to collect one of my church members who had been arrested. He was a big burly guy that normally was just a big teddy bear of a man but had been arrested for almost taking a man’s head off with his fist. When I got there and managed to get him released, I asked as we were driving home, “What happened?” He said, “Well that guy kept bugging me and I decided I would do what you have preached, and I offered him my cheek and he hit me. I remembered that you told me to turn the other cheek and I did and he hit me again. I couldn’t remember anything after that and I hit him.” I spent the next hour talking to him about that principle and about forgiveness and suggested that maybe he should have walked away instead of sticking his chin out to be hit.

Sometimes, we quote half scriptures as our proof texts to validate what we want to do. There are other times when people truly do not understand the principle and concept taught by Jesus and the Word and act upon what they think they know. Then there are times when people just do what they want to do and look for an excuse or justification later. I cannot tell you how many times I have had someone try to use the Bible as a justification for their actions or indiscretions, even in adultery.

Yet, if we truly make the words of Matthew 7:12 a cornerstone in our lives with Jesus as the Lord of all we will be able to truly die to self. It’s time that all of us resign as regent of our universe and allow God to reclaim that spot. If we make ourselves, our desires, our feelings, our rights, our wants, our will the center of our universe we will fail miserably every time. If we make HIM, the CENTER of our universe (lives) we will walk in victory and find that He makes a way where there often seems to be no way! It really is not about you or me, it’s about Him! When it’s about Him it becomes about others!

May the Lord bless you as you go through your day!

 

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PARALYZED BY FEAR…


Spiritual Blog - Fear

Psalms 55:4-5 – “My heart is in… anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me.” NASU

Beautiful morning this Saturday morning.  As my day began and in my prayer time, I was reminded of an event that happened when I was a child regarding FEAR.  As a child, we had a pet that was a treasured member of the family.  A smaller than normal Cocker Spaniel with satin black hair. My dad was a raccoon (coon) hunter and would take his hounds out at night and hunt raccoons or “coons” as he called them with his coon dogs. This little Cocker always tried to go, and one-night dad allowed me to take her with us. A few hours later we had treed a raccoon with his 2 blue tick hounds named “Rough” & “Rowdy” and in the process of trying to get the raccoon to jump out of the tree, dad killed it with his rifle.  As soon as the raccoon fell to the ground the little Cocker ran up and grabbed it in her mouth and just as she did SHE FROZE in FEAR. The look on her face and in her eyes was priceless and nothing I could do would get her to release the dead animal. Dad made us walk away and leave her there while we continued to hunt. I was fearful that she would get lost or not overcome her fear and we’d lose her, but he assured me that she’d be okay. Well, about 30 minutes later she sheepishly came walking up to where we were sitting listening to the dogs, trail and laid down beside me. She never again grabbed a fallen raccoon and that night didn’t stray more than a few feet from me.

FEAR had paralyzed her!  We are like that in our lives.  FEAR can either paralyze us or motivate us to move beyond our fears into trust and faith. David said in Psalm 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.” Isaiah said in Isaiah 12:2 – “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid….” Luke 21 speaks of men’s hearts failing them for fear of what they see coming on the earth.

We are told in Hebrews 11 that without faith it is impossible to please God but when paralyzed by fear we cannot have faith because fear negates trust.  Fear could be argued, is a greater enemy of faith than doubt or at least as great.  Paralyzing fear immobilizes and imprisons one whereas the fear of the Lord inspires us because it leads us and at times drives us to Him. I’ve known both kinds of fear in my life and although the paralyzing fear caused me to never want to be in that situation again and made me cautious it did not produce faith or trust but terror. On the other hand, the fear that directed me to the Lord, and as I beheld Him found my trust level being elevated and my faith level rising, is a fear that I value.

Therefore, even in the most horrifying of situations if we have conditioned our hearts to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and have learned as David & Isaiah to trust we will find ourselves walking in an attitude of quiet confidence KNOWING that God is IN CONTROL and therefore our fears will dissipate in the presence of His Power! My prayer today is that we move from the paralyzing type of fear into the trust producing fear of the Lord and in any situation, that would cause fear or dread be met with His assurance to bring PEACE.

Blessings upon you as you enjoy your weekend!

 

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RESPECT


Spiritual Blog - Respect

Mark 12:28-31 – “Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”  29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
NKJV

 

ANOTHER FRIDAY to enjoy the BLESSINGS OF THE LORD and reflect on the week past and look at the week ahead.  Beautiful cool, crisp, morning in Texas about 50 degrees at this moment.  With Bible & coffee in hand and conversation with the LORD, this is an especially good and quiet morning.  The Lord has reminded me of something my Grandfather told a neighbor and then the Lord related it to today.

The story goes that my maternal Grandfather was sitting on his front porch one day and a man who lived just down the road came up and began talking. Finally, the man said, “Mr. Kellum, everybody I know respects you and values your opinion, but I know you don’t like me, can I ask why?” My Grandfather replied, “It’s not that I don’t like you, in Christ I love you, but I don’t respect you.” The man was taken aback and pressed further asking, “Would you mind telling me why?” To which, my Grandfather responded, “You mistreat your family, your wife and kids and you mistreat your animals too. I cannot respect a man who does that. You get drunk and come in and physically abuse your family. You don’t provide for them like you should and that I cannot respect.” The man went away with no visible change. A number of years later he accepted Christ and said that one of the reasons was what my Grandfather said to him years earlier.

The Lord spoke to me about RESPECT.  Respecting others and being respected. He also addressed what we often call respect and the demanding of respect and the anger some in the public arena have said about being “disrespected”.  Respect, in some areas, is not automatic. I respect your right to privacy.  You have a right to your own opinion.  You have a right to live where you choose and can afford.  You have a right to pursue your career in whatever fashion you desire so long as its legal.  I respect your right to believe whatever you choose to believe. But, if I am to respect you as a person then there are some standards that I find in the Bible that I use to determine respect or the level of it.

I respect people I have never met and do not respect some that I have.  If a person, as the man my Grandfather addressed, will not provide for his own, mistreats his family and even his animals, is abusive physically, mentally and verbally then I do not respect that. If that individual were to ask me why I would give much the same answer my Grandfather gave with the addendum of sharing more of Christ’s plan or offer of salvation to them.

I want people to respect me, therefore it is incumbent upon me to conduct myself and condition my heart in a respectable manner! If I manifest Christ in my life, my words and my walk then there would be little, if anything to disrespect unless you have disrespect for Christ Himself.  If in me, they see Jesus respect will not be an issue. They may disagree with what I believe, even dislike me as a person but it will be difficult for them to actually have disrespect.  I want to live my life in such a way as to bring honor to Christ nor dishonor!

Let’s begin our day and live our lives in such a manner as to earn the respect of others and thereby bring honor to our Lord! Blessings as you go through your day!

 

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WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP?


Spiritual Blog - First Step

Genesis 1:1 – ” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” NASU

Good morning Lord!  I almost felt like saying “Good Morning Vietnam!”, because lately, it seems like I’ve been in a war zone in so many areas. Great morning developing and, wonderful solitude in my office with a cup of coffee in hand or on the table next to my chair, bible in hand and listening to the sounds of life and… the voice of the Lord. Some interesting thoughts were raised in this session.

WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP? The first step to believing.  The first step to a relationship with God.  The first step to abundant life.  The first step to a life of victory and overcoming. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God….” If I don’t believe that as the foundation of everything that I believe then I have no foundation upon which to build. Without God, I am drifting aimlessly in the sea of life.  I either believe that in the dateless past (the beginning) there was God, and God created what I see before me or I believe the explanation of the theories presented by the evolutionist. Which is more difficult to believe? To me the answer is simple; the easier to believe is that God IS and CREATED this world as well as we human beings.

I had a long conversation with a college professor some time back who holds a Ph.D. in Biology and he assured me that he was both a devout evolutionist and a devout Christian and the two did not conflict. His brand of Christianity is not important, only his belief that somehow dismissing the Bible and still being a Christian was somehow compatible. To him, it was ludicrous to believe that God spoke the world into existence, that somehow all this was by divine design and that God took dirt and formed Adam then breathed the breath of life into him, took a rib from Adam and created Eve. Yet, he could believe that from a single-celled piece of slime, gradually over millions of years that piece of slime evolved into every species of creature including humankind on the planet. He could believe that all we see and know somehow all this just happened by random chance. Not to get political in my devotional but if people really think like that in the realm of science and education and still believe that they are followers of Christ and see no conflict no wonder we have so much diversity in the political arena.

If I dismiss God as the beginning point, dismiss the creation, dismiss the Garden of Eden, dismiss Adam & Eve and the fall of man then I must dismiss the remainder of the Bible.  That would include the virgin birth of Jesus, His sacrificial death on the Cross, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven and thereby dismiss Grace. I would have no basis for believing anything that is in the Bible and thereby negate my foundation of faith. I would drift into nothingness in my belief system and become nothing more than the soulless animal creation. Any moral character would dissipate and there would be no restraints on my life. After all, if we are just evolved creatures with no soul then what law would there be other than my own desire, to rule my life.  I would effectively become the god of my own world and my world would exist so long as I was either cunning enough or was powerful enough to keep it intact.  Nothing would be off limits!

However, I choose to believe the report of Genesis 1 and believe that GOD IS, and He CREATED the heavens and the earth as well as man and the rest of the creatures on it.  I believe He hung the stars in place and placed everything where it was to be with the gravitational pull exactly as He designed and desired. I believe that man fell in the Garden of Eden and brought condemnation to the race.  I believe that Jesus came to set us free from that bondage, give us Life and that Life more abundant!  I believe that when we die we will stand before God and if we have accepted Christ as our Savior we will enter into the joy of the Lord and if we have rejected Him we will be cast into outer darkness (hell). I believe that the final result is based on our choices to accept Him or reject Him, and it is not by random chance that I am here.  If you believe that you came from monkeys that is your choice. You may, as some do, act like a soulless animal and live as though this life is all that there is. I choose to believe that God is both a loving God and one who will judge us in the end.

Therefore, the first step is to either accept or reject Genesis 1:1.  If I accept it then the Bible opens an incredible world to you, and if you do not then you are left in the darkness of the speculation of the theories as to how we got here. I choose to believe in Jehovah God not just some higher power, but the God of all creation as MY GOD.  I choose to follow HIM and His directives and guidance. I’ve had too many personal encounters and experiences to discount and dismiss my belief and faith, at this point in my life! Therefore, I’ve taken the first step and believed and now I take the remaining steps and walk out that life step by step until the day He calls me home, which I believe is a VERY REAL PLACE – – HEAVEN!

God bless you as you go through your day!

 

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HOW DO YOU KILL A DEAD MAN?


Spiritual Blog - Protected

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” NKJV

Romans 6:1-4 – “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.” NKJV

Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” NKJV

 

Hello Lord! Good morning world! This is the beginning of a beautiful day and having coffee and conversation with the Lord. He asked me the title question.

Three times in my life the devil said to me in what seemed to be an audible voice, “I’m going to kill you.” Three times, the Lord performed a miracle to prevent my death in situations where I could have and would have died had He not intervened. I have known for almost all my life, in a very real way, that I am alive for a purpose and do not sense
that I have fulfilled that purpose as of this date.

The devil tried to kill me almost from birth and during the first two years, we spent almost 50% of the time in the doctor’s office where the medical personnel tried to properly diagnose and find what was making me sick. The doctors gave my family virtually no hope that I would live to be a teenager, but God intervened and gave my dad wisdom to relocate and in the relocation, I got completely well.

The first time that I heard those words, “I’m going to kill you, or you are going to die”, was in Vietnam on the day of my arrival in the country. God miraculously changed my orders and relocated me to a safe-haven. Unfortunately, I learned that those who went
where I was to be that day lost their lives that day. I was not a Christian at that time, but God’s mercy spared me for His purposes.

The next time, I was on a plane flying to Colorado from Austin, Texas and had to change planes in Dallas. As we were coming into DFW I heard those words so clear it startled me, and I looked around to see who had said them, but no one had been speaking to me. As we made our descent I sensed something very wrong and just as the wheels touched the ground the engines roared, and we lifted off again and as I looked down and back I saw another plane crossing our runway.  I was going to a retreat with other ministers for spiritual renewal and came away energized with a new vision and sense of purpose.

The third time I heard those words was a few months before being diagnosed with Parathyroid Cancer. God miraculously used the surgeons and provided a healing touch that caused the surgeon to say as we were going in for a second surgery, “somebody much higher than me has been at work here.” He said that what had transpired does not
happen medically and considered it a miracle. We rejoiced then and continue to rejoice now in the mercy, grace, and power of God!

God asked me after the last time the question in the title – “How do you kill a dead man?” So, my response to the devil since then has been, “if you do manage to kill me what have you done?”  The reality is I would go home early, and someone would take my place and carry on the work that I’ve been assigned to do.  I’m already dead, in Christ, so you can’t kill a dead man.  I’m not trying to be flippant nor disregard the seriousness of attacks of the enemy but in Christ, we are more than conquerors and He has overcome the evil one and we are IN CHRIST, therefore, we are overcomers!  I want to live out the full length of my days and accomplish all that God has for me to do!  I want it to be said of me as it was of David in Acts 13:36 that I fulfilled the purpose of God in my generation and then I died.  Not before and not until my destiny is complete, my race is run, my is journey complete, and my fight won THEN I WILL GO HOME!

You have a destiny and a purpose that God has designed and desired for you.  It is my sincere prayer that you fulfill every portion of it and lives out the remainder of your days in abundant joy, grace, power, and love!

Blessings to each of you!

 

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I LIKE GOD’S PROMISES….


Spiritual Blog - Promises

Psalm 50:15 – “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” NASU

There are things I like and things I do not like in life.  This Psalm depicts something that I like very much and I depend upon entirely and that is the Promises of God.  I like it when God’s gives us permission to do something and affirms it with a promise and a prophetic declaration.

Consider what is said here:

  1. The Invitation.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble.   God is telling us that when difficulties arise and we are facing something that is larger than us we have His permission to appeal to Him.  The New Testament tells us in Hebrews 4:14-16 –“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” NASU

That is nothing short of phenomenal!  We have a High Priest, Jesus who has been touched by the things that we face and knows our very weaknesses.  He is one that has faced the temptations that we face and did so WITHOUT SIN.  He overcame and invites us to enter the Throne Room of Heaven with confidence and even boldness knowing that we will receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.  How can you beat that promise and invitation?

  1. The Promise.

I shall rescue you!  Wow!  We all face problems and difficulties in life and in those times we have a standing invitation from the Lord to “Call upon Him” with the promise that HE WILL COME TO MY AIDE!  The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.” NASU

 He not only promises to HELP but He is a PRESENT HELP a RIGHT NOW HELP!  It’s not a sometime down the road promise, it is – “You call and I WILL.”  How do you beat that?

  1. The Prophetic.

You will Honor Me!  So both with my testimony in words but in my life demonstrating His help, deliverance, comfort, power, and provision I HONOR HIM!  Others can look at what God is doing in my life and know that there is a God and that God is a Living God and a Present God.  That is a powerful tool for Evangelism.  Living a life of reception of the Promises of God is like honey drawing flies.  It has an appeal that nothing else can have.

YES, I like God’s Promises!  I hope you do to and I hope that you accept His invitation to Call upon Him and know that He will never fail and that the end result is Honor will be brought to Him through us!

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

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WITH WINGS OF EAGLES…..


Spiritual Blog - Eagles wings

Isaiah 40:28-31 – “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”  NKJV

 

Thank God that God NEVER GETS TIRED although sometimes I wonder if He grows weary with us due to our inaction, unbelief, and resistance to His promises and plans.  He is the ALL WISE creator of the universe and infuses His power into our lives when we are weak and need His strength.  He comes to us when we are faint and on the verge of collapsing under the load and enables us to have renewed strength for the struggle, the journey, and battle.

Here Isaiah gives us something that sometimes in our “Microwave World” and “Instant Everything” lifestyles we miss or find it difficult to accept.  He tells us that those that WAIT on the LORD will RENEW their strength.  The result of that is given in the word picture that the prophet uses.  We will mount up with wings like eagles.  Eagles can soar high above everything and see with precision minute things on the surface below while soaring so high that they are almost invisible to the naked eye.  We will also run and not grow weary.  All of us who have ever had to run know that this is humanly impossible and therefore it is a clear indication that this strength and stamina will come from DIVINE SOURCES.  Not only will we run and not grow weary but in our WALK we will not faint, give up, or give in.  WE WILL MOVE FORWARD TO VICTORIOUS LIVING!

The key to everything in this is WAITING ON THE LORD!  Not only is timing everything but the development of character and the learning that takes place in the time of WAITING ON THE LORD is indispensable for a victorious spiritual walk.  If there was one thing that I could teach all new believers it would be the secret and art of WAITING ON THE LORD.  If I could convince people of the value and need of this I would have succeeded in enabling them to live above the circumstances, obstacles, and trials of life in a rarified atmosphere that is known only to the angelic hosts.

Therefore, instead of being impatient and in a hurry learn and ask God to help you LEARN TO WAIT on the LORD!  As you do you will find that you not only accomplish more but you do so without the stress and pressure that life in human strength brings.

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

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GOD’S WAY NOT MAN’S WAY…..


Spiritual Blog - Two Ways

James 1:19-20 – “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  NKJV

            A number of years ago I had a member of the congregation that I was leading tell me regarding some incident that has just taken place in his life, “I don’t get mad I get even.”  I asked if he believed that was God’s way and his reply was, “I don’t know but it’s my way.”  Among other passages of scripture that I called to his attention was this one from James.  He was unflinching in his resolve to exact a pound of flesh from the person that had caused him a wound and nothing I could say changed his mind.  I prayed for that man over this issue until the day of his death and so far as I know he never altered that view.

     James warns or encourages us depending on how you view it how we should interact with other people.  He tells us that we should be SWIFT TO HEAR.  That would be beautiful if it were not so contrary to our natural human mindset that many find it almost impossible.  Most are either anxiously framing their response to what is being said without really listening or they are so absorbed with what the points they want to make that they do not hear anyone or anything else.  He also said we are to be SLOW TO SPEAK.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had someone tell me, “Well, I just say what is on my mind and let the chips fall where they may.”  That may sound good but is it really the heart and mind of God.  Sometimes SILENCE is the right response and the Bible makes it crystal clear that “a soft answer turns away wrath.”  Usually, that statement (speaking the mind) is made by a person who justifies saying whatever they want to say as though it were a pious thing when it is laden with self and selfishness.  It does not consider the other brother or sister or even the situation it only gives a release for the individual to SPEAK THEIR MIND.

   James continues and tells us that “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  If we speak in anger the chances are we will say things that we will later wish we could take back but you cannot retrieve words.  Once they are released into the atmosphere they are there forever and sadly, we will hear them played back one day when we stand before God.  The only solution is to bring them under the Blood of Jesus and washed away and that requires repentance.  No wonder the Bible tells us to “not let the sun go down on our anger.”  If you allow it to fester in your heart, it will permeate your thought processes and become part of your reasoning and interaction with others and eventually will produce a poison that will damage you and others around you.  It will cost you relationships, peace of mind, and possibly even the fulfillment of the purposes of God for your life.

     If we learn to LISTEN and carefully weigh our words and diffuse anger we will see God’s Righteousness shine forth into the situation and what God can do in an instant we could never accomplish in two lifetimes.  So, I encourage everyone to become HEARERS and not just SPEAKERS or DOERS. 

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

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GOD SEES IN US WHAT WE CANNOT SEE…


Spiritual Blog - Valor

Judges 6:11-18 – “Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The LORD looked at him and said, ” Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 But the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” 17 So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. 18 “Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”  NASU

 

        It is sometimes amusing but comforting to realize that God does not see as man sees.  He is not limited to what is presently visible or a current reality in the natural.  God sees the end from the beginning and we are limited to seeing the beginning from the end.  We may believe there is potential, but God not only believes the potential but sees it as a finished product, IF…  If what?  If we will walk in obedience and dare to dream and press toward the prize of the high calling.

      In this account which is a most powerful revelation of the truth that “God sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves.”  I have known some who thought they were a god or God’s gift to the world, but my focus is the masses who do not view themselves that way.  I can only imagine how Gideon felt when the angel of the LORD came to him and called him a ‘valiant warrior.’  We don’t have to wonder because the account gives the mental attitude of Gideon.  Gideon did not simply shrink back in a sense of insufficiency, he questioned God.  That can be a dangerous condition but sometimes, it seems that God welcomes our questions.  Why?  Because it gives him the opportunity to demonstrate His power, person, purpose, and love.  It allows Him to demonstrate the truth that what He has placed in us can produce incredible results in this life.

       Gideon asked, “if the LORD is with us THEN WHY???”  Why what?  Why are we in such deep turmoil nationally?  Why is there such calamity in our lives?  Why is there such unrest?  Why are the enemies enjoying such apparent success?  WHY?  He also asked, “if the LORD is with us THEN WHERE???”  Where what?  Where are all the miracles we’ve heard about in our history?  If the LORD brought us out to freedom from bondage, why has he apparently abandoned us?  I love the next verse.  It says, ‘The LORD looked at him…’  It did not say the angel of the LORD, it said THE LORD.  The LORD revealed what He saw in Gideon, which was something Gideon could not see in himself.  I have no doubt Gideon longed for Israel’s deliverance and for someone to champion the cause of Freedom for the people, but never saw himself as that vessel.  The LORD said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel…”  WOW!  Hey, Gideon, ITS IN YOU!  God has made you a conqueror, a valiant warrior, and a victory.  This is your assignment.  I AM WITH YOU!   Hallelujah!  That’s enough!

     Gideon, as did Moses protested that he was insignificant and that’s what made him a candidate for God’s demonstration of incredible exploits through him.  Had he been full of himself and seen himself as larger than life, he would not have been usable for the King of Kings.  Had he not been humble and little in his own sight, he would have disobeyed when the LORD began sending home his warriors and left him with 300 men to face an entire army.  But, God saw in him a heart that was pliable, teachable, and humble.  That’s what God saw in David calling him a man after God’s own heart.  It was not that either of them was sinless or perfect, but they were obedient and recognized God as God.

      God sees in you far more than you see in yourself and as Jeremiah declared, God knows the plans He has for you and it is far greater than you can imagine.  God knows His purpose and assignment for your life and it is not limited to the natural or immediate it is only limited by your willingness to walk in obedience.  I am not suggesting that each of us will become national leaders or deliverers.  Some of us may simply be those who pour water on the hands of those who are, but each assignment is vital and what God sees in you is far more than you see in yourself.  NEVER, and I plead NEVER limit your vision to what you think you can do.  Learn to listen to the voice of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.  God says that we are more than conquerors through Jesus.  All things are possible to those who believe.  Obedience is far better than sacrifice and if we are willing and obedient we will enjoy the fruit of His victory!

   God bless you as you open your hearts to His Possibilities in your life!  

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