Luke 14:28-33 – “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down, and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?  29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’  31 “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?  32 “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.”  NASB

What a powerful truth that our Lord has given here and one that too often we fail to observe.  It has been my experience, personally and in dealing with others, that too often we do not “count the costs” before engaging in something.  We get a whim and take off without honestly and carefully evaluating what is before us and what it will take to complete it. 

We have all known people who “engage their mouths before engaging their brains,” and know the problems that can occur in that.  Likewise, we all know people and probably have participated personally in some endeavor that was not “thought out,” or “evaluated” and found that once it had begun that we would not have the resources or ability to complete it.  That made future endeavors suspect in the minds of many who had observed our folly in the former situation.

Thus, we have Jesus’ warning that you do not attempt to build a building without calculating whether you have sufficient resources to complete it.  To fail to do so would likely result in becoming the laughingstock of those observing and hinder future efforts on your part!  That is incredibly important in life and the things of the Kingdom of God. 

He went on to paint the picture of a king or leader who saw an advancing army that was double his strength.  That king, our Lord confirmed, would evaluate his ability to overcome the size and strength of the invading army and if he determined he could not he would send a delegation seeking peace long before the invading army arrived.  That would be self-preservation and completely logical.  Any other course of action would result in the likely destruction of the nation and the king.

In matters of the Kingdom of God, it is important that we “count the costs.”  God’s business is, without doubt, worth whatever the cost but it is equally important for us to not get drawn into zeal without clear direction and support of God and those in company with us. 

America during WWII our nation could not have successfully waged war against aggressor nations without the entire populace “counting the cost” and making the commitment to endure and overcome.  In matters of the Spirit, it is important that we “count the costs,” evaluate our resources, and make whatever commitment is needed Before entering any pursuit.  We want to lift up our Lord not become distractions due to our Zeal. 

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

Hebrews 10:35-39 – “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

37 FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.  38 BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

39 But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” NASB

The writer of Hebrews is making an impassioned plea to those of his day and future generations to endure or maintain their commitment to God and confidence in His promises.  He reminded them that God had promised to come back and would do just that. He also reminded them that the returning Lord would not respond favorably to those who had “shrunk back” or threw away their confidence.  Then he boldly stated, “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Too many times, I have watched people lose heart and give up.  Some of those times it was in the eleventh hour and the victory was just around another bend in the winding road of life, but they were worn out by the assaults of the enemy and threw in the towel. 

I have had times in my life when I virtually had to stand alone against the overriding opinion of everyone around me and in those times, I have watched as God demonstrated His sovereignty and performed what many would call A Miracle! 

I have watched God move hearts as I stood firm holding on to my confidence in Him and His promises.  Slowly others began to catch the wind of inspiration and would declare, “I believe God.”  As that happened, we would see the enemy routed and God rise to the occasion and bring us victory.

I have declared for years regarding our individual lives, “The devil cannot win unless we quit.”  If you hold on to God and His Promises You Will Be Victorious!  That is not a hopeful statement but one that is rooted solidly in the Word of God and His demonstrated history.  So, whatever you do – DON’T QUIT!  DON’T GIVE UP!  DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE!

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

1 Timothy 1:18-19 – – “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, 19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”  NASB

Paul said something to Timothy that many today have a problem with because they do not believe in the prophetic or prophets in this time.  If you are one of those then what I say will probably not be too palatable to you but if you do believe in it, then what I say may be of some benefit and encouragement.  So, let’s go!

Paul told Timothy that he was to rehearse the prophecies made concerning Timothy and by them fight the good fight of faith.  He was to do that keeping the faith and a good conscience.  It was not to be self-serving but to be a diligent prayerful effort to take what had been prophetically spoken concerning Timothy and wage war with the enemy on that basis. 

I believe that every gift God has ever given the church is still active today and therefore I believe in the prophetic and God has used me in that gift and does use me.  He has enabled me to see things at times that are not visible to the natural eye and there is no outward evidence that those things are taking place or will take place.  I’ve spoken them as well as had times when God would reveal something to me, and I would only pray based on that revelation only to see God’s revelation become reality. 

I remember once praying for a couple that had visited the church for the first time and I knew nothing about them.  It was as I was praying that God moved on me to pray for the woman during her pregnancy that was coming.  She burst into tears and became almost uncontrollable.  After the service, her husband came to me and informed me that she had had two miscarriages and the doctors told them that she would never conceive again. 

I only prayed what God has spoken to my heart and two months after that date she informed me that she was pregnant with twins.  It was a spiritual battle that was manifested in the flesh during that pregnancy, but she carried the babies to term and delivered two healthy babies at the end of the nine months.  She was overjoyed and shared publicly how she had never really believed in the prophetic, but she did now and learned to wage war with the prophecies during her pregnancy and God honored her commitment and faith.

I have had things spoken over me that have not happened and may never, but I do not worry about that.  When God witnesses something to my heart, He always confirms it through two or three witnesses and when that happens I earnestly wage warfare with the prophetic word.  I have seen healings take place through this, homes restored, finances healed, and much more.  So, if God speaks prophetically to me, I carefully listen.

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

Galatians 6:7-10 – “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” NKJV

I grew up on a farm in rural East Texas and there were times when we and others around us experienced crop failure.  It was due to many different things, but the result was that the seeds we had planted did not produce the harvest that we expected.  That is in the natural but in matters of the spiritual and our lives here on earth the “Law of Sowing and Reaping” is in place in our lives and what we do will produce a harvest without fail.  The crops of our lives will not fail to produce a harvest either good or bad. 

Paul tells the Galatians and all who would read in successive generations that “God is not mocked…”  How people today seem to miss that truth in the way they live and interact with others of the species.  Paul tells them and us, “Whatever a man sows that he will also reap.”  That is a truth that is indisputable and should be a motivation for us to “shun the very appearance of evil,” but too often, it is not.

The fact of “Sowing and Reaping” is that you ALWAYS reap “more” than you sow, “later” than you sow, and “what” you sow.  If you plant corn, you get corn, not watermelons.  If you sow turnips, you do not get squash.  Likewise in our lives, if we sow “bitterness” and “hate” we will reap a bumper crop of the same. If we sow discord and disrespect guess what we will receive.  On the other hand, if we sow love, understanding, and compassion that will return to us in abundance.  So, whatever you desire to reap plant!

In verse nine Paul gives us a powerful promise from God – “And let us not grow wearing in while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”  I have told people for years – The devil cannot win unless we quit! If you do not give up the devil cannot win in your life.  If you keep holding on to your faith and confidence in God, the harvest will come.  Do not become cynical and disillusioned to the point that you throw up your hands and say, “what’s the use?”  Keep doing the right thing!  Keep your faith in God!  Continue sowing knowing that in “due season” it will be harvest time!

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

Job 19:25 – “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” NASB

What powerful words from a man going through a trial that is almost beyond human comprehension.  Job was under assault from hell as God demonstrated that a human being could walk in integrity and righteousness even when faced with unimaginable difficulty.  Job had no idea why his troubles had come but he never lost his confidence in God and this statement is amazing.

There is a key in what Job says.  He said, “I know that MY Redeemer lives…”  It is not THE redeemer but MY redeemer.  He is personal to Job not theoretical.  It is not some far-off distant potentate of the universe but a personal redeemer that he looks to.  That, I believe, is the secret to Job’s ability to endure the hardship and come forth with his integrity, faith, and righteousness intact. 

Job made some slips but overall, he maintained his integrity and his faith, and, in the end, God gave Job a double portion.  He is an example to all of us that if we keep our faith in God, we can face any difficulty and come through it.  As Brother Burton McCafferty used to say, “God can pull you through anything if you can stand the pull.”  Most of us have more difficulty with the pull than the problem.  We do not like the way God does it and want to do it our way rather than just relax and trust Him.

MY redeemer lives!  That is what the Hebrews believed, and you see continually in the Old Testament that God, to them, was THE LIVING GOD!  He was not just another man but THE LIVING GOD!  He was not inanimate but LIVING!  He was not a theory but LIVING!  He was not abstract but LIVING!  It makes a difference if you have a LIVING GOD as opposed to one that only exists in your theory and your mind.  The LIVING GOD is not only capable of doing all things but does all things!  It is when you know that your God LIVES that you can face tomorrow, today, and whatever the future holds. 

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

Joshua 1:1-9 – “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 ” Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 ” From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 ” No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 ” Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 ” This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  NASB

Three times in nine verses the Lord told Joshua to be “strong and courageous” or “very courageous.”  When I read things like that, I must confess that if I were in Joshua’s shoes I would be thinking and probably saying, “Lord, what is it that you are not telling me?”  For the Lord to emphasize in a few verses three times that he needed to be “strong” and “courageous” or “very courageous,” makes one wonder what is coming. 

I have little doubt that Joshua wondered even though there is no record that he asked.  He had seen the hand of the Lord demonstrated mightily in the wilderness and possibly his faith had reached the place where those types of questions did not come but for me, they would come.  Trusting the Lord is one thing, wondering what is coming is another!

I take that message to Joshua and apply it to us today and believe that it is applicable in light of the condition of our world.  We must be strong in the faith, and this is a day when courage is greatly needed.  I believe that there is coming a day very soon when if we are not “strong” and “courageous” trusting God completely, we will be overcome and overrun by the assault of hell on our faith. 

We have people around the world and in this nation who, fully believe that they are doing God a service by attacking us.  We have enemies of the Christian faith who want to eradicate us and any remembrance of our God.  The Bible predicts that this time will come and everything that can be shaken will be shaken.  I am seeing a “whole lot of shaking going on” and realize that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

How do we become “strong” and “courageous”?  The only way that I see it happening in the spirit realm is by “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”  When we turn our whole hearts to the Lord, He infuses His strength into our lives and through that strength, we obtain the courage to face anything!   So today turn your heart to the Lord and draw from His strength and courage.

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

James 4:14 – “You do not even know what your life will be like tomorrow!  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Job 14:1 – “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil.”

Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

While I was praying, the image of an hourglass arose in my mind.  It was filled with sand, some of it had seeped into the lower chamber and some was still to be seeped out.  I heard in my heart of hearts – “Your life is like a sand-filled hourglass.  Each grain of sand represents the time you will live on the earth.” 

The problem was that I could not see the sand inside the container for it was not transparent like the glass hourglasses we typically see.  If life were like an hourglass and we could see how much of life has been spent and how much remains we might adjust our lives accordingly.  The problem is none of us knows how much sand is in the container.  None of us can see how much has been lived and how much is to be lived.  None of us knows how much sand was in the container at the beginning. 

We only have this moment in time.  God determines the length of our days.  Yet, he places before us life to be lived each moment of each day as an offering to Him.  How much time we have is not nearly as important as how we live that time.

When the last drop of sand falls into the lower portion of the hourglass that’s it.  We cannot flip the container over and begin anew watching the sand seep through to the lower portion.  We do not get ‘do overs’ in life.  We pass through once and then according to the Bible we stand before God in judgment. (Hebrews 9:27).  According to Romans 14:12, we will each give an account of how we lived here on earth.

Jesus instructed us not to be anxious about tomorrow.  (Matthew 6:34).  David urged us to live each day delighting ourselves in the LORD. (Psalm 37:4).  Also, we are encouraged to live by faith believing that God has a path for us to follow and that in His presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11).  The apostle Paul directed us to do everything we do unto the LORD, not for self or man. (Colossians 3:23).

Jesus promised that He would not leave us without comfort or guidance.  He promised that He would come back for us.  He assured us that He was unchanging, and we know that He completely defeated the devil.  Therefore, we are to live victorious, joyous, content, and with hope.  The number of grains of sand in our hourglass is not the important point, how we live those moments is.

So, I ask that you consider your life like it is an hourglass filled with the sands of time.  You do not know how many grains (days or years) you have, but while you have life learn to live!  You cannot see how much time is left or even how much is spent.  You can calculate your years but that means little when it comes to your hourglass.  You can assume to know with relative certainty how much time is left based on how much has been spent, but God is the one who ultimately determines that.

The point I am attempting to convey is you have time but how much you do not know.  You have your life on earth but for how long you do not know.  What you can control is what you do with the time you have.  I suggest that we should make it our ambition to please the LORD.  We should live each moment as if this would be our last day on the planet.  We should seek first and foremost God’s kingdom and righteousness.  Jesus said, “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you can ask whatever you will, and it will be done unto you.” (John 15:7).

We have been granted a great treasure, the treasure of Life.  We are to be good stewards of that life and managers of the time He has put in our hands.  You are important to God and to others that you may not even know.  You are influencing others, so let’s seek to have the greatest impact possible when the last grain of sand falls to the bottom of our Life’s Hourglass.

God bless you and you live this day focused on Him!

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  NKJV

I have long believed, through my study of Scripture and watching people, that generosity or the lack thereof reveals the heart of a person.  I am convinced that if God does not have our pocketbooks, He does not truly have our hearts for where the treasure is there the heart is also.  I know the context of this passage is focused on money, but I want to press it beyond that and do not believe that I am violating truth in doing so.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping reaches far beyond the monetary in considering the principle of reaping WHAT we sow, LATER than we sow, and MORE than we sow.  It is applicable whether it is about money, time, patience, or love.  In this truth, God promises that He will cause ALL GRACE to abound to us so that we have All Sufficiency in All Things and have an abundance for Every Good Work!  That is an incredible promise.

Sadly, some have taken it as a promise of personal wealth and attempted to manipulate God through their giving.  God is interested in the gift and the motivation behind the gift and His blessings are following that principle.  It would behoove us to examine what we are giving and why we are giving or what we are not giving and why.  It will reveal our hearts either good or flawed.

I have experienced times when I desperately needed finances and had no means of acquiring those needed funds.  I recall one such incident in which I had a $500 need and had $55 to my name.  I do not mean had that amount of ready cash I mean that is ALL I had in this world.  The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said tithe on your need.  What?  My response was “God I have $55 to last me a full week a wife and two small children to care for.  If I give the $50 you are asking for, I will have $5 left.” 

Three times I heard ‘tithe on your need’.  I took the $50 and planned to put it in the offering on Sunday morning and as the plate came around, I tried but could not turn it loose.  I spent a miserable Sunday afternoon and on Sunday night when the offering took place, I literally threw the $50 in the plate as though it were a hot potato that I had to get out of my hand.  I believed God would care for us, but my humanity kept me awake all night battling thoughts of my failure in my responsibility to my family and they would have little to eat this week if…  That is the problem IF…  

I was in the condition of the man that said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”  The next day after a time in prayer I went to town to run an errand for the church and a person walked up to me on the street and said, “The Lord spoke to me last night to give you this.”  They placed an item in my hand and walked away.  I sat in my car and opened my hand, and it was a check for $550.00. 

God met the need I had and gave me back the $50.00 above the need.  My family was cared for, the need was met, and my faith was given an adrenaline shot that has never been forgotten.  God responded to my obedience and blessed me despite my fears, questions, and even doubts.  From that time on my giving has been cheerful and I have not given out of necessity since that day but out of a desire to honor the Lord and help others.

I have faced times when I desperately needed someone to assist me, comfort me, love me or counsel me and found that the return on my investment in others came back to me manyfold.  When I apply the Luke 6:38 principles and “Give what I need” God NEVER fails to send help in the time of need.  If we allow Him to have control of our time and treasure, we will find that Grace will Abound to us in a mighty manner.

God bless you as you go through this day!

Matthew 12:43-45 – “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.  45 “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”  NASB

Let us move another step into our consideration of the topic.  Last time we identified that the first blunder or mistake this man-made was in thinking that harmlessness was holiness.  We noted that this is a misconception that is commonplace and refuses to die.  Now let us consider another dimension of this problem.

I contend, as I believe the Bible confirms, that emptiness or idleness falls short of holiness and can be classified as sin.  Please understand, I understand that just being busy is not what God is looking for.  I wrote a book entitled, “Too Busy With Busyness To Hear God.”  It is possible, as the Bible confirms, to bestow all your earthly good to feed the poor, and even give your body to be burned and it be a worthless act. 

An individual’s works may appear great and yet that worker is lacking in moral worth, but an idler is certain to be so.  James 4:17 declares, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  May God help us to never reach the place where sin does not bother us.  Lost humanity crushes the heart of God and should us too.  No person can stand in the midst of a needy world, like the one we live in, and not be guilty in the sight of God if he or she remains empty and idle.

Jesus taught this truth and gave the example of cursing the barren fig tree.  He did not curse it because it produced poisonous fruit but because it bore no fruit.  Sin involves disobedience to God’s Word.  We can become a curse by refusing to be a blessing. 

Remember the parable of the talents?  The one was cast out, not because he wasted the talent, but because he did nothing with it.  Remember the parable of the wedding feast?  The man was cast out not because of the wrongness of his life, but because he did not have on a wedding garment.  Which is equivalent to accepting the Grace of God in Salvation!

I heard a story of an engaged couple who were in a movie theater and a fire broke out.  The man ran and later returned for her.  She refused to acknowledge him because he ran off rather than helping her escape.  She called off the wedding because he failed to do the right thing.

Not only is emptiness sin, the sin of omission, but it leads to positive or active sin.  There is only one cure – Fulness!  There is only one way to conquer the evil which is to bring its opposite into the mix and do good.  The only real foe of darkness is light.  The only way to destroy error is through the truth. 

Jesus taught a unique lesson regarding the tares and the wheat.  You focus on the wheat, not the tares.  It is better to allow some tares with the wheat than to destroy all and leave the field fruitless and barren.  Paul wrote to a semi-barbarous tribe in Galatia, who had been converted. They were having difficulty practicing self-control.  He did not say, “Set your face and make up your mind that you are not going to do wrong.”  Rather he said, “This I say, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”  Get the right focus!

Please hear me, we cannot win by doing nothing.  We must be filled with Christ and invested in His service.  We cannot simply be emptied of sin; we must be filled with Christ and His Spirit.  The world does not mind us gathering together and keeping all, we do within the four walls of the church building.  It is when we take the Good News to the community and begin to bring change that they resist.

There is a work for us to do and Jesus said, “The harvest is ready to be reaped but the laborers are few.”  Our focus is on the harvest, not the problem.  We do not know how long we have to work the works of Jesus for the night is coming.  We do not know how long it will be before the Lord Jesus returns, but He is coming again, and we need to be busy about the Master’s business. 

Let us allow the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with the Word of God and through the power of the Spirit of God and the Love of God, let us move forth in action rather than sitting idle. 

God bless you as you move forward in your life in Jesus!  Have a Great Day!