What Excuse Will You Give?

First I’d like to read a story to you…it’s found in the 14th chapter of the Book of Luke…beginning with verse 15. Read along with me if you would:

“Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

“Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’” (Luke 14:15-20) And the first portion of the next verse says, “So that servant came and reported these things to his master.”

The Parable of the Talents

I want to share with you today a story that touches my heart very deeply. Actually, the story I am going to share with you was one of the Parables that Jesus shared with His Disciples many years ago. As was His custom, Jesus would often tell stories that the hearers would be able to easily relate to that would illustrate a particular lesson or message that He felt was important for them to learn. And this particular story had a great lesson…not only for those He was speaking to then, but also for us today. I would ask you to please turn in your Bibles to the book of Matthew, chapter 24 and read with me if you would beginning with verse 14:

Stopping Short of God’s Best

“Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.” (Numbers 32:5)

Bu, the “Promised Land” was on the OTHER side of the Jordan!! On the other side of the Jordan was Canaan Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land promised to their forefathers, their inheritance!

The tribes of Reuben and Gad saw the land east of the Jordan and they were quite content to stop there rather than go on and receive ALL that God had provided for them. They saw that it was good for livestock, and they had much livestock, so they settled down there. It satisfied their “at-the-moment” needs, therefore they sacrificed God’s best for mediocre. The men even agreed to go into battle to help their Israelite brothers to receive their inheritance, but they wanted only to leave their possessions and families in the security of what they could see and obtain in the present.

Learning to Rest in Him

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

One of the greatest lessons I am still learning is how to wait upon the Lord; and He has been very diligent to teach me this lesson for a very long time, so I believe that it must be an important one. Sometimes it feels that I have waited my whole life for something BIG to happen…and I am still waiting. But you know what I have noticed…as I am waiting, I am also growing and learning and believing more and more in the great plans and purposes of God in my life. While I am waiting, He is preparing me to do more and He is using me to touch lives and to lead people into the Kingdom of God. So I guess after all this time, my waiting has not been in vain. But through it all, He has been fulfilling His purpose in me.

Where Are You Headed Next?

Do you have direction for your life? As the New Year approaches, I think this is a question we should all consider. Your life shouldn’t “just happen”, it should be directed by the Holy Spirit and constantly moving forward. To many people, moving forward simply means moving a little closer to the grave every day, but we should be moving in a direction that will benefit the Kingdom of God. If we are just sitting still in our relationship with the Lord and living a life of complacency or mediocrity, then we either are or have already grown stagnant with regard to our spiritual lives. We have become content to remain just like we are, and a lot of Christians have been in that place for a very long time. But instead, we need to be heading to the next level in our relationship with the Lord, and our service for Him should be increasing. We need to be seeking the Holy Spirit for direction in the next step in God’s plan for our lives.

The Making of a Vessel of Honor

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” (Jeremiah 18:6)

I am reminded of a story about a small child who, day after day, watched a sculptor working on a marble slab. At last there came the moment when the child caught her breath in amazement and said to the sculptor, “But how did you know there was a lion in there?” It is said that Michelangelo sculptured his statue “David” by taking a block of granite and chipping away everything that wasn’t David. This is the basic process by which God forms us and molds us to be a useful part of His Kingdom… a vessel of honor. He starts with nothing but a piece of clay and then He molds us and chips away at everything that doesn't look like Jesus.

A Savior Has Come

Christmas is an amazing time of the year. Christmas carols, candles glowing, Christmas trees twinkle, and the laughter and joy that makes this time so special to us all. However your family celebrates this wonderful season, one thing is for certain…if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, it’s a time when you pay special attention to Him…His birth and the reason He came to this sin-filled world. For even though He came as a helpless baby…His purpose was to die so that we might be reconciled to the Father through Him.

At this time of the year I love to go over the Biblical accounts of His birth and I try to imagine what it would have been like back then. I usually enjoy reading Luke’s account of His birth, and I am always fascinated when I come to the part about the shepherds in the field “watching their flock by night”. There they were just going through their normal routine, and then chapter 2 verses 8-12 records that an angel appeared to them and announced the birth of the Savior…and then as I read on in verses 13 and 14 a wonderful thing took place. Luke describes it this way, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” I try to envision how they must have felt as they stood there in that open field, and as far as their eyes could see in either direction, the skies were full of angelic beings shouting praises to the New Born King. What an awesome sight it must have been. I love that story.

What Breaks the Heart of God?

Think about that question for a moment…what breaks the heart of God? What makes Him weep? What are the things that God wants more than anything else to be different? In order to answer that question, we need to look no further than the life that Jesus lived while He was on the earth. Jesus came to the earth to show us a physical manifestation of who the Father is and what He is like. He demonstrated the heart of the Father in everything He did while He lived in human form. He said in John 14:7-10, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” So when you have seen the heart of Jesus, you have seen the heart of the Father. So let’s look at some examples of the things that broke Jesus’ heart, and then we will know how Father God feels also.

Never Late, Always On Time

I've often thought of Abraham, and what his life must have been like. What a man of faith and courage he was! Yes, he had a few lapses along the way, but every great man or woman of God does. The object is to finish well and to believe God to get you to the end having finished everything He desired for your life. And Abraham certainly did that. He made it to the end of the race and won the Crown of Faithfulness.

Think about what he endured. Originally, God told him to leave everything familiar to him…his family, his homeland, and go to an uncertain destination. Abraham chose to obey God, and God gave him a series of promises. In Genesis 12:1-3, God promised, “Get out of your country, from you kindred and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 

How To Survive Satan’s Attack on Your Life

“And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” (Luke 22:31-34)

And, as we know from the rest of the story, that Satan did tempt Peter to deny Christ, and it was a very dramatic and chaotic time in Peter’s life. Friends, I want to tell you right now…it is no secret that Satan…the enemy of your soul…wants to destroy your faith…he wants to destroy your testimony…and he wants to destroy your life. As I was reading this scripture, I was reminded of a familiar story in the Old Testament.

God Creates Good Out of Bad Situations

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

This is by far one of the most misunderstood portions of scripture in the Bible because when bad things happen, we only tend to look at the bad…the suffering…the pain. It hurts so much and we cannot see past the difficulty of what we are going through right at that moment in order to see anything good that may possibly come from it. But, oftentimes when we are past the pain and beyond the sorrow, we can look back and then we can see that God’s hand was at work in the situation and how He worked good things together even in the midst of great sorrow.

And You Shall Receive Power….

The time of the Pentecost (meaning 50th day) celebration had come and many people once again crowded the streets of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices as required by the law for the Feast of the Harvest and also to give thanks to God for their bounty. But the eleven followers of Christ, along with the women and the brothers of Jesus had been huddled in the upper room where they were staying for days now, praying and waiting. During this time they had chosen a replacement for Judas, who had betrayed Jesus; a man named Matthias, and altogether there were about 120 present now waiting for the promise that Jesus had given them just before He was taken into Heaven. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) 

You Must Be Born Again

I want to share with you today about a man in the Bible...His name was Nicodemus. He was a ruler of the Jews...a Pharisee...a leader in religious law. Now Nicodemus was a very educated man in the law of God...in fact, he had committed his life to learning and enforcing the law of God and he was a very respected man in his leadership position. His story is found in the 3rd chapter of the book of John. I want to share that story with you now if I may:

• "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (Verses 1-2) 

What Sign Do You Seek?

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

His life began with miracles...signs and wonders on every hand. His conception was announced to Mary by an angel (Luke 1:28-38), and to Joseph in a dream. (Matthew 1:20-21) It was told to them that this child would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, and He would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:32-35) As the shepherds watched their flocks, a multitude of the heavenly hosts appeared in the sky, proclaiming the glory of God (Luke 2:8-17); and a star was seen of the wise men who traveled from the east in search of the Christ Child, that they might worship Him (Matthew 2:9-10). Signs, wonders and miracles surrounded His birth.

There Is NO Shortcut!

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)

When it comes to spiritual growth, I will tell you this fact up front; there is NO shortcut! As I am talking to people about their Christian disciplines, I am often asked how does a person go about maturing in their spiritual life. Many people think that if they could only go to more church services or more Bible studies or go to Bible College or obtain more college degrees, that they will become more effective in their spiritual walk and that will enable them to do more in their ministries. But that mindset is so far from the truth! Christian maturity does not happen only with your Bible knowledge…but it has EVERYTHING to do with your relationship with God.

A Lesson in Faith

I want to spend some time in this message for the next few minutes looking at one the most important subjects of our Christian walk…and that is the subject of Faith…and I can think of no better place to learn about Faith than in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews. If you will turn there with me we’re going to be looking at a few scriptures that I believe will help us to learn what faith is and what it is not…and how to get more of it. Verse 2 tells us “For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony.” And I think if we want to have a good testimony, we need to learn how to grow in the area of faith.

And so the first questions that we might ask are, “Just what is Faith? And how do we obtain more of it?” Well, verse one explains very clearly what faith is. It says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” According to this verse, faith is “substance”…it’s real…there’s nothing phony or fake about faith! It’s not your imagination…it’s not something you conjure up in your mind…it is genuine and it’s real! And, this scripture also tells us that faith is “evidence”. When a crime is committed, the investigators go to the scene of the crime and they begin to look for “evidence”. They are looking for something that will prove to them beyond a doubt how the crime was committed. 

7 Kinds of People That Jesus Touches

When I read the gospel writers’ accounts of the life of Jesus, I am always fascinated by His miracles, and His insightful teachings. To imagine that He turned water into wine, or fed the multitude with a small boy’s lunch; and to listen to the Sermon on the Mount or the parables that He taught. And then, when I read about how He spoke to demons and they vacated the premises at His word, and the raging sea became calm again; and to think that His friend Lazarus got up and walked out of the grave…nothing could be more amazing than that. But I believe the most impressive thing to me about Jesus is the way He loved people. Everywhere He went there were throngs of people because this man was different. They could see in Him a genuine care and concern for them individually. There was something about the look in His eyes, a certain gentleness in the tone of His voice, patience even when they couldn’t understand the things He was trying to teach them. They each knew that He loved them. They understood that He could have condemned them…but He didn’t. Instead, He comforted them and gave them a sense of hope. I want to be like that. I want to touch people’s lives the way Jesus did. Don’t you?

So let’s take a look at some of the people that Jesus ministered to, and think about how He must have made them feel. In doing so, you may see something about your own situation, and realize how He can also touch your life. Or you may think of someone you know in these situations, and you may realize that, if you can minister to them with love and concern the way Jesus did, you may be used of God to change their lives.

“Garbage In – Garbage Out”

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Do you know that whatever you feed your spirit is what is also going to come out in your life? Do you also know that you have the ability to control what you think about, what you read, what you watch and what you meditate on? You have control over your own spiritual well-being simply by controlling what you allow to go into your mind. And you feed your spirit-being every day by the things you listen to, the things you watch on T.V., the music you hear, the things you read, the things you talk about and the things you think about. You have a zillion choices to make every day…and how you choose greatly affects how you grow spiritually.

In The Fullness of Time…

Been thinking a lot about God’s timing…how everything in life depends on God’s perfect time. I was praying about healing a while back, because it’s always been a mystery to me why some people get healed and some people don’t and why it sometimes takes so long for some people to receive their healing…and the Holy Spirit spoke these words to my heart…He said, “In the fullness of time…”

I thought about what Paul said about Jesus in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Way back in the Garden of Eden, God promised a solution to the “sin” problem. He told the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Tell me, why did it take 4,000 years for God to fulfill that promise? Think about it…why did God wait so long for the mystery of redemption to be fulfilled?

Awakening the Sleeping Giant

Jesus had just taught the “Sermon on the Mount” to multitudes of people in Matthew chapter 5. As He expounded to them about the different facets of being blessed, or happy as some translations word it, He then continued in verses 13-16 to give them several mental pictures of the influence His disciples were to have in the world:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

There's Sin in the Camp

“Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” (Joshua 7:13)

God had just led the Israelites in a great victory over the city of Jericho. You remember the story…they were instructed to march around the city for 7 days, and then on the 7th day, they were to march around it 7 times…and when they did they, they gave a great shout and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. What an amazing victory this was! But when the Israelites then came against the next city of Ai…to their great surprise, they were horribly defeated in that battle, for the Lord was not with them to give them victory over the enemy. And as described in the above verse, the Lord revealed to Joshua why.

As a Man Thinks in His Heart….

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Do you know that most people have no idea that they possess the ability to control their thoughts? It is amazing that many people just let their minds wander, and whatever comes to their thoughts, that’s what they allow themselves to meditate on. 

Discerning the Signs of the Times

My family came from northern Alabama, and one of my fondest memories growing up was when we would go there to visit relatives a couple times a year. My dad would never just take a leisurely trip, we would always leave at two o’clock in the morning and drive for hours, and then finally stop for gas. If you had anything to take care of, it was best to get it done during that stop because, except for gas and one meal on the way, there was no stopping any place else. He just wanted to get there.

The Master of Deception

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said…?’” (Genesis 3:1)

…and the rest is history! What I want to focus on here is not the fact that Eve listened to the devil’s lies and sinned against God. The point we need to understand is that the devil, the destroyer of your soul, is a Master Deceiver! He will stop at nothing to fulfill his job in your life, if you allow him to. Therefore, we need to be on our constant guard and learn to recognize him when he comes, and beware of his tactics.

Living in Resurrection Power

“But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus Who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.’” (Matt.28:5-6)

It is often said the darkest hour comes just before the dawn, and so it was on this particular morning. The book of Mark (16:1) tells us these women had come there the morning after the Sabbath to anoint the body of Jesus for burial. There had not been enough time to properly take care of this task immediately after his death, for the Sabbath was quickly approaching. As they neared the tomb, we can only imagine the fear they felt as they saw that the huge stone, which had been used to block the entrance to the tomb, had been rolled away, and their beloved Lord was gone. As the angel heralded the news of His resurrection, surely there was a certain amount of doubt and confusion in their hearts, even though Jesus Himself had told them many times He would rise again on the third day. They were there to prepare Him for death, yet God had raised Him to life. Hallelujah!!

Which Would YOU Choose?

"And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

The Prayer That Changed My Life

“Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12)

Some of the greatest truths you will ever hear are found in this one scripture. You know the story, Daniel had set himself to hear from God and so he began to pray. The trouble was that it took 21 days before the angel of the Lord was finally able to break through the demonic barriers to bring the answer that Daniel needed.

From this we learn that when we set our hearts to know the ways of God and when we humble ourselves before Him, we can be sure that He will hear and He will answer our prayers…even when there is a delay. When we have prayed sincerely from our hearts and we are looking for God to work mightily in our lives, we need to understand there is a battle that takes place in the spiritual realm. But even though we feel like we are in darkness and things are getting worse and worse, we need to continue to seek and listen and wait on the Lord until we know there is a breakthrough…and Friends, your breakthrough may take even longer than Daniel’s did. Let me share my experience with you….

Personal Testimony: It was toward the end of 2006 that I too had begun to seek the Lord. As is my custom, toward the end of each year I begin to seek the Lord for goals that I want to reach for in the coming year. I know that spiritual growth is a must for my life and I need to be constantly going forward in my walk with the Lord. I am extremely uncomfortable sitting still spiritually. But that year I had an unusual prayer and began about December to seek the Lord for this goal. I prayed the most dangerous prayer I have ever prayed in my life…I asked the Lord to teach me obedience. I wanted to learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and I wanted to learn to act immediately when I heard Him…I wanted to obey as Jesus said He too was obedient to God the Father. “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) I thought if Jesus was totally obedient to the Father…then I should learn to be too…so began the new year of 2007.

I was teaching a Sunday School class at that time, and I remember once telling that class that I was going through the most difficult time in my life spiritually speaking. After praying this prayer, I was suddenly plunged into a spiritual battle that continued for about the next 4 years. I encountered challenge after challenge to my faithfulness to God and to my obedience to His commands. I felt like I was being beaten up and would come home from work and go straight to my bed and cry and cry. It was a huge battle! During this time, the Holy Spirit put a heavy prayer burden on my heart for a particular person that I knew. Actually I didn’t even know him very well, but I absolutely had to pray for this person’s salvation. And what made it even worse was that it seemed the heavier the prayer burden was on my heart, the meaner and ruder this person was to me. It was a horrible time! I would beg God to please let me stop praying for this person, and I remember hearing the Holy Spirit telling me, “If you don’t pray for him, there is no one else in his life who will.” I HAD to pray! And this went on for 3 years! 

It felt like I could do nothing…all I could do was cry and pray…but I was hearing the Holy Spirit in the tiniest details of my life as He was leading and directing me. What I didn’t know at the time, the pain that I was experiencing was the dying of “Self” as I learned to listen, obey and allow Him to take control of things that I was very used to controlling myself. This lesson continued for 2 years. 

Then, in January of 2009, I was in a wonderful worship service on a Sunday morning, and I was singing unto the Lord with all my heart. The song was a deeply worshipful song entitled “Surrender” by Marc James. I found myself weeping before the Lord and crying out to Him, “I surrender Lord”…and I meant it with all my heart. I knew the Lord was dealing with me about an issue that would be my spiritual growth goal for that year. 

When I finally was able to get out to the car after the service, I began to pray, “Lord, I thought I already did that a long time ago”, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I did not yet know anything about the topic of surrender…but I also knew I was about to learn. 
Yes, as you can guess I learned a lot in the next year. What I learned was that my plan is not God’s plan, and it was His plan that mattered. I learned that I needed to let a lot of things in my own life die. I had to let my hopes die, my dreams die, and any plans I might have had for my future…I had to let it all go. It meant in reality that I had to die. Those scriptures about dying to ourselves began to take on a new meaning that I had never understood before, and certainly never knew how to live them out in my life. One of my favorite verses became John 12:24 where Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” If we really want to be used of God, then everything we ever lived for has to die. That is why He could say that we must pick up our cross daily and follow Him. 

I had read a wonderful book by the wife of a popular pastor, and in the book she talked about this amazing mission the Lord had called her to working with the orphaned children of AIDS victims in a faraway land. She described how her grown daughter had been disappointed and unhappy with her because her daughter had envisioned her mom being the kind of grandmother that would be there and spend lots of time babysitting and fulfilling the role that her daughter had planned for her as the grandmother of her child. Needless to say, the calling of God on this woman’s life did not allow her to be the kind of grandmother that her daughter expected of her. We need to know that we must even surrender the expectations of others in our lives as we are learning to surrender completely to the Lord. 

I remember the day the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about moving away to another city…away from my grandchildren that I had been with almost since their birth. It felt like God was actually ripping my heart out as I surrendered my love for them and my desire to be near them to the Lord. I had to give them up…I had to surrender them to God. And as it turned out, the Lord did not actually require me to move, but He knew that was a part of my life and my desires that I had to give up. Actually, I have heard the Holy Spirit challenge me in a number of things that my heart wanted to cling to, or didn’t want any part of, and I would hear His quiet, still voice say, “But I thought you told Me you would do anything for Me” as I found myself humbling before the Lord yet again in total surrender. 

It has been a huge challenge, and still is at times. I sometimes find times when I set my heart to doing something and I don’t find the funds or opportunity to do what I desired, and it hurts to have to lay that desire down and trust that the Lord has my best interest at heart. But in reality, I know He does. Surrender…it means having no plans…no hopes…no dreams of your own, but to be perfectly willing to pick up whatever desire that the Lord gives you and any time He desires. It’s hard to do that…but do you know what I have found out? If I will give up my will for His will and my dreams for His dreams, it will free His hand to lead me to some of the most amazing things I could ever imagine. I have learned that His plans are more amazing than anything I could ever dream of and I am so happy and so blessed to follow Jesus wherever He leads. 

Then, in January 2010, I was getting ready to go on my “first of the year alone time with God” trip, and the night before I was to leave, I had begun already to seek the Lord for New Year goals and plans. I already knew what I was going to be seeking Him about during my trip, and it was an answer I really needed regarding a huge question in my heart. I knew I was at a crossroad in my life and I had to make a decision...it was now or never…and I needed an answer NOW! 

I was skimming over “The Prayer of Jabez” (By Bruce Wilkinson) once again that night, and I ran across a sentence…actually it was a quote. In the book, he was explaining that he was had been seeking the counsel of a Bible teacher named John Mitchell. The quote went like this, “Son, that feeling you are running from is called dependence. It means you are walking with the Lord Jesus. Actually, the second you’re not feeling dependent is the second you’ve backed away from truly living by faith.” That quote spoke volumes to me right at that second…and I knew in my heart what my BIG lesson for 2010 would be…DEPENDENCE! And…oh yes…it was! 

Here is how I shared that initial experience in my book, Becoming a Relevant Christian. “I was sitting in my car at the shores of the Gulf of Mexico this very cold and windy day in January 2010…I was there for a reason. I desperately need an answer. What I was contemplating would change the direction of my life and it was a “sink or swim” type situation. I was asking God for permission to retire from my job. I knew I had been unemployed before and I knew that if I went this way, God had to go with me. I did not want to do this on my own…I needed an answer from God.” 

But I came away that day with a new perspective and an “almost” made up mind to take a huge step of faith. I only needed one more thing; I needed for the Lord to give me confirmation that this was the right thing for me to do. The very next day, God even gave me that. When I sat my son down to explain to him what I was thinking about doing, the very first words out of his mouth were, “Yes Mom, I think you should do it.” I was shocked, I was happy, I was petrified! But I believed in my heart that I had the answer I needed so the following Monday, I turned in my resignation letter at work, and I have never regretted it and I have never looked back. 

Now, I will tell you, it’s been almost 7 years since I made that decision, and I won’t pretend that everything has been easy. My income was cut drastically and there are some things I can’t do any more…but I have learned that I don’t need nearly as much as I thought I needed and I get to do a whole lot more of the things I love…I get to touch lives in the Name of Jesus every day as much as I want…and THAT has meant all the world to me. 

So the simple prayer (I thought) that I prayed in 2006 for the Lord to teach me obedience has led me down this path that I never imagined and He has opened doors that only He could open with ministry that has touched lives in many places all over the world. What I really wanted to do with my life was to make a difference for the Kingdom of God…but He has allowed me to do so much more…and the real excitement is that I believe I am really just getting started. 

I shared all that to say this; if you will learn the lessons of Obedience, Surrender and Dependence, you will find that God has great things in store for your life. My motto these days is this, “If You will tell me where to go Lord, and I will just show up.” He will do much more than you ever dreamed when you surrender, obey and trust Him to make the right choices for your life...and commit now to OBEY...no matter what! 

Jesus…Do You Know Him?

They looked like a ragtag bunch of misfits, walking along the dusty road that leads to Jerusalem. They didn’t appear to be anything special – just a few fishermen, a tax collector and some others following closely behind their leader…Himself a mere carpenter. A very unusual and unlikely group of men to be traveling together on this long journey, but the most surprising thing of all were the crowds they attracted everywhere they went. What was it about this group that drew throngs of people to them? Most of the group seemed pretty rugged and uncultured, nothing special about them. But that leader…the carpenter’s son…He had an appeal that no one could explain, but once you were in His presence, you never forgot it. There was just something about Him that the people had never seen or felt before. He was certainly different.

When the time came to stop along the way and rest, this man Jesus would begin to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven in ways they could understand and picture in their minds. It almost seemed like a real place; and even stranger, He talked like He had once been there. But, how could this be? He was Jesus…the Carpenter Joseph’s son. They all knew who He was…but did they really know Him? And the even more important question I need to ask I guess is this…do YOU really know Him?

They were all His friends, this bunch of “disciples” Jesus had chosen. And day after day as they walked with Him, they saw things that they could not explain and heard things that they did not understand. Like that time when He took them up to the mountain side and began to speak strange words to them like,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3-4)

Then He started talking about “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”…what strange words He spoke. But somehow, the disciples knew He was a man of righteousness, for He seemed to personally know Jehovah God. This could not be the same God the Pharisees talked about, for when they spoke of Him, it was impersonal and they made Him seem more like a tyrant who delighted in making rules and regulations that people had to follow. But this man Jesus…He was different.

And then there were all the miracles; people were healed, demons cast out, the dead were raised back to life again. There was the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, and all the men of the city were ready to stone her. They mockingly brought her before Jesus and asked His opinion, and He could have easily told them to go ahead with it. Most other people would have, but not Him. After careful consideration, He told whoever was without sin to be the first to cast the stone at her. (John 8:1-11) Everyone was convicted because they knew that none of them qualified, and so they just walked away. And when He looked at her, there was such compassion in His eyes. It seemed as though He were looking straight into her heart, as He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

And one day, while they were on the way to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus began an unusual conversation. He was checking with His disciples to find out what people were saying about Him, and He asked, “Who do men say that I am?” They told Him that people were saying all kinds of strange things, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” Then He suddenly seemed less concerned about what the people thought and more concerned about what His disciples thought. “But who do you say that I am?” Some of them didn’t know how to answer a question like that. But Peter stunned them all when he looked the Carpenter right in the eyes and said the most profound thing, “You are the Christ.” (taken from Mark 8:17-19) They all stopped in their tracks that day, and it finally dawned on them Who this was they had been following all this time. This was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. No wonder He was so unique. Life was very different for the disciples after that. And life will be very different for you too, once you realize Who this Jesus really is. Let me explain…

God the Father had created a perfect world with perfect people. He so enjoyed the fellowship of His creation, and every day He spent time in wonderful communion with the man Adam and the woman Eve. This was exactly what He had envisioned when He made mankind; total peace and harmony. But then one day sin happened, and God’s perfect plan was drastically changed. Man no longer enjoyed the beauty of their walks in the garden and he was no longer content with the love that God so freely offered to him. Sin had separated mankind from their God…their Creator. And the eternity that God had planned for man to live with Him could no longer be. Because of His holiness, God could not live in the presence of sin, and because man had become rebellious, there was no chance for him to live with God any longer. And once again, God desired to share His love with His Creation. But the payment for sin was death…He had told Adam and Eve that when He created them, and so it must be.

But God was not happy with that thought. He knew that the penalty for sin must be paid, and man was sinful and unqualified to pay the price. There had to be a way for man to be reconciled back to Him. So He instituted a plan. When the time was right, God Almighty would send His own Son and He would pay the price for the sins of the world. Only Jesus was qualified, because only He could live a sinless life, and that is what was required. For many years people sacrificed perfect lambs that were without blemish to “cover” their sins, but this Lamb…“the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29)…God’s only begotten Son… Jesus…He would be the only way that sinful man could ever be once again reconciled to God. He would break down the separation between God and man…and He would do it by dying a cruel death on an old rugged cross on a hill called Calvary. Jesus would take all the sins of the world upon himself, and He would pay the ultimate price for our sins…the price of death.

But wait, it wasn’t enough that He took our sins upon His own body and crucified them on the cross of Calvary, but in order that man would once again have the opportunity to live eternally, Jesus must also rise from the dead. He must give assurance to everyone who believes in Him that they too would have everlasting life. And so that’s what He did. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) He died on the cross, and He rose from the grave, and He promises us eternal life if we will trust in Him.

So, one might ask, “How do you trust in Him?” Paul told the Church in Corinthians that they needed to repent to be saved. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10) It requires a changed heart. When a person realizes that God wants him or her to live a different life, and they are truly sorry for how they have offended a Holy God, and they turn from their sins and trust Jesus to save them so that they don’t have to pay the penalty for them, then they can receive the promise of God.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” ( John 14:6)There is no other way. You can’t work hard enough, you can’t be good enough…there is absolutely nothing you can do to make it to Heaven. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins, and He is the only way. When we stop trying to make it on our own and accept the fact that Jesus already did everything that CAN be done and we surrender to Him, we receive eternal life. And when we do that, a wonderful thing will happen…God, by His Holy Spirit, will take up residence inside of you, and He will give you assurance in your heart that you are finally Heaven-bound.

So, let me ask you…are you tired of living in fear? Do you want to know for absolute certain that your eternity is taken care of and you will live in Heaven with Jesus forever? If you are ready to make the most important decision of your life, then I would ask you to pray with me…

“Heavenly Father, I am tired of living in fear, and I want to have assurance in my heart that my eternity is secure. I know I have sinned against You, and I am truly sorry for my sins. Father, please forgive me for my sins and help me to live the rest of my life for You. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and that He rose again and I receive Him right now as my Savior and my Lord. Please make me yours forever. Thank you Father. In Jesus’ Name…amen.”

If you prayed that prayer and if you meant it from your heart, you are now a child of God and you have eternal life. You can count on it. Congratulations and God bless you!

The Path That Leads to Greatness

You know, sometimes the ways of the Lord totally astound me. They make absolutely NO sense to my natural mind. I read the scriptures and I wonder…when people who don’t know the Lord hear these things, what must they think? When I realize that scripture teaches us that the way to greatness is through servanthood… and those who want to be first must be last…and if you want to have more you need to give more…and if someone takes your cloak, give him your coat also. You see, in the natural world, none of that makes any sense…but then I remember that I don’t belong to the natural world…I belong to the Kingdom of God…and if you have been born again, then so do you. And if you have been born from above, then none of the rules that govern this natural world will work for you…in fact, in most cases, just the opposite is true.

If you have ever been involved in the secular business world, then you know what I’m talking about. For most people out there, they are trying to scratch and claw their way to the top…doing everything they can do in order to make a few more dollars to get a few more possessions and a few more company perks to make them look good and feel good about who they are and what they are doing, and to try gain the respect and admiration of the people around them. And you know what’s really sad? At the end of our lives, each and every one of us will die and leave everything we have ever gained in this world to somebody else. And you know what I discovered? It won’t mean nearly as much to them as it did to us, and they will most likely waste everything that we spent our lives trying to accumulate. All of it will amount to nothing but wood, hay and stubble…just like the Bible said it would.

But do you know what’s important in the Kingdom of God? I want you to imagine for a few minutes if you will what the Disciples felt like that day as Jesus sat with them on the mountainside teaching this great lesson. Open your Bibles with me if you will to the book of Matthew, chapter 5, beginning with verse 1 as I read:

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (verses 1-11)

Tell me, how do you think you would have felt if you had been there that day? A little confused I am sure. And I am sure that they were also. I can picture Peter, the impetuous one, as he sat there listening to these words. Peter was always ready to fight for what he thought was right. But the problem was, until the day of Pentecost, Peter was still very carnal in his thinking and so he still acted in a worldly manner.

But you know what...when the Day of Pentecost came, Peter became a different man. He thought differently, he spoke differently and he acted differently. He was no longer that strong-willed, impetuous Peter who had previously jumped out of the boat thinking he could walk on water…and then sinking because of his unbelief. He was no longer that man who in the heat of the moment chopped off the guard’s ear in the Garden that night. And He was no longer the one who denied that he even knew that man Jesus. No, Peter was different after the Holy Spirit came and filled him, and if you are filled with the Spirit of God, you will be a different person too. You will no longer think as the world thinks…you will no longer speak as the world speaks…and you will no longer act as the world acts. You will be different! You will be changed!

Listen to Peter later on in life: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) That advice sure flies in the face of many of the worldly encounters that I have run into…doesn’t it with you also? And then in Acts 3:6 he said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And when he took that lame man by the hand, strength flowed into him and he walked under the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

But all this was typical of what Jesus taught. In Luke 6:38 He taught: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Seems that everything the Bible teaches is just the opposite of what the world thinks. And do you know what’s even stranger? When I read these things, I get a warm feeling in my heart, and I know that they are good and right and truth. And I am certain that it’s the only way to live that really makes sense to me. Friends, God’s way is the way of hope…His way is the way of peace…Jesus came to give us peace and hope and rest. He came to set us free from the ways of the world. He came to teach us that there are things that are much more important than the next salary raise or the next promotion that we need to be investing our lives in. He came to teach us the ways of the Kingdom of God.

You see, the way to be filled with the Spirit of the Living God is to be emptied of “self”. It’s to put Jesus in His rightful position as Lord and Master of our lives and to allow Him to live through us. You know that prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer? When it says, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Do we really mean that part or are we just reciting words? Because if we really mean it, then we must learn to operate on this earth the way that God requires….through humbleness, meekness, peace and gentleness. We must follow the example that Jesus gave us…we must become servants. Mark 10:45 reminds us, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” And if we are going to follow Him…then we must become servants too.

Prayer: Father, I know that I am far from the Example that You sent though the Lord Jesus Christ, and I know that far too many times I fail to think with a Heavenly Mind…but instead I react to the things of this life in a worldly manner. I really do want to do better Father. Please teach me to live the way that Jesus taught us to live and help me to think the way that Jesus showed us to think. I want to show others the way to the Kingdom of Heaven so that they might desire to meet its King and to follow Him to. Thank You Father for making me more and more like Him. In Jesus Name I pray…Amen.