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.

Know What You Believe

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

There’s an old saying, “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything!” This is especially true when it comes to your faith. And if you don’t KNOW what you stand for, you will find yourself being deceived and led down the wrong path. You MUST know what you believe…and you MUST stand firm on it.

There is a scripture found in the book of James (1:6) and it talks about faith and the second part of that scripture says, “…for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” When I think of that scripture, I usually think of how unstable the lives of many people are. They seem to be bounced around and controlled by every circumstance that comes their way…their lives are battered and beaten by every little “wind” that comes along. You see this when people are swayed by what they hear or what they see or what somebody else tells them instead of studying and examining to find out truth for themselves. Their faith is baseless and they are apt to change with whatever stance is popular at any given time. It’s sad to live this way, and that kind of person will be the very ones who will be deceived and led down the path of destruction by the Satan…just like Eve was.

"If My People..."

This is a message that has been burning in my heart for quite some time, however, the Lord has been dealing with me lately to put down in writing and share it, because it’s a message that needs to be said out loud for everyone to hear. I realize that it will also stir criticism because it’s a message that not everyone will gladly receive. It will be hard for some people to hear what I am sharing. But this is a message that must be acknowledged, because I believe, as many of you do also, that our freedoms in America and our way of life is in grave danger. I believe that we are standing at a crossroads at this very point in time, and we, as Christians foremost, and then as Americans, must make some crucial choices.

I apologize to my friends and readers who live in other other nations of the world, because I have mostly directed this message to American Christians, but I believe that some of you stand at the same crossroads that American Christians do, and you must also make the same difficult choices that we must make whether it be for your nation, or for yourself individually. Or maybe yours are a little different than ours, but you must face truth just the same. But I believe that America is in a position right now where we can no longer go about our merry way expecting the American dream to sort of “drop” in our laps. We can no longer expect to live on the blessings of generations past.

For over 230 years, America has been extremely blessed by God as no other nation in all of history has ever been blessed. We have risen to a place of world-wide recognition, international monetary blessing, and dreams fulfilled that can only be categorized as real live miracles from God. In this great nation, every person has been given the opportunity to live a life of prosperity and success. Many people can tell their own stories of how richly their lives have been blessed because of the freedoms and opportunities that this great country has afforded them in order to reach their highest potential. It’s each person’s choice what they do with the opportunities that they have received, but it cannot be disputed that the hand of God has touched this land mightily and blessed it in such a way as no other nation can claim…not even Israel, the “apple of His eye”.

In America, it is possible for a person to migrate here from a place where all they could look forward to was poverty and pain, and here they are able to, through honesty and hard work, find of life of peace and prosperity. Opportunities abound for people who are willing to pay the price and give God the glory for the grace He has bestowed upon us. Anything has been possible for the people of America.

In years past, America was the most honored and respected nation in the world. We have lent a helping hand to many other nations who were down and struggling and we’ve reached out to give assistance when national disaster has struck in many other lands. America has been great because the people of America have been great and the government of America has been great. God has honored our giving and our helping attitude. He has blessed us as a nation because we have been champions to the cause of the poor and needy throughout the world. And America has been great because we have stood by our allies when times were hard and they were going through difficult battles. But most of all, America has been great because we have been a nation which worshipped and served a Great and Mighty God. Yes, we have always been a Christian nation and we have been proud of our rich Christian heritage that has been handed down from generation to generation.

But over many years, I have watched the things that made America a great nation begin to change and erode. I have seen a shift in the priorities of the people of America, and I for one, fear for the future of this great nation. I saw a brochure recently that said, “They know less about Jesus than any generation in our history.” and then you open it up and it says, “They are our youth, our children and grandchildren.” (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) I believe that we need to take a careful look at the direction we are headed in, and where we are leading our children and young people, because if we don’t change our direction very soon, I’m afraid it will soon be too late, and there will be no turning back, and God’s hand of favor will leave us to our own devices.

2 Chronicles 7:14 holds a very familiar portion of scripture to most of us, but I would like to also look at verse 13 and see what that says, “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Solomon had just finished the great temple he had built for the Lord’s dwelling place and he and all the people of Israel had consecrated it and dedicated it unto the Lord. He had also interceded to the Lord for the people of his kingdom, and asked that when the people did sin and turn from the Lord, and when they returned and repented to God for their sins, Solomon asked God to forgive them of their sins and to prosper them once again. It was in that setting that God made the familiar promise in 2 Chronicles to His people Israel.

What we need to understand is that God loves Israel. He chose Israel specifically to be His people, and He has not cast them away. But we also should understand that He loves you and He loves me, and He loves America. Though God chose Israel as His very own people, America chose God! When our forefathers left their native land and came to the United States of America to establish a new nation, many lost their lives for that cause. They did not make those sacrifices so that people could take our privileges concerning our religious freedoms from us, but they came because the government had established a national religion in England, and they were not permitted to worship and believe as the Bible instructed. That is what the Constitution means when it says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” Our Constitution says nothing about the separation of church and state. The law was intended to prohibit the government from establishing our religion, and it also does not allow it to prohibit the free exercise of our religion. How have we come to the place where our children are not allowed to pray in school and the Bible is banned from government facilities? Why have Christians allowed this to take place, in spite of our Constitutional rights? The Constitution guarantees us the right to freely exercise our religion, but we have allowed a few to, not only twist and turn the Word of God, but to also twist and turn the Constitution of the United States so that it no longer protects our freedoms, but it allows people to distort it in order to deny the very freedoms that many people have died to protect. How can this be?

I’ll tell you one way we have failed. We see all through the Word of God, that when the nation of Israel had a godly king, the nation prospered, but when the king was an ungodly man, the nation as a whole turned from God and it suffered greatly. But, over and over again, the people of Israel repented of their sins, and God did forgive them and bring prosperity once again. Now, what does all this have to do with America?

This scripture was written to God’s people. As Christians, we are God’s people. When we become “Christians” we become spiritual children of God. The very name, Christian, denotes “Christ-likeness”. Thus when we say we are Christians, we are claiming the very name of Christ, to be His Representatives or Ambassadors on this earth. Therefore, I believe we qualify when He says, “if My people, who are called by My name…” So we would be safe to say that, although this scripture was originally written to Israel, as children of God who carry the name of Christ, it would also apply to us.

Then the next part of the scripture says, “…will humble themselves and pray and seek My face…” Have you ever noticed, when you announce a “carry-in dinner” at your church, how many people come? People show up out of the woodwork, don’t they? I’ve been to churches where people will come to the dinners that didn’t even attend the church service, so they are not visitors. They just came to eat! And they do it all the time. Strange! But then, did you ever notice who shows up when you announce a “prayer service”? Many Christians in America have forgotten the power of prayer. You hear statements like, “Well, all we can do is pray.” But Christians need to understand that prayer should not be considered a “last resort”. Prayer is the VERY BEST thing we can do! And God is saying here that we should “humble ourselves” and “pray” and “seek His face”. These are strange words to many of us. Okay, praying means we go to God with our prayer list and lay our petitions before Him, right? NO! Praying means going to God with a humble attitude seeking His direction and will for our lives. Praying means we go before Him with the understanding that we are not able to do anything without Him. Praying means we need Him, we desire Him, and we are willing to do anything for Him. It means we spend time in the presence of the Almighty God, and want nothing more than to hear from Him. It’s not a ten-minute devotion, it’s a desperate heart, longing for Him and for His presence and for His hand of blessing. So when this writer said to “humble ourselves and pray and seek His face”, he is not talking about a nice, little request from God. He is talking about a cry of desperation! He is talking about falling on our faces before a mighty and awesome God and beseeching Him and imploring Him and longing to see His hand upon our land once again. We have lost the desire to long for the hand of God on our lives and on our land. We have forgotten what it is like to pray and weep before the Lord until we have a “break-through”…until we know that we know we have reached Heaven with our prayers. I remember a time when people would go to the altar after the church service and stay on their knees for a long, long time seeking God’s face. That was when we used to have altars in our churches. And they were made of wood, or sometimes cloth, and they would be soaked with tears when folks got done praying. There were boxes of tissues there, because it was assumed that people would pray and seek the Lord and that tears would flow when they did. Most people don’t know what it means to “pray through” anymore. There was no little 5 or 10-minute prayer. People prayed because they knew that if they didn’t, the devil would have his way in their lives or the lives of their loved ones. They knew they needed the power of God to overcome the sins and addictions in their lives. They prayed, because they knew that without prayer, they were not able to do anything of any benefit to the kingdom. And folks got saved, delivered and set free because they prayed. We don’t do that anymore. We don’t humble ourselves anymore, we don’t pray like we should anymore.

Then, the scripture says we are to “turn from their wicked ways”. You know, it frightens me when I see people that I go to church with living their lives in purposeful and willful sin. It disturbs me that people can go to church, hear the Word of God preached, profess the name of Christ as their own, and then go on about their sinful lives with no remorse. Now I’m going to step on some toes here, but that’s because it needs to be done. Folks, if you are a Christian, a bona-fide child of the Living God…you need to stop sinning! That means you can’t continue to live with or sleep with a man or a woman that you are not married to…that’s called adultery! That means you can’t continue to tell untruths to your husband or wife or children…that’s called lying! That means you can’t go back on that porno website time after time after time…that’s called lust! You get the idea! If it’s sin…you need to stop doing it! That’s what God is saying in this scripture, “…if My people will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways….” It’s called repentance…and until we come to a place of repentance, God will not hear us and God will not forgive us, and God will not heal our land. Our nation is hurting Christians! We have had tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods…not to mention terror attacks...right here in America. Remember verse 13? “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people…”

I am going to mention a few things that I believe we (Christians) in America need to repent of. I’m not talking about other people…I’m talking about us. Until we get The Church right, we cannot expect unbelievers to do anything right. It’s up to us Christians…it’s time to get it right. So here goes…

1. We have become a self-centered people.

2. We have depended on the government to do the job of the Church.

3. We have stopped working to support our families.

4. We have put our eyes on other gods.

5. We have become a prideful people.

6. We have become complacent (lukewarm) in our faith.

7. We have sent our jobs to other countries.

8. We have elected ungodly leaders.

9. We have allowed godlessness to reign in our nation.

10. We have bowed down to money.

“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 
(2 Chronicles 7:14.)

When Tragedy Strikes

 

I believe there are three different types of tragedy that strikes in the lives of people....the consequences of sin in the world, natural disasters that occur, and what the Bible calls the "wrath of God". Let's look at those now...

1. Horrible things happen when people sin...a child may be hit by a drunk driver and dies, a marriage may end in divorce because of unfaithfulness or a great number of people may be killed because of gun violence or a terrorist attack. These types of occurrences are the direct result of sin in the world...mankind violating the Word and will of God, and unfortunately, many innocent people suffer the consequences. Also sickness came into the world through the original sin of man back in the Garden of Eden and though God often chooses to heal sickness and disease, many time He does not. In these situations, though people often blame God, the reality is that God did not cause the tragedy to occur, but He is simply allowing sin to take it's course because He has given mankind freedom to choose whether to obey Him or not...and the results of disobedience are usually devastating. But we need to know that even though God did not cause these situations to take place, He CAN and WILL work even these circumstances together to cause good to come out of them if we will turn to Him in our time of need and trust Him.
2. Then there are natural disasters which occur because of the effects of nature on our planet such as tornado destruction, earthquakes, floods, drought and famine in the world. These situations seem to be happening more and more frequently just as scripture tells us, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." (Romans 8:22) While God can and often does protect His people from these disasters, we should know that as sin abounds in an area or nation, we see from scripture and history that God can and generally does remove His "hedge" of protection from a people who turn their backs and reject Him as Sovereign Lord over their lives and nation
3. And the third type of tragedy is the most horrific event of all. We see this tragedy happen over and over in scripture and in history, when people continually choose to deliberately disobey and turn away from God, His Truth and His laws of Creation that He alone has established. In scripture we see the results of the wrath of God being poured out upon people in the examples of the complete flooding of the whole earth because of the evil which abounded at that time. Then we also see the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by hail and brimstone cast upon these cities by God Himself because of the utter sinfulness of the people who dwelled there. In Egypt, we see the wrath of God being directed at the Egyptian people because of their leader's refusal to obey God by releasing His people from the bondage of slavery. But it's also worthy to notice that in each situation, we see that God always provides protection and a means of deliverance for His people, for God NEVER pours out His wrath upon those who belong to Him...those who act in obedience.

So this is an important fact for us to remember, because the Bible warns of of at least 2 more occasions of God's wrath that is still promised in the future...and by knowing this, we should also realize that He has provided a way out for those who belong to Him. You see, God never promised us deliverance from the consequences of sin, and He never promised us protection from the effects of nature...BUT He does promise us divine protection from the judgement of His wrath that is about to come upon the earth. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, Paul writes, "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief."

The very next "wrath" that is talked about in the Bible is the Wrath of God that will be poured out upon the earth at the very end of the age. Listen to this devastation that is yet to come.... "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17) This is a time of great sorrow that you do NOT want to endure...for this is the time when God will begin to repay all those who have rejected His Sovereignty...rejected His rule over the earth...rejected His own dear Son Who came to save us from the wrath of God. And listen to this deliverance for God's people from this Wrath to come....

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9-17)

These are the ones who have chosen to repent of their sins and follow Christ while they were still on the earth, and God has delivered them from the "wrath to come" by taking them out of the earth. This is a day that is coming in the not-too-distant future Friends. Are you ready...will you be among those who are delivered, or will you be left to endure the wrath of God? Because if you are not among those who are redeemed and you are left on the earth during the most devastating times known to mankind, there is still another time of wrath that you must face, and this is the most devastating wrath of all, for it is the wrath of God that will last for all eternity.

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)

Friends, you may survive the effects of sin upon mankind that happen daily in the world. You may survive the effects of natural disasters that happen in the earth...and you may even survive the devastation that happens when God begins to pour His wrath out during those final weeks and months upon the earth. But it is guaranteed...unless you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you WILL NOT survive that final day of wrath when everyone great and small will be judged according to the judgement of God. That wrath and that judgement will last forever and ever. May I encourage you today....do NOT continue to reject this Great God...for whether it is now or later...every knee WILL bow and every tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Won't you PLEASE do it NOW???

Get Ready for a Great Catch!

I want us to spend a few minutes today looking at this amazing story that is found in the 5th chapter of the book Luke, because I believe that God has a great message for us here that will change the results of our lives and ministries, and I believe it will cause us to have a greater impact on the Kingdom of God if we will put it to work in our lives. Please read with me in verses 1-11 if you will.

“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (Luke 5:1-11)

This is a powerful portion of scripture, and when I was reading it, I saw so much in this story that applies to us as Christian leaders…people who have dedicated our lives to serving the Lord. I want to share with you 4 steps if I may that I believe will benefit us in our personal lives and ministries if we truly want to be great “Fishers of Men” and if we truly want a great catch for the Kingdom of God.

1. The first thing I believe we need to understand if we expect to have a great catch is that we are going to have to do some things that most other people will not do. You will notice in our story that Peter had been out fishing all night long, and for all their hard labor, they had caught NOTHING! Well, if you have ever been fishing, you know that sometimes the fish are biting and sometimes they just are not. Or in Peter’s case…they had caught nothing in their nets and I am sure after all that hard work, he was tired and weary and all he wanted to do was to clean up and go home and get a good night’s sleep. Friends, we’ve all been in that situation…we’re tired and weary and discouraged and it seems like nothing we try to do is working. All we want to do is go home, hide our heads under the covers and go to sleep…for a long, long time. But then Jesus comes along! And you hear Him distinctly…His instructions to you are to go out there and try it again…one more time…get out there and do it all over again. Only…this time, take Him with you and see if you don’t have better results. You see, the problems often come into our lives and ministries when we try to do things on our own. We forget that Jesus promised to send us a “Helper”…the Holy Spirit…Who has come to give us the power and the strength and promises that if we will depend on HIM…we will have great results for our labor. We have to stop doing our own thing…we have to stop depending on our own power…we have to allow Him to be the One in control of lives and ministries. We have to do the very things and go to the very places where others avoid. We have to go the extra mile and do the hard work…even when we don’t want to and we don’t feel like it. The people who have made the greatest impact on the most people for the Kingdom of God are the ones who have willing hearts. 
2. If you are going to have a great catch you must be obedient to the Lord even when He tells you to do things you don’t understand and that you don’t want to do. I am absolutely sure that the last thing Peter wanted to do after a long night of fishing was to row back out there and throw his net back into the water. I am sure what he was looking forward to doing was to just go home, take a nice hot shower, hug his wife, eat a good meal and relax for a while before he had to do it all over again. He could have easily made all kinds of excuses why he couldn’t and shouldn’t be obedient to the Lord’s command. But Peter was not like everybody else. Peter was different. He wanted greater things in his life. He wanted to be a successful fisherman…and little did he know what kind of “fisherman” this Jesus would make of him and what kind of a “catch” he would experience for the rest of his life. I have to tell you Friends, when the Lord began to work a love in my heart for international missions, all I really had in mind was to teach a simple Sunday school class, and that would have been sufficient for me. But God had a greater plan…he had an international plan that would change my heart for people in other countries. I wasn’t planning for international outreach…but the plan that God had in mind was much greater than my plan…and all He expected from me was obedience. And Friend, all He expects from you is obedience…a surrendered and willing heart to go anywhere and to do anything He asks you to do. Check your heart…are you willing? If He asked you to row back out there and cast your nets in again, even when you had fished all night and caught nothing…would you be willing to do it? Would you be willing to move out of your comfort zone to obey anything God asks you to do? That is the kind of willingness that God is looking for when He tells someone to “deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me”. He is looking for a totally sold-out and willing heart…one who will be obedient no matter what. My Friend…be honest with yourself…does that describe you today? For that is the ONLY way you are ever going to have a “great catch” for the Lord.
3. If you are going to have a great catch, you will need help from others. In our story, the catch that Jesus had in mind for Peter was far too large for him to handle alone. The scripture tells us they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. My Friend…God did not create any Lone Rangers in the Kingdom of God. He gave us brothers and sisters…family in the work of the Lord. He expects that we would need one another…He wants us to call on each other in our times of need. I have known many ministry partners who share in the burden of the work of the ministry together. They are working in cooperation with each other for the increase of God’s Kingdom. I find the best way for me to get anything done in foreign fields is to find a partner that God will lead me to and join with that person’s work and help that person or persons to reach higher goals through cooperative effort. And in order to do my part, I too must call on others to join in the effort to reach many people in foreign lands, each of us offering to God what we have or the service we can do to bring men and women and boys and girls into the Kingdom of God. I have seen greater works take place simply because we choose to each do the part that God has called us to do…and in doing that, all the whole work gets done. So let me encourage you, if you are trying to serve God on your own and you feel you are growing weary, ask God to send you a partner in the ministry…someone who will share your burden. God created us for fellowship…and we do that best when we partner together in our efforts to win the lost to Jesus.
4. If you are going to have a great catch, you must be prepared to surrender everything…did you hear that word? You must be prepared to surrender EVERYTHING…to follow Jesus! Let me ask you this question…what is there in your life that is holding you back from serving the Lord completely? Is there something that you know is standing between you and the fulfillment of God’s plan for your life? It can really be almost anything that you can hold before God. It can be your job, your friends, your possessions…it can even be your family. It can be your own personal plans and dreams and desires. My Friend…the only way you will ever possibly be all that God created you to be is to let go of EVERYTHING in your life and allow Jesus to be your all in all. You must let go of your hopes, your dreams, your plans, your desires…you must let go of your ambitions, your career…and yes even the expectations of your family. You must be who God has called you to be…the person He created you to be, doing the very thing He created you to do. You will never find fulfillment in your life any other way. You MUST surrender everything and follow Jesus.

My Friends, God is looking for a few good men and women who will be completely “sold-out” for Him. He is searching the world over to find those whose hearts and lives are completely surrendered to His will and His command. So let me ask you today…are you willing? Are you willing to go where others will not…are you willing to be obedient even when the thing that God is asking you to do makes absolutely no sense? Are you asking God to send you ministry partners…those He is calling to work with you hand in hand to see that the whole job gets done…and…is everything in your life completely…100% surrendered to Him? This is the ONLY way you will receive that BIG CATCH for the Kingdom of God. By yourself you can do nothing of value…but with HIM…all things are possible.

I’d like to pray with you if I may…

Father, I am so thankful for this few minutes to share Your Word with my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I consider it a great privilege to encourage and to build up the Body of Christ by looking at the examples You have given us in Your Word to share. Thank You Father for this great example of Peter and John and James and how they went back out there, even when the prospects looked hopeless, and through obedience and surrender to You, they experienced the “catch” of their lives. Thank you Father that You have made us “Fishers of Men and Women and Children” and that by being faithful, persistent, obedient and surrendered servants, we can expect to bring a great increase to the Kingdom of God. Use us Father for Your glory and honor and praise. We love You and give all glory to You…In Jesus Name we pray…Amen.