God – Page 66 – Godinterest

April 16, 2018July 22, 2020

Sharing Jesus With the World

As I glance down at my bathroom vanity this morning, various perfume bottles catch my eye. Appearing in all different shapes and sizes, each one individually uniquely designed. And although the bottles are quite captivating, the real treasure remains inside. The bottles were created to hold something, much like you and I.

Throughout Scripture, we as believers are often symbolized as clay jars, perfume bearers, or empty vessels. God Himself has poured His presence, the Holy Spirit, into our lives. We are His dwelling place. However, we often misunderstand God’s intention as we idly let the time tick by. We were not created to be a decoration, sitting as a display up on a shelf. His intent was to be poured out, spilling lavishly on those around.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 2 Cor. 2:14

Read 2 Cor. 2:12-17. In the days of Paul, the Romans had grand parades to celebrate a militant victory. The general of the army would be perched high and lifted up on the first chariot. However, preceding him would be the spoils from the war.

Trials always precede triumph.

We often forget that our pain and suffering has a purpose. There is a victory awaiting us as we continue to allow the Lord to lead our way. Reflecting on the life of Paul, we see a man whose life was like a roller coaster. Twists and turns. Ups and downs. Often appearing to be travelling nowhere. But through it all, Paul continued to patiently endure with his eyes fixed on the final prize. He lived knowing heaven was awaitin’. He lived with certainty and spent his time well.

In the parade procession were incense bearers, spreading the fragrance of victory after the war. Y’all…we have a victory that is to be celebrated! It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). The person who recognizes they are nothing without God will empty themselves of everything they once trusted. The things we once placed our identity on no longer matter. We will become destitute in spirit, trusting God to do a work on our inside.

And here is a great paradox”¦the more you let go of “you” to God, the more “you” you do become. You find yourself in laying your life down. You find your greatest treasure is living for Him!

When we start living for Jesus, our aroma spreads out. Life to some. Death to others. This is where it gets hard. Not everyone we encounter will like the way we smell. It is not up to us to decide.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor. 1:18 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 2 Cor. 2:15

What if we poured out Jesus from our lives, regardless of the response? What if we eeked out love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? What if we laid down our pride?

Ponder for a moment: How can we live differently? How can we pour the aroma of Jesus out to this world?

April 15, 2018July 22, 2020

What was Jesus one commandment?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Think of how these two commandments, given to believers in the New Covenant, exactly encapsulate and fulfill the Ten Commandments given to those who were operating under the Old Covenant.

The first commandment is very great and the second is reciprocal to the first. In loving God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind a person will naturally love his neighbor; therefore, such love will also be imparted to his family, his country, and the world.

The New Covenant commandments (there are only two) of love are superior to the Old Covenant commandments. They are positive, whereas the law was negative. In the New Covenant, the commandments of love are superior because they are complete by the finished work of Jesus Christ. They are superior because they begin at the heart and lead us directly to our need for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our Christian walk.

We must not love God only with the heart, but with the whole heart. The whole heart is opposed either to a divided and detached heart or to an inconsistent and an inactive heart. The whole heart is focused on the loving and pleasing God. It is our indispensable duty to love God. To love God is our great natural duty. Man would more naturally love God than himself, were it not for sin.

Loving God with our whole heart is impeded by self-love, love of the world, spiritual apathy and carelessness of spirit, the love of sinful behaviors whatsoever or a disproportionate love of things which are lawful.

The great guiding influence of the Christian life is to be our love for God and others. Unfortunately, Christians often spend so much time in following the traditions of men, man-made standards and religious rituals that they have little, or no, time to attend to anything else. There are only two requirements: love God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and love thy neighbor as thyself. If you take care of that, everything else will take care of itself.

April 15, 2018July 22, 2020

Fighting to Be a Father

I could have been like many fathers and not fought to stay close to my children after a terrible divorce, but I refused to let go of the relationship that I had with my three children. After my wife and I separated, over a year before our divorce, she moved 265 miles away, her desire was to kill the relationship that I had with our children and to be close to her family. It was the worst years of my life but it would give way to one of the greatest miracles that I have ever witnessed.

Going the Extra Miles

The relationship that I had with our three children was strained to say the least after the separation. Every phone call to the children was monitored by my ex-wife or her boyfriend and sometimes both. Every visitation was accompanied by a two to three-hour fight with my ex-wife just to be able to get my children for a weekend once every three weeks. I had no rights; no privileges and I was not allowed to have the children for holidays except New Years. I was not allowed spring breaks and I had one week in the summer with the children. I paid my child support as deemed by the court. My ex-wife even went so far as to tell the children, “I wish your father would just go away and leave us alone.” Traveling to another city and staying in a motel for a weekend visitation was miserable, to say the least. My financial situation was not good but still, I spent almost two weeks pay on a given visitation weekend to be with my children.

I took my wife to court to get my visitation rights upheld but to no avail. It was then my attorney told me to go for custody of the children. I could not prove my wife an unfit mother and I could not prove that I was a better parent to raise our children. The process proved to be time-consuming, monetarily costly and agitating but I believe God had a hand in that as well as the big picture of what was to happen.

Before the Mercy Seat

I prayed night and day and I spent most of my nights on my face before God, asking Him for mercy in the matter of this custody battle. Three things worked in my favor; one, that I believe in prayer, two that I kept impeccable records of phone calls, visitations and anything that I thought would be of interest to my attorney and the judge, and three, that I was relentless in staying in contact with the children by phone calls and visitations.

Do to Others, As You Would Have Them Do to You

In less than two years, God created a miracle that seemed impossible to my family, my church family and most of my friends, I was given custody of my children by my ex-wife, not the court system. Most honorably after this took place, I gave my ex-wife all the rights and privileges that I wanted when she had the children and I kept my part of the bargain until the children graduated from High School, even meeting her halfway to where she lived so the trips would be more bearable.

I only wish I could describe the miracle process in length, but that would belabor this article.

Don’t Lose Hope

I, like the writer of the original article; “Where Have All the Fathers Gone“, have heard my share of stories of fathers that just gave up. What a sad situation to allow another person to sever the bond between a child and its father.

Where Have All the Fathers Gone?

April 14, 2018July 22, 2020

A dozen house-church quotes from a book called ONE

Reading a house-church handbook, ONE: Unfolding God’s Eternal Purpose From House To House by Henry Hon, I was inspired, challenged, and equipped by many statements.

Here are 12 that you may enjoy.

“Believers should not wait for anyone to lead them; the Spirit is leading and speaking, and they should simply follow Him. Following the Spirit is what creates a leader.”
“Every believer is called to teach. Otherwise, they will remain a babe and never mature. Sharing what the believer has learned should begin as soon as a person comes to know the Lord.”
“It is a good practice to invite Christians to your house for fellowship. Inviting people into your house means that you are open to them, that you have nothing to hide from them, and they are welcomed to be comfortable around you.”
“You can always give your testimony of how you came to know Jesus. Certainly, no one can argue with your testimony.”
“Where everyone is accepted equally as a brother or sister in Christ, and where there is an open forum without a set program and format, believers will be in an environment where their gifts will develop and manifest naturally.”
“People’s hearts are opened when they speak freely.”
“How critical it is to stay focused on Jesus Christ.”
“Christians will remain a babe if they do not exercise and begin teaching others themselves. Maturity is not about knowing a lot but whether the believer is actually participating in the ministry.”
“It is a good practice to invite Christians to your house for fellowship. Inviting people into your house means that you are open to them, that you have nothing to hide from them, and that they are welcomed to be comfortable around you.”
“Believers should be open to and encourage the Spirit’s moving within each one, including the spontaneity from individual initiatives when gathered together. Believers need to be vigilant to prevent formality of liturgy where the Spirit is stifled, and individual initiatives are not allowed.”
“Believers can search the Scriptures on their own, and allow the Word of God, coinciding with the Holy Spirit, to enlighten their understanding, and open their spiritual eyes.”
“All believers need to become teachers, shepherds, ministers, and good-news-bearers.”

The book ONE expounds on becoming and functioning as ONE through these three gifts. It was written so that both Christians and non-Christians alike can easily understand it. It will take you on a journey through the Bible, into God’s eternal purpose, and into your own home (from house to house). Jesus prayed that when His people are ONE, then “. . . the world may believe. . .” in Jesus Christ. Today’s dream: Reset to ONE; Revival Next!

April 14, 2018May 26, 2018

What Are “Dones” Looking for Why Are They Leaving Church?

Sometimes Christians get to the point where they say, “I’m done with church,” and then drop out of church altogether. This is happening so much nowadays that it has become a social trend. Sometimes the people who do that are called “de-churched,” or “church refugees;” but the most common label they are known by is “Dones.”

Usually, Dones are deeply committed Christ-followers who are longing for more than they have found in the traditional church format. Normally Dones aren’t walking away from Christ or even Christianity. Instead, they are leaving the institutional church because they want more than they are finding there.

So why are the Dones flying away from church? What do they want? What are they looking for?

Dones want a heart-to-heart connection with other believers. They are tired of being passive spectators and looking at the backs of people’s heads in front of them. They want to really get to know their sisters and brothers in Christ.
Dones are looking for encouragement and support. The Christian life is not an easy way to live and Dones have discovered that weekly teaching that is often repetitive, doesn’t prepare them to victoriously walk with Christ in daily life. They realize they need an atmosphere of mutual caring, interaction, and support.
Dones are searching for usefulness. However, they realize that the typical church service has no need for them and no room for their input. They want to use the gifts that God has given them to minister to others, and they realize that they need interactive, hands-on training in using their spiritual gifts.
Dones desire spiritual experience. They don’t want to be spectators watching a human being give a lecture about God. They want to be in an environment where the resurrected Jesus is free to move and work among His people. They are tired of seeing Jesus as a mere figurehead and want Him to be the literal Head of the meeting.
Dones are looking for equality in the body of Christ. They have experienced religious authoritarianism and are tired of high sounding titles and demanding leaders. They want the freedom to listen to God and then say/or do what He tells them to. They want Spirit-led meetings.
Dones want reality in worship. They are seeking more than the outward forms of ritual, programs, pious platitudes, religious entertainment, and/or liturgy. That’s why millions of Dones are courageously obeying the Bible’s words in 2 Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.”

Author, Thom Shultz, sums it up this way: “The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.”

For more about how “Dones” like to meet, google my book: “Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible–Ekklesia.”

April 13, 2018January 15, 2024

14 Bible Verses About Love

They say love is what makes the world go round, but what does the Bible have to say about it?

The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them. (John 15:13)
‘Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs.'(1 Corinthians 13.5)
Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
‘This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for our brothers and sisters!'(1 John 3.16)
‘Hate stirs up trouble, but love overlooks all offenses.'(Proverbs 10.12)
‘If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them!'(Luke 6.32)
‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end'(Lamentations 3.22)
‘Meanwhile, these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.'(1 Corinthians 13.13)
‘Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.'(Romans 12.19)
‘Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.'(John 15.13)
‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.'(Deuteronomy 6.5)
Be under obligation to no one—the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever does this has obeyed the Law. (Romans 13:8)
‘Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.'(Song of Songs 8.7)
I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. (John 15:9)

If you had to choose one, which is the most important love verse in the Bible? Why would you choose one over the other?

April 13, 2018

What Does the Bible Say About Honesty?

What the Bible Says About Trust and Honesty

Honesty is a character trait every child of God should develop. It is in man’s old, corrupted nature to be deceitful. It is true that you can actually surprise yourself. Jeremiah 17:9 says that one can be deceived by his very own heart. It can be difficult to maintain full awareness of one’s own intentions and motives. However, a person quickened by the Holy Spirit now has the ability to stay aware, for “the Spirit searches all things”. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can make accurate assessments and we can work towards honesty and sincerity.

The Bible share a few things about honesty:

We are to work and do business with honesty.

“Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin.” (Leviticus 19:36)

“You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 25:15)

In former times, people traded using weights and scales. An unfair yet prevalent business practice was to rig weighing scales so that goods were heavier than they actually were. God did not want His people to participate in that kind of business culture. God desires His people to be honest workers and businessmen. Goods should be presented and priced according to their actual conditions and capacities. Workers should put in honest work hours. Products should arrive as agreed upon.

Let me tell you about Mike. He is a real person. For some years, this God chaser owned and managed a second-hand car sales shop. Prospective buyers came in and were surprised every time. He gave full details of the things that were wrong with the cars they were checking out. He informed people about what was lacking in the cars they took interest in. And you know what? He actually sold all his cars that way. Every unit he ever had, he sold. God does bless honest people.

We are to speak with honesty.

^“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Ephesians 4:25)

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”

We will not debate about the rightness of white lies and half-truths which people utter for the “greater good” (like when Corrie Ten Boom lied in order to rescue many Jews from the Holocaust in World War 2).

Let’s talk about plain and simple honesty. When we speak with honesty:

We do not mislead someone into believing something that is not true.
We do not prevent someone from accessing helpful or rightful information.
We do not hide or cover up what is wrong.

God wants His people to be honest. Our speech should not be motivated by a desire to pretend or misrepresent something. We should be genuine and sincere. Our speech should not deprive others of justice. When we’ve wronged someone, we must be ready to admit it and make things right.

Honesty may require us to rebuke others of wrongdoing.

Open rebuke is better than secret love. (Proverbs 27:5)

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” (Luke 17:3)

“Rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith.” (Titus 1:13)

No good has ever come from suppressing our hurts. You don’t find the resolution you need. No good has ever come from ignoring wrong deeds. The other person does not get better when you stay quiet. Many times, to confront and rebuke is more fruitful. However, we must remember that the right reason for this is love. So, when we speak truth, we are to speak out of love, in love. (Ephesians 4:15) When we correct, we must correct in a spirit of gentleness. When we speak truth to someone, our desire should never be to prove ourselves right or to flaunt our self-righteousness, but always, to restore the erring person to rightness. (Galatians 6:1)

James E Faust said, “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.” May God’s people be known for honesty today.

April 12, 2018

I will Sing and Make Music

Reading: Psalm 57

(Verses 6-11)
They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth(NIV).

Reflection
As with many of David’s psalms, Psalm 57 turns on a dime. By that, I mean the psalmist begins in a state of worry and trouble. In his distress, David cries out to God and the Lord answers him. Suddenly, desperate pleas are replaced by wholehearted praise. The psalm ends with rejoicing over the goodness of God. David invites us to join in his rejoicing. I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

There is tremendous power in music. When I am discouraged—trapped in the Christian pilgrim’s Slough of Despond—a song of praise can lift me out like nothing else. Perhaps you have had a similar experience. When I am drowning in a sea of regrets, music brings buoyancy. Worship helps me set my eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of my faith. See Hebrews 12:2. Faith gives us eyes to see beyond our current set of circumstances.

Most often we want to see God’s deliverance before we praise Him. In the introduction to Psalm 57, we read that David hid in a cave from King Saul. David called out for God to deliver him and He did. Therefore, David bursts out with music and song. Can you picture him strumming on his harp and singing with a smile you can see for a mile?

But there are times when I believe God wants us to sing His praise before deliverance comes—before the healing appears. He is our good and faithful God whether we have faith to move mountains or are troubled by doubt. Whether we live or die, He is faithful and worthy of our praise. In all the circumstances of life, our help comes from Him.

Response: LORD God, even in the midst of trouble filling my heart with praise for you. You are good and faithful. You are my help—my steadfast help—through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

Your Turn: Can you recall a time when you praised God before He brought the answer to your prayer?

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018

Intimacy in War, Intimacy in Peace

Over the past months, I have waged spiritual war on a level higher than ever before. And during it, I’ve felt an unusual desperation: a pain–wracked plea for intervention only God can provide and the humbling acknowledgment all is lost if He doesn’t show up.

But I’ve also discovered a deep intimacy, one of total reliance on Him and His warring angels. There is an undercurrent of trust. A surety his timing is perfect. The victory is—and always has been—His, and He will see me through to the end. Grown through each battle, I have a deeper confidence as I approach the throne. Not only will He hear my plea, He will bring forth the full might of Heaven if needed. I have to admit, I relish in that intimacy, that security.
“I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip, your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.” Psalms 121:1-8 HCSB

But then there is another type of intimacy with God, one found in times of rest; a quietness in being rather than doing. Comrades rather than comrades in arms. Simply sitting in His presence with no agenda, no battle. It is sweet and nurturing. But I’ll be honest, I’m not 100% comfortable with it.

It removes my armor and lowers my sword, revealing vulnerabilities and exposing weaknesses. I know. Who better to trust with weakness than the One who created me? He already knows my innermost being. It was His hand that formed me. His thoughts that set my personality and character in order. And He knew every situation that would make me who I am.

But why would a God who calls us to war also call us to be vulnerable? Wouldn’t He want us battle-hardened in order to best bring about His victory on the earth? Wouldn’t vulnerability be the last thing He would want?

Maybe, maybe not.

Psalms 62:8 HCSB Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge.

Pour out is the Hebrew word shaphak: to pour out, pour, gush, dump. Okay, so, the Lord wants me to dump my heart at His feet. To let it gush”¦to lower my guard and let Him in. That’s definitely a vulnerability.

I don’t know about you, but I can count the number of people I feel comfortable gushing my heart out to on one hand (minus a few fingers), and the Almighty is wanting to be among that number. That’s pretty heady stuff.

And then, there’s this:

Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. Isaiah 30:18a HCSB

Waiting is the Hebrew word chakah: to wait, await, longs. So, He doesn’t merely want to show us mercy, He longs to do so. The God of the universe who supports me in the battles I wage also longs to be compassionate to me and wants me to dump my every weakness at His feet. He’s longing for this intimacy in rest.

But”¦I have to be willing to lay down my armor, to choose vulnerability. He won’t make me. Wow.

He is the warrior who saves, yes, but also the Father who loves. Two different intimacies. Yet both characteristics of the same God. How do we integrate them, then? I think it can best be summed up in one verse:

Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17 HCSB

And there it is Intimacy in war. Intimacy in peace.

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018

You Matter: God Knows You

“It feels like God has forgotten about me,” cried the woman mourning her third miscarriage.

“Why won’t God answer my prayer for a job?” begged the man who got laid off six months ago, with a wife and four kids at home.

Can you relate to any of these hurting people?

Maybe you aren’t suffering from a natural disaster, miscarriage, or job loss. Maybe for you, it’s racial discrimination, sickness, loneliness, fear, church hurt, fill-in-the-blank. No matter what it is, we are guaranteed to face hardship in this life.

This isn’t news. We all know that because of sin, life is going to be hard until Jesus returns to Earth. We know that trials will come sooner or later.

But then, when they do come, something changes. The idea of hardship becomes a reality, and everything gets much, much harder. Knowing hardships happen is a lot different when you are actually walking through them. From the outside, we know that God is in control and has a plan for us. But in the midst of hardship, we tend to lose sight of this truth. We forget that God is in control, and will ultimately deliver us from every trial, whether in this age or the age to come. Instead, we can begin believing that God has forgotten us.

One of my favorite verses in the Old Testament is in Exodus 2. The people of Israel were enslaved by Egypt, and they were crying out to God for deliverance. Egypt was working them to the bone and treating them like dirt. All hope seemed lost as they cried out to God to save them from their bondage.

Exodus 2:23-25 says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.“

God sees you. He knows what you’re going through.

In the midst of the hardest trial, this verse brings a breath of hope.

Romans 8:27-37 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

In all these things – natural disasters, miscarriages, job losses, racial discrimination, sickness, loneliness, fear, church hurt, fill-in-the-blanks – we are more than conquerors through Jesus.

Because of Jesus, we can be confident in the truth that nothing will separate us from His love. If you are in the midst of hardship, linger over the words of Romans 8. Read them every morning, believing that God is in control, and is interceding for you.

God sees you. God knows you. Cling to Him.

April 9, 2018November 19, 2018

I M M A C U L A T E || the Virgin Mary

April 8, 2018January 15, 2024

32 Prayer Quotes – Be Encouraged and Inspired!

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing as prayer is the forerunner of mercy and an essential element in our relationship with the Lord.

Like a good parent, God is waiting, ready, and willing to listen to our worries, concerns, and needs.

God shapes the world by prayer and the more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”

The following verses will encourage your daily walk with Christ and help you experience the power of prayer!

“She became a warrior far superior to any epic hero. She became a giant on her knees. With a sword in one hand she battled the enemies of death and disease, and with her other hand stretched toward heaven she kept beseeching God’s help and His mercy.” – Bishop T.D. Jakes“To pray rightly, you must make God your hope, stay, and all.” — John Bunyan
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” — Soren Kierkegaard
“True prayer is the trading of the heart with God.” — Unknown
“She became a warrior far superior to any epic hero. She became a giant on her knees. With a sword in one hand she battled the enemies of death and disease, and with her other hand stretched toward heaven she kept beseeching God’s help and His mercy.” — Bishop T.D. Jakes
“No duty is more earnestly impressed upon us in Scripture than the duty of continual communion with Him.” — David McIntyre
“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.” — Billy Graham
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” ’- Bruce Lee
“To pray is to enter the treasure-house of God and to gather riches out of an inexhaustible “storehouse.” — Unknown
“He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has heaven and earth at his disposal.” — Unknown
“The very act of prayer is a blessing.” — Unknown
You are before the Lord; let your words be few, but let your heart be fervent.” — Unknown
“The Master says that men of strong faith are men of much prayer.” — Andrew Murray
“Prayer is the forerunner of mercy.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Prayer is the best response to hatred.” — Unknown
“It is well said that neglected prayer is the birth-place of all evil.” — Unknown
“No man can progress in grace if he forsakes prayer.” — Unknown
“A mighty piece of weaponry in the battle of prayer is God’s promise.” — Unknown
“Sometimes when we do not receive comfort in our prayers, when we are broken and cast down, that is when we are really wrestling and prevailing in prayer..” — Unknown
“We know not what prayer cannot do!.” — Unknown
“All our problems are theological ones, William Temple said. All of them have to do with our relationship to God and his to us, and this is precisely why it makes sense to come to God with them.” — Elizabeth Elliot
“God has not changed; and His ear is just as quick to hear the voice of real prayer, and His hand is just as long and strong to save; as it ever was.” — R.A. Torrey
“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” — Max Lucado
“There are parts of our calling, works of the Holy Spirit, and defeats of the darkness that will come no other way than through furious, fervent, faith-filled, unceasing prayer.” — Beth Moore
True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” — Charles Spurgeon
“Let no one profess to trust in God, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the hoard he has amassed, before He can answer the prayer for more.” — George Muller
“I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right; but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation may be on the Lord’s side.” — Abraham Lincoln
“To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” — Billy Graham
“Rather than set aside daily time for prayer, I pray constantly and spontaneously about everything I encounter on a daily basis. When someone shares something with me, I’ll often simply say, ‘let’s pray about this right now.” — Thomas Kinkade
“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” — Corrie Ten Boom
“The prayer offered to God in the morning during your quiet time is the key that unlocks the door of the day. Any athlete knows and understands that it is the start that ensures a good finish.” — Adrian Rogers
“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” — Mother Teresa
“Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying.” — E.M. Bounds

April 7, 2018January 15, 2024

Don’t Be a Superstitious Christian

April 6, 2018May 26, 2018

Are You an Oddball in Loneliness?

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.(from Biblical Psychology, 189 L Oswald Chambers)

I had to admit to myself that this had become a bit too true of me. I, in my desire to protect myself from hurt, had become accustomed to isolation, and surely had become a bit of an oddity, and a peculiarism. God’s word is very clear on how holiness is developed. Oswald Chambers is being completely Biblical here. It is impossible to develop holiness alone. God speaks of it in 1 John 4:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

If we love one another,

God abides in us,
His love is perfected in us.
By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.

I need you, dear Sister or brother in Christ, in order to grow in love. You need me, too. God’s love is perfected in us as we learn to love each other despite failings, faults, and screw-ups. Forgiveness should be a well-traveled road as a Believer in Jesus. It is the only road to Calvary we will ever take. Jesus calls us to the Garden of Gethsemane, as we learn to die to ourselves, but the Road to Calvary was His alone; and having walked it, He calls us to a new commandment: Love one another. As God abides in us, His love is perfected in us, we have the assurance that we are His and we sense the power and presence of His Spirit, all through loving one another. O, the powerful ways of God, so transforming, so freeing, so right.

April 6, 2018

What example are you setting?

What Does the Bible Say About Friendship?

“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour; so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” Ecclesiastes 10:1

Just a little food for thought, because I am so tired of reading comments on social posts that attack the Christianity of others for telling the truth of God. I live in the south and there is a very common saying here, when someone gets mad at a Christian, after hearing the entire harrowing story of what has been done, you can almost guarantee the next words you will hear is, “And if THEY are going to heaven, I don’t have anything to worry about” if its someone I know, I usually like to add “Well, at least they are trying” and usually the one bashing the beliefs of another is not even saved.

Like it or not, fair or not, we are held to a higher standard. And right now the enemy is having a field day twisting those standards.

Maybe this is what opened the door for the onslaught of false and downright blasphemous practices of today. When the true Gospel is often met with jeers of intolerant, bigot, and anyone who warns of societal wrong is a target for their truly venomous hatred.

I read an article recently, written by a man a household name in the evangelical world, the article was true, based on the word of God and of course came with the warnings that no one in our present world wants to hear, including many in the “church” world. Of course, in the comments was a scathing rebuttal which included “that’s really Christian of him” and that unfortunately is now the world’s answer to the Gospel.

If we preach, if we write, if we witness, even in some of our personal lives everything we say is judged, everything we do is judged, and it is judged by an unsaved world who wants to take certain scriptures completely out of context and attempt to use God’s own word against his servants.

Proverbs 9:6-8 advises us this: “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame; and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hates thee: rebuke a wise man and he will love thee.”

There is no changing their opinions, only God can do that.It can be quite the temptation not to reply, but we are not to argue the Gospel.

2 Timothy 2:16: “But shun profane and vain babblings (worthless talk): for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

So it is up to us to step up to a higher level and check ourselves daily and even in hard situations to be certain that we are the reflections of God that he desires us to be.

Too often we become slack and even if having an upright reputation those decaying, dead things are allowed to enter into our lives it will destroy the work that God would do through us.

1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

And when you also consider verses such as Song of Solomon 1: 3: “Because of the savour (fragrance) of thy good ointments thy name is as an ointment poured forth…..”

Because of His beautiful Holy name and the mention of that name alone brings the sweetest healing and sweetest fragrance of all that He is and we bear His name.

Even if something may seem harmless, ask if that action or those words would reflect honorably toward God. An off-color joke or inappropriate remark can detract from our witness to another person and often those who feel offended are rightfully so, but it has become so out of control that all that bear the name of Christ are open to that same criticism.

Most of us have those we look up too and especially new converts that view elders as a source of encouragement and guidance and when one who is, as our scripture states, known for wisdom gives over to their flesh, in any way, because the verse also states ” a little folly” they bring reproach and cheapen and nullify the true Gospel. The new covert is left feeling empty, betrayed, and absolutely disillusioned.

Again anyone can stumble, anyone can fall, but it is up to us to stay on guard, guard against ourselves, our flesh, and when we do we must be quick to admit that and repent.

So keep your testimony and the sweetest of the life God has given you a “no-fly zone” and keep it clean.

Romans 14:16: “Let not your good be evil spoken of.” The devil is always going to send someone to tear us down, and we don’t need to keep giving them the tools for the job.

April 6, 2018November 13, 2018

God’s Reckless Love

This post is inspired by Cory Asbury’s song entitled “Reckless Love”.

When you think of the word “reckless”, what comes to mind? I honestly think of reckless driving. Driving at high speeds while weaving in and out of traffic. Something like that. So how can we possibly use this word to describe God’s love? Cory Asbury does just that in his song, “Reckless Love”.

[The following is a video of me covering the song at an event. Enjoy!]

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A LOOK AT RECKLESS LOVE

The Chorus

Let me first share with you the lyrics from the chorus:

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Some have argued that the use of “reckless” was a poor word choice and shouldn’t be used to describe God’s love. But I can see exactly where Cory is coming from. God’s love is reckless in its selflessness. It is never-ending. No matter how many times his children may hurt Him, He is still in constant pursuit of each and every one of us. The reference to Matthew 18:12-13 is extremely powerful. God leaves the ninety-nine sheep to pursue the ones who have strayed. That reckless love is an amazing love, an unconditional love.

The Bridge

The bridge of the song continues to describe the depth of God’s love:

There’s no shadow You won’t light up, mountain You won’t climb up, coming after me. There’s no wall You won’t kick down, lie You won’t tear down, coming after me.

This part of the song stands out to me the most. We all have had moments where we have strayed from God and his plans. Yet, no matter how many times we turn away, God is always right there with open arms, waiting to receive us. The imagery of the bridge is what amazes me. It describes a fierce and intense kind of love–Tearing through mountains, breaking down barriers, and exposing the “monsters” in our lives. That’s the reckless kind of love that God has. We just have to acknowledge Him, turn back towards God and run into those open arms.

The Message

There is so much to say about this song and the message Cory Asbury is sharing. Along with everything discussed previously, there is also the message of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). God won’t wait for us to reach Him. When He see’s that we have turned from our ways, He will also come running towards us. But keep in mind the work that He is doing in the background even when we aren’t in tune with Him–Paving his way past through the enemy’s tactics just to get to us.

God’s love is like no other. He fights for us each and every step of the way. This is the love He has continued to show us. Unconditional. Overwhelming. Never-ending. Reckless. His love is our standard, and as believers, we should be intentional in our pursuit to reach that standard.