Monthly Archives: August 2016

Clear off the Dust

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What are you struggling with right now? I know that you are, even if you say that you are not, for we all have even inner struggles that we may hide behind daily smiles with. I could go down a list of my personal struggles, being open about the anxieties and depressions that I battle, but how would that help you? I could begin to open up my list of fears, worries, and admit to the victories Satan has gotten in my life, (all that seem to begin in doubt), but I am nobody special, hold no lofty degrees, so why would you listen to me? I honestly hope you don’t listen to anything other than me pointing you to daily time with God in prayer and his Word. There is really nothing special that I have to say, nothing that God won’t say to you, or even through you too, if you will respond to that tug on your heart he is likely placing there. All he wants to do is to draw you closer to him, and to use you to draw others to him, all the while conforming you into the image of the One who gave his life for you. The transition of the sinner to the saint is the beautiful work of the One who created the universe, a lifelong process called sanctification. The part that you play in God’s plan, is the response you make to God’s plan.

This world is bad place right now; the joy we find in the midst of the evil chaos is the understanding we are closer to Jesus’ return that we were yesterday. This world will take your eyes off heaven and place your focus on the worry of tomorrow, when we don’t know if tomorrow ever will come. Worry is always about a future event, and we are not promised another breath. The simplicity of the passage about says to seek God first today and not worry about tomorrow. There are almost as many keys to life as there are passages in Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount from where that passage derives. Take time to read Jesus’ greatest sermon; Matthew 5-7. Let me give you a link, and no excuse.

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+5-7/

I grew up in religion, rebelled for half my life, and truly found Jesus with a humble heart that pursued him daily in his Word. My life truly changed when I began to seek God daily, beginning my days early with him. You must see the need for Christians to strengthen their faith, you must see the evil among you, lurking in the world portrayed openly in the media; you also must realize the coming persecution of the Christians in a nation that for centuries did not. The face of Christianity is changing in America, and the world. Satan is peaking in power before his ultimate and final fall. Do you want security and peace amidst the chaos? Do you want the peace of God that all others desire? It is found in a book (a weak term) laying around your house. The Word of God is alive in the dust of it’s pages, and he is waiting for you to open them to speak to you.

No Presidential savior

Revelation 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

I guess the only word that can sum up our nation today is scary; the broad descriptive of a nation that is headed down the judgement road of God for our sin. We are a nation divided over politics and race, a nation that is so spineless there is little hope for positive change, a nation that is blind to it’s sins, blind to it’s problems, and the media portrays and rules our minds with the ideas of the fear of the offense. Before long, a “Bless You” after a sneeze will offend someone in a public place, and the media will take it and run to the courts with the Christianity forcing their beliefs on others, while even that isn’t based in Christianity at all. It is scary how far we have fallen, and how blind we have become, even in just the last 20 years. God has given us over to our sins; we are living out as a nation Romans 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. Our nation has boldly become a nation of tolerance to the level of denying Truth, a nation denying that is mocking God, and beginning to suffer the consequence of said actions; it will get much worse, before it gets any better. Sadly our plight is playing out in the highest political arena, a choice of future presidents that is truly a battle of evils; one who is openly criminal and sinfully liberal, and one who is falsely conservative and enough of an egomaniac to send us into war because he was offended. God is allowing these two choices as part of his judgement plan on America; we are living in Biblical times in a country that will be spoke of in history as such.
When Jesus lowered himself from heaven, he came a child, known as the Lamb of God; he came and sacrificed himself on an alter for all the sin in the world; he paid the ultimate price that we could not pay to have the ability to spend eternity in heaven with a Holy God. When he returns in the near future, it will be with a sword as a heavenly army. He is going to sweep clean his creation, forever wiping away sin and pain, and restore his creation to perfection for all those who call him Lord to enjoy forever. We cannot wrap our minds around the eternal paradise that awaits those who believe in Him, to those who seek to live as his disciples, to those who live this life in preparation for the next. My only hope lies in that God is tugging on many souls in the midst of this beginning judgement, tugging on souls to himself through heartfelt responses to the realization of what we are enduring. May Romans 8:28 be alive in the hearts of the faithful in these days ahead.

Our nation will have no savior elected this year. Our nation will plunge into deeper liberalism and God’s judgement of it, or war and God will openly be at work in that. The bigger question facing each of us, is are we prepared for the days that lie ahead, the eternity that lies at our doorsteps in a very short time. There is a huge difference in the word savior when it is capitalized, and only One deserves and demands it. Philippians 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

First Love

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

This summer, without a doubt, has been the most trying in every area of my life. From incredible heat that works on my aging body, to seemingly endless work problems, complaints, and difficulties to the point of questioning my profession. The work load has pulled me away from my family, and drained me to the point of little, sporadic time, with my Lord. My hearts pursuit of daily time with him early every morning, has been replaced by needed physical rest, and mental escape from the worldly stresses that invade. The physical and mental strains have morphed into a roller-coaster of emotions, a draining ride of anxiety and depression that kills the motivation of life. I am tired in every sense, but this morning, He showed me why in prayer, reminding me of the passage above; my heart had lost my first love.

When we read Christ’s warnings to the churches in Revelation, it should not only be seen as a warning to some that have fallen in their faith, but likely we should see ourselves in these descriptions. Scholars argue about the meanings behind them as scholars do, but there is a simplicity in every one. Jesus commends all that Sardis does well here, but has even the church lost the why, even lost in religion, even lost their love for the one they seem religious for? 2 I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. They are commended for so much, even for their hearts agony over the evil that surrounds them, but somewhere in there is lost the why of all their actions and motivations. All throughout the Bible questions our heart for God. Christianity at it’s simplest form all about the condition of the heart, and sadly the religiosity, the same battles Jesus condemned, are prevalent in today’s churches and society. We believe we are earning our way into heaven with our list of what we have done, and what we haven’t done, or dare I say even just repented for and claimed the hyper-grace that will condemn many to Hell? Christianity is all about the condition of one’s heart, and only God knows your condition, and why you do and think every thing you do. What is the greatest commandment in the Bible? Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

God knows your heart, why you think and do, every thing you think and do, or even abstain from either. God knows your heart, it’s level of religion, and it’s level of love. God knows the faces you put on, the sins you hide, and the desires of all you have in life. There are many Christians that aren’t really Christians in God’s eyes; we may view them as such, but what will his reply be on Judgement Day? If he is tugging at you, respond by pursuing him in prayer and his Word. If he is showing you something painful, all throughout Revelation is the call to repent for the churches torepent and draw near to him, for that is the first step of showing one’s love, a humble repentant hearts plea, and the desire for forgiveness, and the desire to draw nearer to the One you love the most.

Repentance is the first step up

Mark 7:20-23 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

There can be good that comes out of the battle of depression; at the bottom of our pits we can only look up, and we realize our need for God to get out of there. In these days of tormenting battles of the mind, Satan does some of his best work pointing out failures in life. He dwells there in the agony of the pain, in the strains of the mind, many times accompanied by physical pain. My testimony was one of pride, one of physical strength, now Satan dwells in daily pain at an elevated level only I know; my body is physically hurting, and Satan uses that door to create diversion tactics in the spiritual world. It really is simple how he uses the distraction to elevate many areas we unknowingly, or even such, to tug us to, and to point out sins to a heart that is already hurting. These tactics seemingly begin to swirl into the drain of despair.

I have had talks with people who didn’t understand repentance, or even acknowledge their need for it, and I shook the dust from my feet over it. Repentance is humbling cleansing part of a Christians life, and the beginning of salvation is one’s realization of it. Jesus was speaking to the battle of legalism with the religious of the day here; there were those that rather to follow the traditions of men, rather than God who stood before them. They believed how you eat, what you eat, all played into salvation, and in Jesus’s own words, he clarified it by saying the body poops it all out :-). Jesus said what defiles the man is the sin that is within him, and he gives an extensive list that likely all of us can attest personally to every one. Even if you have not outwardly committed, the sin in your mind has lusted over sins in this list. Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So many times in our heart we think evil thoughts toward people almost daily; we lust after things others have, we wish evil things, we refuse to ask for help, we…..the list could go on and on and more personal with each of us. Our minds are steep in sin, before Jesus, and after Jesus. The difference the Gospel of Jesus brings, is the forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future. He accomplished what no amount of religions perfection can do; the Law pointed us to our need for a Savior, and all these traditions grew from it, but not one can save by it.

The world is growing more evil around us every day. The need for us to spend more time in God’s Word and prayer is evident in the level of evil around us, and within us. The battles of depression show us our weaknesses, and our need for daily repentance and forgiveness. The more we focus on the world, the more we are dragged into the pit of it. Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Let God do a work in you, even when you feel you are at your lowest point. Let God show you the need for repentance, and the promise of cleansing that comes from him. Let God show you the paradise that awaits you even when this world seems to be all that matters. Let God show you that he is even using the lows, to make the highs even greater. The farther you go down, the greater your ascent with him will be.

Into the Unknown

John 5:20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

Do you really want to know? Do you really want to see things as God sees them? Do you really want to see levels of good and evil that play out in the secret society of a spiritual realm? Do you really want to know what is hidden behind the closed door? It is much easier for us to pass through this life without knowing the truth. It is much easier to believe, to judge on appearances presented to us, than to be given glimpses of truth. It is much easier to not have the gift of discernment, and to have the gift of faith, believing what is before us. With gifts come burdens, and the burdens grow as the gift grows. The paths that God takes you down as he wroughts out sanctification for the remainder of your life, where he works to conform you into the image of his Son, will lead you into the uncomfortable, to where genuine faith lies. He will take you to where you can’t rely upon yourself, can’t rely on past levels of faith, where you are called to step out into the unknown, to step out onto the water as Peter did. Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  There are things we must see in that passage about Peter. Peter asked if it was God’s will for him to move, Peter in faith moved, and when Peter’s faith weakened, he sank.

Our country founded upon faith in God, is beginning to reap a judgement of God, just as he did throughout the Old Testament, and proclaimed throughout the Bible he will do. Our nation is in trouble, and God wants to use many of us proclaiming Christianity to speak the truth, to call for a nation to repent, to call for repentance that begins with our own sins, and lead others into a humble hearts plea for Jesus to save us. Jesus saves nations one soul at a time. Are you feeling the tug of your faith? Is God stirring your heart for a much deeper walk with him? Is Satan casting his net of doubt and fear causing you to sink as Peter did? When you begin to look at your surroundings, this world that Satan rules, you will sink in fear, and not claim the divine authority given you as a child of God. You have victory in Jesus over the defeated foe that only seeks to destroy all he can before he is cast into hell. You can only fight the demonic with heavenly power; you can only defeat Satan with Jesus, and the only offensive weapon you are given is the Bible, which is the only weapon you need, because it is the word of God!!!!

Is God stirring your heart like he is mine? Is he tugging at your soul as a soldier of Jesus Christ to fight the good fight? You at your core, truly know the gifts you have been given by God. You can through prayer and reflection realize how God has been shaping them all your life. He is making you into a soldier of a heavenly army, and he is calling you to step out in a greater faith than the comfortable Christianity of Sunday’s alone. Jesus said your love for him must be greater than anything and anyone. You must forsake all to be his disciple, and as his disciple you must seek to do his will for your life at whatever level he calls you for the day. Fast and pray and seek to know what his plans for you are. Your confirmation will come in God’s Word, and your next step of faith will be etched in eternity pages. Step out in faith as Peter did.

#StupidSatan

Pslam 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

I have never shied away from being willing to share about my struggles with anxiety and depression; both are seemingly hidden troubles, that play out in the open for all to see. These are inner battles with many faces; mine I have come to label my “thorn in the flesh” for they are mostly spiritual warfare, direct attacks from mine enemy below. Those with like struggles share some strange bond, for they understand the roller-coaster of life that these highs and lows bring. This season in life, particularly this summer, has brought elevated struggles in both arenas. The pressures in life we all face, the busyness of life we all face, the muddled priorities of life that skew our focus away from eternity, as life becomes a twisted mess of emotions and fears. Satan prowls around like a lion, preying on the weak, seeking whom he may devour in these seasons of doubt and fear we face. With swift blows he attacks our thoughts, pointing out failures, sins, and struggles that we have faced in life. The blows many times are extremely personal, painful, and in some strange way true, but, we must remember God has allowed every step and breath of life we have been GIVEN, and all our struggles can be used to draw glory to the God who has allowed it all, to reach someone with our testimony of his sovereignty, mercy, and grace through Jesus Christ; Good News with the simple understanding of sin in the midst of the bad news.

God would not let me sleep, and I knew this scripture was on my mind from him as I sat on the front porch and prayed before 5am. As I came in and read this Psalm, I could not help but reflect on the present state of our nation. We are in the midst of a likely coming judgment of God upon us, a pending state of affairs that will reveal the level of sin we are as a nation. I know God has called me to a repentance ministry, and the time is for us to repent, to turn from sin and know that God will guard us against our enemies just as his did Israel in this Psalm. In the study of this Psalm, it points out the promises kept by God to Abraham, when God just told him to go, to leave everything, and that God would eternally bless generations through his obedience (Genesis 12:1-3). God is allowing all this political upheaval, because in the midst of chaos, we must understand God is still in control. He will use the coming poor leadership of this country in ways we cannot imagine, for his thoughts are not our thoughts, nor his ways our ways, but for those called according to his purposes, he works it all for good.

I know not what the future holds, but God holds the future. I know not what tomorrow brings, but I know what God says about today. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Worry, even elevated fear that goes into anxiety, is always a future event; likely one you cannot control past the present time and decisions. Stay on point, stay focused on the day, the hour, the present decision you face, looking at it with the reality of the small weight of eternity in view. Is what is troubling you having eternal consequence? I have come to realize that many times my greatest battles are directly relation to my limited time in God’s Word. Skewed priorities make for a warped sense of eternity, and only God through his Word can straighten the path.