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  • Yes, no and not now (Part 3 of 3)

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    So you want your prayers to be in step with the will of God do you? I don’t blame you, too often we ask God as a last resort and we’re still struggling with what things we should pray for.

    Remember, prayer is designed to be a comfort to us. It’s like being able to talk to the king of the land and having favor with him. It’s a privilege to be in a covenant relationship where he has requested that when you’re going through rough times you talk to him about it.

    Prayer is not a wishing well or a Jeanie in a bottle. It is not a set up where if God likes you, he will give you what you ask. Prayer is not a way to gain material things that we want and it is vain to pray for things God has already granted.

    For example, for you to pray to God because some poor person needs food and you already have a house full of food is vain. God doesn’t expect you to rid the world of hunger. He just expects you to take care of the situations you know about. I have a family and let’s say I lose my job. God knows what I need before I ask. Well in a covenant relationship, I need to thank him for the job I know he has purposed for me. Why? Because the Bible says if a man does not work, he doesn’t eat. And a man that doesn’t take care of his family is less than an infidel. So, I can be assured that God has prepared a way for me to take care of the family he gave me so no panicking! Just simply be relentless in search of that job because faith tells you it’s there.

    When someone is deathly ill and we pray for them, our prayer should be one that is honest, vulnerable and direct. There is no way to know if it is time for the sick person to die. All we know is that death is common to man and therefore all must die. My prayer would be to let God know how I feel and then let him know that I trust his decision and that he knows best. There is nothing wrong with asking God to heal someone, what makes it bad is when God has revealed his will and we don’t accept it.

    God is still GOD when things turn bad, when death visits our house and when we are at our lowest point. He still works things out for our betterment. If we really understand this, then all of our prayers will be of faith. And remember faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

  • Yes, no and not now (Part 2 of 3)

    Will_Of_GodFather knows best was the title of a popular sitcom during the early stages of television and in that program (which was before my time) attempted to show real life family problems that daddy was able to solve. Well, this second edition ponders the question of who knows more — God or us? You would think that the answer to this question would be easy. In word it is, but in deed it is contradictory.

    Everyone would say that God knows more than they do. No one sane would ever challenge God to a knowledge contest. We would argue another person down regarding how awesome our God is. We would not allow anyone to degrade our God, we would be offended if someone mocked our God and we definitely don’t want anyone to discredit the existence of our God. Yet, all on our own, we will second guess where God is in a crisis. We tend to allow doubt to enter into our minds when trouble comes. We still believe that we have some significant contribution to whatever is going on. We have a horrible sense of importance, meaning we value our own opinions sometimes more than God’s truth.

    Psalm 50:12 records God saying, “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” This scripture makes me laugh because we are so out of the loop when it comes to God. We only know what he allows us to know. Scientist only discover what God decides they can discover. I wouldn’t know what kind of food to give God and I really wouldn’t know how to get it to him. I am helpless. I can’t even save myself.

    How many more things does God have to do for us to prove he is God? What else is needed to convince our minds to trust him? Why are we still making God prove himself? Our prayers should be prayers of faith. We should be praying to God understanding who we are praying to and what we are praying for. James wrote that we have not because we ask not. Then he said when we ask, we ask amiss. We must pray God’s will. But how do we know God’s will you ask? I will discuss this next week.

  • Yes, no or not now (Part 1 of 3)

    Trust-God1Have you ever wondered how God decides to answer prayer? It is difficult for us to understand how God would respond to us as we know it is written that God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. But certainly we can understand what God’s word has to say about prayer to the almighty and understanding that God is sovereign.

    Sovereign speaks of God’s supremacy, his kingship and his Godhead. To say he is sovereign is to declare his majesty and that he is the Most High. His sovereignty states that he is exactly what Paul called him in 1 Tim. 6:15 — that he is the only Potentate, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. So God has the power then to decide to answer our prayers, deny them or delay them. And we trust him to do such…or we should.

    To pray to God is to trust God. To make your request known to him is to acknowledge him as the giver of all things and believe that he will respond in the best interest of his children. Our problem is deciding whether God is saying yes, no or not now to us. The first step in understanding this process is to know you are praying in God’s will. You can only know God’s will by studying his word. God’s word tells me that his intervention is greatly needed in this world. It let’s me know that God’s will is far better than the will of man and that salvation belongs only to the one who gave it. So TRUST is the first ingredient in understanding God’s answer.

    There is a familiar gospel song entitled Trust and Obey which was written by John H. Sammis who was a Presbyterian minister. It says, “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,  What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Trust and Obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

    Are you willing dear reader to trust God and allow His will to be done? Next week we will discuss the silence of God when it comes to answering our prayers.

  • If God never does another thing for me…

    man in praiseIf God never does another thing for me, I want the world to know that there are three things he has done that will always stand out to me. I did not deserve any of these things, but he favored me with these awesome gifts that show the height, depth, width and breath of his love for me.

    These blessings are found in the first chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. “7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
    riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” Without this redemption through his blood it would be impossible for me to be reconciled back to God. There is no convenant relationship without this event. To know that I am no longer considered an enemy to God is love enough. To understand that God could not stand to look at me in the sinful state I was in and that the blood of Jesus made my filthy sight tolerable, really helps me to appreciate my new standing in Him.

    “11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we
    should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” This is the second thing that Jesus did for me. He not only saved my soul but he left me an inheritance. This inheritance secures my spot in the Beloved.

    “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
    Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” The seal is my proof. It’s like I’ve been wrapped for freshness or sealed until Christmas — either way, God placed a heavenly seal on me which secures my final resting place. Again, I could have never deserved this and it is all overwhelming. This is my mega millions jackpot. I don’t know a better powerball than this. And if the Lord decided today that what he has blessed me with is enough and I never get another blessing from him, these three things have secured me like no other and made me a fan for life. And because of it, I will praise his name forever!

  • A Prayer for Mama

    I couldn’t let this holiday go by without remembering everyone’s favorite girl – Mom!

    This is one of the few things in life we all have in common. So in honor of Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate the person, the concept and the substitutes for the work that they have done, are doing and will do.

    To the good mothers who are deceased, we pray that your souls rest in peace until the coming of the Lord. Like the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The work that you have done and the legacies you have left behind will live in our hearts and minds for generations. Thank you and we will always love you.

    To the good mothers who are living the golden years, we pray that the God of heaven will continue to bless you with years. You hold a special place in our hearts because you are a constant icon of everything that represents the joys in our lives. When we were young it was you who outlasted the great depression and took the lessons learned from it and made sure that we had food, clothing and shelter. You survived WWII and showed us how to make a home, how to stay married and how to love unconditionally. You were able to do a lot with a little and for that, we are eternally grateful.

    To the good mothers who are still raising children, we pray that our Father in heaven will continue to give you the strength and patience to deal with all the “new age” problems facing children today. We thank you for listening. We thank you for the sacrifices. We thank you for not allowing a broken or dysfunctional home to be an excuse for not taking care of the children. We thank you for being able to provide for the family when dad is absent, unemployed or incarcerated. We thank you for being phenomenal women and we love you!

    To the new mothers and mothers to be, we thank you for enlisting in the greatest army of caretakers on the planet. We thank God that you choose to raise children. We thank you for your desire, example and love. We pray that God will give you healthy babies to love and good men to raise them with. We pray that life’s challenges and opportunities don’t sway you from your task. We pray that you take parenting to the next level and educate our kids for a brighter future. Thank you for carrying the torch!

    To the substitutes, step moms and grandmothers, you hold a special place in our hearts and we thank God for putting you right where you were needed. We thank you for bringing peace to troubled situations. We thank you for mending broken homes and relationships. We pray that God will continue to bless the work of your hands and for giving you such a big heart. We love you!

    To the bad mothers, we thank God for you because believe it or not you are exactly what it was going to take to make some folks do better. God used you in a mighty way to allow his grace and mercy to shine through. Despite the wounded souls left in your path, we honor God on this day because His will is perfect. Don’t wonder why you are alone on this day. Go mend the broken relationships. Allow for healing by allowing your heart to be soft toward your sins. Ask for forgiveness. The ones that are hurt have been waiting on it. Once you have learned your lessons, teach others.

  • Does your life put Christ in a place of honor?

    honorHonor is a funny thing in our society. Normally it is given to those who have earned it. It was never designed to be given simply due to a title — it was something to be acquired.

    We honor judges, politicians, clergy, successful businessman and public officials all because of the service they give. We honor fathers and mothers mostly because the bible tells us so and we even honor our spouses — sometimes whether they deserve it or not. Teachers are honored, seniors are honored and even a person who has done a good deed can get our honor.

    Honor is a good name or public reputation. It’s a showing of usually respect:recognition. A privilege. One who’s worth brings respect or fame. Credit. So now chew on this:

    Romans 5:10 says, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

    We know that Christ died, “while we were sinners” and “while we were without strength”. His death, burial and resurrection which are the very facts of his gospel had a profound effect on our place of honor on judgement day.

    You see, his death (shedding of his blood) cleansed our sins and made reconciliation possible. For now God can begin a new relationship with us because of that death. His burial was just as important as it serves as the launch pad for resurrection. You have to have a death and burial or else there is no need for a resurrection. Baptism serves as our burial (launch pad) today as anyone who believes on Jesus and is baptized shall receive a resurrection.

    Romans 6:4 says, “therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.”

    The last part is the resurrection or newness of life. Jesus’ life is what actually saves us (re: Romans 5:10). We are baptized into his death and are resurrected into his life. So that when God judges me, it will be on the merits of Christ’s life and not my own. His life was perfect and my life will be his. This is what is meant in Gal. 2:20 when it says “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, not I, but Christ lives in me.” Gee, I wonder how that happened?

    So, I have been placed in a position of honor by God and I am now to live a life worthy of the honor I have been given. I have been accepted in the beloved and because of grace that is where I shall stay. The life that I now live in the flesh is a life lived by faith in the son of God who has loved me and gave himself for me!

    If I really understand this, then my life must honor his gospel. If I am to take my place in glory it will only be because I demonstrated my understanding of what Christ did for me by my life. There is no greater honor than this.

  • Hope in the Storm

    Eye of the StormIf you are fortunate to live in an area where the seasons change, you have undoubtedly heard the phrase April showers bring May flowers. But metaphorically speaking, whenever there is a difficult time in our lives, we count it as a storm. Some storms are far worse than others, but nevertheless we go through storms. During these metaphorical storms we always want to do work. We think there is some deeper meaning to the storm or that there is some unfinished business we need to do. In a literal storm, we know not to go outside and we take cover as to be shielded and protected from the storm.

    No matter which storm we are referring to, the latter is always true: We need to wait. The bible tells us in the book of James chapter one: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” This is the true purpose of the storm. We don’t like storms because they are so unpredictable. We don’t know what to do about it, there is no cry for help and we can’t control it. The only thing we can do is wait — and that’s the dilemma!

    Wait literally means to stay in place with expectation or to remain stationary in readiness. We have such a problem with waiting and with expectations and that’s because we don’t want to be let down. The feeling of not wanting to be let down is cutting us off from our blessing. God spoke through his Prophet Jeremiah to his people of old and said, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” What the prophet forgot to tell us was that we were going to get the triumph from going through the trial. There is no way around this.

    God has not forgotten us and he is not asleep. He’s where he has always been and he has done marvelous things! Do we not have the faith to wait? Do we not have the courage to stand despite the odds we face. God’s people are not fearful people. We never need to fear a storm for we know that our God is waiting for us in the midst of the storm. It is in the eye of the storm where you will find peace and joy and God’s love. He’s there. Trust him. Go through that storm and count it all joy because He has something to show you!

  • Sincerely serving Jesus

    Remember when it was common place to end a letter with the word “sincerely”? This word is rarely even used in our society anymore. It’s been replaced with “regards”, “best regards”, “warmest regards”, “kindest regards”… it’s all the same.

    Somewhere along the line we changed our scope of practice to simply “a protected interest” or just “attention”. The term is considered to mean respect. It speaks forward — from the writer to the reader.

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    Sincerely is a word that speaks forward a different way. It says something about the character of the writer to the reader. Sincerely says that the writer is being honest and of pure thought. It meant you can trust what the writer was saying.

    Today, too many people just have regard for Jesus, but they are in no way sincere. It’s the same as believing in him and not doing the things that he says — the Lord himself said that couldn’t be done.

    Instead, God wants us to respond to his love with obedience. He wants our whole heart and desires to have true worshippers in his presence.

    Christ expects us to know him in an intimate way — as one of his sheep. He said his true sheep would hear his voice. Everything Jesus did when he was on earth was to connect the dots of prophecy. In John 10:25 Jesus said, “I told you and ye believed not: the works that I do in my father’s name, they bear witness of me.”

    This blog asks this very sincere question: Dear reader, are you sincerely following Jesus?

  • Unconditional marriage?

    unconditional loveSo we know that the divorce rate is really high. But it doesn’t have to be. Is it really possible that all of these divorced people just happened to marry the wrong person?

    I know that there have been some in terrible abusive relationships and for safety reasons they had to get out. But the lion share of divorces stem from unmet expectations and selfish motives.

    No one told them that unconditional love was supposed to be brought to the marriage, not generated from within.

    They didn’t know that forgiveness wasn’t optional when they said “I do” and that expectations were only conditions you place on yourself.

    They were ignorant to what things should have been the most important. It’s a bad feeling to be judged by how much money you make, how you dress, how shapely your hips are or the size of your breasts. It’s extremely shallow for someone to expect their own version of what’s perfect to be matched or exceeded by their partner.

    Of all the scriptures we take literally, no one bothered to take Jesus seriously when he said, “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out!” Or “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off!” (Matt. 5:29-30).

    The simple fix for marriage is for each party to take a step back and really look at what they are bringing to the table. What you are bringing to the table can’t just look good to you alone. It needs to be valuable to the person you pledged to live forever with.

    If it is not, and it probably isn’t, the two of you need to talk and stop playing married and truly work at being married.

  • Home of the soul

    Southwestern Christian College has always provided beautiful, creative music like this! enjoy! http://youtu.be/u4wIR-zhzEY