Sunday, February 27, 2011

Window Shopping

Joshua 23:6 (NLT) "So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction.  Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left." vs8-"Rather cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now."

I think that "window shopping" is an activity that women enjoy more than men.  I used to live in a big city on a street that  was famous for their window dressings.  You couldn't avoid it, you look to the left or to the right and you were subject to these beautiful windows that would try to lure you in by their displays of the latest fashions.  Window shopping can be very damaging to a woman's wallet.  If we see something we like in the window, we might often find ourselves going in to the store.  Even if we do not buy what we saw in the window, we might find something else!  I walked this street everyday going back and forth to work.  I soon learned if I just kept my eyes face forward, I would not see the windows and therefore I would not face the temptation to spend money on something that I really did not need.

A long time ago I was reading this verse and I the Lord spoke to me.  You see, we live in a society that is filled with every kind of temptation.  You can look to the left or the right and you will see the work of the devil and his demons as they try to lure us in through their clever advertising.  Their advertising attracts men and women alike.  It may be bars, or pornography shops, or billboards that display immodesty and suggestive offers.  It may be something not as obvious such as greed or pride and worldly philosophy.

God gave good advice here in Joshua.  He says just keep your eyes focused, straight ahead....don't look to your left or your right.

If you recall, that same advice was given by the writer of Hebrews.  Hebrews 12: 1-2 (NLT) says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

The author gives us a great example of a runner in a race.  If you have ever watched a serious runner, you will notice they are focused on one thing- the finish line ahead of them.  They aren't looking around at the other runners or "window shopping", they have tunnel vision- they are keeping their eyes fixed.

May we focus on keeping our eyes "fixed" this week on Jesus Christ.  We can be certain that Satan is not on vacation and he is always out there trying to trip us up.  But the more we focus on Jesus, the less we will be tripped up.  We are in a race and the finish line is closer than we realize.  Let us strip off anything that slows us down and keep running.  At the finish line we will meet the One we have had our eyes focused on.  What a glorious day that will be.

To God be the glory!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Scenic Route

Deuteronomy 1:2-3 (NLT) Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by the way of Mount Seir.  But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say.

vs6.-7a-  When we were at Mount Sinai the Lord our God said to us, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on.

These verses always make me laugh, and they make me think!  To me it is just casually stated and I probably read it several times until 1 day years ago when the light went on in my little mind and I stopped and thought, 11 day journey....taking 40 years.  What went wrong there?  It wasn't the distance between the two places that  took 40 years, rather I believe it was the distance of their heart from the heart of God.  Therefore, God had to take them on a journey that would take 40 years.  He was transforming them.

When we have a wandering heart, we might find that we end up on a journey that we didn't anticipate.  Our Heavenly Father loves us too much to just let us wander around.  He will let us wander around, all the while revealing Himself to us- preparing us to live a life of obedience to Him.

Sometimes a 40 year journey is God preparing us for something greater.  While my human mind can't comprehend it, I know that some of the best lessons and character building come out of struggle.

If you are in a journey today, I would encourage you to snuggle up to God.  Go to Him and ask Him to expose any hidden sins in your life that may be holding you back, costing you time.  If He doesn't reveal anything to you, then trust Him in this wilderness journey He has you on.  He is with you and the day will come when He will say........You have stayed at this mountain long enough, it is time to break camp and move on....Look, I am giving all this land to you.  Go in and occupy it!


To God be the glory

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

You're gonna love how it ends!

Have you ever started to read a book and become tempted to turn to the back page to see how it ends?  Or, have you ever talked to someone about a certain movie you want to see and they've already seen it so they begin to tell you how the story ends?

That just tends to ruin it for me- after all I know how it will turn out in the end.  However, I want to take a moment to talk about the ending to a story in which the star of the show is Jesus Christ.

There is a lot of unrest in the world right now.  Earthquakes, riots, a crumbling economy and the threats of evil dictators that would love nothing more than for America to go up in a cloud of smoke.  If those were the only peices of news I had I would be pretty depressed and afraid right now.  Surely none of those situations have a good ending.....or do they?

In the Old Testament books of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, we read about how the stage will be set for the return of our Lord.  Just about every player involved in these riots will play a part of ushering in the end of time as we know it.  Then in the New Testament Jesus gives some advice about the signs of the times- referring to them as birth pains.  The setting of the scene for the antichrist to appear and deceive those who are left behind seems to be coming together at a fairly fast speed.  Does this mean that we can predict the date the Lord will return- absolutely not.  However, Jesus does say when you see these things happening, LOOK UP FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH!

But, good news for those who have accepted Christ as their Savior!  This is a battle in which the victor(s) have already been named.  Yep, I've read the back of the Book and we WIN!!

Let me share with you from Revelation 22:3-5 (but I recommend the entire chapter!)  "No longer will there be a curse upon anything, for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him.  And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads.  And there will be no night there-no need for lamps or sun-for the Lord God will shine on them.  And they shall reign forever and ever,

Oh, by the way....while I'm on the subject- let me take a moment to inform you and remind Satan of his future.  For I read the back of the Book and he doesn't win- Hallelujah!

Revelation 20:10- Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet.  There they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

I do not know what these days will bring for America and Christians.  But this I know, the one who kills the body cannot kill the soul!  For the ransomed child of God we know that we are ultimately safe and secure in the hands of our Father and when we draw our last breath we won't leave home, we will go home!

If you are not sure that you will spend eternity then don't wait another moment.  Click on my side bar of "do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?"  If you are a true child of the King then hang on and be spreading the Gospel for Matthew 24:37-39 says "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.  In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered the boat.  People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.  That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes"

To God be the glory

Monday, February 21, 2011

Getting dressed

Ephesians 4:20-24- But that isn't what you learned about Christ.  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life that is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.

Colossians 3: 9-10-Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Paul is giving us instruction here to put off our old nature and put on our new nature.  When we became Christians, we were given a new nature.  Until we enter glory we will always war with 2  natures even though we are Christians.  We struggle with our old nature, which gravitates toward sin and disobedience and we have the new nature, given to us when we are saved.  It is the nature that resembles Christ and walks in obedience to Him.

Paul is clear on this- we must make a conscience decision which nature we choose to wear.  When I go to my closet each morning to get dressed, I may stand in there for a few minutes deciding what to wear.  I may base my decision on what to wear according to many things....such as, the temperature outside, the comfort of one outfit over another, what is in style and so on.  I then make a decision and put on the outfit.

Each morning when we awake, we need to enter our prayer closet and make a decision to put on our new nature.  This will not always be easy.  Certainly there are times when our old nature would be easier, "more comfortable" because it doesn't require submission to the Holy Spirit.  Our old nature is certainly more stylish and in fashion in this world we live in.  We might be tempted to choose our old nature because we will "fit in" with everyone else.

But, the more time we spend with the Lord, the more we will desire to please Him and walk in our new nature.  It is a nature that continues to conform us into his image.  Our old nature will no longer feel so comfortable as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us- our old nature will feel like those jeans in the back of our closet that we no longer fit into!

One thing is certain- it is a decision we must make.  I see it this way- would I get up in the morning and just not think about getting dressed?  Would I just blow it off and decide to go to work in my pajamas?  No!  It is the same here.  It's not something I can think about later.  Remember, procrastination is one of the devil's tools.  It is not something I can just not think about at all.  Satan will definitely take advantage of that and we will find ourselves in a mess.  It is something I must do every morning just like going to my closet to choose clothes to wear for the day.I encourage you  to begin each morning in your prayer closet with the Lord.  While you are there, put on your new nature.  Submit to the Holy Spirit and ask for His help.  Your old nature will raise its ugly head every now and then- but don't put it back on. You will find that your new nature may not be in style- so what, wear it anyway, you will find that it will call you to make choices between right and wrong- that's ok, keep it on.  The Lord is in the process of conforming us to His image.  He is the tailor of your new nature and He is the best tailor there is.  He will make little changes here and there.  Allow Him to do so.  You will one day stand before Him and hear Him say "well done, my child"  Can you think of anything better than that?  Let me know how it goes!

To God be the glory


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Ready or Not...Here He Comes!

As a little child, did you ever play the game "hide and seek".  I would go stand in a corner and start counting down from 30...this would give time for my playmates to hide.  As the numbers got lower, they knew they had less time and then the final warning was "ready or not, here I come!"

Jesus is by no means playing hide and seek with us.  He longs for everyone to know Him as their Savior.  Because of this, He laid out certain signs of the times....what things would look like prior to His return.  Today it is as if I hear Jesus about ready to shout "ready or not, here I come!"

Biblical prophecy is one of the most concrete evidences that proves the Bible to be true.  If you study prophecy, you will read in the Bible what you will see in the newspapers the next day!  The turmoil in Egypt and its effect on the rest of the middle east is something to take very seriously.  Not just for the sake of our future here in America but even greater, the eternal destiny of our souls!  Israel is in a very interesting situation and America's response to Israel will also be very telling.  The Middle East is the epicenter of Biblical prophecy.  no man knows that date or the hour that Jesus will return but the labor pains spoken of in the Bible are getting stronger and closer together, signaling a soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My friend, IF YOU DO NOT KNOW JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR PLEASE CLICK ON MY TAB ABOUT HOW YOU CAN KNOW HIM!  YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO PROCRASTINATE.  I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART THAT THE LORD COULD RETURN AT ANY TIME...THE STAGE IS SET AND THE CURTAIN IS ABOUT READY TO GO UP.

DON'T GET LEFT BEHIND.

To God be the glory

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Craving More of Jesus: Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Craving More of Jesus: Making the Most of Every Opportunity: "Colossians 4:5- Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. (NLT) If you read the newspaper or w..."

Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Colossians 4:5- Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. (NLT)

If you read the newspaper or watch the news, you will see that the events of these days line up with the "last days" we read about in the Bible.  I really don't think we have much longer before we will find ourselves raptured by Christ Jesus and finally say goodbye to this life and hello to an eternal life with Jesus and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

That is going to be an exciting time for believers!  Faith will become sight!  

It is going to be a terrifying time for those who rejected the message of salvation.  Can you imagine what will most likely be going through their mind....perhaps they will replay the many times they mocked or rejected the message, perhaps they will look back on the times they procrastinated and said...."I'll ask Jesus into my life some day but I'm not ready yet....perhaps they will try to run and hide, but it will be too late.  Hope will be absent from the hearts of those left behind.

Who do you know who needs to hear about Jesus and His salvation message.  Who needs to know that not only will Jesus give eternal life in heaven but He will help them and walk with them while they are walking on this earth.  

We commanded to make the most of every opportunity.  This comes right on the heels of  "live wisely among those who are  not believers".

Every day look for those opportunities God gives us to share the salvation message.  Pray for more opportunities and you will receive them.  They are there!!  The Lord is not willing that any should perish.  Therefore, I know He gives us opportunities to witness about Him.

God has given me a craving for evangelism and I can tell you this....once you start doing it, you can't stop!

Let me know how it goes!
To God be the glory


Saturday, February 5, 2011

We are supposed to do what??????

II Chronicles 20 contains a fascinating war story and a heap of lessons....let's give close attention to this story.

The chapter starts out that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and others come up against King Jehoshaphat to war against him.  King Jehoshaphat is a good King, a Godly King.  When King J. heard this he feared, but in his fear he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

the Living Bible reads like this vs 3.  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

vs 4 we read that the multitudes in the city and even the surrounding cities came to participate in this prayer and fasting.

King J. stands in the midst of the people and begins to pray this:  "O Lord God of our fathers, are not thou God in heaven?  and rules not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?  and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?  Are not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever?  And they dwelt therein and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name saying, if, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgement, pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house and in thy presence for thy name is in this house, and cry unto thee in our affliction and thou thou will hear and help.  

Jump to vs 12 which says, " O Our God, wilt thou not judge them, for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee."

The Lord keeps His promise and replies "The Lord saith unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God's.  vs17-Take your places stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you.  Don't be afraid or discouraged, Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.

That is a story that will give you chills- but the most amazing battle plan has yet to be laid out by God...let's go to vs 21 to read this:  King J determined that there should be a choir leading the march, clothed in sanctified garments and singing the song "His Loving Kindness is Forever"  as they walked along praising and thanking the Lord.  And the moment they began to sing and to praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir to begin fighting among themselves and they destroyed each other!  Not one single enemy escaped that day!  I encourage you to read the rest of this story.  But I want us to talk about this part of the story.

Since the 9/11 attacks almost 10 years ago, we have been engaged in a war.  We don't have to be the soldier facing it first hand to have some idea of the terror of war.  Not only do you risk being killed by enemy fire, you also risk being captured by the enemy and tortured without mercy!

There is another war that Christians have always faced and that is the war between darkness and light, good and evil, God and Satan.  Satan is merciless and he will endure in battle for the souls of the lost and for the joy of the saints until the day he is finally bound and cast into hell- HALLELUJAH!

In our frail humanness, we have fears.....so did King J!  The question is what are we doing with the fear?  Are we hanging on to, handing it the victory?  Or, are we, like King J, taking it to the Lord.  Are we setting ourselves to seek the Lord through prayer and fasting and enlisting others in this time of seeking the Lord.  King J made a choice, prayer and fasting was not the last thing he did when all hope was lost.  It was the first thing he did, for he knew without it he had no hope.   He did not wait for his mental and physical strength to be drained before he sought God.  He clearly understood he had no strength except the strength that would come from God!

During this time of prayer he did something that I believe is  powerful.  He remembered the times when God brought the victory time and again.  He spoke out the faithfulness of God in the past and since God never changes, King J knew that faithfulness would still remain in the same way and no less than it did for those in the past who experienced it.

When Satan comes at us with his lies about our Heavenly Father and His ability and promise to care for His children, we need to remind ourselves and the devil that God's faithfulness has yet to fail even one of His prized possessions.  Satan is a liar!!!

King J heard from God and he was obedient to God even when the battle plan did not make sense to the human mind.  This is the part of the story that just causes me to laugh every time and just stand in awe of our God.  God put the choir in front of the soldiers.  This choir was to lead the soldiers into battle singing praises to the Lord.

Let's think about this....as we were preparing for war after 9/11 can you imagine a 5 star general, an expert on war tactics coming to the table, sitting down with the President and the other generals and advisers with the battle plan of placing a choir on the front lines!?!  What do you think would be the expressions on the faces of others in the room....they probably would think it was some kind of joke.

As strange as the battle plan sounded, King J did just that and we read what happened.  God confused the enemies to the point that they turned on each other and killed one another.  Not one escaped alive!

Lessons learned:
1.)  When we are fearful, we need to take it to the Lord even to the point of fasting and seek His wisdom in our situation.
2.)  We need to enlist a trusted friend (s) to join us in this time of seeking God
3.)  We should look back on the past faithfulness of God in the lives of others and in our own life, and
proclaim that the same God who delivered in the past will deliver again.  We must know that the battle belongs to the Lord because He is our Father and we are His children.  This is a promise from our Father!
4.)  We must acknowledge our weakness and His strength  and focus our eyes on Him not on what is going on around us.  As King J said "Neither know we what to do but our eyes are fixed on You"
5.) We must follow the battle plan that God lays out even when we can't humanly understand it.-
6.)  We must enter the battle praising the Lord....listen to this song written quite a while ago- it says it best
To God be the glory


Friday, February 4, 2011

Jesus, asleep in the boat!

Mark 4:35-41- The Living Bible

As the evening fell, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake".  So they took him just as he was and started out, leaving the crowds behind (though other boats followed)  But soon a terrible storm arose.  High waves began to break into the boat until it was nearly full of water and about to sink.  Jesus was asleep at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  Frantically they wakened him, shouting, "Teacher, don't you even care that we are all  about to drown!?  Then He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Quiet down!"  And the wind fell, and there was a great calm.  And He asked them,   Why were you so fearful?  Don't you even yet have confidence in me?"  And they were filled with awe and said among themselves, "Who is this man, that even the winds and seas obey Him?"

These are the verses that my pastor's wife shared with us last Wednesday night.  One thing for sure, God was once again speaking directly to me.....and it was somewhat embarrassing I must admit.  If you read my previous 2 blogs, you might recall me telling you about how my life was kind of a roller coaster right now.  I  was waiting for answers on a job situation, my mother in law had been quite ill and I just needed some mental rest....

Well, my answer came on Wednesday about my job, I got my job!!  Wednesday night I really wasn't going to go to the women's Bible study.  I was tired and just wanted to stay home with my husband.  Yet, something in side of me was saying "Go".  My husband came in from work, so exhausted.  The usual Wed night Bible study was not meeting this week due to the women's meeting, so my husband said, "I think I'm just going to go to sleep."  Well, I decided that I would go to the Bible study....and boy did God speak to my heart.

Let's look at this story in Mark.....and gain some insight

Who are the main characters of this story?  Basically it is Jesus and His disciples

We are only in to the beginnings of the book of Mark and we see that Jesus has already chosen His disciples and He has been traveling, teaching and healing.  He also had cast out demons!

They had to be pretty worn out.  Jesus tells the disciples to get in the boat with Him.  He told the disciples to cross to the other side of the lake.

Soon after getting in the boat the storm arose.  Now here's an interesting thought...if you have more insight on this please share.  The disciples were fishermen....this was their livelihood.  Did they see the storm coming.  I would think fishermen would have some insight on how the skies look or the water looks prior to a storm arising.  It could very well be that this storm caught them by surprise.  I used to live in the tropics and I will tell you this...one minute the sun was out and the next minute there was a downpour.

One thing we do know...Jesus knew about this storm.  In his time here on earth He was 100% man and 100% God.  He knew the hearts of people, the words before they spoke them, so we can be sure that He knew that this storm was coming.

Jesus was in the storm with them.  Obviously the storm did not worry Jesus.  He was asleep!

When the disciples cried out Jesus was there, He responded.....then came a gentle rebuke....Why are you so fearful.  Don't you even yet have no confidence in me?....ouch, that one hurt.  That is what He said to me Friday night, I can imagine what the disciples felt...the ouch and the awe as I like to put it

Whatever storm you are going through, Jesus is in the boat and He is at peace.  Ya know, I kind of find comfort in the fact that Jesus was asleep.  The last thing you want when you are in a panic is to see the One in charge also in a panic.  I have flown more times than I could count.  When we hit strong turbulence, I often will glance at the flight attendants.  I look at their face.  I know they have flown enough that they know when its just some bumps and when it is time to get concerned.  If Jesus is at peace, why should I be worried?

The other cool thing is when we call out, Jesus is there and He brings calm to the storm.  But, undoubtedly, you will hear Him whisper. what he asked His disciples..."Why are you so fearful,  Don't you even yet have confidence in me?"

Our response will probably mirror the response of the disciples... We will be filled with awe.  For we belong to the One who speaks to the storms and they obey Him.

Jesus might take your boat right into the storm, but He is there.  In the midst of my concern over a job, He was there.....He calmed my storm.....I had to endure that question from Jesus of why was I fearful, after all these years, do I not have confidence in Him.

Today I stand in awe of the One who calmed my storm.  May I walk out of this storm with a lesson learned.  Great is His faithfulness....and God will make a way when it seems there is no way.



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Come to the desert

-Mark 6:31- And He (Jesus) said unto them: " Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."

Well, this wasn't the verse I was intending on talking about this morning, but it jumped out at me and it is very fitting right now.

If I had to go to a place to rest, I don't think a desert would be my first choice, especially not a desert back in the Bible days...there was probably no Raddison or Marriott to sleep at and no spa for a nice massage.  Yet, Jesus called His disciples into the desert.

If you are called to go into the desert by the Lord Jesus Christ, do not fear it but embrace it.  A desert is dry but He is the Living Water.  The desert heat can be intense but He is the breath of life that will protect us from the heat.  A desert is lonely but He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  A desert may be a place where your cell phone will have no coverage to call our friends, but we always have access to His Throne of Grace and what a friend we have in Jesus!

This past week has seemed more like a desert than previous weeks.  Things are uncertain.  I am awaiting some news about some important situations, yet the mailman hasn't made it to my desert yet.  I have a mother in law that is quite ill and it has been a roller coaster ride wondering if she will pull through this, the concerns of the present leave me feeling quite parched and zapped of life.

Yet, in the midst of my desert, in the midst of any child of God's desert, there is JESUS.  He sometimes sends us into deserts to "rest a while" as He did His disciples.  As we rest, we regroup and get a new perspective on things.

Isaiah 43: 19  Behold, I will do a new thing now and it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

If you are in the desert today, look for the river that God has prepared for you dear child, and drink from the Springs of Living Water!

Let me know how it goes!