Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Are you in the way?

I was reading my Bible today and the Holy Spirit really spoke to me afresh.  The passage is found in Luke 1.  The context is this:  An angel has visited Mary announcing that she will give birth to Jesus, the Savior of the world!

Imagine the shock!  This young virgin girl just living a normal life- now her world is rocked by this news.  She asks the question that would come to any virgin's mind- "How can this be, seeing I know not a man?"
 ( translated.." I have not had sexual relations with a man")

It is the angel's response that the Holy Spirit used to speak to my heart today.  Let's look at the angel's response:

Luke 1:35(KJV) " And the angel answered and said unto her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:  therefore also the holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

The Lord desires to perform great works within all of His children.  No, we have not been asked to give birth to the Savior- but the Lord desires to use us to point others to Jesus, to teach or disciple someone, to minister through preaching or through a musical talent that we possess.  We might be like Mary- stunned, unsure of how God will accomplish His desires through us- perhaps we don't think we have anything to give.  We find ourselves asking God essentially the same question that Mary asked the angel.  "How can this be, Lord?  What could possibly be within me that could be used by you?"

The answer to our questions would be the same answer that the angel gave Mary!  Let's look at it again and personalize it. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee."

It is in this verse that the Spirit spoke to my heart.  God wants to use us- but we often get in the way!  It is always through the power of the Spirit that God accomplishes His work in us.  But the power of the Highest must OVERSHADOW us!!

We must allow ourselves to be controlled by the Spirit.  We must be led by the Spirit.  So often we want to accomplish "great things" for God through our own strength, our own way, and for our own glory- yet that is not how it works.  For it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts." Zechariah 4:6.

I have heard it said "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.  I like that!  I need to remind myself of that truth more often!  God can use ANYBODY, anybody that is willing to be overshadowed by the Spirit of God!  God can use anybody that is not looking to take credit.  We don't have to have great talents or abilities, we just have to be willing to humble ourselves, surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

Are you standing in the way of what God wants to do in your life?  Why not take a moment to ask God if you are in the way?  Allow His Spirit to speak to your heart.  Take care of any business that you and the Lord might have and then begin to daily submit yourself to the control of the Spirit!  I believe  we will be surprised by what the Lord can do through us when His Spirit overshadows us!

To God be the glory!


Friday, August 26, 2011

Promises, Promises

As you probably know, we are getting ready to enter an election year!  Yep, November, 2012 is fast approaching!  We are beginning to hear interviews, watch debates and read articles about all the candidates.  It will, unfortunately, get ugly between the parties and the candidates.....One thing we will hear is a lot of promises. We will hear something like this, "When elected, I promise........"  The question is how many of those promises will they keep???

And so it goes, the trials we face every 4 years here in America.  I began to think of all the "promises" that will be made over the next many months and how many of them will be broken after the election.  That can really bum you out if you think about it for very long.  However, my mind began to dwell on One who has yet to break even one promise He has made.  That will make you smile if think about that for any length of time.  Yes, we have a Savior, a Heavenly Father who has never broke one promise He has made to us.  The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie.  Truth = God.  All the promises we have are found in His Word and we stand upon His Word.  All the promises of God are "yes" and "amen"!  (II Corinthians 1:20-22)

God has left us hundreds of promises in His Word and we can claim them in good times and bad.  We don't have a God who is like the shifting sand.  His promises are good from the moment He spoke them and through eternity.  God is not a politician with hopes of getting reelected, making promises trying to win votes.  No! Christ was crowned King of Kings a long, long time ago and that title is not up for grabs!  The King of Kings that was, still is, and will be throughout all eternity!  God's promises are not dependent on the economy, or the votes of the House or the Senate and there is not one person who has the power to veto what God has promised!  Hallelujah!

However, we must realize that some of God's promises are contingent upon our obedience.  I have heard it so many times from others, and sad to say that I have done this very thing.....quoting a promise from God but not obeying God at the time- still claiming the promise of God.  What do I mean?  Well, I have had people talk to me sad about a need that wasn't met, a hope shattered, and they will read a certain verse to me that they claimed and now they doubt God because they feel He didn't come through for them.....but there was one problem.....they weren't walking with God.....the promise they claimed was contingent upon their obedience to God.  We can't claim all the promises of God if we are not walking in obedience to Him.

Let me give a few examples. Romans 10:13- "For whosoever shall call upon the the name of the Lord shall be saved."  The promise of salvation is a promise that is ours to claim for all time.  God doesn't remove our salvation in our moments of disobedience.  (Such grace is not a license to sin- but this great grace is something that is ours to rest in at all times!)

John 14:18 "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you"- This is another promise that we can claim at all times.  The presence of God is with His children at all times.  While we may walk away from Him, He never walks away from us.

Romans 8:1- There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus....."- Another promise that the child of God can claim at  any time.  We will never, no never face the condemnation of our Father.

But how about Matthew 6:33- "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."- the promise comes after the instruction given to us to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths"  The promise comes after the instruction.

Malachi 3:10, the promises of God opening up the storehouses of heaven and pouring out a blessing so great that we cannot receive it is contingent upon us bringing the tithes and offerings of our first fruits to Him.

These are just a few of the examples.  My question is, where are you at today in your walk with the Lord?  I ask myself that same question.  Are we living like the world yet trying to claim promises that are contingent upon our obedience.  We can do that all we want- but I fear that it will be an exercise we will carry out in vain.

You want to live in all the promises of God, do I?  Then friend, we must walk in obedience.

Take comfort in those promises of God today.  I know, we have a life time of experiencing broken promises, deceptions and embellishments from those in the world that we should be able to trust.....but we do not serve a God who lies or deceives or embellishes!  No!! A thousand times NO!  We serve a God who cannot lie, who will not lie and we have a whole Book that gives account after account of a God who keeps His Word!!

Testify today to the promises God has kept in your life.  People need encouragement, they need to hear from you about the God you serve.  Share Christ with someone today.

Are you walking in disobedience?.....ok.  We serve a God that allows U-Turns!  Just turn around you will find Him right there to embrace you.  We serve a God who just doesn't "leave the porch light on" in case we want to come home.  He is awake and sees us from afar off and runs to meet us.  We serve a Shepherd who leaves the ninety and nine to look for His one lost sheep!  Hallelujah!

To God be the Glory!!




Saturday, August 20, 2011

Dare to be a Daniel!

Christians can  live without a lot of things- but there is one thing that we cannot live without....CONVICTIONS!

The time to set our convictions is not when we are in the fire but rather TODAY.  What will we take a stand for...what would we die for?  WOW!  Even writing that statement gives me some chills.  Yet as I listen to the agenda of Satan being carried forth in this world through abortions, pornography, drugs, alcohol, homosexuality and a multitude of other sexual sins, and the atheist goal of destroying all that is a part of America's godly heritage, I know that I better be set in what I am willing to stand for and what I must stand against.

The Old Testament book of Daniel is about a man of convictions.  A Godly man who had purposed in his heart what he would and would not do.

Daniel 1:8- But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king.

 It is easier to resist temptation when our convictions are set in stone prior to the temptation arising.

When Daniel chose to obey God over the king's decree- he found himself being thrown into the lion's den. Daniel had purposed in his heart that he would obey God over man long before being thrown into the lion's den.

Daniel had 3 friends named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Many of us might remember being told about these men when we were little.  These 3 men were wise like Daniel.  In fact we read their story in the book of Daniel.    At Daniel's request, the King appointed these men to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon.

When these 3 men refused to bow down to the king- they were brought before the king and questioned concerning the charge against them.  Let's look at their reply:

Daniel 3: 16-18

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us.  He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."

These were not 3 men who just spoke "off the cuff" when brought before the king.  These were 3 men who had long ago purposed in their heart whom they would serve....only the Lord God Almighty!

We are in the midst of times and will continue to face times when we will be called to stand for Christ.  Are we ready?  Have we purposed in our heart that we will not bow down to any other god, and that we will never go against our God.

Friends, now is the time, today is the day to have these issues settled in our mind and heart.  We must be unshakable, unmovable, even in the toughest of times.  It is not easy, and I fear it will get harder.  Yet, Jesus went to the cross for us, we must be willing to do the same for Him should that be asked of us.

Now is the time to get to know the Savior- now is the time to plant His Word in your mind and in your heart. Now is the time to call upon Him to help you take a stand.  And while we pray for this world to repent and turn back to the One True God, we stand ready to follow Jesus even if no one goes with us.

Dare to be a Daniel!  This was a song I learned as a little girl but it still fits today.  Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! (remembering, while we may stand alone humanly speaking, Jesus always stands beside us!)

To God be the glory!  I love you dear readers and I lift you up in prayer.  If you have any prayer request, please don't hesitate to share them with me.  I would love to join you in praying for the concerns of your heart!






Saturday, August 13, 2011

What makes a nation great?

Proverbs 14:34- "Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (NLT)

In case you haven't had a chance to read a newspaper or turn on the news, please allow me to update you.  The world is in pretty bad shape.....The stock market is putting people on edge as they watch it take a dive and in so doing, they see their "retirement" or "future" go down the drain.  England is dealing with people rioting in the streets, France and Italy face their own economic woes, and the Middle East....well do I even have to say anything about the unrest there?  The terrorist are forever plotting and planning to make bombs or other weapons of mass destruction all in the name of a false god they call Allah.

But it's not just a nation or a government that is in turmoil....it is families, marriages, households.  Divorce, abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality, murder, pornography......does it end?  What is the answer to this madness?

Well first of all let me say that the answer to the madness is not a "what" but rather "who".  We look for answers in politicians, petitions, and policies.  While we certainly must use wisdom and caution in electing men and women to help lead the world.....they are not the answer.

We seek help from support groups and psychiatrist.  We look for answers in a bottle of pills or another self help book.....but we turned to the wrong physician and search the pages of the wrong book.

We tune into Oprah (how will we live without her?....just fine), Dr Phil or Dr Laura to help us rear our kids and save our marriages....but we fail to go the Owner's manual, seeking advice from the One who made us and the One who created marriage and family.


In our despair we finally cave to the lie of the evil one, satan himself.  "Everybody's doing it"  "It's just the way things are", "welcome to the new generation" .  So we close our eyes, cross our fingers and hope for the best.

NO NO NO!!  We don't exist on this earth to just "hope for the best" or accept what satan has thrown our way.  We have the answer.  It is Jesus Christ!

Godliness makes a nation great!!  Do we grasp this?  It is not a President or a policy or a philosophy.  It is Godliness.  It is submission to a Holy God who says if you seek Me, you shall find Me!  It is turning over our will to do the will of the Master.

God is not some bully living in heaven.  He is a pure and holy and righteous God who longs to be a Heavenly Father to all.   But He will not share His throne with another. ....and  we should be grateful for that.  God loves us so much and He understands that since He created us, He is the best One to rule over us.  God has no underlying agenda.  He is not trying to gain votes or win an election.  He is not trying to put on a great show so He can be renewed for another season.  He is not trying to write a book that makes its way to the best sellers list (although He did  do this!)

God has laid it out plain and clear.  The nation that acknowledges Him will be blessed....at the same time He lays out the consequences for the nations that forget Him.

He then gives us the freedom to choose.  Somehow we have continued to return to our folly.

Proverbs 26:11- As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness. (NLT)

Will we wake up.....will we humble ourselves and fall before His throne, seeking His face, forsaking our sin and following after His Word.  Oh how I pray we do that before it is too late.  I fear that we are nearing that point of no return.

Will you right now bow your head with me and pray?

Oh Father, right now i come before You....seeking your forgiveness for my straying for my half hearted commitment.  I want to follow you at all cost.  I want to rise up and follow you even if no one else joins me.  I want to seek you and your wisdom in my marriage, my family, my work, my friends, my decisions and my desires.  I want everything I do to bring glory to you.

Oh Father, have mercy on this world and may your Holy Spirit convict hearts and heal hearts.  May there be a widespread revival across this land.  One that is unstoppable.

Oh Father, we do not desire to hate anyone that does not desire to follow you, rather we will pray for them and  love them and look for ways to share your love with them.  At the same time, we will take a stand against an agenda to indoctrinate our children with the ungodly teachings that tell our children that there is no such thing as absolute truth and that it is ok to experiment with their sexuality.  We stand on the Holy Word of God that teaches marriage is between one man and one woman.

Oh Father, heal our minds our hearts and our land.

In the precious name of Jesus
Amen.

Do you know Him,,,,do you know Him as your Savior?  If you do not, please do not delay.  Click on my tab on how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  You can have it today.  It will be the best decision you will ever make.  I dare you to prove me wrong, my friend.  I've been a Christian for over 40 years and it has been the bests journey ever!




Saturday, August 6, 2011

"Where is God?"

I have heard this question a lot.....you probably have heard it also.  It is the question used by those folks who do not know the Lord as they give excuses as to why they have their doubts about God. Truth be told, it is also a question asked by Christians who get hit with some bad news or tragedy that turns their world upside down.

 "Where was God when the twin towers were attacked in New York City?"
"Where is God when bad things happen?"
"Where is God?  I just lost my job and I have a family to feed and bills to pay?

On and on the question is asked in various circumstances.  Is it a valid question?  Well any question is valid if someone is sincerely asking....so let's look today at "Where is God?"

When God put Adam and Eve in the garden, He gave them an incredible gift called "free will".  He gave them instructions and He laid out the consequences should they disobey the instructions.  In a very short time it was all a mess right there in the garden.  The consequence of death kicked in and here we are thousands of years later still facing the consequences of the sin of disobedience that occurred in that garden.

It has intrigued me at times that God did not take away the free will of man that day.  The punishment could have been taking away the free will of man but God did not desire to make us robots forcing us to follow Him.

Today is no different.  God has given the Bible that is full of instructions....it is full on consequences for those who fail to follow those instructions and He has even laid out the blessings for those who do choose to follow.  He has then placed us in this world with a free will.

The sin that we see in abundance in this world is a result of people exercising their free will in a wrong way.  God desires that we take the free will that He has given us and surrender it to Him.  He longs for us to lay it at His feet and allow ourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit not by our free will.  But we have to initiate that process.  He does not force Himself on us.

Why are the bad stuff happening in the world today?  We have not consented to be led by God, and His Holy Spirit.

My job is in the medical field.  Every day I am at work my patients are asked to consent to treatments.  Someone may have cancer, they may even be in the later stages of cancer and their only hope is surgery.  A surgeon cannot just wheel them into the operating room and cut on them against their will.  They have to sign a consent form.  Most sign the consent....but their are some who refuse.  There are some who agree to it and then back out at the last minute.  By doing so, they face the consequences laid out for them by the surgeon.

A popular medical term that most folks are familiar with today is the word "DNR" .  It means "Do Not Resuscitate."  A person has signed a form telling their medical team that if they stop breathing or if they go into a coma or if their heart stops beating, they do not want CPR, they do not want their heart to be shocked with the hopes of restarting it, they do not want to be put on a machine that will breathe for them.  The medical team is required to honor the wishes of the patient, even though the consequences may be death itself.  We respect the free will of the patient to make such a decision.

I believe most folks in this world have told God, our Heavenly Physician that we want to be a "DNR"  He says "Come now and let us reason together....though your sins be as scarlet they can be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson they can be as wool"  we say..."No thanks"  (Isaiah 1:18)

He says that His Holy Spirit can breathe new life into us.....we say "no thanks" (II Corinthians 3:6)

He offers us a new heart.....we say "no thanks"  (Ezekiel 11:19)

He offers to renew our mind- we say "no thanks"  (Romans 12:2)

He offers us a total body makeover- "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold all things become new."  (II Corinthians 5:17) we say "No thanks"

The consent form has been laid before us.  It has been laid before every nation, every tribe, every tongue, every people.  A healing of our land by the Creator Himself.  Will we sign on the dotted line?

Time is running out.  In medicine we tell patients something obvious.  The time to operate on the cancer is sooner rather than later.  Cancer spreads, cancer eats away and in time cancer can reach a stage where it becomes inoperable.  Death is imminent.

So it is with sin.  Sin spreads, sin eats away.  The time to take care of sin is the moment we see it crop up in our lives.  There comes a time when sin can bring destruction that leaves a permanent scar.....perhaps even damage that cannot be completely repaired.

Where is God?  He is everywhere.  But He is a gentleman, intervening only where He is invited to do so.  He is  like the surgeon at the bedside of the patient saying let me help you, sign the consent....I can fix the problem.

America and many other nations have kicked Him out and then wonder where He is at when a tragedy occurs.  It's like a patient who refused the surgeon's help now lying on their death bed and wondering where the surgeon is at and why he is not helping to save their life.



Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me..Revelation 3:20

He is knocking!  Will we open the door?
To God be the glory!