PASTORS APPRECIATION MONTH

As many of you know October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  I purposefully waited until the last possible day to write this.  Why?  Because in my eye's and in my heart I truly believe that being a pastor is one of the most difficult jobs around.  Maybe not physically demanding, but being a pastor can be heart wrenching and challenging.  A pastor has a sometimes thankless job.  They get blamed for what is going on in the church, they get fingers pointed their way if the sermon wasn't what someone expected or wanted to hear.

Think about, a pastor has the same hours a doctor has.  They can get a call in the middle of the night that a member of their church is in the hospital in critical condition.  And trust me if and when these phone calls come in, they don't just roll over in bed non nonchalantly.   They don't just whisper, "I'll pray for them" and then go back to sleep.  They get up, get dressed and run to the hospital. 

They counsel couples who are too stubborn to face the reality about themselves, let alone each other.  They comfort those of us who have lost loved ones.  They console the grieving widow.  They pray with those who need prayer.  They listen to a story they have heard hundred of times, all the while they have a smile on their face.  They cry with the lost and broken.  They dry the tears of the hurt.  They hold hands with the homeless.  They forgive the unforgivable and they bring hope to the hopeless.  The dispense mercy and grace by the gallons.  All the while, their family sits at home.

That's right, while our pastors are busy taking care of all of us, their family sits at home eating another dinner without their dad and husband.  While other dads are coaching their children in sports, pastors are often on the sidelines trying to watch, but also listening to and conversing with lost and broken people.  Being a pastor is not an easy job and not one to take lightly.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with great strictness. 

My pastors are all amazing!!  They lead us and teach us and point out changes we need to consider.  They comfort us and dry our tears.  They lead us into battle with the enemy and they lift us up with their love.  They sacrifice family time, they sacrifice their financial security, and they sacrifice their time.  

My pastors not only preach about the love and grace of Jesus Christ, they live it out every day.  As I sit in church every Sunday and listen to the amazing worship songs arranged by Cliff, my heart soars on the wings of eagles.  As I think about all the middle and high school kids Ben is trying to reach, I praise God for men like him.  As I volunteer at different community outreach mission work we do, I thank God for bringing Brandon to our church.  

Then there is pastor John.  His honesty about himself is humbling.  His truth about Jesus Christ is through provoking.  His love for Jesus Christ and us, the church body, is evident in every tear he sheds for us and with us.  His teachings lift us up in a way that is utterly amazing.  He allows the Holy Spirit to be his guide and the presence of God is all around us when pastor John speaks.  

To the families of all my pastors and pastors everywhere, thanks you for sharing your husbands and fathers with us.  Your support of what they do is a true testimony of the love of Jesus Christ.

Thank you just doesn't seem like enough, but that's all I got right now, so

THANK YOU PASTORS!  

May God pour our enormous blessings upon all pastors and their families.  May God continue to shine in you and through you, in Jesus name I pray, amen!

HARD HATS FOR HARD HEADS

Yes, that is me and my daughter Amanda in hard hats.  This past summer we had a chance to help out a Habitat for Humanity home being built in our area.  My first time ever wearing a hard hat.  It does not flatter me.  But I needed it.  Nails being pounded, saw dust flying, hammers beating and saws singing an painful song as it chewed up the wood.  The hard hats protected my hard head and my daughters beautiful head.  

Hats have many purposes.  These ones protected us, but other hats seem to have the ability to label us.  Think of the hats at the Kentucky Derby, they are the hats of the rich and famous.  Baseball hats label us as a fan of one certain team.  Warm wool hats will label us as being from the northern country, where it can get cold.  Straw hats label us as a farmer.  Cowboys hats label us as western folk.  A large brimmed sun bonnet labeled us from a state filled with sunshine.  Whatever hat we wear, we are labeling ourselves.

For me I think the hard hat fits, even though I don't like it.  I have been known to be stubborn and hard headed, at least that's what my parents always said.  I had my ways and my ideas and no one could tell me differently.  Sound familiar?   Now come on, I know I'm not the only one here.  There's nothing wrong with hard headed, stubborn people.  We seem to accomplish a lot and stick with something.  When we get our mind set on something, not much can happen to stop us, except an act of God Himself.

I would love to pretend to wear one of those soft hats with a wide brim.  I'd put on my best southern smile and try to have an accent, but that's not me.  Some of us have a hat that is hard to remove, it's the hat of a victim.  Now I'm not discussing those who have been victims of crimes, I'm talking about the whining, complaining, groaning and moaning people who create so much drama in their life that they live with a victim hat.  They want to be noticed, they want to be pitied, they want people to sympathize with them.  "Oh you poor thing." 

I Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory though our Lord Jesus Christ

IF you are a believer in Jesus Christ, IF He is Lord of your life, IF He is your Savior, IF He is the center of your life, then it's time we take off those hats and put on the hat He has given us, THE VICTOR'S CROWN.  Jesus has overcome every battle in life, He has defeated the enemy, He has won!  The key here is IF!

So many of us say we are saved.  So many of us say we believe.  So many of us claim to be a christian.  Well if we are what we say we are, where's the proof? What do our words sound like?  How is our attitude?  What does our temper say about us?  How do we treat others?  I know ouch!! But we have to face facts here.  Some of us (so called) believers do not walk the walk.  We're good at talking the talk, but then we begin to step out and end up with our foot in our mouth.  What we say and what we do are usually 2 different things.  

It's time we stop whining and complaining and moaning and groaning and yelling and finger pointing and cursing and blaming and using our words to beat people up.  We have victory through Jesus Christ.  We have a victor's crown waiting for us in heaven.  Why don't we act like it?

We should be the happiest, healthiest, sweetest and most forgiving people on this Earth.  Even when we are going through struggles and storms, our attitude, our words and our actions should reflect the victory we already have.  I understand it's easy to get wrapped up in the junk of today's world, but we cannot lose the victory Jesus died to give us!

Lord, today I choose to live my life victoriously.  No more victim!  I am strong in you alone.  I am looking forward to my victor's crown that is waiting for me.  Help my words, my thoughts, my attitudes and my actions always testify to victory that is mine through you, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

GETTING OVER MYSELF

Ouch!  Ouch!  Ouch!! Me, myself and I have been beaten, battered and bruised by the truth.  What truth?  The truth about my pride.  It has become clear to me that I have pride issues.  Yea, it's nothing I really want to admit because the truth hurts, and it hurts badly.  Pride is one of those things that builds me up, puffs me up and makes me think I'm better than everyone else.  It gives me a false sense of security and a rather high opinion of myself.  Maybe also it's a disguise to hide the real feelings of what you think about yourself.  Maybe pride is a mask I wear to hide the reality of me.

Is being proud wrong?  I'm trying to discover the truth.  I think being proud of myself is wrong, in fact I know being proud of myself is wrong.  Being proud of all I have accomplished, which isn't much, is wrong.  But I don't think it's wrong for me to be proud of my children and grandchildren.  I don't think it's wrong for me to be proud of my husband and all he has done in his life.  But selfish pride is wrong.  At least to me it is.  And even though I have lived in a state of selfish pride, I just got knocked off my ladder.  Ouch!

Yea I put myself on a ladder.  Oh now come on, I know I'm not the only one, maybe just one of the few who are willing to admit it.  The thing is when I got knocked off my ladder yesterday at church, I fell victim to the lies of the enemy.  Instead of praying about it, instead of reading God's word about it, I dove into another series of episodes of "Say Yes To The Dress".  It took my mind off myself and the truth of my pride.  For a few hours my word was wrapped in a myriad of tulle and crystals and satin and lace.  For a few hours I didn't have to listen to the lies of the enemy, the problem was I also was listening to the truth God was trying to speak to me.  

The lies were obvious and right to the point which landed me into a pit of despair and wondering if I matter to anyone.  Yes I had an old fashioned pity party that lasted almost 24 hours.  Why wasn't I a better mom?  Why wasn't I a better wife?  Why wasn't I a better friend?  Does anyone even care about me?  As a meemaw (grandma) I stink, right?  As a daughter, I'm not doing too good on that one, right?  Oh my goodness, I could go one for pages and pages and pages of the lies that penetrated this rather thick skull of mine.  I got knocked off my ladder and plunged into the pit of hell, at least that's what it felt like. 

Proverbs 16:18  Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall

Well, I fell!!  It saddens me to admit that, but I am so grateful that even though I listened to the lies of the enemy, Jesus Christ Himself, reached down in the pit and pulled me out.  But trust me it wasn't until after a pool of tears was shed.  As I stood in my shower this morning, the tears just flowed.  The reality of the pity party I had just thrown for myself was over!  My pride is gone, I hope!  To be honest I never want to go through that again.  It was painful, yet very humbling.

I think that is why Jesus let me wallow in the pity party for so long this time.  I think He knew that if I wallowed for a while, maybe, just maybe, He could get through to me that without Him, I am nothing.  Without Him I can do nothing.  Without Him I am empty.  No matter how often I bang my own drum or put myself first, it is not real and it is definitely not fulfilling.  

Trophies and awards collect dust.  They rust and fade away.  The applause stops.  The accolades will end.  The pats on the back for a job well done, will cease.  Pride always, ALWAYS, ends in a fall.  Boasting, bragging, pride are life killers, at least for me. But they are also life drainers.  Because after all I say and do, after all the times I worry and fret about what others think about me, at the end of my life nothing matters as much as what God thinks about me.

Jesus, who could have and should have been filled with pride, wasn't.  After all He was God's Son!  He was (and is) King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, yet He was NEVER filled with pride.  If I am to truly live like Jesus I have to develop humility.  So to be honest, I am so glad I got knocked off my ladder!  Thank you Pastor John for always speaking God's truth, no matter how painful it may be.

Lord, forgive me for being prideful.  Forgive me for thinking of myself first.  Give me a humble heart.  Give me a servants heart, in Jesus name I pray, amen. 

GETTING OVER OBSTACLES

As I go through this life of mine I often come across obstacles that seem to keep me from where I want to be and what I want to do.  They trap us.  Whether these obstacles are mountains or desert, or streams or oceans, potholes or washed away roads, these obstacles prevent us from going any further.  They make us stop.  They make us think.  They make us worry.  They make us turn around and go back.  Obstacles and road construction can and will send our GPS unit into a tail spin.  "Recalculating" often means we have veered off path or worse yet, an obstacle, which means we have to go around, turn around, go over or go through.

Mountains are not easy to go through if there is no tunnel already there.  To go around takes us way out of our way, and going over?  Well that's just plain to difficult and that mountain may be way too steep to climb.  The obvious thing is we have to make a decision.  Sometimes we have a few moments to gather our thoughts and sometimes we have to make a split second decision.  No matter what choice we make, there is no path that will be easy.

Turning around and going back means giving up.  It means never reaching our full potential.  It means never reaching our goals.  It means settling for second best.  It means a lifetime of wondering "what if" and "if only".  Going over means a lot of stress and hard work,, soar muscles and a weary person.  Going over is difficult at best. Ever climb a mountain?  I have and it's not easy.  Of course going through would be a piece of cake if a tunnel already existed, but when no tunnel exists it means chiseling away every piece of rock and shoveling away every speck of dirt.  

Let's face it there is no easy way to remove an obstacle.  Pain, remorse, bitterness, exhaustion and surrender are just a few of the things we might experience when we deal with the obstacles in life.  Maybe your obstacle is a harsh boss, an unfair situation at work, an angry friend, or a bitter rival.  Whatever your obstacle is, no matter how high that mountain can seem before you, there is hope.  Remove that mountain.

Matthew 21:21-22  But Jesus was matter-of-fact:  "Yes-and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor fears like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles.  This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake', and it will jump.  Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.  

Okay maybe it's hard for you to fathom that a mountain could move, but it can.  Obstacles are meant to challenge us, to help us grow and help us decide how determined we are to overcome that obstacle.  I know it the realm of the real world it seems impossible to move any obstacle placed before us, let alone a mountain, but it can happen and it does happen every day.  The key is believing and not doubting.

It may not happen today or tomorrow but those obstacles can move.  I've experienced it first hand.  I've seen God move mountains of debt away with a simple prayer and a spirit of belief.  I saw an obstacle of major proportion be lifted up and thrown into the sea, all because I believed and trusted in Him.  I've seen the power of God move that which seemed impossible first hand.  The key is believing and not doubting.

Oh I hear you, "It can't happen today"  "God won't do that for me".  Really???  Where does it say that in the Bible?  My Bible reads that with God ALL things are possible, even moving mountains.  My Bible says God is for us, not against us.  My Bible says God has a plan for my good, not disaster.  My Bible says Bible says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  My Bible says God can move mountains.  Doesn't your Bible say the same thing?

Jesus Christ, my belief in Him has given me power through the Holy Spirit to believe in the impossible.  Because of Him I can speak to that mountain, that obstacle and say "Go jump in the lake" and believe that God will work it all out for my good and trust Him to move that obstacle in His timing, and it will happen.  Simple belief is what changes obstacles into missions and mountains into challenges.   

Lord, thank you for the obstacles and the mountains that have built up my faith and trust in you. Guide me through the mountainous times of my life, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

LEARNING HOW TO LISTEN

It may seem like an easy task, listening that is, but for many of us it is something that is difficult.  We talk and talk and talk until we're blue in the face.  We can keep talking until we need oxygen to recover, okay at least it seems like that.  Have you ever known someone who monopolizes conversations?  It's all about them.  Their opinion, their feelings, their accomplishments, their emotions, their experiences, and on and on and on and on.  Then when we finally do get a chance to talk, they interrupt us and stop us.   Either they have a better story or we're not telling it right so they feel it's right to interrupt us and continue telling the story their way.  Sound familiar?

As I think back on people I have known throughout my life, I have come across these people many times.  They never ask me about my life, they just talk just to hear themselves talk.  I think it must make them feel better about themselves or something.  It's frustrating, isn't it?  I don't know maybe these people don't even realize they're doing it?  Or how about the people who tell the same old story time after time, after time?  Oh I know how about the people who continually tell jokes upon jokes, upon jokes?  

Listen talking is all fine and well.  That's a way to get to know each other but when someone monopolizes the conversations, when someone interrupts because we're not telling the story right or they have a better one, that's just out right rude.  Isn't it?  Or am I being too critical here?  I totally understand that people like talking about themselves.  I totally understand that some people have a deep seeded need to talk.  I get it that some people's stories are amazing, BUT there has to be a time when that person just shuts up and listens.  Right?

Talk Shows!!!  Some of them have become absolutely ridiculous.  Okay I don't watch them that often, like maybe once in a blue moon, but recently I clicked on "The View".  I was blown away! (And that's an understatement!)  The rudeness and the audacity of some of the women on that show is sickening.  They talk over each other, hardly ever do they stop and listen, and God forbid someone have a different point of view.  They bash celebrities, politicians and recently nurses.  Now I'm not trying to get in a confrontation here, I using this show as a very sad example of the way some people talk.  What ever happened to listening?

James 1:19  Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:  You must all be quick to listen and slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Okay I really don't mean to sound angry because I'm not.  I just get frustrated and it is an issue God is trying point out to me, maybe about myself in certain circumstances, or maybe He wants me to point it out to you.  Oops!  Sorry I know that hurts, trust me it hurts me too.  We need to learn to listen more than we talk.  We need to shut our mouth, stop voicing our opinions, stop vocalizing our words and listen!  It seems a shame that we have to learn how to listen, but we do.  

Our days are so filled with noise, including our own mouths, that how can we ever hear from God if we're so busy talking?  How can we ever hear the wisdom of Jesus Christ if we're constantly using our mouth?  We have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason.  God created us with 2 ears to hear more than we speak.  We should listen twice as often as we speak.  We were hand crafted by God to listen and hear His voice and His word.  We can't hear a dang thing if we're barking orders or telling our story to anyone who would listen.  

Listen!  Yes listen!!  There are people out there who are hurting and broken.  There are people out there who's circumstances are 100 times worse than yours.  They just need someone to listen.  They may need a safe place to vent.  They may need a voice of wisdom from someone who has a personal relationship with God.  But how can we hear them if our ears are filled with our own words?    We can be the ears of Jesus Christ and we can be a living example of His unfailing love if we could just learn to be still and listen.

To be totally honest here, we can't even hear from God when we're so busy telling everyone about ourselves.  How often have we prayed to hear from God, but never sat still in silence to actually be able to hear from Him?  God needs us to listen for His still, small voice.  The whispers of God come quietly.  He will not yell and scream over our own voices.  To hear the whispers of God, we need to stop talking and just listen.  God has amazing wisdom and insight waiting for us, all we need to do is listen.  

Lord, give me a peace and stillness in which I can draw myself closer to you so I can hear you whispers.  Give me your ears to hear the cry of the lost and broken and help me keep a tight reign on my mouth, in Jesus name I pray, amen

EVERY LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM

The life of a price or princess in a castle is a dream many of us wish for.  To have servants ready to wait on us hand and foot.  To never have to clean a toilet or wash dishes or wash clothes is a fantasy. To be able to summon food and drink with a snap of a finger or a ring of a bell.  To have the finest clothes, to be dripping in jewels, to have furs and the finest of everything money can buy.  To have your own bedroom with your own bathroom, seems so awesome.  To have a servant run your bath for you every night.  To have all our dreams and fantasies become reality would be amazing. 

 As a little girl, I always imagined a prince riding up on a white horse carrying me off to his castle.  There is would have everything I ever dreamed of and I would never have to lift a finger to work.  The world would be at my beckon call and all the bullies who hurt me would be imprisoned (or worse.)   These silly childlike dreams kept me going through hard times.  These dreams help me cling to the thought that maybe it's possible.  Maybe someday my dreams will all come true.   

Well my dreams have come true, but not in the way I expected as a child.  Jerry didn't ride up on a white horse, actually it was a burgundy Camero.  He didn't carry me off to his castle, but he carried me away to dreams I didn't know I had.  I have a palace that is roughly 2,000 square feet.  It sits on a lake where geese squawk and squawk.  This reality is my dream come true.  Our 4 children, 3 son-in-laws, 4 (soon to be 5) grandchilren and 5 granddogs have almost completed my dreams.  (I'm just waiting for my son to find his dream girl.)  

Looking back at my childhood dreams and fantasies have made me realize that sometimes it's better to give up the palace in order to be home.  You see my palace is my home and I would never trade the life I have now to live in a palace.  My home makes me smile.  When everyone is here, it is crowded and noisy, but it is home.  My husband has worked extremely hard to provide what we have.    

Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value then the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  

Moses lived in Pharaoh's palace for most of his life before he discovered who he really was.  He had servants and maids at his beckon call.  Anytime day or night his servants waited on him.  He had everything money could buy.  Finest robes and linens, jewels, silver and gold, were all his.  He had women falling at his feet.  He was considered a prince of Egypt.  He had it all and then some!  He could have had the throne of Egypt.  He could have been Pharaoh.  

BUT!  He gave it all up when he discovered who he really was.  Could you imagine that?  Having the world at your fingertips and giving it all up?  Moses took a stand!  Moses accepted the reality of who he really was and stood up for his people.  He risked his life!  He gave up all the jewels, all the gold and silver, he gave up the servants and the maids.  No more fine linen or silk robes.  No more women falling at his feet.  No more easy life for Moses.  He went to work in the mud pits making bricks with the rest of the slaves.  He gave up the palace life and lifestyle to become a servant.

Sound familiar?  Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior gave up heaven and come down to Earth as a servant for us.  Jesus lived in the ultimate palace.  Remember the show  "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", well let me tell you, those luxury homes and yachts can not hold a candle to what heaven is like.  Jesus gave up the peace and comfort of heaven to serve His people.  He became like us.  He was tested and tried, beaten and scourged, He was whipped and spit upon.  Instead of living in the palace, He went through hell on Earth and died for you and I.

Why?  Because just like Moses loved his people and his family and was willing to leave the palace behind, Jesus loves us more than we can ever fully grasp.  He was willing to die a servants death so that we can, once again, have a relationship with our Heavenly Father.  He died in our place.  The punishment we deserve for our sins, He took instead.  He did it out of love.  He did it out of LOVE!  

Lord, give me the strength to live as a servant.  Help me grab a hold of the servant attitude of Moses and Jesus and bury it into every word, every thought and every action.  Help me to leave my comfort zone to reach a lost and broken world, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

LIVING IN DENIAL

Have you ever felt like you were living in a state of denial?  Come on now be honest here.  I know I have and I know I'm not the only one.  There are times in our lives we deny the truth about ourselves.  We deny the facts.  We deny the honest vision of ourselves that stares at us every morning from the mirror.  We see the truth, we hear it but we deny it.  We put our hands over our ears and whistle a merry little tune so we do not have to listen to the truth.  We turn the music up loud so we cannot hear the voice of truth.  We make up lies, we play the blame game, we downplay the truth because honestly, the truth may be too hard for us to face and deal with.  Sometimes the truth is so hard for us to hear, that denial is the only option.

I lived in a state of denial for many years.  I did not want to accept responsibility for my actions, my feelings, my emotions, my words or my attitude.  It was my circumstances, my past, my parents, my school, and even God's fault.  Nothing I did was my fault.  I was (and maybe still am) stubborn and bull headed.  I did no want to listen to correction and discipline.  I would not listen to those voices who told me I was wrong.  I denied my responsibility for myself.  How about you?

Denial exists in all of us.  We deny we have problems and issues caused by ourselves.  We deny our responsibility in situations that have rocked our world.  We deny the choices we made and downplay the reality.  We look in the mirror every morning as see the bags under our eyes from a restless nights sleep and we can't be honest with ourselves as to why we didn't sleep good.  We know the truth in our hearts, yet we are scared to death to admit it.  After all it's much easier to deny the truth than face the truth.

  We walk around this Earth depressed and angry at the world.  We live weak and pitiful lives always blaming others for our misfortunes, instead of looking in the mirror.  We whine and complain about our circumstances instead of embracing them and learning from them.  If we are not happy with our lives, it's someone else's fault.  We deny the reality staring at us in the mirror.  Oh and trust me, we are not the only ones who live in denial.  

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being

You see when I read this verse, it says clearly that we can have power through the Holy Spirit.  That's right, the Spirit of the living God dwells in us and yet so many churches in today's world deny that the Holy Spirit still gives us power today.   Church denominations deny the power of the Holy Spirit.  "That was for a time way back when, but not for today."   "The disciples needed it back then, we don't today."  Are you kidding me?

Listen I am not a scholar or a theologian, but I have read the Bible and I believe all of it, not just certain parts.  If the Bible tells me we have power through the Holy Spirit, then we do!  That's it!  Case closed!  At least for me.  I  don't know maybe you don't believe it.  After all speaking in tongues, prophesy, healing, wisdom....that's just so old school.  Listen that list I just gave is only a part of the gifts of that the Holy Spirit gives us.   We need to stop denying the truth  God has written for us in the Bible.  To deny any of these gifts is basically (at least to me) a slap in the face of God.  

Would you be shocked to hear someone speaking in tongues at your church?  Would you be blown away if someone spoke of God's healing power working through someone in your church to heal someone?  Would you walk out of church if someone prophesied over you?   Would you stop going to a church that spoke of the power of God living inside of you through the Holy Spirit?

 To deny the power of the Holy Spirit that is available to us today, is sad.  You are missing out on some of the most amazing God given gifts and talents.  The lessons and wisdom I have attained just by standing in front of my mirror and grabbing a hold of the truth about Holy Spirit is mind blowing.  He has transformed my life by me listening to the truth about myself and who God really is and the power He has given me through the Holy Spirit.  I will not live in denial any longer.  I have seen the power of the Holy Spirit working in my life and others lives.  I have seen healing and experienced people speaking in tongues.  Weird?  No!  Powerful!!!!

Lord help us to stop living in denial and claim the truth of your Holy Word.  Renew your Spirit in us and baptize us with the refining fire of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name I pray, amen  

    

COMPROMISE

Do you live in a state of compromise?  Do live a ho hum life with no excitement?  Do you ever feel like you never take a stand for what you believe in?  Do you give in too easily?  I know for many years I have lived in a state of compromise.  I never wanted to ruffle anyone's tail feathers, or get their panties in a twist, so I always just kept my mouth shut and kept my beliefs to myself.  I didn't want to offend anyone and I didn't want to stand up for what I knew was right.  I was afraid that if I stood up, it would end in an argument and I am a peace loving person, so I lived with compromise.

I would always tend to just go along with the crowd instead of saying, "No! That's not right."  Or "I'm sorry, I don't believe that."  Or "No!  I don't want to do that."  Am I the only one who has lived this way?  I know I'm not alone here.  Yes having peace is fine, but when it leads to compromise it isn't fine.  

For many years I kept my beliefs to myself.  People would voice their opinions, their beliefs and I would just keep silent.  Even if I knew what they were saying was wrong, I remained silent.  Living in a state of fear that I couldn't express what I wanted to say right, I would rather keep my mouth shut.  I didn't want to make a mistake, I didn't want to sound stupid, I didn't want to appear like a know it all.   I mean after all we all know people that are so opinionated we want to scream.  We all know people who don't know when to keep their mouth shut.  We all know people who don't know what they're talking about yet keep on yapping.  Right?

Compromise!  Lukewarm living!  To me they are the same thing.  We change our views and beliefs to fit in.  Our values and morals and our standards for behavior are lowered in order to be accepted.  As believers, we're saved just enough to make sure we're not going to hell, but not enough to stand up for our beliefs.  As believers, when we live with compromise we are basically telling Jesus, "Listen it was fine for you to take a stand, after all you're God in human form.  But me?  I can't!"  So what we're telling God is that the opinions of our family and friends matter more than Him.  Think about that for a moment, then read this verse.

Revelation 3:15-16 (The Message)  I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit.

Now do we really want to tell God that our family and friends opinions matter more than His?  Okay I'll be honest, there is no way in hell I want God to spue, vomit or spit me out of His mouth!!!  I do not want to compromise any longer.  I don't need to comprise.  If someone doesn't believe like I do, that's fine.  I will never get in anyone's face and shove my beliefs down their throat.  But I will voice my beliefs when it's called for.  I won't yell or point fingers or tell them their going to hell.  I will simply state my beliefs and live in love.

That being said, I want you to know that I am in love with Jesus Christ!  He is my everything!  He is my Lord and Savior!  God is depending on us believers to be His hands and feet on this Earth.  He needs us to be Jesus on the Earth today.   There are people who are hungry and thirsty, there are people who are searching for joy and peace, there are people who are longing to be loved and accepted.  If we're so busy compromising, they won't see Jesus.  They will see someone who says they believe in Jesus, yet compromise their morals and values.

Listen I know it may seem hard to stand up and be red, hot on fire for Jesus in  today's world.  I know it's risky to stop compromising and stop living a lukewarm lifestyle.  But God expects us to do just that.  He needs us to do that.  He needs us to be a voice to the lost, a city on a hill, a light in the darkness.  How can we do that if we compromise and hide our light under a bushel basket?  

Okay, honestly I will admit that I cannot do this in my own strength and my own power.  I need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in me and through me.  With Him working in and through me, I will know when to keep my mouth shut and when to open it.  He will help me with what to say and how to say it.  My confidence is not is my head knowledge or scripture knowledge.  My confidence lies in my Lord who gave me His Holy Spirit.  Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, I can know that lukewarm living is not for me, compromise is not in my vocabulary any longer.  I am red, hot in love with Jesus Christ!

Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit that resides in me.  May my words, thoughts and actions always bring you praise.  May I no longer live a compromising live style and no longer be lukewarm.  Lord I pray you never spue me out of your mouth, in Jesus name I pray, amen. 

BE AN OVERCOMER

As I live and breathe, this world is getting crazier by the second.  The news reports of what is going on around the world is overwhelming and confusing and disgusting.  Evil seems to be everywhere.  No matter what way we turn, it seems like the world has been taken over.  There has always been turmoil in this world, but it just seems so more extreme today, doesn't it?  Am I imagining it?  Or maybe I just really didn't pay attention to it as much.  

Shootings, war, bombs, mass murders, the news is just filled with this junk.  The world has become something scary.  But truthfully hasn't it always been?  Wars have been going on since the beginning of time.  In the distant past people were stoned to death or hung or worse.  I could list millions of ways that can testify that the past appeared worse than what's going on now.  Yet we don't stop to think about that because we are concentrating on the here and now.  

I could sit and cry a pool of tears, I could let the burden of what is going on continue to overwhelm me.  I could watch the news and live in a state of depression.  I could watch drama unfold on the TV screen and just want to runaway and hide on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere.  But that will never change what has happened and what is happening.  It's sad that so many of us live with such a burden for this world.  Our hearts and our health take the brunt of these burdens and weigh us down until we become broken and lost in what is happening.  Why? 

Why are we surprised at what has happened and what is happening?  Why do we live life so offended and so bitter?  Why do we live so depressed and in a state of despair?  Why do we allow this stuff to weigh us down?  Why do we burden ourselves with the world?  Can we change it?  Can we do anything to make it better?   Can we ever stop living offended when we see and hear what's happening?  Why do we act so surprised?

1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

As a believer, God has challenged me once again to stop looking and what is going on and trust in Him.  Worry, living life burdened and weighed down, depression, anxiety, hatred, anger and regrets are lies from our enemy.  He wants us to be drug down into a life filled with burdens and pain.  He wants us to continue to dwell on the condition of this world.  He wants us to live broken and lost in a sea of regrets and pain.  He wants us burdened with the weight of this world.

Are you kidding me?  We sit in churches every week, we listen to messages and homilies about Jesus's resurrection from the dead.  We read our Bibles about the saving grace of God and our promise of eternity when we believe in Jesus Christ.  We listen to Christian music that sings of God's amazing love.  But do we really pay attention to what we're reading and hearing?  I doubt it, because if we did, if we really did pay attention, we would not be living the way we are right now.

As a believer I need to bury the truth of this verse deep in my heart and my mind.  Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.    Do you get that?  Do I get that?  Not really.  I have read over this for years, I heard this preached about and talked about for years, but for the first time I really get it!  Let me explain....

We live in a broken and fallen world full of sin and brokenness.  The enemy rules this world, but we believers are not of this world (at least we shouldn't be).   We need to realize that Jesus has already overcome this world and won for us!  The Holy Spirit of the living God dwells in you and I.  That me we are already overcomers.   We have overcome this world by the blood of Jesus Christ.  What we need to do is pray for this world and do our best to be examples of Jesus Christ wherever we go and to whoever we meet. 

The greater one, who is not of this world, lives in me! 

Lord thank you for overcoming this world for me.  Thank you that I do not have to live in this world as it is now, because you live in me and have already fought the battle for me.  You are greater than the one who lives in this world, help me to live in the promise of eternity, in Jesus name I pray, amen

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

This question will invoke a lot of different answers and truthfully it is one of those questions we don't often ask ourselves.  So I'm asking it, what do you believe in?  Do you believe God created the world?  Do you believe Jesus Christ is real?  Do you believe the Bible is 100% accurate?  Do you believe you are a good person?  What do you believe?   I could go on and on with questions asking millions of questions about what we believe, but I'm not writing this for a debate on religion or politics or world view, I want to discuss what you believe about yourself and who you are.

Yes, I have covered this topic before but this time I want to challenge us to dig deeper than ever before.  I have talked about how powerful words are and they can crush us or lift us up.  I got some people who seem to be "religious" who said words should not hurt us, we need to drown out the voices of others, but it's not always that easy.  Growing up with people telling you how bad you are, calling you names or laughing at you, does not make it easy to shut out the voices of the past.  It hurts!  It's real!  

We have an enemy who loves to bring up the past.  He reminds us of every hurtful thing everyone ever told us, he brings back memories of the bully who harassed us all through school, he points out every wrong that was ever done to us.  He wants to destroy us through others words, and so often we allow him to.  We listen to the past and it begins to seep into our mind to the point that those past words can change our destiny if we let them define us.  Listen I know words hurt, I have experienced it first hand.  for way too many years I let those words define me and influence my destiny.  I am here to tell you today that those words cannot define you, they cannot change your destiny, unless you allow them too.  Okay here goes nothing....

YOU ARE NOT WHO OTHERS SAY YOU ARE!

YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE!

YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE & HE SAYS YOU ARE HIS MASTERPIECE!!

Ephesians 2:10  For we are God’s MASTERPIECE. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

For way too long we have allowed the past and what others say about us to define who we are, but no more!  We are God's MASTERPIECE!  A work of art in progress.  We are not where we need to be, but thank God we're not where we used to be.  We have to allow God to tell us who we are, not others.  God created us.  He formed us in our mother's womb.  God does not make junk!  God does not make mistakes!  God created you!  You were hand made by the creator of the universe.  

 God's word defines you perfectly.  Believe what God says about who you are.  Cling to His truth.  The Bible is full of amazing truths about who we really are through the eyes of our creator.  

Are you still filled with doubts about who to listen to as to who you really are?  Okay let me ask this question, if you want to find out how a computer works, would you rather go a person who make the computer or would you go to some random person on the street and ask for help?  You would go to the guy who created the computer right?  Than why would you believe what you or someone else says about you?  You didn't create you so how can you listen to what you say about yourself?  There is no one else who created you, so why are you listening to what they say about you?

The only one who can tell you who you truly are and how valuable you are is the one who created you, God!  Dive into His word to discover who you really are and what He says about you!

Lord, close my ears to what others say about me and help me to shut my mouth about what I say about myself.  Help me cling to your word and what you about me, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

STICKS AND STONE CAN BREAK US, BUT SO DO WORDS

In our lifetime we use words every single minute of every single day of our life.  Words is how we communicate to each other, whether we are speaking our words or typing our words, or texting our words.  Without words, our world becomes silent and lonely.  Words speak about our feelings, or dreams, and our regrets.  Words speak about our past, our present and our future.  Words speak life or death.

Now I know I write a lot about words, but I don't think we understand how important our words are.  Not only to others we speak with but also the words we speak to ourselves.  How often do we talk about how dumb we are?  How often do we look in the mirror and tell ourselves how ugly we look?  How often do we hope on a scale and tell ourselves how fat we are?  I'm being deadly serious here.   Words are important, even words we speak about ourselves.

When we are physically sick or in pain, we take medicine right?  We either go to our local pharmacy and get  the right medicine for our illness or we go see a doctor and get the proper prescription to heal us, right?   Well, what if I tell you that words can be medicine.  Would you believe me?  Words can be medicine.  Words can heal a broken heart or a wounded soul.  Words can sooth the pain of loss.  Words can lift a spirit higher.  Words can bring a smile to a face.  Words can encourage someone.  Words can change a person's life and destiny.

Think about for a moment.  Was there a time when you felt totally depressed? Than heard a song on the radio that made you feel better.  It wasn't the beat from the music, it was the words.  How about a time when you felt scared?  Suddenly someone was there to take your hand and tell you "it'll be okay".  It wasn't just the hand that made you feel safe, it was the words.  How about a time you were angry?  There was someone who could calm you down with a soothing word to calm your last nerve.  Am I right?  I have experienced this first hand.  My emotions and feelings can seem totally out of control when suddenly a simple set of words from someone who cares, can calm me and bring me back to reality.

Proverbs 18:21  The tongue has the power of life and death,
    and those who love it will eat its fruit.

How are we using our words?  Take an honest evaluation of ourselves and the words we speak.  Do they speak life or death?  Whether we are speaking with others or ourselves, words are important.  Words hurt!  Words can crush us!  Words have power!  Words can bring life and healing!  

I honestly think that if some of us lived by the old saying "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say nothing at all", many of us wouldn't be talking.  Silence would indeed be golden in the case of many of us who do not know how to zip our lips!  Our opinions, our beliefs and our words are shoved down people's throats in a manner that is disgusting and revolting.  Our words posted on Facebook, for all the word to read can lead to bullying and even suicides.  Why?  Why do we use our words to hurt people?  Does is make us feel better about ourselves?  Does it make us right?  Does it make us look better to our friends? 

Words are weapons that can pierce someone's heart.  So instead of using our words to hurt people, instead of using our words to hurt ourselves, lets begin using our words to encourage people, to bring healing, to ring life!  If you had to eat your own words, how would they taste to you?  Would they be bitter?  Or would they be sweet?  How about we stop and think before we speak?  Let our words be a blessing.  Let's transform lives with our words of encouragement.  

"You are beautiful, a masterpiece of God Himself"  "You are the righteousness of God in Christ"  "You are fearfully and wonderfully made."  "You are a friend of God"  "You are stronger than you think"  

Lord, let us always use our words to bring life and healing.  Lord help us keep a tight reign on our tongues so that every word we use brings you glory, in Jesus name I pray, amen.