Numbers 13:30-32 2/7/2017*

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored."

Are you a Caleb,  or one of the guys that went with him? 

Both saw the same thing, but came back with very different recommendations. 

Not only did the men give a negative public report,  they also privately campaigned against God's plan to take the land because they were afraid of the challenge. In their fear, they ignored what God commanded,  and chose what was safe. They focused on the power of the enemy... Caleb focused on the power of God.

Caleb publicly stood on God's plan.  He did not take a position that allowed him to "save face" in case of failure.  He boldly put all his eggs in one basket and trusted God to be faithful. 

The world needs more "Calebs"...more courageous men of action.  We need men not afraid to take God at His word and do something about it.   It is not hard to choose inaction, and safety. But inaction and safety never accomplished anything great. 

This week let's be recklessly faithful.  Let's follow God no matter the cost.  No second guessing... no whispering doubts to the crowd...no excuses....just men of action, boldly living out our faith.  

Today there are more than enough cowards...we need more "Calebs"

"Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it."
Albert Camus

Philippians 4:4 1/31/2017*

Philippians 4:4  "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice"

We often think of Joy as something we experience when things go well...this verse says  that it is something we choose.

Paul is telling the Philippians that attitude matters, and attitude is a choice.

In this world everyone has struggles. Some, more than others, but each morning there is a list of blessings...and a list of things that break your heart...you have to choose the list on which you focus.

This verse ... twice....says to choose joy...and tells you where to find it.

If you set your gaze on Christ, joy happens.  If you wake up every morning amazed that God loves you, and redeemed you, joy will be your default emotion.  Don't confuse joy with happiness...Joy is deeper, stronger, and does not depend on circumstances.  Joy is present even in seasons of sadness.

Rejoicing is important because it is where we, as Christians, get power.  "...the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10).  It can transform you from a weak tentative christian, into a powerful soldier of Christ...and the transformation begins when you choose to rejoice in the Lord.

Change your focus.

Reject self pity... choose joy...immerse yourself in the love of your Father...let your heart soak in the implications of being a child of God.  Take your eyes off the storm, and gaze intently into the eyes of the Creator.

He loves you so much, He gave His Son to save you...and he will not abandon what He paid so high a price to redeem.  Stand on that fact, and choose joy.

"Joy is the serious business of Heaven."
- C. S. Lewis

James 1:22-24 1/24/2017*

James 1:22-24  "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

If you go to the gym and talk to your trainer, then go home, ...will there be any improvement in your physical health?... of course not.

The same is true spiritually.  You can go to church, or read your bible everyday, but if you think just listening will change you - you are deceiving yourself.

You are like someone who looks in a mirror but doesn't fix anything. You walk away and nothing changes ... you haven't combed your hair or fixed your face - and once you're gone you don't even remember what needs to be done.

The phrase "deceives yourselves" is not a reprimand, it shows pity for the one deceived ... not so much a hypocrite, but someone who mistakenly thinks they're improving.

When you read scripture, look closely.  Fix what needs to be fixed.  Take action based on what you see.  Make changes in your life predicated on what the Word of God says needs to change.

Sometimes we walk a rough road and it feels like we are not progressing ... but our aim has to be growth and improvement.  In a world of empty promises, this is the one thing you can count on ... The Word of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit can change you ... truly permanently change you.

There are days we will stumble, and  there is blood on a cross to cover that ...but it must be our goal to walk in the light of God's Word, let it impact us, and make us a little more like Him each day.

This week read the Word ... but read it slowly ... study it ... create a plan to implement it ... and then do what it says.

“Philosophy without action is the ruin of the soul. One brave deed is worth a hundred books, a thousand theories, a million words"
― Edward Abbey

1 Timothy 4:16 1/17/2017*

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers"

People don't usually mind talking about Jesus until you start talking about what He said.

The fact that He said He was God.  The fact that He called much of what some people think is acceptable, today "Sin". The fact that He said we will perish for eternity without His sacrifice.
..That is where the rub begins, and that is called Doctrine.

This verse says doctrine matters.

Yes, as Christians we will be identified by our love.  But love is not always easy.  Sometimes you have to love enough to offend.

If you won't speak the truth because it is offensive -  you have become a doctor with a life saving injection who refuse to injure the patient with the needle.  Those who hear you will be very comforted as they continue down their path of destruction.

Speak the truth in love.  But if it's not the truth, it can't be love.

This scripture says that doctrine saves you...and those who hear you.  Make sure you get it right...and make sure you live a life that makes your words substantial enough to be heard. Persevere in these two areas.  You won't accidentally get them right.

Commit to knowing the Word, and commit to speaking, and walking in it's truth...it will impact your life, and the life of anyone who listens to you.

"Christ's riches are unsearchable, and the doctrine of the gospel is the field this treasure is hidden in." -  Thomas Goodwin

Matthew 6:9 1/10/2017*

"Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"

When is the last time you began a prayer by focusing on how "hallowed" God's name  is?
Hallowed means holy, sacred, blessed, divine, revered.
Jesus says we should approach our Father with those words in mind.

Next we need to realize that God knows what needs to happen in our situation.  And our desire must be to want what He wants.

In other words we acknowledge who He is, and trust Him completely

Sometimes our prayers sound like we are talking to a short order cook.  We rattle off our list of demands as we run out the door to start the day.  We tell Him what we want as though He works for us... and the only time we remember our prayers is, if we think He didn't answer them.

According to Jesus that is not how we are supposed to pray...no wonder our prayer life is anemic...
We are doing it wrong.

This week let's do it right.

Make prayer a priority.  Many times the disciples had to go find Jesus because He had slipped away to pray.  Find a time and a place to be alone and still before God.

Begin your prayer with the realization that you have the honor of entering the presence of The Almighty. Acknowledge that you need His wisdom and direction... and then like a child who is speaking to his father,  make your request known.

Keep in mind that God loves you beyond your ability to understand. And because of that, the middle of His will, is the safest place you can be.

He has told us to pray, and He has said that prayer changes things. So since Jesus took the time to give us a "prayer pattern"...let's follow it, and be amazed at what He does.

"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing."
Martin Luther

Matthew 5:44 1/3/2017*

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven"

Who do you think of when you read the word "enemies"?  

Can you imagine the freedom that would come in loving them?  Not just forgiving them, not just ceasing to be angry, but actually loving them.  Imagine the garbage that would be flushed from your heart if you really prayed for them...Prayer purifies...you can't lie to God... You will feel the sludge of animosity breaking free in your heart if you honestly pray.

This is not a proverb, or a illustration...it is a command straight from the mouth of Christ.  Do we take it seriously?  

"Love your enemy"...it's not about church attendance, how much you give, the length of your quiet times...."LOVE YOUR ENEMY".  That is what we have to do if we want to look like our Dad ... after all that is what He did for us. 

So who came to mind as an enemy?....What are you going to do about it?

Decide to obey.  

Choose to love them.  Get on your knees today and pray for them.  Do something nice for them ... call them ... but whatever you have against them - forget it.  Do what God did for you and wipe their slate clean and see them through His eyes, as valuable and lovable. 

Aren't you tired of carrying the load of anger and bitterness ...  Empathize with them.  Find a way to care about their story.  

Loving them will set you free...set them free...and it will create in you a family resemblance that allows the world to recognize you as a Christian.

.. And that will draw more to Christ than the finest sermon. 

"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"
Abraham Lincoln

Mark 9: 28-29 James 5:16 12/27/2016

"After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”

This is a critical truth to begin a new year...  To be powerful, you must learn to pray.

The Disciples had been casting out demons and healing people successfully, until they met this boy. Then they learned that some demons are harder to deal with than others... there are degrees of maliciousness to sin.

They encountered a demon that had been with the boy for a very long time.  It controlled him, endangered him, it even tried to kill him .... and those who loved him, could do nothing. 

That situation sounds familiar to all of us.  We have all had circumstances like this in our lives, and the lives of those we love.  Jesus was clear...learn to pray!

But when Jesus says pray, He is not referring to the "now I lay me down to sleep" type prayer,  He is referring to the  "in the garden of Gethsemane, bleeding because of the intensity" type prayer.  He is talking about falling in front of God in faith, and calling out for His help, with no intention of stopping until something happens.  It is powerful, exhilarating, and exhausting.

When Christians kneel we are going to DEFCON 1... we are putting in the nuclear codes, and there is no plan for retreat.  There is no plan B. When all else fails, even what has worked in the past...when it seems you have no hope for the fight ahead.... remember these words... “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”...so commit to prayer.

When we get to Heaven the names of those who changed the world will not be those we expect.
It will be the grandmothers, and grandfathers...the solitary people with calluses on their knees that swayed the battles here on earth. These are the quiet soldiers whose prayers broke the chains of countless prisoners. Enlist ... become a prayer warrior and help those you love go free.

This year can be different if we learn to pray.

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
- God
James 5:16

John 19:30 12/20/2016*9*

 “…Jesus said “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.”

We discussed this verse last Easter, but it deserves consideration at Christmas. 
What was finished at Calvary, began 33 years earlier in Jerusalem. What Christ finished on the Cross, God had begun in a manger.  

In November of 1992 my first child was born.  That December was the first time I understood Christmas.  It was the first time I got an inkling of what we celebrate.  Holding my son in my arms made God's gift seem incomprehensible, and I began to see Christmas in a new light. There was no joy in Heaven that first Christmas…That was the deployment of a rescue mission ...the joy came at Easter when it was finished. 

This Christmas season we need to consider the agonizing, choice an all-knowing God made for us.

Beginning the process of redemption, knowing full well, it would end at the Cross is an act of unequaled love.  Joy to the world, was heartbreak to the Father...if you ever questioned your value in God's eyes, Christmas is His answer.

This holiday season, fall to your knees and worship a God who on that first Christmas, knowing the cost, chose to give His only begotten son … whom He loves…so you and I would not perish but live with Him forever.  What an amazing God…what amazing grace.

That was the “good news of great joy” the angels proclaimed
… and it is the only Christmas gift that matters.

"The difference between Christianity and other religions. Is the difference between Works and Grace, or Do and Done."
Rick Warren

Luke 5:18-20 12/13/2016

"Just then, some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus, but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."

Do you have friends like that?...more importantly, are you that kind of friend?  

Are you willing to damage property, interrupt a meeting, and risk public ridicule, to get your friend in front of Jesus? ... We can't carry people to Jesus on a mat today,  but we can put them there by getting on our knees.  Are your prayers placing your friends "in front of Jesus"?

Scripture doesn't record it, but when they lowered their buddy, I bet Jesus looked up at their faces staring down from the hole in the ceiling, and smiled and gave them a wink.  I believe that, because the next verse says "When Jesus saw their faith, He said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.'” ... "   Did you notice it said "THEIR faith", not only the paralyzed man's faith, but that of his friends as well. 

That elevates the importance of friendship to a new level.   Social media has minimized the word "friend" but these verses makes being a friend serious business.  It means if you have friends who are struggling with physical, spiritual, or emotional paralysis ... your faith can play a part in Jesus telling them to get up and walk.

It will impact you as well...the paralytic was not the only one whose life was changed that day. 

This holiday season more people need friends than gifts. And if you're going to be a friend, be one like these guys.  

Be the friend that says "Hey, what if we dug a hole in the roof ? ..." Be the friend willing to do whatever it takes.  Be a prayer warrior for your buddies.  Let the people you love, know they are more important than your schedule, your reputation, or your list of things to do today.

True friends are life altering ...  Love big, pray hard, and do something extravagant for someone ... it will change their life, and it will also change yours. 

"Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Matthew 13:7 Matthew 13:22 12/6/2016

Matthew 13:7 - "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants."

Since Jesus is teaching about the impact the Word of God has in our lives, we should ask what He means by thorns that render it ineffective.

The Apostles had the same question, so a few verses later Jesus explains.  "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22 ) 

So the obvious question is, what thorns do you allow in your garden?...Apparently they fall into two categories....worries about problems...and confidence that your wealth can solve those problems. Both distract from God, and choke the work you are doing for His Kingdom.

Both of these types of thorns destroy by stealing nutrients, and they share a common trait... they take the focus off of God and put it squarely on you.  Lack of confidence, and over confidence, are two sides of the same coin called self-centeredness.  Whether you are wrapped up in your ability, or your inability to control your life  -  the results are  the same.

The problem with thorns and weeds is that they multiply if they are not removed. 

This week evaluate your garden.  What is taking your focus off of God?  What is stealing nutrients from your walk with Christ?  Is there anything you tolerate in your heart that moves the spotlight from Jesus, to you?...If there is - rip it out by the roots. 

Be intentional about what is planted in your heart, and militant about what you allow to grow there.  If it doesn't put your eyes on Christ, it is a "thorn".  It is choking the power of your faith and making it ineffective...eliminate it.

"Satan is not fighting churches; he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up wheat.". - Vance Havner