Old Blog

06 June 2008 05:00 GMT
God want us to live in the now. Condemnation seeks to use the failures of our past to rob of us of our effectiveness in the "now," while fear and anxiety attempt to use the future to rob of us "now." We are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy, so we choose to serve God joyfully now!!!

03 June 2008 23:30 GMT
I did not start the year out well spiritually. I was overwhelmed at work, and I allowed myself to become spiritually undisciplined. Over the past few weeks I have improved.
About three weeks ago, Cathe and I drove into north Georgia to take care of a couple of errands. We listened to some good teaching while we were driving. Our faith was growing and the teaching was exciting. Then a thought hit my mind. "It would have been nice if you had been this excited over the past few months. Briefly, I entertained that thought and began to feel the condemnation it produced. Quickly, I sensed the displeasure of the Holy Spirit. No, not displeasure at my slothfulness earlier in the year, but displeasure at entertaining the thought of condemnation that was clearly from the enemy. I quickly repented of that condemnation and returned to rejoicing in the Lord.
Condemnation afflicts, stymies, and even cripples many believers spiritually. Often, it is an effective tool of Satan. But, the Word of God is clear. Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirt's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:1-2 Holman Christian Standard Bible)
God does not condemn you. As you repent of your sin, God chooses to remember it no more.
God created time for his purpose during this age. However, I believe that we live more in the light of eternity than we realize. The only moment we truly ever have to please and obey God is "now." When tomorrow comes it will be "now." We can commit to serve God in the future, but your only opportunity to please God is always in the now.
Do you see now the purpose of condemnation? Satan desires to steal "now" from you by causing you to focus on the past. He knows your only opportunity to serve God is always "now." If he can cloud your "now" with the images of sin, weakness, and failure from your past, then you will continue to be powerless in the kingdom of God.
The past is gone. You cannot change it. Repent, receive the cleansing of the blood of Jesus, and "let it go" walking joyfully in obedience to God.
Now is the time to joyfully serve our God!!!

27 May 2008 02:00 GMT
Over the years I have noticed that many believers are frustrated. They do not seem happy with themselves or with their churches. They often seem concerned, or even preoccupied, about "their ministry." Some cause division in their local church, while others hop from one church to another.
Here is what I see. You have no ministry until you have been faithful to the ministry of prayer. Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us.

27 May 2008 00:30 GMT
On a recent Friday morning I was in the park for a few minutes before I went to work. While there I began to have a burden to pray in the Spirit. I had dealt with several "burdens to pray" in the preceding days, so I wondered if this burden was related to one of those issues, or if it was something new. I realized with the help of the Holy Spirit it was a fresh burden to pray, and I heard these words from the Holy Spirit, "There is a lot going on."
It is obvious from the news that there is a lot of tragedy and hardship going on in the world. More importantly, God is moving in the realm of his kingdom to manifest his power and glory in this earth in an unprededented manner.
When God wants to do something in the earth he always looks for people. He chooses to move through the prayers and obedience of his people. We have missed a lot that God has wanted to do because we were not sensitive to the moving of his Spirit.
But, these are busy days in the kingdom of God and I believe the word of the Lord to the church is "ALL HANDS ON DECK." He is looking for the availability of ALL his people especially in the areas of prayer and intercession.
Life is busy, but make an effort to be more sensitive and available to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in this hour. The reward will be great for those who make themselves available to the Master in this hour.

30 March 2008 23:00 GMT
I learned an important lesson many years ago. God is NOT my problem. If I don't understand what is going in my life, I seek God with the understanding the problem is not with him. He is for me not against me.
Often believers will blame God for their circumstances. In most cases your circumstances are the results of your past words and actions. You are reaping what you have sown.
This week I heard a story which illustrates the faulty thinking of those who blame God for their circumstances. I heard a preacher tell of a little boy who over time saw various fire trucks at the location of a fire. After a while he asked his dad, "Dad, why do those big red trucks go around town setting fires?"
The little boy was mistaken. The fire trucks were not the problem, rather the solution. God is not setting the fires in your life. He doesn't need to do so. We set enough fires on our own. He wants to help put those fires out and lead us into the abundance of his life, peace and prosperity.

01 April 2007 22:00 GMT
As our pastor preached this morning on the topic of worship, I ran across the verse of Scripture below.
During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the Lord. The Lord said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." (II Samuel 21:1)
Initially, I was encouraged that it took this great man of God three years to figure out that he needed to seek God for the reason for the famine. Often I have taken too long to seek God.
But, as I thought more about this verse I realized how much the truth of this verse relates to the church today. In the first month of the famine, David could have decided to seek God. He could have sought God after one year of famine, or after two years of famine. Or, David could have endured five or ten years of famine before seeking God. David was wise enough to eventually seek God, and receive revelation from God on the reason for the famine, and he took steps to correct the problem.
The main point I see is that the revelation related to this famine was available for David to receive at any point. Actually, he could have sought God before the famine to see if there were any consequences of sin that needed attention. I am certainly not knocking David. He did seek God, and he sought God more quickly than most in the church would have.
But, today let's learn from this situation. What famines in life have we tolerated far too long? Seek God. Worship God. He has the revelation needed to deliver us from any famine in life. I believe there is an abundance of revelation that God has for each of us and he is waiting for us to seek him. He is more than willing to help us, but he requires that we make a priority out of coming into his presence to seek his counsel.
Seek God and receive the revelation to end the famines in your life, and family, and ministry.

11 March 2007 05:30 GMT
The writer of Hebrews asks a question in the last verse of chapter one. Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14 NIV)
Chapter one of Hebrews begins with the writer speaking of the preminence of Jesus Christ who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. The writer emphasizes that Jesus is greater than the angels. His point is not to diminish angels, but rather to exalt Jesus who is the Lord of glory.
In reading verse fourteen the other day I saw something I had not seen before. ALL angels are ministering spirits who are SENT to minister to the heirs of salvation. I knew that angels are active in helping the church. Psalm 91 mentions that God gives his angels charge concerning us to guard us in all of our ways. But, never had I noticed that God assigned the entire angelic force to minister on behalf of his church.
God is commmitted to our success. Not only did he create us, but he also created angels to minister to and to support his church.
That sounds like good news to me!!!

04 March 2007 05:00 GMT
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Revelation 3:7-8 NIV Bold my emphasis)
At the beginning of this year, our pastor spoke by the Spirit of God about 2007 being a year in which God would open doors that no man could shut, and that God would shut doors that then no man could open. Later that month I heard a prophetic word from Kenneth Copeland in which the Spirit of God spoke that 2007 is the year of the open door. (Copeland Prophecy)
These are exciting days to live. I purpose in this year of 2007 to walk through the open doors that God has set before me. This is a year to walk in great expectation of that which God will do.

25 December 2006 23:00 GMT
Today is the day we choose to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We do not know the exact day of his birth, but his birth is of such great significance it is important that we take a day to celebrate.
Today as we gathered to celebrate his birth, I was impressed to share Psalm 91. This is a great psalm of the promise of God's protection for his children who walk in covenant with him.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."
Jesus in his earthly ministry walked in divine protection. Obviously, Satan wanted to kill Jesus. King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus. Joseph was directed by the Spirit of God in a dream to take the child to Egypt. When the Spirit of God directed Joseph to bring Jesus back to Israel, he was directed in a dream to take him to Nazareth. The Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus during his earthly ministry, but they could not. At one time they took him to edge of the cliff to push him over. But, Jesus walked through them. They could not kill Jesus because he walked in obedience to God.
It is no different with us today. As we walk in obedience to God, Satan cannot harm us either. The apostle John said, We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. (I John 5:18 NIV)
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us celebrate the redemption that Jesus obtained for us. We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness. We are free from the power and influence of the evil one as we walk in obedience to the Word of God.
Truly, the news of the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is good tidings of great joy. The Saviour of the world was born in Bethlehem, but he is no longer a baby. He is the resurrected Lord of Glory and to him belongs eternal praise!!
Merry Christmas!!

15 December 2006 23:00 GMT
Today my wife and I are in New York City on our 27th wedding anniversary. She is a woman of grace to be married to me for that long.
New York City is such an interesting city. There are people here from seemingly everywhere. On the streets you hear so many different languages spoken. Sometimes in New York City, I see a person out in public who may look like a normal "American" and then he or she opens their mouth and they begin speaking in a language I do not know.
God loves people. We know the message of John 3:16 that God loved the people of this world so much that he sent Jesus here to die for our sins.
Last night at the airport we saw, what appeared to be the good looking "all American" family welcoming their daughter home. They were happy and rode off in a stretch limousine.
Today on the bus I heard three teenaged girls talking about pregnancy, abortion, and other related issues. It appeared that one of the young girls either was pregnant, or thought she might be pregnant.
Then, at lunch, Cathe and I saw a young woman sitting with two men in a restaurant. They were well dressed and seemed to be part of the "in" crowd. Cathe thought she looked familiar. Perhaps it was someone from the entertainment world, but we do not know for sure.
After lunch we went to Macy's. Outside the store, and inside the store the scene was one of almost bedlam with huge crowds of people moving about the responsibilities of their daily lives.
All of these people have one thing in common. Every person needs Jesus. Whether you are part of an all American family, a trouble teenager, or someone who is part of the "in" crowd, or just a lonely face in a huge crowd, you still need a personal relationship with the King of glory.
Last night the Holy Spirit quickened a verse of Scripture to me. Luke 6:37, "Be mericiful, just as your Father is merciful."
It is a hard world we live in and people are in need of mercy. They are in need of the love of God. Let's purpose to obey the words of Jesus to show forth the mercy of God to the people around for whom Jesus died. He has shown mercy to us, let's share that mercy one person at a time. If we all do our parts, then the whole crowd will soon come to know of the mercy of a gracious and loving heavenly Father.

09 September 2006 19:30 GMT
Believers should not worry. That is a clear teaching in the Scriptures. Paul said, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Anxiety, worry, and fear will attack every believer, however, we must not allow ourselves to wallow in worry. Every believer must deal with worry, but to persist in a lifestyle of worry is like spitting in the face of God. The believer who persists in worry is saying to God, "God, I don't believe that you are big enough to handle my problems, so I feel like I need to try and help you out."
Don't spit in the face of God. Don't persist in worry. Allow God's peace to permeate your being and to guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

03 September 2006 01:00 GMT
I believe the Word of God teaches that the church is supposed to rule and to reign in this life through Jesus Christ. God delegated authority to Adam. Through sin, man let go of that authority, but the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has restored that authority to the church through the blood of the covenant.
When it comes to the weather, my understanding of our authority is limited. I do know that Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. I know there was a time in Israel when it did not rain except at the word of Elijah.
When a hurricane forms, some believers begin to rebuke it. In spite of all the rebukes, the Gulf Coast of the United States has sustained several hits from major hurricanes the past couple of years. I don't mock those who rebuked, but it is obvious their rebukes were not fully effective. Perhaps the storms would have been worse without the rebukes, but it is clear that human suffering has been great in several areas along the Gulf Coast the past couple of years.
A week ago Friday when Tropical Storm Ernesto formed, I had a very ominous feeling on the inside about that storm. I had the feeling that this storm could be yet one more that would cause significant damage and pain. The storm was initially forecast to move toward the Gulf Coast and hit as a category 3 hurricane. I knew I did not have the faith to effectively rebuke the storm, so I began to pray for God's mercy and grace in this situation.
Last Sunday morning I was impressed by the Holy Spirit to begin to intercede in tongues regarding the storm. That burden of prayer persisted until Tuesday afternoon. During that time the storm kept veering to the right of the forecast path. Like a magnet it was drawn to the mountains of southwestern Haiti. Mountains are a devastating disruption to the circulation of developing tropical systems. Then like a magnet, the storm was drawn to the mountains of eastern Cuba prompting further problems for the storm.
A couple of years ago over 3,000 Haitians lost their lives when a tropical systems dumped rain on the deforested mountains. Even though Ernesto was relatively weak, some feared that hundreds would die in Haiti. The last report I saw indicated the death toll in Haiti from Ernesto was two, and no deaths were reported in Cuba or the Dominican Republic.
As Ernesto moved out of Cuba with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center expected Ernesto to strengthen, and possibly become a hurricane before landfall. Ernesto did not strengthen. In one of their official statements shortly before Ernesto made landfall in Florida, a National Hurricane Center forecaster indicated that they were puzzled why Ernesto had not strengthened. The next morning, Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center said that as a home owner he was very happy that Ernesto did not strengthen, however, as a forecaster, he was very unhappy with their performance.
This is what I believe. Satan intended for Ernesto to hit the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane. However, the Holy Spirit raised up an army to intercede, and through the intercession of the church, Ernesto fizzled and caused relatively little damage. In the end, Ernesto never even reached the Gulf of Mexico.
I am thankful that the Holy Spirit allowed me to be a part of that intercessory team. It was not my prayer, rather it was the combined prayer of the church exercising the authority available through the blood of the covenant.

27 August 2006 23:30 GMT
Here are the practical guidelines for giving a prophetic word.

Will the word build up and encourage the recipient? In the body of Christ, our primary focus is to encourage and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. Correction and rebuke should be left to leadership. Paul said, But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (I Corinthians 14:4 NIV)
If you believe that God has given you a word of correction for another believer, then submit that word to your pastor or to one of the leaders in your church. Your focus should always be to strengthen, to encourage, and to comfort with any prophetic revelation given to you by the Holy Spirit.

Don't circumvent the chain of spiritual authority. There is safety in submission to spiritual authority. It never hurts to submit your prophetic revelation to someone in spiritual authority. This is especially true when a man has a prophetic word for a child and especially for female. Men, if you think you have a prophetic word for a man's wife, then go to her husband and share with him what you sense God is saying. If you think you have a prophetic word for a child, or a teenager, go to that child's father with the revelation that you have. It is especially critical to use the proper chain of spiritual authority, if you receive any prophetic revelation for a young woman. Don't give the enemy an opportunity to misconstrue your motives.
Some might consider this guideline bondage. It is not bondage, but it is part of our freedom and safety in Christ Jesus. Paul said, But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. In addition, watch your attitude. You are not the only person through whom God can speak. I believe that God gave me prophetic revelation of encouragement for one particular young woman. Twice I contacted her father via e-mail to offer to share in a proper setting the revelation that I had. Both times this man chose to ignore my e-mail. Obviously, his lack of response was not an encouragement to me. It caused me to feel that either he thinks my motives were less than pure, or he has little confidence in me. I was tempted to be upset. In the end God gave me the grace to take the appropriate posture. Knowing that God is fully capable of sharing the same revelation with another believer, I prayed for her in the following way: "Lord, if she needs to hear anything that I believe that you have given me, please speak it to her either directly, or through someone else in the body of Christ who her parents respect." We MUST always walk in the love of God.

Just because God gives you revelation regarding someone doesn't always mean you should share what you have seen or heard. Sometimes God will give us revelation regarding a person so we can intercede more effectively. Intercession is a vital ministry in the church. Be willing to pray and not to speak. God will use the believer to speak for him, who is willing to be quiet for him.

Also, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit regarding the timing of delivering a prophetic word, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit about how much is appropriate to share. Timing is critical in life. Sometimes I have waited for months before sharing some revelation. Let that word settle and grow in you until you have the peace of God that the time is right to share the word.
Recently, the Holy Spirit showed me some things regarding a person. As I prayed about the appropriate manner to share the revelation, I felt that it was too much to share. The person involved was not familiar with this type of ministry. I reached the point that I decided not to share anything at all. I want to be a blessing and not overwhelm someone with too much. But the Holy Spirit gave me wisdom. He used the analogy of a loaf of bread. He gave me a loaf of revelation regarding this person. If I delivered the whole loaf, this person would choke on it. It would have been too much. Rather, the Holy Spirit led me to slice a piece of bread from the loaf and share just part of what I had seen and heard. I did so, and it produced great blessing. Perhaps, in the future the Holy Spirit will open the door to share more, but for now, a slice was the appropriate portion.

Don't be a spiritual voyeur. Don't press the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the weaknesses and sins of another. Remember, our job is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort. God is fully capable of revealing the sin of another, but that is for those who are in spiritual authority over a person. God will only reveal the sin of another at his discretion. We all need to deal with our weaknesses and sins while seeking to build up and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Be concise. Deliver the prophetic word with as few words as possible. Don't try to explain it. One Sunday morning a woman had a prophetic word for our church. The word was on target, and I believe it was a true word from God. But, she kept trying to explain the word, and by the time she finished, she dulled the impact of the word. Say what you have to say, and then be quiet.

Be bold. When you know that you have a word from God, and the time is right and appropriate, deliver the word with boldness. Don't allow Satan to rob the church of what you have from God. True prophetic utterances bring great blessing to the church. We all prophesy by faith. (See Romans 12:6) Step out in faith and be willing to be a blessing. Deliver that word with boldness and in faith and leave the results to God. Do your part to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the body of Christ.

26 August 2006 13:30 GMT
I took the practical guidance given in yesterday's blog entry and made a Wisdom From the Word article.
On Wednesday evening at church, a couple from Boston shared about their vision of moving to the Czech Republic. They plan to move soon.
One specific portion of their message made a huge impression on me. They planned to raise support to move to the Czech Republic because that seemed to be the way it is done in the church. Their fellow church members were excited about their vision, however, their pastor and missions pastors were not. They said, "No." Although, this couple was confident of God's direction, they chose to listen to wise counsel and continued to seek God. Over time the Holy Spirit revealed to this couple that they should move to the Czech Republic as tentmakers. This term refers to the apostle Paul who sometimes made tents to support himself. Instead of relying on support from friends and family back home, this couple will now work in the local economy of the Czech Republic.
I believe this direction is the wisdom of God. I believe it is the pattern that many others should follow. Often people are called to the missions field, but that does not mean that others should support them. God can open doors for witness through your work.
If this couple had not listened to wise counsel, they would have gone out and presented their vision to other believers, and in effect, they would have been begging for people to support a plan that was not fully born of the Spirit of God.
Yes, we must be willing to appear as fools for the sake of Christ. However, we must always walk in the wisdom of God and not in foolishness. Much of what brings reproach and criticism upon the gospel ministry could be avoided, if believers would seek God for his wisdom and stay submitted to wise counsel and leadership.
I applaud this couple for their maturity, their wisdom, and their commitment to the work of the gospel. It is refreshing to see someone doing God's work the right way.

25 August 2006 23:30 GMT
On this past Sunday I preached at my church. The pastor went out of town for a funeral and he asked me to fill in for him. The basic thrust of the message was from Philippians 4:6-7. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
I also gave some practical guidance on receiving and giving prophetic words. God speaks to his people today, and sometimes he chooses to speak to us through others. Paul said, Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. (I Thessalonians 5:20-21 NIV)
First, here are the practical guidelines that I gave for receiving a prophetic word from another believer.

The prophetic word must in line with the written Word of God. If it is not, then don't accept it. God never contradicts his written Word. It is true that we are growing in our understanding of the written Word, but you cannot act on a word that doesn't agree with your understanding of the written Word.

The prophetic word must bear witness with your own spirit. We must always act in faith. I used the example of a young woman, who had received several prophetic words regarding teaching. Some of these words were delivered to her while she was in school to become a teacher. However, she later changed her major to business. She considered the words off target. As she told me this story, I told her what I saw. I could see her with a place in the body of Christ to teach, but not as a school teacher. At this time she cannot see herself teaching in any capacity. For now, she cannot act on these words because she could not act in faith. I believe the day will come that the Holy Spirit will reveal to her own spirit that she does have a place of teaching in the body of Christ. When that happens she will look back on the various words of prophecy that she received in the past regarding teaching, and she will see that God was confirming his direction to her even before she saw it herself. However, for now, she is wise and right not to act on those words of prophecy.

You can't make words of prophecy come to pass. In the kingdom of God we are co-laborers together with God. We have our part to do, and then God has his part to do. Usually, he will not do our part. We cannot do his part because there are things that only God can do. A person will become anxious and frustrated if he tries to do God's part.
This past Sunday morning I delivered a word of prophecy to a young woman regarding what I see about her future walking in the glory of God. There were three things in that word that are specific instructions for her to do now.

Continue to seek first the kingdom of God.
Continue to seek to please him with all of her heart.
Continue to shun the temptations of this evil age.
These are things that she can do. But, the rest of what I said to her only God can cause to come to pass. If she tries to bring it to pass in her own strength, she will stumble and fall.

The fullness of a prophetic word could take years or decades to come to pass. I received a prophetic word from a reputable man of God over 26 years ago that I believe with all of my heart was a true word from God to me. It has not yet come to pass. However, I have not stopped believing. It will come to pass in my life. There are other words that have been spoken to me that I accept as true words from God to me that have not yet been accomplished in me. I still accept these words as from God, and I believe that I will see their fulfillment in my life, if I will continue to seek God and pursue him above all.
Why does it take so long? God is eternal. He sees the beginning from the end. Years of preparation are vital to the fulfillment of God's plan in a person's life. Remember Jesus had thirty years of preparation for three years of earthly ministry. That is a ratio of ten to one. Continue to seek God. Continue to believe God and daily obey what you know to do. God will cause his word to be fulfilled in your life in due season, if you will continue to seek him above all.
In a future blog entry, I will give the practical guidance regarding delivering a word of prophecy.

29 July 2006 16:30 GMT
There are various tests in life. Often we think of the hard times testing us. We think of trials and tribulations. But, there is also the test of success. Some Christians do well in the tests of difficult circumstances, but then stumble with the test of success.
We should be always believe what the Word of God says about us. Sometimes others will make negative comments toward us. Certainly, we should listen for any truth in their statements that can help us adjust to become better people, but we must always see ourselves in the light of the Word of God, not in the light of someone's negative opinion. When success comes to a person, then praise begins to come his way. We should not be skewed in our thinking by the criticism of others, neither should we our thinking be skewed by the praise of others. Always look at yourself in the light of the Word of God.
Look at these two verses from Proverbs 27 regarding praise:
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2 NIV)
The crucible is for silver and the furnance for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives. (Proverbs 21:21 NIV)
In the system of this world, it is appropriate to "toot your own horn" and promote yourself. But Solomon exhorted believers in verse two to let someone else do the praising. We all like to hear good words spoken about ourselves, but if we have to do the speaking, it is better to simply be quiet.
Then in verse twenty-one, Solomon reveals that a man is tested by the praise he receives. When a person succeeds, how will he handle the praise he receives as a result of his success? It is a critical test.
When a person succeeds in the kingdom of God, it is because he or she has listened to God and obeyed him. Success comes from following the wisdom of God. However, as that person hears the praise, the tendency will be to think that the success resulted from his efforts and knowledge instead of from God. There is a fine line. Success depends on God doing his part, and then the person must do his part. But, an outpouring of praise can a make a person think he is successful because of his ability, and forget the wisdom of God that was the source of the success.
We should graciously receive praise, and then we should honor God with that praise realizing that there is no true success or achievement in life without the wisdom of God.

27 July 2006 20:30 GMT
Several years ago I heard a reputable prophet of God say that God was going to breakthrough into the Islamic world and reveal himself to the Islamic people. Since that time, I have heard several other reputable ministers make reference to the move of God coming to the Islamic world.
This morning in our Bible study at work, one brother shared a story told by a missionary at their church last night. This missionary told of going to an Islamic country and handing out Bibles. His team would go and meet with the leader of a village and build a rapport and then seek permission to distribute Bibles to the people.
They entered the hut of the leader of one particular village. When the missionary mentioned the name of Jesus, the leader said that God has sent you. In 1972 someone had spoken to this leader about the Christ. Years later Jesus visited this leader in a dream and revealed himself to the leader. Jesus told this man that he wanted him to follow him and to be his disciple. Jesus told him that he would send someone to him. When the missionary mentioned the name of Jesus, the leader knew that this man was sent from God. He allowed the distribution of Bibles to everyone in his village.
At lunch I was talking with a friend on the phone. I told him this story. Just last night he was reading a book by evangelist Luis Palau in which a similar story was told. Rev. Palau says that God is using dreams and visions to reach out to many in the Islamic world.
We do live in a dangerous world filled with hatred. But, there is good news. God is at work reaching out to the people of this world through his supernatural love and power. Let’s obey him and join him in his work to reach the whole world with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 July 2006 20:00 GMT
Last night as Pastor Duke spoke at church, I saw some things more clearly about the holiness of God. The Scripture is clear that God is holy, and part of the holiness of God is that God is complete. He needs no one other than himself to exist. Nothing needs to be added to God.
Religion has perverted the truth about holiness. Some think to be holy means they can have no fun. However, holiness is beautiful. God’s holiness is full of joy. In God’s holiness there is complete satisfaction.
God wants us to be holy, so that we can be complete in him. (See Colossians 1:29) God wants us to see that we need nothing added to our lives apart from him.
As I thought about what the pastor said, I could see clearly that when we sin, whether in thought or in deed, it is because we do not see God as enough. We think it is necessary to add something additional to our lives. The key to walking in the holiness of God is not the willpower to refrain from sin, although there is the place to be diligent to resist temptation. However, the key is to see God as enough and to see ourselves as totally complete in him. We do not need anything outside of the provision of God for our lives.
When the serpent came to Eve, he tempted her and deceived her with the suggestion that God was holding back something good from her. He successfully convinced her that something additional was needed in her life outside of the provision of God. The tactics of the enemy have not changed, and we must realize that God has made full provision for every need of our lives spiritually, emotionally, and materially. Our God is not only enough…he is more than enough. Adam and Eve quickly discovered that sin carries a price tag. Satan comes only to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. But, Jesus came to bring us the abundant life that is found in our completeness in Almighty God.

22 July 2006 19:00 GMT
This morning I believe the Holy Spirit spoke these words to me regarding the things of the kingdom of God: NEVER GIVE UP.
The writer of Hebrews said, We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12 NIV) He also said regarding Abraham, And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (Hebrews 6:15 NIV)
God requires that his children walk by faith. We must believe God and his Word. We must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of those who pursue him. (See Hebrews 11:6) The walk of faith often requires patience. God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12 that he would make him into a great nation. At that time Abraham was 75 years old. He waited 25 years for the fulfillment of that promise to him. He stood, and sometimes stumbled, in faith until he was 100 years old and his barren wife was 90 before the child of promise was born. The writer of Hebrews says that Abraham's body was a good as dead when Issac was born. Abraham was past the normal age of being able to father a child. But the power of the promise spoken to Abraham far exceeded the limitations of the human body. The power of that promise was so strong that when Sarah died when Abraham was 138, he remarried and fathered at least six additional children.
For the child of promise, Abraham waited 25 years. In today's western Christian world, believers seem to find it difficult to wait 25 days, much less 25 years.
In Hebrews 6:12 the church is exhorted to not be lazy. It requires a degree of effort. We do not receive from God by works, yet faith requires a degree of spiritual effort. You must actively believe that you have received that which God has promised. (Mark 11:24)
Years ago I heard the late John Osteen, the founding pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, tell the following story. In the early days of Lakewood Church, they held an annual Thanksgiving week convention. Pastor Osteen liked to feed the ministers that atttended the convention each year. One year, when the church was still relatively small, he decided to believe God for a cow to help feed the ministers. So, he prayed and believed that he received the cow. After a while his faith began to wane, and his church had the money to feed the ministers, so he allowed himself to let go of the cow. The church experienced a time of blessing during the week of convention. At some point after the convention, God spoke to Pastor Osteen through a dream one night. I don't remember the details of the dream, but the message of the Holy Spirit to Pastor Osteen was clear and to the point: "I just wanted to let you know that you let the devil get your cow." Through faith AND patience we inherit the promise.
As a believer waits an extended period of time to see the results of his prayer, he begins to assume that the lack of the manifestation of the answer is because God does not want him to have that for which he has prayed. Well, we should never want what God does not want us to have. However, if God does not want you to have something, he is not shy. He can simply tell you. If your request is in line with the Word of God, never assume he doesn't want you to have it unless the Holy Spirit gives you specific revelation regarding the matter. Simply, NEVER GIVE UP. It is through faith and patience we inherit the promises.

18 July 2006 13:30 GMT
This past weekend Cathe and I drove to Grenada, Mississippi, for a reunion of Cathe's siblings. For weekend road trips, I often rent a car because I think it is cheaper in the long run to rent a car than it is to put the mileage and the wear and tear on our own vehicle. Our rental car this weekend was more expensive than normal, but I decided it was still a better deal than driving our own car.
When I returned the rental car to the airport last night, the attendant in the parking lot charged me $60 more than I expected. I told her that price was not correct, and she told me that I would need to go inside to the counter. I went inside to the counter to stand in line. I was angry. I thought about complaining to the people in line with me. But, the Holy Spirit helped me. I calmed down, and I prayed for the favor of God. King David said, For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12 NIV)
When it was my turn at the counter, I calmly explained to the gentleman the situation. Then, I stood, patiently waiting for him to rectify the pricing. Five minutes later, he handed me a receipt for $36 less than the original price of the rental. I did not ask him for any concessions for my trouble or inconvenience. He simply handed me the receipt, and he said, "Here, this is a better rate."
I am so thankful that I chose to trust God's favor in that situation rather than let my emotions run wild. God is good and that shield of favor is a reality in this life.

09 July 2006 03:30 GMT
On Saturday afternoon I listened to Gloria Copeland on the internet as she taught on healing from the West Coast Believers Convention. She was talking about the importance of the words of your mouth and the importance of not cursing. Kenneth, her husband, interrupted her with a passage from Psalm 109 which deals with cursing.
He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing— may it be far from him. He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. (Psalm 109:17-19 NIV)
Brother Copeland emphasized verse 18...He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.
When a person chooses to curse instead of bless, then those curses will enter his own body. A lifestyle of cursing will bring a curse on your own body. I never noticed that verse before, but cursing will open the door for sickness and disease to enter a person's body.

08 July 2006 18:00 GMT
The first chapter of the book of Jeremiah records God's call to Jeremiah as a prophet. The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NIV)
God tells Jeremiah that before he was formed in the womb he knew him. I don't know all the implications of that statement, but I do know there are no accidents in God. He is eternal and every person is born with the foreknowledge of God, and every person is born with purpose and destiny in God. God tells Jeremiah that he set him apart and appointed as a prophet to the nations before he was born.
It is wrong to decide what you want to do in life. It is right to discover the purpose and call of God for your life. That is the wisdom of God. We are on this planet to serve the purpose of God not to do want we want to do.
Jeremiah responds to the call of God by saying, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
Here is a summary of God's response to Jeremiah.

God tells Jeremiah, "Do not say I am a child." There are no excuses in God. He always equips us with the ability to obey his commands.

God says, "You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." God instructs Jeremiah that he must obey. He must not observe the age or status of anyone. He must deliever the word of the Lord regardless of the potential consequences.

God says, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you." Repeatedly, God instructs his children to refuse to fear. Fear is a major tool of Satan, which he uses to attempt to paralyze you and to keep you from ever moving forward in God. But, God tells Jeremiah that he is not sending him alone. God is going with him, and God promises to rescue him from those who will not receive the words that God gives him to speak.

Then the Lord touched his mouth and put his words in Jeremiah's mouth. With God we don't have to wonder what to speak. Not all are called to a prophetic ministry, but every believer can draw upon the Spirit of God and the wisdom of God. He wants to give you the appropriate word to speak into a situation. Don't strive and struggle for something to say, but speak what you hear from him.

In verse ten God shows Jeremiah the power of the words that he put in the prophet's mouth. "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." God's Word in Jeremiah's mouth changed nations. There is no limit to the power of the Word of God in the mouth of a believer. Speaking the word of God will change the circumstances of your life for the better. You can bless the nations of the world with the power of the Word of God in your mouth.

Then Jeremiah sees a couple of things and God asks him what he sees. In verse twelve God says, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled" When God speaks, he goes to work to honor his word. To most men, their words mean little because they often have no intention of fulfilling the words they have spoken. God is different. What he says, he will do without exception. His word is his bond. We should use words like God does. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
This first chapter concludes with God's speaking to Jeremiah to prepare for a task, which may be difficult. However, God lets Jeremiah know that his grace is more than sufficient.
"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 1:17-19 NIV)
So, God's instructions are clear in these three verses.

Get yourself ready.
Stand up.
Say whatever I command you.
Do not be terrified by them, or you will be terrified.
Then here are God's promises to Jeremiah from these verses.

I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land, its rulers, and its people. (Jeremiah is protected by God Almighty)

They may fight against Jeremiah, but they cannot overcome Jeremiah because God is with him and will rescue him.
I realize this first chapter of Jeremiah specifically deals with call of an Old Testament prophet. However, the principles found here are found many times in Scripture, and they apply to the New Testament believer. God knew you before you were in the womb, and he designed with you purpose to fulfill in this life. You must obey what he says. There are no excuses. He will equip you to fulfill his purpose and to obey his commands. He will not send you alone. He will go with you and he will deliver you from any opposition that arises.
You were created with divine purpose. Fulfill that purpose in this life and you will live with highest quality of life possible.

24 June 2006 19:30 GMT
In my last entry I wrote about sharing Wednesday night at church from Pslam 67. I want to make a couple of additional comments about the last verse of that psalm. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him
I mentioned that praise is a key to the release of the harvest. In addition, this verse says that our God will bless us. We are blessed because the Word says we are blessed. God has chosen to bless his people, and even when we face great problems, we are still greatly blessed of the Lord.
I believe the reference in this verse to the blessing of God has more to do with the manifest blessing of God. To me this is similar to the presence of God. We know from the Word of God that God is present everywhere. There is no place we can go to escape the presence of God. But, then there are times, whether in personal devotional times, or in a gathering of the church, God manifests his presence. We walk by faith and not by feelings. We know by faith that God is with us each moment of every day, but rarely does the average Christian "feel" his presence. However, on occasion God manifests his presence is a tangible manner so that you can actually feel the presence of God.
So, it is with the blessing of God. In my opinion this verse speaks of the manifest blessing of God. As we praise God, the door is opened in the heavenlies for the tangible blessing of God to be manifested in our lives in a way that others can see. This is the will of God.
This is an hour in which God wants the church to see the richness and fullness of his blessing on the church. Why? The last part of verse seven answers that question. And all the ends of the earth will fear him.
God want the ends of the earth to fear him, so that they will turn in repentance and accept the gracious gift of God's redemption. Many see the church as a weak and impotent organization. God wants the world to see the church reflecting and demonstrating the blessing, the power, and the glory of the Most High God.
Let's make a point to regularly praise God. It is a powerful evangelistic tool.

23 June 2006 04:00 GMT
Last night I was in charge of the Wednesday evening service at church. I shared a testimony of the favor of God from work yesterday. The CFO requested some information yesterday morning. He asked if I knew the location of one document from over six years ago. I had no idea. He looked in the corporate documents where it should have been located and it was not there. We have boxes and boxes of old files and I was hoping I would not have to spend hours rummaging through boxes looking for this document. Then, I remembered I had some old files in a filing cabinet that the Controller uses. I asked him for the key and looked through these old files. After searching about five minutes I found the document the CFO requested. I was very thankful to God. The Holy Spirit knew the location of the document and he lead me to remember those old files in the Controller's filing cabinet. He will help us in every facet of our lives.
I shared last night from Psalm 67: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. (NIV)
The psalm begins with the plea for the grace of God to be manifested to us. Before anything else, we need the grace and the mercy of God to cover our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. God wants to use each one of us, however, we must repent of our sin and receive the grace and the mercy of God manifested through the blood of Jesus Christ. Then after we have received his grace, then we can plead for God to bless us and to make his face shine upon us.
The Psalmist reveals in verse two the reason for his supplication to God. He wants the ways of God to be known on the earth, and he wants God's salvation to be known among the nations.
I believe we are living in an hour when God wants the glory of God and the blessing of God to be manifested in the church in a powerful way. First of all, God wants to bless his people. Secondly, God want the world to see his glory through the church. God loves the nations of the world, and he wants all the nations of the world to receive his salvation and to know his ways.
Then the Psalmist begins to focus on praise to God. Over thirty years ago the Holy Spirit began to teach me the importance of praising God. It was difficult at first because I thought of all the thing I could be doing while I was praising God. But, it is important to praise God. First of all, it is important to praise God because he is worthy, and because we are commanded numerous times in the Word to praise God. Secondly, something supernatural happens when the church praises God. Something supernatural happens in the life of a believer when he chooses to praise God.
As I read this psalm last week, the Holy Spirit showed me that I had allowed the discipline of praise to become weak in my life, and he encouraged me to begin to praise God more.
Verse seven illustrates the truth that something supernatural happens when God's people praise him. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him
When God's people praise him, then the land will yield its harvest. Sowing and reaping are foundational principles of the kingdom of God. What you sow is what you reap. Sometimes God's people do sow and it seems that the harvest never comes. In verse seven the Psalmist reveals that praise is a key to the release of the harvest. A steady diet of praising God will make our lives more fruitful because there is something supernatural that happens, specifically in the realm of the harvest, when God's people praise him.
Later, I will write more about the conclusion of this Psalm.

19 June 2006 01:00 GMT
Recently, I was reading through the book of Acts, and I was struck with the number of verses that dealt with the strengthening or encouraging of the church. Here are the verses that I found. All Scripture references are from the NIV.
Acts 4:36: Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement). To me this verse is such an amazing testimony. Here is a man is named, Joseph, who is called Barnabas by the apostles because he was such a man of encouragement.
Acts 9:31: Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
Acts 11:23: When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
Acts 13:15: After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak."
Acts 14:22a: Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.
Acts 15:31-32: The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
Acts 16:40: After Paul and Silas came out of prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the other brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
Acts 18:27a: When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
Acts 20:1-2: When the uproar ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set our for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece.
Encouragement is a vital ministry in the church. The early church realized the importance of the ministry of encouragement. Our pastor said recently that if you choose to be a minister of encouragment, you will never run out of something to do. Everyone needs to be encouraged on a regular basis. The writer of Hebrews said, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 NIV)
Let us seek every day to speak a word of encouragement to at least one other person. Let's all be a "Barnabas" and learn to encourage.

18 June 2006 01:00 GMT
Here is the deception of worry. When a person worries, he feels responsible. He feels likes he is doing something about his problem. In reality worry leaves you stuck in reverse. Worry is not only nonproductive, it is counterproductive. Worry works against you.
True solutions to any problems can only be found in God. Worry clogs the pipe of God's revelation into your life. Jesus said in the parable of the sower and the seed that worry chokes the Word of God. A person who is consumed with worry will likely come up with a solution that will leave him further from God's solution to his problem. A solution birthed in worry will compound your problems.
The solution is always to seek God. Here are some witnesses from the Word of God.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:5-8 NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)
In the first passage James issues the invitation to ask for wisdom if you lack it. God will give generously to all. God desires to give wisdom to anyone who will ask in faith. Please note it is important to ask in faith. Believe that you receive when you ask.
In the second passage Paul admonishes the church to never be anxious about anything. Paul tells the church exactly what to do when anxiety attacks and problems mount. In everything come before God with prayer, and supplications, and thanksgivings, and then the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
In the third passage taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches the people to not worry. Instead he instructs them to trust in the loving provision of God the Father. In verse thirty-three he commands his believers to seek first the kingdom of God. Once again the answer is to seek God.
There is never a Biblical reason to worry. God never gives any circumstances where it is appropriate to worry. Seek God...pray...ask God for his wisdom. God wants you to have the solution to every problem you face.

14 June 2006 02:00 GMT
On Sunday morning our pastor preached an excellent message on the subject of faith. He said that Biblical faith is all about possibilities, not impossibilities. The angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that nothing is impossible with God. Our God is all about possibilities.
During his message, the pastor said that faith is not a leap in the dark. As I thought about his statement, I believe the Holy Spirit gave me some revelation in this area.
Faith is not a leap in the dark, rather faith is walking by a greater light. As God speaks to us, and as he gives us greater insight into the Word of God, then we are to walk in obedience to that light. God does not put difficult expectations upon us. All he expects is for us to walk according to the light we have. The faith experience becomes like a leap in the dark when we attempt to accomplish things beyond the light we currently possess. As we walk according to the light we have, then God will give us more light. Our faith will grow and mature. This is the natural progression of faith.
Have you tried and failed in your faith walk? Get up again and walk in the light of the revelation you have in God. Continue to seek God, and as you are faithful to him day by day, then God will give you more revelation from his Word. God wants us to succeed in our faith walk with him even more than we want to succeed. Learn to be faithful and rest in him. Good things are ahead for those who are faithful!!

13 June 2006 13:00 GMT
Here is a link to an article I wrote with my reflections on a tragedy that occurred outside of our apartment. In The Name of Jesus
.

04 June 2006 02:00 GMT
In the days of Jesus, the Jews were divided into two main parties. Not Democrats and Republicans, but Sadducees and Pharisees.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and they came to Jesus to ask a question. There was a practice in the Old Testament that if a married man died without children, then the man's brother would take the widow and try to father a child, so his deceased brother would have offspring. So, the hypothetical question the Sadducees brought to Jesus was: "Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"
Jesus responded, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." He went on to say that there is no marriage in heaven. In that realm we are like the angels in that marriage is not part of the plan.
As I read this passage I was struck by the words of Jesus to the Sadducees as he told them, you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
God's desires for the believer to know the Scripture and to know the power of God. In my Christian experience, I have known many Christians who diligently studied the Scriptures, but they had little knowledge of the power of God. Then there are groups who emphasize the power of God, but give little attention to the diligent study of God's Word. If I were to emphasize one over the other, I would give preference to knowing the Scriptures. Ignorance of the Word of God is NOT bliss. It can kill you, because the prophet, Hosea, said that God's people perish because of a lack of knowledge.
However, God's plan for each of us is that we know the Scriptures and the power of God. Too many believers are like the Sadducees in that they know neither.
If we truly want to cooperate with God in seeing multitudes of people come to know the Lordship of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, then we need to know the Word of God intimately, and we need to learn to demonstrate the power of God.
Here is the pattern of ministry that Jesus established from the beginning. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23 NIV)
So the emphasis of the ministry of Jesus was as follows:

Jesus taught in the synagogues.
Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom.
Jesus healed every disease and sickness among the people.
Jesus worked to establish his followers in the Scriptures and in the power of God. Jesus taught and preached the Word, but he also consistently demonstrated the power of God.
In the book of Acts, the early church continued the ministry of Jesus by teaching, preaching, and healing.
In my Christian walk, for the most part, I have been faithful to read and to study the Word of God. Unfortunately, I have seen very little of the manifestation of the power of God in my life and ministry. I want to be even more committed to the Scriptures, but I want to see the power of God demonstrated in my life and ministry on a consistent basis. That is true New Testament Christianity.

30 May 2006 01:30 GMT
I was musing today on the laws of sowing and reaping. I remember that Keith Moore said that God is looking for a generation that will excel in sowing and reaping. God gave me an ambitious giving goal. I know that I cannot fulfill that goal unless I learn to reap more efficiently. This is the way I see it.....Many Christians are committed tithers and givers, and they are blessed of God. But, they never seem to reap a tremendous harvest of financial blessings. Some Christians don't want a great harvest of financial blessing, because they are happy if they have enough. As believers, however, I believe we have a responsibility to believe God for the harvest on our giving, not to spend it on our lusts, but have abundant seed to sow. Yes, God also wants to provide for our needs abundantly. But, we want to learn to be like God. He is a giver, so we want to be givers.
Here is my key verse in the area of giving and receiving. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. (II Corinthians 9:10 NIV)
As I mused about the laws of sowing and reaping, I saw that the key to reaping is expectation.

Do I expect God to supply seed for me to sow?
Do I expect God to supply bread for me to eat?
Do I expect God to supply and increase the store of my seed?
Do I expect God to enlarge the harvest of my righteousness?
I will confess that often in the past, I have not lived with a sense of expectation. I believe that God wants me to live in expectation of the manifestation of his Word on a daily basis. God wants his church to manifest his glory to the world. God is the most lavish giver ever known to man. We can't manifest the generosity of God to the world unless we learn to appropriate the seed to sow. We can't model the lavish love of God, when are own needs are not met.
Yesterday, my pastor preached on the blood covenant. He made reference to the fact that through the blood of Jesus we are redeemed from the curse of poverty. Yes, some teachers and some believers misconstrue the prosperity teaching. Whenever there is truth revealed to the church, there will always be controversy about that truth. There will always be some who distort the truth, and some who will take the truth to an excess. The wise Christian knows that fact and will discern the truth and leave the excesses and the distortion behind. It is the truly foolish Christian who rejects a truth because there is controversy over that truth.
I choose to expect God to prosper me, so that I can be a conduit of his blessing to this planet. To me that is the wisdom of God.

27 May 2006 17:30 GMT
After work yesterday both Cathe and I were hungry, so we decided to get something to eat. We have lived in the same location for almost 14 years, and there are plenty of restaurants close to us, so we decided to walk. As we walked we noticed how much has changed in the last 14 years just in the landscape around us. We remembered businesses that used to be in certain buildings that now house a different type of business. One gas station was just demolished. There is a Popeye's where there used to be a small car dealership. In the neighborhoods around us, many ranch style homes have been torn down, and much bigger houses built on the same lot, or sometimes two or three big houses built on the same lot.
Cathe decided she would like to eat Chinese, so we walked up to this shopping center nearby and noticed that a drug store is moving. Then we noticed another business that is moving. We arrived at the Chinese restaurant and it was closed. They must have closed recently because there were still salt and pepper shakers on the tables. Then she decided to try the Italian restaurant in the same shopping center. (Notice I said "she" because I am not a big fan of Italian food. I am still recovering from that meal. At least Cathe enjoyed it, so it was a profitable trip.) We went in and were seated. I asked our server if the shopping center was being torn down. She said that someone new had purchased the shopping center, and a grocery store was going in, and most of the current businesses were being forced to relocate. Tomorrow night will be the last night for the Italian restaurant and it has been in that location ever since we moved here.
Life is one change after another. Fortunately, most changes are for the good. And, most of the changes that really affect our lives are dependent upon the choices that we make. We can make good decisions or we can make poor decisions. We can act wisely, or we can act foolishly. We have all made both wise and foolish decisions. Why is it some lessons in life we seem determined to learn the hard way? I have been around long enough that I like learning lessons the easy way. I would rather learn from the mistakes of someone else than from my own mistakes.
Change is something that we should embrace. It should be a positive in life, at least most of the time. Tragic changes sometimes affect families and individuals, but even in those cases you have to make the most of it and move on even when it hurts deeply.
My parents are still living, but Cathe was the 7th of 8 children, so her parents are both deceased. They both enjoyed long life. Her dad died at 87, and her mom died at 92. I was so impressed with the grace that my wife displayed to deal with their deaths. They enjoyed life and in both cases it was time for a change. Their bodies were worn out. It was time for them to move on. Certainly, she misses them, but even with this change, she knows it was for the best.
Change...it is going to happen, so embrace it and enjoy it. Sometimes we think back to the past about the good old days. It is good to have memories. I have many wonderful memories of the past. But, my perspective on life is different. I don't want to go back to the past. I am too busy looking forward to the future, because I sincerely believe that my best days are ahead of me and not behind me.

26 May 2006 23:30 GMT
This afternoon the Holy Spirit put it in my heart to read the book of Ecclesiastes. It is quite an interesting book. Solomon seems schizophrenic in this book. Many verses talk about the meaningless life. Then, other verses reveal wisdom from God and sound like verses from the book of Proverbs.
Many verses caught my attention, but the key verse the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart was Ecclesiastes 11:4: Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (NIV)
God has dealt with me about moving into a higher level in the grace of giving and receiving. My biggest goal for 2006 is a giving goal. Paul said, Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righeousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (II Corinthians 9:6-15 NIV)
I believe that God wants me to prosper so that I can give abundantly. I believe that God wants me to learn to operate in the grace of giving far beyond anything I have ever known. I believe that God wants me to learn to received an increased store of seed to sow.
Giving is important, but so is receiving. We can't give abundantly unitl we learn to receive more seed from God to sow. He wants to supply both seed to sow and bread to eat. So many in the church have learned to give, but the church has not learned to reap. We must learn to reap, so that we can sow more and more into the kingdom of God.
So, the message of the Holy Spirit to me from Ecclesiastes is to not look at circumstances when it comes to sowing and reaping. Look only to the Word of God. Dare to believe his Word. Don't be moved by the seeming little that I have to sow, rather look to the Word. Don't look at how little I have reaped in the past from my giving. Look to the Word of God. Don't try to figure out who God is going to use to get resources to me, rather look only to the Word of God.
This word was an encouragement to me. I am more determined than ever to walk more fully in the grace of God in the area of giving and receiving in the name of Jesus.

26 May 2006 17:00 GMT
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21 (NIV)
In this chapter John describes the wrath of God executed upon the earth. As I read this passage this morning, the last two verses caught my attention. In spite of the horrific, catastrophic suffering that had come upon the earth, people refused to turn to God. Their hearts were hardened, they did not repent of their wicked deeds. Instead they continued to worship demons and idols. They remained committed to murder, magic arts, sexual immorality, and thefts.
In Revelation 16:10-11, John describes another episode of the wrath of God. Not only do people refuse to repent, they also curse God. Instead of turning to God in repentance and asking for mercy, they choose to curse the God of heaven and earth. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. (NIV)
Years ago I heard the testimony of a man who survived one of the most deadly airline crashes in history. On March 27, 1977, a Pan Am 747 collided with a KLM 747 after the KLM pilot started his takeoff roll without clearance. 583 people died in that crash. (Pictures of Crash) This survivor testifed that as fire engulfed the plane people began to curse God. I am blessed that I was born into a godly family where I was taught to fear God. I may not honor God as I should at all times, but crisis provokes me to call upon God not curse him. So, it is difficult for me to imagine these people, moments from death, not calling upon God instead of cursing him. But, the hearts of many are hardened. They have refused the grace and the love of God. They have quenched the drawing of the Holy Spirit.
The writer of Hebrews, quoting King David, said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
One grandmother used to say, "The Holy Spirit is a gentleman." She meant that the Holy Spirit respects our free will. He will not force us to do anything. But, it always to our profit to yield to the Holy Spirit and to obey his instructions and guidance to our hearts.
Do not let your heart be hardened, rather develop a sensitivity to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. For the writer of Hebrews also said, It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31 NIV)

16 May 2006 23:30 GMT
Yesterday morning as I rode the bus to work, I heard a woman tell a story to the bus driver that illustrates Proverbs 21:23, which I wrote about two days ago.
This woman told about a young man who died recently. He died at 25 and had been in a coma for a year following an automobile accident. He wrecked his car while driving drunk. He lost control of his car and hit a church sign. He was thrown from the car, and then the car landed on him. Fortunately, his girlfriend walked away from the accident.
This young man's father bought him a car, a house, and a business. Yet, this young man said repeatedly that he was going to live the wild life and that he would be dead before he was thirty. Today is dead several years before reaching his 30th birthday.
This young man did not guard his heart, his mouth, or his tongue. He opened the door for calamity with his words and with his foolishness of driving while intoxicated. Today he is gone while family and friends grieve his loss.
The bus driver said it was just his time to go. I disagree. This young man violated the wisdom of God's Word and paid a very high price.

15 May 2006 04:30 GMT
He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23 NIV)
The power of life and death is in the tongue. (See Proverbs 18:21) Much of what happens to you in life is directly connected to the words you speak. You can choose to speak words of life, blessing, health, and restoration. Or, you can choose to speak words of death, cursing, sickness, and calamity.
Proverbs 13:3 says, He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
In 1981 Harold S. Kushner published a book titled, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." His son died from premature aging and he was angry, and sought to understand what happened. I have not read his book, but we can all agree that we have seem times in life when tragic things happen to good people, and there seems to be no explanation. I do not have all the answers, and I do not know why Mr. Kushner's son was afflicted with this sad condition. But, I do know that the Word of God is true. If you guard your mouth and your tongue you are working in connection with God to keep calamity and ruin out of your life. So, it is obvious, that if you do not guard your mouth and your tongue, you can open the door for calamity and ruin to come knocking on your door.
Jesus clearly taught us "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1 NIV) Never try to figure out why someone is experiencing calamity. DO NOT JUDGE!! Rather, love the person and do all you can do to help lift him up in his time of need.
But, in your own life, make sure that your words on a daily basis are consistent with God's Word. Let your speech be consistent with Biblical teaching. Do not speak words of fear and destruction.
The book of Job tells the story of a great calamity that occurred to this righteous man of God. He lost his children, his possessions, and his health. Some wonder, "Why did God do this?" Or, "Why did God allow it to happen." As Job speaks in chapter 3, he makes a statement that reveals a Biblical truth. Job said, "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25 NIV)
Instead of living in total peace and confidence in God's protection, Job had lived in fear and dread that he would lose his family and his possessions. His heart was filled with fear and dread in this area, and Jesus taught that a man speaks out of the abundance of his heart. (See Matthew 12:34-35) I believe Job did not guard his mouth and his tongue. I believe that he spoke words of fear and dread. He literally spoke words of death and these words opened the door for calamity to enter his life.
Whether you agree or disagree with my interpretation of Job's situation, the Biblical witness is clear that the words you speak are of the utmost importance. Choose to guard your mouth and your tongue. Refuse to speaks words of death, and daily fill your mouth with words of life from the Word of the living God.

07 May 2006 02:00 GMT
Luke begins his gospel account with two visitations by the angel, Gabriel. First, Gabriel visits Zechariah while he is fulfilling his priestly obligations in the temple. He tells Zechariah that Elizabeth, who is old and barren, will bear a son. Gabriel describes the type of ministry this child will have and even tells Zechariah to name him, John.
Six months later Gabriel visits Mary, a young virgin girl. He tells Mary that she will give birth to a boy, and that he will be called the Son of the Most High.
Two visits by the angel Gabriel result in two very unlikely pregnancies. Elizabeth is old and barren, and Mary is a virgin, yet both of them will give birth to sons of great significance.
In Luke 1:37, Gabriel says to Mary, "For nothing is impossible with God." (NIV) Mary responds in verse 38, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." (NKJV) What a remarkable response of submission, faith, and obedience by Mary.
Do I truly believe in my life, there is nothing impossible with God? In a general sense, it is easy to believe that nothing is impossible with God. But, do I truly believe that nothing is impossible for him in my life?
Am I willing to say to God, "I am your servant, O Lord, let your word have full reign in my life. Let it be to me according to your word."
Reality is that most Christians fall far short of their full potential in God because they doubt the ability of God to work in them. However, the angel spoke the truth....Nothing is impossible with God.
Also, Jesus said in Mark 9:23, "Everything is possible for him who believes." If we dare to believe God, there is no limit to what he can do in us and through us. I want to take the limits off of God in my life. I want to dare to believe that God can do anything he pleases with me.
These are exciting days. Let's dare to believe that the impossible is possible in us through the Almighty God.

28 April 2006 01:00 GMT
On Monday night the pastor asked me to lead the Wednesday evening service. He and the elders were leaving town to attend a meeting. I had a busy week planned, but I agreed to lead the meeting thinking that we would probably just pray, since I did not have time to prepare a message.
However, as I prayed in the Spirit on Tuesday, the Holy Spirit gave me something to share. I rarely use alliteration, but the Holy Spirit gave me five words that start with P.

God's purpose.
God's plan.
God's place.
God's provision.
God's peace.
We live because of God's purpose. David served God's purpose in his generation, then he fell asleep. (See Acts 13:36) There is no reason to live other than to serve God's purpose.
When we commit to serve God's purpose, then he reveals to each individual a plan for his life. God doesn't reveal the whole plan upfront, because God requires that we walk by faith. But, as we walk in obedience to God, he will reveal more of his plan for our lives.
My main area of focus was on God's place. Being in the right place at the right time is important. God called Abraham to leave Ur, and to dwell in the land of Canaan. God's will for Abraham could not have been fulfilled, if he stayed in Ur. Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in certain areas. God led him to another place to preach the gospel. (See Acts 16:6-10) Late in his life Paul set his face to go to Jerusalem, even though he knew he would be arrested. He knew that Jerusalem was the place where God was leading him at that particular time in his life.
I talked about God's place in relation to the church to which a believer joins himself. Obviously, God desires every believer to be a part of a local church. And, I believe it is vital that each believer pray and allow God to plant him in the church that is God's place for that believer.
When we moved to Atlanta in 1992, I wanted to join a large church. I ministered in small churches for many years, and I was tired, and I wanted to be refreshed by the dynamic ministry of a larger church. However, we visited our current church and my family immediately fell in love with the people of that place. I wanted to visit other churches, but I couldn't deny that God was in our participation in that place.
During our first years in Atlanta, I did have the opportunity to often attend the Sunday night service of a larger church in Atlanta. Their ministry was powerful, and it did bless me, but we stayed joined to the smaller church, because that was God's place for the Williams family.
The young people of our church each year attend a youth camp called the Camp of Champions. Each year when the young people return from camp, the pastor devotes the entire Sunday morning service to allow the young people to give testimonies of what God did in their lives during their time in camp. That service is one of the highlights of the church year. Every year young people give powerful testimonies of the reality of the Holy Spirit working in them during the camp.
One Sunday night I attended the larger church after their young people returned from a youth camp. Several of the young people shared testimonies of their time at camp. To be honest, the testimonies I heard were weak compared to the testimonies I heard each year at our church. I realized how God was blessing my children to be a part of the youth ministry of our church. They were in the place God desired, and it was a better place, than the place I would have chosen for them.
Then, last November, my daughter married the pastor's son of that place. God had plans for us in that place. As young adults both of my children desire to serve God and to please him. Certainly, God could have used another place to bless my children. But, I believe we found the right place, and we stayed put in that place, then God provided an open door to bless my family exceedingly.
Staying faithful to God's place opens the door to the fullness of God's provision and peace.
Find out God's place for you, and then be faithful to that place. You will not be disappointed!!

14 March 2006 18:00 GMT
The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:12-16 NIV)
This passage follows the account of the death of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a plot of land and told the church they were giving the entire proceeds to the church. However, they held back a portion of the money. Separately, the two of them were confronted about their fraudulent behavior by Simon Peter. Both of them maintained their lie, and they both fell dead. Peter said that they lied to God, not to men. These deaths caused great fear. Truly, God was moving in an unprecedented way.
Verse twelve says that the apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.
Then the writer, Luke, records a remarkable event. The believers met regularly at Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Why did no one else join them? Were they afraid of the Jewish leadership? Were they afraid that they would die like Ananias and Sapphira? Did they feel too guilty and shameful to come into the manifest presence of God? Luke does not provide the specific reason, however, more and more people believed in the gospel, and people brought their sick into the streets hoping that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them.
In spite of the reluctance of the people to enter the Colonnade, people were saved, healed, and delivered of evil spirits.
Years ago I heard Pastor Charles Green say that whenever there is talk of a remnant of God's people, he always wants to be a part of that remnant. He wants to be where God is moving in his fullness.
This passage reminds of that type of thinking. God was moving with great glory and with great manifestations of his power. Many were in the Colonnade where the glory was in full manifestation. But, others would not enter. They stayed outside. They were still receiving salvation. Many received healing and deliverance. But, they had reservations about going into the place where God was manifesting himself in the greatest way.
There is coming a great move of the Spirit of God in our generation. It will be unlike anything most of us have ever seen. God desires that we participate fully in this move of his Spirit. He doesn't want us to miss out on anything. So, we have a choice to make. Are we going to enter the Colonnade, so to speak? Are we going to give ourselves to God without reservation and be fully engaged in this great move of the Spirit of God? Are we going to be a part of the remnant that refuses anything less than God's best?
Or, will we be content to be outside in the streets? Will we content just hoping that Peter's shadow passes over us?
The injunction of the Holy Spirit in this hour is clear. Be a part of the remnant. Enter into the Colonnade and receive the fullness of the Spirit of God for this hour. Don't settle for the blessing of a shadow, when you can experience the brightness of his glory.

11 March 2006 16:00 GMT
When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." (Luke 22:45-46 NIV)
These verses describe a portion of the experience of the Lord Jesus on the night of his betrayal. He is praying at Gethsemane. He instructs his disciples to pray. He takes Peter, James, and John away from the other disciples to pray, and eventually, Jesus goes deeper into the garden to pray alone. This night was the most difficult night in the life of Jesus. The cross was just before him, and he felt the pressure of bearing the sin of humanity.
Peter returns to the disciples and he finds them sleeping instead of praying. The Scripture does say that they were exhausted from sorrow. But, Jesus had instructed them to pray. They succumbed to the weariness of their flesh rather than obeying the command of their Lord.
As Jesus sees the disciples sleeping, he asks a question: "Why are you sleeping?" Jesus certainly knew the weariness of their minds and bodies. However, Jesus also knew the temptation that was just ahead. So, he says, "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
Most of us fall so easily to various forms of temptation. But, it doesn't have to be that way. Many believers are defeated by some form of sin. They have resisted the sin, but the sin seems to ensnare them again and again.
I suggest that we tend to fall again and again for the same enticements because we resist temptation in the power of our own flesh. That will never work. But, there is grace available in God to be victorious. Receiving that grace often begins by obeying the Holy Spirit in prayer.
Look at these verses from Matthew.
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:40-41 NIV)
Notice that Jesus specifically asked Peter the question, "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" Jesus knew the temptation that Peter would fact that very night to deny his Lord. I can't help but wonder if Peter would have denied Jesus, if he had prayed instead of napping.
This I do know. Jesus is clear that prayer will keep us from falling into temptation. Let's seek God and find the appropriate prayer discipline for each of our individual lives. Obedience in prayer will open the door to resist temptation in the power of God's grace.

06 March 2006 03:00 GMT
There may be no two Christians who agree on everything. Obviously, that does not keep us from walking together in the unity of the faith and the unity of the Spirit. We must walk together in the love of God regardless of doctrinal differences.
The Scripture records a horrific trial of suffering by Job. He lost his children, his possessions, and his health. In the midst of this great loss, Job made a statement, which is often quoted by Christians. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 3:21 NIV)
I believe that Scripture accurately records what Job said. However, I don't believe that God inspired Job to make that statement. I believe that Job made that comment out of his understanding of God, and out of the great sorrow of his own heart. I don't think God ever intended for the church to make a Biblical doctrine out of that one statement from the mouth of Job.
I believe that God is a giver, but he is not a taker. I believe that God is a giver, and Satan is a thief, who comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I do not believe that the testimony of the Bible supports the doctrine that God is a taker.
Most everyone in life deals with difficult circumstances. Most everyone has times, while not as severe as Job's trial, which are very difficult. In those times you wonder what is going on. You may wonder why God is allowing it to happen.
Yes, I can appreciate that in the midst of his loss, Job chose to still praise the name of the Lord. While, we should emulate his attitude and posture of praise, we should not emulate his doctrine.
I prefer the statement that the prophet Habakkuk made in Habakkuk 3:17-18: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. (NIV)
As a Christian, whether times are good or times are bad, we should respond as Job did and as Habakkuk says. We should praise God regardless of the circumstances. We should praise God when we don't understand what is happening. Then work out your theology after the trial is over. Just praise God in the midst of the trial and trust him to bring you through.
In the end, God blessed Job greatly. After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10 NIV)
God is a giver...that is sound Biblical theology!!

11 February 2006 18:30 GMT
Yesterday I attended a training class. At one point, one of the trainees zoned out mentally. She admitted her mistake and asked the trainer to repeat what she had just said. The trainer was gracious and said that people normally only retain about 10% of what they hear in a training class, and that people zone out all the time.
The Holy Spirit used that comment to get me to think about the importance of listening and hearing. There is so much in life being said that most of us never hear. There is so much that God is saying that many of us never hear. We easily get caught up in the details of our own lives and don't listen to others including God. Our lives tend to be so filled with activity that we don't get still to simply listen.
Yesterday, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the exhortation given by James. My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. (James 1:19 NIV)
A desire rose up within me yesterday to make a commitment to learn to listen. I want to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying, but I also want to hear what my wife is saying. I want to hear what others in my sphere of influence are saying.
Often we don't bother to really listen to the words that people speak. And, if we do actually listen to their words, we don't focus to hear what they are really saying. Words don't always say it all. We must listen to hear the message from the heart of a person.
I saw a graphic example recently. A young woman started at my company a couple of months ago. She quickly annoyed almost everyone with her incessant banal chatter. She was trying to become everyone's best friend, and it was making everyone want to avoid her. I was annoyed by her as well, but I could see something beyond her words. It is obvious that she has some serious self esteem issues. It is like she was crying out to her co-workers saying, "I don't think much of myself. Will you please accept me for who I am?"
It is not appropriate for me to become close friends with her, but since I see the real issue, I try to show normal workplace kindness to her.
All of us need kindness. All of us need affirmation. And, all of us need someone to hear what we are really saying.
I am excited about my new adventure to focus on listening. I am looking forward to hearing things that I have tuned out completely in the past. Perhaps, it will not all be pleasant, but I believe this commitment will make me a much more effective minister of the grace and the peace of God.

28 January 2006 13:45 GMT
Wisdom is supreme: therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7 NIV)
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4 NIV)
During this past week authorities reported the discovery of a tunnel almost a kilometer long, running from beneath a building in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border to a building in California. The tunnel was buried 90 feet below the surface. The floor of the tunnel was concrete and the tunnel was five feet high. The tunnel was equipped with systems for lighting, fresh water, and ventilation. It also had a pulley system. Two tons of marijuana was found in the tunnel.
Officials did not indicate how long the tunnel may have been there. Obviously, it was being used to transport drugs, but probably also to move illegal aliens as well.
"It's just huge, absolutely incredible. We believe this tunnel is, in fact, the largest tunnel ever found on the southwest border. Our first guess is it's the drug cartels," said Michael Unzeta, a U.S. ICE special agent based in San Diego, California. (From Ohmy News International, South Korea)
The Word of God declares that wisdom is supreme, or it is the principal thing. Then Solomon says, Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Whoever built this tunnel demonstrated great diligence. It was a costly project. Even in sin, diligence produces some temporary rewards. The building of this tunnel required an investment, which was costly. And, for the short term, the tunnel helped to produce a return on that investment.
If the ungodly are diligent in their pursuit of evil, how much more should the righteous diligently pursue God and pursue his wisdom and understanding. God longs to give us his wisdom and his knowledge, but God requires that we make an investment in the pursuit of his kingdom.
Look at the first six verses of Proverbs 2. My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:1-6 NIV)
There is a price to pay to receive the wisdom of God. You must invest time in seeking God, but the return on your investment will profit you greatly in this life and for eternity.

15 January 2006 13:00 GMT
Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV)
The testimony of the Scripture is clear that God answers prayer.
In his book, Pray Powerfully-Punch Holes in The Darkness, Dr. Stephen A. Johnson, writes the following on page 8.

It requires little insight to conclude that a person who doubts that God answers prayers will probably give little time to prayer. Spurgeon bluntly reminds us, "We ought not to tolerate for a minute the ghastly and grievous thought that God will not answer prayer. His nature, as manifested in Christ Jesus, demands it." Unfortunately there will always be some who consider answers to prayer a mere coincidence. Archbishop Temple had a good response for such critics: "When I pray, coincidences happen. When I do not;, they don't."
Dare to take God at his word. Dare to commit yourself to life of prayer, and watch the wonders of God at work!

07 January 2006 16:15 GMT
I believe that 2006 is a year of revelation and demonstration.
We need the revelation of God. We need revelation from the Word of God. You cannot walk in the light of something that you cannot see. I know of one Christian, who is overflowing with leadership potential, but at the moment, he doesn't see himself as a leader. He doesn't realize how much influence he already has over others. So, my prayer for him is that he will begin to see himself in the light of the leadership ability that God has given him, so that he can begin to exercise effectively the gift of God that he possesses.
Often in the church, however, believers have revelation in an area, but they do not demonstrate that truth in the world. It is time for us to demonstrate to the world the revelation of the truth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
A few months ago a friend shared some interesting insight regarding the church. There is an abundance of good teaching in the church today. But, there is often very little demonstration of that truth. My friend said that if a church receives revelation from God, but fails to demonstrate that revelation, or fails to walk in the light of that revelation, then that church will begin to dry up.
It has always been the plan of God for his people to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. Purpose to make 2006 of year of being both a hearer and a doer of the Word of the living God.

24 December 2005 13:30 GMT
Mark 4 begins with Jesus telling the parable of the sower and the seed. As the sower sows the seed, it falls on four different types of ground.

The path
Rocky places
Thorns
Good ground
The seed that fell on the path is likened to those who hear the word, and Satan comes immediately to steal it. The seed that falls on rocky place, where there is little soil, sprouts quickly but it soon withers under the attack of persecution, because it has no root. The seed sown into the ground with thorns was choked by the thorns of worry, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, making the seed unfruitful. But, the seed sown into good ground produces a crop thirty, sixty or hundred times what was sown.
As a believer, I want the Word of God to produce a harvest in my life. For that harvest to occur, I must continually remove the thorns from the garden of my heart. To give place to any of these thorns gives room for the seed of the Word of God in my heart to become unfruitful.
So, to succeed in God I must do the following:

Refuse worry.
Keep the proper perspective on money.
Seek first the kingdom of God.
If the Word of God is not producing in your life the way you think it should, here are some questions to ask yourself?

Do I tolerate worry or anxiety in my life?
What issues tempt me to worry?
Am I bringing my concerns before the throne of God in prayer? (See Philippians 4:6-7)
Do I have God's perspective on money?
Is my security based in God or in my possessions?
Am I willing to give anything I have in obedience to God?
Do I seek first the kingdom of God?
What things in life do I desire too strongly?
What activities in life rob me of time with God?
Jesus clearly identified these three snares in this parable. Maintain a vigilance that prevents these three thorns from choking the seed of the Word of God in your life!!

10 December 2005 18:30 GMT
Genesis 3 records the account of the initial sin of Adam and Eve. The serpent comes into the garden and deceives Eve, and she eats fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She gives Adam some of the fruit, and he eats as well.
Immediately, their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked. They sought to makes garments for themselves from the fig leaves.
Then God confronts them about their sin, and he pronounces the curse of the consequences of the sin upon the serpent, Eve, and Adam. The curse was not good.
After the pronouncement of the curses, then a powerful truth is revealed in verse 21. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 NIV)
Adam and Eve tried to deal with the consequences of sin in their own strength. They sought to make clothes out of fig leaves. When it comes to covering sin and the consequences of sin, our best effort is never good enough. So, God made garments of skin and clothed Adam and Eve. God made provision for man even after they sinned against him.
With God nothing is impossible. God could make garments of skins without killing animals. He could create the skins. However, I don't think that is the method God chose to use. I believe he killed the animals necessary to provide the skins to cover Adam and Eve. If I am correct, then the first instance in the Bible of the shedding of blood would be God shedding the blood of animals to help cover the nakedness of man caused by his sin.
How much he loves us!! But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)
In the garden God was willing to shed the blood of innocent animals to cover the man he created in his own image. But, God was not finished. Ultimately, he shed the blood of his only son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. (I John 3:1a NIV)

26 October 2005 22:45 GMT
On the way to church on Sunday morning, I heard Dr. James Dobson make the following statement: "Forgiveness is giving up the right to hurt you for hurting me."
The prophet Isaiah said, "I, even, I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25 NIV)
When we forgive, we should forget. That doesn't mean that you can mentally erase the offense. But, it does mean that you don't dwell on the offense, and you don't remind the person, who hurt you of the hurt. You no longer plot revenge, but you release them completely.
I told some people about that statement, and one young man had a very interesting perspective. He put this truth in the context of forgiving yourself. We hurt ourselves, when we sin. But, when you forgive yourself, you give up the right to hurt yourself. You choose to no longer walk in condemnation. You choose to no longer beat yourself over the head because of your sin, but rather you choose to walk in the forgiveness, freedom, and peace provided through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Choose to freely forgive those who have hurt you, even when the main hurt has come from your own actions.

22 October 2005 14:00 GMT
In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of a landowner, who went out early in the morning to hire workers to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay each of them a denarius for their labor that day. At the third hour he went out and saw others in the marketplace standing around doing nothing. He invited them to work in his vineyard, and he told them that he would pay them what is right. The landowner did the same thing at the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and the eleventh hour.
At the end of the day the landowner sent his foreman to pay the appropriate wages beginning with the last ones hired. He paid the last ones hired a denarius. Then the workers who labored all day thought that they would receive more, but they were paid the denarius as well, per their agreement with the landowner. They grumbled and complained, but the landowner said that he could do what he wanted with his own property.
This week I was reminded of this parable, when God gave me a prophetic word for a brother in the Lord. In that word, the Holy Spirit said, "For in this hour there will be men, who in the twilight of their lives, will yield to the call that I placed on them before the foundation of the world. Yes, even men who are 70 and 80 years of age will become obedient to that call and will receive the Word of God and will walk in the power of the Holy Spirit."
In the parable the landowner wanted his grapes to be harvested. He needed all the help that he could find. So, he continued to recruit workers all through the day.
Jesus said that the fields are white unto harvest. These are days of harvest in the kingdom of God. Jesus is at work to bring multitudes into the kingdom of God. It is better to faithfully serve God all the days of your life. But, God doesn't give up on us. Even in the eleventh hour of your life, or in the twilight of your life, if you will yield to God, he will joyfully put you to work in his harvest field. There is plenty of work for all.
Let's yield fully to God and serve him with joy. It is the most rewarding work that you will ever know.

15 October 2005 18:30 GMT
In many places in the Bible, God invites his people "to ask." Jesus said, Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24 NIV)
I like the King James translation of this verse. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Let's suppose that your church is building a new sanctuary, and that you desire to give $10,000 into the building fund, but you don't have the money. According to Mark 11:24 you can ask God to give you $10,000. Here are the steps Jesus outlined.

Ask God for $10,000.
Believe that you have received $10,000.
Then, you will have the $10,000 to give.
You believe that you receive the $10,000 when you ask. But, then you stand in faith until $10,000 actually comes into your hands.
I used the truth of Mark 11:24 to receive my wife. Also, I used this truth to receive a diamond engagement ring for her. I knew I did not have the money to buy a ring for her. Now, we have been married for almost 26 years, and God provided the ring in an unusual manner.
There is usually always a waiting period between the time we ask and believe that we received, and the time the answer is manifested into our hands. What do you do during that time frame?

Stand in faith. You believe that you have received, so refuse to let go of your faith. Refuse to quit. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Thank God for the answer. You believe that you have received, so live with an attitude of thanksgiving. I often thanked God for my wife before I met her. I believed that I had received.

Keep feeding on the Word of God. Meditate daily in the Word of God, and your faith will continue to grow.

Live with an expectation of manifestation. In life we usually see in our lives what we expect to see. Most believers live with a low level of expectation. They don't want to be disappointed.
I want to encourage every believer to increase your level of expectation. Rise up every morning with a keen sense of expectation of what God will do that day in you and through you. If you have asked God for something, and you have not yet seen the answer manifested, increase your level of expectation. God is at work on your behalf.
The prophet, Daniel, sought God for understanding in a certain area. He asked for understanding. He believed that he received the understanding. Then, he continued to seek God until he saw the manifestation. Look at what the angel Gabriel told Daniel. Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." (Daniel 10:12-14)
When you pray, God hears you instantly. He grants your request instantly. God instantly dispatched Gabriel to give Daniel understanding. But, we live in an arena of spiritual warfare. A demonic prince stood against the angel Gabriel. But, as Daniel stood in faith with expectation of manifestation, Michael came to help Gabriel and loosed him to bring the understanding to Daniel.
What if Daniel had given up? What if he had started saying, "I guess God doesn't want me to know." Then, he would have missed out on the manifestation.
We have all given up too quickly. We have all made requests to God, and then grown weary of standing in faith. We stopped expecting.
Determine to never, ever give up again. Once you ask God for something, allow the expectation of manifestation to grow in you until you possess that $10,000 seed to sow into your building fund!

12 October 2005 22:00 GMT
Thirty years ago today, my lovely bride, Cathe, was born again. She met Jesus, and she has never looked back. Her obedience to God has certainly richly blessed me. But, she has been, and continues to be, a blessing to many.
May God continue to show forth the abundance of his blessing and favor to her and through her in the name of Jesus.

11 October 2005 19:15 GMT
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27 NIV)
I love Scripture verses about the peace of God. As I looked at the words of Jesus found in this particular verse, I was struck with the phrase I do not give to you as the world gives.
Jesus gives peace, while the world gives diversion, sleeping pills, alcohol, and drugs.
The apostle John said, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (I John 2:15-17 NIV)
We are in the world, but not of the world. Whenever we have the choice to choose between what Jesus offers, and what the world offers, it is a "no brainer." Choose Jesus. His way is always far superior.

10 October 2005 20:30 GMT
I turned yesterday's blog entry into a musing. Here is the link: The Next Generation.
At the men's retreat I spoke and I used the text of Philippians 4:6-7. Paul exhorted the church to not be anxious, but rather to pray, and to allow the peace of God to guard their hearts and minds.
Yesterday afternoon, I started to become anxious about a certain matter. I much prefer peace to anxiety. There is simply no comparison.
Last night I decided to practice what I had preached, and I prayed about the situation that was sorely tempting me to become anxious. This morning God spoke a word to me that broke the power of that attack of anxiety, and then restored me to a place of peace.
Today, I was listening to a sermon, and the preacher said that anxiety stops faith, and faith stops anxiety. They are mutually exclusive. If we truly believe God, how can we remain in a state of anxiety?
God's way is so much better. Learn to cultivate his peace that passes all understanding.

09 October 2005 19:45 GMT
Our church had a men's retreat this weekend. About twenty-five men took part in at least a portion of the retreat.
About 40% of the participants were men thirty or under. It is exciting to see young men eager to serve God, and to move in the things of the Spirit of God. These young men want to experience the reality of the presence of the living God. They are not interested in a dead, cold religion.
The psalmist declares in Psalm 71:18, Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. (NIV)
Our pastor recently preached about the children of Israel entering the promised land. Because of the unbelief of the older generation, God allowed an entire generation to die in the wilderness. Then their children obeyed God and they began to possess the promised land. Only Joshua and Caleb, men of faith, were allowed to enter the promised land from the older generation.
God will do great and mighty things with today's younger generation. They will believe God, and they will perform great exploits in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I want to do my part to help prepare the younger generation to possess the promised land, that God has set before them. I want to encourage them in their faith. I want to fill them with the mentality, that all things are possible for them as they believe. I don't want to hold them back, but I want to propel them forward in God.
I heard one older brother admit that he is somewhat envious of the manner, in which he knows that God is going to use the younger men. He knows that what they will accomplish in God will far surpass what he has seen.
However, my attitude is different. I am excited. First of all, I know that God is not yet finished with the older generation, if we dare to believe the Word of God. Secondly, I know that the younger men will be more effective, if they can look to older brothers in the Lord for counsel and encouragement in the days ahead. I plan to be there for them.
I will encourage them. I will pray for them. I will stand with them. I will gladly hold their coats. Then...thirty years from now..I will do the same for their sons.
These are great days in the kingdom of God. There is plenty of work for all. Are you ready to take your place in God? Don't get left behind. Let's go possess the land!!

02 October 2005 22:00 GMT
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)
All believers have experienced the bondage of sin. What a glorious experience to be delivered from that bondage!!
Paul told the church at Galatia, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. God desires for all of his children to live in the glorious freedom of Jesus Christ...free from sin, and free to obey God.
Then, Paul exhorts the church to Stand firm in that freedom. The enemy will yet again entice us to sin. Religious people will try to ensnare us with the yokes of their religious traditions.
But, don't fall for it. Stand firm in the liberty of Jesus Christ. You are free in Jesus to be the person that God called you to be. You are free in Jesus to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. You are free in Jesus to enjoy life.
Jesus went to the cross for our freedom. Enjoy that freedom. It is a precious gift.

01 October 2005 21:30 GMT
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! (Joshua 10:12-14 NIV)
In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." (NIV)
Jesus spoke to fig tree in verse 14 and said, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." The next morning Jesus and the disciples passed by the fig tree once again. The disciples noticed that the fig tree had dried up from the roots. Jesus used the death of the fig tree as an object lesson to teach the disciples about the power of the spoken word.
Here is the summary of what Jesus said in verse 23.

If you SAY to the mountain, "Go, throw, yourself into the sea."
If you do not doubt in your heart what you saying.
If you believe what you say is going to happen.
Then, what you say will be done for you. You will have whatever you say.
Notice Jesus didn't say to pray for God to remove the mountain. He told the disciples to speak to the mountain. Also, notice that Jesus spoke about not doubting in your heart. Doubts may attack your mind. We must resist those mental doubts. The key factor is what you truly believe in your heart, and then say with your mouth. If you do not truly believe in your heart, what you are saying, then it will not come to pass. The spirit of faith is to believe and to speak. (See II Corinthians 4:13-14)
Some believers scoff at the idea of speaking to inanimate objects, but in Genesis 1 it is abundantly clear that God instructed his man to take dominion over all the earth. Every inanimate object is made of materials from this earth. Therefore, we have dominion over it in the name of Jesus.
One of the most striking examples of the exercise of dominion is found in Joshua 10, when Joshua spoke to the sun and commanded it to be still. How God worked that out, I do not know. I assume the earth temporarily stopped rotating, but however God did it, he honored the words spoken by the man of God. The sun delayed going down for about a day.
Let's fill our hearts with the word of God like Joshua did. Let's obey God like Joshua did. Then, let's use our words to exercise the dominion that God has given to the church through the Lord Jesus Christ.

29 September 2005 23:45 GMT
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. (II Corinthians 9:10 NIV)
I believe that this is a key verse for me for during this season in my life. God promises to supply seed to the sower and bread for food.
God is a giver. He loves to gives, and he wants to teach us to be like him. Also, he wants to meet all of our material needs.
I dare to believe that in this season of my life that God is supplying and increasing the store of my seed. I believe that in the last four months of this year, that I will give more in Biblical giving than I have ever given in any four month period of my life.
As a believer is faithful to sow, then God is faithful to bring the harvest. God will enlarge the harvest of my righteousness.

26 September 2005 23:30 GMT
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. (I Corinthians 14:1 NIV)
The gift of prophecy is one of the nine manifestations, or gifts, of the Holy Spirit that Paul lists in I Corinthians 12. Prophecy is divinely inspired utterance. In I Corinthans 14:3, Paul explains the purpose of the gift of prophecy: But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (NIV)
Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach at our church. I ministered to one of our young men with a prophetic word. I saw that God wants to use him to begin to deliver words of prophecy. I also saw that God want to use him to begin to sing the "song of the Lord." Paul said, Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19 NIV)
"Spiritual songs" are songs of a prophetic nature. The Holy Spirit gives a song to a man, which he does not know. He sings the song by faith under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
I saw two manifestations that God wants to bring on a regular basis as this young man is obedient to the Holy Spirit to grow and to develop in this area.

There will be times that he will sing the song of the Lord, and there will be someone listening, who has a migraine headache. Through the anointing manifested through his singing, the migraine headache will leave. And, for some people they will never have another migraine headache again.

I also saw that there will be times, that as he sings, someone who is heavily burdened with grief and sorrow, will be delivered from the power of that grief and sorrow, and God will anoint them with the oil of gladness.
I am excited about the move of the Holy Spirit in these days. God wants to use his church to bless others. God wants to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit through his church to bless the body of Christ and to reach the world.
The previous Sunday, Pastor Duke read from Joshua 3:4a, Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. (NIV)
God wants to take us places in him that are new, and different, and exciting. Fasten your seat belt....wonderful days lie ahead for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ!

21 September 2005 22:30 GMT
I believe Christians tend to magnify their problems, rather than magnifying the Lord. I believe that the more we magnify God, and move deeper into the blessing, the favor, and the glory of God, then the less impact trials will have on our lives. Christians often magnify the small trials, and they become big trials in their minds.
In Acts 6, Stephen was experiencing fruitful, powerful ministry in the Holy Spirit. Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. (Acts 6:8 NIV)
The Jews were not happy with his ministry. They stirred up false witnesses, and they brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin. As he stood before the Sanhedrin, All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15 NIV) Stephen was full of the glory of God.
Luke records the powerful sermon that Stephen preached to the Sanhedrin. When he finished, they were furious with him. When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:54-56)
They dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
I don't believe the stones killed Stephen. I believe that Stephen was so deep into the Spirit of God, that Jesus stood up from his throne and said, "Come on up."
I was telling a Christian brother about my thoughts, and he shared with me the testimony of a missionary, who spoke at their church. This missionary was tortured for his faith. Spikes were driven into his arms. He testified that he felt absolutely no pain, when the spikes were driven into his arm.
Let's focus on God. Let's move more fully into his blessing, his favor, and his glory. The best is yet to come for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ!!

17 September 2005 02:00 GMT
On Wednesday night Pastor Duke spoke about blessing. What does it mean to be blessed? What do we mean when we tell people that we are blessed? The teaching itself was good, but there was a definite impartation of blessing associated with this teaching.
Pastor Duke did mention that often the Bible ties the word blessed with specific blessings of the Lord. He made reference to Pslam 103:1-5. Here are the first two verses. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. (NASV)
We bless the Lord because we know that we are blessed. So, David stirred up his soul to bless the Lord, and to not forget his benefits. He could bless the Lord so heartily, because he knew the marvelous benefits that God had provided.

Forgives all your sin.
Heals all your diseases.
Redeems your life from the pit.
Crowns you with love and compassion.
Satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The next morning I was thinking about Psalm 5:12. I believe that the Holy Spirit quickened this verse to me for the year of 2005. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
I had been looking at this verse in two parts.

The Lord blesses the righteous.
He surrounds them with his favor as with a shield.
But, then I saw that the Lord blesses the righteous, then here is one of those specific blessings. He chooses to surround us with his favor. I had seen the two phrases as not connected directly, but they are.
I know you could be thinking, "Wow, that guy is slow." But, at least I saw it.
Then something rose up in me that I believe was connected to the impartation of the previous night. I believe that the fourth quarter of 2005 will be filled with the blessing and favor of God in a dimension that will be greater than any time in my 53 year old history.
I am glad that I went to church this past Wednesday night...I am excited about the days ahead!!

14 September 2005 13:00 GMT
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (Proverbs 14:30 NIV)
One of the greatest gifts that God gives to his people his peace. Paul said, For he himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14a NIV) Isaiah said, The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5b NIV) Isaiah also said, You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)
Walking in the peace of God is good for your health. Fear, anxiety, envy, and unforgiveness sap the body of its life.
Today, you and I can choose to walk in peace. That peace will minister life to our mortal bodies. Or, we can choose envy or one of its many cousins. Do you want to give life to your body, or take actions that will rot your bones? That should be an easy question to answer.
Paul's admonition in Philippians is crucial to living a successful life. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
Choose peace over anxiety. Choose peace over envy. Choose peace over strife. Your body will be very thankful! And, your family and friends will give thanks as well.

12 September 2005 13:00 GMT
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV)
I am thankful for the Word of God. I am thankful for all of his benefits. I am thankful that he forgives every sin and that he heals every disease.
There is no disease that is too difficult for God. He heals all of our diseases.

10 September 2005 01:15 GMT
I converted the blog entry from 9 September into an article about Boldness.

9 September 2005 20:00 GMT
Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs." (Luke 11:5-8 NIV)
Jesus told this parable about a man, who had unexpected company in the middle of the night. The man does not have the appropriate provision to feed his friend, so he goes to wake up his neighbor to ask for bread to feed his guest.
The neighbor doesn't act in a kind manner toward the man. He is bothered by the intrusion. Yet, Jesus says that the neighbor will get up and give the man as much as he needs because of the man's boldness.
Solomon said, The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1 NIV)
I think boldness is something that is often missing in the church. Certainly, we should always act in wisdom and in the love of God, but the church should boldly proclaim the Word of God, and demonstrate the works of Jesus in this generation.
Why aren't individuals Christians, and the church as whole, more bold in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ? Here are a couple of reasons.

We fear rejection. Perfect love casts our fear. We must develop in the love of God to the point, where we love people enough to share the truth with them, even if they do reject us.

We fear offending someone. In our society political correctness has run amuck. The church has become timid. We don't want to say anything to offend anyone. Well, the goal should never be to offend. God can give us creative ways to share the truth. Jesus offended many people in his earthly ministry. Paul offended many people. Like Jesus and Paul, we should strive to walk in the love of God at all times. We should strive to obey the Word of God and the Spirit of God at all times. Some will be offended, but our responsibility is to please God, not man.

When Peter and John boldly ministered the healing power of God to the crippled beggar at the temple gate, they caused quite a stir. They were arrested and put into jail. The authorities released them, but instructed them to no longer teach or preach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John returned to their church and a prayer meeting followed. Look at the content of this prayer.
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:29-31 NIV)
Peter and John had ministered boldly to the crippled man. They preached the gospel with boldness. That offended the Jewish authorities. So, did Peter and John draw back in fear? No, they asked God for boldness to continue to preach the Word. They asked God to heal even more. They prayed for miraculous signs and wonders to be performed in the name of Jesus.
May God help the church of today to rise up in faith to boldly proclaim and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Recently, the Holy Spirit quickened the following verse to me. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12 NKJV)
I believe that men and women, who accomplish great things for God, are believers who refuse to be denied. There is a certain something within them that refuses to settle for defeat. They refuse to be stymied by the schemes and trickery of Satan. They refuse to shrink back in fear, when persecution arises. They love God and people enough to speak the truth, even if rejection and offense occur. I think these men and women of God know something about the violent take it by force.
I want to become such a person, who is bold in God. I want to be a man, who is violent in spirit when it comes to obeying God. I want to be an intercessor, who doesn't quit until the victory comes.
May God help us in these critical days, to possess a boldness and violence in spirit, which is born of the Spirit of God.

5 September 2005 14:30 GMT
A person, in whom I have great respect, believes that this nation will experience a second catastrophic event this year. I believe that this friend has insight from the Holy Spirit. The church must continue to call upon God for his mercy to be manifested in our nation. Sometimes, an impending catastrophe can be avoided, if the church will repent, intercede, and cry out for the mercy of God.
However, Jesus said regarding the last days, When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. (Mark 13:7-8 NIV)
Jesus said, Such things must happen. Some things the church can prevent, but some things must happen in order to fulfill the prophetic words of Jesus Christ.
Jesus also said, I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)
This broken world is a place of trouble. Much trouble can be avoided by walking in obedience to Jesus, and by prayer. But, there will still be trouble around us.
Years ago, Grandma grilled Psalm 91 into me. No matter what is happening in this world, God will protect those who choose him. (See God's Answer to Terror Attacks)
I encourage every believer to spend time in these days meditating in Psalm 91. God has made provision for our protection. God has made provision for our peace. God has made provision for our victory.
These are exciting days to live. Almighty God is at work. Let's not shrink back in fear, but let's rise up in faith, and be willing vessels of God's grace and mercy in these last days.

4 September 2005 21:30 GMT
Here is a link to an article I wrote about Hurricane Katrina: Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment.

3 September 2005 16:30 GMT
In a blog entry on 12 August 2005, I wrote about the power of words. I read a verse of Scripture recently from James that emphasized the importance of controlling my tongue, and using it to speak words that are consistent with the Word of God.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
James later adds, We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. (James 3:2 NIV)
These verses don't need much commentary. God has given us the choice to use our words to build up or to destroy; to minister life or death; to minister peace or strife. Let's choose this day to honor God with the words we speak.

31 August 2005 11:30 GMT
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3-4 NIV)
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans has turned into nightmare with massive flooding in the city, and the loss of basic services, such as water, power, and telephone. Residents are scattered over many states not knowing when they can return, and wondering if they will have a home when they do return.
The stories of serious looting have demonstrated clearly the depravity of man. When people know they are unlikely to get caught, it is sobering to think about what they will do.
Civil leadership is a gift from God. Normally this type of looting would never happen in a city like New Orleans. But, this is a time of crisis. The priority is to rescue citizens trapped by flood waters. Many of the streets are flooded, so patrol cars cannot operate as normal. With phone service gone, the many good citizens cannot report the specific incidents of looting.
This sad display of human nature by a few residents of New Orleans causes me to thank God for his gift of civil leadership. God cares for his people, and he does not desire for anarchy to prevail.
Today, I thank God for the civil leadership in the Atlanta area. Today, I thank God for the police force, which is ready to come to my aid, if needed. Civil authorities are not perfect, but they are a gift from God. I am thankful for that gift.

29 August 2005 04:00 GMT
May the Lord give mercy to New Orleans, and to everyone in the path of of Hurricane Katrina.
Brother John continued on Sunday preaching about "Heirs According to the Promise." Here are some of my notes.
God has given us in promise form everything we need for life and godliness. Godliness is profitable for all things having the promise of life that now is and is to come. The promises are for now.

The Lord's promise is the rule of his giving. He makes promise. It doesn't depend on your effort, it depends on the ability of God to keep his promise. The power of the promise lies in the one who promised. The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised. (I Kings 5:12 NIV)

Faith is absolutely necesary to appropriate the promise. Jesus often said, "According to your faith be it unto you." (Also, see Mark 9:23 and Mark 11:24)

We have to endorse the promise. Some say they believe the promise, but they are nervous wrecks, or depressed, or gripped with fear. We have to believe the promise to the degree that there is no ambivalence at all.

Search the promise. Be definite about your need, so you can be definite about the promise of God that you need. God has a promise for you today.

26 August 2005 13:00 GMT
This past Sunday Brother John preached an excellent message about the church being "Heirs According to the Promise." His texts were Romans 4:13-23, selected verses from Galatians 3, and II Peter 1:3-4. God has made great and precious promises to his people.
Here are some of my notes from Sunday morning and from Wednesday night, when he spoke further about this topic.
God's Word is immutable, it abides, it is unchanging. God is not capricious. God never falls short of his Word. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope. God intends for us to possess the promises.
When God makes promise, he makes promise to be believed. Abraham by faith and patience received the promise. We enjoy the promises twice. Once by faith, then by fulfillment. Faith obliterates time and annihilates distance. It is through the promises that we partake of his divine nature. Precious in the Word of God means valuable.
We live under a regime of promise. Promises provide a training ground for faith. How do you become? Believe the promise! Promises are received by faith. It is impossible to please God without faith.
What should our response be to the promises?

Joyfully accept them.
Know them. The promises should be in our hearts and in our mouths.
Talk about the promises. Our conversation should be filled with the promises of God.
The promise of God flows flows out of the boundless love of God. The reason a promise is given is to be received. If you have confidence in who he is, then you can have confidence in the promise.
Activate a promise by believing God. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. The work of God is that we believe in him. When you believe the promise, it encourages you to plead the promise.
A promise is the raw material of prayer. Prayer waters the seed of the promise, unit it burst forth into a manifestation of life in our circumstances. There should never be a time, when we are not believing the promises of God.
I thank God for the promises of his Word in the name of Jesus!

25 August 2005 13:00 GMT
Early yesterday morning I had an exceptional experience. I rose early and read for a while. Then, I left the apartment for a short walk to pray. As I stepped outside, I instantly knew something was different. It was a positive feeling that something had changed for the better, but I did not know what changed.
Later in the day, I believe the Holy Spirit showed me the change. His revelation brought great rejoicing to my heart. When I told Cathe, it also caused great rejoicing in her. I will remain quiet about the revelation for now, but the time will come to share what the Lord has done.
A friend at work gave me the book Ethics 101 by John Maxwell. The basic premise is that ethics is based on the Golden Rule. Here is a quote from page 23 from Ted Koppel, who has worked in television news for years. "There's harmony and inner peace to be found in following a moral compass that points in the same direction regardless of fashion or trend."
Abbe selected her wedding dress on Monday. Actually, I thought she had already picked her wedding dress, but I missed the news that she changed her mind. But, now the bride, and the mother of the bride, are happy with the dress. That means everyone is happy!!

24 August 2005 13:00 GMT
God delivered the children of Egypt from slavery in the land of Egypt. Mighty signs were demonstrated through Moses culminating in God parting the Red Sea. The children of Israel crossed over on dry land, and then the army of Egypt drowned as the water overpowered them, as they pursued the children of Israel.
Look at Psalm 106:13. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. (NIV)
In the wilderness the children of Israel forgot what God had done. They grew restless, and sought idols. They chose not to wait for counsel of God. The rest of Psalm 106 is a sad narrative about the disobedience and rebellion of the nation of Israel.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31 NASV)
The wise man will wait upon the Lord.

21 August 2005 04:45 GMT
In chapters eight and nine of II Corinthians, Paul discusses the grace of giving.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righeousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (II Corinthians 9:6-15 NIV)
Here is my summary of what Paul said in these verses.

A believer will reap according to what he has sown.
A believer should never give under compulsion. God loves a cheerful giver.
God's grace can abound to a believer in a measure so great, that the believer will have enough to give to every good work.
God supplies seed to the sower and bread to eat. He is the source.
God will supply and increase the believer's store of seed.
God will increase the believer's harvest of righteousness.
God will make the believer rich in every way.
The grace of giving supplies the material needs of others.
The grace of giving results in expressions of thanksgiving to God.
The grace of giving results in praise to God.
The grace of giving results in the giver receiving "heart felt" prayer from those who receive.
More on these truths later.

20 August 2005 16:00 GMT
Paul prayed the following for the church at Ephesus. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. (Ephesians 3:17b-19a NIV)
God's love for us far surpasses our comprehension, yet God wants us to understand more and more about the depth, the height, the width, and the length of his love for us.
God loves you and me so very much. The sacrifice of Jesus proves the greatness of his love. He desires to bless us exceedingly.
In Psalm 81 God speaks about his people, who are not listening to the voice of God, and not submitted to the ways of God. God gave them over to their own stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
Look with me at the last four verses of Psalm 81. "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of the wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." (Psalm 81:13-16 NIV)
God gives the results of listening to him, and obeying him.

He will subdue our enemies.
He will turn his hand against our foes.
He will cause his enemies to cringe before him.
He will feed us with the finest of the wheat.
He will satisfy us with honey from the rock.
God longs to bless his people. Notice one very key word in verse 13. How quickly would I subdue their enemies....
Unfortunately, so many Christians have the false religious thought, that God is looking for the opportunity to beat them over the head because of their sins and failures. No, God is looking for the opportunity to quickly come to the aid of his children. He is looking for the opportunity to bless.
Today, listen to God. Today, turn your heart to him, and turn away from stubbornness and disobedience. Receive the wonderful truth that God will quickly come to help you.

16 August 2005 23:00 GMT
Paul states a powerful truth in Romans 8:11 when he says, And if the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (NIV)
If you are born again, then the Spirit of God is living in you. This is the same Spirit, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He gave resurrection life to the body of Jesus Christ. And, Paul says that same Spirit will give life to your mortal body.
What a wonderful reality!! Surely, God gives every man breath. But, this verse does not apply to every man, rather this verse applies to those who belong to Jesus, and who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them.
I encourage you to confess the reality of this truth every day. Say, "I am born again of the Spirit of God. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is this day giving life to my mortal body."
Think about it. How can your body stay weak, when you put your agreement with this truth? How can your body stay sick, when you put your agreement with this truth?
Today is the day to act upon the word of God. Begin to believe the truth today, that the Spirit of God, who lives inside of you, is ministering the life of God to your mortal body! Praise God!!

16 August 2005 16:30 GMT
On 07 August Brother John preached about pulling down strongholds. A stronghold is a mindset that accepts a situation as unchangeable even though it is contrary to the Word of God. It becomes like a fortress in your mind.
II Corinthians 10: 3-5 was the main text. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)
Brother John had four main points in demolishing a stronghold.

Remember your position in Christ.
Rely on God's provision of greater grace.
Repent of your sin.
Resist the devil.
We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6) Our position gives us legal authority to be free. When the enemy brings up the past, remind him that you are a new creation.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:5-6) Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. We are to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help in the time of need. Submit to God, and acknowledge that it is the will of God for you to be free of this stronghold. Acknowledge that you are unable to pull down this stronghold in your own power. Acknowledge that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. We cannot do his good pleasure, until we are willing to do his good pleasure. Draw near to God. How do you draw near to God? Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. (Psalm 100:4)
A stronghold is built because of disobedience. We allow Satan room to work. Strongholds are not weaknesses, they are sins.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:8-10 NIV)
Why do we need to humble ourselves? Because we have an adversary. If you don't deal with a stronghold today, then it is stronger tomorrow. Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.
The body of Christ should certainly give seriously attention to this teaching. It is a timely word, in that God wants his church free, and walking fully in the light, as he continues to bring in a great latter day harvest.

15 August 2005 13:00 GMT
Look at Deuteronomy 8:18: But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (NIV)
In this chapter Moses gives instructions to the nation of Israel to prepare them to enter the land of promise. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and they were not accustomed to the exceeding abundance, that they were about to encounter. The focus of his instruction was remember the Lord your God.
Here is what I noticed from this passage, and specifically from verse 18. God's always desires to provide abundance for his obedient covenant children. The garden of Eden was a place of overwhelming abundance. Heaven is a place where the streets are paved with gold.
Our enemy has successfully over the years convinced the church that poverty and devotion to God are synonymous. That teaching is contrary to the Word of God. The love of money is the root of all types of evil, but you can commit that sin without a dime in your pocket.
God wants to bless his children in every realm including the financial realm. Part of his covenant blessing is the ability to produce wealth. God wants us to produce wealth, so that we can bless our families, and so we can invest heavily in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
But, there is always the temptation to focus on wealth, and not on God. There is also the temptation to forget God, and to think your own ability and intelligence are producing the wealth.
I want to receive the fullness of this truth. I want to always remember God first. I always want to seek him first. And, I also want to walk in his covenant blessing and exercise the ability he has given to me to produce wealth.
Much of the world continues to wait to hear the gospel message. Let's all remember God first, while we exercise our ability to produce wealth, so that the good news of redemption in Jesus Christ will reach every person in every corner of this planet.

13 August 2005 15:30 GMT
On 09 August I mentioned the six steps to revelation, which I found in Dr. Steve Johnson's book, You Can Win-A Biblical Guide to Victory In Life's Battles. I said that I would share more about those steps later. Here are the six steps again.

Vexation
Revelation
Hesitation
Resignation
Verification
Exaltation
Here are some selected quotes from Dr. Johnson's material as found on pages 83-90.

The dread, terror, and anxiety arising from situations for which there appears to be no answer are often quite vexing. So, we are calling this stage "vexation."
A troubled spirit caused Jehoshaphat to focus his attention on God and prepared him to receive His divine revelation or strategy for every circumstance. The revelation came through a man named Jahaziel who spoke a prophetic word from God.
Instead of wringing your hands in despair and chanting the universal motto of the perplexed, "I just don't know what to do." Allow vexation to open your mind and spirit to God's revelation.
It is strange, but usually when God reveals His strategy we start thinking of all the rational reasons why His plan cannot possibly work. This is because God's way is often contrary to human reasoning.
Resignation does not mean that you quit! Resignation, as we are using it here, means that you resign your will to the plan of God. You set aside your own human reasoning for divine revelation. You reject your own desires and accept God's direction.
God verified His plan through a mighty victory executed on the enemy.
The plan of God is always greater than any temporary inconveniences and in the end revelation knowledge results in the exaltation of God.

Thank you Dr. Johnson!!

12 August 2005 13:00 GMT
I was encouraged yesterday by some teaching from Brother Keith Moore about the words of your mouth. I have known this truth for almost thirty years, however, you can know the truth, and still not practice the truth. The truth that we know will set us free, if we will act on that truth. His teaching has encouraged me to more diligently act upon this Biblical truth.
Notice the following verses of Scripture.

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." (Mark 11:23 NIV)

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. (Proverbs 12:14 NIV)

From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things. (Proverbs 13:2a NIV)

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:20-21 NIV)
What you believe in your heart and say with your mouth will come to pass.
What are you saying? What is the fruit of your lips? Are you speaking life or death, health or sickness, abundance or lack, faith or fear, forgivness or unforgivness, hope or despair, peace or anxiety?
Dare to discipline your mouth to speaks words that agree with the Word of the living God!!

10 August 2005 09:30 GMT
The following verses struck my thinking: When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." (Luke 22:45-46 NIV)
Jesus is facing the cross. He is about to be arrested. He knew that his disciples would be tempted to deny him. He knew that they needed to spend time with the Father, just as he was doing. However, Luke says that the disciples were exhausted from sorrow.
Jesus certainly knows that the physical body needs rest. But, this passage says to me that there are times in life, when you cannot afford to sleep. In verse forty Jesus clearly instructed them to pray, before he separated himself from them to spend time alone with the Father. He knew their state of fatigue and sorrow. But, he knew their spiritual state as well. Jesus knew that they needed to pray. His instruction was precise.
Believers should have regular times of disciplined prayer. There are other times when the Holy Spirit will lead you to pray. You may be tired. You may be busy. But, in the end, all of that doesn't matter. When God wants you to pray, the only thing to do is....PRAY.

09 August 2005 13:00 GMT
In relation to what I wrote on 06 August about the favor of God, I truly believe, that in God's economy, the roses do not have thorns. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. (Proverbs 10:22 NIV)
This planet continues to suffer under the curse of sin. I don't believe that roses had thorns in the garden of Eden. There was no need for pest control in the garden of Eden. The garden was not under the curse.
While the earth still deals with the curse of sin, God is at work to bring the church out from under the curse. Paul wrote that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3:13)
We still have to deal with the results of sin in this life. If you have a rose garden, your rose bushes will have thorns. However, when it comes to the blessing of God, remember that his blessing brings wealth. Yes, it brings monetary wealth, but his blessing also brings wealth in every facet of life. And, God attaches no thorns, troubles, or heartaches to his blessing.
Truly, you can expect that Satan may challenge the blessing of God in your life. But, you have victory through the blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I was reading Dr. Steve Johnson's book You Can Win-A Biblical Guide To Victory in Life's Battles. In his writing he listed six stages for the process of the revelation of God coming to his people.

Vexation
Revelation
Hesitation
Resignation
Verification
Exaltation
More on this material later.

06 August 2005 14:45 GMT
I wrote recently about the favor of God. In reading the Bible this morning, I saw several references to the favor of God. I will list them below. All references are from the NIV.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts for a lifetime. (Psalm 30:5a)
O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand strong. (Psalm 30:7)
"The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among people." (Luke 1:25-the words of Elizabeth.)
The angel went to her (Mary) and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28)
But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30)
"But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43-the words of Elizabeth to Mary.)
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14-Angelic message at the birth of Jesus.)
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19-Jesus reading from Isaiah in the synagogue.)
God wants to favor his children. God want to bless you richly, and to add no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22) When God gives a rose to one of his children, that person often starts looking for the thorns. We accept that God will bless us, but we expect some thorns to accompany the blessing. May God help us to accept the truth that he loves us dearly. He wants to bless us. He wants to favor us. He does not want to hurt us.
Yes, there are trials, tribulations, and hardships in this life. We live in a broken world in which sin has run rampant for over 6,000 years. But, the favor of God will help us to overcome every trial, tribulation and hardship.
Accept the truth. God wants to favor you. He desires for the truth of Ephesians 3:20-21 to be realized in you. He wants to do in you immeasurably more that all you could ask or imagine.
Dare to walk in the favor of the Almighty God!

05 August 2005 23:30 GMT
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)
During my early days of serving God, I battled a spirit of fear. This verse from Isaiah was a great comfort to me. These truths helped me to find victory in him.

Do not fear.
I am with you.
Do not be dismayed. (Or do not be anxious and worried)
I am your God.
I will strengthen you.
I will help you.
I will uphold you with my righeous right hand.
This verse is chock full of precious and powerful truth from the Word of God.
Fear desires to torment you. Fear wants to paralyze you and make you ineffective. Yielding to fear allows Satan to rob you of your peace and joy in Jesus Christ.
This morning the Holy Spirit ministered to me through this verse. I reminisced about how much this verse had helped me through the years. The Holy Spirit helped me to see a glimpse of the truth that God is with me. He never leaves me or forsakes me. For eternity I will never be separated from the presence of God.
When you feel lonely, when you feel helpless, when fear attacks your mind and your emotions, remember this verse. You do not have to fear. You do not have to be dismayed or anxious. God Almighty is with you. He will help you, and strengthen you, and uphold you with his righteous right hand.
During that attack of fear in the 1970's, Satan sought to paint many negative thoughts of torment in my mind. Thirty years later I can testify that not one of those thoughts ever became reality.
The presence of God far surpasses the spirit of fear. His perfect love drives out fear. (I John 4:18)

04 August 2005 16:00 GMT
Last evening at church, Joy, one of the teenagers, shared about her mission trip to Europe. Joy shared one modern day Pentecostal experience.
Late one night she prayed in tongues for a member of the mission team, who was dealing with some issues. Later the girl told Joy, that it was amazing that Joy knew all of those things about her. The girl told Joy that some of those things, she had never shared with anyone. Joy asked her what she meant, because Joy had only prayed for her in tongues.
The bottom line is, Joy prayed for this girl in tongues, but the girl heard the prayer in English.
On the day of Pentecost, following the resurrection of Jesus, he poured out the Holy Spirit, and the disciples spoke in other tongues. There were God-fearing Jews in Jerusalem from all of the known world. They had come to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The disciples spoke in tongues, and the Jews gathered heard them speak in their own languages.
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. (Acts 2:6 NIV)
In the 1960's, some declared that God is dead. Some still maintain that he is at best irrelevant. The Scripture says, The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
The Holy Spirit is alive and well in the 21st century, and the best days are still to come. It is exciting to serve God in this generation.

03 August 2005 13:00 GMT
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. (Proverbs 3:13-18 NIV)
Note the results of the person who chooses to find wisdom, and to gain understanding. Also, notice that wisdom and understanding are more profitable than silver and gold. They are more precious than rubies, and there is nothing that you can desire that is comparable to wisdom and understanding.

The man who embraces wisdom and understanding is blessed.
Wisdom brings long life.
Wisdom produces riches and honor.
The ways of wisdom are pleasant.
The paths of wisdom are peace.
Wisdom is a tree of life.
The writer of Proverbs said in 4:7: Wisdom is supreme. The serious believer should daily seek the wisdom of God. The time invested in seeking the wisdom of God will yield returns far greater than any investment that the system of this world offers.

03 August 2005 10:15 GMT
I had my yearly review at work. It was a positive experience.
I am thankful for the truth of Philippians 4:19. And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Paul wrote those words to a church which had been faithful to give to help support his needs. Give, and you will receive. It is a steadfast principle of the kingdom of God, that you will reap what you sow.

02 August 2005 12:00 GMT
In Luke 17:11-19, the story is told of Jesus traveling to Jerusalem along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. The lepers stood at a distance and they called out to Jesus in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us."
Jesus told them to go show themselves to priests. He required an act of faith. They did not yet appear healed, but a priest was required to certify that a leper had been cleansed. As they acted in obedience to the command of Jesus, they were cleansed.
One of the men, when he realized that he was healed, came back to Jesus. He praised God in a loud voice, and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. This one leper was a Samaritan, not even a child of the covenant.
Jesus then asked the question, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
Jesus is in effect rebuking the other nine cleansed lepers for not returning with thanksgiving and praise.
The Word of God is filled with instructions to give thanks to God. It is the will of God in Christ Jesus to give thanks in all circumstances. (I Thessalonians 5:18) We are to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. (Psalm 100:4)
We are dependent on the goodness of God. We are also dependent on the goodness of other people. A heart of gratitude is something that God expects from his children.
It seems so easy to become selfish and ungrateful. That mindset is prevalent today, yet it is repulsive to God.
I purpose to become more thankful...it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for my life.

01 August 2005 16:15 GMT
Recently I was reading in the book of Revelation, and I took note of the following passage in which John is describing heaven.
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. (Revelation 21:22-26 NIV)
I was perplexed by the following portions of this passage. The kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.....The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. I wondered how the honor and the glory of the nations could possibly add anything to the holy city. How could the splendor of any earthly king enrich heaven?
I asked Brother Curtis about this passage. He is an elder at church, and a serious student of the Word of God. He said that he thinks it simply means, that the kings of the earth and the nations, will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, and that all that they have comes from him. Brother Curtis sees the book of Revelation, primarily, as a book of worship.
That makes sense to me. What else do we have to give to Jesus, other than to acknowledge that he is Lord. John the Baptist said, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven." (John 4:27 NIV)
He made us in his image, and he gave us a free will. He gave us the ability to speak. With those gifts, we can choose to willingly offer worship to God, and to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the king of kings and the lord of lords.
What an awesome gift we possess!

01 August 2005 01:15 GMT
Today was Communion Sunday at church. Our church celebrates the Eucharist every fifth Sunday. After the service we had a fellowship meal of that wonderful Southern delicacy, fried chicken.
Brother John preached a good message about communion. He gave four main benefits of the Lord's table.

A Celebration of Victory
Proclamation of Redemption
Declaration of Dependence
Provision of Healing
The third point certainly runs counter to American thinking. Americans like to think of their independence and self-sufficiency. However, in the kingdom of God, we are totally dependent on the provision of the life of God, that comes through the cross of Jesus Christ.

30 July 2005 23:45 GMT
This morning God spoke to me a prophetic word for someone. This word relates to future ministry for a couple.
I see this couple with an anointing from God to go forth and minister to believers, who have fallen, and who are currently in bondage to sin.
The last words that the Holy Spirit spoke to me for this couple have touched me deeply. He said, "For you will cause the light of the glory of God to shine again in the lives of believers, who have lost all hope of ever seeing his glory again."
It is sobering for me to think that there are believers, who are so bound by the darkness, that they have lost all hope of walking in true fellowship with God. I am thankful that in these days, God is raising up members of the body of Christ to bring the light of the glory of God to brothers and sisters in Christ, who are captive to Satan, so that the joy of their salvation may be restored.

30 July 2005 23:15 GMT
This morning in prayer the Holy Spirit challenged me to obey the verses of Scripture, that he had quickened to me several weeks ago. Here are the words of Jesus.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV)
Our religious teaching over the years has portrayed God as someone who is stingy. Too many in the church have difficulty believing that God really wants to give to them. We cling to that mental picture of an angry God, who sits in heaven with a big stick in his hand, just waiting to slap us down.
Why do we think of God that way? That thinking is certainly contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.
Jesus often commanded his disciples to ask. In this passage he clearly states to ask, and you will receive. He says to seek, and you will find. He says knock, and the door will be opened.
Look at the words of Jesus in verses 9-11.
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
The normal father wants to bless his children. He wants to give good gifts to them. Jesus is saying, that if a natural father, who is evil, wants to bless his children, HOW MUCH MORE will the Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ASK him.
I am thankful for the encouragement of the Holy Spirit to ask. I don't want to be shy before the throne of God any longer. I want to obey the command which says, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 KJV)
Ask....and you will receive.

30 July 2005 02:15 GMT
I arose early again today. That makes four days in a row, and I have not been stopped by the police since Tuesday morning. (See below) I didn't purchase a bacon biscuit on Wednesday or Thursday morning, but this morning I felt hungry, so I decided to buy one. But, I was out of cash, so I needed to visit an ATM. I decided to hop a bus to my bank. It is only a five minute bus ride, that early in the morning.
My bank is located in an office complex on Piedmont Road. There is a traffic light in front of the complex. I have certainly seen malfunctioning traffic lights before, but this morning, I saw a combination that I had not seen previously. For traffic on Piedmont Road, the light was red, but the yellow was also flashing. For the traffic exiting the office park (there was no traffic at this hour), the light was green, but the red was flashing. It looked like total confusion.
I told Cathe about it this evening. I said, "Can you imagine the affect that combination of lights would have on someone who might be high on drugs?" They might really think that they were having a bad trip!!
What wonderful early morning experience awaits me on Monday?

29 July 2005 20:15 GMT
Now, back to the additional comments about Wayne's prayer. Below, I wrote four blessings from God, that I would like to see manifested in my life on a daily basis.
First of all, I desire to see the favor of God manifested in my life. I wrote about the favor of God a couple of days ago. God desires to favor his children.
Secondly, I desire to daily see the wisdom of God manifested in my life. Wisdom gives you the ability to discern the right course of action.
The writer of Proverbs said, Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. (Proverbs 4:7a NIV)
James said, If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who give generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NIV)
It does not matter the depth of your indiscretion, if you will only ask, God is willing to give wisdom to the one who will ask.
Thirdly, I desire to be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. I want to be led by the Holy Spirit in two key areas.

Prayer life.
Relationships, whether family, friends or work related.
If my prayer life is led by the Holy Spirit, then I know it will be fruitful and productive. And, especially with all the key relationships in my life, I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit on the proper manner to nurture and grow those relationships.
Last of all, I want daily bread from the Word of God. Jesus said, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
In this passage the Greek word "rhema" is used. That Greek word means a "spoken word" or a word of inspiration. It is a specific word spoken to a specific situation. I desire to daily receive fresh revelation from the Word of God.
Well, those are four things I would like to see manifested in my life on a daily basis. What about you? What would you like to see from God manifested in you regularly?

29 July 2005 13:00 GMT
A few years ago a book by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson brought to light the prayer of Jabez. Here is the prayer of Jabez, that is found in I Chronicles 4:10. And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.” So God granted him what he requested. (NKJV)
There are four major elements to this prayer.

A prayer for the blessing of God.
A prayer for increased territory. That prayer would included an increase in blessing and in responsibility.
A prayer for the manifest presence of God.
A prayer to be kept from the snares of the evil one.
Dr. Wilkinson's teaching about this prayer has blessed me greatly. I, especially, like the last part of the prayer. I want to be kept from evil, so that I will not cause any pain.
This morning as I was praying for some other believers, I thought, "What would the prayer of Wayne be?" If I was going to pray four things for myself every day, or for another believer every day, for what would I pray?
I would pray for the following four blessings from God to be manifested daily.

The favor of God.
The wisdom of God.
Sensitivity to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation from the Word of God.
I want to comment further on these four items, but it is time to get to work. Later....

29 July 2005 06:45 GMT
July 13, 2005, Wisdom From the Word has been updated.

28 July 2005 22:30 GMT
I began 2005 by writing about the favor of God. (See second half of letter)
For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Through the blood of Jesus, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, I am blessed! And, God has chosen to surround me with his favor as with as shield. I have purposed to live this year with a greater expectation of seeing God's favor manifested in my life.
Recently, I was talking with my friend, Dr. Stephen Johnson. He has been studying and preaching about the favor of God. In conversation he mentioned a list of ten benefits of the favor of God, that he found in an article by Jerry Savelle. Here are those benefits.

Favor produces supernatural increase and promotion.
Favor produces restoration of everything that the enemy has stolen from you.
Favor produces honor in the midst of your adversaries.
Favor produces increased assets, especially in the area of real estate.
Favor produces great victories in the midst of great impossibilities.
Favor produces recognition, even when you seem the least likely to receive it.
Favor produces prominence and preferential treatment.
Favor produces petitions granted even by ungodly civil authorities.
Favor causes policies, rules, regulations and laws, to be changed and reversed to your advantage.
Favor produces battles won which you won't even fight because God will fight them for you.
Here is a link to the article. Jerry Savelle-Benefits of God's Favor
God wants to show favor to his children. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly before him. (Psalm 84:11)
Far too many believers in the church, still believe that God is out to get them. If God was out to "get you," he would have "gotten you" a long time ago. No, we are not worthy of his favor. But, that is what grace is all of about. The grace of God is the unmerited favor of God. He loves you. He wants to bless you. He desires to shower his favor upon you.
Let your mind begin to agree with the Word of God regarding the favor of God. We serve a great God, who wants to daily share his goodness with us. He has surrounded us with his favor as with a shield.

28 July 2005 02:30 GMT
Brother John made some good remarks at church tonight. He talked about the time, Jesus commanded the disciples to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Gaililee. Jesus stayed behind and prayed. As the disciples attempted to cross the Sea of Gaililee they encountered a storm.
Jesus is present in the storm. Nothing can match the power of an awareness that Jesus is present. In the storm it is easy to get wrapped up in the circumstances, but Jesus will come to you in the storm.
There are three things that happen when you become aware that Jesus is present.

Jesus brings comfort.
Jesus brings courage. Courage is a big dose of encouragement.
Jesus brings confidence.
In his presence is fullness of joy! (Psalm 16:11)
In the July 2005 edition of the Beliver's Voice of Victory magazine, there is an article by Creflo A. Dollar about marriage. In this article he lists four myths about marriage.

The first myth is the belief that marriage will put an end to loneliness.
The second myth is that marriage will heal your broken heart.
The third myth is that marriage will make you happy.
The fourth myth is that marriage is God's plan for everyone.
Pastor Dollar makes some excellent points. If a single person wants a healthy marriage, then he/she needs to have a healthy relationship with Jesus first. Then, you marry someone who also has a healthly relationshiip with Jesus.

27 July 2005 22:45 GMT
I have one other note regarding Brother John's sermon from Sunday.
He preached from Ephesians 6:18 about prayer. He talked about praying in the spirit. Sometimes praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues, but at other times, praying in the Spirit is to pray in your native language, but to be led by the Holy Spirit as you pray. Prayer will be successful, as the Holy Spirit leads the believer in prayer.
For example, this past autumn when Abbe needed to pass her nursing exam, the Holy Spirit gave me inspiration on how I should pray for her. I prayed that God would bless her study. I knew that she was tired of studying, but God was requiring her to study. He wanted to bless her study. She studied; God blessed her; and she passed.
Brother John mentioned Sunday, that his wife, Ellen, will ask God to give her Holy Spirit prayers. She is asking God to reveal to her how she should pray in certain situations. That makes so much sense, but too few believers even consider that possibility.
I am going to church this evening, and I am going to ask God to give me a Holy Spirit prayer in a certain area. When he does, I will be faithful to pray that prayer, and God will be faithful to manifest his hand on my behalf.

26 July 2005 16:45 GMT
My day began with an unusual experience. Actually, it was very unusual, because I rose early. After reading for a few minutes, I went for a walk. I crossed the road at a crosswalk, and I determined that I would walk to the corner past Publix, and then cross back to the west side of the road. Don't mistake my pedestrian jaunt as a walk for health. I wanted to return to the west side of the road, so I could stop at McDonald's and purchase a bacon biscuit. I was hungry.
So, I crossed to the west side of the road at a crosswalk, and I began to walk toward McDonald's. I saw a police car headed toward me, and the blue lights came on. He pulled into a driveway right in front of me. It was obvious, that I was the focal point of his attention.
I stood there as still as possible, while I waited for him to get out of his car. No need to freak out like the Brazilian man in London, and get myself killed.
Finally, he got out of the car, and he asked me, if I knew why he had stopped me. I told him that I did not. He was going to warn me about jaywalking. Apparently, some people on our road have been hit, while jaywalking. But, then he looked and noticed that I had used a crosswalk. So, he quickly apologized, and told me it had been a long night.
Jaywalking is not a "big" sin. And, this officer had no intention of issuing a citation. He was concerned for my safety.
But, this incident reminds me of the words of Solomon, The little foxes spoil the vines. (Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV)
Paul said, Do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:27 NIV)
If I will obey God in the little things, then I will find it easier to obey him in the big things. If I disobey God in the little things, then I am opening the door for trouble in the more important areas of life.
It was an interesting way to begin the day. And, the bacon biscuit was very good!!

26 July 2005 02:30 GMT
Psalm 119:97: Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. (NIV)
To medidate on the Word of God is a key to success in the Christian walk. In Joshua 1:8, God instructed Joshua:

To not let this book of the law depart from his mouth.
To meditate on the book of the law day and night.
Obey everything found in the book of the law.
God said, Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Mike Milner was my pastor for a few months in 1981 in Clearwater, Florida. He said that meditation in the Word gives you the power to obey the Word. As you mediate in the Word, then the Word becomes a living reality in your heart, and faith arises to obey that Word.
In Psalm 119, the Psalmist lists several of the benefits that he discovered from meditating on God's law, and then obeying God's law. These benefits are found in verses 97-104.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers.
I have more understanding than the elders.
I have kept my feet from every evil path.
I have not departed from your laws.
I gain understanding from your precepts.
I hate every wrong path.
In addition the Psalmist found that words of God were sweet to his taste.
How do you medidate on the law of the Lord all day, or all day and all night? Here is some insight from a Christian web site on the topic of meditation.
I purpose to medidate on his law all day long. I want to be obedient to God, and prosperous and successful in his kingdom!

25 July 2005 16:30 GMT
The recent terror attacks in London have reminded all of us that the world is a dangerous place. Evil remains an active force.
However, the recents events in London remind me of the good news of the gospel. In the midst of an evil, broken world, in which some possess a hatred so great, that their lives are committed to our destruction, the God of heaven and earth reigns supreme, and his Word is eternally true.
In the autumn of 2001, after the terrorist attack against the United State, I wrote about the promise of God's protection found in Psalm 91. Nothing has changed since then. God's Word is true. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (Psalm 91:7 NIV)
A wise man will stay abreast of currents events. However, a wise man will focus his mind on the truth of God's Word. With the news channels available 24 hours a day, people tend to become consumed with the threat of terror.
Turn off the televsion, and pick up your Bible! Let your mind dwell on the truth of Psalm 91. Focus on the words of the prophet, Isaiah, The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8 NIV)
The wicked rulers of the past are dead. Their influence withered and fell away, just like the influence of today's terrorists will wither and fall away. But, God's truth keeps marching on.....

24 July 2005 22:00 GMT
This morning Brother John preached about prayer. He used the text from Ephesians 6:18. Paul exhorted the church to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
Later in his message he made reference to the prayer of the early church found in Acts 4:23-31. Brother John said that the church needed a more Biblical mindset to approach the throne of God. He said that too much prayer comes from the natural realm.
He made the following points about the prayer in Acts 4:

They talked about the greatness of God.
They reminded God of his Word.
Then, they brought their requests to God.
So, Brother John's exhorted us to approach God with the mindset of focusing on the greatness of God, and the promises of his Word, before bringing our needs before his throne. The primary focus is not our need; the focus is the greatness of God, and the sufficiency of his Word.
The prayer in Acts 4 reminded me of the prayer of Jeshoshaphat that I wrote about yesterday. Here is the entire prayer found in II Chronicles 20:5-12. (NIV)
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of the land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.'
"But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
See that pattern of first focusing on the greatness of God in prayer?

Are you not the God who is in heaven?
You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.
Power and might are in your hand.
No one can withstand you.
Did you not drive out the inhabitants of the land?
Whether your petition is small or great, as you bring it before God, focus on his greatness. My problems and needs seem so minute compared to the greatness of Almighty God.

24 July 2005 03:15 GMT
Here is Psalm 112:1: Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. (NIV) This psalm talks about a man who is blessed; a man who is fully trusting in God. This man fears the Lord, and he also finds great delight in the commands of God.
To many people there is a negative connotation to the word "command." We don't like commands, because we don't want anyone to tell us what to do. Also, when we think about a command, it implies doing something that may cause us to be inconvenienced.
How can a believer learn to truly delight in the commands of God?
We must think with a Biblical perspective. The Biblical way to express love to Jesus is to obey his commandments. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15 NIV) And, if you continue reading further, you will see that Jesus connected, loving him and obeying his commands, several more times.
So, if I know obeying his command will bring delight to Jesus, then I can begin to delight in his commands, because it is an opportunity for me to express my love to him.
I think that there is a second facet to having a Biblical perspective about his commands. Obedience to God's commands always yields blessing. Always!!! God always connects obedience and blessing. Obedience always opens the door to receive the blessing of God.
The apostle John loved Jesus dearly. In his first epistle he wrote, This is love for God: to obey his commandments. And his commands are not burdensome. (I John 5:3 NIV)
Our enemy seeks to convince us that obedience to God is too difficult. But, John said that his commands are not burdensome. Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30 NIV)
I choose to view his commands with a Biblical perspective. By the grace of God, I choose to delight in his commands. I choose to love Jesus, and to receive his blessing in my life.

23 July 2005 23:45 GMT
Abbe called me yesterday afternoon and told me that her car died. Fortunately, she was with Will, who was driving the car when it stopped. When Abbe told me the symptoms, I assumed it was the alternator. When Cathe drove this particular car, I had the alternator replaced twice. It just seems that some models have their own particular issues. For a 1997 Altima, it must be the alternator. The alternators don't seem to last as long as they do in most cars.
Will has a friend, who is gifted in the area of car repair. He came over to examine the car, and he agreed it was the alternator. He and Will went to purchase an alternator, and when they returned, the friend took only thirty minutes to make the repair.
Dad didn't have to lift a finger. Yet another advantage of God providing a godly man for Abbe to marry.

23 July 2005 17:30 GMT
I read II Chronicles 20 the other day in preparation for a Wisdom From the Word article. I was struck with the similarities between the happenings in that chapter, and the way I think Jesus wants the church to operate in the earth today.
II Chronicles 20 contains the story of King Jehoshaphat and Judah being attacked by some foreign nations. When the king hears that this massive army is marching to attack him and his nation, he responds in a way that pleased God, and insured his victory, because he acted according to the principles of the Word of God.
See below how Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah responded to the news of the impending crisis.
1. Jehoshaphat was alarmed, but immediately he resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek help. (verses 3-4)
2. After the people of Judah had gathered together to seek God, then Jehoshaphat stood up and led the people in prayer to God. I am impressed that Jehoshaphat maintained an intimate relationship with God. In the time of crisis, he did not shirk the responsibility of leadership. He led his people before the throne of God.
There is a lesson here for all believers. In the time of crisis in my life, it is my responsibility to seek God. It is my responsibility to hear from God. Too many believers are not confident in their own relationship with God, and they want everyone else to do their praying. The church should pray for one another, but James said, Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. (James 5:13a)
3. I love the last words of the prayer of Jehoshaphat. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. (verse 13) To be focused on the God of heaven and earth will only lead to good things in the life of any person.
4. As the people continued to stand before the Lord, the Spirit of God came upon one of the Levites and he began to prophesy. The Spirit of God gave the following specific direction to the nation in response to their praying and fasting to God.

Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the battle is not yours, but God's.
You will not have to fight this battle.
Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance of the Lord.
Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out to face them; the Lord will be with you.
Wow! Talk about a powerful prophetic word from God!
5. In the response to word from God, Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground. The whole nation fell down in worship to God. Then some of the people stood up and began to sing and to worship God.
6. Early the next morning as the people rose to face the enemy, Jehoshaphat encouraged the people by saying, Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. (verse 20)
7. This point amazes me. This king and his people had such a strong faith in God, and so believed the prophetic revelation of the previous day, that Jehoshaphat consulted with the people, and they agreed to appoint men, who would sing praises to God, to lead the army to their positions. Imagine a modern day army being led to battle by a church choir singing praises to God!
8. As the men began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes against the vast army. In the end they killed each other. When the army of Judah arrived to take their positions, they found all of their enemies DEAD.
9. The Bible teaches that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. It took the people of Judah three days to gather all the spoils of victory. God wants to prosper HIS people.
10. On the fourth day the nation gathered in the valley, where God had destroyed the enemies of Judah, and they once again praised the Lord. Then, Jehoshaphat led them back to Jerusalem with joy and praises to God.
11. The other nations heard about the mighty victory God wrought for Judah, and the fear of God came upon them. That enabled Judah to live in peace with rest on every side.
This story encourages me to seek God and to obey him. Everyone wins when a believer obeys God. Well, I suppose everyone except the enemies of God!

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