January 5, 2016 · 5:30 AM

Habitual Fellowship

  
A phrase that stands out to me, when reading about great men of faith in the Bible, is they “walked in habitual fellowship with God.” Each time I read that phrase, it calls out to me and dares me to do the same. To walk in habitual fellowship with God is to be in constant communication with Him and to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. The men in the Bible who did this, found great favor with God.

Noah was one such man. The time period he lived in was like no other. There was no one else on earth who feared God or lived righteously. He had no church find shelter in. He had no Christian friends who could encourage him and pray for him. He was the lone believer in a sinful world. Imagine your life without the help from your church or Christian friends. Imagine having no one you could go to for prayer when you needed it. How long would you last?

This was Noah’s situation and instead of throwing in the towel, he doubled down on his relationship with God. Genesis 6:9 says, “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God”(NLT). If he was the only blameless person and he could walk in habitual fellowship with God, then you and I can too. We can find the strength within ourselves to be in constant communion with God. We can find time to pray and read His Word.

Merriam Webster defines “habitual” as, “Doing something regularly or repeatedly.” These men of faith regularly and repeatedly met with God and He rewarded them with favor and by making covenants with them. The God who made covenants with them still wants to make covenants with us. He’s simply waiting for those of us who will dare to enter into a habitual fellowship with Him. II Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” If you will fully commit to Him in habitual fellowship, He will give you the strength you need to live for Him.

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January 4, 2016 · 5:30 AM

Giving The Best

One of the oldest stories in the Bible is the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a rancher. They both grew up in fellowship with God. They knew who He was and talked with Him. To show their appreciation of His provision, they each offered God a gift. At harvest, Cain offered God some of his crops. They weren’t the best crops or he first part of the harvest. There was nothing outstanding about them. It was just some of what he grew, and the Bible says that God did not accept Cain or his gift.

Abel, on the other hand, offered God the pick of the litter. Genesis 4:4 says, “Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock” (NLT). He wanted to give God his very best and the first pick. He knew that all he had came from God nod he wanted to show how appreciative he was. God accepted this gift because it wasn’t his leftovers or just a few lambs from his flock. It was the best lambs and the best cuts of meat.

Each of us have a choice in what we offer God. Are we giving Him the best part of our day or the leftovers? Are we giving tithes and offerings as soon as we get paid or are we just dropping a twenty in the plate? Are we using the talents He’s given us to further His kingdom or to fill our pockets and fill our house? One of each of these choices pleases God and the other causes Him to not only reject what we give, but to reject us as well.

This time of year, so many people make resolutions that they probably won’t keep because they don’t want to sacrifice. If they were going to make those changes, they’d already be doing them instead of waiting until the first of the year. They don’t make them because their heart isn’t in it. The same thing is true with our gifts to God. If God doesn’t fully have our heart, we won’t give Him the best of what we have to offer. If we trust Him and His Word, and we truly believe that all we have comes from God, we will give Him our very best.

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January 2, 2016 · 10:03 AM

2015 in review

Thanks to everyone for your support. I look forward to growing with you in 2016.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 28,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

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January 1, 2016 · 12:00 AM

2016 New Year’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank for the start of a new year and a new chapter in my life. Help me to make the most out of this year by focusing on the things you want me to focus on. I ask that you would put people in my life that would draw me closer to you and to the will that you have for my life. For my existing friends, let us mutually stir up the gifts you’ve placed inside each of us so that we will love you and serve you the way we were intended to.

This past year had victories and losses. Teach me to be humble in victory and forgiving in defeat. Help me to let go of past hurt so that no root of bitterness will spring up. Give me the grace to forgive others and the courage to speak truth in love. I want to be a reflection of your Son Jesus who was full of grace and truth. I want to be able to be free by letting go of the things that don’t matter so I can hold on to the blessings you’re going to bring into my life this year.

I ask that 2016 would be a year of blessing. Open up the windows of Heaven and pour them out on my life and into the lives of my family and friends. I know that every good and perfect comes down from you, and I’m asking you to rain down those gifts this year. Help us not to hoard the gifts you give, but to use them to glorify you and to make you known. Whatever you give to me, you can get through me to whomever you please.

This year, I want to act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. I want to live this year better than I did last year. I want to give you more of my time, my resources, and my talents. I want 2016 to be the year I hold nothing back from you. I want to experience unparalleled growth in my life, in my relationships, and in my walk with you. I’m asking that you create rivers in the desert and open doors that have been shut. Show me the paths you want me to walk down so when 2017 comes around, I’ll be where you need me to be.

I give 2016 to you. I want what you want for me this year. Help me to lay aside my desires for the year and to embrace your desires. Give me strength to do what you have called me to do. Give me courage to go where you’ve called me to go. Give me ears that hear your voice and eyes that see your path. Keep me from turning to the right or the left, and help me to stay focused on you. May 2016 be known as the year of your blessing in my life. I trust you to do what I’ve asked because I’ve prayed according to your will.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen 

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December 31, 2015 · 5:30 AM

The Voice In The Storm

  
We like to look at the end of a year as the end of a chapter in our lives. Each new year brings new hope, new opportunities, and a fresh start. For many of us, we roll out a welcome mat for those prospects. The passing year may have been one of the hardest ones you’ve had to endure. You may have felt like Job did with all his trials and tribulations. You may have questioned God in what He has allowed to happen to you and why you’ve had to endure everything you’ve gone through. I’ve been there too.

If you’ve read the book of Job, then you know most of it is Job and his friends conversing trying to figure out why all the bad things have happened to him. Some think God is punishing him for secret sins, some think God is making an example out of him, and his own wife thinks he should just curse God and die. After each person gives their reasons and Job defends himself, he began to question things. Finally, in chapter 38, God speaks to him from the middle of the storm.

God was rough on Job. He asked him where he was when the foundations of the earth were set. He asked Job questions that only God had the answers to. Then in chapter 40 God asked Job, “Are you going to haul me, the Mighty God, into court and press charges?” (MSG) Job wisely answered in verse 3-5, “I’m speechless, in awe—words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth! I’ve talked too much, way too much. I’m ready to shut up and listen.” Even then, God asked him, “Do you presume to tell me what I’m doing wrong?”

God was pointing out to Job that in all of his wisdom and understanding, he knew nothing compared to God. He wanted him to understand that the God who created all things and knows all things knows what He’s doing and never took His eye off of Job. God knew what He was doing with Job and He knows what He’s doing in your life. He may not answer you out of the storm like He did for Job, but you can rest assured He knows what He’s doing. He has a plan and a greater knowledge of you and your future than you can comprehend.

Job’s response to God should be ours. Job answered GOD: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’ I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.” We are not to confuse the issues or second guess God’s purposes. We are to endure and to stay faithful to God in the process. In the end, God rewards us for our faithfulness and restores what the locust stole. Hang in there, trust God, and listen for His voice in the storm.

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December 30, 2015 · 5:30 AM

Life Is A Journey

  
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” One of these things is certainty and one is not. It’s all the uncertainties that make our journey worthwhile. Life is anything but certain. No one is guaranteed anything and hard times fall on each of us. It’s God’s desire that we find Him on this journey and to find our purpose in Him. I Peter 1:18 says, “Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God” (MSG).

Even though life is not a destination, we all have one. Finding God, through His Son Jesus, determines that destination. Once we have a destination, we begin to plot our course just like any other trip. Even though we have a course laid out, there will be traffic, detours, pit stops, and other unforeseen events in our path creating the journey. Some of our best stories come from those things, and the same is true of our journey to Heaven.

Since none of us are perfect and all of us are incapable of living exactly like we are supposed to, our trip to Heaven gets a little bumpy. Those bumpy times are what creates our testimony. Even though we detour at times, go through construction, or find a bumpy road, God is there with us like a GPS constantly rerouting us and asking us to take a U-Turn. We make the choice of following His direction or our own.

In John 14, Jesus told the disciples that He was going away to Heaven and that they knew the way. They responded, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?” Jesus was inviting them and us on this journey to Heaven, but they were lost as we are sometimes. So Jesus responded, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” He was telling us how to have a deep consciousness of God. It through knowing Him.

Wherever you are in this journey, it’s important to gain a greater consciousness of Him. There is no one who has a full knowledge of Him so there is always room to grow. Each one of us has to find it on our own. It doesn’t just come through reading the Bible or hearing about other people’s journey. It comes through having a relationship with Him. It comes through spending time praying, walking by faith, and in mediating on His Word. He’s calling each of us to a deeper knowledge and consciousness of who He is. The more you know Him, the more meaningful your journey will be.

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December 28, 2015 · 6:29 AM

Risk Everything

  

With one year winding down and another about to begin, I think it’s always good to look back and reflect on the previous year. Ask yourself, “What went well? What do I wish would have happened differently? What changes do I need to make to have a better year next year?” You may be able to answer the first two pretty quickly, but take your time on the third. I would even recommend fasting and prayer so that you do the right things to get the right result.

When you read the story of Esther, you find that in the first month of the year, Haman sent out a decree to kill all Jews. Her first response was that she couldn’t do anything to change the course of her fate. She opted to stay silent and do nothing out of fear. What her uncle Moredecai knew was that if she did nothing, she would reap the consequences of doing nothing. If there was going to be a change, it required her to do what she had never done. It required great risk.

If you want a greater change in your life, you’re going to have to take a great risk. You can only guess what will result from the changes you make. Esther knew this too. That’s why she didn’t do it without seeking God first and having others pray with her. In Esther 4:16, she sent word to Moredecai saying, “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die” (NLT).

She was willing to risk everything to change everything, but she wasn’t willing to do it without fasting and prayer. If you feel like a major change is needed in your life next year, let me encourage you to seek God through fasting and prayer. Ask Him what you need to risk and change so He can do the miraculous for you. Ask Him to open doors that seem shut. Then, you will have to do what Esther did and take that step of faith that God asks you to do. Esther saved her people, not just because she prayed, but because she took a risk and went before the king uninvited.

I don’t know what stepping in front of a king looks like for you, but God can reveal it to you though fasting and prayer. Hebrews 11 is a chapter that reminds us of people who stepped out in faith and risked everything. They are the ones in the Bible who trusted God above all else, and they took risks without knowing they would get the reward. Verse 6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” If you will have faith and seek God, He will reward your faith.

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December 25, 2015 · 12:00 AM

O Holy Night

This by far is my favorite Christmas Carol. So many try to sing it, but so few do it justice. I have put my favorite part of this song in bold. I have also embedded one of my favorite versions of it below.

Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt it’s worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angels voices
Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh night divine.

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever
His power and glory evermore proclaim

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices
Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh night Divine

Merry CHRISTmas!

If you are unable to play the video below, click here.

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December 24, 2015 · 5:30 AM

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

This time of year, it becomes obvious that many of us don’t remember much more than the first verse of most Christmas Carols. As we lead up to Christmas this week, I want to explore some powerful verses in some of my favorite carols.

  
On April 8, 1966, the Time magazine cover asked, “Is God Dead?” In a world where we have a telescope in space looking to the far reaches of the universe and using the Hadron Collider to try to find the “God particle”, many people wonder if there is a need for God in order to explain the creation of the universe and our existence. They see God only as an uneducated person’s explanation of the universe instead of a diety involved in our lives.

When we reduce God to just an explanation of creation, we allow Him to be seen as of no use and dead to society. When bad things happen in our culture, people always ask, “Where is God? Why did He allow that to happen?” But when we fail to put logs on a fire, we don’t ask, “Where is the heat? Why are we being allowed to freeze?” We can’t kick God out of our culture, schools, and government then ask where He is when bad things happen.

He sent His Son into the world to bring life and light into our darkness. John 1:4-5 says, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (NLT). He was sent to right the wrongs of sin and to chase away the darkness that it brought. The star above the stable was representative of what He was doing. He was sending light into our world that will lead us to salvation.

There is a Christmas Carol called “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”. It’s very powerful and moving. Here’s the verse that stands out to me:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.”

God is not dead, nor is He simply an explanation for our very being. He is a loving God who is involved in our daily lives. We were created with purpose and our lives have meaning. To think there is no God and that we are simply here by random chance is to say there is no right or wrong and that life has no meaning. God sent His Son to us to show us that we matter. He sent Him to show He cares about our struggles mentally, physically, and spiritually. He came to right the wrongs, to bring peace on earth, and goodwill to men. 

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December 23, 2015 · 5:30 AM

Joy To The World

This time of year, it becomes obvious that many of us don’t remember much more than the first verse of most Christmas Carols. As we lead up to Christmas this week, I want to explore some powerful verses in some of my favorite carols.

  
If you’ve ever read the Genesis account of creation, you know that we were banned from Eden because of Adam and Eve’s inability to obey God’s simplest instruction. They had access to everything in Eden except for one tree. When they sinned through disobedience, God responded to Eve first and then to Adam. He told Adam the ground would be cursed and, “It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains” (NLT). The second Adam, Jesus, came to set us free of the spiritual aspect of that curse.

The third verse to “Joy To The a World” says the following:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Because Jesus came to earth, sin no longer had free reign. The antidote to its effects came in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem. Galatians 3:13 says, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law.” No more could sin grow, nor its spiritual thorns pierce our souls. The curse of sin was broken and joy was returned to the world for every heart that has prepared room for Him. There is no place the curse has gone that grace cannot find.

Each of us have been under the effects of the curse. Each of us have sinned against God according to Romans 3:23. It was while the world and each of us were in this helpless estate that God sent His Son to redeem us from the curse. You and I can return to spiritual Eden when we accept that the baby born in Bethlehem was the Son of God who sacrificed His physical life for our spiritual one. That night in the Judean hillside, Joy was indeed sent into the world.

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