December 8, 2014 · 7:18 AM

No More Tears

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In the past week, we had two separate friends and a family member pass away. To say it’s been one of the toughest, emotional weeks of our lives is an understatement. I can’t remember when I’ve cried so much. As my wife and I were reflecting on each of their lives and how they had impacted ours, I said, “You’d think we’d run out of tears by now.” But no matter how many tears were shed, our bodies keep producing more. It makes me look forward to a time when tears will be no more.

I had to go find the scripture that I had heard all my life. I found it in Revelation 21:4. It says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” What a day that will be. We won’t have to cry over loved ones who die, because death will be defeated. I Corinthians 15:54-55 says, “And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the scripture that says, ‘Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished forever) in and unto victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?'”

A friend of mine wrote on her Facebook wall, “The reality of pain let’s us know this is not our home.” For now, the pain is more than we can seem to bear. It feels like Death has won and we lost. But this victory is only a temporary victory. In the end, we know that Death is defeated. We can rest assured that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the keys of Death, Hell and the Grave as Revelation 1:18 tells us. He will not leave us in our sorrow forever, but he allows that pain to remind us that we are headed to our forever home to meet up with those who have gone on before.

Death is inevitable in life. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it appointed unto man once to die. That’s the door we must walk through to get to the other side. Knowing that jesus holds the keys to that door brings some peace. Knowing that Death will not have the victory gives me hope. Knowing that one day I will see my friends and family again puts a smile on my face even while tears are running down my cheeks. The sting of Death feels all to real right now, but I know that my Redeemer lives and He has not failed me. He will wipe these tears away and bring the comfort we so desperately need. His peace passes all understanding and in the end, He wins the fight over Death.

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December 5, 2014 · 7:35 AM

10 Scriptures On Trusting God

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1. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. (John 14:1 NLT)

2. Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 AMP)

3. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” (Psalm 31:14 ESV)

4. It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in GOD. (Proverbs 16:20 MSG)

5. But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. (Psalms 13:5 NLT)

6. Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord. (Psalms 27:14 GNB)

7. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:4 ESV)

8. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9 NLT)

9. [Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. (Jeremiah 17:7 AMP)

10. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (John 3:16-18 MSG)

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December 4, 2014 · 6:30 AM

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

After Job suffered great loss in his life, his response was, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I’m reminded of his response after having suffered the loss of two people whom I held dear this week. It’s been a lot to process and to handle. It’s easy to accept things that God gives, but a lot more difficult when He takes them away. I don’t understand how Job had the ability to bless God as his first response.

I see now why God said this about him, “He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless – a man of complete integrity.” It’s no wonder God trusted him so much. I often wonder why God trusts us with so much. With the good things He gives, comes responsibility. It’s often more than I think I’m worthy of or capable of handling. Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.” He sees how we respond to what He gives us to see if He can give us more.

When he takes away or gives us more than we feel we can handle, our response should be like Job’s. We should bless God anyway. Ultimately, when He takes something or someone out of our life, it’s part of His plan for us. I can’t always see how things are working out for my good, but He can. I don’t always understand why tragedy hits, but He does. That has to be enough if we are to make any sense of the loss we experience.

In the end, God gave Job more than he ever had. No, he didn’t get the family he lost back, but God gave him new family. He multiplied more than was subtracted from him. God can do the same for me and you. We just have to learn to trust His plan and praise Him no matter what. Job was able to do it. That gives me hope that I am capable too. He was just as human as I am and he blessed God in good times and bad. So today, I purposefully say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

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December 3, 2014 · 7:25 AM

Lead Me To The Rock

This morning I have the lyrics of Paul Baloche’s song “Lead Me To The Rock” going through my mind. The first verse says, “When my heart is overwhelmed, and my eyes are blind to you, and the pain of life is too heavy to bear, and then the mountains seem so high, and my faith’s too weak to climb, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The song is based on Psalm 61:2 that says, “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.”

Each of us face difficult times in life. Then there are those times when the rain doesn’t seem to stop. The bad things pour on you. The bad news keeps coming. It can feel like you’re going to drown in sorrow. You think, “I don’t know what I’ll do if I get one more piece of bad news.” It’s in those times that your prayer should be like David’s in this Psalm. Ask God to lead you to the rock that’s higher than you are.

I know what’s it’s like to feel like the bottom is falling out from under you constantly. When you’re looking for something, anything solid enough to stand on. You can go to God in those times. He is the rock that you can stand on. A sure foundation in times of trouble. When you’re feeling overwhelmed by all that is going on in your life, you can call out to Him. I can let you know that in my own life, when I’ve done that, He has shown up and rescued me. He has walked through the storms with me.

When your mountains are so high and your faith is too weak to climb, reach out and take Jesus by the hand. He will walk with you in the times when you don’t know where to turn. He will stand with you when everyone else seems to turn away. He doesn’t always take the rain away, but He does stand with you in the storm. He has a purpose in the storms you face. Sometimes it’s to teach you to walk on water and other times to show you that He’ll catch you when you’re drowning.

Whatever you’re facing today, stop and pray that God would lead you to the rock. Don’t get caught up in all the bad news to the point that you forget where your faith lies. As Peter was going under during the storm, after having walked on water, he called out, “Lord, save me!” In Matthew 14:31, the Bible says, “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.” The storm didn’t stop until later, but that didn’t matter because he had the hand of the one whom the wind and seas obey. If you’re overwhelmed today, call out to Him and take His hand.

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December 2, 2014 · 7:42 AM

Recharging Your Battery

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I know someone who carries two phones, an iPad and a MiFi device wherever they go. By the end of the day, their batteries in those devices are usually drained. So they keep two car chargers in their car, a Mophie battery case for one of the phones and a Mophie power pack. They also keep power cords with them wherever they go so they can plug into a wall if needed. After using the devices non-stop, they need power to recharge.

Our lives aren’t so different. We go non-stop and give of ourselves to others throughout the day. It’s no wonder people hate Monday and love Friday. They look forward to the two days of the weekend where they can recharge. Monday is dreaded because the draining begins. It’s hard to find a place to recharge during the week. You can’t just stop and plug into a wall or a Mophie charger to get your batteries back up or to find power.

So how do you get power? In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus knew that our batteries would run down while doing His will and that we would need power. As we pour out Jesus to others, we can pray that the Holy Spirit will come on us anew to give us power.

In Galatians 6:9, Paul said, “Let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right.” He was telling us to make sure that we tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and stay charged up with His power. If we do, the rest of that verse says, “For in due time, and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (AMP)” If we want to see the final outcome of our work, we have to make sure we don’t run out of juice.

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December 1, 2014 · 7:53 AM

Target Practice

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I spent some time recently with my family doing target practice. We were shooting at the target from about 30 yards away with a 9 mm. I aimed at the bullseye, squeezed the trigger and hit the bottom left of the target. I aimed at the bullseye again and got the same result. I adjusted my stance and aim, then lined up again and hit the bullseye. Out of ten shots, I was only able to hit it three times. I found that I was inconsistent at trying to hit the mark.

Living the Christian life is a lot like that. We aim for the perfect Christian life, but over and over again, we miss the mark. We adjust our approach, we change our stance and do what we can to hit the bullseye. We get it right some of the time, but a lot of times, we just don’t measure up. When that happens, we try harder. Sometimes that just messes things up worse. In the end, a lot of us get frustrated because we just can’t be consistent and live this life the way we wish we could.

Paul faced a similar struggle. In Romans 7, he described the struggle well. In verse 15 he said, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” He continues in verse 19, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Paul understood the frustrations of trying to live a perfect christian life. In fact, in verse 24, he said trying and failing just made him miserable. He knew that no matter what, He couldn’t do right all the time. Sound familiar?

We fail when we think that being a Christian is within our own power and abilities. We are not perfect and therefore cannot be perfect all the time. Besides, our salvation is not dependent on our actions, but rather on the work that Jesus did on the cross. Yes, we should try to live godly lives in response to what He did, but don’t get misled into thinking that living a perfect life is how you get into Heaven. Our lives should be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:5-6 says, “Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.”

If your life looks like my target and you’re miserable because you can’t live up the the perfect expectations you’ve placed on yourself, spend some time in Romans 7 and 8. Paul found that the answer is not in our own abilities, but in His. Jesus” death on the cross makes up for all the times we miss the mark. We have to accept His grace and allow Him to apply it to our imperfect lives. It starts with admiring you can’t do it (Romans 7) and finding that the answer lies in Jesus (Romans 8). Don’t give up. Keep living for Him and learn to rely on His grace instead of your actions.

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November 28, 2014 · 6:30 AM

10 Scriptures On Praise

1. I WILL bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1 AMP)

2. Give thanks to GOD —he is good and his love never quits. Say, “Save us, Savior God, round us up and get us out of these godless places, So we can give thanks to your holy Name, and bask in your life of praise.” Blessed be GOD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then everybody said, “Yes! Amen!” and “Praise GOD!” (1 Chronicles 16:34-36 MSG)

3. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them! (1 Chronicles 16:9 AMP)

4. “The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted! (2 Samuel 22:47 NLT)

5. “Sing praise-songs to GOD. He’s done it all! Let the whole earth know what he’s done! Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.” (Isaiah 12:5-6 MSG)

6. The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the strong God who saves me! (2 Samuel 22:47 GNB)

7. Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors. (Jeremiah 20:13 NLT)

8. Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord, (Ephesians 5:19 AMP)

9. Praise the LORD! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! (Psalms 147:1 NLT)

10. There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3-5 MSG)

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November 27, 2014 · 6:00 AM

Changing Your Pity Part Perspective

As things in my life went downhill over ten years ago, my brother helped me to keep things in perspective. Over the course of a few months an employee of mine died in a crash with her husband and one of their children, I got pulled into the legal fight for the remaining child, my now ex-wife had an affair while I was distracted by the legal battle, she then left me for another man, my business went under and I filed bankruptcy. While I was having a pity party one day, my brother looked me in the eye and said, “Believe it or not, someone else has it worse than you do. You can be thankful you’re not them.”

No sooner than his words hit my ear, they pierced my heart. I had been feeling like my life was worse than what Job had experienced and the truth was that my life wasn’t as bad as it could have been. When my thoughts of pity changed, my perspective changed. I quit trying to find others to feel sorry for me and started to find reasons to be thankful. When I started doing that, my situation didn’t change. In fact, it continued to get worse. What did change was how I saw myself in the storm and the purpose of the storm.

Instead of asking, “Why me, God”, I began to ask, “What am I to learn from this?” Being thankful changed me from being a victim to a student. Even in my darkest hour, God had something to show me. It turns out He was desperately trying to get my attention. I had been stubbornly ignoring His call and not living how He wanted me to. I had ignored His gentle warnings and signs to change and now He was getting louder and louder in His attempts to get my attention. God wasn’t content to let me live my life my way. He wanted me to live it His way. I’m thankful now that He didn’t leave me in the life I was living.

The theologian Albert Barnes said, “We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning.” In my life I’ve always remembered that someone always has it worse than anything I will ever face. I can always be thankful for that. When times are tough and life isn’t going the way I think it should or I feel I’ve been dealt a bad hand, I no longer pretend I’m the victim. I now know that even when things appear bad or that they can’t get worse, God is there in the storm with me. He hasn’t left me or forsaken me. He’s there enduring it with me and wants to use the experience for His glory.

If you’re in the middle of a storm in your life where you feel like things can’t get worse, I challenge you to find something to be thankful for. Are you still breathing? Then you have something to be thankful for. Your life isn’t over and God can rebuild your life from the ruins of where you are now. Lose the victim mentality and become a student of what God wants to show you. To change your perspective, you have to change your mindset. A changed mindset begins with a thankful heart. Things may not get better right away, but being thankful will give you a purpose in hard times. That purpose, combined with a thankful heart, will pull you through.

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November 26, 2014 · 7:18 AM

Three Things To Help Transitions

Times of transition in life can be difficult. There’s the fear of the unknown and the excitement of a new beginning mixed up with the stress of change. Each one of us goes through these times in our lives. They usually aren’t easy to walk through because you don’t know how long the transitional period will be, you don’t know how much life will really change and You doubt that your making the right decision. I’ve learned there are things we can do to help these times go by more smoothly.

The first thing you can do is to be patient. David’s transition from shepherd to King took years. He had to learn to be patient during that transition time. He didn’t quite have all the skills necessary to be a successful King. There were still lessons to be learned in the pasture and on the battlefield before he was ready. God knows what you need in order be successful in the next step He has for you. Don’t rush into the next phase. Let Him continue to work in you and through you as He moves you into your next phase.

The next thing I’ve learned is to be obedient. When Queen Esther was faced with having to make a transition in her relationship with the king, she was scared. She decided she would rather procrastinate than to face him and save her people. In Esther 4:14, her uncle Mordecai said, “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” God has you in this time of transition for a purpose. Your obedience still matters. Perhaps your transition is not for your benefit, but for that of others. Listen intently to what God is saying and do what He asks.

The last thing you can do is to trust God in the process. He sees the overall plan for your life. He knows what changes need to be made and when so that you will be where He needs you when He needs you. Don’t panic because things aren’t happening according to your timeline. Allow them to happen in His. We only see a part, but He sees the whole. He will not leave you alone in this process. He will not abandon you to the no man’s land of transition forever. It will come to a close and your next chapter will begin. In the meantime, trust His plan for your life and trust in the process He uses to move you.

These three things are easily said, but much more difficult to live out. I’ve found that in times of transition, it’s easy to get out of your routine of spending time with God. You’re going to have to make time for Him. Whatever it takes, you need to make sure you are staying in His Word and spending time in prayer. Don’t lose sight of Him in the process. He’s there to guide you and has placed people in your path to help you. When you stay close to Him in times of change, those times go by a lot more smoothly.

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November 25, 2014 · 7:50 AM

You Can Change Their World

There’s a viral video on YouTube of a blind man with a sign asking for change. A few people give him change as they pass by. A woman walks up, flips his sign over and writes on it before she walks off. Soon after, everyone walking by starts to give money. When the lady returns, he asks her what she wrote. She replied, “I wrote the same, but different words.” A message then pops up and says, “Change your words. Change your world.” It’s a great message of just how powerful words are.

If you’re like me, you grew up singing, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I think back on that saying and wonder why that lie exists. Words often hurt worse than sticks or stones and they cut a lot deeper. The words you and I speak can be used for good or bad. Proverbs 18:21 says, “What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words. (GNB)” We hold the power of life and death in our words.

As believers, we must be cognizant of the words we use. While according to James 3:8, no man can tame the tongue, we can be more purposeful in the words we choose to use. Proverbs 12:14 says, “Wise words bring many benefits.” The opposite is true as well. Poorly chosen words bring problems. There’s not one of who can’t attest to that. We’ve all used the wrong words at one time or another and have had to live with the consequences. Personally. I’d rather live with benefits than consequences.

When we use our words to bring life and benefits, we change our world and the world of those around us. In the video, the words she used changed how others saw a blind man. How will your words change how others see that person at work, at the park, at your kids game or at church? You may never know how much your words can affect someone else’s life because even if that person never hears you, others do. Their actions toward that person based on your words can make that change.

What words will you choose today? How can you change the invisible sign that others are holding up? Everyone wants to feel important and the words you say can go a long way to helping someone who is down and feeling insignificant. Find one person today that you can change their sign by the words you use. Find one person who you can use wise words with to bring benefits and life. When you do, you won’t just change their world, you’ll change yours too.

If you’d like to watch that video, you can click here.

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