The Well-Worn Narrow Path

There is an ancient trail, a well-worn narrow Path.  His name is the Way.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  Life begins in Him and it ends with Him – He is Life itself.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon Jeremiah 18.  And within that chapter God said "But my people have left me to worship the Big Lie.  They've gotten off the track, the old, well-worn trail..." (MSG). Immediately, I was reminded of Matthew 13:22: "As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit".

Then I had an image in my mind, somewhat like the image below.  A path that was once very clear, pleasant and fulfilling is now overgrown and very difficult to find the Way.  The cares of the world, pleasure, delight, glamour and deceitfulness of riches have choked out the Way.

The Bible tell us: 

1. "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you - which is a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever". (1 Jn. 2:15-17 NLT)

2. "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows". (1 Tim. 6:10 NLT)

Father, help us all to be careful and guard our hearts against loving anything or anyone one more than You, the Author and Giver of Life.  


Psalm 16:11 - You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

One Smooth Stone

God Says I am the light of the World

Matthew 5:14 - You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden

Our Charges Have Been Cleared!

Colossians 2:13-15

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

God Says I am...Chosen - Ephesians 1:4

Ephesians 1:4 - Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

God Says I am His Child - John 1:12

God Says I Am...

Don't Forget to Put Your Clothes On!

Today I was just thinking about how important it is for us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ in order to prepare for the days demands. And while I was in thought, I was reminded about an awful dream that I had when I was a school-aged girl.

In my dream, I was standing in front of my house waiting for the school bus.  I saw the bus round the corner and head straight down my street to pick me up.  As the bus pulled up and came to a stop, the driver opened the door for me to get on.  And that’s when I realized that I totally forgot to put my clothes on!  I was standing there stark naked with all the kids on the bus staring at me.  Talk about humiliating!  My goodness, it was horrible!  I remember thinking “how in the world could you have forgotten to put your clothes on?”

Have you ever seen that commercial with the slogan “wanna get away?”  Well that was definitely my “wanna get away” moment.  Let me tell you, I was so thankful for the dawning of a new day and the opportunity to put my clothes on before I stood in front of that bus again! 

Many times, just like my dream, I have gone about my day without being purposeful and intentional about clothing myself with the Truth of God’s Word.  And it wasn’t long before the enemy of my soul seized the opportunity to attack when I my guard was down.

The Word of God (Ephesians 6) says that we are to “put on the full armor of God…so you will be able to resist the enemy…so that you will be fully prepared.”  That means we are to clothe ourselves with the Truth of God’s Word.  His Word is the sword we use to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy of our soul.  It doesn’t do us any good to just carry our sword around.  We must take it out of its sheath and use it!  Our Commander-In-Chief has provided all the resources, protection and ammunition that we need.  It is our responsibility to suit-up and fight.

So today (and every day), when we head out to catch the bus called life, for heaven’s sake and ours, let’s make sure that we put our spiritual clothes on!  We don’t want to be caught stark naked and exposed!

Jesus' Power over the Unclean

In the ancient world, leprosy was the most feared disease among the people.  If a person had a serious form of the disease, the Bible says they were to: “Tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed.  They must cover their mouth and call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’   As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp.” (Le. 13:45-46)

Can you even imagine being the one to contract this disease?  Talk about horrifying and humiliating.  L.S. Huizenga describes some of the nightmares of leprosy in his book Unclean! Unclean!  He writes: “leprosy generally begins with pain in certain areas of the body.  Numbness follows.  Soon the skin in such spots loses its original color.  It gets to be thick, glossy, and scaly…..As the sickness progresses, the thickened spots become dirty sores and ulcers due to poor blood supply.  The skin, especially around the eyes and ears, begins to bunch, with deep furrows between the swellings, so that the face of the afflicted individual begins to resemble that of a lion.  Fingers drop off or are absorbed; toes are affected similarly.  Eyebrows and eyelashes drop out.”  He also says that the “leper emits a very unpleasant odor.” 

As you can imagine, no one wanted to be near someone with leprosy.  They were diseased, unclean and physically frightening.  And as a result, they were all sentenced to live in isolation outside the camp away from everyone else.

Today, however, we will meet a certain leper who is about to encounter something different; Someone different.  Someone who wasn’t afraid of the disease, who wouldn’t stone the leper for coming near Him.  Someone who wasn’t ashamed of him and someone who exhibited love and compassion.  Read with me:

Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”  Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (Mat. 8:2-3 NLT)

Several remarkable things stand out to me.  First, the one thing this leper desired was to be clean, and he knew that Jesus was the One who could do it.  It is also interesting to note that the leper sensed something uniquely different in Jesus because he approached Him directly without hesitation or having to cry out “unclean! unclean!”  And when he approached Jesus, he did so in a posture of humility, worship and adoration.

Second, the Jews were forbidden to even touch a leper because he was considered unclean.  So when Jesus “reached out and touched him” He did so to demonstrate His love for mankind and the authority He has over disease.  In reality, all Jesus had to do was speak the word and the leper would have been healed, but He didn’t.  He lovingly touched the leper when no one else would even come near. 

Lastly, Jesus said “I am willing…be healed!”  And instantly the leprosy disappeared!

Today, just allow those words of Jesus to minister to you.  Don’t try to figure out all the how’s, why’s and when’s.  Be comforted by the fact that all power and authority belongs to Him and we belong to Him too! 

Plugged Into the Source of Life

"The Father is the Source of Life, and He has enabled the Son to be the Source of Life too." (Jn. 5:26 NLT)

We are like this electrical cord.  We have been created on purpose and for a purpose.  We are a product of the Manufacturer's heart - not of His head.  His desire is that we would choose to be plugged into Him, thus completing the circuit.  If we do not plug ourselves into our Source of Power, then we remain on the floor lifeless.  There is no hope for the "appliance" on the other end of the cord to ever function as the Manufacturer intended it to - vibrant and full of life.

"My heart has heard You say, 'Come and talk with Me.'  And my heart responds 'Lord, I am coming.'" (Ps. 27:8 NLT)

The Lord desires our fellowship and our communion.  So today, let's plug in to our Source of Power and complete the circuit.  We in Him and He in us.  Together.  One.  

The Response Prayer Gathering

Our Praise is a Weapon

Are you in the midst of a battle?  Are you troubled by a war that is raging around you?  Has the fight been long and exhausting?  Are you growing weary about a situation that you’ve been praying and seeking and standing in faith believing God to come through for you? 

One of our Pastors said something very profound last Sunday.  He said, “The enemy already knows he’s defeated.  God already knows he’s defeated.  But we seem to forget that he is already defeated.”  Listen, the enemy is ALREADY DEFEATED.  And today, you and I can walk in victory over any situation that we face!  Now, I didn't say the problem would be solved today; I said that we can walk victorious today!  

Here is the kicker….it’s going to cost us something.  But don’t worry; this will not involve opening our wallet.  No, this is a different kind of cost; and it involves us opening our mouth!  That’s right!  We will have to open our mouth in the midst of our battle and offer up a sacrifice of praise to our God, because our praise is a mighty weapon against the enemy of our soul.

Maybe right now you’re thinking “Okie-dokie, that’s quite ridiculous!  I mean how in the world will singing a song give me victory today?”  Oh listen, something powerful happens when we lift up our voice to God and begin to praise His name in the middle of our difficult circumstance. 

Look at what happened to Paul when he was thrown into prison by his enemy.  “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. (Ac. 16:25-26)

Do you think Paul and Silas FELT LIKE singing praises to God in their midnight hour?  I bet not.  But by faith, they began to lift their voice and sing unto the One who could deliver them out of all their troubles. And deliver them He did!

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.  They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.” (Ps. 89:15-16)

Paul and Silas heard the call to worship in the middle of a difficult circumstance.  They experienced God’s presence and power.  And finally, they rejoiced in God’s wonderful reputation!  And it’s the same for us.  When we begin to worship God, our praise acts as a highway for Him to come and dwell in our midst.  And once He is in our midst, His presence brings us joy and we will know that He has a wonderful reputation and that He is perfecting everything that concerns us!

So I want to encourage you today.  Get out your praise/worship music and take some time to praise your God in the middle of your situation…and praise Him loud!  You may have to do it by faith.  But just do it.  God will come and strengthen and refresh you.  He will give you victory today!

If you don’t have a good praise and worship CD, I would like to recommend “Moving Forward” by Free Chapel.

The Response Prayer Gathering

As additional evidence that I don't know what I'm doing, I thought you should be aware that I neglected to mention a small, but significant part of what I wanted to say about Governor Perry.  Many of you may be aware that numerous people are saying of Governor Perry and his call to prayer, that this is a political maneuver.  But do you realize how many people he has alienated and the outrage it has caused?  We can be sure that anytime anyone takes a stand for righteousness, there will be opposition.

Our Life is Like a Symphony

“Our life is like a Symphony in which the Composer has given each of us a part to play.  When our notes have been played and our song is finished, may we hear the Great Composer say, 'Well done thy good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.'”  Those were the words I heard in my heart yesterday just as I was waking up. 

Friends, you and I are the instruments in God’s orchestra and we all have been issued a part to play.  A question that has caused me to seek the Lord even harder and examine my heart more thoroughly is:  “Are we playing the notes that the Great Composer has assigned to us?  Or have we chosen to play our own song?”

More than anything, I don’t want to play my own song.  I want to play the piece that the Great Composer has assigned to me.  You know life is busy.  And there are many things that fight for our time and attention.  We have to fight off our natural tendency to seek our own way and to compose our own song.   Jesus gives us a sobering warning about playing our own song:  “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” (Mt. 7:21)

So how do we know the will of our Father?  How do we know the path that He has prepared for us to walk on?  “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Mt. 7:6-8)

One time I asked the Lord, “Why do I have to keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking?  Why can’t you just answer me the first time?”  To which He revealed:  “Only those who are serious about Me will keep on asking, keep on knocking and keep on seeking.”

We must take the Lord seriously.  We must love Him wholeheartedly.  And we must seek Him fervently.  As we do, He has given us a promise that “those who seek Me diligently will find Me.” (Prov. 8:17)

"Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand." (Prov. 19:21)

What Exactly Is A Good Shepherd?

A good shepherd is one who tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds and protects his flock.  They will lead the sheep out to pasture for food, provide them water, and put their own life in danger to defend them from predators.  They will never run off or forsake the sheep when they are in need.  And when one of his sheep becomes weak, a good shepherd will carry them in their arms and nurse them back to health.  Additionally, if a sheep wonders away from the rest of the flock, out of his love for the sheep, the shepherd will leave the rest of the flock to go after the sheep that has strayed.

Jesus said, “I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

Sometimes, we just need to be reminded that Jesus is the GOOD Shepherd.  He is not an angry, frustrated, sick-and-tired, want to kick-us-out of the pasture Shepherd.  No, He is the GOOD Shepherd!  He loves us. He cares for us.  He provides for us.  He tends to us.  He cherishes us.  He nourishes us.  He protects us.  He defends us.  He intercedes for us.  He is the GOOD Shepherd!  And listen, He wasn’t just the GOOD Shepherd in the New Testament, although He was.  And He’s not going to be the GOOD Shepherd in the sweet-by-and-by, although He is.  He is the GOOD Shepherd now!

David lifted up a song to the Lord about the Father being a GOOD Shepherd and it wasn’t just a nice confession in hopes that it would be true someday or a wish upon a star.  It was what he knew and experienced out of a relationship with his Father.  My prayer for you and me today is that out of the abundance of our heart we would know - not in our head but in our heart - that Jesus is a GOOD Shepherd to us, and we can declare like David:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.  He renews my strength.  He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.  You honor me by anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings.  Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” (Ps. 23 NLT)

What Are You Craving?

Craving:  an intense, urgent or abnormal desire or longing.  To have a strong inward desire.  To yearn for.  To want greatly.

On Tuesday night of this week I had a sudden craving for some frozen yogurt – at 9:00PM.  So guess what I did?  I snatched 20 bucks from my sweetheart’s wallet (thank you Honey!) got in the car, drove to the yogurt shop and bought me some cheesecake/mango yogurt!  It was super delicious and hit the spot just right!

I don’t know about you, but on more than one occasion, I have gone the distance to fulfill my cravings.  Literally.  For instance, during one of our road-trips to Tennessee, I began “to have a strong inward desire” for some sweet tea from Chick-Filet.  So I called on Destination Assist to ask where the nearest location of Chick-Filet was.  Much to my delight, they found one!  The only problem was it was several miles out of our way!  But I had a craving and wanted me some sweet tea!  So they downloaded the information to the car and we were well on our way.  We exited the freeway as Rosie told us to do (Rosie, by the way, is name we’ve given to the GPS), and continued to follow her instructions.  I should have known that something fishy was going on because the scene grew progressively worse by the minute.  At Rosie’s last command, we turned into the parking lot of a shopping center that was totally rundown – and no Chick-Filet in sight!   And to my great disappointment, Rosie kindly said, “You have arrived at your destination.”  Needless to say, I didn’t get any sweet tea, but we did get a huge laugh out of that one!

As human beings, one of the things we all need and crave is food.  Without it, we cannot survive.  But, have you noticed that when we get sick or are feeling under-the-weather we tend to lose our appetite for food?  Nothing sounds good, nothing taste good.  We don’t crave anything…we just want to lie down and sleep. 

In a very similar way, when our hearts have grown spiritually dull or sick, we tend to lose our spiritual appetite and we don’t crave or yearn for the Lord anymore.  We find that we have no desire to read and study His Word.  We have no desire to worship, no desire to pray and no desire to go to church.  The craving is gone.  The hunger is gone.  And consequently, we lie down spiritually and fall asleep

. 

Friends, you and I cannot afford to fall asleep; it could literally cost us our lives.  We must make a spiritual evaluation of the current condition of our heart by asking ourselves:  Do we crave the Lord?  Do we have an intense, urgent, abnormal desire or longing to be in His presence?  Do we have a strong inward desire to know Him, His Word and His will for our life?  Do we yearn for Him?  Do we want Him greatly above all else? 

If you can answer “yes”, then praise God and keep on keeping on!  If the answer is “no” and you have lost your spiritual appetite and no longer crave the Lord, His presence or His Word, or maybe you’ve never really had that craving before, I want to encourage you ask the Lord to rekindle the flame inside you.  Ask Him to give you the desire to crave Him once again.  Then set your mind on Him and begin to pursue Him with everything you are and with everything you’ve got.  If your Bible is buried somewhere, dig it out and begin to seek Him through His Word.  If you haven’t been attending church lately, this Sunday get up and go!  Pursue your Father.  Run after Him.  Seek Him.  Crave Him.   

“Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength;…seek and require His face and His presence [continually] evermore.” (Ps. 105:4)

The Response: A call to prayer for a nation in crisis

God said, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14)  


Our Governor, Rick Perry, has issued a call for God's people to come together and pray on August 6th at Reliant Stadium from 10AM - 5 PM. Now listen, it doesn't matter if politically you are to the left or to the right or somewhere in the middle.  What matters is that God's people have been issued a call to prayer for our state and our nation.  Here is Governor Perry's call:

Fellow Americans,

Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy.

Some problems are beyond our power to solve, and according to the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, this historic hour demands a historic response. Therefore, on August 6, thousands will gather to pray for a historic breakthrough for our country and a renewed sense of moral purpose.

I sincerely hope you’ll join me in Houston on August 6th and take your place in Reliant Stadium with praying people asking God’s forgiveness, wisdom and provision for our state and nation. There is hope for America. It lies in heaven, and we will find it on our knees.

Sincerely, 
Rick Perry

Governor

My family and I plan to be there and I hope you will too!  There is no cost involved, but you will need to sign up.  Please go to http://theresponseusa.com/ for more information and to sign up to attend.

You Are Needed In The Body Of Christ!

Words cannot describe the awesome time we had at camp.  God showed up in a powerful way and touched the lives and hearts of the children at camp…and the adults too, me being one of them!

I must confess.  I never really feel qualified or equipped to serve in any capacity for God’s kingdom.  I go to camp praying that God would somehow use me to share His love, His heart and His character with these kids.  I pray that God would give me everything I need to serve the kids with all my heart and with the love that Jesus has for them.  And in spite of all my inadequacies, something amazing always happens to me as I step out in faith and trust God. 

As I went off to camp to serve Him by serving the children, He served me up a blessing that I am still trying to wrap my brain around.   My life has been impacted and my heart has been changed!  No vacation could ever compare to going off to camp with these kids and being a part of all that God did.  It was AWESOME!  God is AWESOME!  I mean, what else can compare to eating Vienna Sausage with chocolate syrup poured all over them?  Or a bucket of muddy lake water being dumped all over you?   It was priceless; simply priceless!

No joking, my life was tremendously impacted at Camp Marvel!  I would not have wanted to miss that camp for anything!  As I stepped out of my comfort zone, God stepped in and radically touched my heart.  Friends, life is all about serving Jesus and serving others.  There is nothing greater or more meaningful in the entire world.  We were created to love God and love others, and to serve God by serving others.  Friends, we need each other.

Do you know that someone needs YOU?  Do you know that YOU are a part of someone else’s miracle?  Do you know that YOU could be the only person to touch a life with the love of Jesus?  YOU are needed.   God needs YOU to make a difference in the lives of others.  You are part of the body of Christ, and without you, the rest of the body suffers.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t have any special gifts to serve God” or “I don’t really know how to love others” or “I don’t know very much of the Bible” or “What do I have to offer others?”  Listen, I can promise you, it’s not about how good we are, how gifted we are, how smart we are, how much of the Bible we know.  All we have to do is make ourselves available and God supernaturally does the rest!  He is the One who will equip you with everything you need to do His will.

God uses ordinary people like me and like you to do amazing things for His kingdom.  2 Chron. 16:9 says “His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him”.  All we need to do is be willing – He does the enabling! 

Like Isaiah, let’s make ourselves available to the Lord and say, “Here am I Lord, send me!”  And watch what amazing things God will do through YOU and to YOU!  You really can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives you everything you need to fulfill His purpose for your life!

It Wasn't Possible

Jesus had one ultimate mission from the Father to complete while He was on planet earth.  His destiny was to be slaughtered.  And nothing short of that would satisfy the demands of our sin. 

As Jesus’ time on earth draws close to the end, would you watch as He earnestly communicates with His Father about the difficult road He must travel…

Matthew 26:39 GWT - After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”

Matthew 26:42 GWT - Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:44 GWT - So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words.

Jesus prayed to His Father three different times on three different occasions that He might not have to face the terrible things He was about to suffer; which would ultimately end in His death on the cross.  Friends, do you realize that it wasn’t possible that His cup of suffering be removed.  It wasn’t possible!  The payment for our sins required Him to take the beatings, the spit in His face, the thorns shoved in His head, the blows from fists made to His head, the embarrassment of being stripped, made fun of and falsely accused, the strips on his back and the nails in his hand and feet!  And the reality of what He was about to face caused Him such agony that when He prayed to His Father “His sweat became like great drops of blood! (Luke 22:44)  But He was still obedient. 

In obedience to His Father, He allowed the people to inflict horrible abuse upon Him and ultimately crucify Him.  And then John 19:30 says: “After Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died.”

Did you see that?  Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED!”  The mission that His Father gave Him to complete was carried out ALL THE WAY!  And now He is seated at the right hand of the Father and the Father is fully, completely, and totally satisfied with His Son’s obedience.  Nothing else has to be done.  The payment for our sins has been paid! 

We can let go of all our past mistakes, all our failures, the guilt, the shame and unworthiness.  And we can come boldly into His presence based on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Friends, we are in right standing with God because Jesus paid it all!  Every bit of it.  It is finished!!!   

Delight Yourself In The Lord

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”. (Ps. 37:4)  That word delight means: to be soft or pliable; and pliable means: yielding readily to others.  Today I want us to witness the blessings of God that fall right into the lap of a woman who has yielded herself to taking care of things that are important to God.  Let’s pull up a chair and watch the story unfold…

Elisha is a man who has been appointed by God to be His voice, His hands and His feet; he’s kind of a big deal.  While traveling to the town of Shunem, he meets a woman who recognizes that he is a man of God.  She urges him to come to her house so she can fix him up with a nice home-cooked meal.  And he is happy to be her guest.  In fact from that point on, every time he came into town he would stay at her place.

Did you happen to notice that she doesn’t just invite Elisha, but she urges him to come to her house?  She’s obviously discovered something of great significance in this “holy man of God” because she tells her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.  Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”  Wow!  When Elisha comes to visit, she doesn’t just throw a sleeping bag on the floor.  No, she desires his presence so much that she builds a room for him in her house so he will have a place to dwell when he comes by!  Talk about hospitality at its best!

Alright, once again Elisha returns to her house and heads upstairs to his room to rest.  The kindness and concern this woman has shown him is at the forefront of his mind so he decides to express his appreciation to her.  So Elisha has Gehazi, his servant, call her and say “we appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”  A good word to the king or the commander of the army???  Wow, what an opportunity for her to rack up some brownie points!  But she doesn’t.  She simply said “no, my family takes good care of me.” 

Now some time goes by and Elisha still wants to bless her in some kind of way.  So watch what happens next…“Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”  “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”... And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.”

How beautiful!  This is another great example of God fulfilling our hearts desires when our eyes are focused on His Kingdom business. This is Matthew 6:33 at its best: “But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.”  This woman had great care and concern for the things of God and the presence of God.  She wasn’t taking care of Elisha to get something in return.  No, she did it out of the abundance of her heart.  God’s business was important to her!  And because she delighted herself in the Lord and yielded herself to Elisha, God remembered and fulfilled the desires and secret petitions of her heart.  Beautiful, simply beautiful.

You Are Never Too Far Gone

Today, I want to focus our attention on a man who by all natural appearance is a totally hopeless case.  So hopeless in fact, we would probably classify him as insane and needing to be locked up forever.  We do not know his complete story or the events that took place that led him down this dark and troubled road, but we will meet him where he currently resides – in a cemetery.

Yes, he is living in a cemetery.  Now I don’t know about you, but a cemetery is not my first choice of residency – maybe my last, but certainly not my first or second, or third, or forth, or fifth – I think you get my point.  Anyway, he is a man who is controlled by many evil spirits and is living among the dead.  All day and night he walks around the tombs screaming and cutting himself with stones.  No one is able to restrain him.  Whenever chains are wrapped around his wrist and shackles strapped around his feet he would snap them in his rage.

This man is what many of us would deem a hopeless case, mentally ill, an outcast or a menace to society.  As I sit here pondering his story, I can’t help but wonder what in the world brought this man to this rock-bottom place.  Was it rejection, abandonment, fear, insecurity, failure, the loss of a loved one, witchcraft, an addiction, guilt, shame?  I don’t know and God doesn’t give us any indication as to what caused this man to wind up in such a terrible state.  But bless his heart, he is in need of a life-changing miracle and our Father is about to show up bigtime!

According to 1 Samuel 16:7 God does not look on man’s outward appearance, He looks at a man’s heart.  Knowing that, I just wonder if somehow, somewhere, he had the courage to cry out for help from the depths of his heart wanting a fresh start in life.   Or maybe someone that knew him began to pray for his deliverance and God heard their prayers.  Either way, Jesus - who only did what His Father instructed Him to do - makes a special trip across the Sea of Galilee to the region of Gerasenes to set him free.  And set him free He does! 

After this man’s encounter with Jesus he was totally delivered from demonic oppression and clothed and in his right mind!  He was so touched by Jesus’ love and power that he wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went, he never wanted to leave Him.  Obviously Jesus had a much more significant plan for his life because He sent him back to his hometown to tell everyone what great things the Lord had done for him and how He had had compassion him.  Hummm, sounds like He made an evangelist out of him! (You can find this story in Mark 5)

Once again, our Father has given us a beautiful story of His love, redemption, forgiveness, compassion, healing and deliverance. That is what our Father is all about.  Jesus not only came to make this man whole again, but He also gave him a new purpose in life!  Our God is full of compassion on those we consider too far gone and He can do astounding things with those who have been deemed hopeless.  All things are possible with God!  Pray and only believe…

An Intense Renewal of Our Faith

Some friends of ours, Pastor Kevin and Margie Kinchen, are currently over in the Middle East training up young Iranian pastors.  Just this morning they have sent out an update on the progress of their trip.  Would you take just a moment to read what he posted…

Good morning and welcome to The E-quip Devotion...from somewhere in the Middle East. Sorry I cannot tell you where we are, but for the safety of these young Iranian pastors we are training, we must keep it a secret. I do wish every one of you could be here to experience what we are experiencing. The love, the passion, the commitment, and the zeal these people have for Jesus and for people is amazing and most desirable.

Let me be blunt...Christians overall in America are spoiled, especially when it comes to church. When is the last time you were filled with passion, excitement, zeal, and faith...just to go to church on Sunday? People in Iran DREAM about the thought of meeting together publicly to worship God without the fear of being arrested, harmed, or even killed. Sad to say, many of us who live in a country that promotes freedom, we won't go to church unless; our favorite speaker is doing the service, or our friends are going, or we have nothing better to do. In Iran it's a DREAM, in America it's a RE-RUN, and most people don't like re-runs. Harsh but true.

I pray that ALL OF US will get so close to God that we realize what we have IN HIM. I pray we don't take what we have for granted. I pray we find an intense renewal of our faith, our belief, and our commitment to our Lord. I also pray we will commit to taking what God has graciously blessed us with, and share it with the world in any way we can. Renew that "first love" you once had for God. And remember, if you feel distant from God, it's NOT Him that moved away. He is still on the throne...it's US that distance ourselves from HIM. Make the choice to move back home and take your place "seated with Him in heavenly places." 

The Brook Has Dried Up

On Friday we saw how God demonstrated His love and provision to His child Elijah by sending him to the Kerith Brook during a time of famine.  It was there that God provided the water and food that was necessary to sustain him.  Today, however, we will see a new challenge that Elijah is up against. 

After some time goes by, the Kerith Brook – the very place that God had sent him – dries up!  Elijah now finds himself face-to-face with a situation that looks pretty grim.  As far as he can tell, he has run out of water and there is not a single cloud in sight!  And he is getting thirsty…real thirsty!  Probably parched! 

Can we strap on Elijah’s sandals for just a moment?  Alright, we are standing next to a brook.  The very brook that God sent us to and it is now bone dry.  Not a chance of rain in the forecast.  At this point, we could easily be tempted to think that God has forgotten about us, has left us or is mad at us.  Or maybe we begin to question ourselves “Did God really tell me to go to the Kerith Brook in the first place?”  Or while staring at the dried up brook, we decide that God is mean, unfair and is punishing us for something we did wrong.  Or like the children of Israel, we begin to think that God has brought us out to the brook to kill us!  Do you think we would be tempted to think things like that?  I wonder if Elijah had those thoughts.

If we or Elijah were tempted to think any of those negative thoughts, we will soon discover that not one of them would be true.  So let’s give Elijah’s sandals back now and watch as God directs him into a new destination, a destination that has been thoughtfully and lovingly prepared for him.  Our text is taken from 1 Kings 17:8 and it reads: “Then the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.’”  A new direction and fresh provision! 

Ok, we cannot afford to overlook the significance of the town where the Lord is sending Elijah.  This is HUGE!  God has sent him to the village of Zarephath, which means refinement.  It also means to fuse, melt, purge away, try.  Can you see where God is going with this?  Not only has God not forgotten about Elijah, but out of His deep love and affection for Elijah, He is strategically using these challenges to refine him for the most amazing, most incredible encounters with the Giver of Life Himself. 

Friends, I don’t know much, but one thing I do know is that God will use challenges to try our hearts to make sure we are firmly fixed on Him, and nothing else.  He wants us unmovable and unshakable.  And because of that, He will purge and melt away all the things that aren’t beautiful in our life, so that we will look like the One who is Beautiful.  His desire is that we become one with Him, you know, fused together with Him.

We must decide that no matter what kind of situation we are up against, no matter how grim the situation looks we will trust our God.  That is what He is looking for – hearts totally sold out to Him.  We can trust Him when famine hits our land.  We can trust Him when our brook has dried up.  If He brought us to it, He will carry us through it!  He is FAITHFUL!